EFL Blended Learning Course: Implementing a Discussion Forum to Enhance Students’ Self-Direction
Résumé
The current paper reports on empirical research investigating undergraduate students’ readiness to self-directed learning as a response to the use of online discussion forums in an English Foreign Language (EFL) blended learning course. It is known that the asynchronous interactions offered through an online discussion forum allows students to have time to process their thoughts and invites them to think critically (Ritchie and Black, 2012). This critical thinking skill facilitates students’ metacognition which is required to develop their self-direction in learning. For that reason, it is hypothesized that the implementation of a discussion forum has a positive impact on students’ self-direction. A pre and post-test questionnaire was used to confirm this aspect and the results have shown that only students of the experimental groups have developed their self-direction. This latter is represented by a significant improvement of students’ level of readiness to a self-directed learning at the end of the course period.
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