A qualitative study on a situated experience of technology integration: reflections from pre-service teachers and students

Abstract

Integrating technology into the foreign language classroom has introduced challenging demands for prospective teachers in designing technology-enhanced lessons. Thus, careful guidance is required to help pre-service teachers identify, integrate, and reflect on appropriate technologies to create more learning opportunities. The present study aims to guide pre-service teachers in incorporating technology into their situated teaching practices during a 12-week practicum experience via a step-by-step training procedure. It explores both their own ideas and those of students about technology-enhanced lessons. For this purpose, eight pre-service teachers and 95 students in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context in Turkey participated in the study. Qualitative analyses of diaries and focus group interviews revealed that prospective teachers and their students had positive attitudes towards integrating technology into a second language and/or foreign language (L2) class albeit a few concerns and problems were raised. Technology-enhanced classes promoted language skills, contributed to creating a favorable and motivating learning atmosphere, fostered active participation, and helped pre-service teachers tailor their lessons to their students’ needs and interests. By offering a situated learning opportunity to incorporate technology into L2 classes blended with reflective practice, findings of the study may illuminate future practices for successful technology integration in language teaching.