Teachers’ digital technology practices with English as an Additional Language students in Australian schools

Abstract Digital technologies have shifted pedagogy, curriculum, and practice of English as an Additional Language (EAL) education notably in recent decades. Australia has a significant proportion of EAL students and a high rate of technology uptake in schools, but little is known about how teachers in Australia use digital technologies when working with their EAL students. This paper examines prevalent approaches to researching digital technology practices with EAL students in Australian schools, teachers’ pedagogical approaches to using digital technologies to support EAL education, and the affordances and constraints involved. Drawing on a systematic review of 16 publications, this study generates new insights into teachers’ everyday digital technology practices, which are often overlooked as most educational technology research focuses on interventionist studies. The review identifies a range of pedagogical practices, including digital multimodal composing, information seeking and analysis, and translation. However, these practices often highlight teachers’ use of multimodal technologies in supported contexts (via school-university research interventions) rather than in everyday classroom contexts. The reported affordances include language and literacy development, (re)positioning of EAL students as capable learners, and development of critical digital literacy. Meanwhile, the identified constraints concern gaps in pre-service teacher education and professional learning, an overcrowded curriculum, and varying levels of access to technology and digital literacy among EAL students. The paper concludes by discussing implications for EAL teachers, teacher educators, and researchers in Australia and internationally.