Does the ELP promote learning English as a foreign language at tertiary level?

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of European Language Portfolio (ELP on students’ attitudes towards learning English. The study also examined the attitudes of students and teachers towards the ELP and its implementation into the curriculum. The study was conducted at BA¼lent Ecevit University the School of Foreign Languages Basic English Department in the 2016-2017 academic year. Two data collection instruments were employed in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty students and five teachers. Attitude questionnaires were given to the students. Both the qualitative and quantitative results of the study indicated that the ELP can promote self-assessment on the condition that it is used effectively both by the teachers and students and as a consequence they support having more positive attitudes towards learning English. Additionally, it was found that the students felt positive towards the ELP and working with it as far as they used it correctly in their classes as part of the curriculum. In addition, the findings of the study indicated that both the teachers and the students believed that the ELP was a tool for self-assessment; however, the implementation of the ELP in the curriculum of the School of Foreign Languages at BA¼lent Ecevit University needs support since the ELP has only been newly introduced in Turkey as well and the teachers have very little information about the use and effectiveness of the ELP in language learning. However, this study showed that the ELP could be used as a tool to promote self-assessment and to create learner-centered classrooms in Turkey Keywords: Self-assessment, European Language Portfolio (ELP), life-long foreign language learning, intercultural competence, the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), adult ELP