**1. Introduction**

The critical position of technologies in education in the twenty-first century [1] made it imperative for Nigerian Colleges of Education to play along. However, research studies indicate that teachers at different levels of education have problems integrating technologies into teaching [2]. The poor Nigerian teachers' experience with technology in teaching and learning is similar to Kafyulilo, Fisser, Pieters and Voogt [3] about the teachers in Tanzania.

A research study suggests that teachers are deficient in using technology in teaching [4, 5]. The entire world is in the era of digital teaching and learning. Thus, there is a need for teachers' competencies in all tertiary education in Nigeria, including the Colleges of Education.

The College of Education in Nigeria was born out of the government's passion for training qualified teachers after independence. The College began as a Teacher Training College (T.T.C.) to train Grade II teachers for primary schools. However, with the growing Nigerian economy, there was a hunger to produce human resources for the nation, which requires qualified teachers beyond primary school. In light of this, the T.T.C. metamorphosed into the College of Education [6]. The College was to train pre-service teachers for primary and junior secondary schools with the Nigerian Certificate in Education (N.C.E.) award. The National Commission for College for Colleges of Education (NCCE) supervised these Colleges. The world is in a digital age where all higher learning institutions, including Colleges of Education, require the knowledge of technologies in schools.

According to Barisic, Divjak and Kirinic [7], it is essential to consider digital competencies in teacher education and professional development. Today's vogue in Nigerian schools is information and communication technologies (I.C.T.). Moreover, with the ubiquitous I.C.T., integrating it into teaching and learning is a problem. Therefore, integrating I.C.T. in classrooms is an essential primary issue in educational institutions around the globe [8], not only in Nigeria.

Teachers are critical in any education system because they transmit the subject contents through pedagogical knowledge [9]. Hence, in this digital age, such is done effectively using I.C.T. Therefore, the concept of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) was born. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework represents teacher knowledge of technology integration in teaching and has seven domains [7], as in **Figure 1**. According to Nordin, Davis and Ariffin [8], TPACK provides a model to guide the effective integration of I.C.T. into teaching. TPACK encompasses three core knowledge bodies: technology, pedagogy and content [11].

The roles of teacher TPACK are enormous and crucial to students learning. The most important of these roles is enhancing authentic learning in schools. Authentic learning is learning by doing. It is active learning, where students are actively involved in teaching and learning.

The TPACK model was conceived in 2006, which authors based on the study of teachers in different grade levels showing their classroom operations. The authors' TPACK Framework leveraged Shulman's 1986 work. Shulman's discussion was on teacher-specific knowledge of the teaching subject (content knowledge) and the specific teaching method (pedagogical knowledge). Shulman argued that any competent teacher should overlap the two knowledge – this is a set of knowledge about teaching their subject matter effectively. This is called pedagogical content knowledge (P.C.K.). The change that happened many years after Shulman was using technology in the classroom.

The technological knowledge was initially treated as knowledge outside the pedagogical content knowledge (P.C.K.). However, according to Mishra and Koehler [12], research that produced a TPACK framework added technology to pedagogical content knowledge, showing teachers' connections, interactions and constraints within all three knowledge areas.

Given this background, the current research is set to assess the lecturers' TPACK in the state's three public Colleges of Education. It is significant because it provides valuable information about these lecturers in domains of TPACK. The information obtained will adequately assist the Nigerian Colleges of Education programme stakeholders in planning this education level. Additionally, it compares the standard of Nigerian teacher education with the educationally advanced countries such as Finland, *Lecturers' Perception of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Nigerian Colleges… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108678*

**Figure 1.** *The TPACK Framework [10].*

Singapore, the USA and others. Finally, it would help Nigerian College of Education students to acquire the practical skill to function outside the teaching profession.

Educational systems worldwide are under increasing pressure to use information communication and technologies to teach students and advance their learning skills [13]. Moreover, students of many advanced countries are information technologysavvy and technologically inclined [14]. This implies that the teacher must be competent in using technology to teach any school subject as a critical factor in teaching-learning. However, observation and research studies show that most lecturers in Nigerian schools, including Colleges of Education, are not competent in using technologies to teach. Thus, this research investigates lecturers' perception of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) in Nigerian Colleges of Education.

#### **1.1 Statement of the problem**

Technologies in schools globally make teaching and learning easy and also, in the era of COVID-19, prevent the spread of the virus among students and teachers. Every nation invests heavily in integrating technologies into teaching in its learning institutions. Teacher training institutions globally must prepare pre-service teachers who are sound in integrating technologies into teaching [15]. For lecturers of the tertiary institution to achieve excellence in teaching and learning depend on their use of I.C.T. in the classroom [16]. However, the situation in Nigerian schools is different because most teachers do not have adequate knowledge of integrating technologies into

learning. Research studies show inadequate I.C.T. devices and a low usage level among College of Education lecturers in Nigeria [17]. This challenge has created more problems for teacher training institutions such as colleges of education. Critical among these problems is the inability of the teachers to teach students effectively during the COVID-19 lockdown. In light of this, this study investigates lecturers' perception of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Nigerian Colleges of Education.
