The Effect of Collaborative Learning through Mobile SNS on Learning English Grammar

Yoo Hye-jung
Department of English Education
The Graduate School of Education
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of collaborative learning through mobile SNS on middle school students’ learning English grammar and their interest in grammar learning. In English Education, learner-centered classroom has been emphasized. Also, a number of studies have shown that learners working in pairs or groups have greater chance to develop both fluency and accuracy. This study investigated how the learners’ ability to understand English grammar and their interest in grammar learning are improved by using mobile SNS as a collaborative learning tool incorporated in blended learning model.
The participants of this study were 30 Korean middle school students in 3rd grade. The methods employed in this study are as follows: 1) learning the target grammar item at offline class 4 times and completing collaborative tasks online, using mobile SNS ‘Kakao talk’; 2) conducting a survey on students’ level of interest in learning English grammar; 3) conducting pre-post grammar test to measure students’ grammatical knowledge; 4) interviewing 5 students to examine their perspectives on learning English grammar collaboratively using mobile SNS. Also, all group conversations were transcribed for analyzing the patterns of collaborative dialogue in terms of language-related episodes(LREs).
The results of this study are as follows. First, the comparison between pre- and post- grammar test results showed that all participants’ scores were increased whether they are engaged in traditional way of grammar instruction or in collaborative learning. However, learners grammar ability was more improved when they learned the target grammar through interaction and collaboration in blended learning model than through the traditional way which lacks interaction between students. Second, the students’ level of interest in learning English grammar was also increased. The use of collaborative group activities using mobile SNS in blended learning has positive influences on the learners’ interest in English grammar. Third, the interviewed students’ generally showed positive responses on the effect of learning English grammar collaboratively with their peers by using mobile SNS. Finally, various patterns of collaborative dialogue were found in all groups. Learners solved their linguistic problems by helping each other and gathering their knowledge while they were still focusing on the meaning of their expressions.
The findings of this study suggests that the interaction and collaboration between learners are effective in teaching English grammar in terms of learning achievement as well as learners’ psychological aspect. Also, it emphasizes the need to develop various activities and methods using mobile SNS in order to enhance learning.