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The ELP through time: Background motivation, growing experience, current beliefs

  • Carmen Argondizzo

    Carmen Argondizzo is Professors of English Linguistics at the University of Calabria (Italy) where she teaches students majoring in Economics, Business Administration and Political Science. Her research interests focus on discourse analysis in the field of Language for Academic Purposes and the related pedagogical implications, considered from a humanistic perspective. She is President of the University Language Centre where she coordinates European projects aimed at enhancing students’ autonomous learning in the academic and professional sectors.

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    and Maria I. Sasso

    Maria I. Sasso works as administrative personnel of the Language Centre at the University of Calabria. She is in charge of linguistic orientation for students who will be attending degree courses at the same University. More recently, she has been participating in research activities about the use of the ELP and about tools and strategies for the improvement of self-learning.

Published/Copyright: October 6, 2016

Abstract

This article offers an overview of research strategies currently in use at the Language Centre of the University of Calabria and aimed at observing university students’ learning habits when they are asked to use the European Language Portfolio during language courses. We present evidence of how experimental groups of students belonging to different fields of study (e. g. business administration, engineering, humanities, natural sciences, social-political science) interact with the ELP toolkit. Variables are considered such as students’ motivation and learning styles, which may be affected by different approaches to study in different academic disciplines. We hypothesize that the experimental groups will outperform the control group, made up of students who will not be using the ELP. The global objective of the research stems from the research team’s belief that the ELP offers strong and effective support when teachers wish to encourage language learners to develop reflective learning and participative autonomy.

About the authors

Carmen Argondizzo

Carmen Argondizzo is Professors of English Linguistics at the University of Calabria (Italy) where she teaches students majoring in Economics, Business Administration and Political Science. Her research interests focus on discourse analysis in the field of Language for Academic Purposes and the related pedagogical implications, considered from a humanistic perspective. She is President of the University Language Centre where she coordinates European projects aimed at enhancing students’ autonomous learning in the academic and professional sectors.

Maria I. Sasso

Maria I. Sasso works as administrative personnel of the Language Centre at the University of Calabria. She is in charge of linguistic orientation for students who will be attending degree courses at the same University. More recently, she has been participating in research activities about the use of the ELP and about tools and strategies for the improvement of self-learning.

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Note

Although the authors co-operated in researching and writing the article, they worked on different sections. Carmen Argondizzo wrote Sections 12, 3 and 5, while Maria I. Sasso wrote Section 4.


Published Online: 2016-10-6
Published in Print: 2016-10-1

©2016 by De Gruyter Mouton

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Fostering engagement with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the European Language Portfolio: Learning from good practice in university language centres
  3. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the European Language Portfolio, and language teaching/learning at university: An argument and some proposals
  4. Aligning ESP courses with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
  5. Implementing CEFR principles in introductory Norwegian language courses for international students: Opportunities and challenges
  6. EPOS – the European e-portfolio of languages
  7. Translating language policy into practice: Language and culture policy at a Dutch university
  8. The ELP through time: Background motivation, growing experience, current beliefs
  9. Using the ELP as a basis for self- and peer assessment when selecting “best” work in modern-language degree programmes
  10. Biografische Methoden der Kompetenzanalyse für die Reflexion von Sprachkompetenz–Portfolioarbeit in der Praxis
  11. Creating task-based oral foreign language exams linked to the CEFR in higher education
  12. From the learning diary to the ELP: An e-portfolio for autonomous language learning
  13. The classroom and beyond: Creating a learning environment to support learners of Japanese at CEFR levels A2.2 towards B1
  14. Access granted: Modern languages and issues of accessibility at university – a case study from Australia
  15. The role of second language in higher education: A case study of German students at a Dutch university
  16. Plurilingual proficiency as a learning objective for a multilingual curriculum in the study of business in Finland
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