In-service Language Teachers` Attitudes Towards Technology Use and the Development of Their Perceived Call Competencies

Abstract

In the light of national educational reform known as National Foreign Language Project 2020 (NFLP 2020), Information Communication Technology (ICT) was integrated into the language teaching curriculum, which required English teachers to possess technological skills and knowledge - CALL competencies (Computer Assisted Language Learning) to implement into their teaching practice (MOET, 2014). Although numerous training courses were organized to enable teachers to master these competencies, the efficacy of those courses were not explored comprehensively. This study was conducted to examine the development in teachers` perceptions of their CALL competencies before and after the course, as well as their attitudes towards technology`s utilization, and the relationship between attitudes and self-perceptions of CALL competencies. Results from data analysis documented positive attitudes towards technology and advancements in the perceptions of their competencies. However, learner attitude was not a predictor of this development. Suggestions for improvements in future ICT courses are also included in the study. This pioneering research in the local context could potentially contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of ICT courses and consequently better realize the NFLP`s goals and ambitions with the provision for the extended period to 2025. It also helps to illuminate the global portrait of CALL teacher education.