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Abstract The 21st century accompanied by the emergence of technology in the education confronts the citizens with challenging competencies required for lifelong learning such as collaboration and critical literacy as a means for social change. However, most of EFL students have great problems concerning developing their critical literacy competencies due to the dominant examination- oriented educational system and the nature of the curriculum that gives limited attention to developing higher thinking abilities. They are not given a chance to express their voices toward political or social issues or to develop their awareness of such problems. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of using a collaborative e- learning program in developing EFL prep stage students’ critical literacy. Study Questions In order to investigate the problem, the present study attempted to answer the following main question: 112 How can the suggested collaborative learning program based on the Connectivism be used to develop EFL prep stage students’ critical literacy? In order to answer the previous question, the following sub-questions had to be answered: 1. What is the level of EFL prep stage students’ critical literacy? 2. What are the critical literacy components required for EFL prep stage students? 3. What are the basic components of a collaborative e- learning program for developing EFL prep stage students’ critical literacy within the Connectivism? 4. What is the effect of using a collaborative e- learning program on developing EFL prep stage students’ critical literacy within the Connectivism? Hypotheses of the Study To investigate the research problem, the study tested the following hypotheses: 1. There is no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the study group in the two administrations of the pre and post critical literacy test with regard to the development of their overall critical literacy. 2. There is no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the study group in the two administrations of the pre and post critical literacy test with regard to the development of each component of critical literacy (problem posing, examining multiple perspectives, critical reflection and taking an action). 113 Instruments To achieve the aim of the study, the following instruments were designed by the researcher and used through the study: 1. A pre/post critical literacy test 2. A critical literacy rubric The Study Group A group of EFL second prep stage students (n=25) participated in the study. Before starting the experiment, the critical literacy test was applied to the group. The proposed program was then administered to the students. Finally, the critical literacy test was reapplied to the same group as a posttest. Pedagogical Implications The results obtained in this study have led to the conclusion that collaborative e learning supported by the theory of Connectivism had statistically significant effect on developing EFL prep stage students’ critical literacy. These results have important implications for EFL teachers, curriculum designers ,and researchers as they give useful guides to a new effective and flexible method of learning through using Edmodo and Google Meet as interactive and motivating contexts for online learning. It gives more chances for learners to be involved in active learning circumstances for sharing knowledge and promoting social interaction in real-world situations. Moreover, this study added to knowledge in the field of teaching critical literacy competencies. It provided a set of strategies and activities and suggestions for developing critical literacy as one of the main requirements needed to cope with the 21st century. They helped the 114 students to be aware of many global crucial problems motivating them to take an action towards practices of inequality and injustices. Besides, this study highlights the great role that EFL teachers can play to improve their students’ critical literacy competencies. S/he should give their students adequate chances to express their opinions about global problems integrating this within teaching English curriculum. This may result in encouraging the students to be agents of social change. These teachers should be given more flexibility in choosing suitable textbooks and resources that discuss such issues in an interesting and motivating way. Moreover, when designing the English curriculum, there should be a distinctive shift from the dominant examination- oriented educational system to a system that supports not only critical literacy but also the new literacies needed for the 21st century such as global, digital and environmental literacies. Limitations The researcher faced some difficulties through the experimentation. She tried to solve them. It was challenging to change the students’ attitudes towards what Abednia and Izadinia (2013) termed as deep-seated beliefs. Most students relate the concept of critical literacy to politics which arose their anxiety in negotiating such issues. Thus, she was so careful in selecting topics of global appeal avoiding topics that may cause the students’ confusion especially that they are still young like the topic of transgender. There was a kind of fear related to parental resistance when challenging the cultural beliefs existing in the society such as gender inequality or job stereotypes. Yet, it was found that the parents 115 supported their kids in their attitudes by sharing their ideas on social media. Some challenges were identified concerning the students’ participation and internet connection. It was expected that the students, as connectivist learners, should be self- regulated in their learning. However, some students were irresponsible to do or to share the assigned work. This was solved by giving the students a chance to choose the members of their group assigning a group leader to motivate them. There were some problems covering the limited access to the internet essentially the study was carried out during the spread of the Covid 19 outbreak in which online learning was the only means for teaching and teaching. This challenge was solved by expanding the due time for answering the assigned task. Results of the Study The results of the present study were elicited from both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Scores of the study group in the pre and posttests were analyzed and compared using T-test and Eta-squared formula. The results revealed the following: There is a statistically significant difference at the 0.01 level between the mean scores of the study group on the pre and post critical literacy test with regard to the development their overall critical literacy in favour of the posttest administration. There is a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the study group on the pre and post critical literacy test regarding the development of each component of critical literacy in favour of the posttest administration.” |