A constructionist approach to negotiating technological pedagogical and content knowledge tensions and synergies in pre-service teacher education

Abstract

Background: In South Africa, most pre-service teachers struggle to integrate technology effectively, despite policy mandates and their daily use of technology. Although the technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) framework identifies necessary knowledge domains, how pre-service teachers actively negotiate tensions between technology, pedagogy and content remains inadequately understood. Most studies treat TPACK as a static outcome rather than an evolving process. Aim: The study investigated how pre-service teachers negotiate TPACK tensions and synergies within the context of a constructionist pedagogical intervention, specifically collaborative lesson design and micro-teaching. Setting: The research was conducted at a university in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa with 20 pre-service teachers with a postgraduate certificate in education enrolled in a compulsory ‘Teaching with Technology’ module redesigned using constructionist principles. Methods: Data were collected from two focus group discussions, four group reflective journals and direct micro-teaching observations. Typological analysis identified and categorised TPACK tensions and synergies. Results: Findings show that artefact creation (lesson plan design) initially exposed foundational TPACK tensions, like conflicts between technology’s appeal and its pedagogical value and practical constraints. Collaborative dialogue then transformed these tensions into synergies through pedagogical reasoning and collective troubleshooting. And micro-teaching embodied and crystallised TPACK, either validating planned synergies or revealing new, unforeseen challenges requiring agile adaptation. Conclusion: Constructionist activities effectively facilitate the dynamic negotiation of TPACK. Creating tangible artefacts and engaging in collaborative problem-solving, pre-service teachers visibly debate conflicts and progressively integrate their technological, pedagogical and content knowledge. Contribution: I argue that this study provides empirical evidence of the specific mechanisms through which pre-service teachers navigate and reconcile tensions in technology integration in a constructionist learning environment, offering a process-oriented model of TPACK development