Pre-Service and In-Service English as a Second Language Teachers’ Beliefs about the Use of Digital Technology in the Classroom

Abstract

It has been long accepted that teachers’ beliefs guide their classroom practices (Borg, 2006; Fang, 1996; Pajares, 1992; Woods, 1996). Yet, in the current high-tech age and with the push by mainstream education to incorporate technology in language teaching, little is known about what teachers think and feel about technology integration. Using Borg’s (2006) framework of language teacher cognition, this study investigated the beliefs of pre-service and in-service English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers (n = 35) about the use of digital technology in the classroom and the factors that influence those beliefs. The participants completed a three-part beliefs’ questionnaire and some (n = 10) were later met for one-on-one interviews. The results suggest that while the teachers value technology and its use in the ESL classroom, the two groups differed in their subscribed beliefs. These differences were traced back to the teachers’ age, classroom practice, experiences with digital technology, context(s) in which digital technology was used, and the amount of technology-related training the teachers received.