Conceptualising secondary expressive arts teachers’ perceptions of effective use of technology in their teaching

Education within Wales finds itself at a metaphorical crossroads, whereby Curriculum for Wales (Welsh Government, 2015) and the COVID-19 pandemic require teachers to adapt and update teaching practices. Through the work of ‘transnational policy actors’ (Hulme, Beauchamp and Clarke, 2020, p. 498) and subsequent redesign of the curriculum into Areas of Learning and Experience (Power, Newton and Taylor, 2020), these newly designed areas of learning are expected to have ‘an identifiable disciplinary and instrumental core’ (Donaldson, 2016, p. 12). In addition, the cross-curricular responsibility of digital competence (Crick, 2021) provides another dimension to the current context of the research.

The study employed semi-structured one-to-one online synchronous interviews with Secondary Expressive Arts teachers from across Wales. The aim of the research was to conceptualise Secondary Expressive Arts teachers’ perceptions of effective use of technology within their teaching. The data collection was conducted as an inter-view, an exchanging and interchanging of views (Kvale, 1996), to encourage participants to share their perceptions freely and openly on the topic at hand. As a result of reflexive thematic analytical processes, eight key themes were developed: purpose, creative processes, affordances, perceived effective use, action, outcome, reflection on action and barriers. These key themes culminate within the developed ‘Perceived Effective Use Process’ conceptual model.

The main contribution of the project is the developed conceptual model demonstrating the ‘Perceived Effective Use Process’. The model builds on existing theory (Wilson, Shulman and Richert, 1987) and offers opportunities to conceptualise the perceptions of teachers from other Areas of Learning and Experience on the topic of technology and its’ perceived effective use within teaching. In addition, the labelling of the ‘Creative Processes’ provides an identifiable core specific to the Expressive Arts Area of Learning and Experience.