Needs and Obstacles of Using the Internet in Language Teaching from Instructors’ Perspective; the case of the department of English at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University

Abstract

This study investigated the instructors’ perceived obstacles and needs in using the Internet for teaching English. Eighty-one instructors in the Department of English at Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) participated in the study. This study provides data related to the teachers' perceptions concerning Internet use, areas and barriers in language teaching. The study aimed to answer two research questions. Namely, what are the perceived obstacles to implementing Internet-based English as a foreign language teaching (EFL) teaching from the viewpoint of English Department instructors at IMSIU? And what are IMSIU English Department’s instructors’ perceived needs for training in using the Internet for language teaching? A survey and a semi-structured interview were used to collect the data. The survey involved three sections; the first section enquired about whether participants’ need training on using the Internet in language teaching, the second section investigated the areas of potential training, and the last section investigated participants’ barriers in incorporating the Internet in language instruction. The interviews involved three questions for further understanding. The findings showed that the perceived obstacles include cheating in online exams, lack of knowledge in using some applications, restricted time of some applications, and making online exams. The instructors demonstrated their eagerness to training. They also perceived presentation software, creating online exams, creating teaching materials, Videoconferencing, and teaching techniques, online classroom management, managing data sources, online assessment and evaluation, and basic knowledge of using technology as very necessary. The paper recommends designing a training course that considers the obstacles and needs suggested by the EFL instructors.

Teachers’ Agency in Technology for Education in Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Periods: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Research studies conducted during the post-COVID era present contradictory findings compared to the pre-COVID context. Accordingly, the levels of competence in technology were not sufficient for implementing education at a distance, and it was found that teachers had difficulty in moving and establishing themselves on digital platforms due to a lack of prior exposure [30,31,36,37,39,[58][59][60][61]. Various difficulties in adapting to technology during the early stages of the transition were observed.…”

“…Further, it is claimed that digital literacy is significantly influenced by the teacher's attitude over other contextual factors such as education level, gender, and experience [95]. Teachers, in general, possess a positive attitude towards technologyenhanced teaching [22,36,38,48,50,53,62]. In contrast, the findings of Jwaifell et al [34] and Makina and Madiope [49], before the pandemic, justify that teachers may not necessarily have a positive attitude towards technology due to teachers' robust connection to conventional teaching strategies.…”

“…Interestingly, there was no significant difference in the types of tools used by the teachers in pre-and post-COVID times. Teachers have mainly utilised tools and technology in planning, teaching, sharing, storing, and communicating [25,29,36,38,67]. In pre-and post-COVID periods, teachers used technological hardware such as computers, projectors, etc.…”

“…In pre-and post-COVID periods, teachers used technological hardware such as computers, projectors, etc. Among computer programmes, PowerPoint is the most famous tool in delivery [36,40,52,63,64]. PowerPoint is considered as a computer-aided instruction supporting teaching [111].…”

“…These conferencing tools were also used before the pandemic, yet they became increasingly popular after the education shift. After the pandemic, collaborative tools such as Padlet, shared screens, Kahoot, and Canvas have increased, targeting more student engagement [31,36,40,64]. However, it is observed that those collaborative tools have not become famous among academics and are less frequently used in teaching.…”