Evaluating the use of wikis for EFL: a case study of an undergraduate English writing course in China

This study aims at examining the effectiveness of applying wikis in tertiary-level English as a foreign language EFL classes. The use of wikis in English for specific purposes ESP course - Business English Writing - by undergraduate students in a university in China was investigated through data analysis of test results as well as interviews. Performance results on Business English Certificates BEC preliminary pre-test and BEC vantage post-test revealed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in writing in the post-test. Interviews showed that students held a rather positive view towards the use of wikis in the ESP writing class and they favoured the tool mainly for its effect of enhancing their learning motivation and its function for collaborative learning. Still, a few students were not accustomed to this type of e-learning for varied reasons. Implications of the results are that wikis can benefit EFL learners by improving their writing skills in a collaborative environment.

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