Investigating the digital pedagogic practice of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers in post-pandemic Indonesian contexts

This research utilises a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, consisting of a survey (n=162) in all 117 state-senior-secondary schools in Jakarta as phase one, which then informs the focus of the subsequent and multiform qualitative component (phases two and three) generated through 23 interviews and five classroom observations. Survey results were analysed using descriptive statistics and One Way-ANOVA test. Thematic data analysis and interpretation combined the complementary framework of TPACK (Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge), focusing on TCK and TPK, and Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as an overarching interpretative frame across the entire qualitative data set.

Findings show that the nature of Indonesian English language teachers’ digital pedagogic practice in the post-pandemic context represents a dynamic interplay of various elements within the activity system, underscoring a divergence in starting points among teachers concerning skills, knowledge, and experience, thus shaping the historical trajectory of their digital pedagogical practices, regardless of age differences.

However, a number of historically important contradictions are evident from the research that frequently prevents EFL teachers from employing digital technologies in online, blended, and hybrid teaching modes. The study also reveals not only a collective and systemic transformation, but also the transformative impact of the pandemic that triggered a shift in perspective, and transformation in knowledge and digital pedagogical practices among teachers, creating a new reality: a post-post pandemic digital pedagogy.

As teachers grappled with the complexities of emergency online, blended, and hybrid teaching in the post-pandemic situation, tensions emerged within the activity system. Issues such as disparities in digital access and training, workload, unequal distribution of skilled teachers, a need of recognition, and student issues underscore the contradictions inherent in the practice of digital pedagogy. Furthermore, the development of EFL teachers’ technological content and pedagogical knowledge is embedded within the broader socio-cultural context, where support from government, school management (Monitoring) and colleagues (Mentoring), and personalised learning play a pivotal role in mediating their learning experiences.

The findings can become a key consideration for leadership decision-making in improving education quality, especially in English language teacher professional development programmes in Indonesia.<br><br><i>Thesis embargoed until 31 December 2029.</i>