Blog-assisted Language Learning: A Possibility in Teaching Reading to Iranian EFL Learners

Among the four language skills, reading is the conduit through which Iranian EFL learners can keep contact with the outside world. It was predicted that using new technologies in classroom can contribute to enhancing the ability of learners in the skill and can help them develop a positive attitude toward reading in English. To this end, 52 students from a university in Takab, Iran, were selected based on convenient sampling, and assigned to two homogeneous groups of experimental and control. During 10 ninety-minute sessions within five weeks, the experimental group practiced reading through weblog while the control group participated using a traditional non-weblog reading method. A Mixed Between-Within Subjects Analysis of Variance (SPANOVA) was conducted to analyze the effect of two different types of treatment. Results indicated that the main effect was significant for time but not for group. It was further noticed that the interaction effect was also significant. The use of weblog in classroom, although not statistically significant, could enhance the reading ability of EFL learners as compared to the non-weblog method. Furthermore, the attitude questionnaire revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the attitude of the two groups toward EFL reading before and after the treatment. The results indicated that using weblogs as a teaching aid could develop a positive attitude in learners.