Learning in Social Interaction: Two Snapshots in EFL Literature Classes

Abstract

This paper is a longitudinal study reporting how learning communities (LCs) and online learning communities (OLCs) can be used to solve Taiwanese EFL students' lack of social interactions (spoken and written) and academic skills (academic writing and reading) in literature classes (N=40) by involving students in a social process to encourage students-students and students-instructor discussion, interpretation, production and negotiation in English. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire designed by the university was used to assess students' learning performance and satisfaction levels. The paper concludes with a discussion of the relative contribution of social interactions to satisfy students' learning needs.