Maldivian teacher educators' cultural embodiment and the shaping of ICT habitus in their pedagogical practices

Abstract

Bourdieu's concept of habitus has been widely discussed as a means of understanding cultural habits and practices in various contexts. This article identifies some of the characteristics of Maldivian teacher educators (TE) in terms of their habitus when they incorporate information and communication technology (ICT) in their teacher education programmes. In the Maldives, education is, broadly, teacher-centric and exam-focused. The TEs have this deeply ingrained in their teacher education practices. The findings, generated through an ethnographic approach using narrative interviews, observations and focus group discussions, suggest that TEs generally adopt ICT to make their own roles more efficient without necessarily changing their pedagogy, thus embracing teacher-centrism. This article highlights issues linking cultural capital and the formation of specific ICT habitus within this context, thus contributing to understanding of habitus as it applies to teacher education in the Maldives.