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THE EFFECTS OF BLOGGING ON
WRITING MOTIVATION
Zeynep Gönenç Afyon
Yeşim Nalkesen
Donald Staub
Işık University
Istanbul, Turkey
INTRODUCTION
● The Researchers
o Zeynep Gönenç Afyon
o Yeşim Nalkesen
o Donald Staub
● Işik University
o Şile & Maslak (Istanbul)
o Private foundation university
o English-medium
o ~3,500 students (3,000 UG / 500 G)
● EFL Program
o Track 1-4 + Freshman
o ~600 students
THE STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
● Demotivated students in writing classes;
● Students not perceiving the tasks as relevant
to their interests;
● Not enough feedback opportunities;
● A lack of positive emotional environment,
where ideas and feelings can be expressed
safely
● Students as digital natives
Research Question:
In what way does the use of blogs in
the EFL writing classroom increase
student motivation toward writing?
Background
● Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic motivation (Bruning & Horn,
2000; Dörnyei, 2003) in the writing classroom.
● Blogs for their "authentic, interesting and
communicative nature" (Pinkman, 2005)
● It is this "autonomy and empowerment" that
serve as "key elements in fostering learners'
confidence and desire to write" (Trajtemberg &
Yiakoumetti, 2011)
Blogs for Blogging
vs.
blogger edublogs
● free (sort of)
● wordpress platform
● relatively user-friendly
● useful admin feature
● free and easy to create a blog
● availablein many languages
● not very user friendly
● not many features/ themes
METHODOLOGY
Setting
The present study was conducted in the English as
a Foreign Language (EFL) preparatory program at
a private, English-medium university in Istanbul,
Turkey during the second term in 2012.
Participants
● Seventeen (17) students
● Studying in the EFL preparatory
program
● Age range: 18 - 22
● Language level: “intermediate”
Research Paradigm
● Triangulation
● Quantitative:
o pre and post questionnaires
o list of writing items
● Qualitative:
oa.k.a. Phenomenological: attempting to describe the
"lived experiences of several individuals about a
concept or phenomenon" (Creswell, 1989)
oMore accurate results
oPerhaps leading to Grounded Theory
oOr somewhere in between.
Data Collection Instruments and
Analysis for the Research Question
Research Question Instruments Data Analysis
In what way does the use of
blogs in the EFL writing
classroom increase student
motivation toward writing?
Pre and Post Focus
Group Interviews
Pre and Post
Motivation
Questionnaires
Instructor feedback on
student blogs
Student writing on
blogs
Pattern Coding
Wilcoxon Signed
Ranks Test –
nonparametric-
Pattern Coding
Pattern Coding
PROCEDURE OF THE MAIN STUDY
Pre Interview
in order to learn:
o how they students feel about “writing”;
what would motivate them in a writing class;
o their familiarity with writing blogs.
o conducted in Turkish
Motivation Questionnaire
o 11 items using a five-point Likert scale
o Turkish Language
o In terms of reliability, the questionnaire had a
Cronbach alpha value of .81 (SPSS).
List of Writing Topics
Students were asked to choose the ten most
appealing topics from the list.
● their ideal boy/girlfriend
● future plans
● their favourite singer
● personality characteristics of their zodiac signs
● an unforgettable film
Instruction in how to create their own
blogs
BLOGGING
Beril, if you think you have found the right
guy, you should know, you are the luckiest
person in the world. Thanks for the great
post.
Instructor Feedback
Instructor Feedback
Instructor Feedback
What you wrote is soo true. Marriage is divine and
we should be careful while choosing our spouses.
Hope you can find your Mr. Right soon. Thanks for
the post Figencim ;)
Instructor Feedback
Post Interview & Questionnaire
in order to determine changes in student
impressions of writing and blogging.
RESULTS
Baseline Focus Group
AIMS:
* impressions on writing in general
* factors increasing writing motivation
* impressions on blog writing
WRITING IN GENERAL
● Relationship between improved writing and
improved English overall
● A way to show competence in other aspects
of the language
● Helpful for generating ideas and self-
expression
● Beneficial for academic coursework and
future career
WRITING MOTIVATION
● Non-academic, familiar topics
● Free writing
● Internet & Computers
BLOG WRITING
● No prior experience, except for 1 student
● Enjoyable
● Personal
● Free
● Easy
● Psychologically comforting
Baseline Questionnaire
Aim:
To quantify student perceptions on:
● Writing in general
● Blogs
● Blog writing
n=12
● Often enjoy writing (7)
● Find writing beneficial for academic study and
career (7)
● Prefer writing on paper to computer (10)
● Feel more engaged if the topics are
interesting (10)
Baseline Questionnaire
● Aren't willing to write if they aren't graded (8)
● Are not motivated when their writing is viewed
or commented on (6)
● Almost always feel confident about writing (7)
Baseline Questionnaire
Follow-up Focus Group
Aim:
To determine changes in student
impressions of writing and blogging
BLOGGING EXPERIENCE
● Opportunity for self-reflection
● Feeling of freedom and independence with
the use of natural language
● Freedom and comfort by not being
monitored or graded
● Helpful in improving academic writing with
more monitoring of the language
BLOGGING EXPERIENCE
Computerised writing
*time-saving
*practical
*beneficial for future education and
business life
WRITING EXPERIENCE
Writing on "current","personal" and "relevant"
topics made students feel...
● Self-confident
● Productive
● Engaged
● Motivated
More enjoyable and sincere lessons giving the
opportunity for self-expression-
Follow-up Questionnaire
● Almost always find writing lessons enjoyable
and feel confident about success in writing
(10; previously 7)
● Almost always find writing lessons
interesting and attend enthusiastically (9;
previously 10)
● Feel more engaged when the topics are
interesting (11; 9 previously)
Student reflections on blogging - as
posted on their blogs
You completely are alone in there.If you do not want to be
alone in there. you can accept other people's comments.You
get one's opinion for own writing. This situation can be
exciting iğn future , because after a short time people start to
distill your writing or ideas.In this way you share not only
your ideas but also express your self.Actually blog can help
to improve yourself and contribute your information about
general knowledge. Finally people do not should forget that .
blog improve your writing skills.
Peopele sometimes want to share their
ideas.Blog is the best way to share
ideas.After my first blog ,i felt different
because i saw that i can do something
about free writing. I can express my ideas
in english.I don't care anything about
grade so it makes me free .In addition , i
keep writing after school.Creating
something helps people feel more
productive.
I like these lessons because we are more free than
other lessons. I look forward to writing blogs all
week. I think students are always under pressure
and write with some certain frameworks. And many
times we don’t like it. Also we get marks for our
essays. Therefore we get stress because we have
an anxiety about scores.
...my classmates...look forward to writing blogs.
When they write blog, they feel free,they are not
concerned about anything. No homework , no
grades, no stress... There is no limitation.They
can write anything what they want to write.They
are free to choose topics.blogging helps them
improve their writing skills.
However, it do not help me.Because I do not like
blogging,unfortunately.I do not feel good.I am
fed up with it. I am so sorry my dear teacher :) I
like writing. I look forward to your lessons...but I
do not like writing online...
How do I feel about blogging???
In my opinion,writing blog is boring.When I write blog, I cannot
feel writing ...
Writing is an ambition.. So, you cannot write without feeling..
You should feel emotion of papers,pens..
We write lots of blog; but ,they are not felt me
anything. If someone writes somethings ,they should affect
her/him..
People write to express themselves, to be relaxed and nobody
wants to know them..I agree with this .So,I do not want to write
blogs and it is BORING...
Bruning & Horn
"Motivation-enhancing conditions"
Clusters
1: Nurturing of functional beliefs
2: Authentic goals & contexts
3: A supportive context
4: Positive emotional environment
Cluster 2
Authentic goals & contexts
● “current and personal” and “relevant” topics
● (from a blog) "...i keep writing after school.
Creating something helps people feel more
productive.”
Cluster 3
A supportive context
"task framing, feedback, & practice opportunities"
“Teacher do not grade us about blog. Therefore,
we do not have scores concern and we can write
better things than lessons. In this way, we
develop ourselves about writing lessons.”
Cluster 4
Positive emotional environment
“Not being graded” and “not needing to monitor our
mistakes” made us feel “free” and “comfortable.”
“I like these lessons because we are more free
than other lessons. I look forward to writing blogs
all week.”
“In my opinion, blog lessons very beneficial for us. I
always feel like a free girl in this lessons. I did not
think about my language mistakes.”
&
Donald Staub
Yesim Nalkesen
Zeynep Gonenc-Afyon
http://bloggingatmetu.blogspot.com/
