USING DIGITAL HISTORICAL PRIMARY SOURCES AS AUTHENTIC EFL MATERIALS: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR CRITICAL READING AND DIGITAL LITERACY

Abstract

Digital historical primary sources offer underexplored possibilities as authentic materials for technology-enhanced English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning. However, the available evidence is dispersed across EFL, digital literacy, educational technology, and history education, and therefore does not yet justify claims of instructional effectiveness. This integrative review synthesized 42 publications published primarily between 2020 and 2025, together with selected foundational works. The literature was identified through Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Taylor & Francis Online, Wiley Online Library, and Google Scholar, and was screened through title-and-abstract review followed by full-text eligibility assessment. The original search log did not retain the initial retrieval, deduplication, or stage-by-stage exclusion counts, which limits reproducibility and is reported as a methodological constraint rather than reconstructed retrospectively. The synthesis suggests three interrelated propositions: digital historical primary sources may provide linguistically and culturally rich input; source evaluation, contextualization, and corroboration may support critical reading and digital literacy; and pedagogical value depends on proficiency-sensitive scaffolding, source readability, ethical representation, accessibility, and task design. Based on these propositions, the study proposes the SAKTI-P Framework: Curatorial Selection, Source Authentication, Contextualization, Triangulation of Evidence, Interpretation, and Reflective Publication. The framework is a theoretically informed conceptual design, not an empirically validated model. Its interdisciplinary evidence base, limited number of direct EFL studies, incomplete screening records, and lack of expert validation or classroom testing require cautious interpretation and further investigation.