Pre-Service Teachers’ Technology Integration in Pronunciation Instruction: Professional Identity and Value Beliefs

Abstract

<p>Technology brings new promises to transform second language teaching and learning. Successful technology integration depends on various factors, such as teachers’ professional identity and value beliefs. While scholars have investigated the influential factors for technology integration in language teaching holistically, studies focusing on specific language skills remain limited. With domain-specific theories and technology applications, pronunciation instruction merits particular attention. In this study, the authors investigated how pre-service teachers’ professional identity and value beliefs shaped their intended use of technology for pronunciation instruction. Five hundred ninety-seven pre-service English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers from China participated in this study. Structural equation modeling analysis identified educator identity orientation, learner-centered orientation, didactic-pedagogical orientation, and utility value beliefs of technology as significant predictors of technology integration for pronunciation instruction. In addition, results showed that utility value beliefs mediated the associations between professional identity and participants’ intended use of technology. These findings highlight the crucial role of professional identity and value beliefs in pre-service teachers’ intended use of technology for language instruction. Findings suggest that teacher educators and teacher training programs may prepare innovative educators by fostering broad identity constructs and enhancing pre-service teachers’ utility value beliefs of technology.</p>