Revisiting TPACK research through measurement, context, and affective dimensions: A thematic synthesis of empirical studies (2015–2024)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14527/Keywords:
TPACK, teacher education, technology integrationAbstract
This study presents a systematic thematic synthesis of empirical research on Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) published between 2015 and 2024. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 94 peer-reviewed studies indexed in Scopus and Web of Science were analyzed to examine how program design features, contextual conditions, measurement approaches, and affective variables shape teachers’ enactment of TPACK. Using qualitative thematic synthesis, findings were organized into four analytical dimensions: professional development and teacher education design, contextual enablers and constraints, measurement regimes, and affective factors such as beliefs, attitudes, and self-efficacy. The results indicate that TPACK development is a dynamic and context-sensitive process rather than a static body of knowledge. Importantly, frequently reported TPACK gains are often contingent on the measurement regime employed and the contextual affordances within which teachers operate, rather than serving as direct indicators of enacted classroom transformation. Systematic discrepancies between self-reported and performance-based measures reveal critical methodological challenges in interpreting TPACK outcomes and help explain persistent contradictions in the literature. By integrating measurement, context, and affective dimensions within a single analytical framework, this synthesis provides an explanatory evidence map that clarifies divergent findings and offers actionable implications for future teacher education research and practice.
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