EFL teachers’ perceptions of online community projects in secondary school education

Abstract

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is crucial in most secondary schools within the EU and many other schools worldwide. Some teachers are integrating Online Community Projects (OCPs) into their curricula to provide a means of communication that motivates learning and incites learner-centred methods. This collaborative Action Research study reports on the perspectives and experiences of EFL teachers teaching in secondary schools in three European countries: the north and south of Italy, the east of Norway and the west of Sweden. Data were collected from six EFL teachers: four were users of OCPs, while the other two had chosen not to use them. Methods used to gather data were individual face-to-face interviews and open-question questionnaires. The results showed that all teachers perceived that working on OCPs could benefit professional develop - ment and their students’ language skills. The choice not to use OCPs was related to the lack of time and difficulties in assessment. This research provides a lens through which to examine the advantages and disadvantages of integrating OCPs into the EFL curricula. It has implications for teachers wishing to include OCPs in their curriculum.