| Summary: | 博士 === 高雄師範大學 === 英語學系 === 98 === The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of an electronic newsletter (e-newsletter) project on university freshmen's knowledge management (KM) and development of knowledge of journalistic English in southern Taiwan. Specifically, the effects of e-newsletters on the students' perception of tacit and explicit KM were analyzed. Then, the students' development of journalistic English and their responses to the e-newsletter project were also investigated.
The research recruited 66 freshmen from the Math Department and the Department of Fine Arts in National Kaohsiung Normal University as subjects. The two groups of the subjects were randomly assigned as experimental group (EG) (the Math Department) and control group (CG) (the Department of Fine Arts). In the eight-week experiment, the two groups of the subjects were required to answer the pre-study and post-study questionnaires on KM, to join in the interviews, and to take the pre-tests and the post-tests of explicit knowledge of journalistic English. In addition, after the e-newsletter project, the EG subjects needed to fill in the questionnaires on their responses to the e-newsletter project. The collected data were analyzed quantitatively by a paired samples t-test, ANCOVA, and descriptive analyses. Moreover, the subject' responses to the open-ended questions in the questionnaires and the questions of interviews were analyzed qualitatively.
Based on the data analyses, the findings of the study are summarized as follows:
1. There are significant differences for the EG and CG subjects' perception of KM before and after the study. The EG subjects developed better KM ability in knowledge externalization, combination, and internalization after participating in the e-newsletter project, while the CG subjects grew better ability in knowledge internalization after the study.
2. The EG and CG subjects employed different methods of managing knowledge after the study, including expressing, acquiring, and internalizing knowledge. Being affected by the e-newsletter project, most of the EG subjects inclined to express and gain new information or knowledge by using computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools, and they would internalize knowledge by consulting other people. The CG subjects, on the other hand, tended to acquire and internalize knowledge by reading and attending lectures.
3. There is no significance in the development of explicit knowledge of journalistic English between the EG and CG subjects after the study. The e-newsletter project had limited effects on the EG and CG subjects' development of explicit knowledge of journalistic English.
4. The EG subjects held positive responses to learning journalistic English by e-newsletters. They expressed that e-newsletters made learning become convenient, helped them understand and comprehend the learning materials, and promoted their learning interest.
5. The EG subjects showed positive responses to the class e-newsletters. They regarded the content to be attractive and helpful for them to learn journalistic English and to gain new knowledge.
6. The EG subjects held affirmative responses to the group e-newsletter writing task, which facilitated them to gain new knowledge, to cooperate with peers, and to develop better connections and friendships with peers.
Based on the study findings, some pedagogical implications for journalistic English instructions are provided. First, university English instructions in Taiwan should apply some learning activities to help students develop KM. Once students learn how to manage their knowledge in an effective way, they can become independent learners. In addition, e-newsletters are a beneficial supplement material in journalistic English instructions. Specifically, e-newsletters can facilitate students to do self-learning after class, and to improve their language proficiency. Moreover, teachers can employ group e-newsletter writing task in journalistic English courses to provide students with opportunities to work cooperatively with one another, and to promote their interrelationships.
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