Fredrik Mørk Røkenes, Program for Teacher Education, NTNU
Doctoral project
Education addressing the second digital divide: A comparative study of how Norwegian and American
teacher-training institutions equip student teachers with digital competence
The idea and purpose for this project stems from a concern presented in CERI OECD’s (2010)1 PISA 2006 as the
second digital divide. The second digital divide refers here to "those who have the necessary competence and
skills to benefit from computers use and those who do not” (p. 13), what Erstad (2010)2 refers to as an issue of
competence and literacy. An attempt to bridge the second digital divide should start in schools with teachers
training students in digital competence so that they are equipped with the skills, knowledge and competence
demanded by the twenty-first century society. Schooling would then be counteracting the cultural process of
exclusion which follows with the second digital divide (Erstad, 2010). However, Krumsvik (2007)3 and
Halvorsen (2007)4 suggest that student teachers do not receive the proper training in digital competence from
teacher-training institutions. Also, reports show that graduated teachers acquire most their digital competence
and knowledge about the use of digital tools through trial and error during their spare time or in their workplace
(ITU, 2007)5. Furthermore, there seems to be a lack of knowledge among teachers and teacher students regarding
how to utilize technology in a pedagogical manner which promote student learning. This is also confirmed by
literature review by Haugerud (2011)6 where findings among teachers suggest that there “seems to be a gap
between technical knowledge and knowledge on how to employ technology in a learning context” (p. 227). This
gap can in turn be seen in relations to the second digital divide in schools which also needs to be bridged in
teacher-training institutions. Krumsvik (2007, 2011)7 and Erstad (2010b)8 underline the importance of a digitally
competent teacher in today’s schools and the effect this has for student learning. The student teachers’ prior
technical knowledge regarding ICT can be utilized as a resource for student learning and teaching, but it has to
be addressed and contextualized pedagogically by the teacher-training institutions. Giving student teachers
digital competence at teacher-training institutions could help them develop a view of technology that goes
beyond the mere technical aspects (Haugerud, 2011; Otnes, 2009)9. Ultimately, digital competence will be an
important effort in bridging the second digital divide.
The purpose of this project will be to investigate Norwegian and American student teachers’10 digital
competence and how teacher-training institutions give this knowledge to their students. The project will use
different qualitative methods with comparative elements. Methods for data collection will consist of video
recorded observations, in-depth interviews and questionnaires. The overarching question for the study is: how do
Norwegian and American teacher-training institutions equip their student teachers with digital competence?
The research questions are: 1) how do Norwegian and American student teachers with English or Social studies
as their teaching subjects understand the term digital competence during the course of their teacher-training
degree? 2) What are the teacher-training institutions’ practices in relation giving students digital competence?
3) How do the student teachers perceive their training in digital competence from their teacher-training
institution and which other arenas influence the students’ competence? 4) How is digital competence
emphasized in the teacher-training institutions’ a) English didactics subject curriculum b) Social studies
didactics subject curriculum?
A selection of three Norwegian teacher-training institutions and one American teacher-training institution will be
used for the study. The data material will consist of in-depth interviews with 8 student teachers with English or
Social studies as their teaching subjects and their praxis mentors. A limited number of sessions with video
observations of the student teachers in their teaching praxis will be conducted. Also, it might be relevant to
conduct a questionnaire with the student teachers, their praxis mentors and the teacher-training lecturers at the
different institutions. Findings will be analyzed, compared and presented in an article based PhD.
1
CERI OECD (2010). Are the new millennium learners making the grade? Technology use and educational performance in PISA. Paris: CERI.
Erstad, O. (2010). Educating the Digital Generation. Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy, 5(1), 56-71.
Krumsvik R. J. (2007). Skulen og den digitale læringsrevolusjonen. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.
4
Halvorsen, K. A. (2007). Morgendagens læring - gårsdagens lærerutdanning? Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy(4), 280-282.
5
ITU (2007). Morgendagens læring og lærende. Report from ITU’s workshop 11. September 2007. In M. Søby (Ed.). Oslo: ITU.
6
Haugerud, T. (2011). Student Teachers Learning to Teach: The Mastery and Appropriation of Digital Technology. Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy, 6(4),
226-239.
7
Krumsvik, R. J. (2011). Den digitale lærar: digital kompetanse i praksis. Oslo: Pedlex norsk skoleinformasjon.
8
Erstad, O. (2010b). Digital kompetanse i skolen (2nd ed.). Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.
9
Otnes, H. (2009). Å være digital. In H. Otnes (Ed.), Å være digital i alle fag (pp. 11-30). Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.
10
A student teacher is in this context understood as a student who is either enrolled in a full time post graduate teacher training program (1 year) or enrolled in a
Master's degree program with teacher training (5 years). The Norwegian Teacher Education Program qualifies the student for teaching grades 8-13 in Norwegian
schools. Student teachers teach two subjects during their teacher-training practice, and this study will focus on those students with English and Social Studies as
their teaching subjects.
2
3
1