ESP Learners’ Attitudes Towards the Moodle Virtual Learning Environment

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36312/ijlic.v2i3.2333

Keywords:

Online learning, virtual environment, English for Specific Purposes, Moodle, Maritime English

Abstract

The incorporation of technology plays a key role in teaching and learning language skills. The integration of technology provides several opportunities for both language learners and teachers such as providing an inclusive learning environment, enabling learners to have access to various resources, and practicing language in a different way. This research investigates the attitudes of ESP learners in the context of maritime English through Moodle virtual learning platform. The study analyzes three factors such as the customization of Moodle platform to meet learners’ needs as ESP learners, critical skills development of learners, and how this platform enhances interaction among learners. A questionnaire was used by the researcher to gather data from the participants using a quantitative approach. The results showed that Moodle has great potential for customization of ESP sources due to its various features and learners can easily have access to the course contents and ESP teachers can design their courses on this platform effectively. The findings of the study also showed that learners could improve their critical thing when dealing with the course content. The platform also provides high interaction among leaners and learners with teacher. Nevertheless, educators and instructional designers must consider time constraints, inadequate resources, technical difficulties, and unfamiliarity with the platform. These findings present valuable perspectives for improving ESP courses that fulfill student needs and transform their perspectives on education.

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Author Biographies

Mohammad Azim Arbabi , Universiti Brunei Darussalam

Mohammad Azim Arbabi is a PhD candidate in Applied Linguistics at Universiti Brunei Darussalam. His research interests include academic writing, AI tools, ESP, NLP, and machine learning. He has founded two well-known language schools in Chabahar that focus on ESP teaching. He has dedicated his time to research addressing issues related to the ethical use of AI tools in academic writing. He was nominated by UBD to discuss AI challenges in contemporary research at the Malaysia Brunie Forum 2023 at Universiti Malaya. He is investigating benefits and challenges of Generative-AI tools in academic writing in the context of Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Deyuan He, Universiti Brunei Darussalam

Dr Deyuan He is a Senior Assistant Professor at Universiti Brunei Darussalam. His research interests include world Englishes, second language acquisition, and college English teaching. He has published his works in journals like World Englishes, TESOL Quarterly, Educational Studies, RELC Journal, Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, and Asian Journal of Applied Linguistics. He has also published two monographs (Foreign Language Learning Anxiety in China and China English in World Englishes) and a co-edited book Researching Chinese English: The State of the Art since 2017 with Springer. He has been awarded ‘The Best Paper’ twice in international conferences.

D.G. E. Ho, Universiti Brunei Darussalam

Debbie G. E. Ho is Associate Professor in English Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Her research interests include sociolinguistics, gender issues, forensic linguistics, conversation analysis while increasingly drawn to women studies and technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) in academia. Her publications, viz. co-author (2019), Identity in flux: The Sarong Party Girls’ Pursuit of the ‘Good Life’, Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language and Literature, 13(2), 146-166; co-author (2021), Ethnic Identity and the Southeast Asian Chinese: Voices from Brunei, pp. 149-166, in Contesting Chineseness: Ethnicity, Identity, and Nation in China and Southeast Asia, edited by Chang-Yau Hoon and Ying-kit Chan (Springer); (2021), Chinese dialects in Brunei: Shift, Maintenance or Loss? pp. 67-93, in Engaging Modern Brunei: Research on Language, Literature, and Culture, edited by Hannah Ming Yit Ho and David Deterding (Springer). She was co-principal researcher of ‘Contested Identity: Representations and Language Use of the Chinese Diaspora in Brunei Darussalam’. Currently, her research areas include the use and regulation of on-line learning tools in higher learning.

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Published

2024-11-29

How to Cite

Arbabi , M. A., He, D., & Ho, D. E. (2024). ESP Learners’ Attitudes Towards the Moodle Virtual Learning Environment. International Journal of Linguistics and Indigenous Culture, 2(3), 247–258. https://doi.org/10.36312/ijlic.v2i3.2333

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 3: November 2024

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2024 Mohammad Azim Arbabi , Deyuan He, D.G. E. Ho

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.