Coming to Terms with Technology: Iranian High School Teachers' Perceived Barriers and Proposed Solutions

The increasing use and popularity of technology in educational settings and smart schooling makes it indispensable to explore the teachers' perceived obstacles in its successful implementation. This study inspected the status quo of information and communication technology (ICT) integration in Iranian high schools and investigated the obstacles, as perceived by teachers, and their proposed solutions toward using technologies. In so doing, ۳۱۱ English as foreign language teachers were requested to participate in this study. A researcher-made open-ended questionnaire was used to collect the data. Qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic analysis and the results of study indicated that on the whole, Iranian EFL teachers do not usually integrate ICT in their classes and the obstacles in implementing ICT in language classrooms could be classified into eight main themes: Lack of confidence, lack of competence, resistance to change, lack of time, lack of effective training, lack of technical supports, and negative attitude. The findings revealed that even though teachers realize the benefits of ICT integration, most of them are reluctant in integrating technologies in their classes because of the above-mentioned reasons. The findings may help teachers, policy makers, and syllabus designers put more focus on ICT integration and teachers' needs for obtaining better results in teaching and learning process.

Keywords:

Smart Schools , ICT Integration , Teachers' Obstacles