Abstracts
Abstract
Research on educational technology (EdTech) integration has extensively explored determinants; however, strategies remain underexamined. Existing models predominantly focus on identifying the determinants of technology adoption yet fail to offer systemic frameworks for sustainable EdTech integration. This study bridges that gap by investigating strategies proposed by stakeholders in a college of teacher education, culminating in a theoretical framework. The research was conducted across four Ethiopian colleges of teacher education by employing a constructivist grounded theory. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis, involving 23 participants selected through purposive and theoretical sampling. Data analysis was performed using MAXQDA (Version 2020) software. The results revealed six key strategies categorized into teacher-related, institution-related, and organization-related. A co-constructed theoretical framework illustrates the roles of various stakeholders in EdTech integration, underpinned by ecological systems theory, diffusion of innovations, and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. Credibility was ensured through a member-checking survey. The study advocates for further quantitative research to evaluate the correlation between strategies and educational technology integration outcomes, with replication across diverse contexts and stakeholders.
Keywords:
- Ethiopia,
- constructivist grounded theory,
- educational technology,
- teacher education,
- strategies
Résumé
La recherche sur l’intégration des technologies éducatives (EdTech) a largement exploré les déterminants, mais les stratégies restent sous-examinées. Les modèles existants se concentrent principalement sur l’identification des déterminants de l’adoption des technologies, mais ne parviennent pas à proposer des cadres de référence systémiques pour une intégration durable des EdTech. Cette étude comble cette lacune en examinant les stratégies proposées par les parties prenantes dans les établissements de formation des personnes enseignantes, pour aboutir à un cadre théorique. La recherche a été menée dans quatre établissements éthiopiens de formation des personnes enseignantes en utilisant une théorie constructiviste ancrée. Les données ont été collectées par le biais d’entretiens semi-structurés et d’une analyse de documents, impliquant 23 personnes participantes sélectionnées par le biais d’un échantillonnage raisonné et théorique. L’analyse des données a été réalisée à l’aide du logiciel MAXQDA (version 2020). Les résultats ont révélé six stratégies clés classées en trois catégories : liées à l’enseignant, liées à l’institution et liées à l’organisation. Un cadre théorique coconstruit illustre les rôles des différentes parties prenantes dans l’intégration des EdTech, étayé par la théorie des systèmes écologiques, la diffusion des innovations et la théorie unifiée de l’acceptation et de l’utilisation de la technologie. La crédibilité a été assurée par un sondage de vérification auprès des membres. L’étude préconise la poursuite des recherches quantitatives pour évaluer la corrélation entre les stratégies et les résultats de l’intégration des technologies éducatives, avec une reproduction dans divers contextes et auprès de diverses parties prenantes.
Mots-clés :
- Éthiopie,
- théorie constructiviste ancrée,
- technologie éducative,
- formation des personnes enseignantes,
- stratégies
Appendices
Bibliography
- Adamu, A. Y. (2024). Digitalization of higher education in Ethiopia. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education, 16(2), 13–24. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1427232.pdf
- Alemu, B. M. (2017). Transforming educational practices of Ethiopia into development and the knowledge society through information and communication technology. African Educational Research Journal, 5(1), 1–17. https://www.netjournals.org/pdf/AERJ/2017/1/16-050.pdf
- Alowayr, A. (2022). Determinants of mobile learning adoption: Extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). The International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, 39(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJILT-05-2021-0070
- Asratie, M. G., Wale, B. D., & Aylet, Y. T. (2023). Effects of using educational technology tools to enhance EFL students’ speaking performance. Education and Information Technologies, 28(8), 10031–10051. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11562-y
- Atabek, O. (2020). Experienced educators’ suggestions for solutions to the challenges to technology integration. Education and Information Technologies, 25(6), 5669–5685. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10243-y
- Bekele Sime, T., Geta, G. M., & and Olamo, T. G. (2024). Effects of blended instruction on students’ paragraph writing performances: The case of first year health science pharmacy students at Pharma College Hawassa Campus, Ethiopia. Cogent Education, 11(1), Article 2321309. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2321309
- Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
- Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd.
- Charmaz, K., & Belgrave, L. L. (2012). Qualitative interviewing and grounded theory analysis. In J. F. Gubrium, J. A. Holstein, A. B. Marvasti, & K. D. McKinney (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of interview research: The complexity of the craft (pp. 347–365). SAGE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452218403.n25
- Chugh, R., Turnbull, D., Cowling, M. A., Vanderburg, R., & Vanderburg, M. A. (2023). Implementing educational technology in higher education institutions: A review of technologies, stakeholder perceptions, frameworks and metrics. Education and Information Technologies, 28, 16403–16429 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11846-x
- Clausen, J. M., Borthwick, A. C., & Rutledge, D. (2021). Teacher educator perspectives on technology infusion: A closer look using Q methodology. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 29(1), 5–43. https://doi.org/10.70725/670709xtdrfm
- Damiano, A. D., Lauría, E. J. M., Sarmiento, C., & Zhao, N. (2024). Early perceptions of teaching and learning using generative AI in higher education. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 52(3), 346–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472395241233290
- Deacon, B., Laufer, M., & Schäfer, L. O. (2023). Infusing educational technologies in the heart of the university—A systematic literature review from an organisational perspective. British Journal of Educational Technology, 54(2), 441–466. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13277
- Dexter, S., & Richardson, J. W. (2020). What does technology integration research tell us about the leadership of technology? Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 52(1), 17–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2019.1668316
- Elsholz, U., Fecher, B., Deacon, B., Schäfer, L. O., & Laufer, M. (2021). Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for digital teaching: Organised freedom as a paradigm of change. MediaEducation: Journal for Theory and Practice of Media Education, 40(CoViD-19), 472–486. https://doi.org/10.21240/mpaed/40/2021.11.29.X
- Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. (2020). Digital Ethiopia 2025: A digital strategy for Ethiopia inclusive prosperity. https://www.pmo.gov.et/media/other/b2329861-f9d7-4c4b-9f05-d5bc2c8b33b6.pdf
- Ferede, B., Elen, J., Van Petegem, W., Hunde, A. B., & Goeman, K. (2022a). Determinants of instructors’ educational ICT use in Ethiopian higher education. Education and Information Technologies, 27(1), 917–936. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10606-z
- Ferede, B., Elen, J., Van Petegem, W., Hunde, A. B., & Goeman, K. (2022b). A structural equation model for determinants of instructors’ educational ICT use in higher education in developing countries: Evidence from Ethiopia. Computers & Education, 188, Article 104566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104566
- Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1999). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203793206
- Gonfa, M. H., Birhanu, A. L., & Gendo, K. M. (2024). Review on practice and challenges of ICT integration as pedagogical tools in Ethiopian primary school curriculum implementation. Discover Education, 3(1), Article 88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00184-w
- Granić, A. (2022). Educational technology adoption: A systematic review. Education and Information Technologies, 27(7), 9725–9744. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-10951-7
- Hennessy, S., D’Angelo, S., McIntyre, N., Koomar, S., Kreimeia, A., Cao, L., Brugha, M., & Zubairi, A. (2022). Technology use for teacher professional development in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review. Computers and Education Open, 3, Article 100080. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.2022.100080
- Hunduma, C. M., & Seyoum, Y. (2023). Constraints hindering ICT integration in Ethiopian public secondary schools: A literature review. International Journal of Membrane Science and Technology, 10(2), 691–702. https://doi.org/10.15379/ijmst.v10i2.1271
- Idrees, I., Vasconcelos, A. C., & Cox, A. M. (2011). The use of grounded theory in PhD research in knowledge management. Aslib Proceedings, 63(2/3), 188–203. https://doi.org/10.1108/00012531111135655
- Jaiswal, P. (2020). Integrating educational technologies to augment learners’ academic achievements. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 15(02), 145–159. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i02.11809
- Kelley, J., AlZoubi, D., Gilbert, S. B., Baran, E., Karabulut-Ilgu, A., & Jiang, S. (2021). University implementation of TEACHActive—An automated classroom feedback system and dashboard. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 65(1), 375–379. https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181321651186
- Kleine, K., & Pessot, E. (2024). Virtualising labs in engineering education: A typology for structure and development. Higher Education Research & Development, 43(1), 119–133. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2023.2228227
- Koh, J. H. L. (2020). Three approaches for supporting faculty technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) creation through instructional consultation. British Journal of Educational Technology, 51(6), 2529–2543. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12930
- Landa, E., Zhu, C., Sesabo, J., & Machumu, H. (2023). Leader support and the integration of innovative teaching-learning technologies: The mediating role of technological level of knowledge. Education and Information Technologies, 28(12), 15523–15541. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11776-8
- Maatuk, A. M., Elberkawi, E. K., Aljawarneh, S., Rashaideh, H., & Alharbi, H. (2022). The COVID-19 pandemic and e-learning: Challenges and opportunities from the perspective of students and instructors. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 34(1), 21–38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-021-09274-2
- Mihiretie, D. M. (2023). The pedagogy of teacher education in Ethiopia: Reconstructing understandings and practices on teaching about teaching and learning to teach. Bahir Dar Journal of Education, 23(2), 22–58. https://doi.org/10.4314/bdje.v23i2.3
- Ministry of Education. (2023). Education statistics: Annual abstract (ESAA) 2022/23. https://www.moe.gov.et/resources/annual-abstract/4
- Nemomsa, K., & Beyesa, F. (2023). The status of quality education in college of teachers education in West Oromia regional state. Journal of Science, Technology and Arts Research, 12(4), 76–95. https://doi.org/10.20372/star.v12i4.07
- Nyanzi, R., Mahmood, F., & Nahar, L. (2024). Investigating faculty use of assistive technology through closed captioning and reading aloud through the lens of ecological systems theory. In J. Cohen & G. Solano (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1933–1935). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/p/224236
- Qiao, P., Zhu, X., Guo, Y., Sun, Y., & Qin, C. (2021). The development and adoption of online learning in pre- and post-COVID-19: Combination of technological system evolution theory and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 14(4), Article 162. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm14040162
- Petko, D., & Prasse, D. (2018). Exploring the impact of stakeholder engagement on the integration of educational technology in elementary schools: Expanding the will-skill-tool model with contextual variables. In E. Langran & J. Borup (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1068–1074). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/p/182657
- Ray, A. (2020). E-learning: The new normal in the post-COVID world. International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science, 2(9), 866–876.
- Rich, P. J., Mason, S. L., & O’Leary, J. (2021). Measuring the effect of continuous professional development on elementary teachers’ self-efficacy to teach coding and computational thinking. Computers & Education, 168, Article 104196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104196
- Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). Free Press.
- Saal, P. E., Graham, M. A., & van Ryneveld, L. (2020). The relationship between integrating educational technology in mathematics education and the mathematics achievement of German students. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 16(12), Article em1905. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/8939
- Saunders, B., Sim, J., Kingstone, T., Baker, S., Waterfield, J., Bartlam, B., Burroughs, H., & Jinks, C. (2018). Saturation in qualitative research: Exploring its conceptualization and operationalization. Quality & Quantity, 52, 1893–1907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-017-0574-8
- Scanlon, E. (2021). Educational technology research: Contexts, complexity and challenges. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2021(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.580
- Shohel, M. M. C., Babu, R., Ashrafuzzaman, M., & Azim, F. (2023). Redesigning curriculum and using technologies during emergency remote teaching and learning in higher education in Bangladesh. In S. Silva, P. Peres, & C. Silva (Eds.), Developing curriculum for emergency remote learning environments (pp. 196–215). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-6071-9.ch011
- Smith, C., & Becker, S. (2021). Using communities of practice to facilitate technology integration among K–12 educators: A qualitative meta-synthesis. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 29(4), 559–583. https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/219900
- Stahl, G. (2021). Redesigning mathematical curriculum for blended learning. Education Sciences, 11(4), Article 165. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/4/165
- Tanhan, A., Taş, B., Agilkaya-Sahin, Z., Hayden, S. C. W., Korkmaz, O., & Gürsu, O. (2023). Perception of online education during COVID-19: Online photovoice (OPV) and ecological systems theory. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 53(1), 81–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2023.2247544
- Trevisan, O., De Rossi, M., Christensen, R., Knezek, G., & Smits, A. (2023). Factors shaping faculty online teaching competencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Educational Technology Research and Development, 71(1), 79–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10197-1
- Turnbull, D., Chugh, R., & Luck, J. (2021). Transitioning to e-Learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: How have higher education institutions responded to the challenge? Education and Information Technologies, 26(5), 6401–6419. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10633-w
- Uzorka, A., & Olaniyan, A. O. (2023). Leadership role and professional development of technology. Education and Information Technologies, 28(1), 713–723. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11201-6
- Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F. D. (2003). User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425–478. https://doi.org/10.2307/30036540
- Vlachogianni, P., & Tselios, N. (2022). Perceived usability evaluation of educational technology using the system usability scale (SUS): A systematic review. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 54(3), 392–409. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2020.1867938
- Wohlfart, O., & Wagner, I. (2023). Teachers’ role in digitalizing education: An umbrella review. Educational Technology Research and Development, 71(2), 339–365. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-022-10166-0
- Woldemariam, M. T., Ergado, A. A., & Jimma, W. (2025). Factors influencing effective integration of educational technology in the colleges of teacher education in Ethiopia: A constructivist grounded theory. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 41(2), 50–70. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.9993
- World Bank. (2023). Population, total—Ethiopia. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=ET
- Yang, E., & Sanborn, B. (2021). Ecological systems theory. In R. Appel-Meulenbroek & V. Danivska (Eds.), A handbook of theories on designing alignment between people and the office environment (1st ed., pp. 101–114). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003128830-9