Abstract:

This paper reports on a research study that examined the learning experience of the minority students in a predominantly social networking, web digital platform and its impact on their learning outcomes. Participants were 162 aboriginal students aged between 18 and 23 at a nursing college in southern Taiwan. Learners were asked to take compulsory English language courses and expected to pass an English Proficiency Test as an exit requirement of the university. Writing skill is a crucial element in determining the success of the test takers. Results revealed that the participants’ perceptions and learning outcome to be significantly related to the chosen instructional pedagogy. This study made theoretical, methodological, as well as contextual contributions to the field of online learning and provided several teaching implications for teaching English writing using web-based technologies. It also seeks to help researchers and educators find meaningful ways that will improve the attitudes of aboriginal students in the learning environment, and continue to evaluate ways to help these students connect with the process of learning.

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