Effects of Learning Environment Differences (On and Offline vs. Off line) on Intermediate Level Learners’ Writing Development |
Jiyoung Park, Chongwon Park |
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Abstract |
In the field of teaching English as a second or foreign language research, researchers have paid attention to learner errors and sought for the effects of written corrective feedback on learners’ writing development. In line with this line of inquiry, this study was conducted to see the differential effects of learning environment on the acquisition of writing competency. Seventy-one intermediate level English major students participated in this study, and qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze the data. The results of this study indicate that online students outperformed the offline and control groups both in the short and long-term in their writing performance which was indicated by statistical significance. As to the acquisition path, online vs offline students show unique differences favoring the order of sentence type > main verb > usage > word choice > redundancy > word order > logic. What this implies is that in teaching intermediate level students, if a teacher’s concern is on global errors, which eventually impede communication, this order provides some insights for them on what should be taught first and next. Logic stands alone in contrast to other global errors indicating that it is the most difficult area of acquisition with its own unique characteristics. |
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