Lived Experiences of Marginalized Pre-Service Teachers' Technology Ownership and Acquisition of Digital Skills
Despite increasing access to technology, persistent disparities in digital competence and self-efficacy remain among marginalized pre-service teachers, often exacerbated by systemic inequities and the digital divide. This research explores the gap in knowledge of the lived experiences of marginalized pre-service teachers’ (PST) prior access to technology and their current perceptions about educational technology integration.
Grounded in Sociocultural Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study seeks to answer how marginalized pre-service teachers perceive prior and current technology ownership and related skill acquisition, what beliefs and intentions they have for future classroom technology integration, and what systemic disparities historically have served as barriers to acquiring digital tools and skills.
Through critical narrative analyses, interviews and focus groups were conducted, and artifact reflections were collected from those who identify as Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the mid-Atlantic United States (East Coast).
This study advances knowledge about technology ownership and instructional technology integration of marginalized PST efforts and addresses societal problems like the digital divide. By amplifying marginalized voices, it challenges assumptions about “digital natives” and calls for systemic shifts to prepare marginalized pre-service teachers for technology-rich educational environments.
The findings suggest a self-taught means of digital skills acquisition, a high technology-use self-efficacy with an instructor-centric technology yet balanced approach to technology integration.
Participants’ verbal and written responses lacked explicit identification of their digital literacy skills or aspirations for future students. Therefore, more opportunities for in-depth, meaningful, and advanced skills acquisition are needed. Teacher education programs must explicitly develop critical digital literacies to foster transformative, equity-driven pedagogy.
Researchers are recommended to examine this research further through the lens of the Cultural History Activity Theory using technology as a tool to explore the complexities and contradictions of skills acquisition.
Research on the digital divide at HBCUs shows that while technology ownership is less of an issue, digital skills acquisition remains a crucial topic. This is especially important for pre-service teachers and future learners.
Future research could explore real-time thought development through verbalizations and compare the academic experience with class ranking to understand perception shifts.
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