Can e-portfolios improve the students’ attitudes towards English language learning?

Abstract

Second language learning is closely linked to the attitude of the learners. Positive attitudes contribute exponentially to effective learning. Likewise, negative attitudes can hinder learning. The aims of this study are, firstly, to check whether negative attitudes towards second language learning exist and, secondly, to analyse the effect that the use of an educational portfolio can have on these attitudes. Research shows that e-portfolios are useful tools in language learning, however there is scarce scientific evidence that relate the use of e-portfolios with attitude. This paper aims to fill this gap in relation to the effect e-portfolios may have on students’ attitudes. The Mahara e-portfolio was used along with a sample of 207 students pursuing the degree in early childhood education. They were administered a questionnaire to measure a range of attitudinal factors before and after the use of the e-portfolio. A descriptive analysis and comparison analysis of the independent samples was carried out using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test. The results show that there are indeed negative attitudes related to language learning and that the use of an e-portfolio contributes to mitigating them. It is also an effective tool for the promotion of positive attitudes and, therefore, using an e-portfolio in language classrooms can be very beneficial for both students and teachers since it will help generating a better classroom atmosphere which will eventually lead to a better learning. These findings are expected to bring light to stakeholders to consider e-portfolio to encourage students’ motivation and pleasantness.

Keywords

• e-portfolio
• motivation
• anxiety
• english language learning
• active learning