Internet Use in EFL Writing Classes

The case of an Iranian University

Abstract

Aim. The present study seeks to investigate the effect of internet use on writing abilities of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students studying in an Iranian university. The students of the study have been advised to use the Internet while searching for collocations and new words. They were also told to use grammar checkers while writing essays in English. After a two months’ period, their writing papers had been corrected by two raters. Compared to scores they obtained before the class equipped with new technologies, the students obtained higher scores, showing that the Internet can be used in language learning especially in writing classes where students have difficulties in using native-like words and structures.

Methods. The participant of the present study were 28 Iranian university students studying ELT in an Iranian University in the capital Tehran. The students were divided into two classes consisting of 12 students in the experimental group and 16 students in the control group. The mean age of the students taking part in the study was 20. Additionally, according to a TOEFL iBT the level of the English proficiency of the students was 75. To put it other way, utilizing the test, the students were homogenized by the researchers of the study.

Results. The results of the study showed that the use of the Internet in EFL classes can boost the writing abilities of EFL learners. In other words, the writing of the students will be improved in case the check different collocations and grammatical points in the Internet.  Moreover, the use of grammar checker soft wares which can be found on the net can pave the way for EFL students to be better writers of English.

Conclusions. To conclude, this study suggests that the use of the Internet can be beneficial to EFL learners while improving their writing abilities which can be seen by many scholars studying different skills as important.