The Effects of a Constructivist Approach in a Web Environment on Students’ Language Learning

Irfan Naufal Umar , and Mustapa Abidin , (2007) The Effects of a Constructivist Approach in a Web Environment on Students’ Language Learning. Internet Journal of e-Language Learning & Teaching, 4 (2). pp. 26-37. ISSN 1985-6024

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Affiliations

Universiti Sains Malaysia
Kerian Education Office. Perak. Malaysia

Abstract

Constructivist proponents assert that discovery and problem solving are the most effective ways of learning, and as such, these approaches should be the focus in our education system. However, only a few Malaysian researchers have reported the application of these approaches in a web-based learning (WBL) environment. This study attempts to investigate the effects of two WBL environments on students’ language learning achievement. Two WBL environments with different approaches for learning Malay Language were developed, namely, the constructivist and the tutorial approaches. This study applied a 2x2 quasi-experimental design, with the WBL mode identified as the independent variable and the students’ achievement as the dependent variable. Meanwhile, the learners’ ability level was identified as the moderating variable. The findings indicate that: (1) the constructivist group performed significantly better than that of the tutorial group,(2) the low ability learners performed significantly better than the high ability learners did, and (3) the achievement of high ability learners in the constructivist group was significantly better than that of the high ability learners in the tutorial group. Overall, these findings denote the importance of WBL environments that apply the constructivist approach. Such learning environment encourages discovery, exploratory, and problem solving activities among the learners, and therefore, should be used more frequently. In addition, the findings indicate that low ability learners benefited more from a WBL environment, and as such, WBL can serve as an alternative learning platform for this group of learners.

Item Type:

Journal

Additional Information:

Continued: Malaysian Online Journal of e-Learning (MOJeL)

Keywords:

Constructivist proponents, Web Base Learning environment, students’ language learning, Malay language

Subjects:

P Language and Literature
L Education

ID Code:

10464