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

Yuncai Liu; Fahainis Bt Mohd Yusof

doi:10.30935/cedtech/18533

Yuncai Liu ¹ ² ^* , Fahainis Bt Mohd Yusof ¹

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CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 18, Issue 2, Article No: ep655

https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18533

Submitted: 24 November 2025, Published Online: 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

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Citation

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

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

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

Liu, Yuncai, and Fahainis Bt Mohd Yusof. "Exploring EFL teachers’ beliefs in technology integration: Applying the PBT model in Chinese higher education". Contemporary Educational Technology 2026 18 no. 2 (2026): ep655. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18533

Liu, Yuncai et al. "Exploring EFL teachers’ beliefs in technology integration: Applying the PBT model in Chinese higher education". Contemporary Educational Technology, vol. 18, no. 2, 2026, ep655. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18533

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