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TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – October 2012, volume 11 Issue 4 THE EFFECTS OF USING WEBQUESTS ON READING COMPREHENSION PERFORMANCE OF SAUDI EFL STUDENTS Yousif A. Alshumaimeri Curriculum and Instruction Department College of Education King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia yousif@ksu.edu.sa Meshail M. Almasri Curriculum and Instruction Department College of Education Princess Nora University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia m.almasri@live.com ABSTRACT This paper is a report on the effects of using WebQuest on Saudi male EFL students reading comprehension performance. WebQuests expose students to several online resources and require them to gather information about a specific topic. The experimental group received traditional teaching plus WebQuests as supplementary activities. The control group received the traditional teaching only. The students’ comprehension performance in the post-test was compared for both groups in order to determine whether there were significant differences between the groups in relation to the treatment. Significant differences occurring in the experimental group’s post-test comprehension performance when compared to the pre-test indicate that using WebQuest can improve students’ reading comprehension performance. The results indicate WebQuests have potential for use in promoting reading comprehension. Teachers and students do, however, need to be trained in order to use WebQuests more effectively. INTRODUCTION Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has attracted the interest of many educators and researchers in order to facilitate learning a foreign language (Alshumaimeri, 2008; Kern, 2006). Many educational institutions use computers and the internet as part of a language classroom. Computers provide students with access to a large number of authentic learning resources and opportunities to interact with other speakers of the language (Alshumaimeri, 2008; Kern, 2006). In order for students to find useful information on the Web, they need to read extensively, evaluate content of texts, select relevant information, and synthesize materials to construct meaning (Crawford & Brown, 2002). They also have opportunities to use the target language through reading, writing presentations, listening to peers’ opinions, and discussing ideas on interesting issues. However, EFL teachers may find difficulties in designing a web-based syllabus that promotes language learning skills. A well-structured web-based activity, such as WebQuest, provides teachers with a pre-defined activity that they can adapt to suit their students and syllabus objectives. The effect of WebQuest on promoting language skills is little researched through empirical study (Abbitt & Ophus, 2008). This study focuses on investigating the use of WebQuest in an EFL reading class in terms of its potential to enhance students reading skills. Abbitt and Ophus (2008) indicated that although WebQuests have been around for more than ten years and received popular reception among K-12 teachers, little research has been conducted on the effects of this technology-based activity on learning. Many studies focus on the design of WebQuest rather than curricular aspects of the design (Sox & Rubinstein-Avila, 2009). Most of these studies focus on students in first language (L1) settings while research on the second language (L2) learning context is limited. Those studies that have been conducted are often more theoretical than empirical (Laborda, 2009; Luzon, 2007). Other studies focused on the perceptions of WebQuest users (Noordin, Samed, & Razali, 2008; Prapinwong & Puthikanon, 2007) and few on English language learning (Chuo, 2007; Tsai, 2006). Very little research has been conducted on WebQuest use in the EFL classroom to investigate its potential in promoting language skills and reading skills in particular. This study will try to shed light on the possible effects of WebQuest on the comprehension performance of tertiary level male students in a Saudi EFL context. This study is hopefully significant for teachers, students, EFL and CALL fields, in that it provides language teachers with information about teaching reading skills using WebQuest. Copyright © The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology 295
TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – October 2012, volume 11 Issue 4 Research Questions This study aims to investigate the effects of using WebQuest on Saudi male EFL students reading comprehension performance. It seeks to answer the following questions: 1. Will there be a significant improvement in the students’ (of both control and experimental groups) comprehension performance in the post reading test? 2. Are there any significant differences between the control and experimental groups in the posttests in relation to the use of WebQuest? LITERATURE REVIEW Overview of WebQuest WebQuest was designed by Bernie Dodge and Tom March in 1995 in an effort to integrate the World Wide Web into classrooms. Exposed to several online resources, students are required to gather information about a specific topic (Dodge, 1997). Sometimes these resources are supported with video conferencing in order to enhance understanding (Koenraad, 2002). WebQuests are designed to provide an opportunity for students to exchange real information and thus trigger meaningful communication. A WebQuest involves team work among groups of students accessing the web in order to gather information and reproduce it in different forms (March, 2004). As described by March (2004), the main element of a WebQuest is “a scaffolding structure that encourages students motivation and facilitates advanced thinking with integration of enriched learning resources” (p. 02). Samuda and Bygate (2008) consider WebQuest a web-based task and link it to task-based learning and teaching as tasks on a broad range of topics are used throughout the curriculum. Using WebQuest gives students the opportunity to be exposed to many resources while they are in the classroom. As such, Dodge (2006) suggests students engaging with the method develop a deeper understanding of the content when compared to the usual way of learning. Similar conclusions have also been found in studies of other web based learning tools, such as online training courses, wikis, discussion forums, and videos (Bravo, Enache, Fernandez & Simo, 2010; DeWitt & Siraj, 2010; Limniou & Whitehead, 2010). Dodge (1997) recommends that a WebQuest include the following basic structure: introduction, task, process, evaluation, and conclusion. In order to complete a WebQuest task, students search through links provided on the WebQuest. These links are relevant to the topic and are thus efficient and focused learning tools. The students do not need to use general search engines as their primary source, so they do not run the risk of accessing inappropriate materials (March, 2007). The WebQuest task requires student analysis, synthesis, evaluation, judgment, problem solving and creativity (Dodge, 2006; Perkins & McKnight, 2005). WebQuest, being a technological innovation, was found by teachers to be an up-to-date strategy that provides knowledge to students in an interesting way (Vidoni & Maddux, 2002). WebQuest and Learning Motivation, considered to be an important psychological element in learning, plays an important role in students’ ability to accomplish long-term goals (Guilloteaux & Dörnyei, 2008). Dudeney (2003) suggests WebQuests are motivating, authentic tasks that require students to concentrate. Students in all grades, when questioned, indicate they prefer WebQuest to traditional teaching methods (Abbitt & Ophus, 2008; Halat & Peker, 2011; Noordin, Samed & Razali, 2008; Prapinwong, 2008; Puthikanon, 2009). Students may enjoy and remember lessons far better via WebQuest than through the traditional way of learning (Hassanien, 2006). The teacher’s role is to guide students on how to use WebQuests in ways that elicit positive educational results. Teachers, by embracing WebQuest technology, can heighten student interest in diverse subject matters while concurrently heightening the educational benefit to their students in a blended learning classroom. Blended learning can be an effective teaching method that is not only viewed positively by students, but that also supports successful learning outcomes (Tavukcu, Gezer & Ozdamli, 2009). As such, teachers continue to play an important role in the blended learning classroom, as students do report having a positive view of face-to-face learning interaction in addition to online learning tools (Tuncay & Uzunboylu, 2011). According to Torres (2007), using WebQuest in learning has many advantages. Initially, it promotes the effective use of time; students use the links given by the teacher and search for information in a structured efficient manner. A further benefit of WebQuest use in learning is that it supports higher-order thinking. Students are required to read, think, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate (Halat & Peker, 2011; Torres, 2007). Chang, Chen, and Hsu (2010), in demonstrating the impact of different teaching strategies on the learning performance of environmental education, found WebQuest fostered students’ critical thinking skills by encouraging different learning tasks and expression of opinions. In a study identifying the underlying constructs of WebQuests as perceived by teachers, Zheng, Perez, Williamson and Flygare (2007) found three constructs to be critical to WebQuests: constructivist problem solving, social interaction and scaffolded learning. This finding suggests that instead of focusing on critical thinking skills, emphasis could be placed on constructivist learning Copyright © The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology 296
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