UDC 372.881.1

Xiakeer X.¹ (Urumqi, People’s Republic of China) – 202220324001@bfsu.edu.cn

¹Xinjiang Normal University

Abstract. The large-scale digitalization of education confronts Chinese foreign language teachers not only with the challenge of mastering new technologies, but also with preserving their professional identity as algorithms increasingly perform functions traditionally belonging to the educator. Existing international digital competence frameworks (UNESCO, DigCompEdu, ISTE) and China’s national standard JY/T 0646–2022 share a common structural limitation: the priority of instrumental rationality with insufficient regard for the humanistic nature of language education and its formative mission. This study aims to facilitate a paradigm shift from the “technology–application” model toward value rationality by constructing an integrative digital competence model for foreign language teachers. The methodology comprises a comparative analysis of international frameworks, critical deconstruction of their applicability in the Chinese context, and diagnosis of technology integration barriers using the SAMR model. Findings reveal that foreign language teaching practice in China remains predominantly at the lower SAMR levels (substitution and augmentation): technologies enhance efficiency but fail to penetrate the essential goals of language education. The underlying cause is a deficit of axiological orientation capable of distinguishing the ontological from the operational in the educational process. A three-dimensional dynamic model — “technological empowerment – integrative innovation – axiological ethics” — is proposed, in which the value dimension serves as the systemic foundation. The principle of “preserving essence” shifts from a peripheral concept to the model’s internal logic. The static nature of traditional competence inventories is overcome through mechanisms of progression, internal tension, and spiral development. The findings are relevant both to the Chinese context and to the global discussion on the irreducible-to-algorithm professional core of the educator in the digital era.

Keywords: education, digitalization of education, digital literacy, foreign language teachers in China, paradigm shift.

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For citation: Xiakeer, X. (2026).Upholding tradition and embracing innovation: a study on the paradigm shift of digital literacy among foreign language teachers in China in the digital age.CITISE, 2, 859-869.