European Language Portfolio Research Articles

Practitioners Evaluation On The Procedural Aspects Of An English Language Portfolio

This study aims to share English language practitioners' reflections on the adaptation of teaching methods and materials during the pre-validation period of the European Language Portfolio (ELP). In order to achieve this aim, a high school was selected as the scope of research, since it has started to adapt the English language teaching curriculum, syllabuses, instruction methods and assessment in line with the Common European Framework for the teaching of English as a foreign language for the last 4 years. A focus group of eight teachers was selected to collect data via semi-structured interviews. During the data collection procedure, the participants evaluated the process and procedures in terms of the related themes of SWOT analysis. The collected data was analyzed through coding and theme identification.

The Eportfolio: How can it be used in French as a second language teaching and learning?

Originally used in artistic circles, the portfolio is quickly gaining ground in French as a second language teaching and learning. For example, the European Language Portfolio (ELP), under the auspices of the European Council, is a tool that is rapidly adaptable to advances in Web 2.0 technology. In this context, we draw a portrait of the portfolio in French as a second language (FSL) education and cite the advantages of the electronic portfolio. Finally, we draw on empirical results, from a specific eportfolio, eduportfolio, to illustrate its potential for FSL teaching and learning.

Descriptive study of learner's level of autonomy: voices from the Turkish language classes

The notion of learner autonomy that is thought to bring some benefits in the context of teaching Turkish as a foreign language and the effects of European Language Portfolio applications, developed as a language teaching Project by the Council of Europe, on language learning and teaching are the basis of this study. The importance of Learner Autonomy has been introduced to the literature; however, it has not been applied enough in the context of teaching Turkish as a foreign language. Recognition of this notion by the institutions and teachers that teach Turkish will provide a lot of benefits in the field of Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language. The questionnaire included 43 items about the necessities of learner autonomy and learning strategies. This study group consisted of students attending Turkish courses at the Ankara University Turkish and Foreign Languages Research and Application Centre. This work has been implemented in multicultural classes for 159 adult students. This questionnaire has been analyzed to detect learners’ cognitive, affective and psychomotor strategies on learning. The indicators of the study for autonomy in the Turkish classes have determined that students have autonomy in certain domains of learning, but not all.

Using Electronic Portfolios for Second Language Assessment

Portfolio assessment as developed in Europe presents a learner‐empowering alternative to computer‐based testing. The authors present the European Language Portfolio (ELP) and its American adaptations, LinguaFolio and the Global Language Portfolio, as tools to be used with the Common European Framework of Reference for languages and the American national standards, which reference the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages proficiency scale. The ELP's characteristic three‐part format, consisting of a language passport, a language biography, and a dossier, builds on earlier research on portfolios and second language assessment. The portfolios' qualitative assessment complements other types of quantitative assessment measures. The authors also explore the unique affordances offered by electronic portfolios to connect teaching and learning to assessment, discuss the effectiveness of portfolios as an assessment tool, and point to future directions for e‐portfolio research and development for language learning.

Book and Software Reviews / Critiques de livres et de logiciels

M. Byram and L. Parmenter (Eds.), The Common European Framework of Reference: The Globalisation of Language Education Policy, reviewed by David Little E. Huver et C. Springer, L’évaluation en langues, reviewed by Enrica Piccardo B. Kühn & M.L. Pérez Cavana (Eds.), Perspectives from the European Language Portfolio: Learner Autonomy and Self-assessment, reviewed by Laura Hermans-Nymark

Language learner autonomy and the European Language Portfolio: Two L2 English examples

This article argues that the Council of Europe's European Language Portfolio is capable of supporting the implementation of language learner autonomy on a large scale. It begins by explaining what the author understands by ‘language learner autonomy’, then introduces the European Language Portfolio and explains how it can stimulate reflective learning in which goal setting and self-assessment play a central role. It concludes by giving two practical examples that involve the learning of L2 English in Ireland, in one case by adult immigrants with refugee status and in the other by newcomer pupils in primary schools.

A case study: two teachers' reflections on the ELP in practice

We conducted an action research study with a group of EFL teachers in our local area in order to establish the grounds for the use of the European Language Portfolio (ELP) and the Common European Framework of Reference in local state schools. This paper reports on the way we conducted this study and the cycles we went through, specifically focusing on two teachers’ experiences of the ELP in practice.

European language policy and quality assurance tools for management education

Preparing students to become top managers in today's global economy represents a major challenge for higher education. This article outlines the statistical data showing the importance of language skills and cultural competence for Europe's economy, and places in the context of European language policy the roles to be played by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the European Language Portfolio in assuring that those entering the business world will be prepared for a plurilingual and pluricultural Europe. How can schools and universities turn students into global leaders? How do we guarantee that our European graduates meet their employers' future needs for language skills and cultural competence? How does European language policy relate to the higher education curriculum and act as a quality assurance tool? To address these issues, we will describe the international and global context our students face, and then explore how the Council of Europe's common language rating scale and its complementary language portfolio together function as tools for quality assurance as required by the Bologna process

Promoting student autonomy through the use of the European Language Portfolio

The European Language Portfolio (ELP) is a document launched by the Council of Europe in 2001 which consists of three sections: the Passport, the Language Biography, and the Dossier. It has two complementary functions: a pedagogic function (helping students to reflect on their learning and objectives) and a reporting function (providing a record of their language skills in terms of the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference). The author has coordinated trials of the ELP in two adult language schools in northern Spain. Following a preparatory training period, the project was carried out for a year. A number of problems were detected and solutions for them were found mainly through the use of IT: a web-based resource centre was created, where over 50 ELP-oriented activities and a list of FAQs was uploaded. In addition, students were encouraged to use e-Portfolios and ‘Europass’ as well as the online ‘Dialang’ test to help them in the self-assessment process. With the help of IT resources, the ELP has proved to be extremely useful as a pedagogical rather than a reporting tool. It has raised student awareness about the language learning process and its implications and has promoted learner autonomy to a very high degree.

Descriptive and criterion-referenced self-assessment with L2 readers

Brantmeier [Brantmeier, C., 2006. Advanced L2 learners and reading placement: self-assessment, computer-based testing, and subsequent performance. System 34 (1), 15–35] found that self-assessment (SA) of second language (L2) reading ability is not an accurate predictor for computer-based testing or subsequent classroom performance. With 359 advanced L2 university-level learners, the present study attempts to provide new empirical evidence concerning the use of SA, when measured via criterion-referenced items, as a predictor of reading scores on a computer-based placement test and subsequent reading achievement. Before reading, participants completed a contextualized, criterion-referenced instrument for SA that was created from the European Language Portfolio. A four-item contextualized SA questionnaire was also completed after reading. Participants completed the following: self-assessment questionnaire taken prior to computer-based test, computer-based test of 8 readings, 2 in-class readings, written recall, multiple-choice, topic familiarity questionnaire, and post-reading SA questionnaire. Findings indicated that a descriptive and criterion-referenced questionnaire for SA may be a reliable predictor of both reading scores on a computer-based test and subsequent classroom performance when comprehension is measured via sentence completion and multiple choice items. The criterion-referenced questionnaire did not prove to be a reliable predictor of reading comprehension with the written recall task for the short story. The post-reading SA instrument proved reliable for all three comprehension tasks. Results hold important implications for both language placement directors and test constructors.

LANGUAGE COMMUNICATION COMPETENCIES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION REVISITED

The ability to learn languages and adapt communication competencies to the changing needs and situations of a global knowledge society and the European Higher Education area is becoming a necessity for future engineers. This article first discusses the demand for communication skills in Engineering Education in general. Secondly, it describes the present state of the Bologna process in Spanish higher education, which calls for a change in focus from an input model to an output one, in which learning outcomes are central. Finally, it summarizes the proposal of developing a ªbank" of language learning outcomes for Engineering Education studies framed within the European Language Portfolio. This bank of learning outcomes, expressed as ªcan do" statements, will serve three purposes: curricula guidance for teachers, guidelines for student life-long learning and autonomous learning.

NOTE FOR EDITOR: Development And Validation Process Of A European Language Portfolio Model For Young Learners

The European Language Portfolio (ELP) was developed and piloted by the Language Policy Division of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, from 1998 to 2000. It was launched on a pan-European level during the European Year of Languages as a tool to support the development of plurilingualism and pluriculturalism (http://www.coe.int/T/DG4/Portfolio/?L=E&M=/main_pages/welcome.html).

The European Framework of Languages: A Piloting Sample of Cross‐curricular Strategy

This paper gives a short overview of the history of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEF) and European Language Portfolio (ELP)1 and explains their aims and functions. It then provides a summary of the ELP use in Europe and in Spain by showing a pilot study of its implementation carried out at the Schools of Civil Engineering and Architecture in the Polytechnic University of Madrid, as well as including specific data derived from this study. The general results obtained so far have been mixed. Thus, whereas positive effects on the learning process, learning outcome, and learner motivation have been observed, many drawbacks have been likewise encountered by students and teachers, such as the rigidness of the self‐assessment descriptors, the difficulty in handling and updating, and the amount of time and work that the implementation of the ELP involves. Finally, in view of these difficulties and drawing from our own experience, some suggestions particularly applicable to our case study are shown....

The Current and Potential Impact of the European Language Portfolio on Language Learning in the United States

The Current and Potential Impact of the European Language Portfolio on Language Learning in the United States

Teacher education

Teacher education

From Policy to Pedagogy: Widening the Discourse and Practice of the Learning Society in the European Union

This paper explores the policy turn of the learning society, and how the academic world is responding to new social and political demands. It highlights some of the criticisms levelled at the learning society, as well as the voices of support. The paper also showcases the European Language Portfolio and the Transferable Skills project as two examples of good practice.

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Content, purpose, origin, reception and impact

Since its circulation in two draft versions in 1996, and especially since its commercial publication in English and French in 2001, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has come to dominate discussion of L2 curricula, the assessment of L2 proficiency, and L2 teaching and learning in Europe. Although it is widely referred to, however, the CEFR remains relatively little known beyond the summaries of its six proficiency levels presented in the so-called ‘global scale’ and ‘self-assessment grid’. This article summarises the CEFR's content, purpose, and origins; describes its reception, paying particular attention to its impact on L2 teaching and learning (especially via its companion piece, the European Language Portfolio) and on the assessment of L2 proficiency; and concludes with a brief consideration of present challenges and future prospects.

Language Motivation in a Reconfigured Europe: Access, Identity, Autonomy

In this paper, I propose that we need to develop an appropriate set of conceptual tools for examining motivational issues pertaining to linguistic diversity, mobility and social integration in a rapidly changing and expanding Europe. I begin by drawing on research that has begun to reframe the concept of integrative motivation in the context of theories of self and identity. Expanding the notion of identity, I discuss the contribution of the Council of Europe's European Language Portfolio in promoting a view of motivation as the development of a plurilingual European identity and the enabling of access and mobility across a multilingual Europe. Next, I critically examine the assumption that the individual pursuit of a plurilingual identity is unproblematic, by highlighting the social context in which motivation and identity are constructed and embedded. To illuminate the role of this social context, I explore three inter-related theoretical frameworks: poststructuralist perspectives on language motivation as ‘investment’; sociocultural theory; and theories of autonomy in language education. I conclude with the key message that, as with autonomy, language motivation today has an inescapably political dimension of which we need to take greater account in our research and pedagogical practice.

Electronic In-Service Teacher-Training for the New National EFL Curriculum in Turkey.

A new national curriculum in all subject areas is about to be introduced in elementary schools in Turkey. The new curriculum is based on a “Constructivist” approach. This discussion paper focuses on the new curriculum for English as a foreign language, noting that teachers need information about the philosophy of the new curriculum and how its different elements support each other. The paper sets the curriculum reform in the context of international objectives in education such as the Dakar Conference, the Pisa project, Socrates programmes, the Common European Framework for Languages and the European Language Portfolio. The paper discusses the role of electronic learning in in-service training in both ongoing and one-shot teacher training programmes. The paper identifies four specific challenges and proposes solutions for a successful implementation of the new curriculum. The four challenges are how to make up the new curriculum comprehensible to teachers, how to help teachers develop their own materials, how to persuade teachers to participate in training process, and how to help teachers share their ideas.

Exploring Intercultural Awareness in the Primary Modern Language Classroom: The Potential of the New Model of European Language Portfolio Developed by the Irish Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative (MLPSI)

This paper reflects a key concern for teacher trainers: how can primary language teachers promote the development of intercultural awareness among their pupils? It addresses the concept of intercultural awareness as it applies to young learners and refers more specifically to the context of the Irish primary classroom and its curriculum. It argues that the European Language Portfolio (ELP) provides a valuable framework to develop and describe young learners' experiences, awareness and attitudes in this area and outlines the role of the MLPSI ELP model as a valuable potential instrument for both teacher training and teaching practice in this area.