Abstract:
With the rapid development of digital tools, technology integration has been widely
recognized as an asset in teaching and learning processes. Nowadays, technology offers
various opportunities for student engagement and motivation, visual support, and
interactions between students and instructors in language teaching. However, there is a gap
in understanding the relationship between the educators’ perceptions and actual practices
in technology use in the classroom, despite the increased emphasis on technology
integration. This problem is significant due to the role of the technology used at the school,
which either helps or interferes with teaching.
This thesis aims to explore the perceptions and practices of the instructors at a
private university in Kazakhstan regarding technology integration in English language
teaching. With the help of a qualitative research design, this case study collected data
through pre-observation and post-observation interviews and classroom observations to
analyze the gap between perceptions and practices of five participants. The findings of this
case study reveal a complicated connection between the perceptions and practices of
educators. Participants admit the benefits and challenges of technology use, such as
engagement and motivation, accessibility, technical issues, and unreliable performance of
tools. The paper also identifies the types of technology and reasons for the use of
technology.
This research contributes to understanding educators’ perceptions of the integration
of technologies in the language learning process. The findings would be useful for
instructors, researchers, and other interested people in this particular topic regarding
perceptions and practices about the use of technology.
