Statement of the Problem
Using the Internet can be a double-edged sword in the way that it offers not
only advantages for teaching and learning English, but also the disadvantageous aspects
that educators have to be aware of. The researcher as a teacher of English sees that
the Internet, with its attractive features can turn people of all ages to “net-addicts.”
For students, this means less time is left for their usual study. What is worse for these
young people is the risk to expose themselves to hazardous websites offering violence
and all kinds of obscene sources from around the world tempting and influencing
them to undesirable behaviors and problems. Not to mention the grammatically incorrect and incomplete sentences and contemporary abbreviations used widely among
the Internet users, the Internet can have the opposite effects on English proficiency.
Contrarily, the Internet can be of great benefit to students if they know how and
where on the Internet they can access knowledge and information that enhance their
learning. Thousands of English teaching and learning websites are already available,
and more to come everyday, to support English learners. However, doubts remain
among teachers, parents and even students themselves whether spending time on the
Internet is worthwhile. They are not assured to what extent and how the Internet can
help their children to study. As of studying the English language, does the Internet
help at all? Accordingly, the researcher is interested in studying in order to accomplish
some concrete answer to these questions.