Let’s Get Digital: ICT Training Needs in Pre-Service Language Teaching

Abstract

During the last five years, language teaching in Europe has been heavily influenced by two major occurrences. On the one hand, the outbreak of COVID-19 forced teachers to extensively adapt many of their teaching practices to the digital world; this major paradigm shift is likely to have continued repercussions post-pandemic in terms of methodology and use of resources. At the same time, the publication of an updated version of the Common European Framework, commonly known as the Companion Volume focuses our attention on the real-life communicative needs of language users. The Companion Volume emphasizes digital and online communication processes throughout the development of language skills, and this focus inevitably translates into changes in national and regional curricula for language education. The present study investigates the degree to which future teachers are prepared for this new reality and explores emerging digital training needs among pre-service teachers. The investigation obtains quantitative and qualitative data from 30 pre-service teachers who have completed postgraduate studies in language education, which included a stage of school-based teaching practice. Results indicate that while pre-service language teachers have a positive view of ICT and moderate levels of general digital competence, they feel additional specific and in-depth preparation is required within their initial training.