Abstract

This current study aims to investigate experienced in-service teachers’ perceptions around technology use for pedagogical purposes in order to better understand how teachers change (or resist change in) their way of teaching with the use of technology. The research design consisted of an in-depth ethnographic study of four Mandarin Chinese-language classes, including four teachers teaching at a private university in Japan with varied digital literacy and beliefs around technology integration in Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) courses. The researcher trained the teachers how to create and utilize materials in a dedicated Moodle site, and the teachers’ training processes as well as actual classroom practices were then observed. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected over three semesters, including (1) a pilot survey before Moodle integration to access the participants’ attitudes and motivation; (2) audio recordings and field notes collected in a workshop and interviews to explore more reasons behind behaviors; (3) classroom observations to investigate how the participants use technology in their CFL classrooms; and (4) access logs in Moodle to determine the participants’ engagement through online materials inside and outside the classroom. The findings’ implications in terms of teachers’ beliefs, concerns, experiences, and usage patterns affecting their determinations of technology integration in CFL classrooms in a Japanese higher-education setting will be presented. Future considerations and ongoing challenges were discussed further to highlight the implications for research, policymakers, teacher educators, and language teachers.

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