Familiar With The Situational Supply Of The Real Environment And Its Influence On English Writing Performance

This study aimed to explore the contextual affordances of familiar authentic environments for English as a foreign language(EFL)learning and the effects of EFL learning in familiar authentic environments on learning outcomes.50 undergraduate students participated,who were divided into two groups: experimental group and control group.Students in two groups conducted same EFL writing tasks but in different learning environments(familiar or unfamiliar).All students learned topic-related vocabulary and sentence patterns and then completed 5 writing tasks using learning resources they could find in either familiar or unfamiliar environment.A mobile learning system installed on Tablet PCs was developed and introduced to students to support their learning.We compared the difference in EFL learning performance and task performance of the students who learned in unfamiliar and familiar contexts.We also explored affordances of familiar learning environments and student perceptions of the mobile learning system.To this end,we analyzed students' writing content and compared it across two groups.In addition,we collected student perceptions of the system through a survey.We employed a pre-test and post-test experimental design.The following results were obtained in this study.Students who learned in familiar contexts scored better on the post-test and EFL writing tasks compared to those who learned in unfamiliar contexts.Learning content created by the experimental students using educational resources in familiar contexts revealed several affordances of such contexts,e.g.(a)personal(b)specific(c)innovate(d)familiar(e)predictable and(f)meaningful.Finally,the result showed that most students had positive perceptions of the mobile learning system for learning in authentic environments.Based on our results,several implications along with practical suggestions were prepared for EFL teachers and researchers.Implications for practice of language teaching and learning· Students need to learn on sites they are familiar with;· Students need to familiarize themselves with learning sites before going there to learn;· Students need to be introduced to affordances of familiar environments for efficient learning.