The digital reading literacy of Indonesian pre-service English teachers: What do lecturers say?

This study investigates the digital reading literacy of pre-service English teachers from the perspectives of their educators in teacher training institutions. By exploring how educators perceive, assess, and address the digital reading skills of future English teachers, this research aims to shed light on the challenges and opportunities present in developing this particular literacy. Data were collected through deep interviews and questionnaires distributed to five educators of an English education program from a school of teacher training in Indonesia. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings reveal four main themes; Digital reading literacy of pre-service English teachers; Integration of technology into teaching and learning context; Challenges in developing digital reading literacy; and Institutional and curriculum support. Then, it is found that while digital reading literacy is increasingly recognized as essential for future English teachers, significant gaps remain in terms of increasing pre-service English teachers’ motivation and autonomous learning capacity and integrating digital reading skills into the curriculum and classroom practices. The study concludes with recommendations for enhancing digital reading literacy instruction in the classrooms and supporting educators in adopting strategies to improve students’ digital reading literacy through providing sufficient training and embedding this literacy into the curriculum.