ESL Teachers' Self-efficacy toward Pedagogical Use of Digital Technologies: An Exploratory Case Study in the Ontario Context
Abstract
Digital technologies have been intertwined with English language education globally and have yielded ever-emerging opportunities and challenges. This research aims to explore ESL teacher participants’ perceived abilities to use digital technologies for pedagogical purposes, their implemented integration of technology in classrooms, as well as possible solutions to some of the technology-related difficulties they have experienced throughout their teaching practice. This qualitatively-driven mix-methods study utilizes a constructivist theoretical framework and involves multiple bodies of literature such as digital literacy and teacher self-efficacy. Surveys and semi-structured interviews have been used for data collection. The findings show that teacher self-efficacy beliefs are shaped by ones’ lived experiences and are fluid in nature. Additionally, while it appears preferable to look at digital competencies and technologies using a non-essentialist lens, being able to meaningfully integrate technology with classroom activities and learner assignments merits English language instructors’ critical attention. Wider implications and future directions have been discussed as well.