The Effect of Electronic Portfolios on Promoting Egyptian EFL College Students’ Writing Competence and Autonomy
Title
The Effect of Electronic Portfolios on Promoting Egyptian EFL College Students Writing Competence and Autonomy
The Effect of Electronic Portfolios on Promoting Egyptian EFL College Students Writing Competence and Autonomy
Keywords: Electronic Portfolios, Writing Competence, Learning Autonomy
Authors
Ahmed Mahmoud Aliweh
Tanta University, Egypt
Ahmed Mahmoud Aliweh
Tanta University, Egypt
Bio Data
Ahmed Mahmoud Aliweh earned his Ph.D. from the State University of new York at Buffalo. From 1991-2000, he worked at Imam University, Saudi Arabia. He also taught at Sultan Qabous University for two semesters. His interests include online learning, intercultural communication, writing, and strategic competences.
Abstract
As a response to the ongoing developments in Egyptian Higher Education which call for the implementation of more innovative technology-assisted methods of teaching, and out of the universal paradigm shift that emphasises learner autonomy and perceives learning as a lifelong process, this study examines the effects of electronic portfolios, as a non-traditional tool, on enhancing Egyptian EFL college students writing competence and autonomy. The study was conducted on sixty fourth year college students (23 males and 37 females). The participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group, or a control group, of 30 students each. Whereas members of the control group developed traditional paper portfolios, members of the experimental group used the Internet and online resources to develop and present the same essay portfolios. Two instruments were developed and used to assess the impact of the electronic portfolio: a) the Writing Competence Rating Scale; and b) the Learning Autonomy Scale. Results of the ANCOVA analysis reveal that online portfolios did not yield significant effects on students writing competence and learning autonomy due to the interference of various extraneous variables which are the least controllable in online research. Further interpretations and study limitations were discussed.
As a response to the ongoing developments in Egyptian Higher Education which call for the implementation of more innovative technology-assisted methods of teaching, and out of the universal paradigm shift that emphasises learner autonomy and perceives learning as a lifelong process, this study examines the effects of electronic portfolios, as a non-traditional tool, on enhancing Egyptian EFL college students writing competence and autonomy. The study was conducted on sixty fourth year college students (23 males and 37 females). The participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group, or a control group, of 30 students each. Whereas members of the control group developed traditional paper portfolios, members of the experimental group used the Internet and online resources to develop and present the same essay portfolios. Two instruments were developed and used to assess the impact of the electronic portfolio: a) the Writing Competence Rating Scale; and b) the Learning Autonomy Scale. Results of the ANCOVA analysis reveal that online portfolios did not yield significant effects on students writing competence and learning autonomy due to the interference of various extraneous variables which are the least controllable in online research. Further interpretations and study limitations were discussed.
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Category: Main Editions, Volume 13 Issue 2
