Digital technologies and foreign language learning: contextual

In seeking educational reforms, and in response to the pressures for development on the one hand, and driven by recent trends and

developments in computer and multimedia technologies on the other hand, there has been a growing emphasis on the use of ICT to support teaching and learning in all subjects including EFL:

Country’s general formal education system…is supported by educational technologies up to the standards, takes into account a wide range of resources and the learning media (The National Information and Communication Network). (FRDE, 2011: 23)

As can be seen, the use of technology in education as long as it is conformed to “standards”, has been seen as beneficial. Despite the macro-level documents seeming to be willing to incorporate technology in teaching-learning practices, the immediate access to foreign cultures and native speakers facilitated by technology and English packages have caused anxiety. The assumption underlying this concern is that the use of technologies, including digital media, can put students directly in touch with the political or cultural aspects of the foreign language and culture. In this regard the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei has

several times warned against ‘a great cultural invasion [that] American movies and books have launched on us, … overshadowing our culture’

(speech addressed to the members of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution 15/12/2013).

As a result, much attention has been paid to protect and purify cultural media, as a potential instrument of cultural invasion, in all aspects of using, designing, and developing policies from the unwanted aspects of the alien media culture as imperialism, materialism or

negative impacts of unrestricted sexual behaviours, alcohol, violence, etc. In so doing, monitoring systems are at work and officially ban or suspend the websites or webpages that contain forbidden items (moral or political).

While cultural considerations are relevant because they are inevitably in the background of my discussions and inform the

perspectives adopted by the officials and policy makers, the evaluation of the pros and cons of such considerations lies beyond the focus of this paper.

1. 2.

Rationale, purpose, focus and the significance

of the study

By way of introduction, in order to help the readers make sense of the data in reference to the overall socio-cultural and political structure of

the context of the study, the historical causality and the philosophical assumptions and challenges underlying the EFL education policies in the context of Iranian schools are briefly described in this chapter. Clearly there is a great deal of concern to resolve the existing difficulties in the EFL education in schools, and a great deal of promise.As may be understood from the educational documents, essential ingredients for a successful EFL pedagogy are the use of technology in service of a self- regulatory and communicative approach to EFL pedagogy to enable students to adequately communicate in English. The significant role of technology as a powerful teaching/learning tool in foreign language education (FLE) has been highlighted in the literature (Blake, 2013; Davies, Hayward, & Lukman, 2005; Larsen-Freeman & Anderson, 2011; Littlemore & Oakey, 2004; Muttaqin, 2010). The literature suggests that while technology has the potential benefit to enhance pedagogy, it can neither constitute pedagogy, nor drive a substantial change on its own (Larsen-Freeman & Anderson, 2011; Moeller & Reitzes, 2011). Earlier studies (Chen, 2008; Koehler & Mishra, 2009; Moeller & Reitzes, 2011; Nunan & Wong, 2005; Rahimi & Yadollahi, 2011a) have suggested that the integration of technology into language classrooms is highly

dependent on teachers and that teachers’ cognition and their ability to integrate technology into their classrooms to enhance English teaching play a crucial role in their decisions regarding technology use in their

classrooms. Similarly, in the FRDE, the most prominent role has been given to teachers as change agents, and the document suggests that the implementation of the on going reforms to classroom practices depend upon teachers. Therefore, teacher training has come to be seen as a vehicle to enhance teachers’ competences and empower them to deal with the new demands. Accordingly, as part of its plan to support

teachers in their new role and facilitate their learning, the document sets out the decision makers’ ambition to undertake a major reform to

enhance teacher training through:

Re-engineering policies and re-adjustment of the principles governing the teacher training curricula with an emphasis on internship and adaptation of teachers’ professional qualification at national and global levels in compliance with school curricula and developing appropriate policies for promotion of teacher recruitment, training and retaining methods in the education system (FRDE, P. 42).

The importance of the study lies in the fact that despite such enthusiasm in the objectives, recent studies indicate that in practice, there has been little progress in integrating ICT into Iranian EFL education at school level (Dashtestani, 2012; Rahimi & Yadollahi, 2011b; Shahamat & Riazi, 2009). The present study seeks to answer the

question of why, given the range of individual, pedagogical,

sociocultural and other contextual factors, the ICT usage of Iranian EFL teachers appears so limited. What is amiss?

Although very limited, prior research concerning the integration of ICT in EFL classrooms and EFL teachers’ competencies in the context of Iranian schools and elsewhere has made valuable contributions and provided useful insight about the importance of technology, its main characteristics and related problems. Nevertheless, much of the research in the context of Iranian schools relies on large-scale quantitative data, and scant attention has been paid to explore and explain what is

happening in EFL classrooms, focusing on in-depth qualitative data and teachers’ feedback. As a result of this, there remains much about the nature and processes of the programme that is often unclear.

The study presented here is an attempt to make a contribution to understanding of the integration of ICT into EFL classrooms in the context of Iranian schools. This study aims to explore the interplay of a range of contextual factors and key issues, contributions and challenges that can possibly arise in the integration of technology from the

perspective of teachers. In so doing, it investigates a group of Iranian EFL teachers’ perceptions of the actual integration of ICT into their classrooms. The study is underpinned by a socio-cultural epistemology and utilises an interpretivist qualitative paradigm, and its focus was the

individual and contextual factors that appeared to influence and shape the perceptions and practices of these teachers.

The findings from this study contribute 1) to understanding of EFL teachers’ implementation of new technologies in EFL classrooms, the challenges and complexities of using technologies in schools, 2) to inform educational policy makers, programme designers, material developers, and other stakeholders about teachers’ perceptions of using ICT in EFL teaching; and 3) to identify gaps and areas for future

research and programmes.

1. 3.

Overview of the structure of chapters

The current chapter has provided an introduction, described the background of the problem under investigation, the statement of the problem, the purpose of the study and its significance. The remaining chapters are structured as follows:

In chapter two, which reviews the relevant literature, the

discussions will be presented in two main sections. First, a historical survey of major theoretical concepts, approaches and methods of

second/foreign language teaching and learning will be presented. Then, the current literature into technology mediated foreign language teaching from the perspective of a sociocultural historical activity theory will be presented. Arguing from a change or innovation perspective on the

integration of ICT into schools, some of the well-documented key factors that can affect the successful implementation of ICT will be outlined. From amongst those factors, the roles of the teachers and their pedagogical technological content knowledge have emerged as essential elements. Following this, the chapter will conclude by identifying the research gap and formulating the research questions.

Chapter three presents a detailed descriptions and justifications for the research design, methodology and the concrete procedures that I have used to collect data, method and procedures of data analysis, the study settings and participants.

Chapter four presents in some detail the findings from the observation-led interviews with a group of Iranian EFL teachers concerning their perceptions of the use of ICT in relation to their classroom practices and the influencing factors.

Chapter five reflects on the main themes and meaning of the

findings in the light of the literature and the theoretical framework of the study, and will discuss them in relation to the research questions.

Contributions and the limitations of the study will be included in this chapter.

Finally, chapter six will sum up the findings in connection to research questions, draw conclusions and offer suggestions for future research.