An exploration of in-service teachers’ framing, instrumental, and core design judgments in dynamic decision-making for technology integration

Abstract

Dynamic decision-making plays a critical role in teachers’ instructional design and technology integration processes; it directly influences the design and development of teaching practices, student learning experiences, and learning environments. However, limited studies have investigated how teachers engage in dynamic decision-making processes in designing instruction and technology integration, wherein teachers are involved in multiple types of design judgments that inform their design decisions for instruction and technology integration. The purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ framing, instrumental, and core judgments that were intertwined in dynamic decision-making for technology integration. The study utilized the critical decision method approach to investigate teachers’ three prioritized design judgments in dynamic decision-making. The findings of this study helped us gain a better understanding of teachers’ dynamic decision-making processes, pedagogical reasoning, and design judgments while designing instruction for technology integration. It also informs professional development strategies to develop teachers’ instructional design decision-making skills for technology integration.

Keywords:

• Instructional design judgments
• dynamic decision-making
• pedagogical reasoning
• technology integration

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the university where the study took place.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants involved in this study.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Meimei Xu

Meimei Xu is currently an instructional designer at the University of Houston. She received her Ph.D. in the Learning, Design, and Technology program at the University of Georgia. Her research interests include teachers’ decision-making processes for instructional design and technology integration, teachers’ reflective design thinking, and professional approaches to developing design decision-making skills.

Jill Stefaniak

Jill Stefaniak is an associate professor in the Learning, Design, and Technology program at the University of Georgia. Her research interests focus on the professional development of instructional designers, designer decision-making processes, and contextual factors influencing instructional design in situated environments.