Chapter One Introduction
1.1Research Background
College English teaching has experienced a remarkable enhancement in the past severaldecades since China's reform and opening up in 1978. However, a series of problemsregarding English teaching and learning also emerge, such as the uneven development ofEnglish teaching in different regions, the unbalanced development of English proficiency as awhole, the unreasonably excessive concentration on English test rather than oncommunication competence etc. It is not uncommon that lots of Chinese college students areincapable of speaking and understanding English while interacting with foreigners in aspecific situation. All of these issues，to a large extent, could be attributed to the out-datedteaching beliefs, the single and obsolete teaching model and pedagogy as well as the rootedconsciousness of test-oriented education, as they are no longer in line with the new trend andrequirements of increasing international exchanges.Traditionally, the dominant teaching model is teacher-centered in college education,especially in English classes, where students are required to take down key language pointson their notebooks and memorize useful phrases and vocabulary. It is the lack of interactionsthat results in a passive and ineffective English learning. Students are trained to be betterskilled in doing receptive tasks but weak in productive skills like speaking and writing, whichis thus jokingly called dumb English in China. However, the increasing number ofinternational affairs leads to a large demand for intellectuals who are capable of bilingualcommunicational skills. This leads to the gradual exposure of the weaknesses of conventionalEnglish teaching model.
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1.2Purpose and Significance of the Study
Although studies about blended learning have aroused widespread interest among bothforeign and domestic scholars, they are not mature or thorough so far. This research discussesthe necessity and feasibility to integrate SNS-based BL with college English learning from thetheoretical perspective and also makes an empirical case-study over two semesters, attemptingto help scholars and instructors to comprehend how online social networking services such asRenRen could be applied in blended learning model and then contribute to college Englishlearning. Additionally, this research will provide a general picture of how second languagelearners work on SNS platforms for English learning, and of the factors that affect theirparticipation. With such knowledge, language teachers will be able to design a more practicalblended learning model with the support of SNS to facilitate effective college Englishteaching and learning. Therefore, the present study is valuable and meaningful to beconducted.
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Chapter Two Theoretical Framework of Blended Learning
2.1 Definitions and Essence of Blended Learning
BL，invented in the late 1990s，primarily appears in corporate training courses abroad，bywhich enterprises attempt to integrate the online training with face-to-face courses for a bettertraining result at lower cost. This training model is widely popularized and accepted withincompanies due to its higher effectiveness, adaptability and flexibility, and thus is graduallyapplied in traditional school education.When it comes to school education, BL is previously viewed as a combination ofelementary classroom-based learning forms (e.g. conference, laboratory or textbook) andother learning forms, for example, multimedia used together with traditional blackboardpresentation; computer-mediated learning with traditional classroom learning; or autonomouslearning with collaborative learning etc.However, with the popularization of internet anddevelopment of E-leaming, people reconsider the merits and drawbacks of the first generationof E-leaming, finding out that the single method to convey knowledge, in the first generationof E-leaming, fails to offer learners enough opportunities for the involvement in an authentic,social context 如d the access to relevant learning contents. Hence, both foreign and domesticscholars commence to further investigate BL, turning it into one of the most popular issues inthe area of both educational technologies and corporate training.
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2.2 Learning Theories
BL, as the term indicates, is a combination of face-to-face instruction and E-leaming,whose theoretical foundations also consist of several learning theories like constructivismlearning theory, interactionist learning theory etc. These theories have been given primaryimportance during the process of language acquisition. To have a better and clearercomprehension of BL, this section will clarify two primary learning theories supporting BL:constructivism learning theory and interactionist learning theory. As information technology and computer communication are developed rapidly in thepast decade, constructivist learning theory has taken on increasing importance. Instructorsfrom different levels of education are seeking appropriate approaches to apply computertechnology and internet to learning activities, hoping to facilitate the teaching process andlearning results. Teaching model utilizing computers or internet aims to create the learningenvironment in accordance with learners' cognitive process so as to promote the formationand development of cognition. This sort of model reflects notions of constructivism..
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Chapter Three Research Methodology.........24
3.1Research Questions.........24
3.2Research Design.........25
3.2.1Experiment 1.........25
3.2.2Experiment 2.........27
3.2.3Questionnaire.........29
3.2.4Procedures and Data Collection & Analysis.........29
Chapter Four Results and Discussion.........31
4.1Results.........31
4.2Discussion.........51
4.3Learning Problems.........60
Chapter Five Conclusion.........61
5.1Major Findings.........61
5.2Methodological Implications.........61
5.3Pedagogical Implications.........63
5.4Limitations of This Research.........66
Chapter Four Results and Discussion
4.1 Results
Before the implementation of the experiment, all students, despite their participation inthe RenRen-based learning activities, had taken a placement test after the enrollment, whichwas a reference for their language proficiency. Therefore, the total of 152 students in the twoclasses where the experiment was conducted was graded into three categories according totheir scores in the placement test (mean score = 78.3 points): high proficiency student (higherthan 87 points, Nt= 13)，middle-proficiency (between 76 and 87 points，Nx = 83) student andlow-proficiency student (less than 75, Nt = 56) as displayed in Table 4.1. This categorizationwas beneficial to have a better and more comprehensive observation of students' participationamong different levels. The RenRen-based key word practice was for the adaptive purpose in the first semester,during which students were allowed to get used to English learning in the online socialcommunity. As Table 4.1 showed, among all the 152 students, 79 students (52%) participatedin the practice, using the key words or phrases posted to make a meaningful sentence in aparticular context.
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Conclusion
In the current study，a blended learning, supported by social networking service RenRenat the course level of college English, combines the classroom learning and online learning inorder to incorporate computer technologies into English instruction and learning. All of thesequalitative results with the aid of quantitative findings in the questionnaire attest thefacilitating effects on English learning of this blended learning. The major findings aresummarized as follows.Chinese students' primary purpose of visiting RenRen community is to socialize asexpected via reading and sharing stories, logs and pictures from people to whom they payclose attention. However, large proportion of students manifest that they also give dueattention to the posting and logs relevant to the courses or tests, which is a proof of thepotential functions of SNS in school education or instruction.
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Reference (omitted)