Digital Pedagogy as a Transformative Force in English Language Teaching: A Focus on Personalized Learning, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, and Assessment Practices

Abstract

Digital pedagogy has become crucial in contemporary teaching, especially English language teaching. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to explore the participants’ language learning experiences, beliefs, and strategies. Semi-structured interviews allowed for an in-depth probing of emerging themes. Additionally, participants were observed in classroom and self-study contexts to record authentic interactions and use of learning materials. Factor analysis indicated strong construct validity, with factor loadings ranging from 0.73 to 0.85 and high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha 0.80–0.90), especially for digital literacy (0.89) and system quality (0.90). The KMO values (0.78–0.88) and significant Bartlett test results (p < 0.001) confirmed the sampling adequacy and model appropriateness. Among the nine measured domains, personalized learning, assessment innovation, and digital literacy emerged as particularly robust. Analysis of Variance revealed significant differences across four key dimensions: personalized learning, critical thinking, collaboration/communication, and innovative assessment, with personalized learning being the most highly rated (M = 4.10, F = 5.83, p = 0.001). Post-hoc analysis underscored the distinct strengths of digital pedagogy for personalization and adaptive assessment. These findings validate that digital pedagogy’s impact on English language teaching is substantial, offering valuable insights for improving technological integration and educational practice.