TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF SMARTPHONE INTEGRATION IN TEACHER EDUCATION: A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN GUJRAT

Abstract

This paper examines the teacher perception about smartphone use among teachers through teacher education in Gujrat. With the ubiquity of smartphone in everyday life, there are possibilities, as well as challenges, of using smartphones in the teaching and learning process. A qualitative research design was employed in which semi structured interviews were carried out with teacher educators in order to perceive the benefits, challenges and contextual factors that affect the smartphone use in education. Discovery leads to the realization that, as most teachers identify the pedagogical possibilities of smartphones as a means of professional growth, communication, and access to resources, issues of distractions, the absence of training and policy limitations are still major problems. The challenges hinder the successful adoption of smartphones in learning institutions. According to the results, the paper highlights that correct teacher training and enabling policy should be designed to ensure that the pedagogical benefits of smartphone use in teacher education are maximised.