The Benefits Occur during Elementary School-agedEFL Students in Taiwan Engaged in Keypal Exchanges

Abstract

The ultimate objectives of this study are intended to examine whether the email can be utilized as an effective Communicative Language Teaching environment in Taiwan for reading and writing interaction, and to explore if EFL elementary school-aged students involved in the email projects are stronger in their motivation in language learning. The quantitative approach used in this study employed an experimental research design with two groups. Prior to the study, participants were randomly assigned to two different groups. It included pre-testing EFL students before the email keypal project and post-testing students immediately following the email keypal project. In addition, the pre-study and post-study survey comprised of two questionnaires concerning students' motivation levels. The findings showed that the email keypal project improved the EFL students' reading and writing performance. Participating in the keypal project also elevated the EFL students' levels of motivation in using English. Therefore, this study strengthened that the email keypal project not only became one of natural teaching aids to incorporating the CLT method as an English teaching and learning, but also fulfilled the goals for Grades 1-9 Curriculum Guidelines in Taiwan which are: 1) to foster students' basic communicative competence in English; and 2) to enhance students' interests and motivation for English learning. Further recommendations were also conducted for future researchers and educators who may be interested in further avenues of research related to the effect of the email keypal project.