Effects of information communication technology-assisted teaching training on English language teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency

Abstract This study was conducted to examine the effects of training in Information Communication Technology-assisted (ICT-assisted) English language teaching on secondary school English language teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency. To achieve this goal, a one-group within-subject quasi-experimental design was utilized. Twenty-two (n = 22) teachers selected from three government secondary schools in Arba Minch and Sawla towns of Gamo and Gofa zones of South Nations, Nationalities, and the Peoples Regional State of Ethiopia were included in the study using a comprehensive sampling technique. Four rounds of repeated measurements were used to collect data and Friedman’s test was used to compare the mean scores to examine the effects of the training on the teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency. Related-samples Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (effect size) was also run using the same non-parametric test of Friedman’s test to exmine the magnitude of the effect. The results revealed that training in ICT-assisted teaching has a significant effect on the pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency of the teachers. Moreover, the independent variable (training in ICT-assisted English language teaching) has a strong effect (effect size) on their pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency. Based on the results, in-service teacher training in ICT-assisted teaching is recommended to harness the potential of new technologies for English language teachers’ professional development.

Abstract: This study was conducted to examine the effects of training in Information Communication Technology-assisted (ICT-assisted) English language teaching on secondary school English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency. To achieve this goal, a one-group within-subject quasi-experimental design was utilized. Twenty-two (n = 22) teachers selected from three government secondary schools in Arba Minch and Sawla towns of Gamo and Mihireteab Abraham ABOUT THE AUTHORS Mihireteab Abraham is a PhD candidate at Arba Minch University and a Lecturer in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) at Hawassa University, Ethiopia. His PhD research is on ICTassisted English language teachingand he is studying and researching the role of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in English language teaching in Ethiopian contexts.
Zeleke Arficho (PhD) is an Associate Professor in TEFL at Hawassa University, Ethiopia. He also works as the Academic Programs Director at this university. He has numerous publications on peer-reviewed journals. His research works focus on foreign/second language writing and ICT in education. He has been teaching, advising and examining TEFL MA and PhD students for more than a decade.
Tesfaye Habtemariam obtained his M. Ed. from the affiliated College of St. Mark and St. John, Exeter University, UK, and his PhD in TEFL from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. He is an Assistant Professor in TEFL at Arba Minch University, Ethiopia . He has also been supervising M.A and Ph.D. students in TEFL and conducting studies and project works on diverse topics in ELT and ICT in education for more than 22 years.
Abate Demissie got his M.A and Ph.D. in TEFL from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. He has taught English language at various institutions and levels for more than 24 years. Besides, he has been supervising M.A and PhD students in TEFL and conducting studies on various topics in ELT.

PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT
Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) improves the quality of education including English language teaching (ELT). In order to effectively utilize ICT tools (e.g., desktop and laptop computers, smart phones, websites, mobile applications, Facebook group, Google classroom, presentation and screen recording software, etc.) for language teaching, teachers are expected to have the essential skills of ICTs. Therefore, understanding the role of ICT-assisted ELT training for teachers' professional development at secondary school level in given contexts is very important. Accordingly, the present research examined the effects of ICT-assisted ELT training on secondary school English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency. Data were collected from secondary school English language teachers in southern Ethiopia using tests. The study indicated that providing a well designed hands-on ICT-assisted teaching training significantly improves the pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency of teachers. It is also noted that teachers are motivated to use the available ICTs; hence, schools' and nearby universities' technical and administrative support is crucial in realizing their effort.

Introduction
The use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) for teaching and learning purposes is being considered to improve the quality of education including English language teaching. Concerning this, Torsani (2016) argues "technology has become part of-and has revolutionized -our everyday life and that language education cannot afford to neglect this potential" (p. 43). Since we are living in an ICTs-dominated world, we need to have digital literacy to effectively apply that. The global and contextual scenario forces teachers to consider ICT tools in teaching-learning of school subjects in general and in English language teaching in particular.
It is a widely recognized fact that teachers are the principal actors in the teaching-learning process (FDRE Ministry of Education, 2018;Trudel, 2016). In a foreign language teaching-learning context, English language teachers are the main sources of language learning inputs for their students (Young et al., 2014as cited in Richards, 2017. To exploit ICTs for language teaching, therefore, teachers are expected to have the essential skills of ICT and its integration. When considering ICT-related innovations in education, the successful integration of ICT into the classroom depends on the ability of teachers to practice non-traditional ways, merging technology with new pedagogy and developing active classrooms (Berhanu, (2012);Mueller et al., (2008); Salem & Mohammadzadeh, 2018;UNESCO, 2018).
Teacher professional development is seen as the crucial component of such educational improvements (; Gilakjani, 2013). Mueller et al. (2008) suggest that teachers require positive experiences with ICTs which are specific for the subject they teach to make use of them in teaching. Other scholars advocate giving attention to technical, subject-specific (content), and pedagogical knowledge (Koehler et al., 2011). This may suggest the need for teacher training and computer access to promote the educational mainstreaming of ICT.
The importance of training on ICT skills and providing access to it for teachers has been emphasized by UNESCO (2018) stating the following Teachers must have the competencies to integrate ICT in their professional practice to ensure the equity and quality of learning. Teacher training and continued ongoing relevant professional developments for teachers are essential if benefits from investments in ICTs are to be realized. (P. 1) Therefore, understanding the effect of ICT-assisted English language teaching training for teachers professional development at secondary school level in a given context is very important to get evidence-based empirical data for further research and action. Doing this requires conducting sound researches on the area that can capture factors related to the use of recent ICT tools in the professional development of English language teachers. Accordingly, the present research examined the effects of ICT-assisted English language teaching training on secondary school English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency.
Specifically, this study sought to answer the following two specific questions: (1) does training in ICT integrated English language teaching methodology bring a statistically significant improvement on secondary school English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge? (2) does training in ICT-assisted English language proficiency bring a statistically significant improvement on secondary school English language teachers' English language proficiency? Accordingly, null and alternative hypotheses were formaualted abou the effects as follows:: H0: Training in ICT integrated English language teaching methodology does not bring a statistically significant improvement on secondary school English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge.
Ha: Training in ICT integrated English language teaching methodology brings a statistically significant improvement on secondary school English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge.
H0: Training in ICT-assisted English language proficiency does not bring a statistically significant improvement on secondary school English language teachers' English language proficiency.
Ha:Training in ICT-assisted English language proficiency brings a statistically significant improvement on secondary school English language teachers' English language proficiency.

Background to the research context
English has been serving as a language of instruction and school subject at different levels across the educational system in Ethiopia particularly at secondary school and higher education (FDRE, (1994). The rationale why it is important to use English in the Ethiopian education system over the past several decades has been mentioned in many ways by the country's policy documents such as the Education and Training Policy (FDRE, 1994), Curriculum Framework for Ethiopian Education (FDRE Ministry of Education, 2009a), Education Sector Development Programs (ESDP I-V) and General Education Quality Improvement Packages (GEQIP I-III)(FDRE Ministry of Education, 2009b).
The current trend of using English as a medium of instruction and emphasizing it will continue in secondary school education in Ethiopia in the future as well. The recent Education Road Map of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) Ministry of Education (FDRE Ministry of Education, 2018) states using English as a subject and medium of instruction starting from the lower grade level and secondary school education respectively. This Education Road Map is designed to be used as a road map for the next 12 years (2018)(2019)(2020)(2021)(2022)(2023)(2024)(2025)(2026)(2027)(2028)(2029)(2030).
There is evidence that the government of Ethiopia is still committed to promoting and developing the use of the English language in secondary school education in the country. One of the commitments it showed is trying to improve the professional competency of teachers. In its recent Education Sector Development Plan Document (ESDP V, 2014(ESDP V, /15-2019, the FDRE Ministry of Education (MoE, 2015) has planned to give high priority to improve the English language skills of teachers through the English Language Improvement Program (known as ELIP). There is no doubt that such commitment is quite important since English is playing a key role both as a subject and medium of instruction in secondary school education in the country.
The Ethiopian General Education (KG-12) Curriculum (FDRE Ministry of Education, 2009a, p. 17) states that since the teaching and learning of all school subjects in Ethiopian secondary schools is given in English, " . . . the focus of English language instruction is on developing students' subject survival skills, confidence and learning strategies." The document further states the role of the English language in tertiary education as well as in the world of work after completing secondary school education. Thus, it is by far necessary to give due attention to English language teaching and learning at secondary school education in Ethiopia so that such efforts would contribute to the realization of the aspired goal of preparing learners for their future academic and professional life. However, Melaku (2019) conducted a study in the same research context where the present research is conducted and reported that the majority of secondary school English language teachers who participated in his study were not proficient in English.
Government bodies and other stakeholders are working on addressing the quality of English language teachers in Ethiopia. A policy document by FDRE Ministry of Education, ESDP V (2014/15-2019/2020), states the government's commitment to expanding the use of ICT in education to improve the quality of teaching and learning at secondary school level (MoE, 2015, p. 70). The document further indicates that integration of pedagogy, content, and technology will take priority in the plan period of ESDP V. More specifically, in the ESDP V document, it is stated that mainstreaming ICT across core subjects, including English, and providing ICT resources to schools is the target in using ICT in education at all levels.
The presence of national policy on ICT in education in Ethiopia is a milestone in the process of introducing ICT in education (FDRE Ministry of Education, 2009a;FDRE, 2016). Moreover, the initiatives and attempts made to equip Ethiopian secondary schools with basic ICT tools, including access to the Internet, is another good thing that can be noted as an enabling factor for the utilization of ICT in secondary education in Ethiopia. However, the absence of teacher preparation along with no or limited school-based support and facilitation to utilize the available ICTs in the schools made ICT-assisted teaching and learning something not yet considered. Consequently, this limited access to ICT tools and lack of qualified teachers in ICT-assisted teaching remains a challenge when the reality on the ground is considered.
According to the FDRE Education and Training Policy (FDRE,1994) and the recent Education Road Map (FDRE Ministry of Education, 2018) of the country, secondary education in Ethiopia is a four years program. As the Education and Training Policy (p. 23) states, the purpose of secondary education in Ethiopia is to "enable students to identify their interests for further education, for specific training and the world of work." This indicates how much secondary school education in Ethiopia is important in determining the future life of students. However, to help students attain their learning goals, the presence of teachers with the required pedagogical and English language proficiency is key. These demands to prepare and equip the teachers with the required professional knowledge so that they can enhance their professional development and discharge their responsibility effectively.

Review of related literature and theoretical framework
This section highlights the current body of knowledge on the knowledge bases of teachers in relation to ICT-assisted English language teaching along with the theoretical backgrounds that guide the field are discussed.

English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge
Pedagogical knowledge is a concept which refers to the teacher's knowledge of teaching. Almost everyone in the field of education is familiar with this concept as far as teaching is concerned. It is teacher's professional knowledge of how to teach a certain subject such as English. This knowledge is usually acquired and developed through professional training. Universities and teacher education colleges are highly concerned with the development of teachers' pedagogical knowledge on a particular subject. Richards (2017, p. 12) defines pedagogical knowledge as "Pedagogical knowledge and ability draws on content knowledge as well as other sources of knowledge but in the process transforms it, since it is understood to the knowledge of the learners, the curriculum, the teaching context and to teaching methods." A document published by the FDRE Ministry of Education (MoE, 2013) which aimed to set standards for English language teachers in Ethiopia, states areas of competencies that English language teachers are expected to fulfill to successfully carry out their professional job. In the document, there are two domains of standards for English language teachers: English language proficiency and professional knowledge. While the first one, English language proficiency, deals with the skills of the English language, the latter one, professional knowledge, is concerned with professional knowledge which includes English language (ELT) pedagogy knowledge.
The FDRE Ministry of Education's (MoE, (2013)) standards for English language teachers include many sub-components under the "professional knowledge" domain. Accordingly, it includes purpose knowledge, content knowledge, knowledge about the English language, English language tasks/ activities knowledge, English language assessment/testing knowledge, and English language learner knowledge in Ethiopian context along with English language teaching pedagogy knowledge.
Technology is changing all spheres of our lives, including teaching and learning. Today's teachers are in charge of responding to these dynamic changes happening around the world. This means, the traditional pedagogy barely satisfies the demand of today's learners. The changing dynamics, influenced by technology, requires a shift in the way language is learned and taught. Teachers, classrooms, and textbooks are no more the sole sources of learning today. Regarding this, Richards (2014, p. 1) states "The internet, technology and the media, and the use of English in face-to-face, as well as virtual social networks, provide greater opportunities for meaningful and authentic language use than are available in the classroom." This situation implies that English language teachers need to consider out-of-class learning environments as a supplement to the conventional classroom and ICT-assisted teaching in the classroom for teaching and learning English in the digital landscape of today's world. To realize this, they need to improve their pedagogical knowledge through ICT-assisted professional development opportunities.

English language teachers' proficiency
English is a language that is learned and taught throughout the world. This makes the practice of teaching English diverse and unique across geographical and cultural contexts. Those who teach English around the world are not only native speakers of the language, rather non-native speakers (NNS) as well. As the practice shows, even the majority of English language teachers around the world are non-native speakers, and they speak English as a second or foreign language rather than as their first language (see, Richards, 2017). This situation creates concern regarding the English language proficiency level of English language teachers around the world. Regarding this point, Tsang (2017) argues that the level of English language proficiency of many of such English language teachers may not reach benchmarks established by their employers. As to Richards, this situation raises concern for 'what kind of proficiency in English is necessary to be an effective teacher of English?" TESOL's (TESOL International Association, 2019) standards for k-12 teachers set knowledge about language as one of the standards for non-native English language teachers around the world. The document states that teachers demonstrate "knowledge of English language structures, English language use, second language acquisition and development, and language processes to help English language learners acquire academic language and literacies specific to various content areas" as one of the standards (TESOL International Association, 2019, p. 6). This shows the broader view of English language teachers' proficiency. Sadeghi et al. (2019, p. 2) noted "the language proficiency level of a NNS English teacher will influence the kind of language input learners receive and thus have a positive impact on learning." Today, language proficiency is seen as something beyond linguistic competence. Rather, it is being considered as a tool that can be used as a sense of professional legitimacy and selfconfidence as an English language teacher. This notion of considering English language proficiency is rooted in the belief and practices that the English language is a global language used across the globe in different contexts. Thus, such understanding recognizes the potential of non-native English language teachers to address their learners' needs (Discoli, 2016).
As Richards (2014) states, English language teachers' limited proficiency is one of the limitations of classroom-based English language learning and teaching. This leads to the need for considering the potential of English language teaching and learning outside the traditional classroom walls using modern technologies. This does not mean that the English language teaching and learning opportunities available outside the classroom replace classroom-based teaching and learning. However, it is to say that it could supplement and enhance the existing teaching and learning practices that have been in place for decades.
When it comes to the link between teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (hereinafter referred to as PCK) and technological knowledge (TK), the literature shows a strong link and overlap between these knowledge bases of teachers. This means, in the practice of ICT-assisted teaching and learning, teachers also need to be equipped with the traditional pedagogical and content knowledge (PCK), in addition to the technological knowledge (TK). When teachers possess these all-knowledge bases, it is believed that they would effectively integrate technology in their teaching. Based on his empirical study conducted in Turkey, Turgut (2017) recommends the need for developing PCK and TK of teachers as an important factor in overall technology integration. The present research was designed with these premises in which a package of ICT-assisted English language teachers' training consists of basic knowledge and skills of ICT tools for English language teaching, ICT-assisted pedagogical knowledge, and English language proficiency training provided to the teachers in three rounds to see its effects.

Theoretical framework
One may fail to recognize the theoretical basis of technology use in language teaching if he/she simply considers the practice of technology use in language education as something new or just a recent phenomenon. The truth is that there is a wide range of scholarly works which attempted to show us the theoretical basis of CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) or ICT-assisted language teaching. Hubbard and Levy (2016, p. 25) argued this point stating "although digital technology has only been a significant component of language teaching and learning for a few decades, the theoretical landscape captured by its researchers and practitioners is already wideranging." The use of technologies in language education has been explained in various ways by different scholars in the field depending on how the practice influenced the profession and how the practices have been influenced by Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and educational or relevant linguistic and psychological theories (Polat, 2017).
Polat (2017) wrote about the possibility of situating pedagogical use of technology within the framework of different schools of learning. As he argued, CALL in the particular and pedagogical use of technologies in general, has been backed by the various theories of the time. Starting with the behavioristic approach, and then continuing with the cognitive psychology and constructivism, and the recently proposed theories like connectivism and mainly the Social Cognitive Theory(SCT) are the theories which are referred by scholars in discussing pedagogical use of technology and human learning.
A theoretical framework, based on Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, is found relevant to use as a basis for the present study. Earlier researchers like Campeau et al. (1999) and Compeau and Higgins (1995) used the SCT for similar study purposes. The present study aims to test the effects of ICT-assisted English language teaching training on the English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency. To do so, the theoretical constructs of Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory was taken into consideration. These individual constructs are behavior modeling or computer usage (ICT tools used in this case), computer self-efficacy, and outcome expectations.
Research work by Campeau et al. (1999) produced useful insights into the cognitive, affective, and behavioral reactions of individuals to technology, and into the factors which influence these reactions. To this end, the present researchers are interested in adapting the model used for that research since it is found relevant. The concepts and constructs of Bandura's (1989) Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) will be discussed in the next section of this paper.
Since the purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of training in ICT-assisted English language teaching on English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency, to understand the process, variables, and possible outcomes of the training well, relevant theory is needed.
The other relevant theoretical framework is the technological pedagogical content knowledge (hereafter TPCK). There are expected and marked changes in the pedagogical practices of teachers when they use ICT tools for teaching practices. As Gilakjani (2013) says, the existence of the relationship between teachers' teaching methods and computer technology use is one of the personal factors that should be specially considered. He argued that computer technology has the potential to change teachers' teaching methods. When teachers use technology-assisted teaching methods, their traditional role changes, and they can no longer be the source of all information and direct all learning (Allayer, 2011). Thus, as Gilakjani (2013, p. 264) states "Pedagogical change is a direct outcome of any computer technology training in which teachers are engaged." Transforming teachers' practice through ICT-supported teacher training has been found the major challenge (UNESCO, 2013). This has a direct implication for considering the effectiveness of ICT-assisted English language teachers' training on teachers' overall competence, as investigated in this study. This is true since integrating ICT tools in teaching is not a linear and easy task. Teachers usually fail to integrate technologies in their teaching due to some factors. Koehler et al., 2011, p. 101) noted the findings of earlier studies which show teachers' lack of knowledge on the instructional uses of technology to successfully integrate technology in their teaching and their attempts seem to be limited in scope, variety, and depth. This suggests looking for better ways of conceptualizing the variables involved in the process of integrating technology in actual teaching and learning contexts. Mishra and Koehler (2006) argue "Thoughtful pedagogical uses of technology require the development of a complex, situated form of knowledge that we call Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK)." It is based on this argument that a conceptual framework known as "TPACK" was introduced to the field of ICT in education. For a better understanding of the practice of teachers' instructional use of ICT, this TPACK framework has been found relevant for the present study. The TPACK framework (Koehler and Mishra, 2008;Mishra & Koehler, 2006) describes the type of teacher knowledge required to teach effectively with technology. As the scholars in the field agree, describing what teachers need to know can be difficult since teaching is normally a complex, multifaceted activity that occurs in diverse contexts. This is to mean that conceptualizing the practice by itself is not sufficient since what happens on the ground maybe even the opposite. Koehler (2013) argues "Teachers must understand how technology, pedagogy, and content interrelate, and create a form of knowledge that goes beyond the three separate knowledge bases." This argument suggests considering technology as one additional knowledge base for   teachers, in addition to the well-established teachers' knowledge bases: content and pedagogy as long as we are concerned about the pedagogical use of technology by teachers. This is true because, as Koehler (2013) contends "Teaching with technology requires a flexible framework that explains how rapidly-changing technologies may be effectively integrated with a range of pedagogical approaches and content areas." Such arguments force us to consider the dynamic nature of technology and its interaction with pedagogy. Let us see how the TPACK framework is represented in a diagram to show the complex interplay between the variables involved in teachers' attempt to integrate technology in their teaching practices.

Figure 1. TPACK Framework.
The TPACK Framework above (Fig. 1) shows the interplay between the three main knowledge bases (content, pedagogical, technological) of teachers needed when integrating technology in education. Accordingly, the interplay between the three-knowledge basis creates a knowledge base called technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPCK). On the other hand, when two of these three knowledge bases interact with each other, as shown in the diagram, we can find other knowledge bases: pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK), and technological content knowledge (TCK). The focus of the present research is on the latter component of the framework, TCK. The following Figure (Figure 2) demonstrates the conceptual framework of the present research.

Research design
The purpose of this research was to examine whether ICT-assisted training in English language teaching has effects on secondary school English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency. A quasi-experimental design was found appropriate for its suitability of achieving the objectives of this study. Particularly, among the different types of experimental designs, a one-group within-subject quasi-experimental design, specifically, repeated measures time-series design was used. One of the main characteristics of this design is it allows collecting data repeatedly on the same behavior (dependent variable) over some time. According to Creswell (2009), such kind of design is termed equivalent time-series design and can be used when a researcher has access to only one group and can study it over a period.
As the literature tells us, in a within-subjects design or repeated measures design, a single group of subjects is exposed to all levels of the independent variable. The different levels of the independent variable in the present study indicate the different components of pieces of training conducted to the trainee teachers at the different stages of the intervention. These levels or components of the training (independent variable) are: (a) training on the basic knowledge and skills of ICT tools for teaching English (b) training on ELT methodology(pedagogy) knowledge (c) training on ICT-assisted English language proficiency Within-subjects design or repeated measures designallows the researcher to repeatedly measure the study participants' behavior to see any possible changes resulting from the intervention. As Ary, Jacobs and Sorensen (2010) describe, each participant serves as his or her control; so, comparability is not a problem. According to Cohen et al. (2007, p. 284), time-series design has the potential to increase reliability. Moreover, a well-designed single-subject experimental design can fulfill the criteria for internal validity (Ary, Jacobs and Sorensen, (2010). Besides, "repeated measurements of behavior within an experimental condition allow for a more accurate estimate and analysis of the level of behavior. Determining the levels of behavior across time provides a more accurate picture of each participant" (Cipani, (2009), p. 61). The design is presented in the following diagram (Figure 3) for better clarity. Figure 3. Experimental design of the study.
A quantitative approach was followed to collect and analyze data.

Research setting
This study was conducted in Arba Minch and Sawula towns of Gamo and Gofa zones of South Nations, Nationalities, and the Peoples Regional State of Ethiopia. Arba Minch Town is about 435 kilometers south of Addis Ababaand Sawula Town is about 420 km away from Addis Ababa in the south direction. Both towns are the administrative towns of their respective zones. Three government secondary schools, namely Arba Minch Secondary School, Arba Minch University Community Secondary School, and Sawula Secondary School were included in the study.
Arba Minch Secondary School is the oldest and largest secondary school in Arba Minch, which was established in 1958 E.C. Sawula Secondary School is also the oldest and largest secondary school in Sawula; it was established in 1961 E.C. as a primary school and later upgraded to senior secondary school in 1976 E.C. The third school, Arba Minch University Community Secondary School, is also one of the secondary schools in Arba Minch Town and owned by Arba Minch University.

Sampling
The population considered in this study was secondary school English language teachers teaching in the selected government secondary schools during the study period, between December 2020 and June 2021.
Regarding the sampling, different kinds of sampling techniques were used to select the school settings and study participants. Accordingly, the schools were selected using purposive sampling technique mainly because of the following reasons: (a) The schools have more or less similar kinds of ICT tools or facilities needed for the intervention of this study; (b) The three schools have a relatively large number of English language teachers as compared to the other schools in the same research setting so that the required number of participants could be found; (c) The schools' proximity and familiarity to the researchers could ease access to data collection and minimize unnecessary costs and time.
When it comes to the sampling techniques used to include study participants among the target population, a comprehensive sampling technique was applied to include all the English language teachers who were teaching in the three schools during the intervention period (December 2020-June 2021). This was done because the population was manageable. This means, since there were only 23 English language teachers in the three schools, it was possible to involve all of them in the one-group-only quasi-experimental study.
From the total sample of the study participants, 17 (73.9%) of the teachers were qualified in BA/ B. Ed. degree and the rest 6 (26.1%) of the participants were MA/M.Ed. degree holders. The minimum teaching experience of the teachers is 6 years as reported by 2 (8.7%) of them whereas the maximum teaching experience is 39 years as responded by 2 (8.7%) of the teachers. The remaining 19 teachers were within the range of 6 years and 39 years of teaching experience. Among the total of 23 participants who started to take part in the study, one participant was passed away due to natural death in the middle of the intervention. Thus, the data collected from this participant was not included in the data analysis. It was only data collected from the 22 participants who managed to complete the training and data collection stages of the intervention were analyzed in the study.

Data collection tools
As many scholars believe, tests are valuable measuring instruments for educational research. Two researcher made tests were administered to the study participants. The tests mainly focused on: a) English language teaching methodology knowledge (124 items), and b) English language proficiency (67 items). The tests were prepared by the present researchers based on the National Standards for the English Language Teachers teaching at secondary schools in Ethiopia (MoE, 2013).
The tests were mainly objective type avoid subjectivity during correcting, except the essay writing part in the English language proficiency test, and consisted of multiple-choice, matching, true-false, re-arrangements, and yes-no items.
Both tests were administered repeatedly (four times) within given intervals: before, in-between, and at the end of the training or intervention. To help the teachers understand the nature and purpose of the tests, a brief description of the tests was given on the cover page of each test. Extra papers were attached to the English language proficiency test to let teachers use them to write their first and final drafts of the essay writing part. Moreover, to help the teachers effectively listen to the listening text, which was prepared as part of the English language proficiency test, they were given a chance to listen twice. The room used to administer the tests was quiet and equipped with the required audio-visual materials. This means the tests were conducted in the ICT centers of the schools which was used for the training purpose.
Regarding scoring of the tests, since both tests were objective by nature, selected instructors evaluated the performance of the study participants based on the orientation given by the researchers using test evaluation guidelines. To do so, the researchers prepared answer keys and specific directions on how to assess the performances of the teachers. Each question carries one mark. Missing the right answer for a question results in zero mark. The weight of each test is based on the number of items it carries. Later on, the weight of the two tests was converted to one hundred by using the appropriate mathematical method.

Experimental procedures
Designing training resources such as manuals, guidelinesand schedules, and arranging training venues, and selecting and training trainers were the key pre-training activities carried out in this research. Training manuals and guidelines as well as schedules were designed based on the directions and guidelines set by UNESCO (UNESCO, 2018) and the FDRE Ministry of Education (MoE, 2013).
After getting official permission from Arba Minch University and the schools to get access to the training venue and research participants from the respective schools, the 16 weeks long intensive ICTassisted English language teaching and professional development pieces of training were conducted between December and June 2021. The training was face-to-face, six hours a day and three days a week, a total of 16 weeks (288 hours) intensive training conducted by English language education and ICT professionals with the knowledge and skills of ICT-assisted English language teaching. The required data for the research were collected before, during, and after the training in three rounds.

Methods of data analysis
The data analysis for this study was conducted using SPSS version 25 for testing the hypotheses of the research. Accordingly, inferential statistics were carried out. There are two common types of statistical techniques: parametric and non-parametric. Both of them have their own assumptions, features, purposes, and procedures Ary, Jacobs and Sorensen (2010). As mentioned in the earlier section, the present study employed a within-subject repeated measure time-series design. This design allowed repeated measurements on a single-group quasi-experimental group sample at different times of the study. The data collected for this study mainly involves interval type of data which were collected through tests.
Thus, the type of sample used and the nature of data collected required the use of the nonparametric statistical tool for the data analysis. This statistical tool was selected because the type of sample selected (single group) and data collected (repeated measure) does not fulfill some of the assumptions of parametric tests such as the random assignment of samples and the use of nonprobability sampling technique. Since such parametric assumptions are not strictly fulfilled, the researchers were forced to use the non-parametric statistical tool to analyze the data. This is mainly because of the assumption that the non-parametric techniques do not have that many strict assumptions unlike the parametric ones (Bordens&Abot, (2011); Field, (2013); Larrison-Hall, (2010).
Among the different non-parametric tests, the Friedman test was found appropriate for the present research due to its suitability to test the hypotheses of the research. The Friedman test is a test that can be used to test differences between conditions when there are more than two (three or more) samples that are related (Cohen et al., 2007;Field, 2013). Thus, in such kinds of conditions, it is the same subjects that provide the research data. The significance level was taken at 0.05 (5 percent).
Before analyzing the data, to make sure that the data collected can be analyzed through Friedman's test, the following three assumptions were considered: • Assumption #1: One group is measured at three or more different occasions.
• Assumption #2: Dependent variable should be measured at the ordinal or continuous level.

Effect of training in ICT-assisted English language teaching on the pedagogical knowledge of English language teachers
To test the effect of training in ICT-assisted ELT on English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge, four rounds of repeated measurements were conducted before, during, and after the intervention. This section presents the results of the statistical analysis of this test.  The following procedures were applied to analyze the results of the tests. Accordingly, to check if the teachers' mean scores on the four rounds of repeated measures(tests) have a statistically significant difference, the Friedman test which examined differences in medians among the four rounds of test results was conducted using the K related -samples (Friedman) test on the SPSS version 25. Table 1 below presents the results of the analysis.
As shown in the table above, the mean rank for each round: round one (mean rank = 1.11), round two (mean rank = 1.98), round three (mean rank = 3.05), and round four (mean rank = 3.86) was obtained for each of the four rounds of repeated measurements on the English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge. The mean score shows the test score is highest in the fourthround measurement followed by the third, second, and first-round measurements respectively. The K-related -samples (Friedman) test analysis result also indicated the result presented in Table 2 below.
The Friedman test, which examined differences in mean scores among the four rounds of measurements on the teachers' ELT methodology knowledge test results is significant, x 2 (3, N = 22) = 57.712, p < .001 (Table 2). Consequently, it is possible to reject the null hypothesis (H0) which stated training in ICT-assisted ELT does not bring a statistically significant effect on teachers' ELT methodology knowledge. Next, Kendall's coefficient of concordance was conducted using the same Friedman test to examine the degree of the effect, and the following result was obtained.
As the above table shows, Kendall's coefficient of concordance of .874 (Table 3) is obtained which indicates a large effect revealing the ICT-assisted ELT training has brought large effect on the English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge as measured over the four rounds of tests taken at the different time points (pre-, in-between, and post-) of the intervention.

Effect of training in ICT-assisted teaching on English language teachers' English language proficiency
A test on the professional English language skills of the English language teachers was administered four times at the different stages of the intervention to examine if training in ICT-assisted English language teaching has a statistically significant effect on thier English language proficiency. This section presents the results of the statistical analysis of this test.
. To check if the teachers' mean scores on the four rounds of repeated measures(tests) have a statistically significant difference, the Friedman test, which evaluated differences in the mean scores among the four rounds of test results was conducted using the K related -samples (Friedman) test on the SPSS version 25. Table 4 below presents the results.
As the table above depicts, the mean rank for each round: round one (mean rank = 1.16), round two (mean rank = 2.18), round three (mean rank = 2.75), and round four (mean rank = 3.91) was obtained for each of the four rounds of repeated measures on the teachers' test scores for the test on English language proficiency. The mean scores indicate that the test scores are highest in the fourth-round measurement followed by the third, second, and first-round measurements respectively. The K-related -samples (Friedman) test analysis result also indicated the result presented in Table 5 below.
The Friedman test, which examined differences in the mean scores among the four rounds of measurements on the English language proficiency test results is significant, x 2 (3, N = 22) = 52.342, p < .01 (Table 6). Therefore, this study rejected the null hypothesis (H0) which stated ICT -assisted ELT training does not bring a statistically significant effect on English language teachers' English language proficiency. To see the degree of the effect, Kendall's coefficient of concordance was run using the same Friedman test and the following result was obtained.
As the above table shows, Kendall's coefficient of concordance of .793 is obtained and which indicates a large effect showing the ICT-assisted English language proficiency training has brought large effect on the English language teachers' proficiency as measured over the four rounds of measurements taken at the different time points during the intervention.

Discussion
The first objective of the current study aimed to examine the effects of ICT integrated English language teaching training on teachers' pedagogical knowledge. The quasi-experimental design of a single group participant was carried out while measuring the effects of the independent variable on the dependent variables. The data collected at four phases of the intervention were analyzed quantitatively using inferential statistics, particularly the non-parametric Friedman test. The results showed that the training resulted in a statistically significant effect (p < .01) on the participant teachers' English language pedagogical knowledge. This shows a well-designed training conducted for a relatively long period with locally available ICT tools can enhance the professional competency of teachers. Early work also corroborates the current findings that training in ICT-assisted ELT on secondary schools English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge has brought significant improvements on the pedagogical knowledge of teachers. Nevertheless, the possession of basic ICT skills such as word processors, PowerPoint, video editor, and access to the Internet alone may not be adequate unless teachers develop pedagogical knowledge to efficiently integrate ICT into their teaching (Quin &Shuo, 2011, as cited in Parra, (2012). On the same line of discussion, Martí (2006) argues that the use and deployment of ICT in foreign language teaching is certain only if teachers are equipped with the pedagogical and technological knowledge.
The second issue of this study was examining the effect of ICT-assisted English language proficiency training on teachers' English language proficiency. The results indicated that there is a statistically significant effect (p < .01) on the participant teachers' English language proficiency. As noted in the study, the various ICT tools such as English language learning websites, mobile applications, social media sites helped the teachers to get involved in the practices of utilizing the resources for improving their English language proficiency.
As demonstrated in this study, the effects of the ICT-assisted pedagogical and English language proficiency training were not significant just after the basic ICT knowledge and skills training (phase one of the training). It was after the ICT-assisted pedagogical and English language proficiency training that the participant teachers' pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency were significantly improved. Nazari et al. (2019) conducted a study in Tehran (Iran) to examine novice and experienced EFL teachers' TPACK and the ways they develop three bodies of knowledge in TPACK (TK, PK, CK) and its influence to promote their professional development. They recommended further studies, particularly experimental study investigate TPACK-focused professional development courses for novice and experienced EFL teachers to identify the impact of the course on teachers' knowledge base. The present research is the one that can be said a response to such kinds of recommendations by previous researchers to investigate the effects of ICT-assisted English language teaching training on English language teachers' professional development (pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency). The use of technological tools may affect teachers' motivation and personalities that need further investigation (Khalilzadeh & Khodi, 2018).
As the participant teachers' pre-test results indicated, they had a certain level of pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency. That was expected since they are in-service teachers with professional qualifications and a certain experience in teaching. However, as the second and latter measurements (rounds 3 and 4) demonstrated, their performance started to improve over the period when they took the ICT-assisted ELT training. Specifically, the ICT-integrated English language teaching methodology and English language proficiency components of the training helped the teachers to improve their knowledge and skills. In the training, during the intervention, the teachers were exposed to various English language teaching and learning websites, online courses, mobile applications, social media, and other online platforms that can be accessed anytime and anywhere with the various ICT tools. This has a clear implication that English language teachers can benefit from the available ICT tools at their disposal to design, deliver and assess teaching and learning resources to enhance their students learning and their professional development.
Unless such interventions take place, many of the non-native English language teachers around the world may not reach the benchmarks required of them (Richards, 2017). Previous works also revealed that teachers' English language proficiency were significantly improved after the ICT-assisted pedagogical and English language proficiency training (Kwangsawad & Thooptong, 2017;Quin &Shuo, 2011, as cited in Parra, 2012. As Tseng et al. (2020) reported, TPACK research specific to language teachers' knowledge about language teaching with technology been lacking. Thus, it is not easy to find recent and sufficient empirical studies in the area.

Conclusions
The main purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of ICT-assisted English language teaching training on teachers' pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency. To this end, a months-long quasi-experimental study with one group only time series (also called repeated measures) design was conducted on 22 study participants and the following conclusions have been made. Based on the findings of the study, it is possible to conclude that a well-designed training in ICT-assisted English language teacher training significantly improves English language teachers' pedagogical knowledge and English language proficiency. Thus, the findings of the study notes that capacitating English language teachers with the knowledge and skills of ICT tools for teaching English along with the English language proficiency and methodological knowledge is a key strategy in the process of enhancing the professional competency of English language teachers.
Since the majority of the current secondary school English language teachers in Ethiopia have not been trained in ICT-assisted English language teaching and professional development during their pre-service and in-service pieces of training, addressing this gap is very important make them be competent teachers who are capable of addressing their students' need. This can be realized through arranging ongoing professional development opportunities related to the practices of using ICT tools in ELT.
As the actual classroom practices of the teachers were not considered in the present study, further studies that look into the teachers' actual English language teaching practices in the classroom can be investigated to better examine the improvements in their pedagogical practices and English language proficiency as the result of the intervention.
were performed by Mihireteab Abraham. The first draft of the manuscript was also written by him. All the authors commented on the draft and revised versions of the manuscript as well as read and approved the final manuscript.