ERIC Number: EJ1164158
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Nov
Pages: 21
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1072-4303
EISSN: N/A
ePortfolios in English Language Learning: Perceptions of Arabic-Speaking Higher Education Students
Dougherty, Ellen; Coelho, Daniela
TESL-EJ, v21 n3 Nov 2017
Since the beginning of the century, research studies in the field have mainly focused either on how ePortfolios foster student self-efficacy or on instructor or student perceptions of the value of electronic portfolios (Wakimoto & Lewis, 2014); however, most of these studies have been carried out in North America and Australia. A few studies have embraced a more international perspective, including studies conducted in European, Asian and Middle Eastern countries (e.g., Kabilan & Khan, 2012; Richardson, Watkins, & Field, 2012), but, research on the use of ePortfolios with Arabic-speaking students in the Middle East is still limited, specifically in the area of English language education. Despite this limitation, the implementation of ePortfolios across fields of study has been increasingly encouraged in tertiary institutions in some Middle Eastern countries recently (Turner, 2014). As teachers in a reputable, higher education institution in the Middle East, the authors observed limited use of ePortfolios, and portfolios in general, and, perhaps more significantly, a general lack of knowledge on the value of these digital tools in student learning. With this in mind, the authors, as teachers and researchers deemed it necessary and worthwhile to develop a study in their Middle Eastern, higher education institution to (a) understand the perceptions of the students regarding the value of ePortfolios in English language education and (b) gather suggestions from students on how to maximize the use of these digital tools in higher education. The results of the study seem to indicate that the Arabic-speaking students saw ePortoflios as valuable digital tools in their English language classes; therefore, one of the goals of this paper is to familiarize teachers of Arabic-speaking students with the potentials of electronic portfolios.
Descriptors: Semitic Languages, English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, Electronic Publishing, Portfolios (Background Materials), College Students, Student Attitudes, Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Teaching Methods, Questionnaires, Foreign Countries, Knowledge Level, Pretests Posttests, Intervention
TESL-EJ. e-mail: editor@tesl-ej.org; Web site: http://tesl-ej.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Tests/Questionnaires; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A