| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 英語學系 === 94 === The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of the application of
e-newsletters (AOEN) (http://www.dkjh.ptc.edu.tw/teacher/web/home/newsletter/) on English learning of junior high school students. Specifically, the influence of the application of e-newsletters on the performance of students’ four language skills and on attitudes toward e-learning and e-newsletters were investigated. Moreover, to what content the cooperative learning would influence the subjects’ English performance and responses to the AOEN project were further explored.
The subjects of this study are 78 eighth-grade junior high school students in Dong Kung Junior High School. During a fourteen-week AOEN project, the research teacher gave the subjects some sample English e-newsletters and he encouraged them to compose their own e-newsletters in groups. Before and after the AOEN project, the subjects were asked to answer the pre-study and post-study questionnaires to know their attitudes and responses to the AOEN project. In addition, the subjects were asked to answer the online tests after they read each e-newsletter. In data collection, two monthly English term examination scores, three on-line tests scores and the results of five-point scale questions in the pre-study and the post-study questionnaires were collected, computed and analyzed quantitatively. In addition, the opinions and responses of the students in the open-ended questions of the post-study questionnaires were analyzed qualitatively.
Based on the quantitative and qualitative data analyses, the findings of the present study are summarized as follows.
1. Most of the subjects’ interests and attitudes towards e-learning were positively reinforced. The subjects expressed e-learning helped broaden their view of learning and provide a convenient way for them to learn English. Most important of all, they enjoyed learning in this project.
2. Most of the subjects showed positive attitudes toward e-newsletters. They expressed that e-newsletters could help them be exposed to more e-learning materials and also provide them with a convenient way to learn English.
3. Most of the students were fond of their classmates’ e-newsletters and they liked to read them to learn English. Most of the students found their classmates’ e-newsletters were both interesting and familiar to them and also helpful to improve their English abilities.
4. Most students learned the advantages of cooperation from the AOEN project. For instance, they learned the skills of composing their e-newsletters with their group members and they got to know the word meaning in their English e-newsletters.
5. E-newsletters helped the students increase their vocabulary, grammar, and sentence patterns. E-newsletter helped the students understand the English learning materials better and the students were motivated to learn English. As for four language skills development, e-newsletters helped the students to improve their reading ability and listening ability significantly. However, their English speaking and writing abilities were not improved significantly. Their English speaking ability was not promoted because of no online speaking design in the e-newsletters system.
Based on the research findings, it is suggested that English teachers in the junior high school should integrate e-newsletters into their English instruction. In this way, students will broaden their learning experience as well as increase their interest and motivation in English learning. Through the interaction in the learning activities, students also can realize the importance of cooperative learning, and they will develop their interpersonal relationship.
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