The barriers to the use of ICT in English language teaching: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Information communication technology (ICT) has recently been a hot topic for language teachers around the world. The application of ICT in English language teaching is a relatively recent phenomenon. Moreover, it has been the subject of interest to educational researchers for over two decades in order to figure out a way of tackling the barriers of using ICT and as well as for incorporating it into the curriculum. Therefore, the current paper yields to the literature of some reasons behind the low interest of using ICT in English language teaching by teachers. A total of thirty-three papers have been reviewed to find out the barriers to the use of ICT in English language teaching. According to the outcome of the review, three main factors are found as the common obstacles towards the use of ICT in English language teaching, which are, (i) lack of teachers’ confidence in using technology, (ii) lack of effective training, and (iii) lack of time. There is also a summary of the paper along with the discussion presented. Besides that, the findings suggest the administrations provide effective training courses along with sufficient time allocation in allowing teachers to confidently employ ICTs in teaching the English language. Additionally, an implication including limitations of the study is also expressed at the final stage of the paper.