Exploring the Contribution of Blogging and Podcasts to Language Learners’ Autonomous Abilities and Learning Outcome

Abstract

The age of Read/Write Web has brought new concepts and approaches into language development. It has given rise to technology-based approaches to learner autonomy which offer vast access to educational resources. All these technological opportunities provide learners with the freedom to control and direct their own learning thus fostering their independent language learning skills and making them more effective learners. This assumption led to the design of this study whose purpose was to find out whether and to what extent the two technological tools, blogging and podcasts, could contribute to the development of learners’ autonomous abilities and their language performance if integrated into the traditional classroom, and to reveal the relationship between these two variables. Because the study pursued experimental research, it was conducted with a control group and a treatment group which received a two-month treatment with technological tools. The data collected through pre-and post-tests, class observation, and the Learner-Autonomy-Profile (LAP) Form was analyzed by means of SPSS and presented according to certain themes. The findings of the study highlighted statistically significant difference in performance between the two groups, development of action-oriented independent learning skills, and a positive correlation between learner autonomy and learning outcome. The study suggested that the implementation of technological tools into traditional language classrooms can ensure the development of autonomous learning abilities and the improvement of language learner performance.