Teachers Learning with Wiki: Factors Influencing Behaviors and Outcomes

Abstract

Wiki implementation in education has been thoroughly researched over the past few years, particularly due to the use of this technology in higher education institutions. One unique branch of this research is the influence of the Wiki environment on teachers who participate in teacher education programs. A multicultural group of teachers - younger and older, experienced and novices, Jews and Arabs – was examined while learning literature and its instruction with Wiki. Satisfaction with the learning process and its outcomes, as well as with relations among learners and between them and the lecturer, was high. Three main factors influenced the learning process and participants’ attitude toward the use of Wiki: (a) level of professional development and teaching experience, (b) culture and mother-tongue of the participants, and (c) discord between academic norms and the Wiki environment’s democratic norms.