Incorporating Blogging into an EFL Writing Course: An Action Research
PDF

How to Cite

Muhtia, A., & Drajati, N. A. (2017). Incorporating Blogging into an EFL Writing Course: An Action Research. Issues in Language Studies, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.33736/ils.1621.2017

Abstract

The application of blogs in English teaching and learning, especially in writing, has gained considerable attention. It combines learning activities with advanced Internet technologies and virtual social interaction. Assigning students to write online (blogging) outside classroom hours would enable students to learn in authentic social contexts and allow them to get exposed to authentic learning materials. The purpose of this study was to improve students’ writing skill through incorporating blogging activity into an EFL writing course. The blogging activity was carried out on a social network website that provides a blog section in addition to many features. The members of the website (which is part of an English learning activity) can post their writing and give comments on each other’s blog posts. In this study, mixed methods were applied in action research that integrated qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data were collected using observations and interviews, while the quantitative data were from test scores. The work was developed through two cycles. The findings showed that there was an improvement in students’ writing skill and students’ perceptions towards blogging were positive.

https://doi.org/10.33736/ils.1621.2017
PDF

References

Abu Bakar, N., & Ismail, K. (2011). Using blogs to encourage ESL students to write constructively in English. AJTLHE Journal, 1(1), 45-57.

Armstrong, K., & Retterer, O. (2008). Blogging as L2 writing: A case study. AACE Journal, 16(3), 233-251.

Ary, D., Jacobs, L. C., & Sorensen, C. K., & Razavieh, A. (2010). Introduction to Research in Education (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Assaggaf, H. T. (2016). A process genre approach to teaching report writing to Arab EFL computer science students. International Journal of English Linguistics, 6(6), 8-18.

https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v6n6p8

Badger, R., & White, G. (2000). A process genre approach to teaching writing. ELT Journal, 54(2), 153-160.

https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/54.2.153

Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (2nd ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.

Chawinga, W. D. (2017). Taking social media to a university classroom: Teaching and learning using twitter and blogs. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 14(3), 1-19.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-017-0041-6

Jacobs, H. L., Zinkgraf, S. A., Wormuth, D. R., Hartfiel, V. F., & Hughey, J. B. (1981). Testing ESL composition: A practical approach. Rowley, MA: Newbury House.

Jennings, D., Surgenor, P., & McMahon, T. (2013). Education theory: Constructivism and social constructivism in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.ucdoer.ie/index.php/Education_Theory/Constructivism_and_Social_Constructivism

Kilickaya, F. (2004). Authentic Materials and Cultural Content in EFL Classrooms. The Internet TESL Journal, 10(7). Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Kilickaya-AutenticMaterial.html

Martindale, T., & Wiley, D. A. (2004). An introduction to teaching with weblogs. Retrieved from http://teachable.org/papers/2004_blogs_in_teaching.pdf

McBride, R., & King, V. (2010, March). Improving writing skills using blogging in the elementary classroom: Choosing tools they use. Paper presented at Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (SITE), San Diego, California.

Nepomuceno, M. M. (2011) Writing online: Using blogs as an alternative writing activity in tertiary ESL classes. TESOL Journal, 5, 92-105.

Nunan, D. (1999). Second language teaching and learning. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.

Ozdemir, E., & Aydin, S. (2015). The effects of blogging on EFL writing achievement. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 199, 372-380.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.521

Reppen, R. (1995). A genre-based approach to content writing instruction. TESOL Journal, 4(2), 32-35.

Sari, P. P., & Saun, S. (2013). Teaching writing by using the process-genre approach at junior high schools. Journal of English Language Teaching, 2(1), 1-10.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher mental processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Zhang, D. (2009). The application of blog in English writing. Journal of Cambridge Studies, 4(1), 64-72.

Copyright Transfer Statement for Journal

1) In signing this statement, the author(s) grant UNIMAS Publisher an exclusive license to publish their original research papers. The author(s) also grant UNIMAS Publisher permission to reproduce, recreate, translate, extract or summarize, and to distribute and display in any forms, formats, and media. The author(s) can reuse their papers in their future printed work without first requiring permission from UNIMAS Publisher, provided that the author(s) acknowledge and reference publication in the Journal.

2) For open access articles, the author(s) agree that their articles published under UNIMAS Publisher are distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-SA (Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, for non-commercial purposes, provided the original work of the author(s) is properly cited.

3) For subscription articles, the author(s) agree that UNIMAS Publisher holds copyright, or an exclusive license to publish. Readers or users may view, download, print, and copy the content, for academic purposes, subject to the following conditions of use: (a) any reuse of materials is subject to permission from UNIMAS Publisher; (b) archived materials may only be used for academic research; (c) archived materials may not be used for commercial purposes, which include but not limited to monetary compensation by means of sale, resale, license, transfer of copyright, loan, etc.; and (d) archived materials may not be re-published in any part, either in print or online.

4) The author(s) is/are responsible to ensure his or her or their submitted work is original and does not infringe any existing copyright, trademark, patent, statutory right, or propriety right of others. Corresponding author(s) has (have) obtained permission from all co-authors prior to submission to the journal. Upon submission of the manuscript, the author(s) agree that no similar work has been or will be submitted or published elsewhere in any language. If submitted manuscript includes materials from others, the authors have obtained the permission from the copyright owners.

5) In signing this statement, the author(s) declare(s) that the researches in which they have conducted are in compliance with the current laws of the respective country and UNIMAS Journal Publication Ethics Policy. Any experimentation or research involving human or the use of animal samples must obtain approval from Human or Animal Ethics Committee in their respective institutions. The author(s) agree and understand that UNIMAS Publisher is not responsible for any compensational claims or failure caused by the author(s) in fulfilling the above-mentioned requirements. The author(s) must accept the responsibility for releasing their materials upon request by Chief Editor or UNIMAS Publisher.

6) The author(s) should have participated sufficiently in the work and ensured the appropriateness of the content of the article. The author(s) should also agree that he or she has no commercial attachments (e.g. patent or license arrangement, equity interest, consultancies, etc.) that might pose any conflict of interest with the submitted manuscript. The author(s) also agree to make any relevant materials and data available upon request by the editor or UNIMAS Publisher.