Papua New Guinea Primary School Technology Teachers: The Impacts of Support Materials on Their Perceptions and Practices

Abstract

This thesis explores the perceptions of technology and technology education held by six primary school teachers in Papua New Guinea, and their views of the materials developed to use as a support for teaching technology and the impacts on their perceptions and their teaching practices of technology. Based on the interpretivist paradigm, a case study approach and qualitative data collection methods were used to explore the teachers' views of technology and technology education and how the support materials influenced these perceptions and practices. One to one, semistructured interviews with the teachers, and an analysis of their planning documents were used to collect data. As part of the curriculum reforms, technology education was introduced as a new subject into primary education in PNG in 1994. However, no formal professional development was provided for helping the primary teachers implement technology education. Instead, curriculum materials were developed and distributed to teachers in 2005 as a support for their technology teaching. This thesis supports the idea that teachers need support to help them learn. It is also argues that teachers' beliefs about subject areas, teaching, their students, and curriculum materials influence how they interact with these support materials. The findings show that the support materials were very useful in enhancing the teachers' knowledge of technology and effective teaching of technology. There were changes to teachers' perceptions of technology and technological practices when they began to use the support materials. Changes included the views of technology as more than modern artefacts to include traditional technology, that technology was more than just practical. It also has a knowledge base. However, not all aspects of technology as advocated in the support materials have been taken up by these teachers. Problem-solving and design aspects have received marginal attention. Other factors were at play including subject subcultures, subject backgrounds, past hands-on experiences and ownership of personal technological artefacts. To be even more effective technology teachers, it is advocated that teacher professional development is required for Papua New Guinean primary teachers to implement the technology successfully.