Navigating the Tension Between Confidence-Building and Professional Responsibility in Technology Teacher Education

Abstract

This study examines how teacher educators in technology teacher education for grades 4–6 describe their didactic approaches to strengthening student teachers’ confidence when engaging with programming. As programming has become a mandatory component of technology education in Swedish primary schools, it has also entered technology teacher education. While previous research has focused on the integration of programming and on student teachers’ attitudes or competence, less attention has been paid to how teacher educators respond didactically to student teachers’ hesitation and uncertainty.

The study draws on semi-structured interviews with teacher educators responsible for teaching programming in technology education. The interviews focus on their teaching aims, task design, and strategies. Using qualitative content analysis, the study identifies patterns in the ways in which teacher educators support their student teachers’ confidence, paying particular attention to their didactic considerations. The findings show that teacher educators lower thresholds, normalise uncertainty, and create positive experiences in order to reduce fear and encourage participation.

However, the study also reveals a tension. While teacher educators prioritise strategies that build confidence and enable participation, questions remain about how this work supports professional readiness for independent teaching. Confidence-building emerges as necessary, yet not sufficient in itself. The study contributes a more nuanced understanding of how emotional and professional dimensions are balanced within the structural constraints of technology teacher education.