INNOVA Research Journal, ISSN 2477-9024  
Septiembre-Diciembre 2020). Vol. 5, No.3.2 pp. 64-78  
(
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33890/innova.v5.n3.2.2020.1552  
URL: http://revistas.uide.edu.ec/index.php/innova/index  
Correo: innova@uide.edu.ec  
Entornos virtuales y aprendizaje significativo del idioma inglés como segunda  
lengua L2 en estudiantes de secundaria: un caso de estudio  
Virtual environments and meaningful english language learning as  
second language L2 in high school students: a case study  
Enrique Mauricio Barreno Ávila  
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5221-7664  
Mayra Cristina Egüez Mayorga  
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7871-7093  
Universidad Técnica de Ambato, Ecuador  
Autor para correspondencia: enriquebarrenoavila@gmail.com; crisseguez27@gmail.com  
Fecha de recepción: 21 de septiembre de 2020 - Fecha de aceptación: 07 de diciembre de 2020  
Resumen  
La investigación se centró en analizar los elementos de los entornos virtuales y su influencia en el  
aprendizaje significativo del idioma inglés en los estudiantes de 15-16 años de segundo año de  
bachillerato o quinto curso de una Institución Educativa de la ciudad de Ambato, Ecuador. Las  
actuales prácticas educativas imponen cambios y retos necesarios para el mejoramiento del proceso  
enseñanza - aprendizaje en el cual los ambientes virtuales se convierten en lugares de aprendizaje, así  
como “Edmodo”. Los componentes principales del ambiente virtual analizados son: gestión de  
contenido, planificación y mapeo del plan de estudios, participación y administración del alumno,  
comunicación y colaboración, comunicación en tiempo real. Por otro lado, las actividades para  
generar un aprendizaje significativo se deben involucrar y apoyar combinaciones de aprendizaje  
activo, constructivo, intencional, auténtico y cooperativo. Esta información se recopiló mediante la  
técnica de encuesta, planteado tanto hacia las autoridades, profesores y estudiantes. Posteriormente,  
se utilizó el análisis estadístico del Chi cuadrado, para detectar resultados significativos. Los  
resultados demostraron que la mayor parte de los estudiantes manifiestan que no conocen entornos  
virtuales y consideran que la utilización de esta forma pedagógica y tecnológica de educación  
ayudaría a mejorar el proceso de Aprendizaje Significativo, en los estudiantes.  
Palabras claves: entornos virtuales; aprendizaje significativo; tecnología; pedagogía;  
educación estrategia.  
Abstract  
The research focused on analyzing the virtual environments’ elements and their influence on the  
English language’ significant learning in students aged 15 to 16 years of high school fifth year of  
an Educational Institution in the Ambato city, Ecuador. Current educational practices impose  
changes and challenges necessary for the improvement of the teaching-learning process, which  
networked applications become learning places such as: "Edmodo". The virtual environment’ main  
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components analyzed are: content management, planning and mapping of the curriculum,  
participation and administration of students, communication and collaboration, communication in  
real time. On the other hand, the activities to generate meaningful learning must involve and  
support combinations of: active, constructive, intentional, authentic and cooperative learning. This  
information was collected through the survey technique, raised both towards the authorities,  
teachers and students. Subsequently, the statistical analysis of Chi square was used to detect  
significant results. Thus, these results showed that most of the students exhibit a lack of knowledge  
on virtual environments and consider that the use of this alternative educational pedagogical  
technology would help to improve the Meaningful Learning process in students.  
Keywords: strategy; competitiveness; innovation; types of innovation; export companies.  
Introduction  
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are considered to be one of the most  
powerful tools for the support of the learning process (Natsis, 2011). The new millennium has  
blurred the conventional boundaries of English language instruction in that English lessons are  
no longer taught solely by means of printed books and chalk and blackboard, but via electronic  
learning management systems (e.g., Blackboard, Moodle) or digital tools (e.g., Skype, wikis),  
which extend learning beyond the classroom. The plurality and diversity of English teaching and  
learning in the digital age are, nevertheless, challenging both English language teachers and  
learners. (Chen, 2016)  
In Ecuador there is a technological era in education, because it has increased access to the  
Internet with the aim of democratizing and universalizing the use of Information and  
Communication Technologies (ICT). According to a survey applied by Instituto Nacional de  
Estadística y Censos (INEC), in 2019, the percentage of people using a computer decreased by  
9
.1%, compared to 2018. (INEC, 2019). However, the use of internet increased 3.3% as opposed  
to the 2018 results. Thus, the internet access is using cellphones, tablets and so on.  
Due to changes in the educational environment, multiple challenges have been evidenced,  
one of them is access to technology to obtain information, in this context it has been determined  
that virtual environments in the English language within the educational profile of the country  
are not used in an adequate form, and in other cases not with the technological instruments that  
encourage meaningful learning. (Nurul Farhana Jumaat, 2019)  
Tungurahua is undertaking a positive change regarding to education; however, not all  
teachers use the virtual resources that currently exist for the English language teaching, reducing  
the student’s interest to learn this foreign language.  
According to data from (ENEMDU-INEC, 2017) 57.1% of citizens of Tungurahua  
Province use a computer. This percentage should be considered. At the same time, it is a  
commitment that through educational institutions this percentage should increase, giving greater  
accessibility to the use of computers.  
The high school is located in a rural area called Atahualpa. Its mission is to be a public  
educational institution that trains technical, critical, reflective and competent people, socially  
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dedicated to combine various disciplines of knowledge, through scientific, pedagogical and  
cultural processes to respond to the society demands.  
It should be noted that the institution has two laboratories used for certain subjects but not  
for the English language teaching at all. The computer lab is often used for three hours a week  
just for playing videos. In other words, this important resource is left aside to strengthen the  
learning of this foreign language. The computer lab is not used for virtual environments that can  
help didactically to the English learning.  
As a result, the English language teaching is mostly done in the classroom with the help  
of a tape recorder. That is, teaching is limited to the use of the text book and printed material or  
photocopies.  
For all this, a change is necessary that allows the use of the computer lab for the English  
language teaching and the development of all its skills with the accompaniment of technology, in  
this way to explore the use of tools and virtual environments that facilitate the meaningful  
learning of this foreign language.  
In consequence, it is concluded that the activities generated in a virtual classroom (VLE)  
as a pedagogical support tool has similarity with the variable and therefore will serve as a  
bibliographic support for the proposed research topic, because virtual environments will allow  
strengthening the meaningful learning of the English language.  
Therefore, a relationship can be made in terms of the virtual environment variable with  
the Edmodo platform, since it significantly influences the achievement of technical learning for  
students in the fifth grade of Secondary Education and according to the results, meaningful  
learning can be improved according to virtual spaces.  
Meaningful Learning Types  
Representation learning  
It is when students acquire vocabulary. In this way, students learn words that represent  
real objects which have meaning for them; however, it does not identify categories. (Sami Balla  
Sanhori, 2019)  
Concept learning  
It is defined as objects, events, and situations that possess common attributes that are  
designated through some sign or symbol. (Bingjiao Fan, 2019)  
Proposition learning  
When students know the concept meaning, they can form structures that contain two or  
more concepts which affirm or deny something. Thus, a new concept is like a structure when it is  
integrated into new learning with prior ideas that the learner knows. (Rayhab Anwar, 2019)  
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INNOVA Research Journal 2020, Vol 5, No. 3.2, pp. 64-78  
Accordingly, Ausubel believes that knowledge is hierarchically organized; that new  
information is meaningful to the extent that it can be related (attached, anchored) to what is  
already known.  
Advance Organizers  
Ausubel advocates the use of advance organizers as a mechanism to help to link new  
learning material with existing related ideas. Ausubel’s theory of advance organizers fall into  
two categories: comparative and expository. (Ausubel, 2020)  
Comparative Organizers  
Comparative organizers activate existing schemas and are used as reminders to bring into  
the working memory of what you may not realize are relevant. A comparative organizer is also  
used both to integrate as well as to discriminate. It “integrates[s] new ideas with basically similar  
concepts in cognitive structure, as well as increase[s] discriminability between new and existing  
ideas which are essentially different but confusable similar”. (Sonia J. Pinkney, 2019)  
Expository Organizers  
Expository organizers are often used when the new learning material is unfamiliar to the  
learner. They often relate what the learner already knows with the new and unfamiliar material—  
this in turn is aimed to make the unfamiliar material more plausible to the learner. (Varela, 2019)  
Meaningful Learning in the Co-operative Classroom  
Twenty children in the third-grade class sat in rows, two to a table, in a dusty immigrant  
village in Israel in 1954. Some came from Kurdistan, some from Iran, a few from the Karaite  
community in Egypt. Each child was one of many in a family. Their parents were preoccupied  
with the hardships of learning how to be farmers so they could make a living. (Emma Kostiainen,  
2
018)  
This was my first teaching post and as a novice teacher I was confident in what I knew:  
the traditional transmission approach to teaching. I dutifully set out to follow the routine that  
treats all students as one group, with me as teacher-leader who assigns texts related to the  
prescribed curriculum, instructs or demonstrates to the whole class, assigns some form of  
individual practice (homework), and organizes individual assessment (tests). (David Duran,  
2
020)  
Very quickly I came to realize what I didn't know. The glazed looks on the students'  
faces, the frequent disruptions and the erratic attendance were unavoidable indications that I did  
not know how to capture the children’s attention and interest. Then one day, when teaching (or  
rather talking) about the sun’s distance from the earth, one girl called out: “I get it! The sun is as  
far from the earth as Iran is from Israel!” That was the turning point in my teaching. The girl’s  
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remark made me realize that my job was not to continue the traditional one-way communication  
from teacher to students by being a 'banker' (to borrow Paolo Freire's term), who ‘deposits’  
knowledge without taking time to explore the students' minds, but to bridge the gap between  
their worlds and the curriculum. (Dwi Sulisworo, 2016)  
Theories with a capital T did not constrain my choice of teaching methods. I had no idea  
that this was a ‘multicultural classroom,’ and hadn't yet heard of small group teaching, (the term  
‘cooperative learning’ had not been coined yet) or even of individualized learning. (Emma  
Kostiainen, 2018)  
One source of validation of these efforts in that dusty village came several years later  
from Sylvia Ashton-Warner’s book "Teacher" (1963), a moving account of her efforts to teach  
reading to her young Maori and English students in New Zealand by using their inner worlds as  
bridges to learning. By being wholeheartedly attentive to the children's words she helped them  
create reading material that grew out of their worlds and replaced texts used to teach reading at  
the time like "Come John come. Come and look." (36), which were far removed from Maori  
children’s volatile lives and even from the English children’s more reserved lives. Ashton-  
Warner was a pioneer in creating meaningful teaching procedures; her deep-seated humanism  
paralleled the lessons emerging at the time from the human sciences. (Emma Kostiainen, 2018)  
The reality of our situation propelled me to teach in ways that were further validated by  
what I later learned from contemporary research and theories of teaching in general, and of  
teaching in the heterogeneous and multicultural classroom. This experience initiated my life-long  
quest for ways to make learning meaningful to all learners in the complex reality of a classroom.  
Many of the discoveries along the way were made through collaboration with colleagues in the  
fields of co-operative learning and multicultural education. What follows is an attempt to present  
the ideas, studies and methods of but a few of the more inspiring researchers and practitioners  
that I encountered over time (Ferguson, 2018).  
Hypothesis  
Virtual environments do influence on the English meaningful learning in high school fifth  
year students.  
Pointing Variables  
Independent Variable: Virtual environments  
Dependent Variable: English meaningful learning  
Research Questions  
•
•
What factors are leading to the English language’s meaningful learning development?  
What sort of virtual environments use teachers to develop the English language teaching?  
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•
How a virtual environment use will affect the meaningful learning of the English language?  
Philosophical foundations  
The present research work is based on the social approach, because it is generated  
through a basic structure that constitutes the necessary condition of the system of actions and  
behaviors that is proper to the human being, supported by the axiological, ontological,  
epistemological and psychological philosophy.  
Methodology  
The approach of this research was predominant qualitative and quantitative since  
systematic and empirical processes were used which generates information about the problem.  
It was quantitative because, it was repeatable phenomenon and also numerical techniques  
are used to specify data according to the research problem, by using quantitative measurement  
tools and statistical analysis techniques such as Chi square.  
It was qualitative because, its main purpose was to analyze the problem as perceived by  
the people involved in its context in the virtual environments and their influence on the English  
meaningful learning.  
Population  
The research was carried out for 80 students between 15 and 16 years old.  
Materials  
Both students and teachers’ surveys where applied. The ten questions used were based  
according to the categories of virtual environments and meaningful learning as it can be seen in  
the table 1.  
Table 1  
Virtual environment categories, indicators and questions  
Categories  
Content  
management  
Curriculum  
mapping and  
planning  
Indicators  
Items  
creation, storage, access 1. How often does the teacher use  
to and use of learning technology resources for teaching  
resources  
lesson planning,  
assessment and  
the English language?  
. How would you like to receive  
English classes?  
. Have you used a virtual  
environment?  
2
3
personalization of the  
learning experience  
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Categories  
Learner  
engagement  
and  
Indicators  
managed access to  
learner information and  
resources and tracking of  
progress and  
Items  
4. Does your teacher use a virtual  
environment to facilitate your  
meaningful learning in the English  
language?  
administration  
achievement  
5. Do you think it is good to  
Emails, notices, chat, incorporate computer methods for  
wikis, blogs.  
meaningful learning in the English  
live video conferencing or language?  
audio conferencing  
Communication  
and  
collaboration  
Real time  
communication  
Source: Authors’ elaboration  
Table 2  
English meaningful learning categories, indicators and questions  
Categories  
Activities  
Constructive  
Intentional  
Authentic  
Cooperative  
learning  
Indicators  
Develop sophisticated  
skills  
 Construct advanced  
knowledge  
Items  
1. Do you think that virtual environments  
could be used inside or outside the classroom  
to motivate meaningful learning?  
. Will virtual environments optimize the  
meaningful learning of the English language in  
the students?  
. Do you think that virtual environments  
will favor collaborative work in meaningful  
learning of the English language?  
. Do you consider that the institution has  
technological means to apply virtual  
environments?  
2
Learners integrate their  
new experiences with  
their prior knowledge  
Intended to fulfill some  
goal. Relate the ideas to  
real-world contexts  
3
4
Knowledge -building  
communities  
5
. Do you think that through a virtual  
environment you improve the meaningful  
learning of the English language?  
Source: auhor’s elaboration. Information collection plan  
The information was collected through a survey technique and the application of the  
questionnaire was categorized and tabulated in a computerized form to know the results and thus  
could detect erroneous data. The information collection instrument was designed and an  
authorization was requested to the authority in charge of the High School. Then, the number of  
students who were part of the study was established.  
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Consecutively, each student was notified about the process to be done. An observation  
was made and the research started. Therefore, with the results obtained from the tabulation, the  
analysis was done.  
Statistical Model  
Later on, for the calculation of the chi-square equation 1 will be used. It is based on the  
previous frequencies:  
(
푂−퐸)ꢀ  
퐸
2
푥 = ∑  
eq. 1  
2
푥 = Chi-square  
Σ = Sum  
O = Observed frequencies  
E = Expected frequencies  
Where O represents each observed frequency and E represents each expected frequency  
2
푐
at the sum of all these frequencies it will be called calculated chi-squared (푋 )  
2
푐
2
푡
푋 = calculated chi-square  
푋 = tabulated chi-square  
2
Then after obtaining the 푋 it should be compared with a value of the table of  
푐
2
probabilities for chi-square (x ). This table is very similar to student's table t, but has only  
positive values because chi-square only gives positive results; the value of this table is called chi-  
2
square by table (푋 ).  
푡
Using a level of significance of α= 0,05  
Afterwards, to determine the degrees of freedom equation 2 was used, considering that the  
table has three rows and two columns.  
DF= (r – 1) (k – 1)  
eq. 2  
Where:  
DF = Degrees of freedom  
r = number of rows  
k = number of columns  
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Results y discussion  
The figure 1 illustrates the students’ survey results for the 10 questions; five regarding to  
virtual environments and five corresponding to meaningful learning.  
Figure 1  
Students’survey results  
100%  
90%  
80%  
70%  
60%  
50%  
40%  
30%  
20%  
10%  
0%  
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10  
Source: Authors’ elaboration  
As can be seen, regarding to the virtual environment aspect, the professor never uses  
technological resources as a method of teaching the English language. In conclusion, the use of  
technological methods will facilitate the teacher and student interaction within and outside the  
classroom and at the same time learn the English language, encouraging students' own research.  
Besides, Education is immersed in technology; therefore, it is a positive thing to incorporate  
virtual environments for student learning, because students are interested in receiving English  
classes through interactive methods. the question results 3 shows the need to incorporate virtual  
education to teach the English language, in order to make known an alternative way of studying  
and facilitate the learning of this foreign language in an interactive way through technological  
use. Also, the result 4 displays the importance that teachers need to include in their teaching  
practice the use of virtual environments to improve the English language learning in their  
students. Furthermore, most students agree that computer methods should be incorporated to  
learn the English language, which can be adapted to virtual environments and mobile devices to  
facilitate students with the foreign language approach and interact with their teachers.  
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According to meaningful learning, most students agree that virtual environments could be  
used inside or outside the classroom. In this way, meaningful learning could be motivated and  
students can be familiar with technology for learning, which would facilitate interaction with the  
English language. Similarly, students trust that virtual environments will optimize meaningful  
learning in the English language, since they live a technological age that brings them closer to all  
information. This is an advantage to be more exposed to the language. Generally speaking,  
students are aware that the use of virtual environments will favor collaborative work in  
meaningful learning of the English language, because students know the benefits offered by  
technology and its advantages in education. Despite the technological limitations of the  
institution, there is a predisposition of teachers and students to make certain adjustments in the  
classroom in order to be immersed in technological education. As a matter of fact, Students  
believe that through a virtual environment can improve the meaningful learning of the English  
language, because they understand significantly that learning and pedagogy have changed, so  
technology will help students to become familiar with virtual platforms and thus be able to use  
them in any field. The fact encourages them to be more attentive to classes and the interaction  
with the teacher will be more dynamic.  
The figure 2 illustrates the teachers’ survey results for the 10 questions; five regarding to  
virtual environments and five corresponding to meaningful learning.  
Figure 2  
Teachers’survey results  
100%  
90%  
80%  
70%  
60%  
50%  
40%  
30%  
20%  
10%  
0%  
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10  
Source: Authors’ elaboration  
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According to the virtual environments aspect, the results indicate that teachers do not use  
technological resources as an English teaching method, due to the lack of knowledge regarding  
the use of technological means that facilitate the English language teaching. Additionally, most  
teachers consider that interactive teaching is an effective method for learning the English  
language. This teaching can incorporate virtual environments, since they promote the  
collaborative interaction between the teacher and the student. What is more, most teachers do not  
use virtual environments due to ignorance of this technological tool. However, there is a  
predisposition to do so. Nonetheless, teachers agree that they have not used a virtual environment  
to facilitate the meaningful learning of the English language, because they are unaware of its  
application and procedure to use it. Surprisingly, one teacher believe that incorporating computer  
methods for meaningful learning in the English language will be negative, however,  
incorporating computer methods for meaningful learning in the English language according to  
most teachers will be positive, because the teaching of this language depends on the computer  
and the Internet also allows breaking the monotony, resulting an interactive and collaborative  
method.  
Regarding to meaningful learning, virtual environments could be used inside or outside  
the classroom to motivate meaningful learning, because most teachers and students use  
smartphones which will facilitate the teaching and learning of the English language through  
interaction. Overall, teachers think that virtual environments will optimize the meaningful  
learning of the English language. They have the predisposition to apply them since teachers used  
to be in the routine of using traditional and outdated methods. Moreover, lecturers believe that  
virtual environments will favor collaborative work in English language teaching, because  
teachers and students could interact better in the learning activities of this language and optimize  
time and resources. Again, the institution has technological means to apply virtual environments;  
however, these resources are not well used in the teaching process. Finally, through a virtual  
environment they can improve the meaningful learning of the English language, because they  
think it is an effective method to evolve with technology. It will help teachers to be familiar with  
virtual platforms and thus be able to achieve the meaningful learning of the English language in  
the students.  
Chi Square Tabulated  
Therefore with 4 degrees of freedom and a level of significance of 0.05 you get a  
2
tabulated Chi square of 푥푡 = 9, 49, as is illustrated in table 3 and figure 3.  
Table 3  
Calculation of 퐶ℎꢁ2  
(퐎 ꢂ 퐄)2  
256  
53,7289  
75,1689  
(퐎 ꢂ 퐄) /E  
9,84615385  
7,00507171  
1,62246708  
2
ALTERNATIVES  
Always  
Almost always  
Never  
O
E
26  
7,67  
46,33  
(O-E)  
-16  
7,33  
8,67  
10  
15  
55  
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(퐎 ꢂ 퐄)2  
676  
(퐎 ꢂ 퐄) /E  
26  
2
ALTERNATIVES  
Always  
O
0
E
26  
(O-E)  
-26  
Almost always  
Never  
Always  
Almost always  
Never  
4
7,67  
46,3  
26  
7,67  
46,33  
-3,67  
29,7  
42  
-3,67  
-38,33  
13,4689  
882,09  
1764  
13,4689  
1469,1889  
1,75604954  
19,0516199  
65,2813621  
120,71657  
234,428069  
485.7073  
76  
68  
4
8
Chi square calculated  
Source: Authors’ elaboration  
Figure 3  
Gauss Bell  
Source: Authors’ elaboration  
Once the result of the Chi-square is obtained, the following is stated:  
2
2
X c = 485.709 > X t= 9.49  
2
For 4 degrees of freedom at a 0.05 significance Level, it is obtained in table X t = 9.49  
2
and since the value of X c = 485.70 is outside the rejection region, then the null hypothesis Ho is  
rejected so that accept the alternative hypothesis H1 that says:  
H1: Virtual environments influence on the English meaningful learning in fifth year high school  
students.  
Conclusions  
The surveys’ results and the verification of the hypothesis have been considered, in order  
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to reach the following conclusions:  
Comparing with results of (Ana Lopes L. S., 2018), the virtual learning spaces help to  
construct knowledge in a meaningful and conscious way. Therefore, Virtual environments  
influence on the English meaningful learning in students aged 15 to 16 years of high school  
fifth year.  
Another important conclusion is that, it was determined that the English meaningful  
learning factors are part of the change of the traditional methodology by an interactive  
methodology, in which the technological resource, as the use of virtual environments are based  
on the motivation to explore new trends of the meaningful English language. As well as to  
transform the class into something more interactive and collaborative, because education is  
immersed in technology. For this reason, it is positive to incorporate virtual environments for  
student’s learning since they are interested in receiving English classes through interactive  
methods.  
It has been identified that in the institution, both students and teachers agree that there  
is no use of virtual environments. Teachers say they do not know a virtual environment, its use,  
application, procedure, but at the same time they show their predisposition and interest to  
explore these tools. Students believe that through a virtual environment can improve the  
meaningful learning of the English language. They are willing to learn hand in hand with  
technology and they understand that significantly learning and pedagogy evolve according to  
technology, so it will help students to become familiar with virtual platforms and thus be able  
to use them in any field. In addition, this encourages them to be more attentive to classes and  
the interaction with the teacher will be more dynamic. This is shown in the study of (Kabilan,  
Adlina, and Embi, 2011)  
Finally, it was found that both students and professors show their interest in virtual  
environments and their influence on the meaningful learning of the English language, because  
people live in a technological era. Teachers and students have access to smart devices, which  
allows them to work in a virtual environment that permits interaction more directly and more  
exposure to meaningful learning, because their classes will be completely virtual and they will  
be able to develop the skills. It is concluded that most students agree that computer methods  
should be incorporated to learn the English language, which can be adapted to virtual  
environments and mobile devices to facilitate the approach of students with the foreign  
language in a personal way and interact with their teachers.  
The benefits of using virtual spaces are countless. From economic society growth until  
motivation in learning which are aspects the society are looking to improve according to  
(Mystakidis, 2019) encouraging profound and important learning in online training to give  
high-quality, adaptable, customized and groundbreaking learning for huge crowds could open  
new instructive boondocks towards new achievements of monetary development, social  
advancement and prosperity.  
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