Collaborative Research and Use of Q Methodology to Understand Technology Infusion in Teacher Preparation
Abstract: Teacher educators, even those in the same program, may have different opinions about how and when technology can or should be infused into teacher candidate programs. After the 2018 National Technology Leadership Summit (NTLS), a collaborative effort was developed to undertake a multi-institutional study to investigate teacher educator perspectives related to technology infusion. Q methodology was selected to collect the viewpoints of participants. Collaborators were recruited to implement the Q sort process with teacher educators (who were not technology specialists) at multiple institutions across the U.S. Results from the study revealed (1) variance in participant expertise and beliefs about the value of integrating technology and (2) consensus amongst participants about multiple challenges to achieving technology infusion across teacher preparation programs. Q methodology served as a powerful approach for collecting quantitative and qualitative data and subsequent analysis. The researchers explored features of several software programs tailored for Q methodology and gained new insights about the benefits of and challenges to engaging in a collaborative research process.