Information and Communication Technology in English Language Teaching: Some Opportunities and Challenges

• Published in: Comparative & international higher education Vol. 14; no. 4; pp. 103 - 116
• Main Author: Poudel, Ambika Prasad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education 22.12.2022
• Subjects: Access to Education; Barriers; College Students; Cooperative Learning; Developing Nations; Educational Improvement; Educational Opportunities; English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Information Technology; Language Teachers; Learning Activities; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Student Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Teaching Methods; Technology Integration; Nepal
• ISSN: 2151-0393
• DOI: 10.32674/jcihe.v14i4.3874

The integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education has brought dramatic modifications in the paradigms and methods practiced in the developed countries. In recent years, the exploitation of ICTs in teaching and learning has been expanded in developing countries too. This study has made an attempt to explore the opportunities and challenges of using ICTs in English language teaching (ELT) in higher education in Nepal, a developing country in Asia. The English language teachers and students from two different colleges were the informants in this study, and interview and focus group discussion were used as the research methods. The study concluded that ICTs were useful for the participants in their teaching and learning activities mainly for accessing learning resources, preparing and presenting their lessons, and for conducting collaborative learning activities. However, it was found that the informants were not satisfied with their utilization of ICTs in teaching and learning of English. Access to ICT tools, and the skills needed to use ICTs were the main problems for them in the integration of ICTs in ELT. Therefore, these constraints need to be minimized to improve the integration of ICTs in ELT in higher education in Nepal.