Chin-Wen Chien received her Doctor of Education degree from the University of Washington (Seattle, USA). She is an associate professor in Department of English Instruction of National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. Her research interests include language education, language teacher education, and curriculum and instruction. Email: chinwenc@ms24.hinet.net

 

Introduction

Freshman English is one of the compulsory courses in universities in Taiwan. Learners are expected to practice listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in freshman English classes. However, English is considered a subject rather than a tool. English as a foreign language (EFL) learners just practice English in the classroom, but they do not have opportunities to use English outside the classroom and in a real environment (Chen, 2009; Hammerly, 1994; Wu & Lin, 2009). Wu and Lin (2009) discovered in their study of 913 Taiwanese college students in Taipei areas that college EFL learners had low motivation to use English both to communicate with others and in the English learning environment. Wu and Lin (2009) suggested that the English learning environment for Taiwanese college EFL learners should be improved and that EFL learners should be encouraged to use English outside the classroom.

Chien (2014) used McCarthy’s (1987) 4MAT model to analyze the tasks of comprehension of the text used with 77 Taiwanese EFL college learners in freshman-level English classes in northwest Taiwan. This study concluded that the tasks failed to include features of Types III “The common sense reader” and IV “The dynamic reader,” particularly in terms of the practical use of the reading passages.

A weblog (or blog) is a web-based space where a person can write, post, and edit information, and such information can immediately be made publicly accessible on the Internet (Godwin, 2003). Blogs have been widely used in education, particularly in language teaching and learning (Zhang, 2009). In order to increase EFL learners’ practical use of reading passages, blogs were integrated into a freshman-level English class for the purpose of extending EFL learners’ engagement with English in a university in the northern Taiwan. This study discusses the following two questions. First, what was the college freshmen’s attitude toward using blogs for extending their engagement with English, and what was their attitude about the design of the blog assignments? Second, how and to what extent did the blogs influence their engagement with English and demonstrate their English learning? Finally, suggestions on effective integration of blogs for extending college EFL learners’ engagement with English are provided.

 

Literature review

Blogs have been widely used in language learning and teaching. Campbell (2003) identified three types of blogs used for language classrooms, including the tutor blog, the class blog, and the learner blog. First, tutor blogs are designed and provided by tutors to give their students daily reading practice, to promote exploration of English websites, to encourage online verbal exchange, to provide class information, and/or to serve as resources for self-study. As for class blogs, language teachers use them for bulletin boards for language learners to post comments and opinions, for international classroom language exchange, or for project-based language learning. Finally, learner blogs are run by learners or groups of learners. In this study, I refer to blogs as learner blogs when participants post their assignments on them.

Using blogs in language learning and teaching has many advantages. First of all, blogs are used to foster authentic communication because language learners can use the target language through publishing their writing, receiving comments, and participating in discussions (Campbell, 2004; Moon & Lim, 2013; Wu, 2006). Second, blogs can be used to record learners’ learning experiences (Moon & Lim, 2013; Wu, 2006). In Noytim’s (2010) study, he used questionnaires and interviews to analyze 20 undergraduate English major, female students’ knowledge of and attitude toward blogs in Thailand. He concluded that students perceived a blog as a tool for the development of their English in terms of writing, reading, vocabulary, and recording of their learning experience. Third, blogs provide a social network where language learners can interact and communicate their viewpoints (Chen, 2013; Moon & Lim, 2013; Wu, 2006; Zarei & Al-Shboul, 2013). Blogs provide the participants with an opportunity for self-expression in English, where they can write for local and global audiences; develop creative, analytical, and critical thinking skills; participate in social interactions and good relationships, and enhance their overall learning community (Noytim, 2010).

Several scholars have discussed the effectiveness of blogs on EFL learners’ writing in terms of facilitating learners’ critical thinking skills, by providing learners with writing samples, by improving learners’ English writing qualities, by giving learners purposes for writing, by creating meaningful learning opportunities, by promoting interactions among teachers and learners and learners and learners, by improving the authority of their writings, and by engaging learners in reflective practice and peer reviews (Chao & Huang, 2007; Chen, 2012; Fageeh, 2011; Ho & Usaha, 2009;Johnson, 2004; Li, 2014; Lin, 2007; Mitchell, 2011; Miyazoe &Anderson, 2010; Shen, 2009; Su, 2013; Sun & Chang, 2012; Wu, 2006; Zhang, 2009). Scholars have also regarded blogs as having the potential for developing reading and writing skills. Through articles posted on the blogs, language learners can do reading outside the classroom, practice reading strategies, as well as be motivated to continue to read and acquire knowledge on a given topic (Izquierdo & Reyes, 2009; Wu & Wu, 2011).

Scholars have explored the use of blogs among college students in various contexts, such as in Taiwan, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Vietnam (i.e. Chao & Huang, 2007; Su, 2013). Scholars have used both qualitative and quantitative instruments for data collection, such as writing samples, pre- and post-tests, blog assignments, and surveys in the studies. Moreover, different studies explore blogs for different focuses, which are discussed in terms of attitude, reading, and writing in the following studies.

Kim (2008) proposed a model for blog use in educational contexts. First of all, in order to have the interaction with other learners and to enhance their motivation, Kim encouraged learners to post comments and feedback on each other’s blogs. Second, Kim recommended that learners seek relevant information from other websites and share such information on their own blogs because blogs are compatible with other social software and websites. Third, she recommended that the “really simple syndication” (RSS) system should be embedded in a blog.

For this study, the researcher modified Kim’s (2008) Model of Blog Use in Educational Contexts and present the conceptual framework of this study in Figure 1. The integration of the blog into freshman-level English classes was aimed at helping participants engage more with English through text to shelf, four options of blog assignments, instructors’ comments, peers’ comments, and other online resources.

Figure 1.

EFL Learners’ Extensions and Engagements with English Learning

 

Method

This is a qualitative case study. As a qualitative case study, the researcher is the primary instrument of data collection and analysis (Merriam, 2009). According to Patton (1985), “Qualitative research is an effort to understand situations in their uniqueness as part of a particular context and the interactions there” (p. 1). For this study, the researcher analyzed Taiwanese EFL college freshmen’s English learning experiences via blogs in their natural context.

A case study is an in-depth description and analysis of a bounded system (Merriam, 2009). Stake (2005) described a case study as “a choice of what is to be studied” (p. 205). The “what” is a bounded system, a unit around which there are boundaries (Merriam, 2009). Yin (2008) defined a case study as “an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context” (p. 18). This case is one freshman-level English class, and the data of analysis is the students’ English learning.

 

Setting and participants

During the 2014 spring semester, 30 participants in this study simultaneously enrolled in one freshman English class in a northern city of Taiwan. The participants were placed at an intermediate level based on their score levels from college entrance exams, which ranged from 11to 13. The highest possible level was 15 (scored between 89.33 and 100). The participants included 27 females and 3males, with an average age of 18.5 years. The majority of the participants majored in education and learning technology (n=19), followed by early child education (n=5), and special education (n=5). Only one student enrolled in this class through cross-school registration. Each class met for 100 minutes each week during the period of the study.

 

Data collection

The study was conducted during one semester, from February to June 2014. Documents were the main data source in this study, but the documents did not intrude on the settings (Merriam, 2009). Data in this study included: (1) PowerPoint slides, (2) participants’ blogs, and (3) participants’ responses to class evaluations. These documents were easily accessible to me during my investigation. The researcher used PowerPoint slides on blog assignments and participants’ responses to answer the first research question “What was college freshmen’s attitude toward using blogs for extending their engagement with English and what was their attitude about the design of the blog assignments?” Since participants’ blogs and their responses were a reliable source of data concerning their attitudes and beliefs (Merriam, 2009), the researcher used them to answer the second research question, “How and to what extent did the blogs influence their engagement with English and demonstrate their English learning?”

Participants were required to register for a blog, and then they had to choose one of the options presented in Table 1 (i.e. Use at least six words taught in each lesson and write a dialogue or a paragraph), complete the assignments for each unit, and post them on blogs.

Table 1.

Choices for Blog Assignments

Choices	Descriptions
1	Complete the extra assignments designed by the instructor.
2	Use at least 6 words taught in each lesson and write a dialogue or a paragraph.
3	Read a related article and write a 30-word summary.
4	Read the texts to your friend, summarize the main ideas, and ask him/her to write down their comments.

The textbook used in the freshman English class was Anderson’s Active II (2013). Active II has 12 units, and each unit contains two reading texts. A total of 24 extended tasks were designed for Option1, as presented in Table 2 (i.e. Learning Strategies), and introduced via PowerPoint slides. The instructor first used the PowerPoint slides to explain each task.

Table 2

Extended Activities for Units

Units	Reading 1	Reading 2
1	Learning Strategies	My Test-Taken Experience
2	My Travel Log	Tips to Traveling to Taiwan
3	Information about Movies	Famous Director
4	Athlete’s Lives	My Role Models
5	New reports about health issues	Right Doctors
6	My Scrapbook	Online Entertainment
7	All about Music	My Favorite Album
8	Interview	Job Advertisement
9	Taste Chocolate	Food Label
10	Advertisements	Commercial Time
11	All about Food	Different Types of Measurement
12	Label for Trash/Waste	Planet

On the last day, participants were asked to answer the following four questions for the class evaluation: (1) Of the three options, why did you choose as you did for your blog? (2) How did writing and posting the extended assignments on your blog help your English learning in terms of listening, speaking, reading, and writing? (3) How did you enjoy learning English via writing and posting the extended assignments on your blog? and (4) How did viewing and responding to classmates’ blogs help your English learning?

 

Data analysis

All names in this study were pseudonyms. I transcribed the participants’ blog posts, their responses to the class evaluation, and the PowerPoint slides into raw field notes. The data was coded in the following three stages. First, I read through all the notes and coded the data (e.g. guiding questions, varieties, audience, etc.). Second, while reading through these codes, I labeled tentative categories (e.g. attitude, choices, learning, benefits, etc.). Finally, the researcher sorted the data based on its relevance to topics that reflected the research questions, as depicted in Figure 2. The researcher then constructed a set of codes for thematic analysis that captured the meanings expressed by the data (Flick, 1998).

Figure 2.

Data Analysis

A high level of validity is the goal for qualitative research. Peer examination is another strategy for promoting a study’s validity (Merriam, 2009). A colleague who is familiar with language education scanned the raw data and assessed whether the findings were plausible based on the data. Moreover, triangulation entails the use of more than one method or source of data in a research endeavor (Boeije, 2010; Shank, 2006). In this study, triangulating multiple sources of data (e.g., PowerPoint slides, blogs, class evaluations, etc.) could add texture, depth, and multiple insights to an analysis and could enhance the validity or credibility of the results.

 

Analysis

Based on the data, four issues are discussed in terms of participants’ choices, attitudes, learning, and the instructor’s comments.

Participants’ choices

Of the four options, 93% of the participants (n=28) chose Option 1 “Complete the extra assignments designed by the instructor.” Only two participants chose Option 2 “Use at least six words taught in each lesson and write a dialogue or a paragraph.”

The top reason for participants’ choosing Option 1 was “related to the reading text” (n=10), followed by “The assignment was the easiest one” (n=9) and “Guiding questions were provided” (n=5).

Three of the participants’ responses were as follows:

#1 “I like Option 1 because it was the easiest one, and it was related to the reading text.”

#2 “I prefer Option 1 because guiding questions were provided. Option 1 was related to my daily life, and it was an interesting assignment.”

#3 “I like Option 1 because guiding questions were provided, and it was easy to answer these

questions.”    

Guiding questions helped participants to further explore the reading texts. According to Traver (1998), “a guiding question is the fundamental query that directs the starch for understanding” (p. 70). He further explains that guiding questions can direct the curriculum author's choice of ideas and activities and can transform the often disparate topics from a scattered survey of the subject, problem, or theme, into a logical, coordinated instrument for attaining knowledge (p. 70).

Through blogs, learners can upload content relevant to their class reading materials and promote student-teacher and student-student interactions about the postings (Moon & Lim, 2013). Under this circumstance, learners may have a stronger purpose to write due to the existence of a real audience (Campbell, 2003; Moon & Lim, 2013).

Figures 3 and 4 are the extended tasks for two reading passages of Unit 1. The extended task for Reading 1 of Unit 1 was Reading Strategy. Guiding questions were provided, and these questions (i.e. Have you tried any of them?) were related to the reading text and participants’ past experiences.

Figure 3.

Extended Task for Reading 1 of Unit 1

Learning Strategies

The author discusses four tips on effective study.

1. Which study techniques sound useful and which do not? Why?

2. Have you tried any of them?

3. What other ideas do you have for how to study better?”

The extended task for Reading 2 of Unit 1 was called “My Test-Taking Experience” and is shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4.

Extended Task for Reading 2 of Unit 1

My Test-Taken Experience

Reflect on your past experience.

1. What types of question formats were shown in your English tests?

2. Which one did you like the most or the least?

3. Which type did you like as useful or least useful in terms of learning English?

In response to the first question “Of the four options, why did you choose as you did for your blog?” three participants wrote, “A variety of tasks were designed for the extra assignments for each unit by the instructor.” A total of twenty-four extended tasks were designed, as shown in Table 2. Ur (2012) suggested that a good task should be heterogeneous and such a task could provide opportunities for learners to engage with it, on the different levels of proficiency within a class.

Two participants chose Option 1 because these assignments were related to their lives, because they answered the questions based on their personal experience. Initiative and personalization are two practical principles suggested by Ur (2012) for designing classroom tasks. Learners should be able to initiate their own ideas in response to the task. Moreover, learners can express their own experiences, opinions, or feelings for the tasks.

Taking the extended task for Reading 1 of Unit 2 “My Travel Log” as an example, participants were asked to write down a travel log about a place they had been to, including what they saw, ate, and experienced there. Participants also explained if they liked the place or would recommend it to others. Amy wrote about her experience of traveling to Hualien, as shown in Example 1.

#1 Amy’s Blog Post on Extended Task for Reading 1 of Unit 2:

I have been to *very places in Taiwan. But, going to Hualien with my family *makes a deep impression on my mind. First, we went to Taroko National Park and saw *a variety of stones. Then, we went to Fenglin Township and ate stinky tofu with special flavor. *That has leeks on it. I like this place very much. *There is a beautiful place. I always introduce Hualien to my friends. 

This task was interesting and learners like Amy were able to convey meaningful information. Therefore, such a task can appeal to learners’ feelings or challenge their intellect or creativity (Ur, 2012).

Participants’ attitude

About 93% of participants (n=28) had positive attitudes toward this blog assignment. The top reason the participants liked this assignment was that “This assignment was stress-free” (n=6), followed by “develop critical thinking” (n=5) and “I had a sense of achievement, and the blog is my learning record” (n=5). Learners can acquire writing practice because such learner blogs are used for writing practice and free-form templates for personal expression (Campbell, 2003).

Other reasons included “useful in learning English” (n=4), “writing on blogs is fun” (n=4), “answering questions was fun” (n=2), “the assignments were related to my life” (n=2), “The assignment was easy” (n=1), and “No pressure. It’s not a face-to-face test” (n=1).Bloggers focused on meaning rather than on forms, and the writing was meaningful as it took place in an authentic environment and was for an authentic audience (Fageeh, 2011).

A few examples of participants’ responses are as follows:

#4 “I like it because there are no word limitations and sentence structures. The instructor will correct our errors. No stress at all.”

#5 “I like this assignment. Answering these questions pushed me to think critically.”

#6 “I like this assignment because these posts are my learning records. I have a sense of achievement by reading my own posts.”

#7 “I like this blog assignment because it is useful for learning English.”

#8 “I like it because I can share something related to my life on topics that I am interested about.”

#9 “I like it because I do not have face-to-face pressure.”

One participant claimed that she would continue posting her thoughts on the blogs even after the end of the semester. Blogs became for them tools for fostering autonomous, self-directed learning approaches (Campbell, 2004). As examples above, particularly in Examples 6 to 8, blogs can also increase students’ interest and motivation in reading and writing and promote their independence and autonomy (Fageeh, 2011).

Participants’ English learning

With regard to the relationship between blog assignments and participants’ English learning, participants felt that this assignment helped them mostly in writing (n=20), followed by reading (n=12), learning new words (n=7), and grammar (n=2). A few examples of participants’ responses are as follows:

#10 “I try to express myself in English, and I also look up words in dictionary. Eventually my English improves.”

#11 “When I read the articles again, I looked up words in the dictionary. The number of my vocabulary words increases gradually.”

#12 “The blog assignment helps my reading and writing. In order to answer some of the questions, I read the articles again. I try to express myself in English when I answered these questions.”

For participants in this study, blogs provided a practice environment where they were able to think, reflect, and create language slowly for a real-life audience (Fageeh, 2011). Through blogging, Huffaker (2005) claimed, “In the classroom, students can have a personal space to read and write alongside a communal one, where ideas are shared, questions are asked and answered and social cohesion is developed” (p. 94).

Moreover, in terms of the effects of viewing classmates’ blogs, two participants claimed that they never read others’ blogs. While twenty-two participants felt that they got new ideas and knowledge from viewing classmates’ blogs, six participants felt that they learned new words. A few examples of participants’ responses are as follows:

#13 “Everyone has different ideas. I can learn more ideas and words.”

#14 “I learn new knowledge from viewing classmates’ blogs. Viewing classmates’ blogs helped me to think deeper and wider.”

Braine (2001) and Chen (2012) claimed that the advantages of online peer review activities are interactive text exchanges and increased student participation. Motivation is influenced by the expectancy of outcomes (Lawler, 1994). Bloggers expect to receive comments from other blog users. Hence, the interactivity among blog users can be achieved by reading other participants’ blogs, acquiring online resources, and expressing their thoughts by posting comments. Blog comments are considered essential to the interactive nature of blogs (Fageeh, 2011). Unfortunately, none of the participants wrote responses to their classmates’ blogs, which is the same result as some 130 Japanese freshmen in Mitchell’s (2011) study.

Participants also searched information online for the blog assignments, so 41.3% of the 360 posts(n=149) were written by participants after reading the online information. The post below was written by Doris. She searched information about Ang Lee, a famous director, and wrote a 50-word passage to introduce him.

#2 Doris’s Blog Post on Extended Task for Reading 2 of Unit 3:

Ang Lee is one of the famous directors in Taiwan. He *have gain many international movie *prices. Recently, his new movie ''Life of Pi'' also got many *prices, *besides, many people are deeply touched by the movie. The reason why Ang Lee is very successful is *because of his hardworking. *That why he is my favorite director.

The second post was written by Cindy for the extended task for Reading 1 of Unit 5. She read a news report about a health issues and wrote a 20-50 word passage to summarize the news report to answer these questions: (1) What kind of issue was discussed? (2) What are the suggestions on the health issue? and (3) Which body part did the article talk about?

#3Cindy’s Blog Post on Extended Task for Reading 1 of Unit 5:

It is a health issue about nose allergy. We should do some things from *detail and take good care of *ourself. *Because health is important. (1) Nose allergy (2) Avoid pollen, *void dust, avoid bacteria, keep clean, don’t feed animals, take good care *baby, avoid cold air, avoid eating food *cause allergy, (3) nose

Instructor’s comments

The instructor’s comments were beneficial to the participants. First, these comments made them feel that they wrote their posts to specific readers. One participant wrote, “I know my classmates and the instructor read my posts. I feel being honored as the owner and writer of this blog.” One of the features of the learner’s blogs is that whatever learners write can instantly be read by anyone else, and they can develop a sense of ownership (Campbell, 2003). Learners share their learning experiences and express their thoughts to their instructors and peers through blogs (Kim, 2008).

Second, they felt inspired to think more deeply and to explore more about the issues after reading the instructor’s comments, as expressed in these comments: “The instructor’s comments made me want to delve into the issues and search more online information” and “The instructor’s comments guided me to think deeper.” Furthermore, the exchange of ideas is promoted in learners’ blogs (Campbell, 2003). Example 4 is Karen’s blog post about a famous director. The instructor’s question “Have you watched the movie yet?” encouraged Karen to listen to the director’s speech.

#4 Karen’s Blog Post on Extended Task for Reading 1 of Unit 5:

Karen’s post: Po-Lin-Chi is a director. His famous movie *called “Beyond Beyond-TAIWAN FROM ABOVE”, he used to worked for government, and he accidentally *contact “air picturing”, so he *start to do this for over 20 years. And the movie he made *get the best documentary in Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards.

The instructor’s comment: Have you watched the movie yet? Do you like it?

Karen’s responses: Not yet! But I have listened to his speech.

Blogs can encourage learners’ self-expression in English, inducing a strong engagement in writing (Fageeh, 2011). Participants can have a personal space to read and write, to share their ideas in a social network. Blogs help activate interaction with readers, creating an audience and an outlet for students' writing and giving them a way to vent their writing in English on the Internet (Fageeh, 2011).

 

Discussion

This case study explored 30 EFL learners’ engagement experiences with English through a blog assignment in a freshman-level English class in a northwest university in Taiwan. Based on the data analysis of PowerPoint slides, participants’ blogs, and participants’ responses to class evaluations, this study has the following findings. First, 93% of the participants liked the blog assignment because it was stress free and they had ownership of their own blogs. Of the four options for blog assignments, 93% of participants chose Option 1 “Complete the extra assignments” because of the guidelines and the variety of tasks that were provided with it. Option 1 helped participants to connect the reading texts to their personal lives and experiences. Second, the blog assignment influenced participants’ engagement with English and allowed them to demonstrate their English learning, mostly in writing. Participants freely shared their ideas on their blogs. Through blog assignments, participants also improved their reading abilities through reading online resources and other participants’ blog entries. The instructor’s comments led participants to think more deeply and to be encouraged by having a reader. However, participants never posted their comments on their classmates’ blogs.

In order to integrate the blog into a freshman-level English class, as depicted in Figure 2, two things are needed regarding task designs and engagement, including guidelines that meet the learners’ level and needs and encouragement for the learners to comment on each other’s blogs. First, guidelines or guiding questions should be provided for the extended assignments, as depicted in the examples in Figures 3 and 4. Based on the related EFL literature, a variety of tasks can be designed for learners’ different experiences, proficiency, cognition, or interests, as shown in Table 2. Scholars have suggested different types of tasks, such as problem solving, decision making, opinion exchanging, personal experience sharing, attitudes or feeling sharing, comparing and contrasting, sorting, writing narratives, participating in discussions, debating, etc. (Oxford, 2006). In all cases, these tasks should be relevant to learners’ lives so these products can be accessible and challenging but not overwhelm the learners (Blaz, 2006, p. 12). Additionally, levels of difficulty should be taken into consideration when designing tasks. These tasks and assignments should emphasize critical and creative thinking as the learners apply what they have learned (Blaz, 2006). Language learners need to have reasons for learning that connect new information with personal experiences and that are relevant to or useful in daily life (McCarthy, 1987). Finally, good guiding questions should be designed for the extended assignments (Traver, 1998). Traver (1998) suggested that good guiding questions should have the following characteristics: open-ended, nonjudgmental, intellectual, and succinct. With good guiding questions, learners are required to employ high-level cognitive thinking.

Second, participants should be encouraged to engage more in the blog activities, because they can learn to express themselves in English in blogs and build confidence to engage with others in the target language (Mitchell, 2011). Participants’ families, friends, or schoolmates can be invited to respond to the blog posts. Another alternative is the integration of LiveJournal (http://www.livejournal.com/) (Campbell, 2004) into freshman-level English classes. LiveJournal offers a free blog hosting service that facilitates social interaction with members from around the world based on their mutual interests. Language learners can write and post on LiveJournal, and the web site program helps them find readers and conversation partners based on their interests, friends, and community features. Campbell (2004) outlined nine steps to successful implementation of LiveJournal in EFL classes, including learners’ creating LiveJournal accounts; the instructors’ collecting learners’ account names and customizing their sites; learners’ setting their interests, finding friends, posting, editing, commenting, and reading their new friends’ pages and responding; and both instructor and learners’ building a learning community; and, of course, the instructor’s assigning homework. Language learners are provided with opportunities to talk with people outside the classroom in a meaningful and communicative way, so they are exposed to and engaged in authentic usage of the target language (Campbell, 2004).

 

Conclusion

This case study discussed 30 EFL college freshmen’s engagement with English through a blog assignment in a northwest university in Taiwan. This study has the following major findings. First, participants liked the stress-free blog assignment and they preferred Option 1 “complete the extra assignments.” Second, the blog assignments influenced the 30 participants’ English learning, mostly in writing. In order to effectively integrate blogs into English classes for EFL learners’ extended engagement with English, guiding questions, levels of challenges, relevance of tasks, varieties of tasks, and LiveJournal can be taken into consideration.

As the number of the participants in this study was very small (only 30 participants), the findings of this case study cannot be generalized to a bigger English teaching and learning population. However, the triangulation data collection can be used to explain Taiwanese EFL freshmen’s use of blogging for extending their engagement with English learning.

From the perspective of language teachers, this empirical study presents a framework for the integration of blog assignments to extend EFL freshmen’s engagement with English. The findings of this study have provided language teachers with a framework for the design and implementation of courses with the integration of blogs and tasks. From a research perspective, drawing on previous empirical research on blogs at tertiary levels (Fageech, 2011; Kim, 2008; Mitchell, 2011; Xu, 2011; Zarei & Al-Shboul, 2013), multiple sources of data and rich and thick descriptions were adopted to contextualize the study on blog assignments to extend EFL learners’ engagement with English.

The integration of LiveJournal into freshman-level English classes is suggested in order to provide Taiwanese EFL freshmen with opportunities to communicate in a meaningful and communicative virtual environment. A further study can compare and contrast the influence of traditional blogs and LiveJournal on EFL learners’ engagement with English learning.

 

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