INSPECTING THE THEORETICAL MODEL OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ LEARNING IN ENGLISH VILLAGE WITH STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING

ABSTRACT

English teaching in elementary and junior high schools in Taiwan has been criticized for years as being restricted in classroom learning and not being expanded out of the classrooms and combined with real situations so that students are not really prepared to successfully use English outside of school Therefore, the computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) platform for subsequent learning was established in English Village to help the students continue with applicable English learning after studying in English Village. CSCL is therefore worth using for remedial or broader learning. Based on the past literature, this study constructed a theoretical model for junior high school students learning in English Village and discussed the interaction among latent variables in the model. The research tools contained the sub-scales of Learning Motivation, Learning Behavior, and CSCL, as well as four English Village situational tests. A total of 243 grade 7 students in five classes in a junior high school in Pingtung County were selected as the research subjects to test the theoretical model and to observe the fit of the data with Structural Equation Model. The research outcomes show that the theoretical model in English Village presents the goodness of fit on the observed data that students’ learning motivation positively and directly affected the expression of learning behaviors, the performance of learning achievements, and the collaborative quality in the CSCL. Students’ learning behaviors positively and directly affected the collaborative quality in the CSCL.