Student Perceptions of Webbased Project for Language Learning

The purpose of the study is to examine the differences in perceptions between students in high and low proficiency groups after they participated in a Webbased project. It investigates affective and linguistic factors of the Webbased project in an English course for twoyear college students in Korea. Surveys from fortyone students were analyzed to assess the value of integrating the Weblog project into second language learning. This paper describes the benefits and drawbacks of a Web project after the observation. It also discusses the students’ most and least favorite aspects of project based learning. Three major findings are discussed: (a) a studentcentered approach with the Web project had positive influence on the linguistic as well as the affective domains of the survey in learners of both proficiency levels; (b) most students showed positive attitudes toward collaborative learning during the Web project via both survey and indepth interview

Student Perceptions of Web-based

Hea-Suk Kim

(Seoul Women’s University)

Kim, Hea-Suk (2010) Student perceptions of web-based project for language

learning English Language Teaching, 22(1), 67-95.

The purpose of the study is to examine the differences in perceptions between

students in high and low proficiency groups after they participated in a Web-based

project It investigates affective and linguistic factors of the Web-based project

in an English course for two-year college students in Korea Surveys from

forty-one students were analyzed to assess the value of integrating the Weblog

project into second language learning This paper describes the benefits and

drawbacks of a Web project after the observation It also discusses the students’

most and least favorite aspects of project- based learning Three major findings

are discussed: (a) a student-centered approach with the Web project had positive

influence on the linguistic as well as the affective domains of the survey in learners

of both proficiency levels; (b) most students showed positive attitudes toward

collaborative learning during the Web project via both survey and in-depth interview

Combining qualitative and quantitative research methods, this empirical study supports

the view that the Web-based project has a positive effect on meaningful learning

and promotes active participation Implications related to the role of projects on the

Web in encouraging students’ autonomous English learning are considered

I INTRODUCTION

In recent decades, educators have emphasized the centrality of the learner in second

language learning Student-centered environments can activate the ability of learners

to generate and refine the meaning of learning (Hannafin, Hall, Land, & Hill, 1994)

Hannafin and Land (1997) also mentioned that learner-centered approaches enable

* This work was supported by a research grant from Seoul Women’s University (2010).

students to involve cognitively complex tasks related to solving problems and integrating knowledge Moreover, the research of English learning has shifted to help learners develop the capacity for autonomous learning

Technology, especially the World Wide Web, can enable learners to expand their learning experience with easily accessible authentic materials Much scholarly attention has been given to proving the effectiveness of technology in the language learning environment The use of the Web has developed into a new method for language learning, which can create a learning environment in efficient and innovative ways

A successful teaching environment integrating technology in English could promote student-centered learning, develop open-ended tasks, offer new opportunities for integrated learning, and have a positive effect on the learning process Approaches utilizing the Web to learn English can compensate for the lack of authentic language

in traditional classrooms Nevertheless, it is quite uncommon for learners in Korea

to use the Web in a second language environment Offering students authentic language skills necessary for the global world is a key issue for teachers The real world requires that learners have technological knowledge and skills to utilize information on the Web Thus, it is clear that the role of the Web in foreign language courses has been significantly increasing

According to Fried-Booth (2002), project-based learning takes on the role of a bridge between using English in class and using English outside of class While a traditional lesson drives learners to certain language outcomes, project- based learning enables them to use a wide variety of learning products Student-driven projects help students’ self-esteem since they take responsibility for their learning Moreover, it helps to create improved motivation and learning attitudes

Encouraging learners to take control of projects in English classes provides opportunities to experience real-life like tasks, which in turn make their learning exciting, challenging, and meaningful (Moss & Van Duzer, 2005) Project work instills the cognitive and affective behaviors of learning in learners In addition, the project leads to learner involvement, interaction, collaboration, and the facilitation of autonomous learning Since a Web-based project learning allows computer skills along with English skills to be developed in an integrated way, teachers and students can move beyond the limitations of traditional English classes via this innovative method.Little research has been carried out related to the effectiveness of project-based

language learning conducted via a Weblog in the Korean context The purpose of the current study, therefore, is to explore new possibilities of teaching English via weblogs, including collaborative language learning by two-year college students whose levels are relatively low It attempts to find out whether there is a difference of attitude and perception between high and low proficiency groups toward project-based computer-assisted language learning This paper also investigates students’ opinions and thoughts regarding the nature of Web projects in English learning contexts, including the benefits and drawbacks, and the most and least favorite aspects For this purpose, the research questions of the study are summarized as follows:

1) Is there any significant difference in student perceptions of Web-based project learning between low and high proficiency learners?

2) What are student perceptions regarding Web-based project learning for the use

of English?

II LITERATURE REVIEW

1 Project-based Language Learning

Project-based learning is based on a constructive approach since it is designed to encourage students to be more involved in learning activities and build a collaborative learning environment (Caprio, 1994; Crook, 1994) Collaborative learning through the project helps to promote both the exchange of students’ opinions and reflection upon what they accomplish Thus, teachers need not instruct at every step or control the learning but rather leave many things to be determined by students (Alan & Stoller, 2005) Moss and Van Duzer (2005) defined project-based learning (PBL) as “an instructional approach that contextualizes learning by presenting learners with problems

to solve or products to develop” (p 1) They also mention some features of PBL: this type of learning integrates the language skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking, promotes both collaborative learning and autonomous learning, encourages students to use English in real contexts and acquire new information, and explores authentic topics in depth Therefore, learners are engaged in the decision-making,

planning, and evaluating processes

Cho and Jeon (1999) studied the effects of project-based learning on English achievement and self-directed learning attitudes They conducted the study with 86 high school students The students were separated into two groups: a project-based learning group and a teacher-oriented class group They were taught using different approaches over four weeks Based on an English achievement test, it was concluded that there was a significant difference between the two groups The study proved that project-based learning can be more effective approach compared to teacher-oriented classes regarding both the improvement of English achievement and changes in self-directed learning attitudes

Beckett and Slater (2005) conducted a three-week project with fifty-seven university upper-level English language learners They adapted project-based work to assess and track students’ language learning in the English learning program The results of the data from the interviews and reflection revealed that a large majority of the students could achieve positive language learning through their projects

According to Skehan (1998), students can increase their autonomous learning as they work on the project and have opportunities to use authentic integrative language

in the real world Crook (1994) stated collaborative learning generated a number of educational benefits to students Through the collaborative learning process, students can plan, construct, evaluate their learning and be more responsible for learning (Caprio, 1994) Moreover, Dornyei (2001) states some potential benefits that project work fosters include collaborative learning, anxiety reduction, student motivation encouragement

to learn a second language and increased participation in class activities

However, due to uncontrolled aspects, project-based instruction can possibly fail

to reach the primary goal that teachers aim for Furthermore, it is not certain that students will have the same views of a project as teachers do (Beckett, 2002; Beckett

& Slater, 2005)

A language project can be defined an activity in which students are asked to complete

a project using a target language Students plan and direct their learning by themselves, give peer-evaluations and share experiences while doing the project Teachers, on the other hand, are facilitators or coordinators who assist the learners in constructing their own knowledge In turn, learners are not expected to be passive recipients of knowledge but active learners who explore, investigate and use knowledge in practice

2 Project-based Computer-assisted Language Learning (PBCALL)

When a project incorporates CALL, it is classified as a PBCALL (project-based computer-assisted language learning) Warschauer (1999) defines project-oriented learning as follows: “Projects themselves may include many individual tasks, but the umbrella of the project allows opportunities to critique and transform practice in ways that individual tasks do not” (p 528) In project-based language learning, students work collaboratively to reach the goal of a published website or weblog

A project in CALL has great potential to expand the language learning experience since there are various opportunities to utilize language skills in the real world (Ewing, 2000; Jeon-Ellis, Debski, & Wigglesworth, 2005) Ewing (2000) found that PBCALL helped students to practice language output, and thus, the learning environment gave them opportunities to develop linguistic skills that were not available in traditional language classrooms Jeon-Ellis et al (2005) argued that PBCALL attempts to achieve linguistic interaction by engaging in the tasks that encourage learners to use a target language while completing a project on computers

Project-based language learning demands that learners and instructors challenge traditional practices Compared to the past, the project works in the twenty-first century encourage students to improve computer skills as well as their language skills Moreover, the Web, which is a great benefit in its numerous resources for all learners, can be a medium for second language learning According to Chun and Plass (2000), the strong points of the Web lie in the instant and easy access to enormous information, the use of multiple modes, and nonlinear information Warschauer (1998) mentioned that teachers can discover on the Web authentic reading resources and also use the Web as a medium for student publishing such as Web projects

Learning a second language through challenging projects requires students to plan and organize various resources on the Web Besides developing the project, students can put their knowledge into practice using a video clip, a picture or Hyper-text

on the Web Utilizing the Web in PBLL, combined with computers as tools for completing the projects, provides a number of potential advantages to a second language classroom In a sense, the need for education to adapt to the Web in project learning

is increasingly prevalent Warschauer (1999, p 60) stated that if students perceived the social or cultural relevance in their learning, they would show much greater interest and make efforts in publishing on the Web To employ autonomy effectively and

have successful outcomes, according to Warschauer, it is necessary not only to give unstructured Web-based work but to provide work that is personally meaningful to students

Several studies have researched the advantages of project-based language learning

on the Web for ESL students According to Legutke and Thomas (1991), PBCALL allows learners to discover their own strengths and interests in the project Research (Meskill, 1999) also showed enhanced student motivation, and increased autonomy

A study by Barson, Frommer, and Schwartz (1993) suggested that PBCALL enables learners to practice writing in L2 and increase their self-confidence in writing With the advent of the Web, students can use tremendous amounts of authentic materials

on the Web, actively engage in learning and share their ideas and thoughts while they do this challenging work Some studies (Kim, 2008; Osuna & Meskill, 1998; Sanaoui & Lapkin 1992; Son, 2003) demonstrated that experiencing English on the Web helps students extend knowledge of foreign cultures and get useful information.Students can be prepared for a changing global workplace involving a collaborative team environment and at the same time develop language learning They need to develop skills in using information on the Web, especially when students enter the real world where information technology is viewed as a vital element Therefore, creating learner-centered and highly integrated language learning within a technological environment requires some progressive pedagogical techniques in which new tools can

be applied To be successful it is vital that educators understand and adapt the challenging new techniques to the language classroom

3 Weblogs in Foreign Language Learning

Campbell (2003) defines a Weblog as an online journal in which an individual writes their own ideas and thoughts based on their interests, using software that enables the blog to be constructed Weblogs can easily be published on the Web by typing directly

on the Webpage Blogs are not only on-line journals, but they can be used in an interactive way since the readers can leave a comment or threaded discussion While most blogs are created and managed by individuals, group blogs are also possible Because of the relative ease of publishing, weblogs can be used for personal, educational, journalistic, and commercial purposes (Campbell, 2003)

Increasing interest in utilizing blogs has risen in education Self-publishing through Weblogs encourages students to accept ownership and responsibility on the part of learning Weblogs, therefore, have presented new possibilities in foreign language learning According to Oravec (2003), the building of weblogs by students motivates them in reading, writing, and conducting research beyond the classroom They can practice a target language anytime through the Web on their own time Another positive point is that weblogs can provide opportunities to learn language collaboratively (Wang

& Fang, 2006)

Collaborative learning generates positive aspects in foreign language contexts Students receive feedback from others outside the classroom along with their own classmates through their weblogs In addition to these factors, they foster learner autonomy However, blogs can impede the learning process due to technical problems

or due to the time-consuming nature of their construction and upkeep (Oravec, 2003) Few studies related to PBCALL, however, have taken into consideration Korean university context The current study, therefore, aimed to describe student perceptions regarding Web-based project learning as a part of foreign language education, and

as an optional tool for English learning It also tried to point out the benefits and drawbacks of the Weblog in a foreign language classroom, especially with two-year college students

III METHODOLOGY

1 Subject

The participants of the study were forty one students enrolled at a two year college

in Gyunggi Province, Korea They were 19 students in Class A and 22 students in Class B They majored in tourism English and were all seniors, including fourteen male students and twenty seven female students Their ages ranged from 19 to 28 They registered for a selective course concerning reading and writing in tourism Before the study began, they took a pre-reading test which was consisted of 20 questions

to examine the levels of English proficiency (high vs low) Twenty students who got below the mean score (9.3) were put in the low proficiency group and twenty-one

students who obtained above the mean formed the high proficiency group Most of the students had no experience on building a blog on the Web Only four of the students had made a Weblog in Korean At the beginning of the semester, most students hardly ever used the Web for English learning Students were asked to join an online community, which was developed by the researcher to manage the class Each group was formed with three members of their own choosing Each member of each group took on a role and collaboratively carried out the Web project over four weeks At the completion of the project, all students were asked to fill out questionnaires with

22 multiple choice questions about their perception of the Web-based project for language learning Students were then required to respond to six open-ended questions

2 Materials

1) Questionnaire

The study employed a survey that was designed to discover student perception toward Web-based project language learning The survey contained 22 multiple choice questions on six-point Likert scale, in which students were asked to indicate the following choices to each statement: strongly disagree=1, disagree=2, somewhat disagree=3, somewhat agree=4, agree=5, or strongly agree=6 The multiple choice questions were used to understand participant feelings and perspectives on Web-based project learning The questions included linguistic aspects as well as affective aspects

In addition, the survey contained items about cultural factors in the experience of Web project Some of the questions related to the linguistic area were concerned with reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary Since the course was not focused on listening and speaking, the questions related to those skills were not contained in the survey Furthermore, six open-ended questions were asked to discover the benefits and drawbacks as well as the most and least favorite aspects of doing the project (Table 1) Each lesson structure of the teaching materials was based on a course book curriculum

TABLE 1 Open-ended Questions of Web-based Project Learning

2) Interviews

After the experiment, a semi-structured interview was conducted individually with four participants In-depth interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim Each student was interviewed for about 20-25 minutes to get more detailed information on the participants’ perception towards PBCALL Two participants from the high proficiency group and two other participants from low proficiency group were interviewed by the researcher at the end of the semester

3 Procedure

The students in the study were taught two hours each week The experiment was held over four weeks The study was done in a computer lab, in which each student could use a computer

FIGURE 1 Examples of Students’ Web-blogs

Item Questions

1 What are the benefits of Web-based project learning?

2 What are the drawbacks of Web-based project learning?

3 What are the most interesting points of Web-based project learning?

4 What are the least interesting points of Web-based project learning?

5 What are the differences between traditional and technology-enhanced classes?

6 What are your suggestions for Web-based project learning?

The course, “Understanding American Culture”, focused on two skills, reading and writing It lasted for two hours every week The lessons of Web-based project learning continued over a period of four weeks Students were asked to use materials on the Web to complete their Weblogs as a part of course requirement The project was given as an assignment, so students arranged time for the project in and out of class.

In the initial step of the study, all students were told what the project was about and how to make a Weblog They were given a guideline as to what to do and how

to make a blog on the Web Each group was composed of three members Since they majored in tourism, they were asked to build a weblog related to tourism The Web project, “Introducing a foreign country to your future customers.” was related to their major They decided on a country, visiting places, food, culture and other contents

to build their own blog

The students in the collaborative study each took a role in the small groups for the duration of the projects Therefore, they planned, made outlines, gathered information, organized the blog, and built their Weblogs with their group members The students gave and received peer and teacher feedback as the blogs were in the process of being built Finally, they made presentations to evaluate their Web projects (see Figure 2)

FIGURE 2 Project Learning Procedure

The structure of the Web-based project in the current study was based on the concept

of Fried-Booth (2002) and Foshay (1999) who asserted that project-based learning should include four components: stating purpose, planning, executing, and judging

In order to compare the difference in student perceptions between high and low proficiency groups through the survey, an independent sample T-test analysis was employed The open-ended questions and interviews were employed to find out students’ perceptions and ideas with a closer look The results were to detect the advantages and disadvantages, most and least favorite aspects, differences between traditional and technology-enhanced classes, and suggestions about PBCALL from the learners’ perspectives as a formative evaluation for EFL instructional methods in the Korean two-year college context

IV RESULT

1 Difference in Student Perceptions between Low and High Proficiency Groups

1) Affective Factors of Web-based Project Learning

In the analysis of the survey, questions 1 to 4 were related to interests of Web-based project learning indicated and question 5 was about easiness, as seen in Table 2 When means were calculated to determine the overall level of students perceptions, interest

in project learning received the highest mean score in the high proficiency group, showing 4.73 (SD=.94) Besides, the fun factor in the project learning score the highest

in the low proficiency group, showing 4.42 (SD=1.30)

Most of them showed positive responses regarding building a blog on the Web

In terms of a comparison of language proficiency groups, there were no significant differences in the domain of interests between the groups With these results, it can

be concluded that the majority of the participants, regardless of language proficiency seemed to have fun doing the activities This result is supportive of the assertion of Legutke and Thomans (1991) and Son (2003) that L2 reading on the Web makes learning fun and interesting

TABLE 2 Independent Sample t-test Analysis of Web-based Project:

Interest and Easiness

1 Web-based project learning is fun. Low 4.42 1.30 -.47 39

a greater language barrier, supporting the results of Kim’s study (2008) that students have difficulty in processing authentic data in L2 on the Web

TABLE 3 Independent Sample t-test Analysis of Web-based Project:

Confidence and Anxiety

6

Web project-based language

learning raises my confidence

Web project-based language

learning reduces anxiety in English

The results partially confirmed the study of Barson et al (1993) that learners experiencing the PBCALL increase their confidence in writing in L2 and reduce their anxiety levels (Dornyei, 2001) However, as seen in the result above, lower level students did not show the same level of raising confidence or reducing anxiety level

as the higher level students did

2) Linguistic Factors of Web-based Project Learning

In order to discover whether the students perceived the project learning as a way

of improving linguistic skills, statistics were administered Table 4 presents the means

of each skill in which the students improved

Interestingly, the low proficiency students felt they improved their reading skill (M=4.21, SD=.98), while the high proficiency students did less so (M=4.18, SD=1.01) However, the students in the high proficiency group rated higher than those in the low proficiency in the other language areas The high proficiency group stated that they improved in writing (M=4.82), grammar (M=4.32) and vocabulary (M=4.77) while

the low proficiency group mentioned they enhanced their writing (M=3.95), grammar (M=3.68) and vocabulary (M=4.11) through the project, with different degrees of agreement The result showed that there were significant differences in writing (t=-2.45, p=.02) and vocabulary (t=-2.37, p=.02) between the groups.

From this result it can be concluded that both groups of the students expanded their language proficiency in reading and grammar through the autonomous and self-directed learning experience while in the process of creating the Weblogs

TABLE 4 Independent Sample t-test Analysis of Web-based Project:

Improvement of Linguistic Skills

8

Web-based project learning is

useful for improving English

Web-based project learning is

useful for improving English

Web-based project learning is

useful for improving English

Web-based project learning is

useful for improving English

of improvement in language learning

3) Cultural Factors of Web-based Project Learning

Concerning student perceptions of general knowledge and culture awareness, the result is shown in Table 5 This domain showed the highest mean scores in both groups The students stated that they expanded their general tourism knowledge

(M=4.64 in high; M=4.58 in low) while engaged in a wide range of cultural learning experiences (M=5.18 in high; M=4.32 in low) In question 13, the mean difference between the groups was shown at the significant level of p=.03 (t=-2.24).

TABLE 5 Independent Sample t-test Analysis of Web-based Project:

Culture Awareness

12

Web-based project learning is

useful to improve general tourism

4) Affective Factors of Collaborative Learning through Web-based Project LearningBased on the results of collaborative learning through project language learning, most of the students showed positive attitudes The results are shown in Table 6 and Table 7 As for the affective domain of collaborative learning, most of the students agreed that they had fun engaging in collaborative learning through the Web project (see Table 6), showing no significant differences between the two proficiency groups Both groups showed that they considered the project useful in collaborative learning, with this question (17), showing the highest means (M=4.50, SD=.86 in high; M=4.00, SD=1.11 in low) They perceived the project language learning to be fun (M=4.36,