| This dissertation explored how EFL students' interactions with web-facilitated instruction influenced their second language reading and learning. The study took place in an EFL course at a well-known university in northern Taiwan for a semester. An instructional framework based on apprenticeship strategies was employed to facilitate interactions and to analyze data.; The effects of web-facilitated instruction on students' second language learning and reading were evaluated through multiple methods, including a quasi-experimental comparison, a survey approach, and a case study. A qualitative case study approach was utilized to examine students' interaction patterns and text production in think-aloud transcripts, chat room transcripts, and student learning logs. Furthermore, a course evaluation questionnaire as well as the pre- and the post-course general English reading proficiency tests, summary writing tasks, and strategy surveys were employed.; The results indicated that the students had improved their comprehension in three areas: English reading comprehension, summary writing, and strategy use. Most of the participating students tended to hold positive attitudes toward the effectiveness of the Internet-facilitated instruction. Students' reflections on different instructional activities showed that the students revised strategies and developed confidence over time based on the guided textual, social, and technological interactions interwoven with textual features, their prior knowledge related to texts, and their reading purposes. Evidence from students' text-production in the online chat activity further demonstrated that the students co-constructed discourses in the online social context showing different interaction patterns among individuals in the group. The findings suggest that the online language learning pedagogy should focus on guiding active and mutually beneficial interactions as well as providing appropriate technological environments and instructional activities. |
