PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ CONCEPTIONS AND COMPETENCES ON DIGITAL LITERACY IN AN EFL ACADEMIC WRITING SETTING

Abstract

This case study seeks to examine pre-service teachers’ digital literacy conceptions in an EFL academic writing context. Despite the recent growth of research regarding general conceptions of digital literacy, little attention has been given to its conception focusing on EFL digital writing environment. To bridge the gap, this research offers a new perspective of the conception of digital literacy from the perspective of pre-service teachers in their academic writing setting. Also, the study aims to identify pre-service teachers’ competences concerning the predominant dimensions of digital literacy encompassing critical thinking, online safety skills, digital culture, collaboration and creativity, finding information, communication, and functional skills. This case study involved both quantitative and qualitative data taken from 107 pre-service teachers’ online questionnaires and one 5-member focus group discussion delivered to pre-service teachers taking Academic Writing subjects in English Language Education Department in an urban university in Indonesia. While thematic analysis was involved for qualitative data, the quantitative ones were analyzed using descriptive analyses. Emergent themes related to the conception of digital literacy in academic writing context included basic conception of digital literacy, competences related to digital literacy, awarness of the importance of digital literacy, and challenges of digital literacy. In general, the result of the study revealed that the pre-service teachers’ conceptions of digital literacy were principally associated with the narrow proficiency of utilizing online tools and technological devices and set aside a critical mindset. Further, in spite of the fact that most participating students were found to have lack of understanding of critical thinking and digital culture towards digital literacy, they appeared to possess the competencies of finding information, communication, and functional skills. Additionally, quantitative result of the pre-service teachers’ competences demonstrated that communication dimension was the highest of all with the mean value of 3.95, followed by online safety skills (3.87), finding information (3.79), critical thinking (3.77), functional skills (3.75), as well as collaboration and creativity (3.43). The lowest mean (3.40) belonged to digital culture dimension. The findings have important implications for developing digital literacy framework in an EFL academic writing.