Information and communication technologies in the Chilean English as a foreign language classroom: A systematic review of the literature

Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) permeated Chilean schools in the late 1990s with the implementation of Enlaces, a national program including training and technological equipment for supplying school education. Since then, the curricular relevance of ICTs has increased in Chile. Particularly, English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching has benefited from ICTs in adding interaction and using various resources in the classroom. Such importance motivated the researchers of this study to find out what has been researched about ICT in the English classroom in a Chilean context. To attain this, a systematic review of the literature from 2006 to 2022 was conducted. Data was drawn from the electronic databases SCOPUS, EBSCO, Scielo, ERIC, Dialnet, WoS, and complemented with Google Scholar. The selected studies, 13, were analyzed using a six-dimensional framework, focusing on research purpose and focus, outcomes, design and methods, publication frequency, and limitations. Our review has established that qualitative design and methods have been the most predominant approaches, focusing mainly on exploring the implementation and integration of ICTs in the English classroom, as well as examining the effectiveness of applications, websites, and ICTs tools on the linguistic attainment of Chilean school learners. This systematic review has also identified that after 2016 publications have been steady, yet the number of empirical studies exploring the topic is still limited, which constitutes a research gap that future studies could examine. It is also expected that researchers interested in the topic could try out this review in similar EFL contexts.

Exploring the Transformative Impact of ICT Integration in the EFL Classroom

“…Online platforms, mobile applications, video conferencing, and social media provide immediate access to a wide range of authentic materials, allowing students to immerse themselves in the language and practice it interactively (Rojas et al, 2023). The use of multimedia content, such as videos and audiobooks, not only improves listening comprehension but also motivates students by providing authentic and meaningful context (Abarzua et al, 2023).…”

“…However, these advantages are overshadowed by several obstacles. One of the main ones is the lack of teacher training in the effective use of ICT, as many teachers lack the knowledge and skills to fully integrate these technologies into the classroom, limiting their ability to reach their full educational potential (Abarzua et al, 2023).…”