Research Article

Exploring EFL teachers’ beliefs about technology integration: Applying the PBT model in Chinese higher education

Yuncai Liu 1 2 * , Fahainis Bt Mohd Yusof 1
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1 School of Education, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Malaysia2 Guangdong University of Science and Technology, Dongguan, CHINA* Corresponding Author
Contemporary Educational Technology, 18(2), April 2026, ep655, https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18533
Published: 07 May 2026
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ABSTRACT

Despite extensive promotion of digital technology as a driver of educational reform, its effective integration depends on teachers’ pedagogical beliefs. However, the beliefs influencing English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ utilization of technology, and the factors underlying them, have not been sufficiently examined, particularly in the Chinese context, where national policies strongly promote the adoption of technology. This qualitative case study, guided by the Pedagogical Beliefs-Technology (PBT) model, examined teachers of College English from four Chinese universities via in-depth interviews. The findings reveal that EFL teachers displayed both teacher-centered beliefs, which perceive technology as a supplemental tool helping alleviate workload and enhance classroom engagement, and student-centered beliefs, which employ it to enrich and update the curriculum, indicating the multidimensionality of pedagogical beliefs. Moreover, individual, institutional, and policy factors further influence these beliefs. This study reveals the interaction between teachers’ beliefs and teaching contexts, further supporting and extending the applicability of the PBT model in exploring technology integration and teacher beliefs. It provides empirical evidence for future research and supplies practical insights for technology integration in EFL higher education.
Keywords: technology integration, teacher beliefs, EFL context, PBT model

CITATION (APA)

Liu, Y., & Bt Mohd Yusof, F. (2026). Exploring EFL teachers’ beliefs about technology integration: Applying the PBT model in Chinese higher education. Contemporary Educational Technology, 18(2), ep655. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18533

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