Teachers’ concerns with respect to technology integration

A study of high school English teachers’ behaviour, concerns and beliefs in integrating information technology into English instruction
Shu Ching Yang and Yen-Fen Huang

There are many keywords can be used in the study of teacher cognition. This study uses the words “concern” and “beliefs” to explain how teachers think about technology in language teaching. However, investigating only teachers’ thinking is not sufficient to show the overall picture of technology-enhanced classrooms. This study incorporates patterns of teachers’ concerns and teaching behaviour with respect to technology integration. The researchers divide concerns of English teachers into these types: teaching practice, perceived barriers of IT integration in EL teaching, and the technology deployed in the classroom. In order to identify teachers’ stages of concerns, the researcher use SoCQ questionnaire (The stages of Concerns Questionnaire) with junior and high school English teachers from Taipei and Kaohsiung cities.
It was found that English teachers’ concerns are generally oriented toward personal and informational issues. Their technology-mediated English teaching behaviours are modest, and most activities involve teaching preparation and activities rather than encouraging students’ higher level of technology usage.

This finding of this study is similar to what have been found in the literature that English teachers are facing difficulties of using technology in teaching. Although teachers have developed computer literacy, a few of them have achieved technology adoption in EL instruction. There are many factors affecting technology use such as well-supported school environment, creative teaching practices, positive beliefs about technology integration, and higher level of computer training.
It’s interesting to look at the SoCQ questionnaire items here. This tool was developed many years ago by Hall, George, and Rutherford (1977). This questionnaire is used to identify a set of characteristics concerns emerges during the change processes that are common to most innovations. In this case, the innovation is integrating instructional technology into English language curriculum. There are many studies adopting this questionnaire to investigate teachers’ concern about curriculum and other educational innovations.

However, the inventory method for investigating teachers’ beliefs may not be enough to elicit underlying personal theories. Case studies are necessary for research of teacher cognition. Teachers need some times to acquire personal appreciation As teachers’ beliefs are always changing from time to time, teachers should be aware of their thinking with regards to any innovation in the instruction. The so-called effective technology that we are using nowadays may not fit to our teaching environment or educational goals in the future.

The researchers conclude that teachers need to learn about technologically pedagogical knowledge and theoretical frameworks for adopting technology. Giving teacher well-designed computer technology or computer training is not enough. The intervention between technology and pedagogical subject matter should be established in order to maximize the effects of technology integration.