Why pre-service teachers do not use social media for professional purposes: A mixed-methods study using the will-skill-tool framework

Social media can support teachers' informal professional learning, yet professional non-use remains underexamined. This mixed-methods study investigates pre-service teachers’ non-use of social media for professional purposes using the Will–Skill–Tool (WST) framework. In a cross-sectional survey of 147 pre-service teachers, users and non-users are compared on motivation, perceived relevance, and self-assessed skill. A MANOVA indicates significant group differences, with users scoring higher across all WST dimensions; differences are strongest for Will (motivation and relevance). Open-ended responses from non-users are coded into eight reason categories. The most frequent reasons are maintaining boundaries between private and professional life and perceiving no added professional value. Additional reasons include exclusive private use, lack of prior professional use without a specific reason, limited knowledge of professional use, self-protection, time/technical constraints, and privacy/legal concerns. Findings suggest teacher education should offer low-threshold, critically guided opportunities to explore professional social media use while respecting deliberate non-use. • Study of pre-service teachers' social media non-use using Will-Skill-Tool framework. • Differences found between users and non-users in motivation, relevance, and skill. • Main reasons for non-use: separation of professional and private life. • No differences between eight reasons of non-use regarding motivation, relevance, and skill. • Teacher education could provide entry points to professional social media use.