The effectiveness of ESL websites for second language learners

Madeleine Tsoi
Caritas Francis Hsu College
Hong Kong SAR, China


The World Wide Web has become one of the most popular tools for English language teaching and learning. With the rapid proliferation of English as a Second Language (ESL) websites, it is often difficult, if not impossible, for learners to choose a website that will suit their learning needs. This study aims to compare three popular ESL websites with regard to their design, usability and effectiveness based on data collected from a group of student users.

A group of intermediate-level ESL learners will be invited to take part in the study and each will be asked to test all three sites. Both specifically-structured and open-ended tasks will be given to the participants to complete by making use of the resources available on the websites. In order to elicit their overall impressions of the sites, free exploration of each site will also be encouraged. A questionnaire will then be used for them to assess how satisfied they are with the websites tested on such aspects as their design and appearance, the kind of interaction provided, the variety and quality of information and activities, the ease with which tasks can be performed and their effectiveness in helping to improve various aspects of language learning. The participants will also be asked to evaluate whether each site is fun to use.

Past studies have indicated that, to be an effective learning tool, the World Wide Web has to be user-friendly, and the content needs to be chosen carefully to relate technology to the cognitive and learning processes involved in second language acquisition and skills development. Therefore, an effective ESL website should be easy to use and adaptable to human learning processes; and the design of the site must address such issues as information, interaction and usability. It is hoped that the data gathered in this study will provide insights for improving ESL websites.