An investigation into the epistemologies assumed by English language secondary education teachers in Greece and their impact on English language learners' collaborative construction of learning in web 2.0. settings: An exploratory case study

Abstract

This study explores the emerging epistemologies of EFL language teachers in the context of Edmodo digital platform which is a web 2.0. tool in secondary education in Greece and the impact of these epistemologies on EFL students’ collaborative learning. In this thesis, a general picture of the current situation is depicted based on data obtained from the EFL teachers’ and students’ questionnaires, interviews and participant observations. The main goal of this thesis is to propose an alternative look to English language teaching which occurs with the incorporation of web 2.0. tools mainly as a means of urging EFL students to discover peers’-based learning. The findings indicate that the epistemologies assumed by the EFL teachers affect their teaching practices that are employed by them. It also reflects the conscious effort of the English language practitioners to move away from an autocratic, know it all stance, and focus on the learners as experts and legitimate holders of their reality. This entails a closer inspection of the learner-based reality which is best captured within the boundaries of Edmodo digital platform- based community whereby issues of immediate interests to the learners are accessed and analysed. There seems to be a desire on the part of the EFL teachers to forge an establishment of a learning community with the same concerns and a common goal. Also there seems to be a partial transformation of the role of the EFL practitioners to catalyse the reflection process, to contextualize matters of concerns and to forge a learning community in order to reach a consensual meaning that is gauged to their learners’ immediate needs. The findings raise implications for Language Learning Educational Policy in Greece, as well as the EFL teachers themselves.