Unleashing the Power of Padlet: Enhancing Needs Analysis (NA) in Remote Language Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic propelled the adoption of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), an educational approach that gained significant momentum due to social distancing measures (Bailey/Lee 2020; Smith 2021). Language education, a domain deeply impacted by this, particularly struggled with the implementation of Communicative Language Teaching Methodology (CLTM), which prioritises interaction, authenticity, learner-centeredness, and task-based activities (Canale/Swain 1980; Ellis 2003; Swain 1985), given the initial absence of face-to-face interaction. Language instructors creatively repurposed tools originally intended for fields other than English Language Teaching (ELT) to facilitate Second Language Acquisition (SLA), thereby enabling engaging synchronous and asynchronous online instruction (Ebadi/Rahimi 2019). In light of this, the present study focuses on investigating the use of Padlet, a digital platform, for start-of-term Needs Analyses (NA) in EFL classrooms. The participants in the study involve university students (53 third-year learners) enrolled in a Modern Languages programme at the University of Naples Federico II. NAs diagnose students’ learning needs and inform teaching approaches and materials. However, learners’ affective filter and language anxiety (Krashen 1985; Leary/Kowalski 1997; McCroskey 1997; Horwitz 2010) may impede the authenticity and reliability of NAs. In this study, Padlet’s virtual walls facilitated an anonymous preliminary NA, unveiling students’ educational requirements without inducing tension. The results underscore the significance of anonymisation in NAs, highlighting Padlet’s role in enhancing the process and bolstering data reliability. The study shows Padlet’s effectiveness in conducting NAs for university English learners and demonstrates how anonymisation lessens the impact of the affective filter in the diagnostic process, offering EFL tutors a clearer understanding of their audience’s learning needs. Overall, the research provides empirical evidence of Padlet’s efficacy in enhancing NAs and improving the quality of data obtained. The platform’s utility in guiding teaching strategies and materials holds promise for language educators, particularly in the context of remote learning environments.