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.

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.

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.

The aim of the present descriptive research study is to determine the students’ reading and writing achievement level according to their learning styles, as well as their preferences regarding the reading and writing strategies in English, as a Foreign-Language (EFL) course. This work is a contribution to the debate on the controversial issue about the influence of learning styles on EFL reading and writing skills. The sample for this research was a group of 120 distance-university students (45 males and 75 females) enrolled in an English program. The data-collection instruments used comprised a perceptual learning-style preference questionnaire, reading and writing of online tasks, and a preference questionnaire related to reading and writing strategies, which were planned for the course. The data from the questionnaires and the students’ scores were analyzed statistically. The findings revealed that there is a minimal difference in the EFL students’ reading and writing achievement across four learning styles. In addition, students prefer reading strategies, such as multiple-choice questions, matching exercises, filling the blanks, and answering open questions. As for writing, the learners preferred strategies that include brainstorming, answering multiple-choice questions, matching, filling in the blanks, and answering open questions.

The aim of this quantitative study is to determine the impact of using digital comics to strengthen English as a Foreign Language (EFL) vocabulary knowledge during the COVID-19 pandemic. The approach was quasi-experimental with 262 public high school students from three of the four regions of Ecuador. The students’ ages ranged from 12 to 14 years and their proficiency level was A1 in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). They were divided into control and experimental groups. The participants in both groups received explicit vocabulary instruction through workshops, but the experimental group had the opportunity to practise EFL vocabulary using digital comics while the control group used supplementary resources and the textbook established by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education. The data were collected using pre-tests, post-tests, and a perception survey. Based on the statistical analysis, the results showed a significant improvement in vocabulary acquisition in the experimental group. This group also demonstrated a positive perception of the use of digital comics for enhancing EFL vocabulary knowledge because comics allowed students to create original digital stories and customise them according to their preferences. Further research might consider the use of comics for teaching specific linguistic skills in on-site learning environments.