Palestinian EFL students' perceptions of using Edmodo in developing their writing skills

Abstract

The present study explored Palestinian EFL students’ perceptions towards the use of Edmodo in developing their writing skills at Palestine Ahliya University, Bethlehem. Sixteen sophomore English major students taking the Oral Communication II course in the Spring Semester 2019 -2020 served as the participants of the study. The researchers adopted a mixed methodological approach. A questionnaire consisting of 27 items was adapted by the researchers for the purpose of eliciting students’ perceptions towards the use of Edmodo in developing their writing skills and the barriers they faced while using the platform. In addition, in-depth qualitative data was gathered from students' written responses to an end-of-course assignment posted on Edmodo. In general, the results of the study revealed that students had positive perceptions towards using Edmodo in terms of writing development and collaborative learning. However, it is worth noting that several participants reflected negative responses which resulted from the technological difficulties and their limited experiences with Edmodo.