EFL teachers’ readiness for 4Cs integration in teaching: the role of self-regulated professional learning and digital educational opportunities

Aygul Spatay, Perizat Kudabayeva, Saule Polatova, Gulbokhor Umarbekova, Lyazzat Ibrayeva, Gulnaz Orynbekova

Frontiers in Education, 2026

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DOI 10.3389/feduc.2026.1901530
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

The increasing digitalization of education and the growing emphasis on twenty-first-century competencies have expanded expectations for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ continuous professional development. However, limited evidence exists on how teachers’ self-regulated professional learning and perceived digital educational opportunities are associated with their readiness to integrate Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity (4Cs) into teaching. A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted with 225 in-service EFL teachers from secondary schools and universities in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. Data were collected using measures of Self-Regulated Professional Learning (SRL), Perceived Digital Educational Opportunities (DEO), and an eight-vignette scenario-based assessment of readiness for 4Cs integration. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, multiple linear regression, Welch's independent-samples t -tests, and adjusted regression analysis were applied. The mean overall scenario-based readiness score was 21.43 (SD = 4.42; theoretical range = 8–32), with Critical Thinking showing the highest mean and Creativity the lowest. Overall readiness was strongly associated with SRL ( r = .809, p < .001) and perceived DEO ( r = .761, p < .001). In the multiple regression model, SRL ( β = .553, p < .001) and perceived DEO ( β = .375, p < .001) were independently associated with readiness, with the model explaining 72.3% of its variance (R 2 = .723). Creativity showed the strongest dimension-specific relationships with SRL and perceived DEO and the largest proportion of explained variance (R 2 = .593). University instructors demonstrated higher unadjusted readiness than secondary-school teachers; however, the institutional association was substantially reduced after adjustment for teaching experience and gender ( β = .111, p = .003). EFL teachers’ scenario-based readiness for 4Cs integration is closely associated with both self-regulated professional learning and perceived digital educational opportunities, although the strength of these relationships differs across individual 4Cs dimensions and institutional contexts. The findings highlight the potential value of CPD approaches that combine access to digitally mediated professional-learning opportunities with support for teachers’ planning, reflection, self-monitoring, and pedagogical adaptation. Because the study was cross-sectional and scenario-based, the findings represent statistical associations and stated pedagogical preparedness rather than causal effects or directly observed classroom competence.