Metacognitive Development in Professional Educators

NZ teacher experiences using mobile technologies in a tertiary education environment

Abstract

This research focuses on three areas: 1) The interaction between practising teachers’ metacognitive knowledge and regulation skills in relation to their classroom practices using mobile technologies; 2) perceived barriers and facilitators to the successful integration and use of mobile technology in the classroom; and 3) the impact of introducing a professional development programme (iPads Professional Development Programme) (iPDP) aimed at developing tertiary teachers’ metacognitive knowledge and regulation skills in order to improve their classroom practices. The main purpose of this study is to determine whether the development of teachers’ metacognitive knowledge and skills improves teachers’ pedagogical practices and integration of mobile technologies, such as iPads, and increases their proficiency using mobile devices for teaching and learning in tertiary blended classroom environments in New Zealand. This aligns with the “educational design research’s” (EDR) characteristics of offering practical solutions to real-world problems from the perspectives of both the participants and the researchers.