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CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
In this chapter, the writer provides the theories related to this study. It includes two sections i.e. theoretical description and theoretical framework. The
relevant theories and similar research will be reviewed in theoretical description and the theoretical framework will provide a summary of all reviewed theories and
similar research related to this study.
2.1 Theoretical Description
The theoretical description includes the description of Internet, features of the Internet, World Wide Web, Web 1.0, Web 2.0, the Internet in language learning and
teaching, the Internet for academic purposes, difficulties of using Internet for academic purposes, and perception.
2.1.1 Internet
The Internet is an association of computer networks which allows data or messages to be sent from any central computer or host on one network to any
computer or host on other networks Crystal, 2001. “Just as the development of the printing press 500 years ago dramatically expanded the information available to
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individuals and society, the development of the Internet is doing so today” Warschauer, Shetzer and Meloni, 2000: 1. Walker, Davies and Hewer 2010: 2
described that the Internet dates back much further, its forerunner being ARPANET, a US
military communications network which was set up in 1969. ARPANET was extended i.e. as the Internet in the 1970s to include libraries, educational
institutions and businesses, and email began to become used as a means of communication Walker, Davies and Hewer, 2010: 2.
The Internet has changed many aspects of life, such as the way of communication, interaction, social life, entertainment, education, etc whether in
developed countries or developing countries. Indonesia, as a developing country, is aware of the great benefit of Internet and Internet is now widely known and used in
the society, whether for getting information, entertainment, commerce, education, etc. Internet as the advance development of technology is one of successful education
results. Reversely, the advance development of technology supports successful education. Internet has made easy and practical in doing many daily lives’ activities,
especially in the globalization era, many things have been computerized and done on- line.
2.1.2 Features of the Internet
The main features of Internet can be categorized as asynchronous computer- mediated communication, synchronous computer-mediated communication, and
hypertext, in which the usage of each category was presented as follows:
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Table 2.1 Main Internet Features
Features Examples
What You Can Do Asynchronous computer-
mediated communication E-mail
Web bulletin boards Write a message for others to
read later Synchronous computer-
mediated communication Chat rooms
Instant messaging Videoconferencing
Communicative in real time with others who are on-line at
the same time Hypertext
World Wide Web Access and publish
multimedia documents with clickable links to other
documents Taken from Internet for English Teaching, Warschauer et al., 2000
The features of the Internet provide a tool for information processing and communication whether for asynchronous communication with a delayed message
system, synchronous communication with all users logged on and chatting at the same time, or hypertext information processing with easy access to an
unprecedented amount of authentic target-language information.
2.1.2.1 Asynchronous Computer-mediated Communication
Warschauer et al. 2000: 2 stated that “asynchronous computer-mediated communication refers to computer-mediated communication that takes place in a
delayed fashion; in other words, the people communicating do not need to be sitting at the computer at the same time”. The examples of asynchronous computer-mediated
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communication are e-mail and web bulletin boards. Many places, institutions, schools, universities, companies, organizations, etc have e-mail address nowadays.
By providing e-mail address, they can have better communication with the others or worldwide. People can contact them through the e-mail, whether for seeking further
information, complaining, sharing information, etc. We can communicate easily with our friends by sending e-mail to each other, no need to go to the post office anymore.
E-mail is not only sending messages in text but also can be used to send pictures, sound files, videos, word-processed documents, and even computer software.
Warschauer et al. 2000: 3 mentioned that “no matter what else you can do on the Internet, communicating with friends and colleagues remains the most popular Net-
based activity, and nothing beats the convenience of doing so via e-mail”.
2.1.2.2 Synchronous Computer-mediated Communication
On contrary to asynchronous computer-mediated communication, synchronous computer-mediated communication refers to computer-mediated
communication that takes place the people communicating need to be sitting at the computer at the same time. Warschauer et al. 2000: 3 stated that “messages are sent
instantly, and communication takes place live, as on a telephone”. This real-time communication is not only with text but also with voice or video. It has provided
alternative communication in a modest cost. This feature has also provided language
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learners authentic communication and interaction, in which it helps language learners to improve language proficiency.
2.1.2.3 Hypertext or World Wide Web
Many people presume that Internet is identified with World Wide Web WWW or Web. Actually, Internet and Web are not synonymous terms. The Web is
only part of the Internet Walker et al., 2010. Davies 1999: 2 described the World Wide Web as “the most powerful and fastest growing Internet service, now known
simply as the Web”. The World Wide Web includes not only textual information and links but also documents with pictures, graphics, animations, audio, and video.
Warschauer et al. 2000 stated that the World Wide Web includes not only hypertext documents but also software for sending and receiving e-mail. Comparing with the
other features of the Internet, the hypertext or the World Wide Web is more widely used for language learning and teaching. It is because of many sites on the Web
include forums for both synchronous and asynchronous communication.
2.1.3 Web 1.0 and Web 2.0
Web 1.0 was the first stage of the web’s evolvement. It referred to the first version of the web, which was essentially a source of information authored by a small
number of people for a very large number of users. It provided many web pages, but with little room for real interactivity. “When the World Wide Web debuted, it was
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considered revolutionary. Compared to those first, stumbling steps, Web 2.0 is immeasurably faster, more functional and more interactive” Roux, n.d: 44. Roux
also mentioned that in a nutshell, Web 2.0 is the interactive, ‘Read Write Web’ where users participate and collaborate in the creation and organization of dynamic contents
in various media. According to Walker et al. 2010, Web 2.0 is widely used recently by many
users because it provides many tools such as discussion lists, blogs, wikis and podcasts, as well as dedicated social networking websites and virtual worlds or
MUVEs that promote sharing, collaboration, and interaction. The term dates back to 1999 but only gained popularity following the first of a
series of Web 2.0 Summit conferences initiated by Tim OReilly in 2004. Web 2.0 suggested a revival of the Web following the dot-com crash in the early
2000s, which had damaged peoples confidence in the Web Walker et al., 2010: 2.
The continuous revitalization of Web, whether Web 1.0 or Web 2.0 has drawn the attention and motivation of many users to access the Web, especially language
teachers and learners. “It comes as no surprise that the gently persuasive force of social media also has great potential for education. In fact, it could be argued that the
mutual roles of education and Web 2.0 are crucial to society in the long run” Roux, n.d: 16. Moreover, the Web evolves continuously to the terms of Web 3.0, Web 4.0,
and so forth. Thus, to keep updated development of technology as a means of communication nowadays is a need.
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2.1.4 Internet in Language Learning and Teaching
Kategori