The Effect of Learner Training on the Use of Digital Tools
to Support English Writing Skills
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As connectivity, technical sophistication and access to technology have continued to increase,
so has the expectation that technology will be used as a natural part of teaching and learning
by new cohorts of students entering language classrooms.
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As Godwin-Jones (2016) pointed out, basic digital competence is generally assumed now in
new students at university, at least in countries like New Zealand where high-school
graduates are expected to have been using technology as long as they can remember
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The use of computers for writing has been shown to offer many benefits to language learners
of various ages.text
The study was carried out over a one-week course at a language college in New Zealand. The
college offers English for Academic Purposes (EAP-1 and EAP-2) courses to students who
need to improve their academic English skills for tertiary studies in New Zealand.
The study was descriptive in nature, involving pre- and post-training interviews and free�writing, a survey about digital practices and the training sessions.
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Free writing: The participants were asked to write about their views on the use of technology
for different purposes with a special focus on learning the English language. This writing was
done in English but was not analysed for language-related issues; rather, qualitative data were
extracted based on students’ expressed perceptions and beliefs about the use of technology in
learning English.
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Survey: As the students were from different countries and had different educational and
technological experiences, it was considered of interest to know about their current use and
aspirations for the future use of technology.
Analysis of the survey data allowed us to describe the digital practices of the EAP students.
Since these students had different educational backgrounds and technological skills, it was
necessary to get information about students’ digital practices before providing them with
training in the use of MS Word.
Need for training: Although students perceived technology as a help to them in every aspect
of their lives, they realized the importance of the skills required to better utilize it. They
believed that a better knowledge of these digital tools could help them save time which could
then be applied to other areas.
The present study was carried out on a small scale to examine how training in the use of MS
Word impacted on students’ awareness and use of the writing aids available in this software.
It further investigated the perceptions, beliefs and practices of English language learners in
the use of technology for educational and non-educational purposes.
The results of the study also revealed that with the globalization of education, even in
developed countries such as New Zealand, language teachers cannot assume that all learners
possess similar basic skills in the general-use tools in CALL.