Role of Technology during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of EFL Online Teaching Placements

Abstract

The Coronavirus 2019 pandemic has undeniably changed the educational scenario around the world. With schools and universities closing until further notice, initial teacher education had to be moved from a traditional setting to an entire online environment, making technology the fundamental support for its development. Considering that the current health emergency uncovered the scarcity of practice and empirical research about online teaching placement, this study aims to examine the use of technology as the pivotal tool that allowed EFL student teachers to continue learning to teach during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fourteen Chilean EFL student teachers undertaking their teaching experience remotely participated in this interpretative case-study. Data was collected through a semi-structured interview at two different points of their online teaching experience, and it was analysed using thematic analysis as a framework. The results show that adaptations to technological teaching strategies affected prospective teachers’ development of teaching skills. Nevertheless, this online placement prompted the interest and motivation to search and discover new technological tools to enhance school learners’ learning process, especially in a context where access to technology cannot be afforded by everyone. Student teachers also acknowledged that this once-in-a-lifetime experience would potentially contribute to their technology literacy and their future teacher development. As this health emergency has affected the education sector worldwide, implications for teacher education providers that have faced this transition in multiple contexts are discussed.