Master of Arts (Educational Management)

In the 1980s we witnessed the dawning of the ‘Information Age’. Today, the use of information technology (IT) has become an integral part of our lives and in businesses. Education is no exception. With the introduction of Web 2.0 tools, such as weblogs, students are presented a new platform for interaction and exchanging ideas. A review of the literature however reveals few empirical studies examining the relationship of the use of weblogs and student learning. From the general literature on blogging which include mainly professional-related articles, four broad benefits of blogging can be derived and they are (1) bloggers can personalize their own blogs resulting in a sense of ownership and therefore accountability, (2) bloggers can remain anonymous allowing them the freedom to express their ideas without fear, (3) a blog is a good platform for students to collaborate resulting in the formation of learning communities, and (4) the act of blogging encourages students to think about what they have to write making them more reflective in their learning. In view of this, the purpose of this study is thus to investigate the factors that are of specific benefits of weblogs in student learning. To determine this, principal component factor analysis was performed using standardized residuals (linear Rasch measures in logits) rather than the non-linear raw scores. The findings revealed four factors, namely, efficiency, deliberation, de-personalization, and collaboration that explained students’ perceptions of the benefits of weblogs in their learning. It is posited that culture has an impact how these perceptions. Essentially, the findings revealed that the students were concerned with pragmatism, maintaining harmony with other students doing the course, and maintaining face or mianzi when blogging.