Online News Patronage Among Students of University for Development Studies, and Its Pedagogical Perspectives for Language Teachers

Abstract

There are studies on Students’ Internet use within the framework of online news reading, however, none seems to have effectively explored the practice for teaching. Recognising this gap, this study assessed the online news patronage among students of UDS-Ghana with the aim of galvanizing the practice for pedagogical gains. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 180 students selected randomly from six faculties, followed by an interview of 10 language teachers chosen from the Department of Languages. The quantitative data was interpreted descriptively using percentages, while content analysis was adopted for processing the qualitative data. The findings showed that online news reading was high among students. Out of 180 participants, 127(71%) read online news daily or weekly and Operanews.com, Ghanaweb.com, and Myjoyonline.com were the most preferred sites. Most participants, 49(27%), read news online for entertainment and fashion, while a few read it for language acquisition and other purposes. The teachers interviewed concerning possible exploits of the practice, indicated that they knew of it, however, they could not effectively explore it in classroom teaching. They did, however, acknowledge that the practice could be useful as basics for teaching vocabulary, reading comprehension, and others. In view of the findings, it is recommended that stable Internet is ensured on campuses to enhance students' good use of the practice. Teachers are also urged to explore the practice in language teaching activities and educate students on the benefits of reading online news.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0938/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

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