Exploring the Impact of eTwinning in the Acquisition of Oral Comprehension in Primary School Learners

Öz

This paper is part of an ongoing doctoral research examining the development of communicative competence in English as a foreign language (EFL) among primary school students who participated in a 5-month eTwinning project. A quasi-experimental design with an experimental (n = 22) and a control (n = 21) group was used. Learners in the experimental group were engaged in transnational collaborative digital activities while those in the control group received traditional teaching. Data were collected through pre- and post-listening standardised tests. The results showed statistically significant improvements in the experimental group, in contrast to non-significant improvements in the control group. The paper proposes that the eTwinning platform fosters authentic communication, hence developing the oral comprehension of EFL students as part of their overall communicative competence.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• oral comprehension
• eTwinning
• EFL
• communicative competence
• technology-enhanced learning

İlkokul Öğrencilerinde Sözlü Anlama Ediniminde eTwinning'in Etkisinin İncelenmesi

Öz

Bu makale, 5 aylık bir eTwinning projesine katılan ilkokul öğrencilerinin yabancı dil olarak İngilizce (EFL) öğreniminde iletişimsel yeterliğin gelişimini inceleyen, devam etmekte olan bir doktora araştırmasının parçasıdır. Araştırmada, deney (n = 22) ve kontrol (n = 21) grubu içeren yarı deneysel bir tasarım kullanılmıştır. Deney grubundaki öğrenciler ulusötesi iş birliğine dayalı dijital etkinliklere katılırken, kontrol grubundaki öğrenciler geleneksel öğretim almıştır. Veriler, ön test ve son test olarak uygulanan standart dinleme testleri aracılığıyla toplanmıştır. Sonuçlar, deney grubunda istatistiksel açıdan anlamlı gelişmeler olduğunu; kontrol grubunda ise anlamlı bir ilerleme kaydedilmediğini ortaya koymuştur. Makale, eTwinning platformunun özgün iletişimi desteklediğini ve bu sayede EFL öğrencilerinin genel iletişimsel yeterliklerinin bir parçası olarak sözlü anlama becerilerini geliştirdiğini öne sürmektedir. (Translated using Claude AI)

Anahtar Kelimeler

• sözlü anlama
• eTwinning
• EFL
• iletişimsel yeterlik
• teknoloji destekli öğrenme

Kaynakça

1. Alcaraz-Mármol, G. (2020). Developing intercultural communication in the EFL primary education classroom: Internationalization through virtual team collaboration with eTwinning. *TEJUELO. Didáctica de La Lengua y La Literatura. Educación, 32*, 147–170. [https://doi.org/10.17398/1988-8430.32.147](https://doi.org/10.17398/1988-8430.32.147)
2. Barriuso, C. (2019). Bringing real-life English into your classroom. In D. Masats, M. Mont, & N. Gonzalez-Acevedo (Eds.), *Joint efforts for innovation: Working together to improve foreign language teaching in the 21st century* (pp. 99–108). Zenodo. [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3064130](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3064130)
3. Buck, G. (2001). *Assessing Listening*. Cambridge University Press. [https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511732959](https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511732959)
4. Byram, M. (2021). *Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence*. Multilingual Matters. [https://doi.org/10.21832/9781800410251](https://doi.org/10.21832/9781800410251)
5. Cameron, L. (2001). *Teaching Languages to Young Learners*. Cambridge University Press. [https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511733109](https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511733109)
6. Canale, M., & Swain, M. (1980). Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. *Applied Linguistics, I*(1), 1–47. [https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/I.1.1](https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/I.1.1)
7. Cohen, J. (2013). *Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences*. Routledge. [https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771587](https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771587)
8. Commission, E. (2021). *eTwinning: Annual report 2021.*

9. Ellis, R. (2015). *Understanding Second Language Acquisition* (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. [https://books.google.es/books?id=dZrICgAAQBAJ](https://books.google.es/books?id=dZrICgAAQBAJ)
10. Field, J. (2009). *Listening in the Language Classroom*. Cambridge University Press. [https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511575945](https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511575945)
11. Galvin, C. (2009). *eTwinning in the classroom: A showcase of good practice (2008-2009).* Central Support Service for eTwinning (CSS).
12. Gilleran, A., & Kearney, C. (2014). *Developing pupil competences through eTwinning.* Central Support Service for eTwinning (CSS).
13. Godwin-Jones, R. (2019). Riding the digital wilds: Learner autonomy and informal language learning. *Language Learning and Technology, 23*(1). [https://doi.org/10.125/44667](https://doi.org/10.125/44667)
14. Günerhan, E. N., Atasoy Karsavuranoğlu, Ş., & Gürlen, E. (2025). Beyond classrooms: High school students’ experiences with digital competence and English language development in eTwinning projects. *International Journal of Contemporary Educational Research*. [https://doi.org/10.52380/ijcer.2025.12.3.835](https://doi.org/10.52380/ijcer.2025.12.3.835)
15. Heinzmann, S., Ferris, C., Roderer, T., & Ehrsam, K. (2024). Student exchange in primary and secondary education and its effect on language gains, intercultural competence and language learning motivation: A systematic review of research in the European context. *International Journal of Multilingualism*, 1–39. [https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2024.2331609](https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2024.2331609)
16. Jewitt, C. (2008). Multimodality and literacy in school classrooms. *Review of Research in Education, 32*(1), 241–267. [https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X07310586](https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X07310586)
17. Kearney, C. (2016). *Monitoring eTwinning Practice – A pilot project guiding teachers’ competence development.*
18. Lockhart, E. (2015). Task-based learning for training the future English teachers: Learning language and content in an active and meaningful way (2nd ed.). *Revista CIDUI.*
19. Mayer, R. E. (2009). *Multimedia learning*. Cambridge University Press.
20. O’Dowd, R. (2009). Online intercultural exchange—An introduction for foreign language teachers. *ELT Journal, 63*(1), 81–84. [https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccn065](https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccn065)
21. Pinter, A. (2017). *Teaching young language learners*. Oxford University Press.
22. Rost, M. (2013). *Teaching and Researching: Listening*. Routledge. [https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315833705](https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315833705)
23. Tsatzali, K., & Beazidou, E. (2023). Suggested practices for developing intercultural communication competences in early English language lessons based on a systematic literature review. *European Journal of Education and Pedagogy*. [https://doi.org/10.24018/ejedu.2023.4.3.665](https://doi.org/10.24018/ejedu.2023.4.3.665)
24. Tuong, N. K., & Dan, T. C. (2024). A study on Duolingo mobile applications to improve EFL students’ listening comprehension performances. *European Journal of Alternative Education Studies*. [https://doi.org/10.46827/ejae.v9i1.5342](https://doi.org/10.46827/ejae.v9i1.5342)
25. Vandergrift, L., & Goh, C. C. M. (2012). *Teaching and learning second language listening: Metacognition in action*. Routledge.
26. Warschauer, M. (1997). Computer-mediated collaborative learning: Theory and practice. *The Modern Language Journal, 81*(4). [https://doi.org/10.2307/328890](https://doi.org/10.2307/328890)
27. Warschauer, M., & Kern, R. (2000). *Network-Based Language Teaching: Concepts and Practice*. Cambridge University Press. [https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139524735](https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139524735)