Mathematics teacher educators’ and pre-service teachers’ beliefs about the use of technology in teaching in an African university

This study examines beliefs held by mathematics teacher educators and pre‐service teachers about the usefulness and teacher educators’ belief on ease of use of computers in teaching in an Ethiopian teacher education University. It also identifies teacher educators’ actual practices in using computers in teaching. The study used questionnaires and semi‐structured interviews to collect data from 15 mathematics teacher educators and 42 pre‐service mathematics teachers. The data was subsequently analyzed through the lens of Davis’ (1989) modified Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The TAM approach focuses on how the external domain, such as professional development (PD), and accessibility of technology, influences participants’ beliefs about the usefulness, and ease of use of technology, which in turn impacts their actual use in teaching. The results of this study found that although the participant teacher educators and pre‐service teachers held positive beliefs about the use of computers in teaching, these beliefs were not positively related to the teacher educators’ actual practices. The teacher educators did not often use technology in their teaching. The study identified a number of external factors which may have impeded the teachers’ use of technology, including accessibility and professional development on integrating technology in the classroom