University Language Instructors’ Preparedness for Technology-Mediated Instruction and Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors

  • Jesús Izquierdo Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco
  • María del Carmen Sandoval Caraveo Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco
  • Verónika De la Cruz Villegas Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3570-2021
  • Rubén Zapata Díaz Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.ikala.v26n3a11

Keywords:

Technology-mediated language instruction, COVID-19, language teaching, online teaching, teacher education, teacher burnout

Abstract

This quantitative study explored the preparedness of foreign language teachers for technology-mediated instruction and the burnout conditions that characterized their transition from in-person to off-campus second/foreign language education during the covid-19 pandemic. The data were collected from 104 university instructors through a Google Forms® survey and a burnout questionnaire in a Mexican state which was severely hit by the virus in the spring of 2020. The survey elicited information about institutional conditions, teacher education and technology access and use. The burnout questionnaire explored exhaustion, depersonalization and accomplishment during off-campus technology-mediated language instruction. Both survey and questionnaire answers were subject to frequency analyses. In terms of teacher preparedness, data analyses revealed that the participants had a large number of teaching hours; they held sustained computer/Internet access but lacked technology-assisted language teaching training; thus, they independently sought out technological resources for the delivery of their lessons. With regard to burnout, data analyses indicated that many participants experienced exhaustion due to work overload, use of technology, and its proper integration in the lessons. Nonetheless, the use of technology helped them maintain interest in their learners, feel satisfaction and accomplish academic aims.

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Author Biographies

Jesús Izquierdo, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco

Associate Professor, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico.

María del Carmen Sandoval Caraveo, Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco

Professor, Autonomous Juárez University of Tabasco, Villahermosa, Mexico. Doctorate in Administration Studies. Professor at the Autonomous Juárez University of Tabasco. His research interest includes assessing the quality of higher education, burnout in higher education, and student satisfaction in higher education.

Verónika De la Cruz Villegas, Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco

PhD in Educational Studies. Professor at Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco. Her research interests include: Inclusive L2 education, Technology-enhanced L2 teaching and learning, L2 vocabulary learning

Rubén Zapata Díaz, Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco

MA in Educational Technology. Professor at Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco. His research interests include L2 teacher education, Technology-enhanced L2 teaching and Learning, and Educational technology

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Published

2021-09-11

How to Cite

Izquierdo, J., Sandoval Caraveo, M. del C., De la Cruz Villegas, V., & Zapata Díaz, R. (2021). University Language Instructors’ Preparedness for Technology-Mediated Instruction and Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Íkala, Revista De Lenguaje Y Cultura, 26(3), 661–695. https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.ikala.v26n3a11

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