Mapping the Ecosystem of Resistance: Why Thai EFL Teachers Struggle to Adopt Informal Digital Learning of English

IF 4.6 2区教育学 Q1 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning Pub Date : 2026-04-01 DOI:10.1002/jcal.70235

Santipap Upara, Ju Seong Lee

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) has become increasingly prevalent among EFL learners, yet its integration into formal instruction remains uneven.

Objective

Guided by an ecological framework, this study examines the barriers that Thai EFL teachers encounter when attempting to integrate IDLE into secondary school classrooms.

Methods

Qualitative data (929 coded responses) were collected from 350 secondary school EFL teachers across 55 provinces, representing all six regions of Thailand.

Results

Barriers were most commonly reported at the exosystem level (40%), including limited infrastructure, exam-oriented curricula, and heavy workloads. These constraints were accompanied by microsystem challenges (22%), such as variation in students' proficiency levels and concerns about classroom distraction, as well as mesosystem barriers (14%), including unequal access to technology at home and parental resistance. Individual-level factors (13%), such as limited confidence and reservations about digital learning, were also reported, alongside macrosystem influences (12%) related to traditional teaching norms. Reported percentages reflect descriptive prevalence rather than barrier severity or importance.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that teachers' decisions regarding IDLE integration are shaped largely by systemic and contextual conditions. Meaningful and sustainable integration may therefore depend on coordinated efforts that address institutional, curricular, and societal factors alongside targeted teacher support.

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绘制抵抗生态系统：泰国英语教师为何难以采用非正式数字英语学习

非正式数字英语学习（IDLE）在英语学习者中越来越普遍，但其与正式教学的融合程度仍不均衡。目的在生态框架的指导下，本研究探讨了泰国英语教师在试图将IDLE融入中学课堂时遇到的障碍。方法从代表泰国全部六个地区的55个省的350名中学英语教师中收集定性数据（929个编码回复）。结果外系统层面的障碍最为常见（40%），包括基础设施有限、应试课程和繁重的工作量。这些限制伴随着微系统挑战（22%），如学生熟练程度的差异和对课堂分心的担忧，以及中观系统障碍（14%），包括在家获得技术的不平等和父母的抵制。此外，还报告了个人层面的因素（13%），例如对数字学习的有限信心和保留意见，以及与传统教学规范相关的宏观系统影响（12%）。报告的百分比反映了描述性的流行程度，而不是障碍的严重程度或重要性。结论：研究结果表明，教师关于IDLE整合的决定在很大程度上受到系统和情境条件的影响。因此，有意义和可持续的整合可能取决于协调努力，解决制度、课程和社会因素，以及有针对性的教师支持。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH-

CiteScore

9.70

自引率

6.00%

发文量

116

期刊介绍： The Journal of Computer Assisted Learning is an international peer-reviewed journal which covers the whole range of uses of information and communication technology to support learning and knowledge exchange. It aims to provide a medium for communication among researchers as well as a channel linking researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. JCAL is also a rich source of material for master and PhD students in areas such as educational psychology, the learning sciences, instructional technology, instructional design, collaborative learning, intelligent learning systems, learning analytics, open, distance and networked learning, and educational evaluation and assessment. This is the case for formal (e.g., schools), non-formal (e.g., workplace learning) and informal learning (e.g., museums and libraries) situations and environments. Volumes often include one Special Issue which these provides readers with a broad and in-depth perspective on a specific topic. First published in 1985, JCAL continues to have the aim of making the outcomes of contemporary research and experience accessible. During this period there have been major technological advances offering new opportunities and approaches in the use of a wide range of technologies to support learning and knowledge transfer more generally. There is currently much emphasis on the use of network functionality and the challenges its appropriate uses pose to teachers/tutors working with students locally and at a distance. JCAL welcomes: -Empirical reports, single studies or programmatic series of studies on the use of computers and information technologies in learning and assessment -Critical and original meta-reviews of literature on the use of computers for learning -Empirical studies on the design and development of innovative technology-based systems for learning -Conceptual articles on issues relating to the Aims and Scope