Factors Influencing Preservice Teachers’ Adoption of WhatsApp as an Interactive Social Media Platform in Mathematics Teacher Education in Malawi

Fraser Gobede, Mercy Kazima () and Justina Longwe
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Fraser Gobede: University of Malawi, Department of Curriculum and Teaching Studies
Mercy Kazima: University of Malawi, Department of Curriculum and Teaching Studies
Justina Longwe: University of Malawi, Department of Curriculum and Teaching Studies

Chapter Chapter 14 in Mathematics Education in Africa, 2022, pp 227-241 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter discusses an exploratory study that examined the use of WhatsApp in mathematics teacher education as a remedial alternative to the accessibility challenges of specialised online educational platforms. Participants were drawn from a class of 41 preservice secondary school mathematics teachers during their final year at a public university in Malawi. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a switch from the usual face-to-face mode to specialised e-learning platforms provided by the university. The study attempted to answer the question: What are the factors that influence preservice teachers’ adoption of an online interactive teaching platform in connectivity-constrained settings? Data were collected from the transcripts of the online class discussions. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology was used as both the theoretical and analytical framework. The chapter discusses ways in which the preservice teachers adapted the features of WhatsApp for moderating online lessons and how they proposed innovative ways of using the platform for handling special features of teacher education such as peer teaching. These are discussed with respect to the knowledge demands on mathematics teachers amidst the fourth industrial revolution, with the guidance of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework.

Keywords: Malawi; Preservice teachers; WhatsApp; Mathematics teacher education; Technology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-031-13927-7_14

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-13927-7_14

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