Teachers’ Attitudes and Beliefs

According to teachers’ responses to the reasons for and the barriers to technology use, the factor affecting teachers’ use of technology, teachers’ attitudes and beliefs, is discussed concerning two aspects: the reasons teachers choose to and the reasons teachers choose not to integrate technology into instruction.

The Reasons Teachers Choose to Integrate Technology into Instruction

The reasons that teachers choose to use technology include “delivering content and reinforcing students’ language skills,” “supplement or enrich the curriculum with various types of technology,” “enhancing students’ motivation,” “fostering students' learning,” “equipping students with skills they would need in the future,” “connecting students with the target language and its culture,” and “improving teaching efficiency.“

Delivering Content and Reinforcing Students’ Language Skills

Teachers who choose to integrate technology into instruction aim at delivering content and reinforcing students’ language skills. The outcomes accord with previous research findings presented in the literature (Ertmer et al., 1999; Ertmer et al., 2012) since teachers could let students practice many times and help students reinforce what they had learned through the use of technology. For instance, Cathy stated that with reference to English learning, she hoped to increase students’ listening ability, so she made use of the E-textbook or multimedia to have students practice English pronunciation and intonation several times (2012-09-26-TI-Cathy). Besides, Eric intended to improve students’ listening and speaking ability. As he said, “Through the use of the E-textbook or the CD, I can have students practice the pronunciation and intonation many times. In this way, their English listening and speaking ability will be enhanced” (2013-03-21-TI-Eric). As mentioned above, it is noted that both Cathy and Eric who apply technology a lot have positive attitudes toward using technology to deliver content and reinforce students’ language skills.

Supplementing or Enriching the Curriculum

For English teachers who choose to use technology in class, they intend to supplement or enrich the curriculum with various types of technology. The findings are consistent with the results in the previous research (Arnold, 2007; Ertmer et al., 1999; Ertmer et al., 2012; Lam, 2000) because teachers used various types of technology to supplement language teachers’ teaching as well as to bring variety to a lesson. As Alice said,

With these abundant online resources, I can have students sing, play games, and even take online tests…I can integrate a lot of related information that I have searched for online into instruction. In that case, students will perceive that English learning is related to their real life, and English class is diverse and interesting. (2012-09-20-TI-Alice)

Cathy would also use relevant online resources on the Internet to enrich the curriculum. As she mentioned,

Because the topic of each lesson relates to real life such as celebrities and latest news, I will search for relevant videos or pictures online to increase the abundance and diversity of a lesson…Sometimes you do not need all the contents of the E-textbook, so you can add or delete any supplementary materials that you have found online. (2012-09-26-TI-Cathy)

Gina also emphasized that the advantages of employing the E-textbook in class were to supplement and enrich the curriculum. As she reported,

Through the use of the E-textbook, I will have students focus on the pronunciation. The E-textbook benefits them a lot in sentences for I can click the vocabulary word and then the supplement to the pronunciation of the word as well as its example sentence will be shown on the screen. Thus, it is quite convenient for me to supplement vocabulary words and sentence patterns with it. (2012-10-19-TI-Gina)

Although Alice and Cathy integrate technology into instruction a lot, and Gina does not apply technology much in class, they all have positive attitudes toward using technology to supplement or enrich the curriculum.

Enhancing Students’ Motivation

Teachers choose to adopt technology to make the lessons more interesting and enhance students’ learning motivation, which is in line with the findings of previous studies (Arnold, 2007; Egbert, Paulus, & Nakamichi, 2002; Ertmer et al., 1999; Lam, 2000). In the current study, half of the teachers recognized the motivational facet as a good reason for the use of technology. As Alice described, “Actually I find that online resources have positive effects on students’ motivation. For example, the nursery rhymes on the Internet are funny and adapted animation, so students love to watch them very much” (2012-09-20-TI-Alice).

In addition, Cathy would use the E-textbook or Internet resources to motivate students’ interests. She indicated,

Since students are more attracted to animation from the E-textbook, I often surf the Youtube to look for videos to download as well as search some websites for pictures in order to increase students’ learning interests. In this way, they are more willing to answer the questions I ask in class.

(2012-09-26-TI-Cathy)

Diana also thought students would be more attracted to videos than CDs because videos with visual image were more attractive. With videos, they would concentrate more on English class (2013-03-21-TI-Diana). As for Eric, he used the photos taken in foreign countries to show some interesting materials to motivate students’ interests (2013-03-21-TI-Eric). Gina stated that the reason why the E-textbook attracted students was that the students here seldom had class through it, and it was a new and

interesting way for them to learn English (2012-10-19-TI-Gina).

Of four English teachers who have positive attitudes toward using technology to enhance students’ motivation, Alice, Cathy, and Diana integrate technology into instruction a lot while Gina does not technology much in class.

Fostering Students' Learning

Teachers’ use of technology aims to foster students' learning, and the similar reason was reflected from the teachers in prior research (Arnold, 2007; Egbert et al., 2002; Zhao, 2007). Half of the teachers, Alice, Cathy, Diana, and Eric, agreed that technology integration helped students to enhance students’ learning in many aspects such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing ability. For example, Alice improved students’ speaking ability through the use of nursery rhymes. She stated,

Actually I find that nursery rhymes have positive effects on students’

motivation…After watching the videos of the nursery rhymes, students will feel they can recite these nursery rhymes easily. Therefore, I discover that the effects of videos on students’ learning are better than those of songs as long as the videos you search online are interesting and attractive to students. (2012-09-20-TI-Alice)

Furthermore, Diana adopted online resources to foster students’ listening ability.

As she said,

The website, Real English, is very useful. With it, I can cultivate students to get accustomed to listening to different accents since the same sentence pattern with different accents is repeated again and again…After students have learned the sentence pattern, they can listen to various ways to answer it in different contexts. Thus, their listening ability is enhanced through it. (2013-03-21-TI-Diana)

Meanwhile, Cathy and Eric indicated that using the E-textbook and online resources would improve students’ listening, speaking, and reading ability. As a result, English teachers who apply technology a lot in class all have positive attitudes toward using technology to foster students’ learning.

Equipping Students with Skills They Would Need in the Future

Two English teachers, Alice and Ben, use technology to equip students with skills they would need in the future, which was in line with the findings of other research (Egbert et al., 2002; Ertmer et al., 1999). As Alice expressed,

I often play some videos for students to watch in the classroom since a lot of online resources are more related to their real life. I hope they can get used to these resources, which I think can benefit them in the future. Most important of all, I always remind them that learning English can help them connect with the world if they know how to find these online resources.

(2012-09-20-TI-Alice)

Moreover, Ben reported that through the use of pictures and videos on the Internet, he could cultivate students’ English ability and world views. Besides, they would learn to use technology to find more about cultures of other countries, which would benefit them in the future (2012-09-26-TI-Ben). It was thus emphasized by both of the teachers that teachers’ use of technology would help students develop not only information literacy but also world views. Although they both have positive attitudes toward using technology to equip students with skills they would need in the future, Alice apply technology a lot in class, and Ben does not integrate technology much.

Connecting Students with the Target Language and its Culture

Two of the English teachers, Alice and Diana, adopt technology in order to connect students with the target language and its culture, and the findings of this study corresponded with the results of the past research studies (Arnold, 2007; Egbert et al., 2002). Alice, for instance, employed online resources to teach the target language in authentic contexts. As she mentioned,

I usually search for online songs or videos related to the grammar of this lesson to integrate into my instruction. For example, I often use Real English, a website providing videos with conversation in the real life…I have used it since my students were seventh graders. In fact, the conversation with the British accent is quite difficult for them to understand, but later they get accustomed to it. (2012-09-20-TI-Alice)

Diana also used Real English to let students get accustomed to the target language with different accents. She said,

The website, Real English, is very useful…For example, the reporter will interview other people by asking the question which relates to the topic of the lesson such as ”What is your name?” The interviewees come from different states, so they answer the questions in different ways based on the varied contexts. In this way, the students have chances to listen to different accents from other states. (2013-03-21-TI-Diana)

From their viewpoints, it is found that Alice and Diana who integrate technology into instruction a lot have positive attitudes toward using technology to connect students with the target language and its culture.

Improving Teaching Efficiency

Three of the teachers, Cathy, Diana, and Eric, reported that the efficiency of teaching through the use of technology was better than that of writing on the blackboard. Cathy revealed that by using the E-textbook, she could show students the main points directly on the screen. Therefore, the teaching progress was faster than the time she spent in writing on the blackboard or underlining the main points on the posters (2012-09-26-TI-Cathy). According to Diana,

I used to ask students to write their answers on the blackboard after teaching Grammar Focus…Now I use the E-textbook to show the answers to students so that they can see answers directly on the screen. I find that checking answers with the E-textbook is faster than writing them on the blackboard. (2012-10-09-TI-Diana)

Eric also noted that with regard to the amount of the teaching contents within a period, he could teach more contents by using the E-textbook than writing on the blackboard as long as the operation of technology and the teaching progress are well controlled (2013-03-21-TI-Eric). As mentioned above, Cathy, Diana, and Eric who apply technology a lot in class believe that teachers’ use of technology can make English teaching more efficient than the use of the chalk, and thus they all have positive attitudes toward using technology to improve teaching efficiency.

In all, based on these teachers’ aforementioned responses to the reasons for technology use, it is noted that Alice, Cathy, Diana, and Eric, who use technology a lot in class, have positive attitudes and beliefs about integrating technology into instruction. In other word, teachers who have positive attitudes and beliefs about technology integration are more likely to integrate technology into practices than those who do not have positive attitudes and beliefs about technology use. Hence, it can be concluded that teachers’ attitudes and beliefs are the factor which may influence teachers’ use of technology in class.

The Reasons Teachers Choose not to Integrate Technology into Instruction The reasons that teachers choose not to use technology involve “lack of time,”

“lack of knowledge and skills,” “concerns about the problems of student discipline,”

“beliefs in students’ distraction from technology lessons,” “lack of effective teaching and learning,” and “lack of experience of integrating technology into instruction.”

Lack of Time

The reason that half of the teachers, Ben, Fiona, Gina, and Helen, choose not to use technology is lack of time, which can be categorized into three aspects: lack of time to prepare for technology lessons, lack of time to prepare for using technology, and lack of time to integrate technology. Firstly, lack of time to prepare for technology lessons was identified as the barrier to technology integration in previous studies (Almekhlafi & Almeqdadi, 2010; Arnold, 2007; Bauer & Kenton, 2005; Shieh, 2012;

Yang & Huang, 2008). In the current study, Ben stated that he had to spend a lot of time preparing for lessons in advance in order to integrate technology into instruction.

In his opinion, writing directly on the blackboard would take him much less time (2012-09-26-TI-Ben). Similarly, Helen said, “If I intend to integrate technology into instruction in a period, I still need to spend some time preparing for a lesson. It is hard for me to fully prepare for it with the tight schedule” (2012-10-26-TI-Helen).

Furthermore, Fiona and Ben mentioned that they lacked time to prepare for technology lessons, and searching for instructional materials would also take them a lot of time. From these teachers’ point of views, the barrier hindering their use of technology was that it took them much time to prepare for technology lessons in advance.

Next, lack of time to prepare for using technology was also proven in previous study (Hutchison & Reinking, 2011; Yang & Huang, 2008). English teachers emphasized that setting up the equipment took time, which may occupy some of the teaching time. For instance, Fiona revealed, “Although there is a break during classes, it still takes students some time to set up the equipment for they need to go to teachers’ office or the Academic Office to borrow the computer, and it takes time to walk from the office to the classroom” (2012-10-16-TI-Fiona). Moreover, Gina noted that setting up the equipment sometimes took much time, which would influence her teaching process, so she seldom integrated the E-textbook into instruction afterward (2012-10-19-TI-Gina).

Thirdly, lack of time to integrate technology was recognized in the present study, in agreement with the results of the prior research (Almekhlafi & Almeqdadi, 2010;

Arnold, 2007; Hutchison & Reinking, 2011; Yang & Huang, 2008). For instance, Fiona was concerned with a problem regarding the switch between the screen and the

blackboard. As she said,

When I integrate the E-textbook into instruction, I had problems with time control since sometimes I want to supplement something for students in class and it takes me some time to switch between the blackboard and the screen. Now I teach with chalk and the blackboard, and I do not think that teaching time is enough, not to mention the use of the computer.

(2012-10-16-TI-Fiona)

Moreover, Ben, Fiona, Gina, and Helen mentioned that they did not have time to integrate technology into instruction because of the tight schedule, and they were afraid that technology use would influence their teaching progress. As far as these teachers were concerned, it was the tight schedule that made them lack time to integrate technology into practices in the classroom.

As indicated above, the reason Ben, Fiona, Gina, and Helen, choose not to use technology much is lack of time. They perceived that they did not have time to prepare for technology lessons, to prepare for using technology, and to integrate technology. Their perceptions show that they do not have positive attitudes toward using technology. As a result, these teachers’ infrequent use of technology has something to do with their attitudes.

Lack of Knowledge and Skills

Lack of knowledge and skills is indicated as one of the reasons English teachers choose not to use technology, and this result correspond with the findings of the past research studies (del Puerto & Gamboa, 2009; Hew & Brush, 2007; Lam, 2000). Two teachers, Gina and Helen, revealed that they still lacked knowledge and skills in technology integration. For example, Gina said she still had insufficient knowledge and skills in technology integration into instruction (2012-10-19-TI-Gina). Besides, Helen mentioned that she seldom integrated technology into instruction because of her lack of knowledge and skills in technology use (2012-10-26-TI-Helen).

Gina and Helen both think that they have insufficient knowledge and skills in technology integration, which is regarded as the reason why they choose not to integrate technology into instruction. Therefore, their beliefs may be the factor which influences their technology use in class.

Concerns about the Problems of Student Discipline

Two teachers are concerned about the problems of student discipline, which supports the results of Yang & Huang’s (2008) study. As Alice stated,

Every time when I use the electronic interactive whiteboard in the E-learning classroom, I find that the class discipline is not good due to the seat arrangement there and the learning effects are not as good as I expect since many students sitting in the back will easily do other things…Even in the classroom, I do not use technology all the time in a period. Because I have to turn off some lights to let students see the words on the screen clearly, students in the back tend to fall asleep or do other things...

(2012-09-20-TI-Alice)

This is the reason why Alice does not use the electronic interactive whiteboard a lot. As for Fiona, she mentioned that with the use of the overhead projector, she needed to turn off most lights so that students inclined to fall asleep, chat with others, or do other things (2012-10-16-TI-Fiona). Both Alice and Fiona show their concerns about the problems of student discipline, and this kind of negative attitude toward using technology seems to be the reason why they choose not to integrate technology into instruction.

Beliefs in Students’ Distraction from Technology Lessons

Teachers’ beliefs in students’ distraction from technology lessons are considered one of the reasons English teachers choose not to use technology, and this result was in agreement with the finding of Shieh’s (2012) study. For instance, Ben said,

If teachers integrate technology into instruction all the time, I am afraid that students can not concentrate in class for something like animations tends to distract them from lessons…I think it is better to balance the percentage of using technology and writing on the blackboard rather than to teach only with one of the ways…(2012-09-26-TI-Ben)

Besides, Gina noted one of the reasons why she did not like to use the E-textbook in class was that she needed to turn off some lights with the use of the overhead projector, and when she began to operate the computer, it was hard for her to take control of students who distracted their attention in class (2012-10-19-TI-Gina).

Similarly, Fiona stated,

With the use of the overhead projector, I have to turn off some lights in

With the use of the overhead projector, I have to turn off some lights in