The application of the theory of constructivism to the learning of English as a second

language through the Webquest

Rasakumaran, A., Ph.D.
BA (Hons.), PGDiploma (TESL), MA in Linguistics, MA in TESL
Senior Lecturer in English Language Teaching
University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka
rasakumaran1957@gmail.com
Abstract: The use of the WebQuest in the university scope constitutes a pedagogic resource that
not only is in keeping with the theory of the constructivism but also with the process of
globalisation. The WebQuest is a type of pedagogic activity based on group work through
projects and research. In this article we present the challenges that the teachers of English as a
second language face as well as a theoretical reflection on this didactic resource, and its
application to the curriculum of English to the students of University of Jaffna Sri Lanka where
the majority of the undergraduates are females.
Keywords: curriculum design, English for specific purposes, constructivism, ICT, WebQuest
Introduction
The teachers of English as a second language (ESL) face many challenges when
implementing new curricula. Students come to the university with different levels of English:
we find students with little or no knowledge of this language along with others with a high
level of proficiency having studied English in primary and secondary schools. An added
complication is the high number of students per class, (between 50 and 80).
According to Strevens (1988), an ESL course must include certain components: it must be
designed to meet the specific needs of the students in relation to their university specialty and
focus on the appropriate language in terms of syntax, lexicon, etc. For example, the curricular
design of English for an Arts course should focus on the needs of each student, as well as the
needs corresponding to their Arts specialty. If we combine the two factors mentioned above,
that is, the different levels of proficiency in English of the students and the high number of
these per course, the person responsible for the curricular design has an important challenge
when it comes to meeting the above criteria in Sri Lankan universities.
Mavo and Trayner (2001: 355) present a similar dilemma in Portuguese higher
education. They question how we can evaluate students correctly, given that some come to
class with low linguistic knowledge, maintaining the level of passing, and without negatively
influencing the students with greater knowledge. The same question can also be applied to
the materials of the teaching and the activities of the class. How can we provide materials and
activities that encourage the learning of students with less language skills and at the same
time provide an appropriate learning environment for more knowledgeable students?
Jones (1991: 91) points out another important problem for ESL teachers: "The ESL teachers
find themselves in a situation in which their work includes designing a course that exactly
matches the needs of a group of students but without enough preparation time." Likewise, the
ESL teachers, especially in Arts, have few material resources well prepared and designed.
1
 Further, students must be actively involved in the planning and management of their
own learning and have a greater responsibility during the process of independent learning
(Duran and Pierce, 2007, Pierce and Durán, 2008, Pierce and Robisco, 2010). WebQuests can
provide some answers to these important challenges. WebQuests develop many generic
competences identified by the Tuning project, such as the capacity for analysis and synthesis,
research skills, information management skills and the ability to work autonomously
(González and Wagenaar, 2003).
The theory of learning with WebQuest: Constructivism
WebQuests are the most structured, accessible and promising constructivist
applications within the area of on-line training. Created by Bernie Dodge and Tom March, in
1995, the WebQuest model of information search facilitates learning resources for university
students (Dodge, 1995). The constructivism that has its roots in the theory of cognitive
development of Piaget (1972) and in the sociocultural theory of Vygotsky (1978) can be
considered as a new paradigm in teaching. In Kaufman's (2004) article on constructivism, it
is pointed out that although this theory of learning currently has little impact on language
teaching, the constructivist approach will surely open new paths in linguistic and
interdisciplinary research in the classroom. It also points out that the beginning of this
paradigm has coincided with a change in the pedagogy model of the dissemination of
information by the teacher towards cognitive approaches and social learning processes,
(2004: 304).
The constructivist theory of learning begins with the recognition of the student's
capacity for understanding. The verb "to build" means to fix or give structure. The continuous
process of structuring (organization) is the key to constructivism (Mahony, 2003).We can
summarize the essential principles of constructivism (Brooks and Brooks, 1993; Savery and
Duffy, 1995) as follows: 1. Learning is an active process in which the student absorbs
information and uses it constructively. The most traditional formulation of this idea involves
the terminology of the active student (John Dewey's term), which the student has to act; that
learning is not passive. 2. Learning requires language. The language we use influences our
learning. On an empirical level, researchers have observed that people talk to themselves
while they learn. On a more general level there is a set of reasons, presented with conviction
by Vygotsky (1985), who supports the idea that language and learning go hand in hand. 3.
Learning is a social activity. Our learning is clearly associated with other human beings: our
teachers, our colleagues, our family and acquaintances. 4. Motivation is a key component in
learning. It not only helps learning, it is essential. 5. Learning is a search with motives, a

2
search for meaning and meaning of what is done. Therefore, learning must begin with
relevant topics in the students' environment. 6. Relevance requires the understanding of the
complete object and its components, which must be understood as part of the total object.
Therefore, the learning process focuses on global concepts, not just isolated events.7. The
evaluation becomes part of the learning process in order that the student has a greater role in
the evaluation of their progress. 8. The learning environment centered on the student is the
place where knowledge and development is interactive, inductive and collaborative, where
there are multiple perspectives and where the questions are valued. 9. Learning is a process
that must be supported by an environment rich in real and authentic situations of life.
From our point of view, these principles can be applied to the learning of ESL, as well
as to learning in general. Language students with specific purposes usually have to acquire a
lot of knowledge in a relatively short period of time. If we implement interactive and
dynamic processes in our classes where the learning of our students is developed so that they
can explore resources in the network, this will be an interesting alternative to formal and
classical training. Such a learning-oriented process will not only provide a better
understanding of linguistic content (e.g. structure and vocabulary) and an effective
acquisition of language skills, but will also contribute to greater competence and awareness
of learning (Rüschoff and Ritter, 2001). Sifakis (2003) suggests that ESL students be taken
into account in themselves and not as mere beneficiaries of the needs analysis projects, that
is, as active participants in the teaching / learning process capable of reflecting, with criteria,
their past experiences and their opinions about learning a language.
The implementation of WebQuests
A WebQuest is defined as an activity oriented to solve the questions addressed to the
student through internet resources (Dodge, 1995, 2001). There are many reasons to introduce
WebQuests in the ESL curriculum. In the first place, the WebQuest requests that the students
answer a central question that really requires a response, related to the principle number five
of constructivism, previously exposed. When students are asked to understand, create
hypotheses or solve a problem related to the real world, they face something that really
transcends today's society. It is something that not only makes sense in the classroom.
The second characteristic of WebQuests is that they increase student motivation by
providing real resources with which students can work. Instead of using textbooks, with the
Web, students can access experts, search databases and updated information pages to form
their own conclusions. Another important aspect of the WebQuests is that students have to
work in groups, promoting team learning. The student-centered learning environment is one

3
in which knowledge and development are interactive, inductive, and collaborative. Students
have to assume responsibilities within the group and each one has to develop specific
knowledge on a specific aspect or point of view of the subject-river (Lara and Rapáraz,
2007). Johnson et al. (1988) reviewed 168 studies on group learning in the university
environment and concluded that group learning is almost 150% more effective than
individual or competitive learning in terms of academic achievement.
One of the main characteristics of a WebQuest is that students are faced with
questions that promote a higher level of reasoning. Underlying the process of WebQuests are
the strategies of cognitive psychology and constructivism. Thus, the questions to the student
cannot be answered simply by collecting and returning the information. A WebQuest forces
students to transform information into something else and encourages them to define the
main issues, a comparison, a hypothesis, a solution, etc.
Likewise, the solution or conclusions that the team of students develops can be
presented in different formats: oral presentations, debates, posters or written reports.
Whatever the final product may be, the evaluation can be done by other students, the teacher
or a combination of them. This type of evaluation also motivates students to produce higher
quality presentations instead of simply meeting the minimum requirements (principle number
seven: Assessment becomes part of the learning process). Finally, the main objective is that
students internalize the cognitive strategies linked to working with WebQuests and apply
them to the self-directed learner.
Some qualitative and quantitative studies on learning situations of students with
WebQuests have been carried out (Piqué-Angordans et al., 2003, Gaskill et al., 2006, Pérez
Torres, 2006, Pérez-Rios, 2008, Wui and Saat, 2008, Aydin, 2016). The results show the
students' preferences for working in groups as opposed to individual work in the class. The
use of WebQuests helps group members to investigate real world problems, promotes greater
motivation in students and develops their cognitive strategies. However, the limitations of
time, resources and computer skills remain the most important problem to be solved when
implementing training with WebQuests (Lamb and Teclehaimanot, 2005).
Unlike traditional teaching activities, WebQuests require active learning and that
students use high-level cognitive processes, such as reading, memory, analysis, synthesis, and
evaluation. For students to use these superior functions of cognition, WebQuest uses
cognitive scaffolding. These are strategies to help students organize information into
meaningful units, analyze it and produce new answers. The instructions and tools provided by
a WebQuest in the process section and teamwork help the students to perform tasks that,

4
alone, they would not be able to do. It is very important that there are specific subtasks
(scaffolds) to acquire process and produce information. When introducing the WebQuest into
the ESL curriculum, it is essential to present the task with sufficient 'cognitive scaffolding'.
This can be done in the form of templates, guided questions, support materials (worksheets),
and on-line dictionaries, among other supports.
The 'linguistic scaffolds' for vocabulary will surely be necessary in the use of
WebQuests in the ESL environment. Students must have access to different strategies for
learning the vocabulary of their areas of study. According to Schmitt (2000), vocabulary
learning strategies can be categorized into five groups: determination, social, memory,
cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies. The careful development of the 'scaffolding' by the
teacher can improve the learning process, as well as avoid frustration due to the excess of
unknown terms.
The WebQuest model
The WebQuest model includes five essential parts (March, 2004).
1. An introduction that presents a problem. The introduction is a way to provide the students
with the basic information to start the search. 2. A task or series of tasks depending on the
duration of the WebQuest. The task is one of the most important components of the
WebQuest, since it forces us to establish objectives. In this part, the type of transformation of
the proposed information must be completed, as well as the way in which the work should be
organized and its final presentation. 3. The process. This section includes the specific
resources that the students have to examine in order to finish the proposed task and any other
information that can help them to finish the project positively (dictionaries, grammar tips,
etc.). 4. The evaluation. The result of a WebQuest is normally a product. In most cases it is in
the form of a written or verbal report, multimedia presentation, poster or debate. Consistent
with the constructivist principles on which the WebQuests are based, the evaluation of the
students is based on the principles of "authentic evaluation", which is an evaluation process
in which the acquired knowledge and skills are measured and valued using context in the real
world. Rubrics or templates are descriptive scoring systems that guide the analysis based on
key levels of predefined dimensions. 5. The conclusion. In this section the process is finalized
and students are invited to reflect on the reason for their learning and are encouraged to
continue their research on the subject.
We present the summaries of two WebQuests, one of long and one of short duration,
used in the subject "Technical English". The WebQuest "The Beverly Mine" (McKay, 2004)
was used with the most advanced students, according to the initial data we obtained at the

5
beginning of the course. The problem proposed was this: the Australian government has been
evaluating whether to allow the extraction of uranium from the Beverly Mine. On the other
hand, the environmental organizations and the aboriginal community expressed their concern
for the natural environment. The dilemma was whether uranium should be extracted using the
"in-situ filter" method. Three groups were formed: the mining company, the environmental
organizations and the aborigines. With the resources provided on the website, each group
prepared a detailed report with their point of view. Although it was excellent material for
discussions, only the written report was required. The students' evaluations of the process
contained positive comments: they found the WebQuest a rich learning experience.
The second WebQuest was called "Earthquakes". It had been developed by a group of
students from the University of Fresno Pacific and was designed to be done in an hour with
more advanced students. This WebQuest was carried out in pairs in a multimedia language
lab. In the theoretical classes the students read an introductory text that provided background
and vocabulary of the WebQuest theme. In the following practice class the pairs of students
worked to finish the WebQuest. The students found this activity interesting, since they had
used, at the same time, their abilities of fast reading (skimming) and detailed reading
(scanning). For example, the first question was about the largest earthquake in recent times in
Chile and it connected the students to the earthquake page of the US Department of
Geological Studies. This page does not provide information directly but has links to many
other pages and students have to decide the way forward by looking over or reading until they
find the information to answer the question. However, question 29: "Compare / contrast the
1906 earthquake and the 1989 earthquake. Explain your answer," requires greater reasoning
skills. Since the students had different levels of English, doing the work in the practice
classes allows them to work with greater autonomy at their own pace.
Conclusion
As we move towards the implementation of using WebQuest it will force a change in
the teaching / learning paradigm in the sense that students will have fewer hours of contact
with teachers and will invest more time in teaching projects and independent studies. The
analysis contemplated here confirms that the Web-Quest covers the essential principles of
constructivism and the generic competencies formulated in the Tuning report. Luzón Marco
(2002: 24) points out that the use of WebQuests in language learning integrates the
pedagogical benefits of project work, content-based instruction and language learning
through the Internet. The theory of constructive learning view and use of ICT can provide
guidelines for this paradigm shift in the ESL classroom.

6
 WebQuests, whether adapted or newly created by an ESL teacher, can facilitate
language learning, provided that they are well designed and that the tasks are, in turn,
carefully selected, organized and implemented. They have helped me to develop more active
pedagogical strategies and this has allowed Jaffna University students to develop knowledge
and competences of their specific field and their knowledge and skills of the English
language.
References
Aydin, S. (2016).WebQuest as a Language Learning Tool. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 29(4), 765-
778.
Brooks, M. & Brooks, G. (1993). In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms.
Alexandria VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Dodge, B. (1995). WebQuests: A technique for internet-based learning. Distance Educator, 1(2) 10-13.
Dodge, B. (2001). FOUS: Five rules for writing a great WebQuest. Retrieved from:
http:/www.iste.org/LyL/archive/vol28/no8/featuredarticle/ dodge/index.html.
Durán P. & Pierce, J. (2007). An EAP Literacy Portfolio for tertiary education students: Academic and
professional discourse development within the European Framework of Reference for Languages. In: A. Curado
Fuentes, P. Edwards Rokowski and M. Rico García (Eds.), Approaches to Specialised Discourse in Higher
Education and Professional Contexts. New-castle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 182-197.
Gaskill, M. McNulty, A. and Brooks, D. (2006). Learning from WebQuests. Journal of Science Education and
Technology, 15(2), 133-136.
Kaufman, D. (2004). Constructivist issues in language learning and teaching. Annual Review ofApplied
Linguistics, 24, 303-319.
Lamb, A. & Teclehaimanot, B. (2005). A Decade of WebQuests: A Retrospective. In Orey, M., J. McClendon,
& R. M. Branch, (eds.), Educational media and technology yearbook, 81-101, Englewood, CO: Libraries
Unlimited.
Lara, S. & Repáraz, C. (2007). Effectiveness of cooperative learning fostered by working with WebQuest.
Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology 5(3), 731- 756.
Luzón Marco, M. J. (2002). Internet Content-based Activities for ESP. English TeachingForum 40(3), 20-25.
Mahony, M. (2003).What is constructivism and why is it growing? Retrieved from:
http://www.constructivism123.com/What_Is/What_is_constructivism.htm
March, T. (2001). Pre-Writing Your WebQuest. Retrieved from: http://ozline.com/learning/prewrite.php
March, T. (2004). The learning power of WebQuests . Educational Leadership, 61, 42 - 47.
Mavo, S. & Trayner, B. (2001). Aligning genre and practice with learning in Higher Education: an
interdisciplinary perspective for course design and teaching. English for Specific Purposes 20 (4), 345-366.
Perez-Rios, V. (2008). New Media as Teaching Tools for Undergraduates: Assessing a Web-Quest to Teach the
US Constitution. Retrieved from: http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p208966_index.html
Piaget, J. (1972). The Psychology of the Child. New York: Basic Books.
Pierce, J. & Durán P. (2008). Language communication competencies in engineering education revisited.
English for Specific Purposes 20(4), 367-396.
Pierce; J. & Robisco M. (2010). Evaluation of oral production learning outcomes for higher education in Spain.
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(6), 745 – 758.
Ruschoff, B. & Ritter, M. (2001). Technology-enhanced language learning: Construction of knowledge and
template-based learning in the foreign language classroom. Computer Assisted Language Learning. 14(3-4),
219-232.
Savery, J & Duffy, T. M. (1995). Problem Based Learning: An instructional model and its constructivist
framework. Educational Technology, 35, 31-38.
Strevens, P. (1988). ESP after twenty years: A re-appraisal. In: M. Tickoo (Ed.), ESP: State o fthe Art, 1-13.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1985). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: The M.I.T. Press.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.
Wui, L. & Saat, R. (2008). An Evaluation of a Nutrition WebQuest: The Malaysian Experience. Eurasia Journal
of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 4 (2), 99-108.