BRIDGING THE GAP: SENIOR STUDENTS’ DIGITAL SKILLS AND ATTITUDES IN EFL

Several works have been published to date about the digital divide regarding age in different social en educational areas (Blažič & Blažič 2020). This gap turned to be a major obstacle after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and its worldwide impact but research on the technological competence among digital immigrants in language learning is scarce despite the increasing amount of non-traditional students and the emergence of lifelong learning programs (Howlett & Waemusa, 2018). This presentation aims to evaluate the technological skills and attitudes among senior students in the English as a foreign language classroom. For this purpose, 61 students aged 50+ who were enrolled in three Intermediate English courses in a middle-sized university participated in this experiment using several technological resources (Nearpod for live and student-paced lessons and Moodle tasks) over a six-month period. In this mixed method research, quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through surveys designed to analyse their attitudes before and after the experiment, a pre-post-test aimed at measuring their English learning progress in vocabulary and listening comprehension and focus group discussion. Statistical data analysis using Wilcoxon signed rank test revealed more positive attitudes toward educational technology after the treatment but some significant differences were observed considering certain variables such as gender and technological affinity. The post-test results demonstrated learning gains both in vocabulary and listening comprehension thanks to an increased frequency of use in and outside the classroom. The senior students endorsed the use of technology but demanded more programs specifically designed for the digital immigrants.