At the Nexus of Edu-Tech, Edu-Fiction, and Edu-Facts: A Triadic Framework for Pedagogical Integration in Language Education

Abstract

Digital platforms and AI tools are now routine in language education, but technology by itself rarely produces sustained learning. Likewise, narrative-rich tasks can boost engagement, yet they may drift from curricular outcomes if they are not anchored in accurate, discipline-relevant content. This conceptual paper addresses the persistent fragmentation across three strands of scholarship: technology integration (CALL), narrative pedagogy, and content-based/data-driven instruction. It proposes a triadic framework that aligns (a) Edu-Tech (delivery, interaction, and feedback), (b) Edu-Fiction (narrative scaffolds that support motivation and identity work), and (c) Edu-Facts (authentic, verifiable input and evidence-based knowledge building). Using conceptual synthesis, the paper specifies three integration mechanisms: technology enabling narrative task design, narrative framing strengthening engagement with factual content, and factual constraints guiding creative production. It also offers a practical sequencing heuristic—factual anchor, narrative scaffold, then technological production. The framework identifies boundary conditions related to infrastructure, assessment regimes, and teacher preparation, and it concludes with testable propositions for empirical validation. The contribution is a transferable design logic that helps curriculum designers and teachers coordinate engagement, delivery, and epistemic substance within one coherent model.