Reconceptualising Teacher Professional Learning in the Era of Education Technology: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study in South West Nigeria

This study reconceptualises teacher professional learning in the context of educational technology adoption in South West Nigeria through constructivist grounded theory, generating an original substantive theory grounded in the lived experiences of secondary school teachers in Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo states. Existing models of teacher professional learning were developed largely in Western technology-rich contexts and do not adequately account for the constrained but evolving technology environments of Nigerian secondary schools. The study employs Charmaz's Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology, engaging 60 secondary school teachers through initial, focused, and theoretical sampling cycles across 18 months of fieldwork. Data were generated through episodic interviews, classroom technology use diaries, focus group discussions, and artefact collection. Constant comparative analysis, theoretical memo writing, and diagram-assisted theoretical integration were applied. The study draws on and critically extends Clarke's Situational Analysis, Wenger's Communities of Practice Theory, and the Technology-Enhanced Professional Learning literature. Findings are expected to generate a substantive theory termed Adaptive Technology Mediated Learning Communities, which explains how Nigerian teachers negotiate institutional, resource, and cultural conditions to develop technology-integrated professional practice. Recommendations address the Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo State Ministries of Education and university teacher education programmes on designing professional learning architectures that honour the adaptive agency of Nigerian teachers in technology adoption. Keywords: teacher professional learning, educational technology, grounded theory, South West Nigeria, constructivism