Impacts of a knowledge sharing-based e-book system on students’ language learning performance and behaviors

Abstract

E-books are becoming a popular medium for delivering learning materials in the globe. The gap between e-books and pedagogical practices has been highlighted since teachers do not generally integrate the e-book tool into their instruction in a way that facilitates student learning. In particular, new pedagogies in language teaching and learning tend to encourage students to acquire knowledge and use the language in real-life situations. Knowledge sharing with collaborative tasks in the class can be useful. Studies on knowledge sharing, specifically in language education, are limited. To this end, this study proposes a knowledge sharing-based e-book system to enhance students’ learning performance in an EFL course. This study adopts a quasi-experimental design. Seventy-one freshmen were recruited from two classes of a freshman English course at a university in northern Taiwan. The implication from this study finding might help teachers to identify suitable technology based on the learning needs of students, and help consider the ability of teachers to adopt appropriate technology and to fit specific learning activities.