Blogging to Motivate EFL Middle School Students in Korea: For More Competent Readers & Writers Using Critical Reading Skills
Sunny Im
Abstract
This study focuses on how effective blogging activities are for middle school students to motivate for reading and writing in the sociocultural theory. This started from the gloomy reality that many teenage students avoid reading, which results in getting distracted easily in class, besides, much worse in English class. By using ‘Matilda’ and ‘blogging’, I intended to lead them to discover how fun English stories are through reflective and collaborative activities. The research questions are: (a) Can students use critical reading skills when summarizing the assigned chapter? (b) From students’ perspectives, what are the perceived benefits of critical reading skills for blogging posts such as summarizing, commenting, editing, learning journal, and replying to the comments?
This was implemented on the first graders (boy: 3, girl: 8) as an after school program at a middle school, Kyungki province for five weeks in 2012. In order to implement the critical skills, Fenerci’s (2012) interpretation of Matilda was modified. Students learned how to criticize human demerits like materialism, insatiability, and unfair authority through the themes, language, distinctions and characterization of Dahl’s writing. This study followed some parts of methodological procedures of Sun and Chang (2012). Blogging activities, and surveyed students’ opinions with the open coded questionnaires were analyzed so as to get the result. It reveals that the blogging motivated students to engage in knowledge sharing as well as critical reading and writing skills. It reaffirms that blogs can be a good learning space for students to give and take their knowledge and to reflect their learning (Bloch, 2007; Yue and Brooks, 2008)
Keywords: Critical Reading and Writing Skills, Blogging, Sociocultural Theory (ZPD), Collaboration
Bio-sketch
I am currently studying MA TESOL at Sookmyung Women’s University Seoul, Korea in the fourth semester. I have taught in private and public, urban and rural, child and adult learner settings for the past 15 years. I am currently working as an English Professional Speaking Instructor in Kocheon Middle School, Kyungki province, Korea. I enjoy challenging my teaching skills with various experiments for learner-centered and friendly environment. In many cases I fail in implementing effectively but I learn valuable tips for better communicative interactions with my students. My current interest is integrating some specific and effective learning theories with the computer assisted language learning (CALL) for teenage learners to acquire English in a more meaningful, communicative and collaborative way.
