EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of the Challenges of Technology-Based Professional Development

Abstract

Pre-service teacher professional development could assume an urgent part in raising teaching quality and learning outcomes. Evolving technologies allow for new and different forms of professional development. However, teacher professional development opportunities are limited and outcomes are controversial. In this study, to capture the challenges of a technology-based professional development, the researchers examined teachers’ perceptions of the barriers to technology integration and instructional practices. Three hundred participants were recruited through an online survey- Technology-Based Professional Development Questionnaire. Through employing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the researchers analysed the data. The results of the study indicated that the gap between information and the use of technology-based apparatuses was viewed as related with the difficulties confronting teachers with technology-based directions. Technology-literate teachers knew how to integrate their insight into their commonsense instructing and had higher students’ commitment and inspiration. In any case, technology-illiterate teachers had mechanical troubles that reduced their education. A few ramifications can be drawn from the review, for example, the requirement for teacher instruction projects to further develop teacher consciousness of new educational innovative learning strategies, and the significance of giving chances to get computerized proficiency. Our findings have both theoretical and practical implications for pre-and in-service teacher training programs. Based on these discoveries, suggestions for the plan of online professional development and gaps for future examinations are discussed.