The purpose of this study is to develop students’ self-directed learning capabilities and increase interactions by using one of online content applications during primary English classes. For the study, Thinkbell was utilized as an online content ap...
The purpose of this study is to develop students’ self-directed learning capabilities and increase interactions by using one of online content applications during primary English classes. For the study, Thinkbell was utilized as an online content application and was applied for use in the English classes during three teaching cycles of a plan-observation-reflection-replan process. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative research methods. For the quantitative research method, the study employed two evaluation tests to examine students’ self-directed learning capabilities. The tests were administered to a total of 56 Korean elementary students from two classrooms containing 26 students in the experimental group and another 26 students in the control group. The results indicated that function of Thinkbell was statistically effective for elementary school students’ interactions and self-directed learning capabilities: the more teaching cycles, the more useful teaching tools and approaches were found based on teacher and students’ self-reflection diaries for interactions and self-directed learning. Replanning classes through reflections alleviated students’ tension in expressing English and contributed to self-directed learning. Some further suggestions were also presented in the study.