Barriers Teachers Face in Integrating ICT During English Lessons: A Case Study

Abstract

The government has assured all Malaysians that no one; both in rural and urban areas; would be deprived of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development. This calls for a need for teachers nationwide to make necessary adjustments to the teaching and learning process. This paper takes a closer look at the barriers faced by teachers in integrating ICT tools in teaching the English language in the classrooms. This study aimed at determining the reasons teachers do not use ICT in the classrooms, even though they are provided with sufficient technical supports. A total of twelve English teachers from an Independent Chinese secondary school were interviewed and their views were analysed through thematic content analysis. The findings revealed that although the school was highly resourced with ICT tools and facilities, barriers such as teachers’ hesitancy in integrating ICT, amount of workload, lack of time, teaching experience and age and lack of ICT skills were impeding the teachers to incorporate ICT in their teaching. Thus, sufficient training, motivation, encouragement, flexible time and task arrangement for teachers are necessary in order to provide opportunities for them to incorporate ICT resources into their teaching. Future research could focus on more effective ways to overcome the barriers of ICT integration in education.