The effects of using blogs on the development of foreign language writing proficiency

The new trend in computer technology and internet has increased in everybody?s life. Teaching English as a Foreign Language is the same category and has been influenced by web technology nowadays. As developing writing proficiency is considered a basic goal of language learning, researchers try to find various ways to improve writing skill. Using web technology in language learning can affect the students? writing proficiency considerably. Weblogs can create a real situation for students to practice their materials.This study attempts to investigate the effects of using weblogs on the students? writing proficiency. It also investigates the effects of weblogs on some key qualities of 6+1 trait of writing such as ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and convention.The total number of 30 students were chosen and divided in two groups of 15 in Kish Language Learning institute preparing for TOEFL & IELTS. The control group (N=15) got the materials normally with no change in the instruction. Experimental group (N=15) got the same instruction using weblogs during the course. It lasted for 14 weeks. All of the students in experimental group detailed the typical process for each assignment, such as, writing paragraphs, working in groups, posting their assignments to blogs, reading their comments, making corrections and uploading their corrected assignments, and turning in their final assignments to the instructor. The students narrated some major issues for them like working in groups, peer editing, giving and receiving feedback, as well as interacting with classmates and with others. Peer reviews, the giving and receiving of feedback were the biggest issue. Their written products were collected during the term and analyzed according to the rubric.Data analysis indicated that blog-based group outperformed the students who got their materials traditionally. Moreover there was a significant difference in their writing proficiency in terms of idea, organization, word choice, sentence fluency, and convention but it didn?t make significant difference on voice. As a whole, the students found that weblogs were useful improving the students? writing proficiency and further expressed that they had more opportunities to receive more information. They also believed that weblogs helped them to prepare themselves by collecting suggestions for their writings and to continue their jobs effectively.