Personal learning environments (PLEs) in EFL secondary school students

Abstract

The aim of the present paper is to make a theoretical review on the concept of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) in relation to EFL learning, and to carry out a practical study aimed at analysing the features of PLEs from EFL secondary school students. In order to develop this analysis, three research questions have lead the study: RQ1. What are the common features of a PLE from a secondary school student? RQ2. How are their PLEs in relation to EFL learning? RQ3. How can EFL teachers take advantage of their PLEs composition in order to introduce language learning as a part of it? The study has been developed by obtaining 10 PLEs samples designed by a 4th ESO group of EFL students. After having analysed these PLEs, I have created an average PLE which reflects the digital applications and platforms that students have included in their PLEs, being Whatsapp, Instagram and Youtube the most popular. Regarding the relationship between students’ PLEs and their EFL learning experience, the most remarkable point is the fact that none of the students are users of EFL learning apps, but they use other applications that are not strictly related to EFL for this purpose such as Instagram, Tik-Tok, Papás 2.0 and Spotify. Finally, I have explored the possibilities of using applications already present in our students’ PLEs in order to enhance their autonomous learning process and their EFL learning such as Whatsapp and Instagram.