Language teachers' perceptions of external and internal factors in their instructional (non-) use of technology

Abstract

Prior studies (e.g., Li & Walsh, 2011) found that language teachers did not use technology fully despiteits possible facilitating function in language teaching. Through a survey and group discussions, thisstudy explores pre-service Chinese-language teachers' perceptions of the internal and external barriersto their instructional technology use. The respondents (N=47) expressed five main types of externalbarriers: a) lack of technology, b) difficulty in accessing the available technology, c) lack of technicalsupport, d) lack of proper assessment, and e) negative parental attitude. The two main internal barriersidentified in this research were a) negative attitude originating from teachers' pedagogical beliefs,and b) lack of technology-related knowledge. The findings of this study should be of practical use in thefuture design and implementation of professional development aiming at improving language teachers'use of technology in teaching.