Technology-assisted project-based language learning: Exploring EFL teachers’ perceptions, knowledge, and lived experiences in Iran, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen
Date
2024-12
Authors
Garib, Ali A A
Major Professor
Advisor
Beckett, Gulbahar
Huffman, Sarah
Ranalli, James
Hegelheimer, Volker
Schmidt-Crawford, Denise
Committee Member
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Abstract
The integration of Technology-Assisted Project-Based Language Learning (TAPBLL) in language education speaks to today’s educational technology needs. TAPBLL fosters the concept of experiential learning by doing. That is, learning by collaborating on the implementation of projects with the assistance of technology. The technology aspect within TAPBLL creates a space for students to interact and collaborate inside and outside of the classroom (Beckett, 2023b; Beckett et al., 2020b; Thomas & Yamazaki, 2021). TAPBLL is undeniably and popularly used in many well-resourced educational contexts. However, up to now, far too little attention has been paid to Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) generally and TAPBLL specifically in under-resourced contexts, especially in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This dissertation takes the initiative to examine how TAPBLL is perceived and implemented in such contexts. More specifically, the current exploratory research study explores the perceptions, knowledge, and lived experiences of five English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers through the implementation of TAPBLL in Iran, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen, following the implementation of TAPBLL after completing a TAPBLL training program, in-class observations, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and stimulated recall interviews. The findings revealed that all five teachers had positive views of TAPBLL due to its benefits but also expressed concerns, which projected their worries and anxiety because of the challenges in aligning this interactive approach with their contextual norms and existing traditional teaching and learning practices. All five teachers struggled the most with the assessment of project work, which contributed to further understanding of what teachers needed to assess their students’ project work. The development and delivery of more relevant training programs are still urgently needed, especially with the appearance of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Through the lens of appraisal analysis’s graduation resources, the evaluation of the teachers’ responses confirmed their perceptions of TAPBLL, and it also indicated a moderate level of certainty about their selection of technology tools, the design and implementation of their projects. However, the teachers’ certainty of their pedagogical decisions during the stimulated recalls was much lower than those shared in the questionnaire and during the semi-structured interview. These differences revealed the importance of using multiple data collection tools in qualitative research to ensure accurate representations of participants’ views and perceptions. In this study, the stimulated recalls dug deeper into the participants’ theories and practices, examining whether their actual actions aligned with what they claimed to do. The social practice analysis provided depth to the teachers’ decision-making process, and as a result showed the tensions that the teachers encountered in their project implementation and design practices, including tensions with their integration of project work into their restrictive curricula and the teachers’ inadequate assessment of their students’ on-going and final project products. This dissertation research study contributes to the existing body of TAPBLL literature by introducing two theoretical frameworks: the Project Activity System (PAS) and the Technological Pedagogical AI-Competence Content Knowledge (TPACK), in addition to employing the TPACK’s TPK and XK, as well as the Functionalist View of Language Learning. Through these theoretical underpinnings, the study sheds light on the practical realities of implementing TAPBLL in under-resourced contexts. The study also offers insights into the support and training that teachers need to better align their pedagogical practices with this approach to language teaching and learning.
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dissertation