Iranian EFL teachers’ perceptions of the difficulties of implementing CALL

Abstract

ReCALL 26(3): 298-314. AbstractDespite the spread of reliable technological tools and the availability of computers in Iranian universities, as well as the mounting evidence of the effectiveness of blended learning, many Iranian language teachers are still reluctant to incorporate such tools in their English as a foreign language (EFL) classes. This study inspected the status quo of technology integration in Iranian EFL classes and investigated the obstacles, as perceived by the Iranian EFL teachers, toward implementing CALL in Iran. First, 100 EFL teachers completed the Teacher Technology Integration Survey developed by Vannatta and Banister (2009), to help estimate technology use in EFL classes. Then the researchers interviewed twelve teachers, comprising two EFL teacher educators with no CALL experience, four teachers with the experience of integrating technology in their EFL classes, four EFL teachers who had recently finished an online CALL teacher education program, and two EFL teachers with no CALL experience. The semi-structured interview questions were designed by the researchers, one of whom has extensive experience with CALL, and were revised based on the suggestions of a colleague with expertise in teacher education. One of the researchers conducted the interviews, each of which lasted for 30-50 minutes. The researchers used structural content analysis of the interview transcripts to find themes relevant to the research question. The results suggest that on the whole, Iranian EFL teachers do not usually integrate digital technology into their classes; and the obstacles in implementing CALL in language classrooms could be classified into three categories: teacher, facility, and learner constraints. Each of the categories is discussed in detail and suggestions are provided for promoting CALL in the Iranian context.

Utilizing Video for Technology Integration Support in Indonesian EFL Classroom: Usages and Obstacles

“…Similar study was also conducted by Hedayati and Marandi (2014) in Iran. They explored the difficulties in implementing computer-assisted language learning in Iranian EFL classroom.…”

“…In this study, it is revealed that the major obstacles found by Indonesian EFL teachers are limitation of facilities at school, lack of technical support at school, difficulties in finding suitable video, lack of skill in editing video, and less focus students on learning. The less school support on facilities and technical support have also become a major problem in integrating technology in EFL classroom in other countries, such as in Oman (Tanveer, 2011), China (Hu & Mcgrath, 2012), Malaysia (Raman & Mohamed, 2013), Iran (Hedayati & Marandi, 2014) and Saudi Arabia . Raman and Mohamed (2013) found that the lack of school funding may become one factor which makes the school have not provided the school facilities.…”

The effect of computer-assisted foreign language teaching on the student’s attitude and success

“…Likewise, Başaran (2013) stated that the lack of technological aids in language classrooms was one of the primary problems in applying CALL. Similar results were reported by Hedayati and Marandi (2014). Teachers encounter with a number of barriers while they put CALL into practice, and the lack of technological equipment and unavailability of the Internet connection are crucial obstacles for implementing CALL despite the fact that the Internet is more easily accessible in a wider range all over the world nowadays.…”

“…Teachers encounter with a number of barriers while they put CALL into practice, and the lack of technological equipment and unavailability of the Internet connection are crucial obstacles for implementing CALL despite the fact that the Internet is more easily accessible in a wider range all over the world nowadays. Besides, Hedayati and Marandi (2014) indicated that the main obstacle in integrating CALL is related to teachers. Since during their university education teachers are generally not well prepared for using computers in their classes, they suffer from lack of knowledge in how and why to use technology in the classroom.…”

Barriers to Call Practices in an EFL Context : A Case Study of Preparatory Year English Courses

“…Hani (2014) found that the most significant barriers to CALL in Jordan were: (1) inadequate number of computers, (2) technical problems, (3) insufficient teacher training, (4) lack of time, and (5) high cost. According to Hedayati & Marandi (2014), the obstacles in implementing CALL in language classrooms could be classified into three categories: teacher, facility, and learner constraints. Lin, Huang & Chen (2014) investigated barriers to the adoption of ICT by language teachers.…”