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Short paper
A Short Description of the Current Research
Web Quests, developed by Bernie Dodge and Tom March in early 1995, are inquiry-
oriented activities in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from
the Web (Dodge, 1998). The most frequent classroom use of the Internet is searching for
web resources to gather information (Grabe & Grabe, 2001).The internet, in general,
plays a vital role in teaching English ,and web quests in particular raise students ’
motivation and help in making the practice of reading and writing more interesting. Web
quest also serves as facilitator for speaking and writing, and students enjoy the uploaded
authentic material. In line with Dodge (1998) and Dudeney (2003), Ge Stoks (2002)
indicated that web quests provide the learners with the opportunity of being exposed to
the target language by surfing on the web; the problem-solving approach of web quests
may facilitate language learning.
The Use and Creation of the Web Quest
Whether long term or short term, quality web quests have certain critical attributes
(Dodge, 1997). These attributes include an introduction, a task, information sources,
process, guidance, and conclusion. The six attributes of web quest activities were
adapted for each lesson plan in the Web Quest Writing Instruction program. At the pre-
writing stage, students were provided with a description of a lesson from which a task or
a problem was introduced and generated. Following a given process and some
organizational advice, students then searched pre-selected Internet resources pertinent
to the task or the problem. At the writing stage, students analyzed and synthesized what
they had found from the Internet-linked information, incorporating it into a written
assignment. At the post-writing stage, through peer review and revision, students shared
and discussed their written products, an activity that concluded each web quest writing
activity. According to Krashen (1984), the best way to learn to write is to receive rich
and comprehensive input from reading. From the perspective of the reading to writing
approach, there is no source other than the Internet that is capable of providing such a
wealth of easily accessible reading materials for writing input.
Peterson and Caverly (2003) stated that “to nudge students beyond introductory
knowledge acquisition into the messy world of multiple texts and primary resources, the
web quest should require critical thinking, rather than a scavenger hunt for answers” (p.
39). Dodge (1997) suggested that the thinking skills required in a quality web quest
include comparing, classifying, inducing, deducing, analyzing errors, constructing
support, making abstractions, and analyzing perspectives. The task also often identifies
roles for cooperative group members. Each student is assigned a role to play as the
group completes the assigned activity.
Next, the resource section provides links to high-quality Internet-based resources that
students will use to complete the activity. The process section provides a step-by -step
guide for completion of the activity. The web quest should provide a clear description of
exactly what students should do to complete the task. Again, the resources may or may
not be embedded here as anchors to Internet sites. Most quality web quests include an
evaluation tool or assessment instrument as the next to last section. The evaluation may
be in the form of a rubric or checklist. Because the task involves some type of inquiry
learning, paper-pencil types of assessment will not work. The evaluation tool should
illustrate to students exactly what they should do to be successful. The last section of the
web quest is the conclusion. The conclusion brings closure to the activity and summarizes
what the teacher hopes the students have learned as a result of completing the activity.
The conclusion may also encourage students to extend their recently gained knowledge
to other domains (Dodge, 1997).Taken together, these sections should form a web quest
that is reflective, fluid, and dynamic (Watson, 1999). Students are motivated to engage
in inquiry learning and are provided all the resources and guidance to do so.
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Students are aware of what they need to do to be successful. In addition, they are
encouraged to use their newly acquired knowledge in different contexts.
Practically speaking, the web quest material is tailored to serve the needs of participants
who would like to enhance their oral and written English skills. The key language and
skills participants will learn in the course include vocabulary expansion; effective
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