Technology-Infused Empowerment: The Effect of Different Levels of Technology Integration on Anxiety among EFL Teachers

While extensive research exists on learning anxiety, teaching anxiety remains a relatively unexplored area, especially in the context of technology integration and the emotional responses of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers. This study examined the effectiveness of low-, mid-, and high-tech interventions in reducing teaching anxiety among Iranian EFL teachers. Ninety-six Iranian EFL teachers were randomly divided into three groups of ۳۲ participants each and received low-tech (e.g., peer collaboration), mid-tech (e.g., mobile apps), or high-tech (e.g., ChatGPT) interventions. The participants completed the Teacher Anxiety Scale before the interventions and self-reported their baseline anxiety levels. Then, each group attended a three-day workshop and was post-tested after a one-semester interval (۵۰ days), enabling comparisons of anxiety levels among the groups. Quantitative data analysis revealed significant differences in anxiety levels among the groups, with the high- and mid-tech interventions showing greater efficacy in reducing teaching anxiety. Qualitative data from follow-up interviews with ۱۰ participants from each group provided further insights into anxiety reduction factors at each tech-integration level, corroborating the quantitative findings. Practical implications and future research directions are discussed.

کلیدواژه ها:

Anxiety ، EFL teacher ، high-tech integration ، low-tech integration ، mid-tech integration