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Implementing theoretical approaches using ICT in teaching English as a foreign language

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Abstract

The purpose of this present study is to explore the effect of an instructional approach that utilizes Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) and is based on Van Hiele’s levels of geometric thought and Hoffer’s skills that describe them, for the instruction of the English Alphabet. The sample of the present research consisted of Greek students attending the second grade of primary school. The sample was divided into two groups, a control and an experimental one. The former was taught according to the curriculum provided by the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. The experimental group was taught through an intervention based on the principles of Blended Learning. The intervention was based on the first level of Van Hiele’s theory and more specifically Hoffer’s skills describing this specific level. Every student was assessed regarding their non-verbal intelligence prior to the intervention. Similarly, an adjusted assessment was used prior and after the intervention to assess their ability to recognize the target-letters. The results of the study showed the intervention’s statistically significant effect on students’ learning regin arding English alphabet letters that varied in regards to students’ skills, which can be attributed to various factors.

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  1. Department of Preschool Education, University of Crete, Crete, Greece

    Evangelia Tzagkourni, Elissavet Chlapana & Nicholas Zaranis

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  1. Evangelia Tzagkourni
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All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Evangelia Tzagkourni. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Evangelia Tzagkourni and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Tzagkourni, E., Chlapana, E. & Zaranis, N. Implementing theoretical approaches using ICT in teaching English as a foreign language. Educ Inf Technol 26, 6203–6226 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10594-0

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