JOURNAL ANALYSIS 1

Title Blogging in Enhancing Teaching and Learning of Science: A

Qualitative Case Study
Authors Pamela Krish, Than Siew Meing, Lee Kean Wah, Radha Nambiar and
Azizah Ya acob
Objective
Research The current study was conducted to investigate the following research
Questions questions:
1. To what extend the blog activities lead to the sharing of
principles of teaching and learning among the teachers?
2. What are the challenges faced in using blogs for teacher
professional development?
Paticpants Current Study:
- Twenty teachers of three different disciplines, namely, English,
Science and Mathematics, were involved.
- There were six English teachers, nine Science teachers and five
Mathematics teachers from five different schools in Kuala
Lumpur, Putrajaya and Petaling Jaya.
Research study.
- Nine Science teachers, who were involved in the research
project, took part as subjects in the current study.
Methodology 1. Tasks
- The teachers were given two tasks
- Task one required the teachers to reflect on a lesson conducted
by them which was considered good.
- Task two was reflecting on a lesson they considered as bad.
- These teachers had to share both lessons with other teachers via
a blogging activity.
2. Focus group interview
- To look into the cause of lack of participation.
- The interviews with four teachers were audio-taped and
transcribed to be anaylised.
 Data anylisis
- Postings of the teachers blog were sorted into five categories
and analysed together with the supplementary data from the
focus group interview. The six categories were adapted from the
project 2061 (American Association for the Advancement of
Science, 1990). It was therefore modified to suit the Malaysian
context as the principles are related to the teaching and learning
of Science.
Findings To what extend the blog activities lead to the sharing of principles of
teaching and learning among the teachers?
- In exploring whether the blogging actually leads to sharing of
good teaching and learning practices, it can be thus concluded
that blogging does to a large extent lead to a sharing of teaching
and learning practices.
- The sharing of practices, as evinced in the findings discussed,
shows that blogging can be used as a platform to discuss and
share practices among teachers from different schools, which
otherwise would not be possible due to geographical differences.

What are the challenges faced in using blogs for teacher professional
development?
- Thus, in overall terms, the findings seem to indicate that
blogging has succeeded to a certain extent to encourage
collaborative efforts among teachers to share their best practices;
however further probing via focus group interviews revealed
that the teachers exhibited concerns relating to their awareness,
readiness and competency in embracing the changes expected of
them.
Conclusions - This study has shown that blog can to a certain extend used as
an extra tool for science teachers to engage in computer-
supported communication that resulted in better teaching and
learning.
JOURNAL ANALYSIS 2

Title Blogging in Teacher Professional Development: Its role in building

computer-assisted language teaching skills.
Authors Puvaneswary Murugaiah, Hazita Azman, Azizah Yaacob and Siew
Ming Thang
Objective - The paper attempt to demonstrate that teacher involvement in a
community of practise can assist them in endeavour.
This article aims to shed light on how Smart School English
language teachers are exposed to and can build on technical
skills and pedagogical knowledge require to teach in
technology-enriched schools through blog interactions in a
English community of practice.
Particpipants - 20 teachers from five smart schools located in Klang Valley and
Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.
- The English language community of practice in the e-CPDeIT
project consisted of five female teachers. Their teaching
experience ranged from 5 to 18 years, four of whom have more
than 10 years of experience.
Methodology Based on the e-CPDeIT project which uses the CoP approach.
- Tasks (Blogging)
Task 1 - Participants were required to post blogs entries on two
tasks regarding their teaching practice.
Task 2 Comment on postings by other participants in the
discussion forum.
Blogging activity was conducted over a five months duriation.

Data analysis
- A textual anylisis of the blog postings was conducted to reveal
the teachers current CALL skills levels as described in the skills
pyramid by Hampel and Stickler (2005).
- Interactions were also analysed to explore the extent to which
the teachers sharing of experiences through the blogging
activity exposed teachers to the technical and pedagogical skills
 necessary for teaching in a technically-driven teaching
environment.
Findings - Over the period of five months, only 6 blog entries and 24
comments by the five participants were recorded.
- Findings from the text demonstrate that the teachers are exposed
to all seven skills required for CALL instruction.
- The blog interactions participants as reported reveal that the
virtual space provided opportunities for them to learn about
competences expected of them as teachers in an ICT-enabled
teaching environment. Besides exposing teachers to the skills,
the blogging activity also provided them a means to build on
these skills.
- The findings revealed the teachers were exposed not only to new
skills, but they also enhanced their existing skills through the
blogging activity. Furthermore, they could get peer support by
sharing and collaborating with other members.
Conclusions - The blogging activity exposed teachers to the skills proposed by
Hampel and Stickler (2005) and help them in enhancing their
existing competencies.
- Furthermore, it revealed other pressing issues such as
unfamiliarity of tools, technology-related problems and time
constrains that can hamper skill enhancement.
- The findings of the study demonstrated that blogging, as an
interactive tool was found to be effective when used as a
medium of eliciting interaction and information in the CoP
platform (eCPDeIT).
JOURNAL ANALYSIS 3

Title Examining Malaysian teachers online blog for reflective practises:

towards teacher professional development.
Authors R.M.K Nambiar & S.M Thang
Study questions 1. How frequently did teachers in the three e-COPS post blog
entries and comment in these entries? Were there any
similarities and differences in the participation rates between the
three communities?
2. To what extent was reflective practice present? What types of
reflection were observed?
3. What constraints on reflective practice did the teachers
encounter?
Particpiants - 15 teachers of Mathematics and English from 3 smart schools
within the Klang Valley in Malaysia.
- Teachers divided into three e-COPS of five teachers according
to the subjects they taught. (i.e., Mathematics, Science and
English)
- Averange taching experiences ranged from 6 months to 28
years.
- All participants are male. However, gander not taken into
consideration.
Methodology 1. Tasks
Each community was given the same two tasks
- Task 1 Describing a lesson that had gone very well.
- Task 2 -Describing a lesson that had not been successful.
The teachers then asked to post their tasks online in blog to share
with another member of the online community, comment on them
and reflect on their enrichment from this posting.
Posting entire blogging period lasted over five months.
2. Focus group interview
- After blogging period lasted, a focus group interview was held
with each community.
- Teachers were asked to talked about;
 Their experiences
What they found challenging and whether they had gained
from the experiences.
- The interview was conducted informally in a congenial
atmosphere and were audio recorded and transcribed for each
community
Data analysis
- The total number of blog entries and comments was conducted
for each member and frequency counts for all three communities
were then compared and contrasted.
- Each community blog transcripts were then examined using
Kolbs three phases of experiencing, reflecting and planning to
observe whether the teachers were able to reflect on their
practices to develop professionalism.
Findings 1. Frequency of blog entries and comments.
- English e-COP recorded the highest number of blog entries (12)
and comments (28) posted.
- Mathematics community recorded 8 entries and 8 comments
- The Science community had 11 entries and seven comments.
2. Reflection in the blog.
English community
- The English community group participated more than the two
groups.
- The reflections of the English teachers were also deeper and
revealed more insight into what they did in class.
- English teachers were able to talk about their experiences and
discuss how they would improve on their experiences in the
future.
- Participation in the blog did enable them to reflect on their
teaching practice, technology use and teaching abilities.
 Science community
- The Science community group participated in the blog less and
were less reflective than the English group.

Mathematics community
- The Mathematics community participated the least in the blogs
but there were some reflective practices in the group.

3. Focus group interviews

- The teachers main concerns were the pedagogical constraints
resulting from the teaching of different subjects under one
discipline, the teaching of different levels of the same subject
and teaching examination and non-examination classes.
- Time constrains were also highlighted by the teachers in all
three communities. Most of their complains were related to
having too much administrative work.
- Twelve of the teachers declared that they were not proficient in
ICT and one even stated that he kept forgetting the address of
the blog site and needed to be shown how to save the site under
her list of favourites.
- A common complaint was infrastructure problems.
- The teachers reluctance to share their teaching practices because
of a fear of being judged, a fear of losing face when criticised by
others and desire to avoid making others also lose face were also
serious constraints.
- The fear of being reprimanded by higher authorities was another
constrains factor.
Conclusions The paper examined whether encouraging a community of practice
would contribute to teacher professional development.
It can be surmised that blogs can be a platform for teachers to reflect on
their teaching practices which can in turn be used for professional
development with the necessary coaching and motivation.
JOURNAL ANALYISIS 4

Title Using Blogs to Encourage ESL Students to Write Constructively in

English.
Authors Nadzrah Abu Bakar, Kemboja Ismail
Objective - To study students attitude and perspective about using blogs
and an online writing platform.
- To determine the usefulness of using blogs to encourage student
to use the English language.
- To investigate how blogging affects students level of language
learning.
Participants The sample included 41 first- and second-year students who were taking
an English for Social Sciences Course.
Methodology 1. Project Work
- During the first week of the project, students were given a
choice of either a suggested topic from the course file or any
topic related to Social Sciences. After they had decided on the
topic, they came up with questions that they needed to discuss
on the blogs. The students then created their group blogs and
participated in the blogs. Each student in the group discussed the
questions posted in the blogs, as well as other topics related to
the project work. Each group was required to post at least five
questions.
2. Questionnaires
- The study questionnaires were distributed at the end of the
semester.
Findings 1. The students perceptions on using blogs as an online writing
platform.
- 77% (32) of students said that it was easy to create their blogs,
while only 17% said it was hard for them to create a blog, but
almost all managed to complete their task and found that writing
on blog was interesting and fun (91%, 37). In fact, 86% (35) of
the students wanted to continue blogging after they completed
 the course, and all of them suggested that writing on blogs
should be a class requirement.
- All of the students felt that using blogs in the class as a writing
tool was a good idea. They indicated that when they using blog,
they were able to write better.
- They indicated that when writing bogs, they could write
effectively, and be creative though their English language skills
were limited.
- All of them agreed that they used conversional expressions
when blogging, and when using conversational expressions, they
were able to express themselves freely. Surprisingly and
interestingly, they said they were more organised when
blogging.
- The students indicated that blogs were an useful writing tool
because they used blogs to share their writing and ideas with
friends online.
2. How students construct their learning while blogging.

conclusions Blogs are an effective and interesting way for ESL students to practised
and to publish their writing.
JOURNAL ANALYSIS 5

Title E- Learning Environment: Blogging as a Platform for Language

Learning.
Author Nadzrah Abu Bakar
Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of interactions
in e-learning environment towards language learning and language
literacy among undergraduate learners.
Research 1. What are the language activities on blogs that facilitate English
questions as second language learning?
2. How English language learning takes place while blogging?
Participants The participants were the first-year tertiary learners enrolled in
English for Social Sciences which they had to take as one of the
compulsory course in their degree.
All participant were considered under the competent user and
modest user of English language.
The participants were familiar with ICT.
These participants were from group 19 to 25 years of age.
Methodology 1. Blog activities
- Blog activities was a section of a course integrated learning
activity that combines both face-to-face learning environment
and online learning environment to give learners more usage of
English language in different learning environment.
- The activities were divided into several stages
a. Face-to-face discussion
b. Online discussion (blogs)
c. Group presentation
d. Project report (written)
2. Questionnaire
- At the end of the semester, learners were given a set of
questionnaire to answer. The questionnaire was used for the
purpose of investigating the learners opinion on how far
 activities on blog might help them in developing their language
skills and writing skills.
Findings. 1. Language activities on blog that facilitate language learning.
Constructivism theory was used in looking at the learning activities
and language learning gained by the learners.
a. Writing
- Learners responses to the writing section were positive.
- Some learners pointed the long-term advantages of writing on
blogs such as increased their writing skills because they were
exposed to different types of writing that influenced their
writing style.
- The learners revealed the positive impact that they experienced
when writing on the blog, such as improving in the sentence
length, sentence structure, and creativity in writing.
- This kind of environment (blogging) was found interesting as
the learners can be themselves when writing.
- Using blog as writing platform also increased the learners
interest in writing. They are more motivated to write as they
have a sense of freedom when blogging.
- Writing on blog gave learners opportunity to self-improvement.
- The learning environment on blog provided an opportunity for
other bloggers outside the group to give comment, and some of
the remarks assisted learners improve their writing and their
discussion points.
b. Reading skills
- The exposure to reading different types of articles promoted/
opened a space for learners to discover and construct their
understanding of the text, and consequently they acquired the
reading skills unconsciously and autonomously.
c. Critical thinking skills
- Most of the students indicated that the activity (blogging) help
them to develop their thinking skills. The learners critical
thinking increased when they were able to express their opinion
 on the subject discussed by using evidence they obtained from
the reading to support their opinion.
d. Online interaction/ discussion
- The freedom of time while writing on blogs gave them
opportunities for learning the language autonomously.
- The not stressful environment can encourage learners to interact
with each other without worrying about the language usage.

1. Language learning process while blogging

The language process that happened in blogging was analysed using
online interaction concept discussed by Mayes and Fowler (1999, in
Mayes, 2006) which are interaction with concepts, tasks and people.
- According to constructivist view, the learning is developed
when learners are actively constructing their understanding of
the tasks through participating in the language activities. In this
study, it shows that learners were actively involved with the
tasks, such as reading, writing, thinking and arguing that
promote learners to actively interact with the tasks.
- Learners interacting with people is important in education as a
successful learning process need a social context(Mayes,2006)
such as deep learning support from tutorial and peer-group
discussion. It was found that learners who were more active in
the discussion benefit more learning than who are not.
Conclusion This study found that blog as a tool for language learning provides a
platform for language learners to use the language actively. It can be
concluded that language learners can benefit from language activities
done on the blogs if they are actively participated as a blogger and not
as a passive reader.
JOURNAL ANALYSIS 6

Title Creating Personal Learning Environments via Blogs

Author Pramela Krish
Objective This paper reports how the students actually perceived this blogging
activity and will share some of the grammar elements in the blogs.
Participants The total number of students in the sample was 65 comprising 43
females and 12 males. From the total, 48 students were categorised
under Band Four in their MUET (Malaysian University English Test)
whereas 16 were under the Band Three category. One students was
from Band Five. Besides this, the remining students obtained English
Language qualifications from the Foundation Course (Asasi) and
Diploma in TESL. This group consisted of BA ELS and B ED (TESL)
students in their first semester at the National University of Malaysia
(UKM).
Methodology Data for this study was collected from the blogs entries by the students
and through in-depth interviews with them.

The interview data was analysed qualitatively and reported in the

section that follows.
Findings How students personalise their blogs with the choice of colours, image,
name etc.

Usefulness of blogs
Some students had negative opinions of blog preferring other methods.
These students with these sentiments were weak students who were
negative about the subject rather than a blog as a learning tool.

Learning experience
Students felt that blogging is useful as they see blogging as a means of
sharing knowledge and to some extent peer correction can be done in
less inhibitions with blogs as a learning tool.
 Time spent
The time spent ranges from 15 minutes to 1 hour. The time spent on
blogs differs among the students depending on their IT skills and
knowledge.

Peer support
Students are slow in sharing, discussing to solve problems and giving
opinions or comments. They do not see the blogging task as having a
social function for educational purposes

Instructor support
The comments from the students suggest that they still need constant
feedback from the instructors in order for them to feel encouraged that
they are on the right track; doing what they need to do and meeting the
requirements of the course.

Contents and information uploaded

Micro analysis showed not much writing in terms of feedback by course
mates. Students only managed to upload interesting information without
actually showing their engagement in learning. The students lack
confidence that they can produce creative blogs and interesting entries.
Conclusion The findings confirm that the students of this course illustrated poor
capability when incorporating technology with learning. Furthermore, it
is unexpected that the students face much anxiety and stress using
technology even though they are from the net generation. Parallel to
this, many learners face difficulties in grammar especially writing.
However, blogs can be utilised as a grammar learning platform to make
learning grammar less technical as it enables sharing and solution
seeking in collaborative way.
JOURNAL ANALYSIS 7

Title Using Blogs as a Tool to Facilitate Students Reflection

Authors Sithaletchemy S Krisnayer, Raja Hanani Raja Musahar,
Nuretna Asurah Ahmad
Objective This paper was based on an action research study to investigate the
extent to which blog writing facilitate students reflection and
effectiveness of teacher input to enhance their reflection.
Research The research questions addressed were
questions a. To what extent does blog writing facilitate students reflection?
b. How effective is teacher input in enhancing their reflection?
Participants Participants comprised ten first year law undergraduates from this
university and they are enrolled in a compulsory English course during
their study, English for Law ZZZE1162. Two participants were selected
from the five classes. They were selected on a voluntary basis since it
was assumed that volunteerism will mean a sense of commitment and
interest on the part of the participant. Only three participants out of the
ten participants had experience in writing in a blog.
Methodology Three instruments were used in this study.
The first were questionnaire comprising statements on students
response and experience in blog writing to facilitate reflection
and perception on teacher input. The questionnaire was based on
a 5-level Likert scale.
The second instrument was a questionnaire comprising open-
ended questions to obtain students responses after they had
completed their blogging activity.
The third instruments were the blog entries made by the ten
participants which provided an in-depth analysis of the four
stages of reflection as in the D-I-E-P model.

Data analysis
Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyse the data.
Findings Part 1 - Students response and experience on blog writing.
It was found that the respondents viewed the blogging activity and
experience favourably as they found it comfortable reflecting through a
more interesting medium although seven respondents had no previous
experience writing in a blog. Students generally regarded the blog as a
space that allows them a freedom to express themselves without feeling
embarrassed. Since the blog is an open medium of communication, it
provides students with the opportunity to read their friends reflections
and this directly facilitates their own reflection. The comments from the
respondents clearly indicate that they think the input given by the
instructor is crucial in assisting them to be more reflective.

Part 2 Analysis of blog entries/ postings

Entry 1 Entries were rather unstructured and written more like diary
entries with very little reflection. They were mostly descriptions of the
happenings in campus over the first four weeks. As it had been only a
month since the students had begun the course, it was assumed that they
would not have much to reflect on in terms of their learning.
Entry 2 Examination of the second entries in particular showed that
they were still mostly descriptions of events or experiences in campus
with very few instances of reflection.
Entry 3 They were more instances of respondents attempting to move
from the descriptions stage to interpretation and evaluation stage and
focus on one specific learning experience.
Entry 4 All 10 entries focused on one specific learning experience/
topic and have a proper structure with regards of the model of reflection
introduced.

Overall, there is a significant difference and improvement in the entries

in relation to the increased incidences of the next three steps of
Interpret, Evaluate and Plan in the reflection cycle. It is thus evident that
respondents had moved on from the first level of description to the other
 key dimensions of reflection: analysis, understanding or new meaning
of new knowledge acquired and action.

Part 3: Students response on effectiveness of teachers input

the respondents valued the input provided and found it useful and
effective in helping them writing entry 3 and 4. All 10 respondents had
referred to the input given when posting entry 4 where the D-I-E-P
structure is evidence in almost all the entries.
Conclusion to conclude, data from the first questionnaire indicate that blogs
facilitate reflection. Generally, respondents found journal writing
through blogging a comfortable and an enjoyable experience and stated
that writing in the blog gave them the opportunity to express themselves
and share ideas.
JOURNAL ANALYSIS 8

Title Impact of Learning Management Blog on Students Language Learning

and Acquisition
Author Nafiseh Zarei, Supyan Hussin
Objective 1. To investigate how using the Language Management Blog
LMB impacts on students experience of language learning and
language acquisition.
2. To explore how the scaffolding elements within the LMB were
exploited by them to enhance their understanding of whatwa
taught by the teacher in the classroom.
Research This study seeks to answer the following questions;
questions 1. How does the LMB impact on ESL students experience of
language learning and language acquisition?
2. How were the scaffolding elements within the LMB exploited
by the ESL learners to enhance their understanding of what was
taught in the classroom?
Participants A purposive sampling technique was employed to gather responses
from 30 undergraduate ESL students (19 females and 11 males),
ranging from 19 to 21-year-old, who enrolled in an Academic
Communication course. The students were from the Faculty of
Education and Faculty of Science and Technology at University
Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Their level of proficiency was
categorized as intermediate by the Center of Liberal Arts. All the
students were known to possess basic computer skills and internet
skills.
The study was conducted in one complete semester (14 weeks) in 2012.
Methodology A semi-structured interview was carried out to elicit responses from the
students; then the recorded data were transcribed and analysed
qualitatively.
1. Interview question was piloted with a group of students as well
as two experts for the purpose of checking its validity and
reliability.
 2. A semi structured interview was carried out with all respondents
at the end of the semester at UKM. Each student was
interviewed individually and each interview took between 30 to
40 minutes. The data obtained from the semi-structured
interviews were recorded, transcribed, and finally, analyzed
qualitatively to answer the research question questions of the
present study.

Findings 1. How does the LMB impact on ESL students experience of

language learning and language acquisition?
- All the respondents expressed their agreement that the LMB
was very useful and helpful platform for them to improve their
English language proficiency, mostly in terms of vocabulary,
grammar and writing.
- All the respondents stated that they had improved their learning
and they felt very satisfied. Based on the
- respondents self-reflection, they felt very comfortable and
happy to participate in the LMB environment and to make use of
the language learning materials in order to supplement their
understanding of what had been taught in the classroom.
- Stress and anxiety level: they all agreed that their stress their
stress and anxiety levels were much higher while learning in the
classroom; on the other hand, when they were engaged in LMB,
they were more comfortable and less anxious or stressed.

1. How were the scaffolding elements within the LMB exploited

by the ESL learners to enhance their understanding of what was
taught in the classroom?
- Majority of the students stated that of all the scaffolding
elements, the online discussion forum and the writing tips were
the most useful or important ones. The students expressed how
they had learn something from their participation consciously
and, at the same time, acquired new information from the LMB.
 - Based on the findings, it was found that the respondents liked
the discussion forum and writing tips, the most, in the LMB. The
interactivity in the discussion forum made them feel motivated
to participate more and learn more. The writing tips helped them
to improve their class assignment and tasks, especially in the
writing of outlines.
- The feedback showed that all but one of the 30 respondents
preferred using technological tools in addition to the traditional
way of learning in the classroom. They believed that they could
improve more by using language learning platform or
environment outside the classroom because there was no time
and space constraint. They all agreed learning in their own was
very useful since they were the ones who were aware of their
own weaknesses in English. In addition, the employment of
technology outside the classroom enabled them to digest the
course subject in a better way.

Overall, the findings showed that LMB had left positive impacts on the
students experience in language learning and language acquisition
processes.
Conclusion The findings of the study provide evidence that the LMB was regarded
as a useful language learning and language acquisition platform for the
learners to enhance their English language especially in terms of
vocabulary, grammar and writing.

The findings of the study also revealed that it was easier for the learners
to learn the language when they are not tense, anxious or bored.

The findings of the study reveal that the ESL learners make use of the
language learning materials in the LMB as well as the interactive
discussion forum in order to improve their information and knowledge.
The learners were enthusiastic to participate in the LMB as they could
learn and acquire more information through the scaffolding elements
and their peer feedback as well. In addition, this study demonstrates that
language learning and language acquisition via the LMB was perceived
positively by this group of Malaysian ESL undergraduates.

*The findings of the study revealed that the LMB has proven to be a
useful tool to facilitate the language learning and language acquisition
processes among the participants. The students had opportunities to use
the language learning materials in the LMB as well as interacting with
each other in the discussion forum. The learners develop their
independent learning interest and motivation to use the English
language learning materials and participate in the LMB environment.
JOURNAL ANALYSIS 9

Title A Case Study of Blog-Based Language Learning: An Investigation into

ESL Learners Interaction
Author Zarei, N. and Supyan, H.
Objective *The present study explores how the use of language learning materials
and interaction in the Learning Management Blog (LMB) contribute to
the language learning process.

This study investigates how the supporting learning materials and

interactions in the LMB contribute to the language learning process
among a particular group of ESL students.
Participants The researchers used purposive sampling involving 14 undergraduate
Malaysian ESL students who registered in the Academic
Communication Course at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
The students level of English proficiency was categorised as
intermediate according to the coordinator and instructor of the course
offered at the Centre of Liberal Arts, which is now known as CITRA.
The intermediate level/modest user of proficiency, according to the
Centre, refers to band 3 score that the learners gained in their MUET. It
is worth mentioning that the students were familiar with using online
environments as social networks such as blog, Facebook and Forum.

The researchers acted as participant observers and observed the

students activities, comments and posts every day in order to complete
the REAT during the 14 weeks of the semester.
Methodology The researchers used the Response Analysis Tool (REAT) as a research
instrument and data were analysed qualitatively through content
analysis.
REAT included three categories, namely:
A: students responses to the administrators questions;
B: students inquiries; and
C: students small group discussions
Findings The results of the study showed that the ESL students made use of
meaningful interaction among them in LMB forum and improved their
language learning.
A: students responses to the administrators questions;
Based on the researchers observations, it was concluded that all
of the students replied to all of the questions during the 14
weeks.

B: students inquiries
Based on the obtained information via the REAT, it is obvious
that the students were interested in commenting on their friends
posts, as well as answering the administrators questions and
getting involved in the interaction in the discussion forum.
11 out of 14 students asked questions regarding their class
assignments and the supportive language learning guides in the
LMB environment. The students asked for some guidance in
order to improve their writing for their assignments. By asking
questions, they gained some ideas on how to improve their
course tasks.
C: Students interaction to improve their course tasks and
assignments.
The students were eager to participate in the forum and share
their opinions, ask questions and state their difficulties in order
to have a better understanding on how to come up with their
course tasks and writing.
The students showed their interest and willingness to participate
in the LMB by sharing their ideas about each others tasks.
D: students small group discussions in the LMB
The students showed the willingness to participate in the forum
in the LMB. According to their feedback, the reason that
motivated them to get engaged in the discussion forum was the
interactive communication that led them to improve their
learning, course tasks and projects.
 All the students participated in the interactive discussions with
each other with regard to their posts and course assignments.
They shared their opinions and views about each others tasks
and tried to help each other by reading each others tasks and
leaving comments about them.

Based on the students responses, it can be summarised that the students

obviously improved their knowledge and information by interacting
with each other in the discussion forum. They posed questions to each
other in order to complete their tasks and improve their learning, shared
their opinions about the tasks and guided each other in order to improve
their writing.
Conclusion The findings of the study indicated that the language learning guides
and the forum provided in the LMB played significant roles in order to
enhance the students information, knowledge and interactions. As a
language learning platform, the LMB contributed positively towards the
students language learning process.
JOURNAL ANALYSIS 10

Title Exploiting Blogs in the ESL Classroom

Authors Pramela Krish*, Thulasi Vikneswaran and Supyan Hussin
Objective 1. This paper discusses how blogs have been utilized as a platform
for interactions in the language classroom.
2. The study investigated how students used the blog to practise
their communication and writing skills, and in what way
blogging have benefited them.
*This paper discusses how blogs have been utilized as a platform for
interaction and self-directed learning in an undergraduate English
language classroom in a Malaysian public university. It also captures
the perceptions of students on blogging and language learning and how
they benefit from it.
Participants The year-one students who participated in this study were in the English
Language Programme and the course offered to them was ICT and
Language, a compulsory course in the second semester.
Methodology The source of data for the current study is an online archive
which consists of students blogs that they produced as part of
their course requirement.
To capture the diverse experiences of these undergraduate
students on blogging, this study adopts a qualitative narrative
inquiry framework to examine the data extracted from selected
students blogs.
Data taken from students postings on their blogging
experiences were analyzed qualitatively, while emerging
common themes were identified for data analysis
Findings Perceptions of Malaysian undergraduate students on blogging and
language learning, and how do they benefit from it.
Generally, almost all the participants felt that the attempt to use
blogs in an ELS classroom is innovative. - Students felt the
excitement of being given the freedom in terms of creativity and
flexibility in choosing templates and decorating their blogs with
 different colours combined with the use of glitter, pictures,
photographs and animations, while engaging in writing,
reflecting and information sharing with their peers via the blogs.
Promoting Autonomous Learning through Blogging:
As compared to traditional face-to-face classroom environment,
the learning process via blog is personalized and many of them
expressed that they have benefited from it when the learning
process takes place in a social context. By publishing, learning,
and sharing ideas, students deepen their thinking and receive
direct feedback from peers, experts, and other teachers.
Increased Interactivity through Sharing and Collaborative
Learning : Students expressed that blogging has allowed them to
be engaged in sharing and collaboration with coursemates, the
lecturer and peers for interesting facts and information which
come from their own readings.
Improving Language Skills through Blogging : There was
improvement in students writing skills especially in terms of
choice of words, grammar and spelling.
Improving Level of Confidence through Blogging: Students
generally felt their level of self-esteem towards the course and
their language skills has improved since blogging was
incorporated into the course assessment.
Continuity : The use of blogs may also help students to extend
the relationship between their lecturer/ instructor and the
students beyond the classroom. Most of the student participants
expressed their desire to continue blogging even when the
course has ended.
Conclusion On the whole, the participants in this study have exhibited a highly
positive experience towards the integration of blog in their
learning process. The process of developing and managing a blog has
encouraged further utilization and increased confidence among
the students.