Week 2

Weblogs enhancing EFL students’ English language learning

Usa Noytima
 Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University, Nakhon Pathom 73000, Thailand
Received October 9, 2009; revised December 18, 2009; accepted January 6, 2010

          This research investigated the potential value of Weblog use on English language learning in the context of a university in Thailand. It examined students’ perceptions of and attitudes towards using Weblogs. A content analysis was used to analyse the data that derived from short questionnaires, interview questionnaires and student Blogs. The findings indicated that the students perceived Weblog as a tool for the development of their English, in terms of writing, reading, vocabulary, and recording their learning experience. The students also viewed Weblog as giving an opportunity and freedom for self-expression in English, writing for both a local and global audience, fostering creative, analytical and critical thinking skills, creating social interaction and good relationships between writer and reader, and supporting the learning community.

   Overall then, in spite of some minor limitations, they had positive attitudes towards Weblog use. These findings suggest that Weblogs can provide learning motivation and opportunities for authorship and readership, as well as the development of writing and learning strategies, including critical thinking.

🎈 What is the purpose of this study ?🎈

This research aimed to address the limitations of lack of a genuine learning environment, especially the limitation of conventional writing in which the audience of students’ written work is limited to the teacher and possibly to classmates. It investigated the extent of students’ knowledge and experience of Weblog use, their perceptions of and attitudes towards using Weblogs. The study addressed these research questions:

🎇 1. What is the extent of students’ knowledge and experience of Weblogs?

🎇 2. What are students’ perceptions of use of Weblogs?

🎇 3. What are students’ attitudes towards use of Weblogs?

      🎈Where is the setting of this research ?🎈

     This research has a setting in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science, Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University.

Who are the participants of this study ?

     The participants of this research were twenty undergraduate English major female students in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University. Their ages ranged from 22 to 24 years and they were in the fifth-year of their studies. These students undertook eight semesters of coursework and two semesters (second semester in the 4th year and first semester in the 5th year) of teaching practicum in secondary schools. After their teaching practicum, they returned to the university to undertake the coursework in the final semester. These students were preparing to become English teachers at a secondary level.

🎈What is the tool of this study ?🎈

📌 Short questionnaires

   Short questionnaires which aimed to elicit students’ profile, experience of Internet and Weblog use, and perceptions of advantages and disadvantages of Weblogs were administered to the students prior to the requirement of Blogging

💬 Interview questionnaires

    Individual students were asked to publish ten Blogs at their leisure during the semester. In their first Blog entry, the students reflected on their previous school teaching experiences. Then, they circulated their Blog websites or URLs to the instructor and their classmates via e-mail. After reading and discussing academic texts, the students were asked to publish their thoughts and ideas about the texts they had read in seven Blog entries.

📂  Student blogs

    Student Blogs and comments were read and counted. They were not graded because the main emphasis was placed on students’ fluency rather than the accuracy of their work. Thus, students’ reflections , opinions, and expression were observed

🎈What is the finding of the research?🎈

🎉 Extent of Knowledge and Experiences with Weblogs

   Many students commented that they gained extensive knowledge and experiences from Weblog use. For example, they had opportunities to create and decorate their Blogs, create and share their profiles, express their ideas, record their memories and experiences, and exchange ideas and opinions.

🎉 Potential values of Weblogs

        Students perceived advantages of Weblog use as follows. First, they viewed Weblogs as a medium of selfexpression online and a tool to enhance English language development. Weblogs offered opportunities for writing and reading practice and communicating with other people. Some students claimed that by using Weblogs, they could write more freely. All students claimed that Weblogs enhanced their writing and reading skills, and vocabulary development. Weblogs increased motivation for and confidence in writing and learning English.

🎉 Student reactions to Weblog use 

     Overall, students were positive about Weblog use and the course. Without exception, students stated that they liked Weblogs because they believed that they aided them in learning English – developing writing and reading skills.

🎉 The Blogs

    By considering comments to students’ Blog entries, it can be observed that in some Blog entries, the students not only expressed their opinions, ideas but also gave some suggestions and advice

🎈What is the discussion and Conclusion ?🎈

          In conclusion, Weblogs can provide an exciting and motivating learning environment where students have a sense of ownership and readership. They can be used to enhance student analytical and critical thinking skills, create social interactions between students and the instructor, students and their peers, and students and a global audience. If used in English classes, the issues of students’ free choices of topics for Blogging, plagiarism, and neglect of teacher correction and feedback should be taken into consideration. However, in this study, the focus of Blog writing was on encouraging student self-expression in English, that is, the focus is on meaning and fluency rather than form or accuracy. Blogs are recommended to foster students’ English language development in a genuine learning environment.

📌 References 📌

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042810001990