Factors Affecting Technology Integration Practices of EFL Teachers

1st International Congresses on New Horizons in Education and Social Science (ICES - 2018), İstanbul, Türkiye, 9 - 11 Nisan 2018

In the 21st century, rapid and continuous advances in technology have led to significant

changes in the nature of education (Thomas & Brown, 2011). The change that technology

brought to education has challenged teachers in terms of their technical abilities, knowledge

bases and expertise (Levin & Wadmany, 2008). Although relevant research has revealed the

significant role of technology in making teaching and learning more effective and rewarding, a

gap exists between its promises and the actual use of technology by teachers. In the literature,

some barriers have been mentioned to explain teachers' infrequent and low-level technology use

(e.g., Ertmer, 2005; Ertmer, et al, 2012; Hew & Brush, 2007). First-order barriers, which are

external to the teacher, concern obstacles such as a lack of resources, lack of technical and

institutional support, lack of training or insufficient time for lesson planning. In contrast, secondorder

barriers, internal to the teacher, have to do with teachers' underlying beliefs about

learning and teaching, about technology and about their current classroom practices and

unwillingness to change (Ertmer, 1999). Due to varying factors affecting teachers'

implementation of technology, it is important to understand teachers' concerns for technology

integration. In this framework, this study aims to investigate the factors that influence

technology integration practices of Turkish in-service EFL teachers at the Prep School of a state

university in Turkey. More specifically, teachers' attitudes towards ICT integration in teaching

and learning, self-confidence in integrating ICT, the frequency of using ICT for instructional

purposes in the classroom and school climate and support are explored by using the Survey of

Factors Affecting Teachers Teaching with Technology (Papanastasiou & Angeli, 2008). The

findings of the study will be discussed by referring to the relevant literature.