An investigation of the role of gender in resilience and attitude toward technology use among Iranian English teachers: A case of mainstream education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol10iss2pp33-58Abstract
Background and Purpose: Technological tools are not effectively and regularly utilized by EFL instructors in their language teaching since not all of them are ready to employ technology despite its opportunities of assisting their pedagogical procedure. Consequently, exploring the instructors’ perceptions of the existing usefulness of technology in their language instruction setting is crucial. The present study set out to explore the associations between teachers’ attitudes toward the use of technology for instructional purposes, their gender, and resilience.
Methodology: Through simple random sampling, the researcher selected 120 male and female Iranian EFL teachers with more than three years of teaching experience from different private language institutes. Two instruments were used to collect the data for a correlational design: The teacher resilience scale of Connor-Davidson (2003) and the attitude scale adopted from Cox et al. (1999). To compare the role of gender in terms of resilience and attitude, an independent samples t-test was carried out.
Findings: The analysis of the data indicated a significant relationship between Iranian male and female EFL teachers’ resilience as well as attitude toward technology use. Further analysis of the study demonstrated females’ resilience scores were significantly higher than males’ resilience scores. On the other hand, male participants had a more significantly positive attitude toward technology use in EFL classes.
Contributions: One of the study’s pedagogical implications was that the stakeholders need to notice resilience toward technology in pre- or in-service EFL teachers, give them supportive scaffolding, and help them enhance their resilience.
Keywords: Correlation, EFL teachers, gender, technology.
References
Albrahim, F. A. (2020). Online teaching skills and competencies. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 19(1), 9-20.
Anderson, L., & Olsen, B. (2006). Investigating early career urban teachers’ perspectives on and experiences in professional development. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(4), 359-377.
Beltman, S., Mansfield, C., & Price, A. (2011). Thriving not just surviving: A review of research on teacher resilience. Educational Research Review, 6(3), 185-207.
Benard, B. (1993). Resiliency requires changing hearts and minds. Western Center News, 6(2), 27-29.
Cox, M., Preston, C., & Cox, K. (1999). What factors support or prevent teachers from using ICT in their classrooms. Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, University of Sussex at Brighton, September 2-5 (pp. 1-24). King’s College London, MirandaNet Project University of Surrey.
Daloos, M. J. O. (2015). Emotional intelligence and adversity quotient of selected helping professionals [Unpublished Master thesis]. Far Eastern University, Manila.
Davies, A. (2008). Textbook trends in teaching language testing. Language Testing, 25(3), 327-347.
Day, C., & Gu, Q. (2007). Variations in the conditions for teachers’ professional learning and development: Sustaining commitment and effectiveness over a career. Oxford Review of Education, 33(4), 423-443.
Dorshomal, N., Gorjian, B., & Pazhakh, A. (2013). The role of pedagogical films in developing pre-intermediate Iranian EFL learners’ speaking skill: The case of motivation. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World, 4(4), 254-268.
Ertmer, P. A. (2005). Teacher pedagogical beliefs: The final frontier in our quest for technology integration? Educational Technology Research and Development, 53(4), 25-39.
Fan, S., Yu, Z., Zheng, X., & Gao, C. (2023). Relationship between psychological adaptability and work engagement of college teachers within smart teaching environments: The mediating role of digital information literacy self-efficacy. Frontiers in Psychology, 14(1), 1057158.
Getie, A. S. (2020). Factors affecting the attitudes of students towards learning English as a foreign language. Cogent Education, 7(1), 1738184.
Garmezy, N., Masten, A. S., & Tellegen, A. (1984). The study of stress and competence in children: A building block for developmental psychopathology. Child Development, 55(1), 97-111.
Pawlak, M., & Kruk, M. (2022). Individual differences in computer assisted language learning research. Routledge.
Hatlevik, O. E., & Bjarnø, V. (2021). Examining the relationship between resilience to digital distractions, ICT self-efficacy, motivation, approaches to studying, and time spent on individual studies. Teaching and Teacher Education, 102(1), 103326.
Hipolito, M. F. G. (2022). Stories of prevailing: Novice teachers’ journey in far-flung Schools in the time of COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research, 3(1), 12-18.
Jamon, B. E. V., Boholano, H. B., Cabanes-Jamon, M. G., & Pardillo, M. F. (2021). Teachers lived experiences in the new normal in Philippine public schools: A phenomenology. International Journal of Research, 8(02), 773-782.
Iroegbu, T. O. (1998). Problem based learning, numerical ability and gender as determinants of achievements problems solving line graphing skills in senior secondary physics in Ibadan [Published PhD dissertation]. University of Ibadan.
Izadpanah, S., & Alavi, M. (2016). The perception of EFL high school students in using of computer technology in the process of learning: Merits and demerits. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 7(3), 146-156.
Kobasa, S. C. (1979). Stressful life events, personality, and health: An inquiry into hardiness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37(1), 1-11.
Leu, D. J. (2006). New literacies, reading research, and the challenges of change: A deictic perspective. In J. Hoffman, D. Schallert, C. M. Fairbanks, J. Worthy, & B. Maloch (Eds.), The 55th yearbook of the national reading conference (pp. 1-20). National Reading Conference.
Lyons, J. A. (1991). Strategies for assessing the potential for positive adjustment following trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 4(1), 93-111.
Moazzami, M., Vatan Doust, L., & Kavousy, E. (2021). The effect of technology on teachers’ performance with the role of mediating organizational culture (Case study: Education in Tehran). Biannual Journal of Education Experiences, 4(2), 79-104.
Namaghi, S. A. O. (2006). Forces steering Iranian language teachers’ work: A grounded theory. Reading, 6(2), 90-105.
Okpala, P. N., & Onocha, C. O. (1995). The effects of systematic assessment procedures on students’ achievement in mathematics and science subjects. UNESCO-AFRICA, 10(1), 55-61.
Pishghadam, R., & Saboori, F. (2013). Construction, validation, and application of a Teacher Status Scale (TSS): A case of Iranian junior high school teachers. Issues in Language Teaching, 2(2), 1-26.
Poynton, T. A. (2005). Computer literacy across the lifespan: A review with implications for educators. Computers in Human Behavior, 21(6), 861-872.
Razmjoo, S. A. (2007). High schools or private institutes textbooks? Which fulfill communicative language teaching principles in the Iranian context. Asian EFL Journal, 9(4), 126-140.
Reynolds, L., & Parker, L. (2018). Digital resilience: Stronger citizens online. Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
Rutter, M. (1985). Resilience in the face of adversity: Protective factors and resistance to psychiatric disorder. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 147(6), 598-611.
Rutter, M. (1987). Psychosocial resilience and protective mechanisms. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 57(3), 316-331.
Sadeghi, K., & Richards, J. C. (2015). The idea of English in Iran: An example from Urmia. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 37(4), 419-434.
Safari, P. (2016). Reconsideration of language assessment is a MUST for democratic testing in the educational system of Iran. Interchange, 47(3), 267-296.
Salehi, H., & Salehi, Z. (2012). Challenges for using ICT in education: Teachers’ insights. International Journal of e-Education, e-Business, e-Management and e-Learning, 2(1), 40-43.
Sammons, P., Day, C., Kington, A., Gu, Q., Stobart, G., & Smees, R. (2007). Exploring variations in teachers’ work, lives and their effects on pupils: Key findings and implications from a longitudinal mixed‐method study. British Educational Research Journal, 33(5), 681-701.
Scheffler, F. L., & Logan, J. P. (1999). Computer technology in schools: What teachers should know and be able to do. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 31(3), 305-326.
Sun, H., Yuan, C., Qian, Q., He, S., & Luo, Q. (2022). Digital resilience among individuals in school education settings: A concept analysis based on a scoping review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13(1), 858515.
Thakkar, U., Bruce, B. C., Hogan, M. P., & Williamson, J. (2001). Extending literacy through participation in new technologies. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 45(3), 212-219.
UNESCO. (2016). Diverse approaches to developing and implementing competency-based ICT training for teachers: A case study. UNESCO.
Volman, M., & van Eck, E. (2001). Gender equity and information technology in education: The second decade. Review of Educational Research, 71(4), 613-634.
Willis, E. M. (1997). Technology: Integrated into, not added onto, the curriculum experiences in pre-service teacher education. Computers in the Schools, 13(1-2), 141-153.
