A multilevel investigation into teacher-supported student use of technology in East Asian classroom: examining teacher and school characteristics

The integration of technology into learning is a crucial capability for students to address future challenges. However, East Asian teachers exhibit a relatively lower level of support for students’ technology use compared with the OECD average. The present study tries to uncover the foundational factors influencing teacher-supported student use of technology in five East Asian countries (economies) by analyzing Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 data. The multilevel structural equation modeling was adopted to analyze the sample data, which combined the teacher-level and school-level factors. Additionally, teacher-level variables are aggregated to the school level to examine contextual effect. Results indicate that teachers' professional collaboration in lessons, team innovativeness, and self-efficacy in student engagement positively and significantly correlated with teacher-supported student use of technology. Notably, an opposing association is observed between teachers’ perceptions of disciplinary climate and technology use in Shanghai and Singapore. However, in comparison to teacher-level variables, school-level and contextual variables, particularly fundamental school features such as material resources, budgets, and number of enrolled students, marginally explain associations. Importantly, these associations demonstrate variations across the five east Asian countries (economies), attributable to the fact that these economies have developed their educational technology policies grounded in technology determinism, emphasizing the necessity of equipping schools with the latest devices. Consequently, this study posits that there is a requisite shift in policy evolution from technology determinism to technology instrumentalism. This entails a pragmatic focus transition from merely distributing devices to the integration of technology within instructional practices.