Blogging as a tool to enable students to write more effectively

Abstract

Blogging is usually associated with the posting of informal texts, but academic blogs have also become quite popular as they facilitate the exchange of ideas in many fields of study. This paper explores the scope of blogging in making tertiary level students more aware of a few important aspects of academic writing. The two objectives of this paper were to determine whether blogging can i) enable students to understand and practice the mechanics of academic writing, and ii) motivate the learners to write longer texts. The study was a quasi-experimental research that was conducted by the researcher in the classroom. The findings indicate a significant difference in the way learners understand the mechanics of academic writing due to blogging. The findings also revealed that learners are more motivated to write longer text while blogging. This study recommends the use of blogging as a tool in order to teach academic writing at the tertiary level. However, the lack of familiarity with technology among a number of students in India is still a cause for concern.