Integration of Web 2.0 Tools in a VLE to Improve Results in the EFL Spanish University Entrance Examination: A Quasi-experimental Study

The article shows the results of a research project designed to improve the results in the English as a Foreign Language section of the Spanish University Admission Examination, or PAU, Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad (henceforth EFLPAU). Using a quasi-experimental methodology (Seliger & Soham...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor: Martín Monje, Elena María
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2014
País:España
Recursos:Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Repositorio:e-spacio. Repositorio Institucional de la UNED
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:e-spacio.uned.es:20.500.14468/30876
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14468/30876
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:5505.10 Filología
5701 Lingüística aplicada
Computer-Assisted Language Learning
EFL
Web 2.0
VLE
Spanish EFL-PAU
Descrição
Resumo:The article shows the results of a research project designed to improve the results in the English as a Foreign Language section of the Spanish University Admission Examination, or PAU, Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad (henceforth EFLPAU). Using a quasi-experimental methodology (Seliger & Sohamy, 1990), relevant data was collected from two groups (control and experimental group) during a whole academic year just before their EFL-PAU. The hypothesis that students who used Web 2.0 based materials (forums, collaborative glossaries, social repositories with annotated past papers, podcasts, social bookmarking, a wiki and a blog) instead of traditional EFL resources achieved better results was quantitatively confirmed. Furthermore, it was qualitatively proved that Web 2.0 tools in EFL increase motivation in students, a crucial aspect for the achievement of good scores in the English section of the EFL-PAU. All these Web 2.0 tools were located in a Moodle course, one of the most widely used virtual learning environments. Although not strictly speaking a Web 2.0 tool, Moodle facilitates interactive information sharing, online collaboration and is user/learner-centered, all of which are key features in a Web 2.0 digital education context.