Exploring the impact of a teacher development programme using a digital application on linguistic interactions in the classroom: a multiple case study

Abstract

Abstract This article reports on the use of a digital application (EVALOE-SSD) for the professional development of teachers to improve the linguistic competence of their students. We conducted a multiple case study that involved five teachers and their students from different schools. Over a period of three months, the teachers used the digital application to assess their classes, make decisions and introduce changes in their teaching practices. The results show that the change process includes stages of progress and stages of regression, but in general the trend was to a progressive increase in scores. Therefore, the use of the digital application improved the competences of teachers and students, regardless of the type of school or students’ age. This is shown in the cases of two teachers, which are analysed in greater depth. We believe that our findings are important as they document how self-reflection, stimulated by aids such as video recordings, reflective questions and pictures, facilitates a change in teaching practices. At the end of the programme, all the teachers stated that the experience of using the digital tool had clearly been enriching, and they had learnt and improved teaching practice linked to communicative competence.