Determinants of the sustainability of teacher design teams as a professional development arrangement for developing technology integration knowledge and skills

Teacher design team was introduced to in-service science teachers in Tanzania between 2011 and 2012 as a professional development arrangement for developing technology integration knowledge and skills. This study was conducted to investigate the extent of the teachers’ continuous collaboration in design teams to design technology enhanced lessons after the professional development program had ended. A total of 29 in-service science teachers who previously participated in the professional development arrangement participated in the study. A triangulation of a questionnaire, focus group discussion and interview showed a limited collaboration in design teams among teachers. Lack of common time for meeting in design teams, lack of support from the management, the teachers’ negative attitudes towards design teams and lack of facilities (technological tools) were reported by teachers as important factors contributing to low collaboration in team and use of technology in teaching.