College English Teachers’ Beliefs on Network—based Language Learning

樊海怡

Abstract：The advantages and disadvantages for learning English in the Network-based environment attract most researchers concern nowadays. This study profiles college English teachers beliefs about the network-based language learning. The main finding is that teachers beliefs about network-based language learning are heterogeneous and thus reflect a wide range in terms of the evolution of approaches and technology use.

Key words：college English；teachersbeliefs；network-based language；learning

Ⅰ.Advantages of Network-based Language Learning

As Prabhu （2000） puts it， “synchronous Networked-based Communication chatting can play a significant role in the development of grammatical competence among classroom language learners.”Negotiation taking place through repetitions， checks， echo-questions and re-casts provides enhanced language input and thus messages become more comprehensible. Modified output occurs when learners notice a form problem， and are provided either with explicit or implicit corrective feedback by the other conversant. Schulz （2000） maintains that Synchronous Conferencing sessions can produce very good results in learning writing composition.

Some of the main advantages of the use of the network-based language learning can be summarized as follows：①Online interaction can lead to cooperative projects and increased communication between students from all over the world， in turn leading to the development of social skills.②The Internet creates desirable conditions for learning to write by providing an authentic audience for written communication.③Use of Internet is motivating students，because they see it as new and exciting and as a tool they will need in their future careers.④The teaching of culture can be facilitated through the immediate feedback and contact with second language speakers.⑤The Internet can be used to acquire information from language resources for a variety of purposes such as current geographical， historical， social/cultural， economic， and political information from the countries in which the target language is spoken.⑥The Internet can serve as a medium for experiencing and presenting creative works， and as a platform for students own work such as essays， poetry or stories. The network-based language learning environment presents certain possibilities and potential for language learning that cannot be achieved otherwise. The new era of language learning cannot be achieved effectively without using it.

Ⅱ.Disadvantages of Network-based Language Learning

Some of the challenges to use of the Internet in language teaching are：①Lack

of training and familiarity on part of the teachers can make it difficult to implement the Internet in the language classroom.②When lines are busy due to many users， it may take time to access information or browse the Net and technical glitches themselves can lead to frustration.③Foreign language teachers are especially anxious before computers since they often have little experience with computers.④Costs related to training， as well as online costs of using a provider are issues that may interfere with implementing such a technology in schools， especially in schools that have little funding. ⑤Censorship may also be a concern to language programs and instructor. The Internet offers access to all types of issues and topics， some of which are unsuitable for students.

Ⅲ.Teachers Beliefs toward Network-based Language Learning

For one thing， teachers generally hold positive beliefs about the advantages of network-based language learning in their teaching activities. Most teachers believe that extensive computer resources is the most important to ensure the effectiveness of network-based language learning. Firstly， the use of network gives teachers the opportunity to be learning facilitators instead of information providers. It reveals that introducing computers into the classroom changes the teachers role and results in a shift from a didactic to a constructivist approach. Secondly， the use of network helps accommodate students personal learning styles. A multitude of presentations and a wide range of content provided by the computer technologies especially the Internet are suitable to different learning styles and strategies. Resources and information provided by the computer technologies especially the Internet are superior to the traditional printed resources in terms of both quantity and authenticity. Beliefs in this question also show an appreciation for multi-media capacity of network-based language learning to appeal to a wide range of students needs and interests. Thirdly， the use of network promotes the development of communication skills. The importance of communication in the second language classroom is fundamental. Real-world language use， meaningful communicative interaction， purposive behavior， negotiation of social meaning， development of fluency as opposed to accuracy， opportunities for students to express their own individuality. Fourthly， the use of network motivates students to get more involved in learning activities. Teachers remarked that students appear more interested and respond more enthusiastically in English class when they assign Internet activities or when they tell students the information came from the Internet. Online activities appeared to students to be “more interesting than a worksheet” and were able to “break up the monotony” of certain activities such as reading a book.

For another thing， some teachers hold negative views on the challenges of implementing network-based language learning in their activities. At first， the use of network requires extra time to plan learning activities. This can account for phenomenon that most teachers rate their computer resources as “acceptable”， but use network only “occasionally”. Secondly， various researchers lack of access and equipment as representing a challenge to use of network. Costs related to training， as well as on-line costs of using a provider are issues that may interfere with implementing technology in schools， especially in schools that have little funding. The use of network-based language learning is effective only when extensive computer resources are available. Beliefs related to online access revolved around connections being too slow， too expensive and unavailable. Some beliefs indicated a dependence on access at school in order to “prepare lessons” or to use network for the teaching of English as a foreign language.

References：

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