The aim of this study was to determine the impact of using Genially games for enhancing English as a foreign language (EFL) reading and writing skills. The participants were 48 students from the A2 level, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). They were enrolled in two reading and writing courses at a private university in Loja, in the south of Ecuador. The participants were organized into an experimental (n = 23) and a control group (n = 25). A mixed-method approach was used for collecting and analyzing data in this research. Pre- and post-tests were administered to all the participants; furthermore, a perceptions survey was applied to the experimental group. This study involved an online instructional process in which Genially game-based activities were implemented for practicing reading comprehension as well as paragraph and essay organization. The results showed that the use of Genially games was effective to enhance EFL reading and writing skills. An increase in the experimental group’s scores was evident for the reading skills, specifically when they had to identify main ideas, supporting details, and other elements of a reading passage. Regarding writing, they showed improvement in terms of recognizing accurate grammar and vocabulary, organizing ideas, and demonstrating awareness of essay organization. Participants also had a positive perception toward the use of game-based activities, which also increased their motivation. Further research should consider planning, game design, implementation, evaluation, and feedback.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the use of digital games to enhance English as a Foreign Language (EFL) grammar and vocabulary in the English Major of Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, in southern Ecuador. A total of 68 students from B1 level, according to the Common European Frame-work of Reference for Languages (CEFR), participated in this study. All the par-ticipants were enrolled in two different classes of a Communicative Grammar course. A mixed-method approach was used to collect and analyze data in this study. Pre and post-questionnaires as well as writing rubrics were applied as in-struments. Digital games were implemented throughout an academic term of 5 months in which students received permanent feedback. The results show that digital games were useful to improve learners´ grammar in aspects concerning the use of modals, gerunds, and infinitives; also, students showed an improvement in their vocabulary knowledge, especially in topics related to jobs and education.

The present study is aimed at analyzing the impact of digital sto-rytelling on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) pre-service teachers’ writing skills. The participants were 101 students, who were enrolled in four distance courses of the English Major at a private university in Ecuador. Their ages ranged between 19 and 22 years old. They were divided into one control (49) and one experimental (52) group since this study used a quasi-experimental approach combined with a mixed-method design. The instruments included a pre-question-naire, a pre-test, a post-questionnaire, and a post-test. The main findings show that there was a significant improvement in students’ writing skills, particularly in aspects related to grammar and vocabulary. In addition, digital storytelling us-ing Storybird was perceived as a useful strategy to develop the participants’ EFL writing skills since they were more engaged in activities that allowed them to demonstrate their knowledge when designing narrative projects.

The present study was aimed at analyzing the factors that contribute to engage students in active learning through Formative on mobile devices. It also focused on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ perceptions of using this tool for enhancing active learning. The participants were 82 adult on-site learners en-rolled in five different courses of an English program at a university level. In ad-dition, 5 English instructors were in charge of teaching the aforementioned stu-dents. An action-research design along with a mixed-method approach were used to analyze the data in this study. The information was gathered through diagnostic questionnaires, observations, and perceptions questionnaires. The results evi-denced that engagement, motivation, participation, and reduction in students’ anx-iety constitute the most relevant factors that contributed to involve students in ac-tive learning through the use of Formative on mobile devices. The tool was per-ceived as motivating and engaging because it allowed students to enhance active learning and get directly involved in the class activities to demonstrate their knowledge.

This study was conducted to identify teachers' and students' perceptions regarding the internal factors that influence English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning in the southern region of Ecuador. The participants were 257 children, who answered a questionnaire about motivation, anxiety, willingness, self-efficacy and memorization when learning English skills. The English classes that these students took were observed during a three-month period. In addition, eight teachers were interviewed in order to know their views about the students' internal factors in EFL learning. After analyzing the data quantitatively and qualitatively, the results evidenced that, according to the participants' perceptions, motivation decreases depending on the students' age and the type of skills. Furthermore, anxiety when speaking in front of the class and doing listening activities increases as the students get older. Students are also self-efficient in the classroom, and they recall what they have learned. All the implications that can be derived from these factors should be carefully analyzed by educational stakeholders in order to help students succeed in the learning process.

Abstract— The purpose of this study was to determine students’ perceptions towards the use of virtual workspaces for enhancing collaborative work in higher education. The participants were 122 (72 graduate and 50 postgraduate) Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) students who were enrolled in different courses at a private university in Ecuador. The students’ proficiency levels varied from B1 to C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). A mixed-method approach was used comprising qualitative and quantitative methods; thus, a diagnostic questionnaire, a perceptions ques-tionnaire, a semi-structured interview, and observation checklists were adminis-tered as instruments. This research involved an online instructional process in which teachers implemented virtual workspaces using Jamboard as a tool to de-sign collaborative activities. The results evidenced that the use of virtual work-spaces helped students develop their collaborative skills and promoted their open-mindedness. Also, virtual workspaces allow teachers to build positive e-learning environments in which students can discuss topics from different perspectives and show respect for each other’s ideas.

Extensive studies have been conducted regarding mother tongue (L1) interference and developing English writing skills. This study, however, aims to investigate the influence of the Spanish language on second language (L2) writing skills at several Ecuadorian senior high schools in Loja. To achieve this, 351 students and 42 teachers from second year senior high schools (public and private) were asked to participate in this study. The instruments for data collection were student and teacher questionnaires, as well as a written test in which students were asked to write a narrative passage. The information gathered from the instruments was then organized and tabulated to determine the various interference variables. Afterwards, the most representative samples from the narrative texts were analyzed based on their semantic, morphological and syntactical features. The results from this study indicate that English grammar and vocabulary were the linguistic areas that suffered the highest level of L1 language interference. The most common Spanish interference errors were misuse of verbs, omission of personal and object pronouns, misuse of prepositions, overuse of articles, and inappropriate/ unnatural word order. Finally, some suggestions are given to teachers in order to help students prevent further Spanish interference problems during writing/composition classes.

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the “engage, study, activate” (ESA) approach using interactive technological tools at a private university in southern Ecuador. The participants were 67 undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in two English as a foreign language (EFL) programs. The study was conducted over a period of ten weeks in three different courses, in which the ESA approach was implemented in an online remote learning environment due to the Covid 19 pandemic. The research instruments included an online diagnostic questionnaire, an observation checklist, an online perceptions questionnaire, and semi-structured interview. In each stage of the ESA approach, activities focusing on developing students’ knowledge were designed using interactive technological tools such as Zoom, Canvas, Quizizz, Canva, and Padlet. The results show that in the engage stage, participants felt comfortable, relaxed, and motivated about learning something new. In addition, dialogues and groupwork were the favorite activities during the study stage, where participants shared their ideas with one another. The use of ICT tools was especially effective in the activate stage, because it allowed participants to work collaboratively and receive feedback. All the stages of the ESA approach helped the participants improve their linguistic and pedagogical skills since the use of technological tools allowed them to be actively involved in the learning process.