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Abstract
Today, the necessity of digital technologies for ongoing communication among individuals, families, and friends is undeniable. Digital literacy (DL) has become a fundamental requirement for both professional and daily life in the 21st century. Due to their crucial position in the digital environment, it is imperative for EFL teachers to proficiently employ a variety of contemporary digital tools relevant to their teaching. Therefore, this study aims to explore EFL teachers' views regarding their DL skills, what digital tools and social media platforms they use, to portray the possible drawbacks and challenges they face while using digital tools, and to explore their suggestions to promote DL. Based on these purposes, in the broader context, 250 EFL teachers working in MoNE schools in Turkiye, during the 2021-2022 academic year were selected to participate in the study. For the qualitative data, 17 EFL teachers were selected by purposive sampling to conduct semi-structured interviews, and content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. The qualitative data showed that the EFL teachers were knowledgeable about some aspects of DL, but they were still not competent enough to know the other aspects of DL. In addition, it was revealed that EFL teachers utilize various digital tools and social media platforms for different purposes in teaching and their daily lives. The possible drawbacks and challenges in using digital tools as reported by the EFL teachers, were mainly problems with time, motivation, and lack of support from the Ministry of National Education (MoNE). In addition, the EFL teachers suggested that they should participate in seminars, courses, or training sessions, research, or follow social media platforms to promote their DL skills.
