Web-based Language Learning Research Articles

INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF WEB-BASED LANGUAGE LEARNING (WBLL) THROUGH WRITE & IMPROVE ON WRITING SKILLS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

This study examines the impact of Web-Based Language Learning (WBLL) using the program Write & Improve on secondary school students' writing skills at SM St. Michael, Penampang, using the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). The study sought to investigate students' perspectives and impact in writing through guided practice and feedback. The technique used a two-cycle action research design that included both writing activities and open-ended surveys to collect information about students' writing performance and perceptions. Initial studies revealed that students struggled with the tool's UI and feedback mechanisms, restricting their development throughout the first cycle. However, significant increases were seen in the second cycle, with students obtaining higher CEFR bands and showing a greater grasp of feedback. Surveys revealed high satisfaction and perceived effectiveness of Write & Improve, despite some technical issues and occasional inaccuracies in feedback. The study emphasizes the significance of teacher participation, as SCT and Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) indicate that directed learning and feedback can improve student outcomes. Researchers should conduct longitudinal investigations and perform different demographic testing. For educators, the findings emphasize optimal practices for incorporating WBLL technologies into instruction. This study adds to the growing body of knowledge about digital learning aids as well as providing ideas for better writing teaching through technology.

Sophomore Students’ Voice of Web-Based Learning English.

The present study aims to bridge the gaps between limited Web-based Learning English (WBLE) focused on speaking ability enhancement and sophomore multilevel speaking students' perceptions and to design a qualitative narrative study using seven sophomore university students aged 20-24 years old. Students were chosen through purposive sampling and used mobile phones and personal computers for learning purposes. The results demonstrated the use of web-based language learning to encourage students to speak English as a Foreign Language. The students used two WBLE techniques, online and offline, both on- and off-campus. They accessed five recommended WBLE: British Broadcasting Corporation, PhraseMix, VOA Learning English, British Council, and TalkEnglish. Students used online WBLE to attend blended lectures agreed upon by their teachers. This study highlights the potential of WBLE to improve speaking skills among sophomore-level students, emphasizing the need for further research and development in this field.

Developing Website English Learning Application with Google Site to Enhance Grammar Understanding

Grammar understanding is the main point to get the English skill. This study explores the development of a website-based English learning application aimed at enhancing grammar understanding, utilizing Google Sites as the platform. The application was developed following the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) - Waterfall Model, encompassing phases of requirements analysis, system design, implementation, testing, and deployment. The primary objective was to create an accessible, user-friendly platform that provides comprehensive grammar tutorials, interactive exercises, and quizzes to reinforce learning. During the development process, key user needs were identified, leading to the design of a structured and responsive website. The implementation phase focused on integrating multimedia content and interactive elements to engage learners and facilitate effective grammar practice. Testing involved both functionality and user experience assessments, with feedback indicating that the application successfully supported grammar learning, though some improvements were recommended for clarity and content breadth. The study concludes that using Google Sites for educational purposes offers a practical solution for creating accessible learning tools. The application demonstrated significant potential in enhancing grammar understanding among users, with future improvements suggested to expand the range of topics and interactive features. This project provides a foundation for further exploration of web-based language learning applications using low-cost, widely available platforms.

Language learning strategies used by Indonesian pharmacy students beyond the classroom

Although many scholars have conducted studies on Language Learning Strategies (LLS) around the world, this issue is still new in the context of English for Medical Purposes (EMP), especially as used by Indonesian pharmacy students. Further, a majority of those previous studies have been conducted using exclusively quantitative research. In response to these empirical and methodological gaps, the current research adopts a qualitative case study to examine the LLS used by Indonesian pharmacy students, as guided by Oxford’s (1990) LLS theory. This study utilized in-depth interviews to gather information from participants. The thematic analysis of the semi-structured interviews presented five major strategies used by learners: engaging in social interaction, enriching their vocabulary, using web based language learning, practicing through online platforms, and employing fun learning. Findings demonstrate that most of their learning strategies involve employing online platforms.

The effects of web-based language learning on university students' translation proficiency

Web-based language learning materials have been among the preferred materials to be used by English language instructors since they are plentiful, straightforwardly accessed, user-friendly, and most importantly, are provided for free. This study investigates the effects of learning the simple perfect tense translation in three different English translation classes which applied three different modes of teaching, which were the traditional face-to-face method, integrative method, and web-based learning method. Furthermore, it is aimed to examine the effects of proficiency level in each mode of teaching and also to determine the best method for learning translation. The research is a quantitative study and the design is a pre-and post-test quasi-experimental design. The pretest-posttest study involved 87, third-year undergraduate students, that is 52 advanced and 35 intermediate students. All groups were exposed to one mode of teaching only for 4 weeks. The results indicated that there is a significant difference in both tests for all modes used.
 Keywords: Web-based language learning, translation proficiency, traditional method, integrative method, web-based learning method;

The effects of web-based language learning on university students' translation proficiency

PurposeWeb-based language learning (WBLL) materials have long been favored by English language instructors because they are plentiful, easily accessible, user-friendly and, most importantly, free. This research looks into the effects of learning the simple perfect tense translation in three different English translation classes that used three different teaching methods: traditional face-to-face, integrative and web-based learning. It also aims to investigate the impact of gender on every mode of instruction and to identify the most effective method for learning translation.Design/methodology/approachThe study is quantitative, with a pretest/posttest quasi-experimental research design. A total of 93 third-year undergraduate students (51 female and 42 male students) participated in the pretest/posttest design. Each group was exposed to one mode of instruction for nine weeks. All groups sat for a pretest in the first week of the treatment. After the treatment, the participants were provided with a posttest, and the data obtained were analyzed using the SPSS computer software program.FindingsThe findings revealed a significant difference in both tests for all modes used. All three groups improved in their gain score, but the highest gain among these groups was the integrative method, followed by web-based learning. The result of the independent sample t-tests and ANOVA exhibited that there was no significant difference in the level of students between the two groups, both were sig. two-tailed (p = 0.342). Furthermore, it was discovered that gender did not affect students' performance in the posttest (Z = −1.564, p > 0.05) when each mode of instruction was applied. Finally, the integrative method was observed to be the most effective.Practical implicationsThe findings can inspire translation course designers to plan necessary policies or syllabi regarding English translation courses and may serve as a platform for improving the curriculum for training and motivating the next generation of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners.Originality/valueThe findings of this study could be used to improve English instruction in countries where English is a second or foreign language. The actual gap in knowledge is that no other studies have compared all three groups in the past few years.

Investigating Chinese University Students' Enjoyment in a Web-Based Language Learning Environment: Validation of the Online Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale.

The revolution in web-based technologies has enriched pedagogical practices and motivated scholars to address learners' positive and negative emotions in the web-based language learning environment. In this study, we first examined the psychometric properties of the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale (FLES) and then developed the Online Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale (OFLES). We adopted a mixed-method approach using a sample of 383 first language Chinese EFL undergraduates. In stage one of the research, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis supported an 11-item and 4-factor OFLES structure with an ideal model fit. The four sub-domains of the new enjoyment construct were OFLES- Teacher, Private, Interaction, and Competence. The Teacher domain accounted for most variance. In stage two, the qualitative analyses of feedback on an open-ended question concerning enjoyable episodes from 56 of the 383 participants revealed various sources of enjoyment for Chinese university EFL learners attending online English courses. Our findings contribute to an emerging wave of research examining the cross-contextual application of the FLES and provide important pedagogical implications for L2 practitioners and researchers. We discuss suggestions for future research.

Web-based language learning and speaking anxiety

Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety (FLSA) is known to negatively affect the performance of foreign language learners. Among the four language skills, speaking is the most anxiety-provoking skill. We investigated the presence of FLSA in Indonesian vocational high school students and we tested whether web-based language learning might help to reduce speaking anxiety, in particular when the facility in question is equipped with Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR). A mixed methods research was employed to investigate FLSA in 573 vocational high school students. A subset of them (n = 167) was selected to participate in two ASR-based web-experiments using www.iloveindonesia.my.id and NovoLearning. We additionally interviewed 11 of the students who participated in these web-experiments and five English teachers. The results showed that students indicated a moderate-to-serious level of FLSA, that they evaluated the learning websites positively, and believed that web-based language learning could alleviate their speaking anxiety. The interviews revealed that students felt less anxious when speaking in front of the ASR-based websites compared to speaking to peers or people. In order to evaluate the real effectiveness of ASR-based learning websites, future studies should investigate actual improvement of learners’ speaking skills over a longer period of time.

Web-Based Language Learning for Enhancing Students’ Soft Skills in Mount Kenya University

The application of an appropriate teaching methodology plays an important role in the acquisition of language skills. Soft skills such as oral and listening skills are all important for young adults who are about to enter the working world. However, soft skills are not well captured in the curriculum at the university level. Thus, employing Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) may hinder learners from noticing these important skills that are useful in real life. This study aims to demonstrate that the combination of TBLT and web-based language learning enhances student’s ability to acquire soft skills that are paramount in their real life. The following hypothesis guided the study: soft skills are enhanced through the use of a combination of task-based language teaching and web-based language learning. The experimental research design was used for the current study where a pre-test/post-test methodology was utilized. The target population for the current study was 300 third-year students studying English as a second language. Therefore, thirty students formed a sample size of the current study and were subjects of the experiment during one semester. The experiment consisted of exposing two groups fifteen each, randomly sampled, to a set of activities but using different methods, one of which was Computer Assisted Language Learning. Participant observation method was also used and was deemed important for the interpretation of the quantitative data. Data were analysed quantitatively. Thus, the results of the current study were derived from statistical analysis. The mean in the performance of the control group and the experimental group was significantly different. The findings of the study show that when learners are exposed to the web and visual aids, they become actively involved in the process of learning unlike in an aural environment. The study recommends the use of Computer Assisted Language Learning as a method of motivating and enhancing student’s development of soft skills.
 The application of an appropriate teaching methodology plays an important role in the acquisition of language skills. Soft skills such as oral and listening skills are all important for young adults who are about to enter the working world. However, soft skills are not well captured in the curriculum at the university level. Thus, employing Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) may hinder learners from noticing these important skills that are useful in real life. This study aims to demonstrate that the combination of TBLT and web-based language learning enhances student’s ability to acquire soft skills that are paramount in their real life. The following hypothesis guided the study: soft skills are enhanced through the use of a combination of task-based language teaching and web-based language learning. The experimental research design was used for the current study where a pre-test/post-test methodology was utilized. The target population for the current study was 300 third-year students studying English as a second language. Therefore, thirty students formed a sample size of the current study and were subjects of the experiment during one semester. The experiment consisted of exposing two groups fifteen each, randomly sampled, to a set of activities but using different methods, one of which was Computer Assisted Language Learning. Participant observation method was also used and was deemed important for the interpretation of the quantitative data. Data were analysed quantitatively. Thus, the results of the current study were derived from statistical analysis. The mean in the performance of the control group and the experimental group was significantly different. The findings of the study show that when learners are exposed to the web and visual aids, they become actively involved in the process of learning unlike in an aural environment. The study recommends the use of Computer Assisted Language Learning as a method of motivating and enhancing student’s development of soft skills.

Web-Based Language Learning (WBLL) for Enhancing L2 Speaking Performance: A Review

The advent of Web 2.0 technology has afforded language educators more useful technology for English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching. This article reviewed 31 empirical studies investigating the employment of web-based technology to enhance EFL learners’ speaking performance. The findings indicated that overall, web-based language learning (WBLL) could be classified into five major groups: general websites providing linguistic inputs, blogging platforms, communication tools, project-based learning tools and learning management systems. While the available linguistic input online, e.g. web articles and videos, helped to enhance learners’ linguistic and background knowledge, other communication/chat tools facilitated peer interactions and collaborative learning. Audio- and video-based blogging provided convenient platforms for learners to practice their speaking through sharing their personal experiences. Moreover, Web 2.0 technology as a learning management system helped to create a ubiquitous learning environment, where L2 learners could engage in the language learning process without time and space constraints. WBLL was also found to reduce L2 learners’ learning anxiety while making them become more active, motivated language learners. In addition, the role of language instructor in web-based technology implementation was also found to be crucial, e.g. monitoring L2 learners’ learning progress and providing feedback. Further research, however, is warranted to address existing methodological drawbacks of previous studies by recruiting larger sample size, conducting long-term research and controlling for confounding factors, e.g. prior L2 speaking ability and technology usage experience.

The Role of Web-based Language Teaching on Vocabulary Retention of Adult Pre-intermediate EFL Learners

This research is done to prove the effect of web-based language learning on the vocabulary improvement of the subjects of the study and to seek the attitudes of the learners on the use of web-based approach in the language class. In order to ensure the homogeneity of the students, a modified Michigan test (version1997) was presented and students were divided into one experimental group (n1=33) who learned their course vocabularies making use of free vocabulary learning sites of IELTS English language learning site every day for 8 weeks and one control group (n2=33) who received ordinary classroom instructions each session. The result appeared to manifest that learners’ perception improve by incorporating web based instruction in language learning classroom. It also indicated a significant difference between experimental and control group with regard to their vocabulary knowledge. WBL instruction enhanced EFL learners' vocabulary knowledge. The findings of this study may offer some implications for language teaching and learning. To begin with, these findings can be beneficial for language learning curriculum designers to present tasks that enrich both the language of the students and their motivation to apply on-line web sites for autonomous learning of language.

Using hypermedia annotations to teach vocabulary on the Web

This project measured the effect of using hypermedia annotations on short and long-term vocabulary retention in teaching vocabulary through Web-based language learning activities. A total of 62 university students were randomly assigned into two homogeneous groups; and then both groups were given a pretest. Both groups covered 12 expository passages selected by the researchers from the BBC website. The subjects had to sit for an immediate quiz to measure the short-term effect of the treatment and finally, at the end of the course and a twoweek interval, subjects sat for their post-test. Findings revealed that there was a significant effect of the hypermedia annotations on the retention of vocabulary in the short term ( p <0.05). However, the post-test results indicated that the effect of the treatment in the long term faded away, and the significance of the means was not sufficiently high to reject the null hypothesis. Keywords: hypermedia annotations; plain text; vocabulary retention; WBLL

An Investigation into Chinese College English Teachers' Beliefs of Students' Web-based Informal Language Learning

With the rapid development of information and technology, language learners have more ways to acquire the target language. Recently, WILL has gained popularity, for informal web-based learning of English has been depicted as a process driven by the purpose of communication. Thus, teachers have many challenges when teaching learners who have experienced informal online language learning. Therefore, teachers may change their teaching strategies in order to achieve their teaching effectiveness. The present study investigated 30 Chinese in-service college English teachers' beliefs of WILL in order to provide for teachers the insight into the current consciousness language teachers should have of these practices.

An Autonomous Learning System of Bengali Characters Using Web-Based Intelligent Handwriting Recognition

&lt;p&gt;This research project was aimed to develop an intelligent Bengali handwriting education system to improve the&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;literacy level in Bangladesh. Due to the socio-economical limitation, all of the population does not have the chance to go to school. Here, we developed a prototype of web-based (iPhone/smartphone or computer browser) intelligent handwriting education system for autonomous learning of Bengali characters that allows students to do practice their handwriting at anywhere at any time. As an intelligent tutor, the system can automatically check the handwriting errors, such as stroke production errors, stroke sequence errors, stroke relationship errors and immediately provide colourful error feedback to the students to correct themselves. Bengali is a multi-stroke input characters with extremely long cursive shape where it has stroke order variability and stroke direction variability. Due to this structural limitation, recognition speed is a crucial issue to apply traditional online handwriting recognition algorithm. In this work, we have adopted hierarchical recognition approach to improve the recognition speed that makes our system adaptable for web-based language learning. We applied writing speed free recognition methodology together with hierarchical recognition algorithm. It ensured the learning of all aged population, especially for children and older people. Finally, we conducted a survey in Bangladesh for the performance analysis of our proposed education system. The experimental results showed that our autonomous learning methodology helped to improve the average recognition accuracy by 4.1% (from 87.2% to 91.4%) with average Mean-Opinion-Score 4.1. It confirmed that the successful use of web-based Bengali handwriting education system can be very helpful to improve the literacy level in Bangladesh within a very short period.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Social media in EFL teaching

This article presents an approach to fostering (oral) communication skills in L2 English using social media. It proposes that social media provide a setting for synchronous and asynchronous oral CMC and can be a motivating environment for communicative tasks in the lingua franca English as adolescent learners are used to participating online, both in written and spoken modes. This can be exploited in complex competency tasks in which learners are exposed to real-life discourse and the associated linguistic challenges. Complex competency tasks can provide a framework for web-based language learning and facilitate the development of oral communicative competencies. Among the implications for teaching discussed are sensible embedding in tasks, potential issues of student participation and motivation, and the authenticity of the environments. The article concludes that social media provide a fruitful platform for combining web-based and task-based language and media learning in (semi-)authentic contexts in complex competency tasks.

Digital Self-Efficacy and Language Learning Enhancement in an Online Setting

The importance of personal factors such as personality traits, learning strategies, self-esteem, and self-efficacy in the complicated task of language learning has been established for years. However, the introduction of computers, networks and their wide communication affordances, seem to impact many aspects of learning and teaching and particularly language learning and teaching. The storage place, manner, and magnitude of learning materials for example, have shifted from the human mind to portable digital storage places that consequently require different types of aggregation, retrieval, and usage of information. Noting the rapid communication of today through networking, ICT competency plays important roles with all its related applications and software that turn the talented user into an enhanced player in the wired world. It was the underlying premise of this research study to identify how freshman Iranian language students view their technology competencies and command to impact their socialization and web-assisted language learning process in the connected world of today. It was found that most of the Kazerun Islamic Azad university students of English (34 freshman) show positive attitudes toward the adoption of online learning materials and web-based socialization applications such as Facebook’s group tool and online forums as their preferred tool for discussion and interaction in the language learning course. At the end of semester the higher digital self-efficacy students scored higher in their conversation test compared to the lower digital self-efficacy students. Users with high computer self-efficacy not only benefit from their capability to use computer in their language learning activities, they would also benefit from group self-efficacy in their web-based language learning tasks and interactions.

Engaging student interpreters in vocabulary building: Web search with computer workbench

AbstractThis paper investigates the usefulness of Web portals in a workbench for assisting student interpreters in the search for and collection of vocabulary. The experiment involved a class of fifteen English as a Foreign Language (EFL) student interpreters, who were required to equip themselves with the appropriate English vocabulary to handle an interpreting task they had been assigned. The subjects were given the same topic for vocabulary building in two stages – one stage without and the other stage with the use of the workbench. They were not allowed to repeat vocabulary items in the two stages. They documented their experience in vocabulary preparation in the first stage, and provided think-aloud protocols for the second stage. They also completed a questionnaire and submitted two portfolios. The vocabulary portfolios compiled during the two stages were then compared. The results indicate that, with the use of the workbench, the subjects were more efficient in performing the task of building vocabulary by searching for the required vocabulary, and were able to build a vocabulary portfolio that was larger in size and richer in variety. The data also reveal that most students make use of Web portals that have a specific focus, rather than general search engines. The findings provide important information to support the use of the workbench as a tool for training EFL student interpreters in vocabulary building, and also show that guided Web portals are essential for users who need to perform Web-based language learning activities to achieve efficient search results.

Sociocultural influences on the use of a web-based tool for learning English vocabulary

Abstract This paper presents evidence that sociocultural aspects influence how adult second language (L2) learners use web-based language learning tools. Quantitative evidence from mouse-click and on-line gloss look-ups by 41 Arabic-speaking and 21 Korean-speaking learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) revealed different behaviors with a web-based reading and vocabulary tutor. Qualitative data from class observations, questionnaires, and interview data revealed different cultural views of reading and word learning. Using activity theory to interpret these data, we suggest that learners' perspectives on learning vocabulary from a written text can transform the Object of a vocabulary learning activity in different ways. Implications for teachers and computer scientists are that students' actions when using online tools may differ by sociocultural background. In addition, their actions may not align with longterm learning objectives, but may instead be directed toward short-term task completion requirements.

What Drives a Successful Web-based Language Learning Environment? An Empirical Investigation of the Critical Factors Influencing College Students’ Learning Satisfaction

With a great potential for enriching and vivifying all kinds of educational applications, web-based instruction is becoming a progressively more impressive apparatus for language learning resource delivering around the world. In this study, a web- based language learning (WBLL) system was employed to support college students’ English as foreign language (EFL) learning. Based on the concepts of social cognitive theory (SCT), this study proposes a conceptual model that examines the determinants of college students’ learning satisfaction in a web-based language learning environment. The model is validated using a cross-sectional survey of 306 college students. The partial least squares (PLS) method was applied to validate the measurement properties and proposed hypotheses. The empirical findings demonstrate that college students show positive incline towards the use of the web-based language learning system for EFL courses and signify a possible benefit from its use in the long run. The results can provide insight into those factors that are likely significant antecedents for planning and implementing a web-based language learning system to enhance student learning satisfaction.

Virtual Communities of Practice in Web-Based Second Language Learning: Fiction or Reality?

The work of Lave and Wenger on learning in 'communities of practice' has evoked a considerable response in e-learning environments through-out the world including Denmark in the last few decades. Within the development of web-based second language learning, the ideas of learning in communities of practice and of situated and collaborative learning have deeply inspired educators and teachers and, to a certain degree, become the theoretical and practical framework for developing web-based learning platforms, while findings from this research indicate that students perceive e-learning as a far more individual process. The aim of this paper is to investigate aspects of the Danish development of elearning platforms and, especially students’ and teachers’ very differing perceptions of e-learning and the concepts behind it. The analysis is based on student and teacher interviews, research on language interaction and case studies of e-learning language platforms within the area of teaching Danish as a second language for adult foreigners. The concepts of communities of practice are also discussed and developed.