EFFECTS OF APPLYING BLOGS TO ASSIST LIFE EDUCATION INSTRUCTION FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study aims to explore the effects of applying blog-assisted life education instruction to fifth-grade elementary school students. The subjects were 30 fifth-grade students from southern Taiwan. The teaching experiment lasted 10 weeks with three sessions conducted each week. In the experiment, instructional effectiveness and the students’ life values were measured by the Life Education Values Scale, the Learning Effectiveness Scale, the Learning Attitude Scale, an e-portfolio, the students’ learning sheets, blog articles, the observation records of the teachers’ instruction, and the teachers’ reflection journal. The findings of this study show that the blog-assisted life education course is effective for higher-grade elementary school students. Additionally, the students’ information literacy and interests can be improved through e-portfolio in a blog-assisted life education course. Moreover, the students’ information literacy and competence, course satisfaction, collaborative learning attitudes, and attitudes toward blog use are improved. Finally, the students’ life education values are significantly enhanced through the blog assisted instruction in this study.