Teachers' Readiness for Technology-Integrated Teaching in Public Sector Graduate Colleges: A Quantitative Study of Digital Competency, Institutional Barriers, and Professional Development Needs in Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

To implement technology-integrated teaching, teachers must learn more complicated skills that combine technical skill, pedagogical knowledge and understanding in the context in which the technology is used. It is a Quantitative study and Descriptive Survey approach with 300 teachers has been adopted for the study of their readiness for technology integrated teaching in public sector graduate colleges of Lahore city in Punjab, Pakistan. The participants consisted of 150 male and 150 female teachers (with mean experience 12.4 years, SD = 6.8) who were selected using stratified random sampling and were asked to complete the following validated questionnaires: Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), digital competency, attitudes towards educational technology, institutional barriers, and professional development needs. Findings revealed substantial variation in technology readiness: 42% of teachers demonstrated high readiness (M = 3.84, SD = 0.56 on 5-point scale), 38% moderate readiness (M = 3.12, SD = 0.48), and 20% low readiness (M = 2.18, SD = 0.64; F(2,297) = 148.62, p < 0.001). The critical barriers were lack of technology tools (78%), less than 2 hours of professional development per year (72%) and pedagogical technology integration guidance (68%). Independent t-test results showed there was no significant difference between the overall readiness score of the two genders (t(298) = 1.24, p = 0.22); however there was a significant difference across the disciplines (F(3,296) = 8.14, p < 0.001), with computer science teachers more likely to be prepared compared to humanities teachers. There was a positive correlation between technology readiness with years of teaching experience (r = 0.38, p < 0.001), and negative correlation with age (r = -0.42, p < 0.001). The results of regression analysis showed that institutional support, prior PD and intrinsic motivation could explain 56% of the variance in technology readiness (R2 = 0.56, F(3,296) = 40.23, p<0.001). Qualitative findings (N = 20 teacher interviews) showed that teachers recognized the educational potential of technology, but experienced system issues that negatively impacted their ability to effectively integrate technology. It is recommended that HEC's policy frameworks establish standards for technology integration, institutional investment in infrastructure, teacher professional development is made mandatory with emphasis on technology (40+ hours per year), pedagogical guidance based on TPACK development, and incentives for early adopters. Multi-level intervention should be made – Policy level (HEC guidelines), institutional level (infrastructure and training) and individual level (motivation and skill development).