Technology-mediated classroom management among novice and experienced EFL teachers: Beliefs and practices in online learning

Abstract

The growth of technology-mediated online learning has created new challenges for classroom management, particularly in English as a Foreign Language contexts, where interaction and participation are central to learning. Concerns have emerged that traditional strategies, such as maintaining eye contact and using physical proximity, are rendered ineffective. Adopting a sequential mixed methods design, this study examined whether novice and experienced teachers’ classroom management beliefs differ and how these beliefs are enacted through technology-mediated practices. Survey findings from 135 Vietnamese English as a Foreign Language lecturers revealed no statistically significant differences in beliefs. However, interviews with 10 participants revealed notable differences in practice. Novice teachers reported broader use of technological affordances to support pre-class preparation, participation monitoring, instructional activities and behavioural management. Experienced teachers adopted technology more selectively and emphasised facilitative instructional approaches through teacher presence and learner autonomy. While technological affordances were closely associated with instructional and behavioural management, relational management relied primarily on interpersonal communication. The findings suggest that teachers’ technology use reflects underlying pedagogical orientations and that the role of technology differs across classroom management dimensions.

Implications for practice or policy:

• Training programmes for technology-mediated classroom management should consider how pedagogical approaches and teaching experience may influence teachers’ use of technological affordances.
• When selecting digital tools, teachers should prioritise how the technology supports instructional and behavioural management rather than the features of the tool itself.
• Teachers should recognise that effective technology use does not replace the need to practise relational management, which is built through trust, care and interpersonal interaction with students.