Volume 3,Issue 8
Technology as a Constructivist Partner: Enhancing Language Proficiency and Learner Engagement in Higher Education EFL
This paper proposes and empirically validates a constructivist-informed model that positions technology as an active partner in higher education EFL teaching. By integrating interactive whiteboards (IWBs) with smart teaching platforms, this model operationalizes three interconnected constructivist principles: social co-construction, situated exploration, and scaffolded knowledge building. A one-semester mixed-methods study employing pre-/post-tests, platform analytics, and student journals demonstrates significant improvements in language proficiency and engagement. The findings indicate that this theoretically grounded model effectively bridges the practice-theory gap in educational technology, offering a coherent model for moving from tool-centric to partnership-centric integration. The study demonstrates that when technology is strategically aligned with pedagogical principles, it transcends its conventional role as a mere delivery mechanism to become a dynamic participant in the learning process, facilitating environments where language competence develops through authentic use and social interaction.
[1] Vygotsky L, 1978, Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.
[2] Lave J, Wenger E, 1991, Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge University Press.
[3] Wood D, Bruner J, Ross G, 1976, The Role of Tutoring in Problem Solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17(2): 89–100.
[4] Lantolf J, Thorne S, 2006, Sociocultural Theory and the Genesis of Second Language Development. Oxford University Press.
[5] Xu H, Xie J, Cheng X, et al., 2023, Exploration of the Construction of University Smart Classrooms in the New Era. Research and Exploration in Laboratory, 42(9): 239–244.
[6] Kress G, 2003, Literacy in the New Media Age. Routledge.
[7] Van Lier L, 2004, The Ecology and Semiotics of Language Learning: A Sociocultural Perspective. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
[8] Wenger E, 1998, Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity. Cambridge University Press.
[9] Beauchamp G, Whyte S, Alexander J, 2014, Researching Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) Use from Primary School to University Settings Across Europe: An Analytical Framework for Foreign Language Teaching. Wales Journal of Education, 17(1): 30–52.
[10] Hennessy S, London L, 2013, Learning from International Experiences With Interactive Whiteboards: The Role of Professional Development in Integrating the Technology. OECD Publishing.