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Articles

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2021): Special Issue: Technologies and Second Language Learners

Technology-Enhanced Language Education Revisited: A Developmental Perspective

DOI
https://doi.org/10.21423/dlrpj-v4.a15
Submitted
December 26, 2019
Published
2021-04-02

Abstract

The traditional landscape of education has been widely inundated with an array of technologies and technological tools in recent decades. Technology, if effectively integrated, offers promises to unleash the learners’ full potentials. Multiple researchers have explored the perceptions of language educators and learners alike (e.g., Cheng & Tsai, 2014; Cheng & Tsai, 2016; Author, 2019a). Other researchers have investigated the role of technology on the cognitive achievement of language learners in different language skills. Author (2019a) reiterates that the common thread amongst tools harnessed in technology-enhanced language education is that technology, by and large, enhances comprehension, increases cognitive attainment and motivation level of learners. Research findings imply that technologies exploited in language learning not only motivate learners but also serve as a catalyst in the language learning process (Singhal, Bagga, Goyal, & Saxena, 2012; Ibáñez, Di Serio, Villarán, & Kloos, 2014). Beginning with a chronological review of the advent of technology in the realm of language education, this article will present contradictory, yet scholarly, opinions of researchers documented and corroborated with empirical research concerning the use of technology in language education. To achieve that, the author will embark on detailing how technology affords language teachers. The backbone of the article is an evidence-based discussion regarding the motivational factors ensued by technologies. Having scrutinized the role of technology in language education, the author will delineate technologies recently employed to increase the motivation level of students. This article will also discuss the constraints of technology and shed light on potential challenges that both language educators and learners may encounter including educators’ lack of knowledge about technology and limitations of technologies.