UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE USAGE OF WEB 2.0 TOOLS FOR LEARNING ESP. A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION
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Abstract
Currently, there is much debate concerning Web 2.0 technologies and the changes they have brought to education. Web 2.0 tools are successfully being used in foreign language learning contexts, however, students can exhibit a variety of behaviours when confronted with them; therefore, it is important to determine their attitudes before planning any educational intervention. This study rests on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the most commonly applied theory for describing individual user acceptance of information systems. Six major variables of TAM (awareness, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitudes towards use, behavioural intention and actual system usage) and their relationship with ESP students’ background factors are discussed in the study. The study resulted in establishing that the students’ ability to use Web 2.0 tools was the only individual factor that had a positive relationship with their attitude, intention to use, actual system usage and awareness of Web 2.0 tools meant for learning English for Specifi c Purposes (ESP) at the university; therefore, this should be taken into consideration before integrating Web 2.0 tools into ESP curriculum and/ or planning any educational intervention.
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Section
Articles
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Authors retain copyright of their work, with first publication rights granted to the Association for Learning Technology.
Authors retain copyright of their work, with first publication rights granted to the Association for Learning Technology.
