A Case Study Of Social Learning In A Network-based English Writing Course

The notion of social learning is virtually expressing the social origin of mental functioning, which is also conceptualized as "mind in society" or "internalization" in terminology. As one of the essential theoretical concepts in sociocultural theory, it addresses that every psychological function appears twice, first between people on the interpsychological plane and then within the individual on the intrapsychological plane. Any learning is fundamentally a social learning process, which results from the interaction between individuals and their social context.The principal aim of this study is to explore what has come out of the social learning process in a case of a network-based EFL writing course in a university. The study investigated 54 learners' attitudes towards the network-based English writing course and what they really gained from peers' interaction (reading and commenting on peers' writings). Data was collected by means of structured and semi-structured questionnaire, open-ended interview, and collection of online-texts; data analysis was done both quantitatively and qualitatively via SPSS 11.5, coding and content analysis. The results of this study demonstrate that the majority of the students have a positive attitude toward this network-based English writing course, and their gains from the dialogic activity include not only what was expected, that is, their improvement in language writing ability through concrete communicative interaction, but also gains of non-linguistic aspects. Their achievements fall into the following four aspects: cognitive domain, meta-cognitive domain, affective domain, and meaning of life. The researcher concludes that the social learning process which dominates the network-based English writing course was empirically proved to be welcome and popular among learners, and at the same time, fruitful and meaningful. The multiple gains from the network-based social learning prove that language is "inextricably bound up with the non-linguistic behavior...and embedded in the lives of those who speak it." (Cited from Lantolf & Thorne, 2006: 7). The computer-mediated communication in this case was not only a good source for languaging, which lead to the improvement of learners' language ability in the process of joint construction, but also a good source for affective and social communication within the learning community. As Vygotsky remarked, the collaborative and dialogic learning process, once integrated with the consideration of fullness of life, of the personal needs and interests in the task design, can provoke the motive forces that stimulate learners' learning and active interaction (Vygotsky, 1986: 11). The existence of dynamic system of meaning in which the affective and the intellectual unite, can lead to the fruitful achievements as well as the popularity of the course with the learners, which, in turn, offers empirical support for the course design in the case.