Web 2.0 Tools in Teacher Training Programs in a Multilingual Setting: Searching, Selecting and Using Information

Abstract

The aim of this submission is to present the findings of a research conducted in Catalonia,a multilingual region in the north of Spain, aimed to gather data about the use of web 2.0 tools in academic writing among future primary and pre-primary teachers. The research focuses on two main issues:a) the criteria on which their choices are based on and b)the proofreading tools and dictionaries used in the process of writing academic tasks in Spanish, Catalan (L1 and L2) and English (Foreign Language).For this purpose an online questionnaire of Likert scale questions was designed and later administered to students enrolled in teacher training programs at the University of Lleida (Spain) during the course 2015-2016.A total of 543 undergraduate students answered the questionnaire and the data were analysed with the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) software. The results show that the majority prefer digital sources and use a generic search engine when searching for information.Criteria such as authorship and up-to-date are less relevant, while accessibility is more valued.Google Translate is considered a dictionary as well as a translator. Regarding the use of proofreading tools and dictionaries, online dictionaries are the main tools used to correct an academic text. Our data suggest that although the students may be identified as “digital natives” in their social life, their academic competences in both managing information and text editing are limited. Thus, specific actions should be included in their curricula, to enable the acquisition of digital academic literacy skills.



Author Information
Yolanda Capdevila Tomas, University of Lleida, Spain
Montserrat Casanovas Català, University of Lleida, Spain
Olivia Nechita, University of Lleida, Spain

Paper Information
Conference: ACTC2017
Stream: Digital literacy

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Posted by James Alexander Gordon