The Role of Teacher Inquiry in Helping Prospective Teachers Untangle the Complexities of Technology Use in Classrooms

The objective of this research was to explore how authentic technology use and teacher inquiry may coalesce during curriculum-based, technology-enhanced field experiences for prospective teachers. Thirteen inquiries were analyzed using qualitative analytic procedures (Rossman, 1998). Results suggest that teacher inquiry may serve a variety of roles during curriculum-based, technology-enhanced field experiences including (1) as a lens through which to consider student learning, (2) as a bridge between content learned in university courses and authentic practices and (3) as a light bulb for conceptual change. This study suggests the positive outcomes of merging teacher inquiry and curriculum-based, technology-enhanced field experiences warrant further study. As such, the article proposes development of a codebook or heuristic designed to provide a coordinated analysis of multiple inquiry results. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)