The Effect of WeChat-Based Instruction on Chinese EFL Undergraduates’ Business English Writing Performance

Abstract

With the vigorous development of the Internet, the continuous application of social media platforms has accelerated people's channels to obtain information. WeChat Public Platform (WPP), as a mobile learning platform, is derived from the current popular social platform "WeChat", which can transfer text, pictures, video, audio and other multimodal information. Based on various functions of WPP, combining it with language teaching is one technique to realize blended learning so that learners can experience a novel learning mode. Some issues have surfaced in the present Business English Writing (BEW) class for Chinese EFL undergraduates, including a lack of teaching time, students' psychological anxiety about BEW, and a rigid evaluation process. This study mainly applies WPP in Chinese EFL undergraduates' BEW class and investigates whether WPP can help improve students' BEW performance and enhance students' interest in learning BEW. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were adopted, and 80 Chinese undergraduates were involved in this quasi-experiment. By analysing the experimental results and data of the students' pre and post-test and the interview results, this study found that the English performance of the experimental class students who implemented the WPP-based BEW teaching mode has been remarkably improved, and their enthusiasm for BEW was gradually increased. Implications point to integration of WeChat in teacher instruction, teacher practice, ESL curriculum and assessment.

A Systemic Review (2014–2023) on the Mobile-Assisted Blended Learning for English as a Foreign Language Education with a Focus on Empirical Studies

“…Eight studies utilized social A Systemic Review (2014-2023) on the Mobile-Assisted Blended Learning for English as a Foreign Language Education with a Focus on Empirical Studies networking apps in either online or offline EFL classes. Although several applications emerged, the studies [53,54,61,65,69,70,73,75] yielded similar results. SNAs facilitate interactions and collaborations in the learning process, thus helping students improve their English skills and develop positive attitudes.…”

“…Besides the four major language skills, MABL was also incorporated into certain programs to enhance the language sub-skills of tertiary-level learners, including vocabulary [70,74] and grammar [73,74,76]. Additionally, it aimed to improve their affective aspects towards EFL education, such as confidence [53], motivation [58,68], satisfaction [58], and engagement [56,59,63,69].…”

“…Social Networking App (SNA) WeChat [53] WhatsApp [54,70] Kakaotalk [61,69,75] Youtube [65] Facebook [73] Band [76] Learning Management System (LMS)…”

“…SNAs facilitate interactions and collaborations in the learning process, thus helping students improve their English skills and develop positive attitudes. As mobile instant messaging applications, WeChat and WhatsApp have been used not only to improve communication skills, expand vocabulary knowledge, and enhance accuracy in wording [54,70], but also to boost students' confidence and improve their business writing skills [53]. Kakaotalk was widely used as a SNA by researchers studying MABL in the EFL context in Korea [61,69,75].…”

“…Based on the selected literature, it is evident that higher education is the primary level for implementing MABL, encompassing almost all the platforms mentioned earlier. There were six research studies [53,61,69,70,73,76] conducted at the higher education level that utilized SNA to enhance EFL teaching and learning. Similarly, within the same educational level, seven studies [58, 59,66,68,71,73,74] utilized LMS to achieve similar objectives.…”