The TPACK framework has strongly influenced research and practice in teacher education and professional development and inspired extensive research and scholarship. Since 2009, there have been over 1200 journal articles and book chapters, over 315 dissertations and 28 books with TPACK as the central construct(Zhang & Tang, 2021). Early in 2001, Pierson began to use the concept of TPCK. Pierson’s TPCK referred to “Technology assisting PCK”. Niess changed TPCK from a static concept to a dynamic one(Zhang & Tang, 2021). To effectively promote OTL readiness and competencies, professional development and teacher training programs need to be tailored to the teachers ‘various needs and backgrounds. Consequently, OTL research has been aimed at identifying the factors that may explain why or why not teachers consider themselves ready for OTL experience is one of these factors (Scherer et al., 2023).
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the adoption of new technologies, but traditional teaching methods still dominate. Quality and relevance, equitable access, institutional governance and management, strategic investment, and the alignment of higher education with national development are anticipated challenges (Sok & Bunry, 2023). Some concerns with online learning regarding motivation of students, time management, and delay of feedback have been identified as potential limitations. However, these limitations could be addressed by having an instructor that is present and available through responses to students and timely feedback on assignments which also fosters a sense of belongingness (Martin et al., 2019; Zhang et al., 2022). Instructors require plenty of opportunities for students to participate and to be engaged with each other, the material, the service-learning agency, and the instructors themselves (Branscum, 2024). The digitalization situation in Cambodia is contradictory, with limited skills for using the internet, smartphones, and social networks in rural areas. Access to the internet is still a challenge, but the government is working to solve this problem. Blended learning has become the dominant response to the COVID-19 pandemic in education (Vialichka, 2021). Additionally, the research highlights the need for continuous support for both technical and pedagogical aspects of online instruction (Fabriz et al., 2021). Providing training and development for faculty members is key, as those who are open to change tend to have higher satisfaction with online and distance education (Chan et al., 2021).
More research is needed on the specific factors that influence teacher readiness, beyond just attitudes, technological competency, pedagogy, training, and time constraints. The existing frameworks are broad and require more nuanced studies (Baran et al., 2011; Scherer et al., 2021; Uerz et al., 2018). There is a lack of research comparing teacher readiness across different geographical locations and types of institutions. Most studies focus on a single context. Examining gaps in readiness between urban and rural areas could provide important insights (Adedoyin & Soykan, 2023; Almaiah et al., 2020; Chea et al., 2022; Hasyim et al., 2024). The current study intends to evaluate the association between teacher experience and preparation for online context. The study gives useful insights into the elements impacting teacher preparedness by addressing the following research questions: (1): To what extent does teaching experience impact the instructors' preparedness for Online Teaching and Learning (OTL) across many dimensions, such as Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), self-efficacy, perceived online teaching presence, and perceived institutional support? (2): How do the correlations between teaching experience and preparedness for OTL change across the dimensions?