Social Justice in Technology-Mediated Second Language Education: A Systematic Review

Technology is here to stay and transfer our entire lives, including modes of communication and education. Its deep impact on our educational lives during the COVID-19 pandemic which forced education everywhere to go online cannot be denied. Technology-Mediated Language Learning (TMLL) otherwise known as Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in its various realizations (online and offline) has been a common, but limited, practice in many educational encounters for a few decades. Its recent, more widespread use on a global scale has brought to the fore less-attended but thornier issues such as social justice. This paper takes social justice in TMLL as the starting point and attempts to outline social (in)justice issues addressed in published papers on this topic from 2015 to 2023 (4 years before the pandemic up to now). To this end, relevant articles (following the inclusion/exclusion criteria) were identified (N = 16) and examined meticulously in terms of utilized data collection tools, social justice issues addressed, as well as theoretical and pedagogical implications. The review uncovers that more attention has been drawn to social justice issues in online classes after the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. The studies further signify the prominent role of language teachers in promoting social justice, highlight the widening digital gap between learners, and bring to spotlight hegemonies and governing power influencing social media content.