Abstract:

Second language teacher education is a relatively young field which has witnessed many changes over the past four decades. The shift from behaviorist perspectives to a sociocultural view has brought about growing understanding about instructional practices. In addition to what of teaching; who, where and how of teaching has also become a matter of interest in the field. We have come to an understanding that teachers are not passive recipients of transmitted knowledge and skills; rather they are viewed as active producers in their learning-to-teach processes. Changing perceptions about teachers have also provided us with an insight that teachers play a key role in the implementation of innovations. Moreover, we have recognized that teachers’ beliefs act as a filter through which new information about teaching and learning is screened for meaning and they have a great impact on teachers’ use of instructional technologies since beliefs are strong determinants of teachers’ behaviors. When the literature with regard to teachers’ beliefs and technology is reviewed, it can be seen that there are various types of beliefs in relation to teachers’ views associated with technology. However, this paper aims to introduce, extend and elaborate on two original constructs —exherent and inherent value beliefs about technology— based on the study carried out by Korucu-Kis and Ozmen (2017). In the study, a constructivist grounded theory approach was adopted. A survey was carried out with 814 student teachers and four concomitant interviews were held with 20 student teachers enrolled in English Language Teaching programs in Turkey. Closed-ended items were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Open-ended items were analyzed through the method of constant comparison. In line with those of previous studies, the results have shown that student teachers indicate lack of awareness about the potential of and rationale of using technology, and lack of adequate knowledge and skills for the successful implementation of technology. However, the most interesting finding has been student teachers’ ambivalent perceptions about the usefulness but inessentiality of technology in educational settings which will be discussed under the new constructs of exherent and inherent value beliefs about technology. In light of the findings, the recommendations for teacher education programs are made.

Acknowledgement:
This study was supported by Research Fund of the Necmettin Erbakan University. Project Number: 182518001-005.

Keywords:

Second/foreign language teacher education, Teacher beliefs, Technology integration.