The Influence of hybrid communities of practice on the development of teachers’ technological, pedagogical and content knowledge

This research employed multiple data-gathering methods, including open-ended survey questionnaires, non-participant observations, and one-on-one semi-structured interviews with teachers from three primary schools in Cape Town. This data was used to answer the research question which is: How and to what extent are current hybrid CoPs being used in a sample of primary schools to influence the development of in-service teachers' TPACK? The findings showed the hybrid CoPs at these schools, to a limited extent, to have influenced the development of the participating in-service teachers' TPACK. For instance, as supported by the literature, to some extent these hybrid CoPs had influenced the learning of in-service teachers TPACK mainly through certain innovative approaches they adopted. Additionally, the findings showed that these hybrid CoPs influenced in-service teachers’ TPACK learning through factors such as community, practice, meaning, and identity. Lastly, the findings showed that, to some extent, through bonding and bridging, in-service teachers had developed both strong and weak ties with each other during the COVID-19 pandemic's shutdown and partial school attendance, and this had resulted in the partial exchange of information which included CK and PK. This data can be employed in future studies to compare findings with similar research, facilitating the analysis of changes, improvements, and addressing practical issues related to the research question.

CPUT ethics approval (reference: EFEC 2-10/2022)

WCED ethics approval (reference: 16375E04C000028-20230131)