Abstract
Due to the technological advances of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the South African education system revised its existing curricula to include robotics and coding. Such a development demands teachers to re-evaluate their pedagogical approaches to accommodate innovative technologies. However, using recent technology, such as robotics, in classroom activities adds complexity to teachers when engaging learners, as some students are not familiar with this teaching strategy and have limited knowledge of robotics technology. Additionally, meaningful robotics integration requires engaging students in small group activities. Still, interpersonal dynamics come into play, which can influence robotics task outcomes as the equipment is unavailable due to the high cost of robotics kits. Hence, there is a need to develop pre-service teachers professionally. The study explored pre-service technology teachers' integration of robotics technologies when teaching grade 9 structured construction topics. The Technological Acceptance Model (TAM) was used as the theoretical framework to interpret the data and ultimately frame the study findings. Following a qualitative research design, seven final year pre-service teachers enrolled for the Technology Methodology and Practicum module were purposefully selected to participate in the study, of which five participants were enrolled for the Bachelor of Education Degree and two participants for the Post Graduate Certificate in Education at a South African university. Firstly, the participants were developed on integrating robotics and coding when teaching Grade 9 technology structured construction concepts. The participants then planned and taught micro lessons. For data collection, each participant was observed whilst teaching micro lessons and then interviewed to determine their experiences of the development they received and their planning and teaching whilst integrating robotics and coding. Lesson observations and interviews were recorded in video and audio, respectively. Using Atlas Ti to manage the data, analysis followed a thematic approach, allowing for the identification of common themes and patterns in teachers' practices and experiences. Findings indicate that pre-service teachers acquired effective collaboration and engagement skills with learners, teamwork, and hands-on skills. The teachers acknowledged during interviews that the process not only equipped them in terms of creativity progress and pedagogical practices but also helped them to deepen their subject matter knowledge. As such, this study has implications for policy and implementation since it underscores the importance of developing pre-service and in-service teachers before implementing an innovation in any curriculum.