Secondary technology teachers’ perceptions and practice: Digital technology and a future-focused curriculum in New Zealand

Abstract

The Technology Learning Area statement in the New Zealand Curriculum has been recently reviewed to prioritise Digital Technology as a context for learning (Ministry of Education (MoE), 2007, 2017a). The emphasis provides the opportunity for teachers of technology education to guide learning in a future-focused manner, whilst also accommodating their students’ social and academic needs. Four potential school-based responses are proposed, which are asserted as being likely to emerge from this recent change. Findings from a qualitative research project inform discussion about how secondary technology teachers’ perceptions and interpretation of the Technology Learning Area curriculum statement can have an impact on their practices. The implications are discussed in relation to how teachers’ practice can be affected by the discourse within which they teach, and to assert that a personalised approach to professional learning is necessary to enable a future-focused Technology Learning Area curriculum.