From Intention to Action: How Preservice Teachers Use Technology-Enabled Learning During Student Teaching.

This article investigates how preservice middle-level education teachers describe, intend to use, and actually use technology-enabled learning (TEL) during their student teaching experiences. TEL is defined as the student-centered use of technology as a cognitive tool to communicate, collaborate, develop critical thinking, and solve authentic problems, grounded in social constructivist pedagogy. Using Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a framework, the qualitative case study of four preservice teachers at a southeastern U.S. university found that positive attitudes, self-efficacy, and supportive program experiences—including a dedicated educational technology course and online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic—significantly influenced their intention and actual use of TEL. The study highlights the critical role of mentor teacher support and program-wide TEL integration in fostering preservice teachers' ability to implement flexible, relevant, and collaborative technology practices in diverse classroom settings. These findings offer insights for teacher education programs aiming to enhance TEL adoption and address digital equity through sustained, program-deep approaches.