DIGITAL LIBRARY
DIGITAL PORTFOLIOS TO ENHANCE ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE WRITING SKILLS: A CASE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN SOUTHERN ECUADOR
Universidad TĂ©cnica Particular de Loja (ECUADOR)
About this paper:
Appears in: ICERI2019 Proceedings
Publication year: 2019
Pages: 9347-9353
ISBN: 978-84-09-14755-7
ISSN: 2340-1095
doi: 10.21125/iceri.2019.2267
Conference name: 12th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation
Dates: 11-13 November, 2019
Location: Seville, Spain
Abstract:
This study examined the effectiveness of using digital portfolios to enhance EFL (English as a Foreign Language) writing skills. The participants were 60 students from A1 and A2 levels, according to the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference), who were registered in an English course at a private university in southern Ecuador. The data for this innovative experience was gathered from pre and post-questionnaires, observation sheets, and rubrics. Students used smparthones and laptops to create digital portfolios in Google Drive, which included shared photos, infographies, and reflective essays about academic topics related to the competences of the course. This intervention was carried out for a period of 10 months, in which students received permanent feedback about the products they created. After analyzing the data quantitatively and qualitatively, the results show that digital portfolios constitute an effective learning tool that enhances EFL students’ writing skills and motivates them to reflect on their own progress.
Keywords:
Digital portfolios, EFL writing, Google Drive, university students.