Writing web logs in the ESL Classroom: a study of student perceptions and the technology acceptance model / Mah Boon Yih and Er Ann Nah

The web log is an exceptionally valuable tool for the teaching of second language writing, particularly written communication skills (Johnson, 2004; Wu, 2005). More and more international educators have applied this easy-to-use technology to classroom instruction and language learning (Campbell, 2003; Johnson, 2004). However,
what is largely unknown is Malaysian students’ reaction to writing
web logs in English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms.
Therefore, this study aims to investigate the perception of writing
web logs among Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) HM115 diploma
students who took the BEL311 English course in their third semester
based on the three Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) variables.
Specifically, the study sought to identify whether the two TAM
determinants,Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) and Perceived
Usefulness (PU), affected the students’ behavioural intention (BI)
to use web logs for specific writing tasks. This study employed Davis’s
TAM (1989) and its questionnaire-based measurement instrument
and three hypotheses were formulated based on the objectives of
the study. The pilot test’s result confirmed the reliability of the
modified TAM-based questionnaire. The findings showed that
students accept writing web logs as a classroom activity since they
perceived online journals to be more useful rather than easy to use. Additionally, the findings revealed that TAM can be used to diagnose
and interpret the attitude of new technology users and most
importantly, PEOU, PU, and BI were positively and highly correlated
at a significant level. These results did not reject the three proposed
hypotheses.