Wikis and constructivism: Exploring the links

Abstract

Wikis are an emerging user-created content technology which can potentially have a great impact on language learning classrooms. This action research paper reports on student behavior when completing a wiki project designed using principles of constructivism. Results of a survey revealed that students thought wikis provided opportunities to learn from and help each other. Results from an interpersonal intra-wiki hyperlink analysis showed that when constructing knowledge in the wiki, each group member mainly contributed to their own pages with little awareness for hyperlinking within their wiki. The findings of this small action research demonstrate that for the right classroom objectives, wikis designed with constructivist principles could be used to enhance students’ language learning experiences.