Technology Integration and Pedagogical Change in Nigerian Vocational Institutions: A Transformative Learning Theory Perspective

This study examined the processes and outcomes of technology integration in Nigerian vocational institutions through the theoretical lens of transformative learning theory, investigating how teachers' integration of digital technologies catalyzes or resists fundamental changes in pedagogical assumptions and practices. Technology integration is widely promoted as a vocational education improvement strategy, but the mechanisms through which it transforms or fails to transform teaching practice remain theoretically underexplored in the Nigerian context. The study employed an interpretive longitudinal design, following 40 vocational teachers across institutions in Lagos, Kano, Enugu, and Rivers States through an 18-month technology integration programme. Data were generated through reflective journals, bi-monthly interviews, classroom observations, and digital artefact collection. Mezirow's transformative learning theory guided data analysis, specifically examining perspective transformation, disorienting dilemmas, critical reflection, and discourse engagement. Findings revealed three patterns of teacher response to technology integration: transformative adopters who underwent genuine pedagogical change, adaptive compliers who incorporated technology without changing underlying pedagogical assumptions, and resistant non-adopters who rejected integration for epistemological or practical reasons. Transformative adoption was contingent on sustained professional community support and institutional safety for experimentation. The study proposes a Technology-Triggered Pedagogical Transformation Model (TTPTM) as an original theoretical contribution. Keywords: technology integration, transformative learning, vocational education, Nigeria, pedagogical change.