Investigating Indonesian EFL preservice teachers’ digital technological awareness and their challenges in EFL learning: A case study

Abstract

The role of technology in learning English as a foreign language (EFL) remains significant. While numerous studies explored the effectiveness of technology in learning EFL, there is a paucity of research that examines EFL preservice teachers' digital technological awareness and their challenges in using technology in EFL learning. This study aims to investigate EFL preservice teachers' digital technological awareness and their challenges. This case study involved six EFL preservice teachers from the English Education Program at one of the higher colleges in West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. The data were garnered through in-depth interviews and observations. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The result shows that teachers’ teaching style frequently incorporating technology in learning has been the main influence in enhancing the students' technological awareness. In terms of challenges, EFL preservice teachers faced four main difficulties: financial barriers, technical issues, meeting the lecturer's expectations, and technological anxiety. This study suggests that there is a need for teacher training programs to include components that focus on enhancing digital technological awareness among EFL preservice teachers. This can be maintained through workshops, courses, or specific modules designed to address the challenges EFL preservice teachers face.