Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to investigate how language influencessecondary-school learners'Internet use. In addition, the study examines how they deal with linguistic difficulties in selected Internet sites. Moreover, the contribution of this study is to providescaffolding to assist both students and teachers to maks use of theInternet more effectively.The experiment was carried out with four M.5 students at Surasakmontree School, all of whom were interested in the study materials'topic:western pop music. The intruments used were a videotaped observation session as well as a follow-up questionnaireand audiotaped semi-structured interview.The results of this reveal that the following linguistic factors influence their Internet use:vocabulary and background knowledge.These factors are prevalent because the Internet is written primarilyby and for native speakers of English. Consequently,level of interestabout the content is also a salient factor to encourage or motivateusers to carry on reading texts on Internet sites. Therefore,appropriate ways to assist students to take advantage of this kind of technology more effectively should be taken into account.