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The Impact of Interactive Blogs on the Metacognitive Processes and Motivations seen in Middle

School Students.

A Research Proposal

Alexandra Iggulden

87536141

ETEC 500 Section 65C

University of British Columbia

Dr. Janet McCracken

April 10, 2015

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Introduction

As digital tools become more and more ubiquitous within our daily lives, it is only

natural that they are also infiltrating our classrooms. The use of online blogs have become

effective at various educational levels and settings as an authoring tool (Yang & Chang, 2011, pg

126). To avoid ambiguity within this paper, the use of the word “author” refers to someone that

originates or creates written text. The platform for which students author text can be digital or

non-digital. However, digitally authoring text can drastically alter the student’s audience from a

limited audience to an expanded, and more authentic audience. ​Students can create interactive

blogs where they post entries that include, written work, links, and pictures (Zawilinski, 2011).

These websites ask others to join into conversations through commentary or discussion forums

creating an authentic and collaborative learning environment.

The purpose behind writing is to entertain, inform, or persuade an audience. However, in

traditional classroom environments, the teacher is often the only audience member, whose single

understanding and experience limits the authenticity and timeliness of feedback on written work.

Technology has created opportunities for learning to become a more authentic and interactive

process where the main audience is not only the teacher but other learners, peers, and the outside

world (Yang & Chang, 2011; McGrail & Davis, 2011).

When the audience shifts from the traditional teacher to an authentic global audience,

there are visible shifts in student metacognitive processes and motivations when writing.

S​tudents that digitally author their work on platforms such as blogs demonstrate are more
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intrinsically motivated to refine their work (Cheng & Ku, 2009). This is due to broader audience

possibilities online as well as the social impact of peers and family members who may be

viewing and commenting on student texts (Fitzpatrick, 2013).

Authorship on a blog, side by side with authentic audiences, can motivate students to use

metacognitive and reflective processes more often and more effectively while completing,

editing, and reflecting on their work (Ciampa, 2014).​ ​It also increases students’ abilities to think

critically and to collaborate with others to create texts that are deeper, broader, and more

connected to their real lives (Soule, 2014). ​Additionally, student engagement and motivation are

positively affected when students collaborate with others through the comments section of a blog

(Lenhart, A., Arafeh, S., Smith, A., & Macgill, A.R., 2008).

Currently, there is a disconnect between the writing platforms and processes being used

in 21st century classrooms and the home environments of students. Many middle school aged

students are writing and connecting on social media platforms on a regular basis at home, yet

similar platforms are not often being used in school settings (Lenhart, 2008). Social media gives

students autonomy over their work, while also providing an authentic audience where children

can communicate and collaborate with their peers. The use of a classroom blog puts students

academic work into a collaborative platform children can relate to as their writing is transformed

into a relevant and familiar skill.

Blogs expose students to the idea that they can apply their writing skills and knowledge

to create texts that have the ability to become part of an authentic community of learners while

also reaching authentic worldwide (McGrail & Davis, 2011). Expanding the audience for student
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work will also enhance problem solving on the Internet as students respond and manipulate an

abundance of information from research sites and peer blogs (Zawilinski, 2011). Using digital

platforms also provides teachers with opportunities to prepare students for their online lives

outside of school by promoting safe communication strategies. Furthermore, blogs can also serve

as learning portfolios that students can refer back to as they progress throughout their learning

experiences (Couros, 2014).

The potential to teach positive digital citizenship is yet another benefit to digitally

authoring text within the classroom. ​Digital tools for authorship allow us to present the self that

we want to be online (Turkle, 2012). ​By creating digital works, students are also creating

positive digital footprints that can benefit them in their futures with regards to income and job

opportunities.

Problem Statement

Further research on the impact of the social aspect of blogging in specific school settings

like middle school are necessary to help promote and understand digital authorship in education.

The central question guiding this research proposal is:​ ​Does the interactive use of blogs within a

classroom setting increase metacognitive processes and motivation for learning within middle

school students?

Critical Review of the Literature: Introduction

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As digital technologies becomes more ubiquitous to our everyday lives, and blogs begin

infiltrating our classrooms, it is only natural that a plethora of researchers are writing articles on

the impacts of blogging on students. Case studies and action research are strategies most

frequently being used by researchers seeking answers to the above question.

Within this critical review of literature, three themes are evident in the findings and

results from the studies included. Each of the following themes were apparent and were closely

correlated to the impact of an authentic audience on student writing:

1. The impact of interactive blogging on students’ perceptions of community.

2. How blogging impacts student motivation and focus during writing activities.

3. How blogging influences student writing development.

An analysis of these themes will provide reasoning through a critical review of literature for this

research proposal.

The Impact of Interactive Blogging on Students’ Perceptions of Community

The digital age has brought with it a significant cultural shift from the emphasis for

authorship based on individuality and originality, to works created through collaboration. ​Digital

tools expose students to a world where they can apply their skills and knowledge to create

collaborative products that have the ability to reach authentic audiences and communities

(Ciampa, 2014). ​Blogging is a platform that develops and nourishes a community of writers
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where unique collaborations and relationships blossom. ​McGrail & Davis’s (2011) qualitative

case study used interviews and observations with 16 grade five students to determine how

blogging influenced student writing development. Their research findings provided support that

the collaborative framework and the comments feature of online blogs helped student bloggers

become mindful of the fact that their written work had the ability to reach an audience other than

their teacher. Students ultimately become more mindful and connected to their audience while

also taking ownership of their role in their new community. McGrail & Davis (2011) aptly

provided first hand accounts of interactions that took place on the study’s blog in order to display

the personal relationships and sense of belonging that the students endured throughout the

research process.

On a similar thread, Alterman & Larusson (2013) conducted a case study of a 25

university students using qualitative and quantitative research approaches in order to determine

how participation and interaction in writing activities are impacted through the use of student

blogs. Although their study was limited in time and participants over the course of only one

semester, their findings support the sense of community that students discovered from Ciampa’s

(2014) study. Alterman & Larusson (2013) gave students a short survey using a 6-point likert

scale at the end of the semester students reported Alternan & Larusson (2013) used ethnographic

analyses and observed and determine that blogging fosters a sense of community while also

encouraging students to develops a social presence as an individual person and provides

intellectual ownership over their words (2013). They attribute student participation and comfort

levels on blogs to the flexibility and adaptability characteristics of the blog itself. Observations
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showed that the relaxed environment of blogging allows students to “explore and publish their

own ideas under less time and pressure, within a different kind of social context from that of an

in-class discussion” (Alterman & Larusson, 2013, pg 161). This resulted in diverse perspectives

and contributions of individual students. Although the reliability of the survey is in question

because no direct quotes were given in the publication, the results demonstrated that students

found the blogging community to be 93% helpful to them throughout the semester.

Overall, both McGrail & Davis’s (2011) and Alterman & Larusson’s (2013) studies

showed that students felt that participating in the interactive community of the blogging

experience was a positive experience. McGrail & Davis (2011) further state that, “because of

such engagement with the audience, and the nourishing element they discovered in that

community, student bloggers in our research began to feel empowered and motivated” (pg 427).

How Interactive Blogging Impacts Student Motivation during Writing Activities

Blogs provide more than just a written work based experience; images, videos, and

hyperlinks, extend the definition of multimedia text. Due to these aspects, blogs provide teachers

with the opportunity to set their classroom up in a way that allows for student autonomy and

choice. Multiple media options empower students by giving them the ways to supplement and

add to their messages beyond just written work. Ciampa’s (2014) single-case study explored

teachers’ and grade 6 students’ perceptions of the motivating factors that accompany the use of

mobile devices within the classroom. Ciampa (2014) used Malone & Leppers’ (1987) taxonomy
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of intrinsic motivations for learning as a framework for their study. Ciampa’s (2014) results

confirmed Malone & Leppers’ (1987) framework and showed that motivation was increased

when students were given the autonomy and control over their learning.

Another piece of Malone & Leppers’ framework that was confirmed by Ciampa’s (2014)

case study was that one of the most direct intrinsic motivators for learning is curiosity (1987).

Technology-enhanced environments provide students with a multitude of opportunities for

exploration and information gathering which help to support their cognitive curiosity (Ciampa,

2014). Not only does the technology itself provide opportunities to foster curiosity, but

constructive criticism through peer commentary on blogs teaches students that their work may be

incomplete or inconsistent. This heightens their cognitive curiosity and creates a desire within

them to return to their work (Malone & Lepper, 1987). Online interactions with an authentic

audience that continues to interact with your work will continue to motivate students to extend

their learning and create updated versions of their work online (Ciampa, 2014). Furthermore,

intrinsically motivated students exhibit embodied learning where they are more focused on the

process of learning and are flexible to change throughout their work rather than on the finished

product (Ciampa, 2014).

Students who are intrinsically motivated while writing are most likely also going to enjoy

writing. Yang & Chang (2011) support this theory in their quasi-experimental research study

seeking student attitudes in relations to peer collaboration evident in blogging. 154 graduate

students participated in Yang & Chang’s (2011) study. Each of them participated in two
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questionnaires spread across two separate semesters. Qualitative analyses were conducted of

their responses and the results concluded that engaging in commentary in the form of blog

comments and blog posts is associated with positive attitudes towards academic achievements

with a positive motivation to learn from peers (Yang & Chang, 2011).

Similarly, Nichols (2012) conducted an action research project which included 769

students in grades three, four, and five. An adequate literature review was evident and supported

her belief that writing for an audience is an important motivator for students. Nichols’ (2012)

action research project explores whether blogging increases student work and student enjoyment

while reading and commenting on each other’s blogs. She describes the findings from her study

as surprising and encouraging. Nichols (2012) noted that students who were otherwise

disengaged during writing activities became enthusiastic authors in their online blogs, often

writing more than expected by their teachers. Although no concrete test data was displayed

throughout the article to support Nichols’ (2012) claim, she states in her findings that, “5th grade

state mandated test scores improved by 50% at the end of this year, which can be attributed in

part to this action research project” (pg 172). However, further research to attribute test score

increases solely to a class blog will be necessary to ensure extraneous variables are not the main

factors of the increase.

In support of her findings, Nichols (2012) cites the Pew Internet and American Life

project (Lenhart, 2008), a parent and teen survey that underwent random digit dialing telephone

interviews with more than 700 12-17 year olds and their parents in the United States. Lenhart
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(2008) discovered that over 58% of teens maintain an online profile including those on social

networking sites and blogs. Many of the teens interviewed agree that having an authentic

audience increases their motivation on writing tasks (Lenhart, 2008).

The Impact of Interactive Student Blogging on Student Metacognitive Processes.

Broader audience possibilities online as well as the social impact of peers and family

members viewing and commenting on student work creates a psychological change in of self in

digital authors that is apparent through an intrinsic motivation to refine authored text.

Jimoyiannis & Angelaina (2011) support this claim in the findings from their case study of 21

elementary-aged students. Using the Community of Inquiry model and the Social Network

Analysis model as their framework, Jimoyiannis & Angelaina (2011) analyzed student blogs and

their results suggest that through their different community roles on the blog, students were able

to achieve higher thinking and cognitive levels. Synthesizing one’s previous work with

comments from others involves original thinking which requires the use of higher order thinking

skills (Jimoyiannis & Angelaina, 2011). The social aspect of blogs provide students with the

motivation and guidance necessary​ for them to return to previously published work in order to

rework it. The malleability of digital text on blogs is a positive characteristic that aids in efficient

revision. Specific details about participant selection and demographics would help increase the

reliability of ​Jimoyiannis & Angelaina’s (2011)​ results.

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Chen, Liu, Shih, Wu, & Yuan’s (2011) findings are aligned with those of Ciampa’s

(2014), Nichols’ (2012), and Jimoyiannis & Angelaina’s (2011), reporting increased motivation

and engagement with technological tools, in this case blogs, attributing the increases to an ease

of editing, quick input, and convenience of research. Chen et al. (2011) used both qualitative and

quantitative techniques during their single-group pre- and post-tests design study to explore the

impact of peer feedback through blogging on 33 grade five students’ writing. Over the short 15

weeks of the study, Chen et al. (2011) were able to conduct observations of student work, test for

interrater reliability amongst writing evaluators using Kendall’s coefficient of concordance, and

determine that, “the use of feedback through online blogs is an efficient way to improve the

quality of elementary students’ writing” (pg 4). Comments from outside sources were found to

inspire students to write well and continue their writing on their blogs. Chen et al. (2011) found

that the majority of their student participants agreed that providing and receiving feedback

through blogging was beneficial for editing and improving their writing.

Previously mentioned reliable research done by Ciampa (2013) and McGrail & Davis

(2011) agree that the collaborative nature of blogging provides student with an awareness of an

audience which comes across in their quality of writing. Blogs also produce an archive of student

work that students can continue to go back to, reflect on, and change, with the help of

collaboration from their peers. McGrail & Davis (2011) stress the importance of receiving

ongoing and authentic reader feedback in order for students refine their ideas. This ability to

engage in revising work provides easy access to textual alterations allowing students to develop a

growth mindset and to produce their best work because it is published (McGrail & Davis, 2011).
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By creating a central place where students can see growth over time, personal reflection is

promoted (Ciampa, 2014). ​Similarly, ​“Academic blogging provides a space for modeling and

developing the literacy processes, critical thinking, reflection, questioning, and social practices

engendered by this communicative technology” (McGrail & Davis, 2011, pg 416).

Conclusion

Digital tools provide authentic audiences for students which increases intrinsic

motivation and engagement throughout the process of learning. Increased choice and ownership,

as well as, a shift in focus to a collaborative authorship approach are both evident when students

publish text using online forums. Increased metacognitive process are also apparent, including

the synthesis of peer comments into text, increased emphasis on revision, and promoted

reflective processes. However, research has not been conducted that correlates students

perceptions of motivation and metacognitive process with data analyses determined from blog

posts and comments. In summary, a clear answer to whether interactive blogging platforms

increase motivation and metacognitive processes within middle school students is not clearly

stated in current research. Furthermore, although the research presented in the literature review

of this paper provide insight and promise regarding this research question, the current literature

interprets findings without seeking the perceptions of the students that the blogs are affecting.

Further research is necessary before a complete answer can be determined.

Description of Research Method

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Qualitative case studies will be conducted featuring three different classrooms at three

different middle school sites: Yorkson Creek, Betty Gilbert, and HD Stafford. Each site

representing a different demographic within the Langley School District. One class from each

school will be participate within a 10 month study and data analyses of their blog posts,

comments, revisions, surveys, and comparisons between pre- and post- test blogging samples,

will determine whether or not metacognitive process and motivation are increased by interactive

blogging.

Participants

Ethnographic immersion prior to the beginning of the case study will take place at each

of the three study sites in order to gain insight and understanding regarding the demographics

present in each school and their surrounding areas. The administrative teams at each of the three

middle schools will be contacted to ensure they meet the criteria for the study. School

administrators must be willing to take part in this research study and there must be capabilities

for the use of 1:2 mobile devices, in the form of ipads or laptops, which can be used at least two

times per week. Emails for any teachers who are interested in participating in the study will also

be gathered from the administrators at this time.

Once schools have met the criteria required to participate in the study, potential teacher

participants will be contacted through email. In the event that a school site does not have any

interested teachers, either an additional school will be added to the site list until the three
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classrooms sites are filled, or the study may have to continue with a decreased number of

locations. If there is more than one teacher interested at each school, random selection will be

used to determine which class will participate. A range in gender and blogging experience will

be sought. In summary, the study will include: three middle school teachers, three classrooms

from grades 6 to 8, each with approximately 30 students (for a total of approximately 90

students), across three different school sites. Rationale behind three different school sites and

three classroom sites includes the potential for triangulation of data and a well-rounded

socioeconomic and ethnic participant group. Ethical concerns evident in participant selection

include ensuring that informed consent is collected from parents for each of the student

participants.

Instruments and Materials

Materials to be used throughout the research process include student surveys, revision

tallies, the free blogging platform, KidBlog.org, and data analysis tools through KidBlog.org.

Student surveys, revision tallies, and McGrail & Davis’s (2011) domain definitions and checklist

tables, will be discussed in detail within the procedure section below. Prior to conducting

research, informed consent forms will be sent home with students.

Procedure

The study will take place over one school calendar year. Throughout this year, the

participating teachers will be given a professional development session every two months (for a
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total of five sessions) in order to maintain interest and understanding of the blogging process, as

well as, to ensure consistency amongst teacher participants with regards to how they introduce

and maintain the blogging process within their classrooms. Simultaneously, during these five

professional development sessions with teachers, participating students will complete Google

Form surveys with both structured and unstructured questions regarding the blogging process to

date. Data from these surveys will be analyzed by the researcher and used to determine any

prevalent themes in student perceptions of their own metacognitive processes and motivation in

relation to the social aspect of their blogs throughout the study.

Students will have to maintain a minimum of one blog post containing personal narrative,

as well as, one comment on a peer’s post each week throughout the school year. By the end of

the study students will have complete at least 40 blog posts and 40 comments. The first and the

last blog posts authored by each student will be used for pre- and post- test purposes. Peers,

parents, teachers, administrators and others from the worldwide educational community will be

encouraged to participate as commenters, offering advice, asking questions, and sharing

information with the students on the blogging platform.

Research Design and Analysis

A qualitative case study approach is being taken as it allows the researcher to obtain and

analyze data in its natural setting (Gay, Mills, & Airasian, 2012). Further, conducting a case
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study aids in increasing the researchers’ contextual understanding the of the setting, allowing for

a more clear understanding of the descriptive question being posed. Another reason for the use of

a case study is that the educational setting of a classroom, where the majority of the research will

take place, is a bounded system, with set class routines, rules, teachers, and students (Gay et al.,

2012).

Data regarding number of blog posts and comments will gathered from the corresponding

teachers through the use of the data analysis tools on the KidBlog platform. This portion of the

data will be collected by the research from the teachers on alternating weeks from the

professional development sessions. The number of posts and comments will be used to

determined the amount of social commentary conducted for each student. Since students must

submit their posts to teachers for approval prior to their work being published on the class blog,

teachers will be asked to keep ongoing tallies as students submit revisions of prior works for

secondary and tertiary approval. McGrail and Davis’s (2011) domain definitions and checklist

tables (see Appendix A) will be used to determine the attributes and themes present within

students pre- and post-test blogs. This will provide additional insight as to any significant

improvements in writing processes. The data from the posts, comments, revision tallies, tables,

and surveys will be analyzed to determine whether the interactive social aspect of blogging had

an affect on the metacognitive processes and motivation seen in students. Three separate research

sites were chosen in order to maximize accuracy and reliability of data collected.

Schedule of Activities
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See Appendix B for table of schedule .

Discussion

Although current literature findings have touched on the effects of technology and

blogging in relation to motivation and writing processes, none of the current studies were

designed specifically to determine the impact of the social aspect of blogging on processes such

as motivation, revision and reflection in middle school students. Similarly, there is no literature

findings that analyzes students perceptions side by side with the frequency of interactive blog

and the metacognitive processes expressed through revision. There is also limited research that

explicitly includes blog commentary, student survey answers, and pre- and post-test

comparisons, in support of their findings. In theory, the significance of this research study

should display positive increases in metacognitive processes and motivation levels through the

use of interactive blogs. This research will fill these holes in the current literature while. It will

also providing the educational world with research results that bring awareness to the benefits of

interactive blogging and middle school students.

As a limitation to the proposed research study, by having teachers volunteer to participate

in the study it is possible that those who volunteer may already have preconceived opinions,

knowledge, or framework regarding the blogging process. This could be seen as both a positive,

since those teachers are more likely to efficiently implement blogging strategies to the
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participating studies, and a negative, since their prior knowledge may cause them to be

inconsistent with the other participating teachers.

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Appendix A - McGrail & Davis’s (2011) domain definitions and checklist tables.
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Appendix B - Schedule of Events

Month Teacher Participants Schedule Student Participant

(revision tallies will be conducted continuously as Schedule

revisions on posts are made by students)

September First professional development session with Participation in

teachers, including, detailed description of design introductory blogging

expectations, data collection strategies, activities.

introductory blogging lesson activities Student blogs #1-4

Comments #1-4

October Data retrieval day Student blogs #5-8

Comments #5-8

November Second professional development session with Student blogs #9-12

teachers Comments #9-12

December Data retrieval day Student blogs #13-16

Comments # 13-16

January Third professional development session with Student blogs #17-20

teachers Comments #17-20

February Data retrieval day Student blogs #21-24

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Comments #21-24

March Fourth professional development session with Student blogs #25-28

teachers Comments #25-28

April Data retrieval day Student blogs #29-32

Comments #29-32

May Fifth professional development session with Student blogs #33-36

teachers Comments #33-36

June Data retrieval day Student blogs #37-40

Comments #37-40
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