International Journal of Technology and Design Education

[Link]

The use of structured reflection in a technology education

teacher preparator program

David Gill1 · Emily Ball1 · Catherine Cipolla1 · Alena Djukin1 · Jessica Finnie1 ·
Brett MacDonald1

Accepted: 5 August 2025

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2025

Abstract
The purpose of this self-study was to understand the changing philosophical awareness
of five pre-service technology education teachers through structured reflection during
their preparatory program. Pre-service teachers reflected on their initial understanding of
technology and technology education after completing two-thirds of their program re-
quirements. The study aimed to understand gaps in philosophical knowledge among new
technology education teachers. Using position papers from a technology education theory,
method, and practice course, the study analyzed students’ reflections on their changing
understanding. The research question focused on how pre-service teachers integrate their
preparation experiences into their understanding of technology education. The findings
suggest that structured reflection positively impacted these pre-service teachers’ compre-
hension of teaching technology and provided insights into program characteristics that
could enhance pedagogical approaches for teaching the philosophy of technology.

Keywords Teacher preparation · Technology education · Teacher identity · Teacher

preparedness · Philosophical awareness

David Gill
dgill@[Link]
Emily Ball
emilyball1998@[Link]
Catherine Cipolla
catcipolla@[Link]
Alena Djukin
alenadjukin@[Link]
Jessica Finnie
jessicafinnie@[Link]
Brett MacDonald
brettmacdonald@[Link]
1
Faculty of Education, Memorial University of Newfoundland, G. A. Hickman Building,
St. John’s A1B 3X8, NL, Canada

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 D. Gill et al.

Introduction

Within the context of pre-service technology teacher education research has reported a gap
in the philosophical understanding of new teacher candidates in relation to the nature of
technology and technology education (Davies, 2003; Forret et al., 2013; Snape, 2016). As
K-12 technology education within the Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada context has
no direct post-secondary counterparts many of the students that enter the local technol-
ogy education pre-service program do not possess a base of technical and/or philosophical
knowledge, skill or experience that could act as a staging ground for specific study and work
within the field. This is in stark contrast to other K-12 curricular areas that have well estab-
lished traditions and post-secondary paths in the form of full degrees in specific content
which is underpinned by corresponding philosophical foundations. In essence, many new
pre-service teachers enter technology education programs as “blank slates” or worse with
very narrow and stereotypical views and beliefs about the nature of technology and tech-
nology education. This situation places a double burden on teacher educators charged with
preparing new technology education teachers as they not only have to prepare their pupils
within the pedagogical realm, but also must help develop their content knowledge, skill,
and philosophical understanding (Lundrigan, 2022). This could be viewed as the equivalent
of preparing music teachers that have little to no musical knowledge or skill, and while this
would most likely never be found acceptable, pre-service technology education programs
continue to do just that. While technical knowledge and skill have been found to be very
important, but lacking, in pre-service technology education candidates’ (Gill, 2021; Rama-
ligela, 2020) this study is positioned to understand the changes in awareness of candidates’
epistemological, ontological, and axiological views in relation to their position as emerging
technology education teachers.

Literature review

Much has been written and researched concerning general pre-service teachers beliefs and
identity formation (Beltman et al., 2015; Chong & Low, 2008; Lutovac & Assunção Flores,
2021) and this is also the case for pre-service technology education teachers (Banks et al.,
2004; Compton & Jones, 1998; Davies, 2003; Irving-Bell, 2022; McRobbie et al., 2000).
While many of these studies have focused on self-reflective methods in relation to pre-
service teachers gaining a better understanding of how their beliefs effect their identity as
teachers (Banks et al., 2004; Compton & Jones, 1998; Lutovac & Assunção Flores, 2021),
this study is concerned with the self-actualization and awakening of individuals’ sense of
self within the study and practice of technology education. This self-actualization is framed
within the idea of a change in epistemological, ontological, and axiological awareness and
understanding. These three broad philosophical topics have been discussed for millennia,
but for the purpose of this research they will be defined as the study and understanding of
the nature of knowledge or “what is justified true belief?”; the study and understanding of
the nature of reality or “if a tree falls in the forest and hits a beaver and no one is there, does
the beaver make a sound?”; and the study and understanding of values and value judgements
or “what is right and good and beautiful?”. These three ideas are fundamental to the forma-
tion of not only teacher identity, but an individual’s personal identity as well. And because

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The use of structured reflection in a technology education teacher…

teacher identity is so dependent on the interplay between the personal and professional
(Lutovac & Assunção Flores, 2021) an individual’s epistemological, ontological, and axi-
ological orientations are very important in guiding and refining their actions and therefore
they will also act as a guiding framework for this study.

Pre-service teacher identity

New teacher candidates can be overly optimistic and altruistic in their self identification as
future teachers (Beltman et al., 2015; Chong & Low, 2008; Lutovac & Assunção Flores,
2021). Generally, they may view the profession as an uncomplicated and straightforward
task with the idea that their students will be engaged and interested in everything that they
as teachers plan and deliver. This naive mental image of their future self as a teacher can
present some challenges as they transition from the safety of the university classroom to
their practicums and full-time employment in the profession.
This type of transition was documented by Chong and Low (2008) when they gauged
the perceptions of approximately 1000 pre-service teachers concerning their views on the
teaching profession. On entering the pre-service teacher program, the students generally
had highly altruistic and intrinsic motivating factors and very positive perceptions about the
profession. These positive attitudes were challenged with the completion of their practicum
and program. Chong and Low (2008) reported a statistically significant change in the par-
ticipants’ positive views about the teaching profession and they attributed these changes to
school environment, professional development, and other socialization factors that partici-
pants did not think of prior to engaging in the teaching profession. As they noted “the reality
of school life experienced through their practical or field experience may have made them
less idealistic” (Chong & Low, 2008, p. 70).
These idealistic representations of the self as a teacher were also found by Beltman et
al. (2015) in their study on pre-service teachers’ professional identities. By using a draw-
ing task where new pre-service teachers were asked to sketch their self-image as a teacher,
Beltman et al. (2015) were able to analyze their 125 participant illustrations according to the
presence or absence of a teacher, students and artifacts of teaching. The findings again high-
lighted the idea that new pre-service teachers have self-representations of teaching as an
uncomplicated process with very positive illustrations and no indication of the complexities
of working with peers, families, and administration. Beltman et al. (2015) also concluded
that new pre-service teachers are not ready for the discrepancies between their personal
beliefs and professional expectations they encounter within school.
While a strong teacher identity is shaped by both personal and contextual factors, pre-
service teachers should still be aware and not blindsided by the possible struggles and nega-
tive emotional interactions that are a part of teaching.
Understanding the complexities of teaching is important for pre-service teachers if they
are to maintain their optimism and altruistic motivations for entering the profession. Pur-
poseful reflection on their past, present, and future selves in becoming a teacher is a coor-
dinated process (Lutovac & Assunção Flores, 2021). Narrative is one such method that can
help new pre-service teachers analyze and reflect on their growth as professional teachers
as it “allows them to make sense of their own experience and mobilize the knowledge
gained in becoming a teacher to develop their own professional values” (Lutovac & Assun-
ção Flores, 2021, p. 389). By collecting 45 portfolios and narratives created by pre-service

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teachers enrolled in an education program, Lutovac and Assunção Flores (2021) were able
to analyze these data in relation to the role of failure in learning. They found that pre-service
teachers can understand failure as a means of self-development, improvement, and teachers’
self-imposed accountability. Furthermore, the authors stressed that reflective exercises are
needed during initial teacher education as new pre-service teachers are learning the skills to
reflect (Lutovac & Assunção Flores, 2021).
These general ideas concerning the tensions between what new pre-service teachers
believe to be the basis of the knowledge, process, and values required to become a teacher
and the reality of becoming a teacher are also reflected in the literature related to pre-service
technology education teachers.

Pre-service technology education teacher identity

While pre-service technology education teachers must contend with the general identify
formation issues discussed above, they also have the added construct of what it means to be
a technology education teacher. This curriculum specific construct is critical as pre-service
technology education teachers generally do not have content specific expertise in a tech-
nological area prior to entering their teacher education program. Reflective practices have
been used over the last three decades to scaffold pre-service teacher understanding and
growth in this gap in their prior knowledge, skill, and experience. It is from this vein of
research that this study flows.
Experience is a key element in developing a personal sense of identity. McRobbie et al.
(2000) investigated the role of immersing primary pre-service technology education teach-
ers in design projects that emulated what their students would be expected to do. These pre-
service teachers did not have any prior experience in technology education and were unsure
of how to approach the subject with their future students. McRobbie et al. (2000) reported
that working through these design projects increased the pre-service teachers’ self-aware-
ness of their prior knowledge and how it related to solving problems; increased their knowl-
edge about technology education in the primary classroom; and gave them new insights into
the nature of materials and their interrelationships with making and the impact this would
have on their classroom practice. These findings highlight the importance of challenging
and broadening the epistemological and ontological viewpoints of emerging technology
education teachers as personally held beliefs can be difficult to change or modify.
In an attempt to illustrate how teachers enact technology education within a matrix of the
pragmatic, pedagogical, and philosophical Davies (2003) interviewed 16 pre-service teach-
ers concerning the mismatch between their reported beliefs and their enacted practice within
primary design and technology lessons within the United Kingdom. The data were used
to create an action-oriented model of enacted practice focusing on the pragmatic – what
teachers do with their students; the pedagogical -how they do it; and the philosophical -why
they are doing it. It is interesting for this study that Davies (2003) noted that there can be a
considerable disconnect between pre-service teachers’ philosophical beliefs in a university
setting and what they actually enact in their own classroom. Furthermore, they noted that
while a pre-service teacher’s personal subject constructs can include distorted ideas about
the relationship between science and technology, these beliefs had less of an impact than
pragmatic and pedagogical considerations. Davies (2003) suggested that there should be

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The use of structured reflection in a technology education teacher…

more connection between universities and schools to share subject philosophies as this may
ease the dissonance between pre-service teacher belief and practice.
The idea of pre-service technology education teachers’ beliefs and values were further
explored by Banks et al. (2004) when they used their graphical Developing Professional
Thinking for Technology Teachers (DEPTH) framework to help teacher candidates articu-
late their values about technology as a subject. While this graphical framework focuses on
school knowledge, subject knowledge, and pedagogical knowledge it is also superimposed
with individuals’ personal subject construct -or an individual’s values and beliefs about the
subject they are teaching. Pre-service technology education teachers from the UK, Finland,
New Zealand, and Canada reported that the three knowledge or epistemological areas were
not that important if you did not account for the attitudes or axiological views of teachers.
While pre-services teachers reported this finding, similar to Davies (2003), Banks et al.
(2004) found that at times personal subject constructs could be in conflict with the subject
construct or a school mentor or peers. The tension between the epistemological and the axi-
ological realms were points for refection and while Davies (2003) found that personal sub-
ject constructs had less of an impact on actual teaching, Banks et al. (2004) noted that it can
be too easy to dismiss pre-service teachers values and beliefs and that from their analysis
a personal subject construct can have an over-arching influence on how teachers perceive
the epistemological aspects of the framework and how they enact their technology educa-
tion teaching practice. The methods and model presented by Banks et al. (2004) proved
to have some merit in developing pre-service technology education teachers’ professional
knowledge and was used quite extensively within the domains of pre-service teacher educa-
tion and in-service teacher professional development for some time after its initial release
(Banks, 2008; Jarvinen et al., 2008; O’Sullivan, 2008; Williams, 2008).
As noted above, in addition to the general tensions between the knowledge, process,
and values required to become a teacher and the reality of becoming a teacher, pre-service
technology education teachers also have the extra burden of trying to self-actualize and
articulate their understanding of technology and technology education within their men-
tal schemas of their prior knowledge, skills, experience, and values. While the literature
reviewed to this point has discussed potential interventions to help in this matter, pre-service
technology education teachers can still be unprepared when they enter classrooms for the
first time.

Pre-service technology education teacher lack of preparedness

While much of the literature on pre-service technology education teachers’ reflective iden-
tity development and the associated supporting methods and activities have been available
for quite some time, it is interesting to note that issues of preparedness still exist. Ramaligela
(2020) reported on a case study of five pre-service technology education teachers in their
final year of teacher education. In this study the author used field observations supplemented
by video recordings of five lessons per participant. Narrative analysis was used to evaluate
the pre-service teachers’ competency in their technology content knowledge and instruc-
tional knowledge. Ramaligela (2020) found that all five pre-service teachers lacked full sub-
ject matter knowledge and effective instructional practice. While the author noted that it is
not uncommon for new teachers to develop through experience, that they nevertheless must
develop a fundamental grasp of the content and pedagogical knowledge during their teacher

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education. This research highlights the importance that must be placed on the purposeful
teaching of both the technical and the pedagogical aspects of technology education, within
the localized context, prior to pre-service teachers graduating from education programs.
XXXX (2021) highlighted the close relationship between instructors, students, and peers
that can be a cornerstone of such work.
The theoretical and empirical work discussed above frame this research study as the epis-
temological, ontological, and axiological dispositions of pre-service technology education
teachers will influence their pragmatic, pedagogical, and philosophical approaches to teach-
ing. Any misconceptions that are cemented in these foundations will be difficult to change
as they move forward in their careers.

Purpose and research questions

The purpose of this self-study was to understand the changing epistemological, ontologi-
cal, and axiological awareness of five pre-service technology education teachers as they
reflected on their educational journey through a technology education teacher preparatory
program. Pre-service teachers were asked in their final assignment of their Teaching Tech-
nology Education: Theory, Method, and Practice course to reflect on their initial understand-
ing of technology and technology education based on their program entrance essays and
explicitly discuss changes or re-enforcements to their mental schemas regarding technology
and technology education after completing two-thirds of their program requirements. Based
on this premise, the following research question was proposed for this study:
How do pre-service technology education teachers integrate technology education
teacher preparation experiences into their mental scheme of understanding technology and
technology education?

Methodology

The research was positioned within the qualitative/constructivist paradigm and used a col-
laborative self-study methodology. O’Dwyer et al. (2019) have stated that self-study can
be viewed as lacking rigour and can be very introspective and individualistic. As a counter
to this argument, they highlighted that collaboration using critical friends is one way to
increase the rigour of self-study and as such this study adopted a collaborative approach.
Self-study within teacher education has been often used to gain insights and better the
pedagogical practices employed in pre-service and in-service education (LaBoskey, 2004;
O’Dwyer et al., 2019). In particular, LaBoskey (2004) identified self-study as a way for
teacher educators to “better understand, facilitate, and articulate the teaching-learning pro-
cess” (p. 857). While the traditional idea of critical friends was not employed in this study,
the idea of creating dialogic communities and reflective inquiry with pre-service technology
education teachers were key in increasing the rigour and trustworthiness of the findings.
LaBoskey (2004) defined dialogic communities as “activities that aim to create an interac-
tive community wherein student teachers and their instructors and mentors can engage in
critical dialogue about all aspects of their educational experiences and understandings” (p.
834). She continued to state that reflective inquiry activities and assignments are well suited
for self-study as teacher knowledge is believed to be “constructed and advanced through

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The use of structured reflection in a technology education teacher…

critical reflection on personal experience” (p. 837). The use of dialogic communities and
reflective inquiry within the context of collaborative self-study as a form of bettering peda-
gogical practice formed the methodological framework for this study.

Integrity of the study

As with all qualitative research, the purpose of this study was to highlight the local context
and details within the lived experiences of the five former students. With that being said
no generalizations beyond the scope of the sample is possible. Rather qualitative research
aims for transferability - to provide enough thick rich description and analysis that external
individuals or groups can compare the reported findings to determine if they are applicable
or not in their own context.
At the time of the study, the five former students had not only finished the course in ques-
tion but had graduated from their teacher preparatory program and were working as profes-
sional teachers. The five former students were not research participants in the traditional
sense, rather following the self-study methodology outlined above they were equal partners
in the inquiry. At the time of the study the first author was no longer in a position of authority
and the former students freely volunteered to participate.

Participant selection and context

The first author recruited five students from the two most recent cohorts that he had taught
using a purposeful sample method. In particular, he used a combination of the students’
final grade in the assignment, their high level of reflection on the philosophical aspects of
the assignment, and their participation during the course as determining factors in mak-
ing his selection. The main domain knowledge criteria for entry into the program is that
students have completed a degree with a major in one of the local jurisdiction’s teachable
areas. Teachable areas include Biochemistry, Biology, Canadian Studies, Chemistry, Earth
Sciences, Economics, English, Environmental Science, French, General Science, Geogra-
phy, History, Mathematics, Physics, Political Science, Theatre Arts, Visual Arts (Intermedi-
ate/Secondary Conjoint with the Diploma in Technology Education: Faculty of Education,
n.d.). While there is no technology related degree requirements, the competitive admissions
process requires students to outline their views on technology and technology education as
a part of their entrance essay. As noted above, these entrance essays are a central data source
for this study. Because there are only limited expectations for technical and philosophical
understanding of technology and technology education on entry to the program below is a
table that summarizes the students’ academic backgrounds prior to entry into the program
(Table 1).

Data collection and analysis

To satisfy the methodological context, a collaboration between five former students and an
instructor of a pre-service technology education theory, method, and practice course was
developed. The co-authors of this study provided their final position papers assigned at the
end of the course. The five papers are the data source for this study. The course modeled
aspects of a dialogic community and the final paper was a reflective inquiry. The rubric for

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 D. Gill et al.

Table 1 Participant’s undergrad- Participants Major Minor Minor

uate degree credentials
Student 01* Civil Engineering
Student 02 Biology English
*Student 01’s degree was
considered General Science for Student 03 Political Science Philosophy
admissions, and they also had a Student 04** Math/Chemistry/
Master of Engineering prior to Earth Systems
starting the program Student 05 Genome Biology Ecology Evolu-
** Student 04 has a General tionary
Science degree with no minor Biology

the paper specifically asked students to reflect on their initial understanding of technology
and technology education from their entrance essays in relation to their current interpreta-
tions and the assignment included the following relevant prompts:

1. Discussion of the nature of technology.

2. Discussion of technology education.
3. Critique of your initial thoughts on technology from your initial essay or entrance essay.

Interpretive description was used to analyze the data and to develop insight into the develop-
mental awareness and experiences of the pre-service technology education teachers as they
reflected on their changing understanding throughout their diploma program. Thorne et al.
(1997) described the data analysis of interpretive description as moving beyond simple sort-
ing and coding of discrete data chunks that can overwhelm and oversimplify to a more holis-
tic interaction with the data. In recent years, Thompson Burdine et al. (2021) have explicitly
connected the six steps of constant comparative analysis to interpretive description and they
include; “immersion in the data, development of an initial thematic template, organization
of the data based on the template, condensing of data and reflecting, comparing and con-
trasting data within similar participant categories and comparing and contrasting data with
different participant categories”. (p. 340). For this study the analytical methods listed above
were applied to the sections of each student paper that covered the prompts listed above.
This analysis was first conducted by the instructor (first author) and then each student was
assigned and analyzed two anonymized peer paper sections. Common themes emerged that
helped illuminate potential answers to the main research question and support the develop-
ment of clearer pedagogical approaches to pre-service technology teacher education.

Findings and analysis

Presented below are excerpts from the five student papers with an emphasis on their self-
critique. Each of these excerpts were analyzed for common themes related to their emerging
identities in becoming technology education teachers.

Student 01

In reviewing my first post with my initial thoughts of technology and what technology edu-
cation entailed, I cannot help but feel overwhelmed and humbled. My perspective on tech-
nology was clearly through the identification of objects, with a sprinkle of understanding
that the design process was involved, but not being able to articulate it correctly. Besides, I

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The use of structured reflection in a technology education teacher…

had a small appreciation for the problem-solving world that technology aims to provide for
our society. However, I looked through this perspective through an engineer’s lens only as
this has been my focus of education prior. Also, when I reflect on my knowledge of technol-
ogy as I wrote my discussion six weeks ago, I realize I am referencing terms in technology I
did not have the appreciation and understanding that I have today. It is also evident that my
concept of the area of knowledge, process, and volition merely is non-existent six weeks
ago. I do not refer to the knowledge base technology requires and the difference between
knowing what and how to apply it. Processes such as even the design process, which, as
a previous engineer, I thought I knew well, have taken on a new level of understanding
and obligation. Lastly, the concepts of violation and the different aspects of social, ethics,
morals, will, environmental, and sustainability that must also be applied to technology and
technology education did not exist in my intellect. It has been an eye-opening to how much
more my journey into understanding technology and technology education must continue
before I am able in a technological literacy position and begin to teach technology to future
generations.

Analysis Student 01’s self-reflective narrative illustrates the shallow view that can exist
in society about technology and technology education. Their thoughts and reflections on
technology on entering the diploma program were aligned with findings from seminal stud-
ies on the attitudes of students concerning the nature of technology. This was even more
striking in the narrative as student 01 was a professional engineer prior to enrolling in the
technology education diploma program. Student 01’s testimony to not having a background
in the nature of technology despite having worked in a technological field has something
to say about how technology has been taught previously in the province. The narrowed
lens of an engineer using technology solely as a solution to a problem is what we may be
in danger of perpetuating to our students if the nature of technology is not discussed in our
teacher education programs. Discussing the social, ethical, and environmental connections
of technology ensures that future graduates can teach their students about making deci-
sions concerning technology that coincide with positive social, ethical, and environmental
outcomes. The focus on the ontological nature of technology -technology as artifact- at the
beginning of their course work and the personal development and growth in conceptually
understanding the multi-faceted nature of technology illustrated in the narrative is evidence
that study, thought, and introspection on the philosophical aspects of technology are a vital
element in technology teacher education.

Student 02

In writing my entrance essay for admission into the program, I included three topics that
I considered important to the formulation of my essay: my interest in scientific literacy,
my passion for inclusion, and my experience with computers and modern technology. I
mentioned HTML coding, spectrophotometers used in Biochemistry, and Wacom drawing
tablets as examples of tech that I am comfortable using. My idea of what technology is
consisted of physical objects and computer science. It is a good thing that over the course
of my diploma I discovered all the other aspects of technology and technology education
as research shows that teachers with a narrow outlook on the nature of technology produce
students who think the same way (Rohaan et al., 2010).

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 D. Gill et al.

One aspect of my initial thoughts on technology education that has been confirmed as I
complete diploma courses is that of authentic learning. While I did not have a term for the
concept initially, I now understand authentic learning as learning that connects what stu-
dents learn in school to the real world and learning that connects to a students’ identity and
their life goals (Hill, 2017).
The capacity of technology education courses to provide students with higher-level
thinking skills is not something I had considered prior to entry into the program, as I had
perceived the subject to be more about the products created instead of the process behind it.
I now have a deeper understanding of the barriers that students may face when attempting to
participate in technology education especially in the context of gender and their capacity for
participating in peer interactions. Technology education is not just about preparing students
for a trade or to become software engineers - it is about teaching a mindset and skillset that
is valuable for a multitude of careers and activities.

Analysis Student 02’s reflection again shows that very common theme of identifying tech-
nology as a thing with a strong connection to “scientific literacy” and “computer science”
which positions technology as applied science. This student demonstrates that their episte-
mological and ontological perspectives of technology and technology education has been
changed through deep reflection during the course work as noted by their acknowledgement
of the processes behind technology. It is also interesting to note that this student had an
intense focus on the values (axiological) associated with teaching technology as they men-
tion the importance of authentic learning, gender considerations, and the development of
students’ “mindset” and “skillset”. For this student, technology is no longer just a neutral
tool. Student 02 also notes the difficulties students in technology may experience within
“their capacity for participating in peer interactions”. It appears this pre-service teacher may
have experienced the social complexities a technology student faces within a classroom
themselves first, within the partial completion of their degree. Through such an experience
it can therefore be argued they will have a new appreciation or empathy for their future stu-
dents who may encounter similar difficulties dealing with peer interactions in a technology
classroom.

Student 03

Prior to entrance into this program, my view of technology was quite limited. Technology,
as I understood it, referred to physical artifacts that usually contained some sort of elec-
tronic component. If you had asked me to give an example of something that encapsulates
the meaning of technology, I might have told you about the iFish I got for Christmas one
year that played music and flopped around in an attempt to match the rhythm of the music
it played. I remember how amazed I was that such technology existed! Although this is of
course an example of something that may be classified as technology, it certainly does not
express the depth of what technology means nor does it highlight the features and character-
istics that are essential to its existence as a concept.
As we move through the program and experience the various courses related to technol-
ogy education, my understanding of the concept has begun to expand. I now realize that
technology as a concept is much more than physical artifacts and it certainly includes more
than just devices powered by electricity. Something that comes to mind here is the first time

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The use of structured reflection in a technology education teacher…

we were tasked with creating a design brief. I remember thinking about how much time
would be wasted with documentation, brainstorming, organization of thoughts, etc. while
creating this brief. I wanted to focus solely on the creation of the physical artifact because
in my mind, that was the technological aspect. I know now that this response was a result
of my limited view of technology and that the design process is in fact just as important as
the artifact itself. I came to know this through my experience of technology education in
this program.
The ambiguity of technology as a concept leads to a variety of conclusions about its
true nature. Further, it leads to misunderstanding and misconception in terms of recogniz-
ing its potential as an academic discipline. As future teachers of technology education, we
must take it upon ourselves to address such discrepancies. To do so, it is important for us
to develop a deep understanding of technology in both a procedural and conceptual sense.
Once we understand the scope of technology and technology education, we may begin to
share our own knowledge with our students. Thinking about the ways in which my own
conceptualization of technology has shifted throughout this program, I can see the power
that technology education has in shaping one’s attitude towards it as an academic discipline.

Analysis Student 03’s conceptualization of technology and technology education over the
course of the diploma program is highlighted in their narrative above. The idea of technol-
ogy being equated with electronics is present which again affirms common past findings
that students relate technology solely to the latest “hi-tech” products and services. Of more
importance is this student’s shift in mindset throughout the program and their reflection on
their increased understanding of the importance to have a solid epistemological foundation
about technology prior to teaching technology. It appears that student 03 now has an appre-
ciation that a technological artifact encompasses much more than a mere physical or virtual
presence. They also note a change of attitude toward the role of design and planning as a
characteristic of technology education as a curricular or academic discipline.

Student 04

From personal experience, I can understand why students, parents, and even some teachers
would not be so open to mandatory technology education at the high school level. Many
people, including myself until relatively recently, do not have a true understanding of tech-
nology and technology education. My personal experiences with technology education in
school were much less than favourable. I continuously had teachers who did not take the
course seriously. While some of the things we did follow the curriculum, those tasks were
few and far between. When a piece of assessment actually came about, my peers and I were
extremely underprepared and experienced lots of struggles. We were not equipped with the
proper knowledge to start our own in-depth critical thinking and problem-solving, we were
simply presented with a task and expected to understand it because we were told that “we
were all so familiar with technology.”
This course has been an eye-opener for me in terms of what technology education really
is and why it is so important. I often had the misconception that technology education
and educational technology were the same. With the new knowledge I have gained from
readings and discussions throughout this course, I am confident that technology education
should be an essential part of the curriculum for all students. The critical thinking skills I

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have developed from partaking in discussions of the philosophical implications of technol-

ogy have helped me to grasp a better understanding of why we use technology and how we
develop new technologies. Technology education is so much more than just learning how
to use the internet or taking a break from the “hard classes” (both misconceptions that I had
in high school due to my own experiences), but it is a hub for developing skills in problem-
solving, critical thinking, understanding processes, and taking an idea from pen-and-paper
to the hands-on creation of an artifact (whether it be in a physical or digital form).
In the initial essay written for this course it is clear that my knowledge of technology
was very surface level. My understanding focused on artifacts – a view that is held by many
people (de Vries, 2016). I also fell into the biases described by de Vries (2016) explaining
mostly ‘high-tech,’ complex, computer-based technologies. Now, I understand that there
are many processes, much knowledge, and the application of values that are required in
technology to produce an artifact. Technology is so much more than just the end-product,
but consists of critical thinking, problem-solving, design, creativity, and construction (of a
physical or digital form).

Analysis Student 04 displayed a keen sense of the negative values associated with technol-
ogy education within the local context of their high school experience. Notably, the idea
that as a generation of students who have grown up in a time where technology is so readily
available and accessible there should be some sort of inherent understanding of these tech-
nologies. Ideas such as this limit accessibility of technology education as students who feel
they do not possess this ‘inherent knowledge’ may be turned away before having the chance
to experience the many facets of technology education. Consequently, students may acquire
inaccurate views of technology education before engaging with subject matter further limit-
ing its potential as an area of study.

Student 04 is also able to critically analyze how this negative conceptualization of tech-
nology education as a “break” from other courses with more social and academic capital
affected their own views, values, and expectations prior to enrolling in the diploma program.
Reading the passage also highlights that student 04’s exploration, thinking, and reflection
on the epistemological and ontological nature of technology and technology education led
to an increased value assessment of the idea of technology education as a necessary area
of study in general K-12 education. With a more nuanced understanding of technology
education that considers both its epistemological and ontological nature, it is much easier to
understand the value of technology education and its ability to foster cross-curricular skills
such as critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. From student 04’s reflection, it is
evident that these negative or inaccurate views of both technology and technology education
can be deeply rooted in current education systems.

Student 05

As I began my studies at Memorial University, I excitedly anticipated the beginning of my

technology education courses and looked forward to the potential employability an added
technology education diploma may give me. In actuality, my past experiences with technol-
ogy had shaped and limited my views. Prior to my studies, I erroneously viewed technology
education and educational technology as equivalent. I also lacked an understanding of tech-

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The use of structured reflection in a technology education teacher…

nology outside of artifacts, missing out on the concepts and processes integral to technology
and technology education. However, as I worked through Teaching Technology Education:
Theory, Method, and Practice this term, I experienced a drastic change in my view of the
scope and processes of technology and technology education. This change has led to my
acquisition of skills necessary to argue for the inclusion of technology education in all cur-
ricula, as a highly interdisciplinary, problem-solving based subject.
Technological knowledge in the context of education often refers to the knowledge
required to produce artifacts. However, when discussing knowledge of technology as sepa-
rate from the knowledge found in other STEM disciplines, it is notable for its empirical, tacit,
and prescriptive nature (Houkes, 2009). Technology is often understood through “doing”,
and not always through passive learning, which contributes to its tacit nature. It is also
prescriptive, meaning that technological knowledge often includes value judgements and
practical rules. These features of technological knowledge contribute to the overall nature
of technology, by providing a framework for how to understand technological knowledge.
Technology as actions refers to the processes of technology. This includes the design
process, as well as the making process. This aspect of the nature of technology is less well
known than that of artifacts, but still has a place in the current public discourse on technol-
ogy (de Vries, 2016). Knowledge of the design process, which includes the utilization of
technological knowledge and technology as volition, is a multi-step, feedback driven pro-
cess, ultimately aimed at solving a problem. This process is an integral part of the nature of
technology, as it’s fluid nature and need for, and informing of, innovation is a distinguishing
facet of technology as a whole. Finally, conceptualizing technology as volition concerns the
social and ethical implications of technology.
Technology, at its core nature, is concerned with the development of solutions to human-
ity’s problems. This necessarily will result in humanity tackling the ramifications of its
proposed solutions to such problems. As mentioned by the ITEA (2007), technological
advancements can have unintended consequences, which can be negative. As such, technol-
ogy is a subject that deals with ethical and moral dilemmas and must include discussion of
technology’s effects on society as a whole.

Analysis Student 05 shares insights that are aligned with their peers, but elaborates on the
individual aspects of technological knowledge, process, and volition. The emphasis on the
tacit and prescriptive nature of technological knowledge is critiqued as one aspect that dif-
fers from other assessments of academic disciplinary knowledge. It also lends to the idea
that gaining a better understanding of the nature of technology may lead to an inherent
appreciation of technology education as a field of study. That is, when our view of technol-
ogy includes its empirical, tacit, and prescriptive nature, we begin to see the value it may
provide students in strengthening both their problem solving and critical thinking abilities.
Student 05 also makes a connection between technological knowledge and volition and
the methodological aspects of technology as process or action. While research has dem-
onstrated that aspects of volition can be underrepresented in the enactment of technology
education curricula (Gill, 2018) it is interesting to note the importance student 05 places on
this facet of technology and its relationship to technology education. If teachers have not
been explicitly directed in reflecting on the importance of the human aspect of technology,
then it is not a big logical leap to see this ripple through educational systems. Student 05
provides insight on the ways in which failure to understand technology through the holistic

13
 D. Gill et al.

perspective they have described can cause problems for not only technology education but
for other academic disciplines as well. A limited understanding of the nature of technology
simultaneously limits the scope to which it can be applied resulting in a missed opportunity
to utilize technology education to its full potential. This leads to the perpetuation of a system
that fails to tap into a resource so readily available.

Discussion

The literature review indicated pre-service teachers enter education programs with pre-
conceived notions of what it means to be a teacher, but they are typically over simplified.
Davies (2003) and Banks et al. (2004) also noted that philosophical beliefs of pre-service
technology teachers can be disconnected from the realities of their actual practice which
may be a link to understanding the lack of preparedness found by Ramaligela (2020) -if
there is a misalignment between what pre-service teachers think technology is and what
they are presented and asked to do in a classroom then their effectiveness and efficacy would
most likely decrease as well. Experience is a key element in the developmental process
of becoming a teacher, but as Lutovac and Assunção Flores (2021) pointed out, reflective
activities during pre-service education may be key to helping ease the transition into the
profession. It is clear from the analysis of the data in this study that the structured reflective
exercise of prompted writing had an impact on the five pre-service teachers’ perceptions
of the nature of technology and technology education as three main themes emerged; (1)
the existence of a narrow artifact oriented perception of technology prior to the start of the
program; (2) the importance of having a solid conceptual framework related to technology
before teaching technology; (3) the impact of explicit reflection on the students’ contextual-
ization of technology and technology education.
These three themes are key in understanding how pre-service technology education
teachers integrate technology education teacher preparation experiences into their mental
scheme of understanding technology and technology education.
The idea that the general population and students have a narrow view of technology is not
new. The point of this finding is not to reinforce this fact, the point is not to forget that this view-
point is most likely held by pre-service technology education candidates entering teacher prepa-
ratory programs. Simply flashing this fact on a screen during a lesson will not do and instruction
should be designed to allow students to dig deeply into these ideas in relation to their own current
beliefs and values related to a holistic conceptualization of technology. As was demonstrated by
the data this appears to be key to understanding that technology can be an academic discipline
and not simply the tool of other disciplines and domains.
The students’ self-actualization of the need to have a solid conceptual understanding of
the philosophical and theoretical foundations of their newfound academic discipline are
highly visible in the data. Two of the five students explicitly detailed how moving from a
narrow to broader view of technology enabled them to understand that this was a necessary
step in having any hope of teaching technology in an academic manner. Another student
related their own school experience in which this type of understanding was lacking in their
own teacher, and they explained how the negative impact effected their valuation of technol-
ogy as a subject area and how this led to their own continued mis-conceptualizations.

13
The use of structured reflection in a technology education teacher…

The impact of the explicit reflective writing process on the students’ conceptualization of
technology and technology education are vividly expressed in the data. While they started
from a narrow perspective it was clear that their new articulation of the nuances and multi-
faceted nature of technology had changed. Aspects of technological knowledge, process,
values, along with an affirmation of the material and artifact nature of technology were all
present. While this paper was framed from the epistemological, ontological, and axiologi-
cal perspectives, it is also worth noting that students seem to place a heavy emphasis on the
methodological (technology as action/process) after their diploma course work.
As with all qualitative research, these findings do have limitations -especially within the
realm of generalizations and reproducibility. Nevertheless, this study could be used for teasing
out a starting point for delineating a statistical quantitative study that may help explain what ele-
ments of this type of instruction and explicit reflective writing may have a causal effect on the
development of student identity, belief, and their notions of the nature of technology.

Conclusion

To reiterate, the purpose of this self-study was to understand changes in the epistemological,
ontological, and axiological awareness of five pre-service technology education teachers as
they reflected on their educational journey through a technology education teacher prepa-
ratory program framed by a research question that looked at how pre-service technology
education teachers integrate technology education teacher preparation experiences into their
mental scheme of understanding technology and technology education. It is clear from an
analysis of the data that the experiences presented within the practical, pedagogical, and
philosophical realms of pre-service education can have a deep impact on students’ concep-
tualizations of technology and technology education. While it is quite common to hear that
students must “do” technology this study suggests that students must also “do” philosophy
to have a fuller conceptualization of this subject area and their own understanding of them-
selves as teachers. Thought without action may be just as idle as action without thought in
this sense as the answer to this study’s question lies not only within the students’ practical
components of pre-service education, but their guided and explicit reflection on the nature
of that very experience.

Declarations

Conflicts of interest On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of
interest.

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