Wikipedia Projects for Language Learning

Abstract

Wikipedia has quickly become a well-known source for information about a wide range of topics of interest and importance to people around the world. While Wikipedia is now familiar to many language learners as a potential source for information in the target language, it also offers a range of opportunities for such learners to engage in actual production of the target language for an authentic audience by creating original entries or by adding to existing articles. This paper seeks to provide a rationale for the use of Wikipedia projects in language classes, an overview of the basic steps involved in such a project, a link to an actual sample of student work produced, and a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses qualitatively observed. Although several challenges were presented throughout the Wikipedia project detailed in this paper, it is believed that such projects can serve to reinforce academic research and writing skills, increase motivation, make language learning more meaningful, foster technological skills and contribute to a publicly-available information source with an authentic global audience. Ideas for future directions of Wikipedia projects are offered and a call for further research to more precisely determine the effectiveness of such projects is made.