Taiwanese Student Bloggers: Motivations Behind and Topics of their Blogs

MUIR > Seminar > 2011 International Conference on Management Learning and Business Technology Education > Item 987654321/1043

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://ir.meiho.edu.tw/ir/handle/987654321/1043

Title:	Taiwanese Student Bloggers: Motivations Behind and Topics of their Blogs
Authors:	Sandra Haggard
Contributors:	Dept. of Applied Foreign Languages, Meiho University, Taiwan Email of Contact Author: [email protected]
Keywords:	blogging;student motivation;e-learning
Date:	2011-04
Issue Date:	2011-07-12
Abstract:	The Internet offers many outlets for people to express their thoughts and ideas. One way is through blogging. Blogs, a word developed by blending the words web and log, can come in many forms. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Wretch, Xanga and MySpace offer a way to filter who is allowed visit the site and are a way to reconnect with old friends and colleagues. This personal or professional website is written about oneself or one’s business as a way to meet others with similar viewpoints and to present one’s own opinions on the world information platform. The purpose of this research is to determine the reasons why students in a southern Taiwan university have their own blogs, what information they normally post, and why they keep posting, and to analyze this information to make recommendations for better communication between teachers and students. Students from Meiho University in southern Taiwan were surveyed. The survey asked 44 questions using a 5-point Likert scale and an additional four open-ended questions. The student survey was in Mandarin Chinese. There were 173 samples collected, 159 were analyzed, with the remaining 14 surveys found to be incomplete. The findings included the motivations behind students having blogs and the usual topics they post on the blogs. Students reported reasons for having a blog as mostly personal reasons such as “for fun”, “because I’m bored, it’s something to do”, “to express my feelings”, and “to exchange ideas with friends.” Students reported that they usually post about their “mood that day”, “personal thinking and life events”, “what is going on that day”, “school things”, “diary”, “greetings to friends” , “pets”, “poetry, prose”, “pictures”, and “private information”. The Cronbach Alpha based on standardized items for the Motivation reliability was .698, Self-efficacy .749, and Satisfaction .804, each being found to be of sound reliability. The older the student, the less motivated they are to keep their blog active. The longer the student has had a blog, the more satisfied he/she is and the more motivated to continue. The more blog experience the student had, the more motivation he/she reported (.240). In this digital age and with the predominance of students using computers, a natural next step would be to include blogging in the classroom in an e-learning platform. E-learning is increasingly more common in schools in Taiwan and around the world. E-learning can be best described as “educational delivery or interaction via technology” (Catherall, 2005). Web pages of the past were static, were not updated often due to the complicated process involved, had limited communication between the web author and web visitors, and had limited privacy security (Catherall, 2005). On the other hand, e-learning systems provide dynamic web content, easy updating, a range of communication tools, and advanced security features (Catherall, 2005). Elearning can include “interactive multimedia programs, online discussion forums, web browsing and web link sharing tools, course announcement pages, chat rooms, course management systems, digital portfolios and the use of virtual learning environments for both pedagogical purposes and the institutional management of learning,”(Goodfellow, 2007). E-learning systems offer collaboration to develop a finished product, document management and publishing, synchronous and asynchronous communication, course-work submission, distance learning, blended learning (Elearning mixed with traditional book learning), and ubiquitous learning (relationship of students, teachers, and electronic systems in a variety of settings and contexts (Catherall, 2005). Educators can consider how to use the students’ proclivity for using blogs to get them motivated to learn in the classroom as well. Some teachers may be relunctant to participate in e-learning, feeling that they must change their “teaching styles and methods to accommodate technology rather than to use technology to accomplish [their] goals” (Clyde, 2005). Another challenge may be that not every student has access to the Internet, so requiring Internet communication may not be feasible for every student. Students without Internet access at home may need to use computer labs on campus, may need to borrow a laptop with a way to connect online, or may need to request paper copies of material referenced online (Catherall, 2005). Blogging is a way for students to communicate their ideas and report their activities online with those who share a common interest. Their willingness to continue blogging and to keep their site active is borne from an enthusiasm that teachers should nourish.
Appears in Collections:	[Seminar] 2011 International Conference on Management Learning and Business Technology Education

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