Digital education has rapidly evolved, bringing about a significant transformation in traditional teaching and learning approaches. The integration of information technology with English instruction in the digital age has ushered in a wave of digital teaching tools, expanded teaching resources and environments, innovative teaching methods, and digital teaching evaluation and management. Within this context, this research aims to examine the psychological adaptation of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers to digital education, particularly how they adjust their teaching strategies to incorporate digital tools and methodologies. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature, we explored the transition of EFL teachers towards digital literacy, identifying the main opportunities and challenges they encounter in this digital shift. Our findings highlight that while digital technologies offer enhanced teaching and learning capabilities, they also require teachers to undergo a significant psychological and pedagogical transformation. The results contribute insights into the mechanisms through which EFL teachers in Chinese higher education can effectively integrate digital technologies into their teaching practices, thereby enhancing both their own and their students’ digital literacy skills.
Cite this paper
Zou, D. and Wang, Y. (2024). EFL Teachers in the Digital Era: A Journey of Adaptation. Open Access Library Journal, 11, e1434. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1111434.
Yadav, N., Gupta, K. and Khetrapal, V. (2018) Next Education: Technology Transforming Education. South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, 7, 68-77. https://doi.org/10.1177/2277977918754443
Rassaei, E. (2017) Video Chat vs. Face-to-Face Recasts, Learners’ Interpretations and L2 Development: A Case of Persian EFL Learners. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 30, 133-148. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2016.1275702
Benson, P. and Chik, A. (2011) Towards a More Naturalistic CALL: Video Gaming and Language Learning. International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching, 1, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijcallt.2011070101
Fathali, S. and Okada, T. (2018) Technology Acceptance Model in Technologyenhanced OCLL Contexts: A Self-Determination Theory Approach. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 34, 138-154. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.3629
Ramírez-Montoya, M.-S., Mena, J. and Rodríguez-Arroyo, J.A. (2017) In-Service Teachers’ Self-Perceptions of Digital Competence and OER Use as Determined by a xMOOC Training Course. Computers in Human Behavior, 77, 356-364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.09.010
Ahmad, A. and Ibrahim, K.M. (2017) Managerial, Organizational and Technological Determinants of ICT Adoption: Survey of Academic Staff in Bauchi State. ATBU Journal of Science, Technology and Education, 5, 157-165.
Kafyulilo, A., Fisser, P. and Voogt, J. (2016) Factors Affecting Teachers’ Continuation of Technology Use in Teaching. Education and Information Technologies, 21, 1535-1554. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-015-9398-0
Huang, F., Teo, T., Sánchez-Prieto, J.C., García-Peñalvo, F.J. and Olmos-Migueláñez, S. (2019) Cultural Values and Technology Adoption: A Model Comparison with University Teachers from China and Spain. Computers & Education, 133, 69-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.01.012
Huang, F., Teo, T. and Guo, J. (2021) Understanding English Teachers’ Non-Volitional Use of Online Teaching: A Chinese Study. System, 101, Article 102574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102574
Yamada-Rice, D. (2011) New Media, Evolving Multimodal Literacy Practices and the Potential Impact of Increased Use of the Visual Mode in the Urban Environment on Young Children’s Learning. Literacy, 45, 32-43. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-4369.2011.00578.x
Potter, J. and McDougall, J. (2017) Digital Media, Culture and Education: Theorising Third Space Literacies. Palgrave MacMillan, Basingstoke. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-55315-7_2
Du, Y. and Gao, H. (2022) Determinants Affecting Teachers’ Adoption of AI-Based Applications in EFL Context: An Analysis of Analytic Hierarchy Process. Education and Information Technologies, 27, 9357-9384. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11001-y
Bensalem, E. (2020) Foreign Language Reading Anxiety in the Saudi Tertiary EFL Context. Reading in a Foreign Language, 32, 65-82. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/67374
Von Davier, A.A., Hao, J., Liu, L. and Kyllonen, P. (2017) Interdisciplinary Research Agenda in Support of Assessment of Collaborative Problem Solving: Lessons Learned from Developing a Collaborative Science Assessment Prototype. Computers in Human Behavior, 76, 631-640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.04.059
Baker, T. and Smith, L. (2019) Educ-AI-Tion Rebooted? Exploring the Future of Artificial Intelligence in Schools and Colleges. https://www.nesta.org.uk/report/education-rebooted/
Link, S., Mehrzad, M. and Rahimi, M. (2020) Impact of Automated Writing Evaluation on Teacher Feedback, Student Revision, and Writing Improvement. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35, 605-634. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1743323
Hollands, F. and Escueta, M. (2020) How Research Informs Educational Technology Decision-Making in Higher Education: The Role of External Research versus Internal Research. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68, 163-180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-019-09678-z
Eurydice (European Commission, Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency) (2011) Key Data on Learning and Innovation through ICT at School in Europe 2011. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.
Selwyn, N. (2011) In Praise of Pessimism—The Need for Negativity in Educational Technology. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42, 713-718. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01215.x
Taj, I.H., Ali, F., Aslam Sipra, M. and Ahmad, W. (2017) Effect of Technology Enhanced Language Learning on Vocabulary Acquisition of EFL Learners. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 6, 262-272. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.6n.3p.262
Wei, Y. (2022) Toward Technology-Based Education and English as a Foreign Language Motivation: A Review of Literature. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 870540. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.870540
Donovan, L., Green, T. and Hansen, L.E. (2011) One-to-One Laptop Teacher Education: Does Involvement Affect Candidate Technology Skills and Dispositions? Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 44, 121-139. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2011.10782582
Alshammari, R., Parkes, M. and Adlington, R. (2018) Factors Influencing Saudi Arabian Preparatory Year Students’ Skills and Attitudes in the Use of Mobile Devices in Learning English as a Foreign Language. International Journal for Research in Science Engineering &Technology, 7, 9-27. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrset.2018.3002
Madalińska-Michalak, J. and Bavli, B. (2018) Challenges in Teaching English as a Foreign Language at Schools in Poland and Turkey. European Journal of Teacher Education, 41, 688-706. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2018.1531125
Godbey, S. (2018) Testing Future Teachers: A Quantitative Exploration of Factors Impacting the Information Literacy of Teacher Education Students. College & Research Libraries, 79, 611-623. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.79.5.611
Cote, T. and Milliner, B. (2018) A Survey of EFL Teachers’ Digital Literacy: A Report from a Japanese University. Teaching English with Technology, 18, 71-89.
Scherer, R., Howard, S.K., Tondeur, J. and Siddiq, F. (2021) Profiling Teachers’ Readiness for Online Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Who’s Ready? Computers in Human Behavior, 118, Article 106675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106675
Amirian, S.M.R. and Behshad, A. (2016) Emotional Intelligence and Self-Efficacy of Iranian Teachers: A Research Study on University Degree and Teaching Experience. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 7, 548-558. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0703.16
Li, G., Sun, Z. and Jee, Y. (2019) The More Technology the Better? A Comparison of Teacher-Student Interaction in High and Low Technology Use Elementary EFL Classrooms in China. System, 84, 24-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.05.003
Liu, M.H. and Kleinsasser, R. (2015) Exploring EFL Teachers’ Knowledge and Competencies: In-Service Program Perspectives. Language, Learning and Technology, 19, 119-138.
Choi, I. and Lee, K. (2009) Designing and Implementing a Case-Based Learning Environment for Enhancing Ill-Structured Problem Solving: Classroom Management Problems for Prospective Teachers. Educational Technology Research and Development, 57, 99-129. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-008-9089-2
Pratolo, B.W. and Solikhati, H.A. (2020) Investigating Teachers’ Attitude toward Digital Literacy in EFL Classroom. Journal of Education and Learning, 15, 97-103. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v15i1.15747
Li, B. (2022) Ready for Online? Exploring EFL Teachers’ ICT Acceptance and ICT Literacy during COVID-19 in Mainland China. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 60, 196-219. https://doi.org/10.1177/07356331211028934
Nuroh, E.Z., Linggowati, T. and Bahodirovna, A.M. (2023) Beyond the Screen: Exploring Primary English Teachers’ Attitudes towards Digital Learning Management Systems. Proceedings of the International Conference on Intellectuals’ Global Responsibility (ICIGR 2022), Sidoarjo, 14 December 2022, 185-195. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-052-7_21
Tejedor, S., Cervi, L., Pérez-Escoda, A. and Jumbo, F.T. (2020) Digital Literacy and Higher Education during COVID-19 Lockdown: Spain, Italy, and Ecuador. Publications, 8, Article 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/publications8040048
Akbar, M.F. and Anggaraeni, F.D. (2017) Teknologi dalam pendidikan: Literasi digital dan self-directed learning pada mahasiswa skripsi. Indigenous: Jurnal Ilmiah Psikologi, 2, 28-38. https://doi.org/10.23917/indigenous.v1i1.4458
Buitrago Flórez, F., Casallas, R., Hernández, M., Reyes, A., Restrepo, S. and Danies, G. (2017) Changing a Generation’s Way of Thinking: Teaching Computational Thinking through Programming. Review of Educational Research, 87, 834-860. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654317710096
Siddiq, F., Hatlevik, O.E., Olsen, R.V., Throndsen, I. and Scherer, R. (2016) Taking a Future Perspective by Learning from the Past—A Systematic Review of Assessment Instruments that Aim to Measure Primary and Secondary School Students’ ICT Literacy. Educational Research Review, 19, 58-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2016.05.002
Shute, V.J. and Rahimi, S. (2017) Review of Computer-Based Assessment for Learning in Elementary and Secondary Education: Computer-Based Assessment for Learning. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 33, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12172
Straub, E.T. (2009) Understanding Technology Adoption: Theory and Future Directions for Informal Learning. Review of Educational Research, 79, 625-649. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308325896
Romeo, G., Lloyd, M. and Downes, T. (2013) Teaching Teachers for the Future: How, What, Why, and What Next? Australian Educational Computing, 27, 3-12.
Abdulrahman, T.R. and Basalama, N. (2019) Promoting Students’ Motivation in Learning English Vocabulary through a Collaborative Video Project. Celt, 19, 107-137. https://doi.org/10.24167/celt.v19i1.493
Cosby, A., Fogarty, E.S. and Manning, J. (2023) Digital Literacy and Digital Self-Efficacy of Australian Technology Teachers. Education Sciences, 13, Article 530. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13050530
Fraillon, J., Ainley, J., Schulz, W., Friedman, T. and Gebhardt, E. (2014) Preparing for Life in a Digital Age: The IEA International Computer and Information Literacy Study International Report. Springer Nature, Cham, 308. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14222-7
Bottino, R. (2020) Schools and the Digital Challenge: Evolution and Perspectives. Education and Information Technologies, 25, 2241-2259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-10061-x
Peled, Y. (2021) Pre-Service Teacher’s Self-Perception of Digital Literacy: The Case of Israel. Education and Information Technologies, 26, 2879-2896. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10387-x
Kwon, S., Kim, W., Bae, C., Cho, M., Lee, S. and Dreamson, N. (2021) The Identity Changes in Online Learning and Teaching: Instructors, Learners, and Learning Management Systems. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 18, Article No. 67. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00304-8
Al-Khatib, M. (2020) Investigating the Relationship between English as a Foreign Language Teachers’ Digital Literacy and Pedagogical Practices. Education and Information Technologies, 25, 1993-2007.
