The Impact of Technology Use in Teaching English as a Second Language at Educational Institutions in Sabha City

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of technology use in teaching English as a second language at educational institutions in Sabha City, analysing the dimensions of this integration and its reflections on learners' linguistic outcomes. The research problem centred on the gap between declared educational policies and actual field practice, the disparity between available technological capabilities and the human competence required to employ them, and the structural and institutional challenges that limit the effectiveness of technological integration. The study proceeded from a main hypothesis positing a statistically significant effect of technology use on linguistic outcomes at α ≤ 0.05, which branched into three sub-hypotheses concerning the impact of technological tool deployment on the four language skills, the relationship between teachers' digital competence and integration effectiveness, and the existence of differences attributable to institutional challenges. Adopting the descriptive-analytical method, the study used a questionnaire to collect data from 209 participants, teachers and learners, across 18 educational institutions and centres. The findings revealed a high level of technological tool utilisation (M = 4.02), a strong positive relationship between technology and language skill development (M = 4.17), and the independent variable explained 49.8% of the variance in linguistic outcomes. The study recommends developing digital infrastructure, designing specialised professional development programmes, expanding the deployment of artificial intelligence applications, building strategic partnerships, and establishing institutional policies that regulate digital transformation in language teaching.