The effectiveness of using edublogs as an instructional and motivating tool in the context of higher education

The study addresses how edublogs (blogs used for teaching and learning) influence university students’ motivation and learning, particularly digital literacy and social/civic competencies, within higher education. Framed by the growth of Web 2.0 tools and their interactivity, the paper highlights blogs’ affordances—personal editorship, hyperlinking, frequent updates, public access, and archived postings—for communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. The research focuses on utilitarian motivation (perceived usefulness) for blogging in academic contexts and aims to evaluate whether integrating edublogs in a social sciences core unit enhances students’ self-reported motivation and competency development. The purpose is to provide empirical evidence on blogs as instructional tools that can extend learning beyond the classroom and support meaningful engagement with social science content.

Prior work suggests blogs can motivate participation, support communication, and foster learning through collaboration and reflection. Studies identify blogs as effective for personal expression, discussion of current issues, and developing communication skills (Gill et al., 2009; Halic et al., 2010; Liao et al., 2013). Empirical findings across higher education contexts report that blogs enhance social interaction, user-generated content, autonomy, and digital skills (DeWitt et al., 2013; González-Hernando et al., 2020; García-Sabater et al., 2011). In language and teacher education, blog use has been linked to improved reading/writing skills, attitudes, and independent learning (Alharbi, 2015; Martín Montilla & Montilla-Coronado, 2016; Pardo-Baldoví et al., 2020). Regarding social and civic competencies, blogs can strengthen peer learning, engagement with controversial social issues, democratic values, analysis and communication skills, and sense of community (Hamid et al., 2015; Úbeda Colomer & Molina, 2016; Canan, 2013; Bardwell, 2011; Marín et al., 2020). Despite these advantages, gaps remain in understanding motivational and social dimensions (Deng & Yuen, 2012; Ge et al., 2019). Table 1 in the paper synthesizes advantages observed across samples, methods, and outcomes, highlighting increased interaction, collaborative work, improved digital competencies, and creativity. The present study investigates students’ perceptions of edublogs’ impact on self-reported motivation and on learning digital and social/civic competencies.

Design and objectives: A quantitative, pretest–posttest design was used to evaluate changes in self-reported motivation, digital skills, and social/civic competencies after implementing academic blogging. Research objectives (RO1–RO4) targeted perceived digital skill learning, motivation, social/civic competency development, and subgroup differences by initial motivation and ICT competence levels. Participants: Convenience sample of 101 second-year Primary Education student teachers at the University of Murcia (Group 1: n=61; Group 2: n=40). Demographics: 25 males (24.7%), 76 females (75.3%); age 19–22 years (M=20.94, SD=2.77). Most had not repeated the unit (94.7%). Participation remained constant over the 4-month term; informed consent obtained. Intervention (ICT programme): Conducted in the mandatory core unit “Teaching Social Sciences” during 2019–2020, with two 2-hour sessions per week over 4 months. Students created personal blogs and posted entries prior to each lesson related to course content, engaging in reflection, collaboration, and asynchronous peer feedback. Activities emphasized problem solving, discussions, collaborative learning, digital portfolios, and multimedia presentation (e.g., videos). Technical support was provided to mitigate obstacles. Instruments: An ad hoc 21-item questionnaire (Likert 1–5 from very poor to excellent), validated in prior work (Gómez-Carrasco et al., 2019), comprised three sections: (1) current knowledge in blogging (4 items), (2) self-reported motivation in blogging (4 items), and (3) acquisition of social/civic competencies and problem-solving skills (13 items). Items covered knowledge of blog components and creation, motivation to create/post, and perceived effects on studying, interdisciplinary learning, cooperative learning, critical thinking, democratic values, problem solving, participation, and understanding of social concepts. Procedure and analysis: Students reported initial levels of motivation and ICT competence (high/medium/low) and completed the questionnaire at the start and end of term. Composite scores were computed per dimension. Data were analyzed with SPSS v26.0 using non-parametric tests due to non-normality. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests assessed pre–post changes. Kruskal–Wallis tests examined differences across subgroups by initial motivation and ICT competence. Alpha was set at 0.05.

Descriptive improvements from pre- to post-test were observed across all dimensions (n=101): - Self-perceived development of digital skills: M(SD) pre 3.29(0.99) → post 3.91(0.87) - Self-reported motivation: M(SD) pre 3.79(0.94) → post 4.06(0.89) - Self-perceived development of social and civic competences: M(SD) pre 3.57(0.92) → post 3.99(0.87) Wilcoxon signed-rank tests indicated statistically significant pre–post gains in all three dimensions (p=0.001 for each): - Digital skills: z = -5.071; positive ranks exceeded negative ranks (75 vs 22) - Motivation: z = -3.32; positive ranks 48 vs negative 22 (31 ties) - Social/civic competences: z = -4.524; positive ranks 69 vs negative 21 Subgroup analyses (Kruskal–Wallis): - By motivation level: Post-test differences were significant for digital skills (H≈7.203, p=0.027) and for social/civic competences (H=19.131, p=0.001), with highly motivated students reporting greater gains. Pre-test differences by motivation were not significant for social/civic competences (p=0.143) and marginal for digital skills (p=0.079). - By ICT competence: Pre-test differences were significant for digital skills (H=8.765, p=0.012) favoring higher ICT competence. Post-test differences by ICT competence were not significant for digital skills (p=0.083) or social/civic competences (p=0.094), suggesting convergence after the intervention.

Findings demonstrate that integrating edublogs into a social sciences core unit significantly enhanced students’ self-perceived digital skills, motivation, and social/civic competences. The ease of creating and maintaining blogs likely reduced technical barriers, enabling focus on content creation, reflection, and peer interaction. Increased motivation appears to have amplified perceived learning benefits; highly motivated students reported greater gains in digital and social/civic dimensions by term end, underscoring motivation’s role in leveraging ICT tools. The collaborative and dialogic nature of blogs supported civic-oriented outcomes—critical social thinking, respectful participation, exposure to diverse perspectives, and democratic values—aligning with literature on social learning and community building. The diminishing post-test differences by initial ICT competence suggest that blog use can level digital skill disparities through structured practice and feedback. Overall, the results support edublogs as effective pedagogical tools for extending learning beyond the classroom, fostering interdisciplinary understanding in social sciences, and promoting active, democratic learning practices.

This study contributes empirical evidence that edublogs function as effective instructional and motivational tools in higher education, improving students’ self-reported digital skills, motivation, and social/civic competences in a social sciences course. The intervention’s design—regular pre-class blogging, collaborative tasks, and peer feedback—facilitated meaningful engagement and skill development. Educators are encouraged to adopt blogs to enrich e-learning, support interdisciplinary integration, and cultivate democratic participation and critical reflection. Future research should triangulate self-report with performance-based measures of competencies, include control groups, expand to multiple courses and institutions, and explore how motivational profiles interact with ICT use to optimize learning outcomes.

Results are based on self-reports, which may not reflect actual competencies. The convenience sample (n=101) from a single core unit and institution limits generalizability. The study lacked a control group, and the focus on one course context constrains external validity. Further work should compare self-perceptions with objective assessments, include larger and more diverse samples, and implement controlled designs across multiple units.