An investigation of pre-service teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge

The aim of the study is to examine pre-service teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge competencies and technology orientations within the framework of TPACK and Instrumental Orchestration. Conducted with a concurrent mixed-methods design in the 2024–2025 academic year, the study included 49 third-year primary and secondary mathematics pre-service teachers. After the initial screening, 39 lesson plans were analyzed. Data were collected through lesson plans and document analysis. In the qualitative dimension, instructional program themes, grade levels, orchestration types, and components in the lesson plans were examined using descriptive analysis. Technology tools and purposes of technology use were analyzed through content analysis. In the quantitative dimension, a TPACK-based technology evaluation rubric was used to score the lesson plans. Correlational research was employed to examine the relationship between rubric scores and the number of orchestration types, while causal-comparative research was used to explore differences between scores and orchestration component groups. Normality tests were conducted, and Spearman's Rho test showed a positive but non-significant correlation between scores and orchestration types. One-way ANOVA revealed no significant difference between scores and orchestration components. Findings indicated that the most used instructional theme was geometric shapes, mostly designed for the fifth-grade level. The most common purposes for technology use were encouraging discussions, supporting collaboration, and guiding exploration. The most frequently used orchestration type was discussion of the screen, while the most frequent orchestration component was exploitation modes. Rubric results showed that pre-service teachers demonstrated high levels of TPACK competency.