English majors’ appraisal of the European language portfolio: Insights from students’ narratives
English majors’ appraisal of the European language portfolio: Insights from students’ narratives

Summary/Abstract: The European language portfolio (ELP) has accompanied Polish learners and teachers for almost a decade but, despite arduous efforts of the Council of Europe Language Division as well as the Polish Centre for the Development of Education, its popularity and appeal remain much below the expectations of its originators. Many practitioners would attest that the idea has not entered the educational mainstream in spite of creating different versions to accommodate different groups of learners as well as prospective teachers of languages, organizing workshops and conferences, or keeping websites and blogs that offer information and practical advice on the application of the document in everyday teaching practice. In view of such realities, the study reported in the present paper sought to delve into the reasons behind the lack of appreciation for ELP through the analysis of narratives written by English majors who, having used the document for three months in one of the courses they attended, were asked to reflect on its strengths and weaknesses. The qualitative paradigm applied here allowed the present authors to gather inspiring opinions whose consideration might lead to introducing modifications into the ELP so that its undeniable contribution to the development of learner autonomy is more widely appreciated.

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