What is Teacher Candidate (Also Known as a Pre-Service Teacher)

Facility and ease in using computer technology increase the value that students attach to online learning environments. The current study provides an analysis of teacher candidates' attitudes toward information technology as they predict receptivity to electronic resources (known as e-resources). This questionnaire-based study recruited a representative sample of teacher candidates (N = 101) at an American Pacific Island university as participants. Questions addressed the relationship between teacher candidates' levels of comfort with technology and the Internet, and their preferences for e-resources. Information literacy skills strongly predicted successful use of resource-based approaches to teacher education, which, in turn, predicted positive attitudes toward online learning environments. The results may guide teacher education programs, as they seek to optimize pre-service teachers' receptivity to course-appropriate resources. Working with future teachers affords an opportunity to promote their use of information technology, and their view of learning as a lifelong enterprise.