The starting point for developing teaching abilities is the experiences that you have of the object of learning. To prepare student teachers for teaching technology in a digital society, research related to their experiences of phenomena such as programmed technological artefacts is important. As future teachers, they must be able to prepare teaching about programmed technological artefacts as objects of learning. Therefore, more knowledge is needed about student teachers’ understanding of them in everyday life.

To describe the different ways in which student teachers experience programmed technological artefacts, such as elevators, tumble dryers, traffic lights, and keyboards, we used a phenomenographic approach. Semi-structured interviews with eight student teachers in primary teacher education were conducted to find the variation in their experiences. This resulted in experiences described as: (1) the physical interface, (2) components as parts of a process, (3) connected, controlled, and regulated components, and (4) components as and in a system.

Aspects essential for understanding programmed technological artefacts are related to three dimensions; computational thinking, systems thinking and the dual nature of technology. For student teachers to understand these artefacts, aspects from all three dimensions need to be discerned. A problem is that student teachers in this study discerned only a few aspects of the phenomenon that they themselves will be teaching about.

This study explores the changing landscape of technology teacher education, in relation to the increasing integration of digital content, especially programming, in teacher education for grades 4–6 (pupils 10-12 years old) and how student teachers in Sweden perceive this content. Limited research exists on student teachers in technology, particularly focusing on programming. This study therefore investigates student teachers' perceptions of teaching programming in technology education, after completing their technology course in teacher education. We answer the following research questions: What are the student teachers’ perceptions of teaching programming in technology education? and How is potential subject didactics knowledge for teaching programming manifested in student teachers’ perceptions of technology teaching? Using a phenomenographic approach, 25 student teachers’ perceptions of programming in technology education were investigated through semi-structured individual and group interviews. Different perceptions were revealed and presented in four categories: (1) following instructions in a logical order, (2) learning a programming language, (3) solving technological problems, and (4) understanding and describing a technological environment. The results show that student teachers' perceptions of the subject of technology predominantly focuses on following instructions and the learning of a programming language. The identified potential subject didactics knowledge is constituted of an awareness of three critical aspects: understanding programming language, understanding programming as a way of solving problems, and the relationships of technological problems to everyday life and society. This study offers valuable insight into the development of competencies required to teach programming in technology, informing educational strategies and future research in this emerging field.

As programming has become an integral part of technology education in Sweden, teacher education must prepare future teachers to integrate programming meaningfully into their teaching. However, research on how teacher educators understand programming in technology teacher education remains scarce. The purpose of this study is to explore teacher educators' experience of programming in primary technology teacher education. The phenomenon, programming in technology, is explored by using a phenomenographic approach in order to find the variations of experiences among a group of teacher educators. The empirical material consists of interviews with 12 technology teacher educators from 11 Swedish higher education institutions. The results identify four qualitatively distinct categories of how programming is experienced: (1) as a technological tool, (2) as a technological tool for control, (3) as a technological tool for problem-solving, and (4) as part of technological solutions in society. The study addresses the importance of the relationships between programming, systems thinking, and computational thinking, ensuring that student teachers develop a holistic understanding of programming as part of technological knowledge. The study also provides information that the understanding of the relationship between technological education and educational technology is crucial for the relevance of programming in technology education.