Learning Grit and the Intervening Effects of MOOCs in Learning the English Language among College Students

Abstract

Learning a foreign language such as English usually takes a considerable amount of effort on the part of non-native speakers. The English language as the modern-day lingua franca in almost all aspects of global communications spanning from business to the academe requires that students should be adept of it after they finished their tertiary education. The Southeast Asian Region in which the Philippines belong, is trying to catch-up with the global productivity index that must produce college graduates that are adept in using the English language in order to be competitive. Learning English in college through the use of traditional teaching methods makes students disinterested and disengaged in their course works. The advent of technology specifically the Internet has offered an alternative method to learn English in a more interesting and engaging way through synchronous and asynchronous learning methods such as the massive open online courses (MOOCs). This learning modality has eased the tension of acquiring the necessary English language proficiency among college students. This study is anchored on the structural equation modelling about the effects of MOOCs in learning the English language along with their learning grit from the vantage point of Filipino college students.