A structural equation modeling of pre-service teachers attitudes toward the use of digital technologies: a survey study in Tanzania

This study examines pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward digital technology (AT-DT), focusing on the profiles, influential factors, and implications for teacher education. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 899 pre-service teachers across multiple universities through self-report questionnaires and analyzed via structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings highlight the impact of demographic variables, revealing that gender, academic year, program of study, and prior digital technology experience significantly shape AT-DT, while age differences show negligible influence. SEM analysis identifies five key factors, namely perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), social norms (SN), facilitating conditions (FC), and technological complexity (TC), collectively explaining 60% of the variance in AT-DT. Notably, all factors except TC emerge as strong predictors of digital technology adoption. Despite recognizing its educational value, challenges such as inadequate training and institutional support persist. The study highlights the need for structured digital literacy programs in teacher education to enhance preparedness for technology-integrated teaching. These findings offer practical recommendations for educators, curriculum designers, and policymakers, contributing to broader discussions on effective digital integration in teacher training programs, particularly in resource-constrained settings.