Asynchronous Forum as a Discussion Tool in a Preparatory Reading Course for First Year Distance Learners

This study involved distance learners who enrolled as part time students with the Allied Sciences Faculty, National University of Malaysia. Most of these students are adult learners who possess a Diploma in Health Sciences and are attached to various health institutions throughout Malaysia. These students had to take a preparatory reading course during their first year to facilitate reading health-related references which are written in English. In this course, the course designers assigned two assignments which the students needed to complete through the online forum discussion. The main aim of these assignments was to assist them in developing comprehension of the two units in the course materials which were in the form of hypermedia documents. Besides the given course materials, they were also encouraged to do further reading from the prescribed websites and other relevant sources related to the themes of the two units. Due to limited contact hours face-to-face, online forum is considered an important medium of communication particularly for distance learners who have little opportunity to attend face-to-face tutorials and discussions. Hence, this study was embarked on in order to find out the benefits of the online forum as a communication platform to enhance the students’ reading comprehension of health sciences materials. This study adopts the qualitative approach whereby distance learners were interviewed to collect data. They were also given a questionnaire to corroborate the data from the interviews. The online forum threaded discussions of a set of class of 22 students were also analyzed. The results of this study prove that online forums do enhance the students’ reading comprehension.

[1]  U. Salam,et al.  LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES IN LEARNING ENGLISH , 2015 .

[2]  Christel Kumbruck.  Hypertext reading: novice vs. expert reading , 1998 .

[3]  Robin Mason,et al.  e-Learning and Social Networking Handbook: Resources for Higher Education , 2008 .

[4]  Neil J. Anderson.  Individual differences in strategy use in second language reading and testing. , 1991 .

[5]  Zoltán Dörnyei,et al.  Research methods in applied linguistics : quantitative,qualitative, and mixed methodologies , 2007 .

[6]  John W. Creswell,et al.  Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches , 2010 .

[7]  Tisha Bender,et al.  Discussion-Based Online Teaching to Enhance Student Learning: Theory, Practice and Assessment , 2003 .

[8]  Supyan Hussin,et al.  Creating A Bigger Z.P.D. For ESL Learners Via Online Forum In Malaysia , 2011 .

[9]  Ken Beatty,et al.  Teaching and Researching Computer-Assisted Language Learning , 2003 .

[10]  Elizabeth A. L. Stine-Morrow,et al.  Aging and the effects of knowledge on on-line reading strategies. , 1998, The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.

[11]  Deborah Dubartell,et al.  Computer-Mediated Communication: Human-to-Human Communication across the Internet , 2006 .

[12]  Second Language Theories and Their influences on EFL in China , 2009 .

[13]  Christine E. Nuttall,et al.  Teaching reading skills in a foreign language , 1982 .

[14]  David H. Jonassen,et al.  Learning with Technology: A Constructivist Perspective , 1998 .

[15]  C. Shalom.  English for Academic Purposes. A guide and resource book for teachers , 1998 .

[16]  Norizan Abdul Razak,et al.  E-learning: analysis of online discussion forums in promoting knowledge construction through collaborative learning , 2010 .

[17]  Amanda Hayes.  Teaching Adults , 1967, Nature.

[18]  Yukiko Inoue,et al.  Online Education for Lifelong Learning , 2007 .

[19]  Mohamed Ally,et al.  FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATIONAL THEORY FOR ONL INE LEARNING , 2004 .

[20]  K. Perreault,et al.  Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches , 2011 .

[21]  Jaime Lloret,et al.  A Study of Virtual Learning Environments , 2009 .

[22]  Tzivia Ariel,et al.  Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language. , 1993 .

[23]  R. Yin,et al.  Case Study Research: Design and Methods (4th ed. , 2009 .

[24]  J. Offer.  Mind and Society , 1988, Vygotsky and the Social Formation of Mind.

[25]  R. Mason,et al.  E-Learning and Social Networking Handbook , 2008 .

[26]  M. Bunge.  Mind and Society , 2010 .

[27]  Sharan B. Merriam,et al.  Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation , 2009 .