ENHANCING ESL STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING OF TEXT STRUCTURES THROUGH PADLET: A THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF LEARNERS’ EXPERIENCES AND PERCEPTIONS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJMOE.830050Keywords:
ESL, Padlet, Writing, Text StructureAbstract
In ESL learning context, the inclusion of collaborative platforms in language learning can provide a supportive tool that can enhance learners’ writing skills. Educators view this platform as additional teaching aids that elevate the learners’ motivation while encouraging the learning experience. This study explores ESL students’ perception of using Padlet to improve writing skills mainly in forming sentence structure and idea development. In addition, this study also adapted theories from Vygotsky’s Social Constructivist Theory, Wenger’s Communities of Practice, and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to further assist the research. To further explore the effectiveness of Padlet in language learning, this study also examines the benefits and challenges of Padlet as collaborative tools in language learning. Students’ suggestions for improving its usage in class lessons were collected to provide the maximal usage of this platform in class lessons. This research uses a qualitative descriptive approach where the data was collected from students’ open-ended feedback. The data were then analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and themes were decided based on students’ feedback. Based on the findings, four key strengths of Padlet can be identified which are its visual organization, easy to use, interactive features that lead to open group learning and discussion. Students reported that the platform became a big help in providing a better understanding on writing organization such as the development of Introductions, body paragraphs and conclusions. However, it also comes with a few challenges that include difficulty to track large numbers of posts, unstable internet connectivity, and inconvenience to use in mobile devices. These concerns have been highlighted in Cognitive Load Theory, the excessive information at one time can hinder a learner’s ability to process and organize knowledge effectively. Therefore, students recommended clearer instruction from instructors to better understand the task in Padlet. Additionally, the Padlet board should be systematically organized, and timely feedback should be given to monitor learners closely. To further use Padlet in effective ways, students also suggested instructors to prove more structured writing templates. Overall, this study concludes that Padlet is a useful digital tool for supporting the teaching and learning of text structure in ESL writing classrooms.
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