From web-based readers to voice bloggers: EFL learners’ perspectives

Abstract

With the advancement of such Web 2.0 applications as weblogs, language learners have more opportunities to use a target language for communication purposes and to experience peer collaboration and interaction. In the search for ways to augment an EFL curriculum in which speaking practice is limited but the demand for improving oral proficiencies is high, this study explored the use of voice blogging to develop communication skills, analyzed the stages of students’ blogging efforts, and investigated students’ perceptions of this authentic language experience. Seventy-four intermediate EFL learners from two Freshman English classes at a national university in Taiwan participated in this study. During the semester-long experiment, students read online materials and used an instructional blogging site constructed by the teacher-researcher to post voice blog entries and comment on peers’ blog posts. The recursive four stages of their blogging efforts were: reading to learn, planning and organizing, speaking, and sharing. In a post-task survey and in semi-structured interviews, students said they felt that the process of producing voice blog entries facilitated language learning, enhanced knowledge construction, and promoted social networking. Students also offered suggestions for ways to improve the project, such as teaching more online search skills, providing better online recording mechanisms, and setting up a combination of face-to-face and online interactions. This study's findings and suggestions for future voice blogging projects can serve as a template for integrating voice blogging into the EFL curriculum.