The Effects of Korean Learners’ Online Experiences on Their English Writing

This study aims to examine the effects of the online writing experiences of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners on their self-efficacy, attitudes, and performance in a computer-mediated writing classroom (CMC). Although the close relationship between students’ computer experiences and class performance has been positively confirmed in many studies, it has rarely been examined in the context of an EFL writing course. In this study, two groups of Korean university EFL learners, regular (15) and non-regular (17) online writers, were compared regarding their self-efficacy, attitudes, and the extent to which they incorporated online peer feedback into revision. The results reveal that regular online writers, in comparison with non-regular online ones, are likely to have more positive attitudes towards CMC and to incorporate feedback into revision more successfully and extensively. This finding implies that the introduction of a new technology should be accompanied with extra assistance and device to those who are not familiar with the technology. INTRODUCTION The use of computers and the Internet is indispensable for students living in this era of information and communication technology (ICT). Students’ computer-related knowledge and experiences are reported as positively influencing their attitudes toward computer-mediated learning (Chen, 1986; Levin & Gordon, 1989; Mitra, 1998; Topkaya, 2010). Students who frequently use ICT—such as word-processing, emailing, blogging, and online message posting—are likely to put more effort into accomplishing technology-related tasks and will, in the end, perform better than those who use ICT less frequently (Bandura, 1995; Karsten & Roth, 1998; Lee, 1986; Muira, 1987; Rozell & Gardner, 1999, 2000). These studies clearly demonstrate that student’s experiences with computer use affect their attitudes toward the use of computers in class and even their performance. In spite of the many studies illustrating the positive effects of ICT on learning, few studies have examined how second language writers’ online writing experiences affect their self-efficacy, attitudes, and performance in second language writing. Thus far, studies have focused on the effects of computer-mediated classes (CMCs) that incorporate the use of computers into their curriculum in a variety of ways, such as local area networks, bulletin boards, email, or instant chat (Braine, 2001; Chang, 2012; Chen, 2012; Hewings, & Coffin, 2006; Ho & Savignon, 2007; Liu & Sadler, 2003; Sullivan & Pratt, 1996). While focusing on the differences between traditionally-taught classes and CMCs, these studies have not taken into account students’ previous experiences using computers. As shown in classes other than a writing class, however, students’ previous computer experiences may play an important role in establishing their positive attitudes toward CMC writing activities and even improving their performance in a writing class. Thus, this study aims to investigate how online writing experiences affect students’ self-efficacy, their attitudes toward the use of ICT in class, and finally their performance—that is, in revising drafts in a second language writing class. LITERATURE REVIEW COMPUTER EXPERIENCES, SELF-EFFICACY, AND PERFORMANCE Computer experiences seem to play an important role in establishing students’ self-efficacy in ICT. Self-efficacy is “the belief about one’s own capability to organize and complete a course of action required to accomplish a specific task” (Eggen & Kauchak, 2007, p. 310). After examining 288 pre-service English language teachers’ perceptions of computer self-efficacy, Topkaya (2010) discovered that previous computer experiences affected their perceptions of computer self-efficacy positively. İŞman and elikli (2009) also found that self-efficacy positively affects students’ motivation as well as task performance in using computers. Furthermore, this selfefficacy seems to depend on students’ years of computer use in addition to the complexity of the task. Not only do the students who have used computers tend to have a high level of self-efficacy in ICT, but they are TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – July 2014, volume 13 issue 3 Copyright © The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology 203 also likely to have more positive attitudes toward the use of computers in class (Chen, 1986; Levin & Gordon, 1989; Mitra, 1998). While investigating gender differences in the relationship between computer experiences and attitudes toward computers, both Chen (1986) and Levin and Gordon (1989) found positive effects of prior computer experiences on attitudes. Although male high school students had more experiences and more positive attitudes with regard to using computers than their female counterparts, Chen found that male and female students seemed equally interested in computers, when their prior computer experiences were controlled for. In other words, prior computer experiences made a difference in attitudes toward the use of computers between genders. Levin and Gordon found that prior computer experiences seemed to work as a stronger predictor of attitudes among Israeli secondary students than gender. Mitra similarly found strong relationship between students’ prior computer experiences and attitudes toward computers among 1,444 university students. Those who reported higher use of computers had a more positive attitude toward computers than lower users of computers. Moreover, prior computer experience seems to affect students’ class performance as well as their self-efficacy and attitudes (Karsten & Roth, 1998; Lee, 1986; Rozell & Gardner, 1999, 2000). Through investigation of various factors affecting computer-related performance, Rozell and Gardner (1999 and 2000) found that students’ computer experiences have a close relationship with their computer-related performance. Lee uncovered the effects of past computer experiences on computerized aptitude test performance. Karsten and Roth found a relationship between computer experiences and self-efficacy regarding students’ performance in introductory computer literacy courses, showing that relevance rather than quantity of experiences is most predictive of students’ performance in class. That is, whether students’ computer experiences directly relate to the task in class is a better predictor of students’ success in class than how much computer usage they have experienced. While student experience with computers has been reported to have a close relationship with their computer selfefficacy, attitudes toward CMC, and eventually their performance levels, this relationship has rarely been explored in the area of writing instruction to EFL learners. Thus far, most studies on the use of computers in second language writing classrooms have examined the differences between traditional and computer-mediated classrooms regarding students’ attitudes (Chen, 2012; Ho & Savignon, 2007; Sullivan & Pratt, 1996), apprehension level (Sullivan & Pratt, 1996), writing quality (Braine, 2001; Sullivan & Pratt, 1996), interaction pattern (Brain, 2001; Hewings, & Coffin, 2006; Liu & Sadler, 2003; Sullivan & Pratt, 1996), amount of feedback incorporated into revision (Liu & Sadler, 2003), task engagement, comment categories, and perception of peer review (Chang, 2012). However, no studies have investigated how the actual computer-mediated writing experiences in daily life affect EFL students’ computer self-efficacy and attitudes toward computer-assisted classroom or the effects of prior computer experiences on students’ actual performance in a writing class. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how Korean students’ online experiences affect their self-efficacy, attitudes toward CMC, and performances in an EFL writing class. In this study, the participants are divided into two groups; those who regularly wrote online are named “regular online writers,” and those who had irregular or no experiences of online writing are labeled as “non-regular online writers.” Then the differences between regular and non-regular online writers on self-efficacy and attitudes toward CMC are examined. In addition, the two groups are compared regarding their performance, which is measured by the extent to which they successfully incorporated peer feedback into revision. Peer feedback has been actively utilized in both first and second language writing classrooms, based on the theoretical underpinning that peer feedback helps build a strong sense of audience by providing students with chances to experience readers other than their teachers (Kroll, 1991; Nystrand, 1986; Vilamil & De Guerrero, 1996; Zamel, 1985). This study is designed to answer the following questions: 1. How different are regular and non-regular online writers from each other in computer self-efficacy? 2. How different are regular and non-regular online writers from each other in attitudes toward CMC? 3. How different are regular and non-regular online writers from each other in their performance, or the extent to which they successfully incorporate online peer feedback into revision? METHODS PARTICIPANTS The participants were 32 Korean college learners of English (16 males and 16 females) enrolled in intermediatelevel writing classes taught by one of the authors. Table 1 shows the background information of the participants. Their mean age was 23.46 with a standard deviation (SD) of 3.90. All participants had completed a basic writing course as a prerequisite, and as English majors or minors, their English proficiency levels were generally high. Twenty-four out of the 32 students had standardized English test scores. Since the majority of the students took the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), other test scores were converted to TOEIC scores. TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – July 2014, volume 13 issue 3 Copyright © The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology 204 The mean score was 915.83 with an SD of 60.55, which is a highly advanced level of achievement considering the TOEIC scale of 10 to 990. Although some students did not have English test scores, they had similar English proficiency as the other students. Also, many students had experiences of living in English speaking countries, such as the USA, the UK or Australia, with a mean of 5.44 months and an SD of 11.50. Table 1: Descriptive statistics of English proficiency and online writing frequency