An Initial Study of University Students' Needs, Preferences, and ...

黃 埔 學 報 第 五 十 四 期 民 國 九 十 七 年 167WHAMPOA - An Interdisciplinary Journal 54(2008) 167-182An Initial Study of University Students’ Needs, Preferences,and Difficulties in Internet-based English LearningGi-Zen Liu 1 • Pi-Ching Chen 21 Department of Foreign Languages and LiteratureNational Cheng Kung University, Taiwan2 Department of International BusinessChang Jung Christian University, TaiwanABSTRACTCoping with the fast development of the digitalization, learning languages through theInternet has been an innovative field that has influenced the ways language instructorsfacilitate students’ learning since the 1990s. However, there have been few large-scaleuniversity-wide surveys on the use, the potential problems, and the needs for Internet-basedEnglish courses. The main purpose of this study is to explore the current practices, needs, anddifficulties of college students from a national research university in Taiwan in their onlineand offline English learning through an Internet-based survey questionnaire. This surveystudy aptly echoes Hubbard’s (2003) calls for more descriptive studies to identifycomputer-assisted language learning (CALL) research and problems. In the survey,participating students (n = 1,843) were asked to think and reflect on their perceptions, needs,and difficulties in English learning after one-month use of the Internet-based English learningin November 2006. The results are consistent with Ayres’s (2002) findings that most studentsthink Internet-based technologies are useful in furthering their English proficiency levels.Despite the belief, however, approximately 45% of the students do not use email, 37% ofthem do not use the learning management system, and over three tenths of the students (31%)do not use any CALL applications or websites to learn the English language. This resultstrongly suggests that the researchers and EFL instructors need to come up with ways tobridge the gap between belief and practice.Key Words: EFL, College Learners, Internet-based Learning, CALL1. IntroductionSince the 1990s, learning languagesthrough the Internet has been an innovativefield that influences the way Englishinstructors facilitate students’ languagelearning. As Internet-based technologies

168 黃 埔 學 報 第 五 十 四 期 民 國 九 十 七 年have been emerging and their applicationshave been providing numerous learningopportunities for teachers and instructionaldesigners to engage students ininteraction-enhanced, collaboration-supportedtwo-way written and oral communications topractice the target language (Egbert, 2005;Levy & Stockwell, 2006). Rushby (2005)observes that a new constructivist learningparadigm of various uses of Internet-basedtechnologies and environments iscontinuously emerging. However, how tomake good use of the Internet-basedtechnologies and integrate them into thelanguage curriculum has become asignificant issue (Liu, 2005). Therefore, thisstudy was intended to find out thestakeholders’ (students) perceptions, needs,and problems when doing so.Since 2006, the researchers have beenfollowing what Rushby proposes to designand implement multi-year, university-wideInternet-based English learning technologiesand environments for all the students atNational Cheng Kung University (NCKU).As Huang (2006) argues that there are notsignificant differences between the print andWeb-based survey, in order to better servethe students and meet their needs, auniversity-wide Web-based survey on theuse of and need for Internet-based Englishlearning was conducted.This study was intended to investigatethe following issues by using thequantitative research methodology: (a) thecurrent practices and needs of Englishlearning through various Internet-basedtechnologies and applications from theperspectives of graduate and undergraduatestudents at NCKU, and (b) the problems andtheir possible solutions when learningEnglish online and offline for skilldevelopment and communication purposes.In the survey, both graduate andundergraduate students were requested tothink and reflect their perceptions, needs anddifficulties when learning English onlineand offline after the Internet-based Englishlearning technologies have been used forone month. The purpose of the survey wasto identify the perceptions of students on theuse of the learning technologies to see if anyeffort should be made to improve thesituation. Diverse perspectives from studentsof various academic majors andbackgrounds were analyzed and discussed.The results of data analyses echo Ayres’s(2002) study that the majority of studentsthink Internet-based technologies are usefulfor them to further develop their targetlanguage as well as meet their needs in thecourse of study. Hence, English instructorsneed to positively respond to their needs anddesign suitable English learning activities tobring about desired learning outcomes.2. The NCKU Internet-based EnglishLearning and Testing ProjectNational Cheng Kung University(NCKU) is a comprehensive, nationalresearch university in southern Taiwan.There are nine colleges with 45 graduateinstitutes or departments, including over10,000 undergraduate students and over8,500 graduate students. Currently theInternet has been available through thebroadband cable and the wireless way.Concerning the learning management

Gi-Zen Liu, Pi-Ching Chen:An Initial Study of University Students’ Needs, Preferences, and 169Difficulties in Internet-based English Learningsystem, iteach (http://iteach.ncku.edu.tw)was developed and set up since 2000, but itcan only provide the Chinese version. SinceJanuary 2006, The NCKU Internet-basedEnglish Learning and Testing Project(http://english.ncku.edu.tw/content/) isintended to help all the students developtheir English and ICT (information andcommunication technology) abilities inorder to compete with other students in theglobal village.Until now, a bilingual (English-Chinese)learning management system, anInternet-based English testing system, andmultiple-use of CALL applications havebeen constructed. In addition, eighteenculture-based and EAP-focused onlineinteractive lessons have been developed forstudents to use since August 2007. In thefollowing years, dozens of online ESP andEAP lessons based on the various needs ofthe nine different colleges at NCKU willalso be developed. Therefore, the continuoususe of the Internet-based survey is needed indifferent stages to identify instructors’ andstudents’ perceptions and needs as themulti-year project has been providingstate-of-the-art, cutting-edge technologies tomeet their needs for the learning goals andeffects.3. The Survey: Research ProceduresThe research question that guided thisstudy was “What are the current practices,needs, and problems when NCKU studentslearn English online and offline?” InOctober 2006, the survey (see Appendix A)was established on the Internet after theitems were developed. According to Nunan(1992), surveys are the most widely applieddescriptive method in educational/teachingresearch to collect “a snapshot of conditions,attitudes, and/or events at a single point intime” (p. 140). This survey study matchesHubbard’s (2003) calls for more descriptivestudies to identify CALL research andrelated problems.Due to the frequent use of thecomputer by NCKU students, and there areno significant differences between the printand Web-based survey (Huang, 2006), itwas determined that the online survey wasappropriate for the learners as well as users.It was estimated that each student neededfifteen to twenty minutes to complete thesurvey. Participants were informed that thedata they provided would be used forimproving the current situation only andtheir personal files would not be revealed.The calling for participants in thesurvey was spread through the universityonline bulletin boards, the onlineforums/BBS at various departments, andemails to recruit as many students aspossible. During the nine days ofinvestigation time until November 8, 2006, atotal of 1,843 graduate and undergraduatestudents (about 10% of all NCKU students)completed their survey questionnaires. Thepercentage of participants met theresearcher’s expectation.4. Data AnalysisIn this section, four parts of thecollected data were analyzed and describedseparately based on their contents, including(a) statistical differences between groups ofstudents, (b) current practices of English

170 黃 埔 學 報 第 五 十 四 期 民 國 九 十 七 年learning, (c) students’ preferences and needsof Internet-based English learning, and (d)students’ difficulties in learning Englishonline and offline. Each part is as follows.4.1 Statistical Differences betweenGroups of StudentsThe researchers of this study followedwhat Ayres (2002) suggested that theresearcher should first identify “if there wereany statistical differences between thevarious groups represented in the sample” (p.245). Among the participants, there were1,157 males (63%) and 686 females (37%).The male-female ratio in the study is veryclose to that (65% : 35%) at NCKU.Additionally, 925 graduate students (50%)and 918 undergraduate students (50%)presented their answers to the surveyquestionnaires.It seems that graduate students aremore concerned about their English learningvia the Internet than undergraduate studentssince the number of graduate students is1,500 less than that of undergraduatestudents at NCKU. This condition mayreveal the fact that starting from 2006-2007academic year, most NCKU graduateinstitutes require their students to completetheir theses or dissertations in English aswell as to publish research papers ininternational journals before graduation. Asto the preference of Internet technologies ofstudents from different departments, it issafe to say that there is no significantdifference among students of differentmajors based on the data.4.2 Students’ Current Practices ofEnglish LearningIn order to understand NCKUstudents’ perceptions of English learning,five subtopics included the most and theleast satisfactory language skills andlanguage areas, English tests and thegraduation policy, the practice of computerand the Internet use, students’ self-learningtime and materials, and Internet-basedEnglish learning activities and conditions.4.2.1 The Most Satisfactory and the LeastSatisfactory Language Skills andLanguage AreasThe average English learningexperience is about ten years for theparticipating students. When asked aboutwhat language skills (listening, speaking,reading, and writing) of English that they aremost and least satisfied with, 81% of theparticipating students think they areconfident in reading ability, and more than63% of the students are least satisfied withtheir speaking abilities.As to the language areas (vocabulary,culture, and grammar), 28% of the studentsthink their syntactical knowledge issatisfactory, 24% of the students aresatisfied with their vocabulary level, andonly less than 13% of the students feel goodabout the culture knowledge of the targetlanguage. Less than 1% of the students (n =6) are satisfied with all language skills andlanguage areas. However, 11% of thestudents (n = 206) are dissatisfied with anylanguage skills or language areas.

Gi-Zen Liu, Pi-Ching Chen:An Initial Study of University Students’ Needs, Preferences, and 171Difficulties in Internet-based English Learning4.2.2 English Tests and the GraduationPolicyIn order to compete with internationalstudents globally, since 2004-2005 academicyear NCKU required all students to pass theintermediate level of one of the standardizedtests before graduation, including GeneralEnglish Proficiency Test (GEPT), Test ofEnglish for International Communication(TOEIC), International English LanguageTesting System (IELTS), or Test of Englishas a Foreign Language (TOEFL). In thesurvey, only 35% of the students took one ofthe four standardized tests, and 87% of thempassed the test. Nearly 65% of the studentsthink the graduation policy is reasonable andacceptable to help them improve theirEnglish before graduation.4.2.3 The Practice of Computer and theInternet UseApproximately 91% of the students (n =1,684) have their own personal computers ornotebook computers, and 96% of thestudents use the broadband cable to connectto the Internet. As for the concern oflearning facilities, 86% of the students thinkthey can easily have a computer for personaluse in the lab or anywhere on campus.Nearly half of the students (49%) feel thewireless Internet is available anytime,anywhere on campus.4.2.4 Self-learning Time and MaterialsCurrently, NCKU freshmen have tospend three hours in the formal English class,and other students have two and a half hoursof English lessons. According to the surveydata analysis, over 70% of the students usethe university’s magazines and books tolearn English, and the average use time isabout one hour and a half per week.4.2.5 Internet-based English LearningActivities and ConditionsThe average time of Internet-basedEnglish learning for all participatingstudents is 1.3 hours per week. Over half ofthe students (55%) use the email to learntheir English, 63% of the students use thelearning management system to learnEnglish, and nearly seven tenths of thestudents (69%) use CALL applications orWebsites to develop their English. The mostused CALL application is Dr. Eye (an onlinedictionary).When asked about on which languageskill or area the email can help one learnEnglish most, 38% of the students thinkreading skill and 29% of the students thinkwriting skill. When asked about on whichlanguage skill or area the learningmanagement system can help one learnEnglish most, 48% of the students thinklistening skill and 28% of them thinkreading skill. More than half of the students(51%) think CALL is most useful whendeveloping the listening ability.4.3 Students’ Preferences and Needs ofInternet-based English LearningAbout four fifths of the students (78%)think the hybrid English course (blendedEnglish learning) is better than the totalclassroom-based (17%) and the fully onlinecourse (5%). Online reading (63%), onlinelistening (54%), and online language games

172 黃 埔 學 報 第 五 十 四 期 民 國 九 十 七 年(44%) are the most preferred Internet-basedEnglish learning activities.Based on the results of the survey,speaking development (58%), listeningdevelopment (54%), and language games(44%) are regarded as the most preferredclassroom-based English learning activities.More than three fifths of the students (63%)think learning English through the Internet isnecessary, and 70% of them think learningEnglish through the Internet is the trend.The average time that NCKU studentswould like to spend in online Englishlearning is 2.8 hours per week. Nearly onetenth of the students (11%) prefer onlineinteractive English learning video lessons,10% of the students prefer oral CALLprograms, but about 10% of the students donot know which CALL would be mosthelpful to them.4.4 Students’ Problems of LearningEnglish Online and OfflineA fairly high percentage of thestudents (97%) understand the importance ofand prefer using English frequently in orderto improve English; however, 50% of themuse Chinese most in English class. Lessthan seven tenths of the students (67%)would like to watch English programs onTV if there are other programs of otherlanguages existing, while others (33%) willnot. Approximately 63% of the studentswill join English clubs on campus topractice speaking English if there are goodones, while 37% of the students will neverdo so.On the contrary, more than 17% of thestudents think their English courses aremeaningless, 14% of the students feel theirEnglish courses are awful, and 14% thinktheir English course are simple. Nearlyhalf of the students (45%) do not use theemail to learn their English, 37% of thestudents do not use the learning managementsystem to learn English, and 31% of thestudents do not use any CALL applicationsor websites to develop their English.5. Discussion and ConclusionThe findings of the survey study aresurprisingly different from those originallyexpected by the researchers. Although 91%of the students (n = 1,684) have their ownpersonal computers or notebook computers,some of them do not use the email (45%),the learning management system (37%), andonline CALL applications (31%) to developtheir English for written or oralcommunication. It seems that most NCKUstudents rely on traditional ways in learningEnglish, or do not know how to takeadvantage of the Internet-based technologiesto develop language skills and enhancelanguage areas. Luckily the majority ofstudents are willing to spend more time (2.8hours per week) than they really do (1.3hours per week). This fact encourages theresearchers, and perhaps many Englishinstructors that if university students areguided properly, they will be more willing toengage themselves in the Internet–basedEnglish learning activities.In the present study, plagiarism-relatedexperiences were not used in the surveyquestionnaire. Nowadays a number of newsreports indicate that students have beenusing search engines (e.g., google.com,

Gi-Zen Liu, Pi-Ching Chen:An Initial Study of University Students’ Needs, Preferences, and 173Difficulties in Internet-based English Learningyahoo.com) to look for relevant informationto complete their assignments and papers.Some of them even do just copy-and-pasteto plagiarize other’s works and infringe onthe copyright. Intellectual property shouldbe a major concern of all English teachersand students should be taught to respect itand avoid misusing other’s works. It isstrongly suggested that future research ofthis kind should involve anti-plagiarismissues. Liu and Chen (2007) suggest thethree types of integrating IBT into languagecurricula based on the Taxonomy as shownin Table 1.Table 1.The Three Types of Integrating IBT into Language Curricula Based on the TaxonomyCategory Locus of Control Instruction ModeIntegrating the CMC tool(Chat, Conferencing,MSN Messenger, Skype,Forum, Email, etc.)Mostly peer-supported;tools onlyDrill-and-practice;one-to-one and one-togroup, collaborationIntegrating the LMS(Open-source learningplatforms, Blackboard.com,WebCT.com, etc.)Teacher-led,peer-supported, andself-controlled;tool-enhanced contentLecturing; one-to-oneand one-to-group,collaboration;Drill-and-practiceIntegrating the CALLprogramsMostly self-controlled;tool-enhanced contentTutorials, testing,simulations, games, etc.(BBC Learning English,language learning Websites)Note. CMC stands for computer-mediated communication; LMS stands for language management systems;CALL stands for computer-assisted language learning.In sum, as Price and Gascoigne (2006)highlight, a clear and deep understanding ofNCKU students’ perceptions, needs, andproblems will inform and improve thecurrent instructional processes as well aslearning activities through a well-blendedleaning environment as Bonk and Graham(2006) propose. In addition, Liu & Chen(2007) develop a taxonomy for integratingInternet-based technologies into languagecurricula (see Table 1), and it provides apractical solution that we will work with tooffer computer-mediated communication(CMC) tools, learning management systems,and CALL programs to universities studentsto help them develop their Englishdynamically. The researchers as well as theproject director will positively respond tostudents’ needs and problems to provideappropriate training and workshops toEnglish teachers and students on the correctuse of the Internet-based English learning

174 黃 埔 學 報 第 五 十 四 期 民 國 九 十 七 年technologies and on integrating them intoEnglish curricula.AcknowledgementsAn earlier version of this paper waspresented at the AsiaCALL 2006 Conferenceat UPM, Malaysia, November 27-29, 2006.This study was supported by the grant of theFLLD and of the NCKU English EagleProject. We are thankful to the participantsat NCKU.References[1] Ayres, R. (2002). Learner attitudestowards the use of CALL. ComputerAssisted Language Learning, 15(3),241-249.[2] Bonk, C. J., & Graham, C. R. (2006).The handbook of blended learning:Global perspectives, local designs. SanFrancisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.[3] Egbert, J. (2005). CALL essentials:Principles and practices in CALLclassrooms. Alexandria, VA: Teachersof English to Speakers of OtherLanguages (TESOL), Inc.[4] Huang, H. M. (2006). Do print and Websurveys provide the same results?Computers in Human Behavior, 22,334-350.[5] Hubbard, P. (2003). A survey ofunanswered questions in CALL.Computer Assisted Language Learning,16 (2-3), 141-154.[6] Levy M., & Stockwell, G. (2006). CALLdimensions: Options and issues incomputer-assisted language learning.Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence ErlbaumAssociates, Inc.[7] Liu, G.-Z. (2005). The trend andchallenge for teaching EFL at Taiwaneseuniversities. RELC Journal, 36(2),211-221.[8] Liu, G.-Z. & Chen, A. S. W. (2007). Ataxonomy of Internet-based technologiesintegrated into language curricula.British Journal of EducationalTechnology, 38(5), 934-938.[9] Nunan, D. (1992). Research methods inlanguage learning. New York: NY:Cambridge University Press.[10] Price, J., & Gascoigne, C. (2006).Current perceptions and beliefs amongincoming college students towardsforeign language study and languagerequirements. Foreign Language Annals,39(3), 383-394.[11] Rushby, N. (2005). Editorial: Whereare the new paradigms? British Journalof Educational Technology, 36(3),359-360.

Gi-Zen Liu, Pi-Ching Chen:An Initial Study of University Students’ Needs, Preferences, and 175Difficulties in Internet-based English LearningAppendix ASurvey Questionnaire for University Students aboutEnglish Learning and English CoursesPart A. Current Practices SurveyDirection: Please check the appropriate response for each item.A-1. Personal Profile:1. What is your gender ? 1. Male2. What is your major? 1. College of Liberal Arts 3. College of Sciences 5. College of Engineering 7. College of Management 9. College of Medicine3. What school year are you in? 1. Freshman 3. Junior 5. Graduate school students 2. Female 2. College of Electrical Engineering 4. College of Planning & Design 6. College of Social Sciences 8. College of Bioscience & Biotechnology 2. Sophomore 4. SeniorA-2. Survey Questions:1. What language components are you satisfied with when you learn English?(You can choose more than one of the following.) 1. Listening 2. Speaking 3. Reading 4. Writing 5. Vocabulary 6. Grammar 7. Culture 8. None of them2. What language components are you dissatisfied with when you learn English?(You can choose more than one of the following.) 1. Listening 2. Speaking 3. Reading 4. Writing 5. Vocabulary 6. Grammar 7. Culture 8. None of them3. Have you ever taken GEPT, TOEIC, or other standard tests? 1. GEPT (Elementary) 2. GEPT (Intermediate) 3. GEPT (High-Intermediate) 4. GEPT (Advanced) 5. TOEIC 6. IELTS 7. CBT TOEFL ( iBT TOEFL) 8. Others _____________________

176 黃 埔 學 報 第 五 十 四 期 民 國 九 十 七 年4. How many years have you been learning English? 1. 6-7 years(Since Junior High School) 2. 8-9 years (Since Primary School Grade 5-6) 3. 10-11 years (Since Primary School Grade 3-4) 4. 12 years or more (Since Primary School Grade 1-2 or Preschool)5. Did you take a placement test when you entered your university/college? 1. No 2. Yes6. Did/Do you attend the Freshman English class based on the result of the placement testor the result of the National College Entrance Examination? 1. No 2. Yes (Which one? _________________________________________________)7. If you do not major in English and you are not a freshman student, have you taken anyEnglish courses? 1. No 2. Yes (What courses? _____________________________________________)8. Do you have your own personal computer or notebook computer? 1. No 2. Yes9. If you have a personal computer or notebook computer, you use 1. The ADSL (or broadband) Internet 2. A dial-up modem to connect to the Internet10. If you would like to use a networked computer at your university, how convenient is itfor you to have one?Low ← 1 2 3 4 5 → High11. Does your university provide the wireless Internet on campus? 1. No 2. Yes12. Does your university provide self-learning English materials? 1. No 2. Yes Books Magazines Video tapes Audio tapes Video on demand (VOD) Other____________13. If your university provides self-learning English materials, how many hours do youusually use them every week? ________________ hours.14. How many hours a week does your university provide you with English learning in thefirst year? ________________ hours.15. How many hours a week does your university provide you with English learning in thesecond year? ________________ hours.

Gi-Zen Liu, Pi-Ching Chen:An Initial Study of University Students’ Needs, Preferences, and 177Difficulties in Internet-based English Learning16. How many hours a week does your university provide you with English learning in thethird year? ________________ hours.17. How many hours a week does your university provide you with English learning in thefourth year? ________________ hours.18. If you are a graduate student, how many hours a week does your university provide youwith English learning? ________________ hours.19. How many hours did/do you use the Internet for English learning every week?________________ hours.20. Have you ever used the email to communicate with other students or teachers to learnEnglish? If so, how often?Never ←1 2 3 4 5 → Always21. Have you ever used a learning platform or a course management system on the Internetor to learn English? If so, how often?Never ←1 2 3 4 5 → Always22. Have you ever used a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) application to learnEnglish?Never ← 1 2 3 4 5 → Always23. If you have used the email to learn English, which areas are helpful for you to learnEnglish? 1. Listening 2. Speaking 3. Reading 4. Writing 5. Vocabulary 6. Grammar 7. Cultural understanding24. If you have used a learning platform or course management system to learn English,which areas are helpful for you to learn English? 1. Listening 2. Speaking 3. Reading 4. Writing 5. Vocabulary 6. Grammar 7. Cultural understanding25. If you have used a CALL application to learn English, which areas are helpful for you tolearn English? 1. Listening 2. Speaking 3. Reading 4. Writing 5. Vocabulary 6. Grammar 7. Cultural understanding26. If you have ever used any part of the Internet to learn English in school courses, how doyou feel about the learning experiences? 1. No 2. Yes

178 黃 埔 學 報 第 五 十 四 期 民 國 九 十 七 年27. Does your university/college require you to PASS a certain level of the GEPT, TOEFL,or others in order to graduate? If yes, what test? What level? 1. No 2. Yes28. Do you agree that a college student needs to PASS a certain level of the GEPT, TOEFL,or others in order to graduate? If yes, what test? What level? 1. No 2. YesPart B. Needs Survey1. Which kind of English courses would you prefer? 1. The total classroom-based English course. 2. The hybrid English course (Using the email, the learning platform, or a CALLapplication while still attending classes). 3. The totally online course.2. What kind of Internet-based English learning activities do you like? 1. Reading online articles or newspapers 2. Non real-time discussion 3. Writing email messages to others 4. Listening to online audio clips 5. Viewing online audio clips 6. Talking to friends or classmates 7. Real-time chatting 8. Playing games 9. Others __________________________________________________________3. What kind of English learning activities do you like to do in the classroom? 1. Reading 2. Writing 3. Speaking 4. Listening 5. Pair-based conversations 6. Group-based discussions 7. Playing games 8. Plays4. Which language skills or components would you like to improve on the Internet? 1. Listening 2. Speaking 3. Reading 4. Writing 5. Vocabulary 6. Grammar 7. Cultural understanding5. Which language skills or components would you like to improve in the classroom? 1. Listening 2. Speaking 3. Reading 4. Writing 5. Vocabulary 6. Grammar 7. Cultural understanding6. Do you think that learning English through the Internet is necessary? If yes, why? 1. No 2. Yes

Gi-Zen Liu, Pi-Ching Chen:An Initial Study of University Students’ Needs, Preferences, and 179Difficulties in Internet-based English Learning7. Do you think that learning English through the Internet is the trend? If yes, why? 1. No 2. Yes8. If you can use any part of the Internet to learn English in school courses, how much timewill you spend on the Internet every week? ____________________9. What do you think that your university/language center should provide students for selfEnglish learning? 1. Books 2. Magazines 3. Video tapes 4. Audio tapes 5. Video on demand 6. Other ____________________10. What Internet-based software do you think that your university/language center shouldprovide for self English learning?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________11. What computer equipments do you think that your university/language center shouldprovide for self English learning?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7. If your English teacher uses any part of the Internet to teach English, what are yoursuggestions to him/her?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Part C. Learning Motivation and AttitudesC-1. MotivationPlease answer the following items by circling the letter of the alternative which appearsmost applicable to you. We would urge you to be as accurate as possible since the success ofthis investigation depends upon it.1. During English class, I would like 1. To have a combination of English and Chinese spoken. 2. To have as much Chinese as possible spoken. 3. To have only English spoken.

180 黃 埔 學 報 第 五 十 四 期 民 國 九 十 七 年2. If I had the opportunity to speak English outside of school, I would 1. never speak it. 2. Speak English most of the time, using Chinese only if really necessary. 3. Speak it occasionally, using Chinese whenever possible.3. Compared to my other courses, I like English 1. The most. 2. The same as all the others. 3. Least of all.4. If there were a English Club in my school, I would 1. Attend meetings once in awhile. 2. Be most interested in joining. 3. Definitely not join.5. If it were up to me whether or not to take English, I 1. Would definitely take it. 2. Would drop it. 3. Don’t know whether I would take it or not.6. I find studying English 1. Not interesting at all. 2. No more interesting than most subjects. 3. Very interesting.7. If the opportunity arose and I knew enough English, I would watch English T.V. programs 1. Sometimes. 2. As often as possible. 3. Never.8. If I had the opportunity to see a English play, I would 1. Go only if I have nothing else to do. 2. Definitely go. 3. Not go.9. If there were English -speaking families in my neighborhood, I would 1. Never speak English to them. 2. Speak English with them sometimes. 3. Speak English with them as much as possible.10. If I had the opportunity and knew enough English, I would read English magazines andnewspapers 1. As often as I could. 2. Never. 3. Not very often.C-2. Learning Attitudes

Gi-Zen Liu, Pi-Ching Chen:An Initial Study of University Students’ Needs, Preferences, and 181Difficulties in Internet-based English LearningFollowing is a sample item. For each, please click on the circle below your choiceof the extent of your feeling to which you disagree or agree with that statement.Example: Taiwan baseball players are better than Japanese baseball players.Please give your immediate reactions to each of the following items. Don’t wastetime thinking about each statement. Give your immediate feeling after reading eachstatement. On the other hand, please do not be careless, as it is important that we obtainyour true feelings.1. My English course is meaningless.Strongly Disagree ← 1 2 3 4 5 → Stronly Agree2. My English course is enjoyable.Strongly Disagree ← 1 2 3 4 5 → Stronly Agree3. My English course is monotonous.Strongly Disagree ← 1 2 3 4 5 → Stronly Agree4. My English course is effortless.Strongly Disagree ← 1 2 3 4 5 → Stronly Agree5. My English course is awful.Strongly Disagree ← 1 2 3 4 5 → Stronly Agree6. My English course is interesting.Strongly Disagree ← 1 2 3 4 5 → Stronly Agree7. My English course is bad.Strongly Disagree ← 1 2 3 4 5 → Stronly Agree8. My English course is simple.Strongly Disagree ← 1 2 3 4 5 → Stronly Agree9. My English course is disagreeable.Strongly Disagree ← 1 2 3 4 5 → Stronly Agree10 My English course is fascinating.Strongly Disagree ← 1 2 3 4 5 → Stronly Agree

182 黃 埔 學 報 第 五 十 四 期 民 國 九 十 七 年大 學 生 於 網 路 學 習 英 文 的 需 求 、 偏 好 與 困 境 之 初 探劉 繼 仁1陳 璧 清21國 立 成 功 大 學 外 國 語 文 學 系2長 榮 大 學 國 際 企 業 學 系摘 要數 位 化 科 技 時 代 的 來 臨 , 使 得 透 過 網 路 的 語 言 學 習 自 1990 年 起 已 然 成 為 一 個 不 斷地 影 響 著 語 言 教 師 輔 助 學 習 的 創 新 領 域 。 在 英 語 文 教 學 相 關 研 究 文 獻 中 , 鮮 有 大 規 模 、全 校 性 的 根 據 網 路 英 語 課 程 使 用 之 潛 在 問 題 , 以 及 相 關 需 求 的 調 查 研 究 。 本 文 旨 在 運 用網 路 問 卷 於 2006 年 11 月 探 索 我 國 一 所 研 究 型 大 學 之 學 生 運 用 網 路 與 非 網 路 的 英 語 學 習現 況 、 需 求 與 所 面 臨 的 困 境 , 此 研 究 呼 應 了 Hubbard (2003) 希 望 相 關 領 域 的 學 者 多 進 行描 述 性 的 研 究 , 以 闡 明 電 腦 輔 助 語 言 發 展 的 研 究 與 學 習 問 題 的 關 聯 性 。 參 與 本 調 查 研 究的 大 學 部 學 生 與 研 究 所 學 生 , 反 應 了 他 們 在 使 用 網 路 學 習 英 文 的 需 求 、 喜 好 與 所 遭 遇 到的 困 難 。 本 研 究 結 果 與 Ayres (2002) 的 研 究 發 現 相 吻 合 , 亦 即 大 多 數 的 學 生 認 為 透 過 網路 科 技 學 習 英 文 是 有 用 的 。 雖 然 大 部 分 學 生 有 此 感 受 和 想 法 , 然 而 在 受 訪 的 1,843 學 生當 中 , 亦 有 四 成 五 的 學 生 尚 未 使 用 電 子 郵 件 、 約 有 三 成 七 的 學 生 沒 有 使 用 網 路 教 學 平台 、 且 有 超 過 三 成 的 學 生 沒 有 使 用 語 言 學 習 網 站 或 線 上 語 言 課 程 以 用 來 增 進 他 們 的 英 文實 力 。 根 據 本 研 究 結 果 , 研 究 者 懇 切 建 議 英 語 教 師 思 考 解 決 之 道 , 以 縮 短 認 知 上 與 實 行上 的 落 差 。關 鍵 詞 : 英 語 教 學 、 大 學 生 、 網 路 學 習 、 電 腦 輔 助 語 言 學 習