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The Use of Digital Portfolios to Enhance English as a Foreign Language Speaking Skills in Higher Education

Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to analyze the use of digital portfolios to enhance EFL (English as a Foreign Language) speaking skills in English-major undergraduate students at Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja, in southern Ecuador. The participants were 42 students at the A2 level, according to the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). All of them were enrolled in an English Language Integrated Skills course. A mixed-method approach was used to collect and analyze data in this study. Pre and post-questionnaires, observation sheets, and speaking rubrics were applied as instruments. Students used their smartphones to create digital portfolios in a free storage service (Google Drive), which included videos and audios about certain topics considered in the course syllabus. The speaking activities consisted of recording information in different locations of the university campus (cafeteria, laboratories, library, chapel, sports ground), and other places of the city. The students worked individually, in pairs or groups to carry out different speaking activities during an academic term of 5 months. Personalized feedback was provided by analyzing the students’ oral performance through the speech artifacts uploaded in each portfolio. The findings show that digital portfolios were effective to enhance students’ pronunciation and fluency. It was also confirmed that the implementation of digital portfolios through free storage services can increase students’ motivation to practice oral skills in the target language.