WIKI AS A TOOL FOR LEARNING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND ITS IMPACT ON THE INTRINSIC MOTIVATION OF STUDENTS AT THE UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL

Nowadays students are growing up with the Internet and modern technology, which raises new challenges for teachers in order to accommodate teaching methods to their interests. Modern tools for e-learning are based on Web 2.0 technology (read-write web) and allow students to actively participate in the creation of their knowledge through interaction and communication. Wiki is especially suitable for Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL).

This paper presents the results of empirical research, which is aimed to show how the wiki as a modern tool for e-learning and supplementary teaching tool, can influence an increase of students’ intrinsic motivation and improve their results in the implementation of the curriculum in the subject English language at elementary vocational studies at College of Agriculture and Food Technology in Prokuplje, Serbia.

The results are obtained through two tests during the semester and final part of the exam at the end of the semester. The results were compared with the results of a group of students who done their activities using traditional teaching tools and methods.

Wiki allows the b-learning to be interactive and collaborative, increasing skills of writing, communication and translation from English into Serbian and vice versa. Students can easily and simply set up a link to a Web site with interesting articles, embed picture or video and post documents. The teacher is able to monitor students’ activity and see who and when made the changes. That may encourage the development of writing, research skills and exchange of opinions. In this way it is ensured that the process of learning and communication is not limited only to the classroom and students can commit themselves to the task at a time and in a manner that best suits them.