Learners’ Perceptions of WBMT-Assisted Reading Strategies: An Action Research Study

This action research (AR) study investigated the pedagogical implementation of web-based machine translation (WBMT), specifically Baidu Fanyi 百度翻译 (Baidu Translator), for teaching reading strategies in extensive reading tasks in Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) classrooms. The study focused on CFL learners’ perceptions of utilizing WBMT-assisted reading strategies. Eleven third-year CFL students participated in a semester-long project that followed Kemmis and McTaggart's (2000) AR spiral model through three cycles in the classroom. The study analyzed students’ reflective reports and found that learners acknowledged the benefits of WBMT for enhancing motivation and boosting confidence when reading authentic materials. However, some learners expressed concerns about their linguistic gains, particularly in vocabulary acquisition, during the reading process. The study also suggests that WBMT can serve as a supplementary reading tool, providing an alternative approach to facilitating reading comprehension for learners.