With the deep integration of digital technology and higher education, technology-integrated instructional design has become a core competence for university teachers to adapt to educational reform and promote teaching quality. Based on the TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) framework, this study investigates the current status of university teachers' technology-integrated instructional design competence and explores the key influencing factors. A mixed-methods research approach was adopted, including a questionnaire survey of 523 university teachers from 15 institutions in eastern, central, and western China, and in-depth interviews with 28 teachers. The results show that university teachers' overall TPACK level is moderate, with content knowledge (CK) scoring the highest, followed by pedagogical knowledge (PK), while technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) as the core composite competence scores the lowest. Significant differences exist in teachers' TPACK levels according to gender, teaching experience, subject category, and institutional type. Key influencing factors include teachers' self-efficacy in technology application, school support systems, professional development training, and educational policy guidance. This study enriches the empirical research on TPACK in the Chinese higher education context, provides a reference for formulating targeted teacher training programs, and offers practical insights for optimizing the integration of technology and teaching in universities.
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191
Chai, C. S., Wong, B., & Hong, H. Y. (2020). TPACK in teacher education: A systematic review of empirical studies. Educational Technology Research & Development, 68(3), 1387-1416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09732-1
Chen, J., Li, Y., & Wang, Z. (2022). Research on the development of university teachers' digital teaching competence based on TPACK framework. Journal of Higher Education, 43(5), 86-92.
Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. P. (2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Koehler, M. J., Mishra, P., & Cain, W. (2014). What is TPACK? An introduction and orientation to the framework. In A. Angeli & N. V. Valanides (Eds.), Digital technologies in education: Issues, challenges and opportunities (pp. 1-19). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02395-3_1
Li, M., Zhang, Y., & Liu, J. (2022). Investigation on the TPACK status of university English teachers in Jiangsu Province. Foreign Language Teaching in China, 45(3), 78-85.
Li, X., Wang, Y., & Zhang, L. (2024). Difficulties and countermeasures of university teachers' technology-integrated teaching under the background of digital education. China Higher Education Research, (2), 91-96.
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for integrating technology in teacher education. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00684.x
Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. (2023). Education Digitalization Strategic Action Plan. http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A16/s7058/202303/t20230316_1049281.html
Schmidt, D. A., Baran, E., Thompson, A. D., Mishra, P., Koehler, M. J., & Shin, T. S. (2009). Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK): The development and validation of an assessment instrument for preservice teachers. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(4), 433-454. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2009.10782557
Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4-14. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X015002004
Wang, H., Li, Z., & Chen, S. (2023). Research on the TPACK development of university engineering teachers: Current status, influencing factors and improvement paths. Journal of Engineering Education, 39(4), 123-129.
Wang, X., Zhang, M., & Yu, Y. (2023). A meta-analysis of TPACK research on Chinese university teachers. Higher Education Research, 44(6), 70-78.
Zhang, L., Wang, J., & Liu, Y. (2021). Localization revision and validation of TPACK scale for Chinese university teachers. Psychological Development and Education, 37(3), 429-437.
Lyudi, & Singh, G. K. S. (2026). A Study on the Current Status of University Teachers’ Technology-Integrated Instructional Design Competence Under the TPACK Framework. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(1), 479–500.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
