INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY IN YOUNG LEARNERS’ ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS: FREQUENCY, TYPES, AND ATTITUDES

Abstract

Integrating technology into teaching is not only modern but has also become indispensable part of daily school life. The aim of this paper is to reflect on the current situation in terms of types of digital resources used in YL classroom by English teachers, on the one side, and on the other side to find out young learners’ attitudes and frequency of using educational technology for English language learning. For the purpose of this research two questionnaires were used: a questionnaire for young learners focusing on the frequency and attitudes towards technology use, and another for teachers examining their preferences of digital resources in three categories – websites, applications and digital tools. A quantitative method was used to analyze the data. The results showed a positive trend towards technology integration in classes for both groups. However, although teachers reported usage of various digital resources, they indicated lacking sufficient didactical and technological knowledge to efficiently adapt and implement web material in order to improve the teaching practice. The study also indicated that young learners reported positive attitudes toward technology-mediated tasks and their frequent usage.