EFL Teaching and Technology Acceptance: Use and Gratification Paradigm

Abstract

Far from being a projection for the future, the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for educational ends is today a commonplace reality. The exploitation of internet-based applications is part and parcel of the teaching endeavors within and across instructional settings. In the EFL teaching setting, teachers are expected to maximize the effective and efficient usage of various technological tools to ease the learners’ elaboration of the target language-related skills. However, findings from recent research point to the substantial discrepancies among EFL teachers in terms of technology acceptance. Teachers range from technology espousers, through technology evaders to technology drop-outs. Against this background, this paper seeks to examine the Moroccan private high school teachers’ stance toward the espousal of ICTs in teaching practice. Using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) devised by Davis (1989), this quantitative study is geared towards deciphering the Moroccan private high school teachers’ readiness to espouse technology and, ultimately, step away from the traditional, pen-and-paper-bound style. The study reveals that Moroccan high school teachers subscribe to the idea that ICT implementation is a warranty for reaching an optimal level of quality in EFL teaching, but they remain apprehensive and reluctant about an immediate buy-in of ICTs for subjective and objective reasons.