Teachers’ Technology Integration Practices in EFL Context: Tension Between Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs and Classroom Practices

Abstract

In line with technology integration policies and language curricula in Kuwait and many other countries, language teachers are expected to integrate digital technologies into instruction to facilitate meaningful interaction that can lead to language learning. However, little is known about teachers’ actual classroom practices with technology in the Kuwaiti context in which ministerial initiatives were taken for technology integration. Assuming that beliefs and classroom practices are logically multivariate and interrelated, this study examined teachers' pedagogical beliefs about language learning and teaching, as well as how they are enacted in their technology integration practices. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with three English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and triangulated with classroom observation. Findings revealed that teachers are predominantly inclined to embrace a behavioristic /transmissive approach to language learning and teaching. Despite recognizing the potential of constructivist approaches, teachers primarily used technology for content delivery and structured drills rather than fostering interaction or student autonomy. Such an approach seems to impact how teachers use technology in the class, subsequently lessening its potential. Teachers’ positive beliefs about other approaches (e.g., constructivism and social constructivism) are not necessarily present in their practices when technology is embedded in their classrooms. This study highlights a critical gap between teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and their actual classroom technology use, pointing to institutional and training-related barriers that hinder effective integration.