The Use and Integration of Web 2.0 and 3.0 Technologies by Adult Arabs Learning English: A Scoping Review Study and a Phenomenographic Case Study of Immigrants to Canada
Abstract
Digital technologies have been implemented in many educational contexts, becoming an integral part of curriculum design, teaching, and learning processes. This qualitative study investigated the lived experiences of adult Arab immigrants to Canada using Web 2.0/3.0 technologies for learning English. Using the new media literacies and the TIPEC frameworks, the study aimed to research the participants’ perceptions, affordances, constraints, and impacts of using Web 2.0/3.0 technologies before, during, and after learning English.
Phenomenography was the originally planned research method. However, a scoping review was conducted to complement the data collection process, mapped the literature, and utilized for triangulation (Santos et al., 2020). Fifteen adult Arab immigrants to Canada who were perusing higher education consented to participate in the phenomenographic study. Thirteen participants completed the online questionnaire sharing their individual experiences of Web 2.0/3.0 technologies. Two participants subsequently participated in the follow-up interview. The study sought to explore the underpinning conceptions influencing the participants’ experiences. Additionally, the research aimed to identify distinct and hierarchical categories that emerged from the collective analysis of the participants’ narrative questionnaire and interview responses.
The collected data was analyzed using NVivo 12 Pro software. The study’s findings shed light on the various types of Web 2.0/3.0 technologies used by the research population, including their experiences, purposes, temporal and spatial aspects, nature of use, and duration. The participants’ perceptions, impacts, affordances, and constraints constituted the unit of analysis. These concepts denoted the outcome space (Johansson, 1985). Five categories of description emerged from the collective analysis of data referred to as casual, experimental, knowledge, educational, and professional. There was no phenomenographic study found during the scoping review nor there was a scoping review conducted about the research subject.
The study’s implications of the findings and conclusion are significant for various educational stakeholders, ESL facilitators, curriculum developers, and policymakers. The study offers practical recommendations for enhancing ESL learning experiences using Web 2.0/3.0 technologies. The research study contributes to the knowledge of policy makers, researchers, ESL facilitators, instructors, and educators providing a comprehensive understanding of the researched population. The diverse perceptions of such population are significantly relevant in the Canadian context, as the country continues to attract adult Arab immigrants.