The Deployment of Technology: A Strategy in Language Learning or an Intensification Tool of EFL Learners' Digital Literacy?

Technology has modified education in many ways, and one of them is broadening access to education and eliminating the limitations. The current study assessed whether the utilization of technology as an educational tool for language learning can augment the level of EFL learners' digital literacy simultaneously. In other words, this study explored the impact of technology-based instruction on the level of learners' level of digital literacy. Chosen through convenient sampling, ۵۶ Iranian female high school students (aged ۱۳-۱۴) of two intact classes participated in the study. One was considered as the experimental group and the other was the control group. In order to check their homogeneity, the English language proficiency level of the participants was determined by the Oxford Quick Placement Test. Students were pre-tested and post-tested on their knowledge of digital literacy through the digital literacy questionnaire. The results revealed that students who enjoyed treatment in the form of technology-based instruction received statistically significantly higher scores on digital literacy post-tests. The results of this research delineated the role and significance of technology-based instruction in language teaching and learning in Iran. The results also indicate that while technology-based instruction was a medium in language learning, it increased the level of learners’ digital literacy level simultaneously. Moreover, by shifting concentration from merely conventional teaching to technology-based instruction, the quality of teaching and learning will be improved.