Centering Equity for Multilingual Learners in Preservice Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)

Abstract

Recent calls encourage teacher education programs to examine how they address equity within educational technology coursework. This study therefore conceptualizes equity specifically related to using digital tools with multilingual learners. Drawing on a technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework informed by prior research on (language) teacher education and computer-assisted language learning, this study examines how preservice teachers described their knowledge base specifically related to using digital tools equitably with multilingual learners. Qualitative analysis of 17 preservice teachers’ course discussions, assignments, and interviews revealed that preservice teachers purposefully reflected on and selected digital tools to use that would support students’ language development and leverage students’ interests. They also reflected on structural inequities and advocacy related to technological implementation. This study encourages teacher educators to support preservice teachers in developing technologically savvy practices that are also linguistically responsive and humanizing by centering equity in TPACK.