Curriculum Material Use in EFL Classrooms: Moderation and Mediation Effects of Teachers’ Beliefs and TPACK

While many studies have acknowledged multifaceted roles of curriculum materials (textbooks) in EFL reading activities, textbooks alone are insufficient, as their effectiveness depends on how teachers use them. Teachers’ textbook usage is strongly related to cognitive and affective factors. There is limited understanding of how the interplay between teachers’ cognitive and affective factors influences their use of these materials and how they use technology to enhance the effectiveness of textbooks for reading activities in EFL classrooms. The current study fills this gap by investigating the interplay among teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), learner-centered pedagogical beliefs (LCPB), teacher-centered pedagogical beliefs (TCPB), and their curriculum material use approach—specifically the constructivist and transmissive approaches—focusing on moderation and mediation effects. This study also investigated how teachers use technology to enhance reading activities in the textbooks. Structural equation modeling analyzed mediation and moderation effects using survey data from 251 Indonesian EFL teachers. Findings indicated that TPACK directly influenced the use of constructivist-oriented curriculum material. At the same time, both LCPB and TCPB acted as mediators in the influence of TPACK on teachers’ orientations towards the use of curriculum materials. Crucially, the relationship between TPACK and LCPB adversely affected constructivist usage, suggesting that robust learner-centered beliefs diminished dependence on TPACK. Conversely, transmissive orientations were primarily guided by beliefs and remained uninfluenced by TPACK. These results highlight that teachers’ knowledge and beliefs influence the way they use curriculum materials—either constructivist or transmissive. The findings inform policymakers in initiating professional development programs that aim to shift teachers toward more constructivist uses of curriculum materials, fostering a more interactive and student-centered language-learning environment.