Teachers’ beliefs and practices of the use of information and communication technology (ICT) : case studies of university language instructors in Hong Kong

Abstract

The use of technology can support language learning. If students have the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills to make full use of the wide array of independent and collaborative learning resources available online to acquire and practise their target, they could become independent learners. It is a current trend to incorporate technology in education institutions around the world, especially universities. At a university in Hong Kong which forms the context for this study, the ICT tools also serve as an interactive platform for students and teachers to communicate. Yet most of the teachers do not choose to use those ICT tools. It seems that there is a gap between the student’s needs and the resources available, and the guidance provided by teachers in terms of the use of ICT. There is a need for research to investigate why many teachers are not fully using the opportunities and ICT resources available when teaching their students and also communicating the importance of these resources to the students. This study focuses on teachers’ beliefs and practices about the use of ICT for developing university students’ language competence in the university, with reference to the use of Borg’s teacher cognition conceptual framework (Borg, 2003, 2006). The research was conducted as an exploratory multiple-case study. Data from lesson observations, semi-structured interview, stimulated recall interview, and documentary analysis with four language instructors helped collect more substantial and in-depth comments and information to validate the framework. By triangulating and comparing these data, some imperative factors were identified which affected the relationship between their beliefs and teaching practices. The findings showed that the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and practices was complicated. Although all teachers considered ICT was a trend in education and ICT tools were important, they did not always follow their beliefs and utilise them in their teaching. The study revealed that contextual factors such as the rapid development in the society, school policy, teaching context, and recognition from the management and students, were the major factors that influenced the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and practices. The research also found that new factors, for example, teachers’ ICT competence and teachers’ interest had an impact on teachers’ beliefs. These findings were incorporated into the new conceptualised framework of teachers’ beliefs and the use of ICT in language teaching. It is envisaged that the result can provide pedagogical implications for teachers so that they can enjoy more varieties of teaching strategies by using ICT to improve students’ writing in the university classroom setting. It may also provide course administrators insight into incorporating ICT in the core course design and suggest appropriate training opportunities to teachers to help them face the challenges of using ICT in their teaching. It is also hoped that the new framework depicts more specifically the context of teachers’ beliefs and practices about the use of ICT, offering a more precise and enlightened framework for future research.