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Integrating Internet resources into the learning of English as a Foreign Language in a Taiwanese high school: A case study
Abstract
This research study explores use of Internet resources for learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in Taiwanese high school EFL education. The overall objectives of this research are to examine qualitatively 40 high school students' performance, attitudes, and learning strategies using an experimental Internet-integrated learning mode; to consider its potential impact on current EFL education in Taiwan; and to gain insight into the feasibility of integrating the Internet into Taiwanese high school EFL standard curriculum. Subjects were engaged in thematic, purposeful, collaborative Internet-integrated learning activities where English is used for data searching, group discussion, and individual presentation, as well as for acquiring knowledge of other subject matter. E-mail messages, mailing lists, interviews, questionnaires and subjects' writing samples were collected and analyzed. Students' performances were recorded through fieldnotes, audiotaping, and videotaping. Results indicate that the Internet-integrated learning environment sufficiently scaffolded subjects in information processing and knowledge construction of the target language via exploration, discovery, and meaning-negotiated interactions. Results are discussed in terms of meeting the demands of information and human resources required for effective EFL learning and reshaping the role of instructor as guide and co-learner. Also discussed is how the Internet-integrated mode facilitates interdisciplinary, collaborative and learner-centered EFL learning and incorporates students' and teachers' interests and expertise. Finally, recommendations are offered for future research studies, including possibly developing a compatible assessment system and establishing an EFL instruction web station to convince and support teachers interested in conducting authentic, cross-cultural, and learner-centered EFL instruction with the aid of rich and dynamic multimedia resources on the Internet.
Subject Area
Bilingual education|Multicultural education|Educational software|Secondary education
Recommended Citation
Chen, Chin-Fen, "Integrating Internet resources into the learning of English as a Foreign Language in a Taiwanese high school: A case study" (1998). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9909154.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9909154