Abstract
Preparing a global workforce to succeed in tomorrow’s world relies on the quality of education. Higher Education Institutions offering Initial Teacher Education training have the responsibility of training graduates to teach well in a 21st century classroom. This research seeks to explore the perceptions of final year B Ed students’ ICT readiness to teach in the 21st century at a Private Higher Education Institution through a qualitative, small focus group study. As nations around the world undertake large-scale educational reform to better prepare children for work in the 21st century, this study aims to use the findings to create opportunities for the systemic adjustments in Initial Teacher Education qualifications required for the 21st century classroom. Findings revealed a combination of factors that influenced a lack of readiness to teach: a paucity of resources, reports that the quality of their ICT training was poor, inadequate modelling by teacher educators, and the ensuing lack of confidence to be innovative during their teaching practice. This study outlines the student’s perceptions and suggests recommendations to ensure a better prepared workforce of Newly Qualified Teachers for the 21st century classroom.
Keywords: Information Communication Technology, Initial Teacher Education. ICT readiness. Digital competence.