The COVID-19 pandemic brought changes around the world, especially in the education field where classes were shifted to only distance learning. This radical transformation could have affected students' level of engagement and motivation; therefore, it might also have had some influence on their performance. This study correlates English as a…

The current work was based on a project that aimed to enhance the English-speaking skill development in tenth graders of a public high school in Ambato, a city of the Andean Region of Ecuador. The population involved 145 students who were surveyed to detect their impression about the use of Communication Games in the English as a Foreign Language…

The present study aims to test the effectiveness of the Nota Bene (NB) software as an on line annotation tool to enhance students' academic performance and to know their perceptions about the use of this tool. In this research, a quasi-experimental design was used in a private university in Ecuador. The participants were ninety-eight pre-service…

Learning computer programming is a challenging process. Among the current approaches for overcoming this challenge, visual programming languages (VPLs), such as Scratch, have shown very promising results for beginners. Interestingly, some higher education institutions have started to use VPLs to introduce basic programming concepts, mainly in CS1…

El Oro province undergoes a high rate of student's withdrawal from distance courses offered by the local university. The distance education model gives for granted that the regular teachers are proficient for remote tutoring. This research attempts to reveal the state-of-art of this educative model in a provincial university. The study focused on…

This study aimed to analyze the effect of game-based learning (GBL) through the use of Genially in English as a foreign language (EFL) online instruction. The participants were 61 EFL undergraduate students, who were distributed into an experimental group (32 students), and a control group (29 students). Their ages ranged from 22 to 56 years old,…

Understanding factors promoting or preventing participants' completion of a massive open online course (MOOC) is an important research topic, as attrition rates remain high for this environment. Motivation and digital skills have been identified as aspects promoting student engagement in a MOOC, and they are considered necessary for success.…

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…

Among the language skills, writing has been considered as the most difficult skill not only for native speakers, but for foreign language learners as well in the sense that one cannot achieve fluency and accuracy unless they become successful language users in terms of listening, speaking, and reading. This action research studied the effect of…

This action research was undertaken at a university language center in Ambato, Ecuador, as a result of concerns over the high level of teacher dependence among learners of English as a Second Language (EFL). The project aimed at assessing the development of autonomous learning behavior and the motivational impact of student collaboration on…

English language students at the Universidad Nacional de Educacion (UNAE) in Ecuador tend to have various learning styles and have a hard time being motivated to not only learn, but also remember the correct form of English language being taught in the classroom. It is mandatory for these students to learn English; therefore many do not have…

For many students, preconceived notions about Darwin are among the most significant obstacles in learning about the theory of evolution by natural selection. I present an activity designed to eliminate this obstacle and encourage empathizing with Darwin, utilizing the history-of-science approach. Through the activity, students' negative thoughts…

This mixed-methods study investigated the use of supplementary materials by EFL teachers in Ecuadorian secondary schools. Via the use of teacher interviews (n = 12) it was found that teachers believe the use of supplementary materials increases the motivation of the students, which in-turn improves the learning possibilities of the students. The…

This study examined recall (Rcl) differences of high, average and low achieving fifth-grade elementary students (72) for an environmental education video with supporting pedagogical materials. In addition, it assessed the motivational level of all students. Recall assessment was carried out one-week and twenty-weeks after intervention. Main…