Digital literacy in english language education: Bridging teachers’ competence and learners’ needs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22437/proca.v1i3.50613Keywords:
Digital Literacy, EFL, English Language Education, Learner Needs, Teacher ComptenceAbstract
Digital literacy has become indispensable in English language education, particularly in bridging teacher competence with learner needs in a rapidly evolving digital era. This study employed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of peer-reviewed works published between 2020 and 2025, focusing on digital literacy and digital competence in ELT/EFL contexts. Key sources include micro-course interventions for teacher development in higher education (Discover Education, 2025), empirical analyses of EFL teachers’ digital literacy in Chinese universities (Feng & Sumettikoon, 2024), and case studies of Indonesian pre-service teachers’ digital practices (Nur, Nur & Sunra, 2023). The findings reveal that while teachers generally possess basic digital tool knowledge, they often lack the pedagogical integration skills and confidence needed to foster critical digital engagement. Learners, meanwhile, demonstrate familiarity with everyday technologies but require structured support for academic digital tasks. Thematic synthesis highlights persistent barriers, including limited training opportunities, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient institutional support. Opportunities identified involve the adoption of micro-courses for continuous professional development and practice-oriented modules that enhance both pedagogy and learner participation. This review addresses the gap in understanding how teacher digital competence and learner digital literacy intersect in ELT/EFL contexts, offering a unified perspective to inform teacher education and policy. This paper concludes that strengthening teacher competence alongside addressing learners’ digital literacy needs is crucial to ensuring digital literacy functions as a transformative element in ELT rather than as a superficial supplement. These findings provide practical insights for teacher training programs seeking to strengthen digital literacy in ELT.
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