Digital literacy and digital content supports learning. The impact of blogs on teaching English as a foreign language
| Pages | 522-547 |
| Date | 06 June 2016 |
| Published date | 06 June 2016 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-05-2015-0076 |
| Author | Charlene L. Al-Qallaf,Afaf S.R. Al-Mutairi |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
Digital literacy and digital
content supports learning
The impact of blogs on teaching English as a
foreign language
Charlene L. Al-Qallaf
Department of Library and Information Science, Kuwait University,
Shuwaikh, Kuwait, and
Afaf S.R. Al-Mutairi
Department of English Language, Ministry of Education, Farwaniya, Kuwait
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the impact of blogs on teaching English as a foreign
language (EFL) to primary students. The study also explores educators’ perceptions of social media
tools and digital literacy in school environments.
Design/methodology/approach – A three-step approach was used to collect both qualitative and
quantitative data. First, the blogs of 23 fth-grade students in an EFL class in Kuwait was analysed for
one semester along with student perceptions and teacher observations. Second, a survey was
distributed to the students at the end of the semester, and nally, four focus groups were conducted
regarding educators’ perceptions on the use of social media, their skills and needs and problems
encountered.
Findings – The ndings showed that by the end of the semester, students were writing lengthy
sentences, had fewer spelling and grammatical mistakes, were more motivated and independent and
displayed a more positive attitude towards learning EFL. In addition, educators are enthusiastic about
using Web technologies in their teaching practices but have several concerns such as digital literacy
competencies, technology-use behaviour and lack of accessibility to digital content.
Research limitations/implications – The number of questions on the student survey could be
reduced. Also, it would be preferable in future studies to require all students to blog at least twice a week
which could provide a broader representation of their writing abilities.
Originality/value – Little research has been reported in the literature on the use of blogs in teaching
EFL to primary school students. Most literature focuses on teaching EFL to university students. By
using a mixed-methodology approach, this study also highlights the needs of educators and students in
technology learning environments and makes a good contribution towards offering pragmatic
solutions.
Keywords Blogs, Kuwait, Libraries, Teachers, Social media, Librarians, Digital literacy, EFL
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Technology has transformed the way individuals live, learn, conduct business and
create and manage information. According to the American Library Association (ALA,
2013), there are two parts to the technology equation: having access to technology is the
rst part, while the second part includes increasing digital skills and competencies
(ALA, 2013). The rst part of the equation – having access to technology – is strongly
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0264-0473.htm
EL
34,3
522
Received 21 May 2015
Accepted 21 July 2015
TheElectronic Library
Vol.34 No. 3, 2016
pp.522-547
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/EL-05-2015-0076
supported by proponents who visualize technology as being pivotal to educational
success and key to sustaining democracies in the digital age (Aspen Institute, 2009;
Lietzau and Helgren, 2011;USA Department of Education, 2010). The second part of the
equation – digital literacy, iSkills, Information Literacy 2.0, media literacy or ICT
literacy – has a common core of providing an environment where the ability to use
information and communication technologies to nd, understand, evaluate, create,
manage and communicate information to meet the needs of a knowledge-based society
(ALA, 2013;Bawden, 2008;Koltay, 2011). Both these parts make up the whole, and one
cannot exist without the other, necessitating a skill set that “requires both cognitive and
technical competencies” (ALA, 2013, p. 1). This digital environment challenges many
assumptions on how education should be delivered, how students should learn, how
information is disseminated and what digital competencies are necessary to function in
a technology-driven society.
Within the educational context, information and communication technologies have
inspired new pedagogical practices which redene the conventional methods of
teaching and learning. Social media tools are one format of these new technologies that
are viewed as being an active force among information professionals, teachers, and
learners. Social media networking sites (SNSs) support communication, collaboration
and active engagement among participants, and provide signicant sources of
information for the educational community (Maron and Smith, 2008;Richardson, 2010).
These tools transform learners from passive receivers of information into active content
creators. Examples of SNSs are blogs, Facebook, wikis and podcasts.
One Web-based medium that is becoming popular among educators as a pedagogical
tool is blogs. Blogs are described as “online diaries; logs of thoughts, reections; a space
for individuals to write whatever they choose with an option for readers to comment on
what they have read” (Eastment, 2005). The growth in the popularity of blogs as
educational tools can be attributed to the benets they provide to educators. For
example, blogs are one of the easiest applications of social media because they require
minimum technical skills, and blogging software is readily available. Blogs provide
meaningful opportunities for collaborative learning, easy content creation, facilitation of
communication, and building online communities. Blogs can be used by teachers for a
variety of activities, including providing sources of valuable information, following a
student’s progress, explaining class materials and engaging students in a discussion as
a means to measure their understanding of what has been taught in class. More
specically, students can use blogs to express themselves by sharing their ideas with
their fellow students, working cooperatively in completing group assignments, asking
questions about course content and developing their language abilities.
Developing language skills, especially writing skills, in learners of English as a
foreign language (EFL), is a challenge for educators. One of the main problems with
primary school students (Grades 1-5) studying EFL is that they view learning a foreign
language as difcult, boring and, in many cases, as their least favourite subject.
Research shows that EFL blogs can keep students interested and motivated by actively
engaging them in the writing process, and these interactions and sharing of their
experiences increases the valid use of the target language (Gedera, 2012;Taki and
Fardafshari, 2012). The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of blogs in
teaching and learning EFL in a primary school (Grades 1-5) in Kuwait. The study seeks
to establish whether blogs can improve students’ writing skills, promote peer learning
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Impact of
blogs on
teaching
English
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