The importance of teachers' technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) in conducting effective technology-enhanced instruction has been recognized; however, the understanding of teachers' TPACK when teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL), as well as the need for their further TPACK development, has not been properly addressed. To fill the gap in TPACK research in the EFL domain, this study aims to explore the TPACK among 22 in-service EFL teachers at elementary schools in Taiwan. Also, the possible needs of these EFL teachers for their future professional development were investigated. In order to better portray the TPACK of the EFL teachers, both their synthesized TPACK and performance on the seven TPACK construct components were evaluated in this study. A quantitative questionnaire was used to assess the EFL teachers' performance on the seven TPACK construct components. Their synthesized TPACK was revealed by means of interviews and classroom observations. The Revised Bloom's Taxonomy and the pedagogic framework for computer-assisted language learning were used to analyze the qualitative data collected from the interviews and class observations. The results indicated that the EFL teachers needed more technology knowledge to further develop their TPACK, and that the EFL teachers' TPACK focused much on motivating students, rather than on using technology for creating opportunities for students to use English language meaningfully and authentically.Keywords Technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) Á TPACK in English language arts Á English as foreign language (EFL) Á Technology integrated in English instruction Á Elementary school teachers of English Á Teacher professional knowledge
Education worldwide has emphasized 21st-century competencies, including language competence, computer competence, and thinking skills. Research on Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), essential teacher knowledge, has attempted to address the need for technology integration to support thinking skills. However, existing TPACK assessments have not intended to help teachers understand the levels of technology integration in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). Therefore, this study proposed a two-dimensional TPACK scale, allowing EFL teachers to assess their TPACK in integrating technology and thinking skills. In total, 525 EFL teachers responded to this survey online. Scores of this scale were collected to test and establish validity and reliability. The statistical evidence showed that this instrument has high reliability and validity and is helpful for understanding levels of technology integration. The results showed that the EFL teachers were less confident in their TPACK teaching higher-order thinking skills. The EFL teachers in different cultures reported different confidence levels in TPACK and thinking skills (F(6, 518) = 7.83,
p
< .001). The high-achieving EFL teachers reported high TPACK self-efficacy (r = .210,
p
< .05). This TPACK survey would be helpful for EFL teachers to understand their development of TPACK in integrating technology and thinking skills in teaching English.
To expand global and intercultural communication, the effectiveness of asynchronous online communication devices, especially email, have been discussed in the area of foreign language teaching. A lack of specific research exists that addresses the application of online voicemail. This paper reports on a five month period of voicemail exchanges between 53 EFL learners in Taiwan and 56 CFL learners in the United States. The authors examine the responses of EFL students to this cross–cultural voicemail project and assess their progress in intercultural awareness and English speaking proficiency before and after the project. This study concludes that the use of voicemail creates an impact on the English speaking performance and intercultural awareness of EFL students and increases the motivation of EFL students in using English to express ideas. Further implications for teaching are discussed.
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