Showing papers in "Language Learning & Technology in 2013"

Students’ perceptions and experiences of mobile learning

Abstract: Daesang Kim, Valdosta State University Daniel Rueckert, Oklahoma City University Dong-Joong Kim, Korea University Daeryong Seo, Indiana State University This study focused on how students perceive the use of mobile devices to create a personalized learning experience outside the classroom. Fifty-three students in three graduate TESOL classes participated in this study. All participants completed five class projects designed to help them explore mobile learning experiences with their own mobile devices, incorporating technologies such as YouTube and VoiceThread. We identified characteristics of these mobile users in Mobile Language Learning (MLL), and the results illuminate how MLL opens up new pedagogical scaffoldings.

Mobile-assisted language learning: A selected annotated bibliography of implementation studies 1994–2012

Abstract: To enhance the information contained in these references, over 90% of the entries are complemented by a brief (~80 word) summary. To the extent that the publication provides such information, each annotation identifies the country of origin of the study, native language (L1) and/or the second or foreign language (L2) involved, the mobile technology used, the learning area(s) targeted, the type of learners, their numbers, the duration of the study, and a summary of the results (i.e., learning outcomes and survey opinions). Since nearly 60% of MALL implementation studies appear outside of professional journals, in conference proceedings, project reports, academic dissertations, and so forth, locating copies of these publications poses a major challenge in itself. For this reason, where possible, links are included to copies of the works cited.

Tablets for informal language learning: Student usage and attitudes

Abstract: Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), a relatively new area of CALL inquiry, is gaining more and more attention from language educators with the development of new mobile devices. Tablet computers—featuring high mobility, convenient network connectivity, and smart application extendibility—are part of a wave of the latest mobile inventions; how these new mobile devices enhance MALL and how students perceive them as a language learning tool have yet to be broadly explored. This action research project sought to investigate how students used tablet computers to learn English in informal settings outside of class and how to foster more effective usage of the tablet for independent language learning. The study shows that tablet computers are ideal tools for creating an interactive, collaborative, and ubiquitous environment for language learning, provided that the technological affordances of the device have been fully explored with the students. This investigation also reveals that students have a generally favorable attitude towards the usability, effectiveness, and satisfaction of tablet computers for MALL.

The development of advanced learner oral proficiency using ipads

Abstract: Franziska Lys, Northwestern University In this study, I investigate the use and integration of iPads in an advanced German conversation class. In particular, I am interested in analyzing how students learn with this new technology and how it affects the development of their oral proficiency level. Overall, my results suggest that iPads are well suited to practice listening and speaking proficiency at advanced levels, as learners were engaged in meaningful, purposeful, and goal-directed discourse. The learner-centered, task-based language learning approach using iPads facilitated interactions and provided scaffolded assistance. On average, students spent twenty-four minutes a week in video conversations on Face-Time alone. In addition, the required weekly recordings increased from a little over one minute at the beginning of the quarter to more than seven minutes for the last assignment. Although task complexity and linguistic complexity increased over the course of the quarter, students still felt comfortable and competent enough to produce increasingly longer speech samples.

Reading and Grammar Learning through Mobile Phones.

Abstract: This paper describes an ongoing language-learning project, three years into its development. We examine both the feasibility and the limitations of developing English reading and grammar skills through the interface of mobile phones. Throughout the project, reading and grammar materials were regularly sent to students’ mobile phones. Students read or took part in any aspect of the materials that appealed to them. Information gathered from participants and server logs indicate that reading and learning grammar using mobile devices is regarded as a positive language experience. However, the data also indicate that the success of any mobile learning project could be limited unless certain criteria are applied. This includes (a) providing engaging learning materials that are neither too long nor overly-demanding; (b) a proper degree of teacher monitoring; (c) student involvement; (d) the need for incentives; (e) a respect for privacy; and (f) a safe and secure mobile-learning technical environment.

Identity Practices of Multilingual Writers in Social Networking Spaces

Abstract: Hsin-I Chen, Tunghai University This study examines the literacy practices of two multilingual writers in social networking communities. The findings show that the multilingual writers explored and reappropriated symbolic resources afforded by the social networking site as they aligned themselves with particular collective and personal identities at local and global levels. Through the designs available to them in these online environments, multilingual writers constructed multiple identities that were dynamic and developmental over time. The writers demonstrated that they adopted different strategies and subject positions when participating in onlinenetworked discourses. Analysis and understanding of these digitally mediated multiliterate practices—by researchers, teachers, and learners alike—may provide insight into pedagogies that recognize and even affirm these practices.

A Framework for Developing Self-Directed Technology Use for Language Learning

Abstract: Chun Lai, The University of Hong Kong Critical to maximizing the potential of technology for learning is enhancing language learners’ self-directed use of technology for learning purposes. This study aimed to enhance our understanding of the determinants of self-directed technology use through the construction of a structural equation modelling (SEM) framework of factors and interactions that determine students’ self-directed use of technology for language learning. A survey was conducted among second language learners at one university in Hong Kong to provide the basis for a model that describes how various psychological and sociocultural factors interact to influence language learners’ use of technology for learning outside school. Attitudinal factors—such as language learning motivation, perceived usefulness of technology for learning, and perceived compatibility between technology use and learning expectancies—played a dominant role in shaping technology use. Perceived support from teachers and peers, self-regulation skills, and confidence in the selection and use of technology effectively impacted technology use mainly through strengthening perceived compatibility and usefulness. The findings suggest that attitudinal factors deserve much greater attention than currently given in promoting language learners’ selfdirected use of technology.

Mobile-assisted grammar exercises: effects on self-editing in l2 writing

Abstract: In this paper, we report on the development and implementation of a web-based mobile application, Grammar Clinic, for an ESL writing class. Drawing on insights from the interactionist approach to Second Language Acquisition (SLA), the Noticing Hypothesis, and mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), Grammar Clinic was designed as a series of outside-class grammar exercises in the format of sentence-level error identification and correction. 19 intermediate level ESL students at a large Midwestern American university used this mobile application in an English academic writing class during a 16-week semester. A mixed methods approach was chosen to investigate (a) the effect of Grammar Clinic on the efficacy of ESL students’ self-editing as well as (b) their perceptions of this mobile application as a tool to improve their English writing. Our analyses show that students’ performance on Grammar Clinic assignments reflects their progress in selfediting. This progress is seen in the positive correlation of the students’ Grammar Clinic performance with their gains on a grammar post-test, an increase of self-editing corrections, and a reduction in errors in the final drafts of two major paper assignments. The impact of this web-based mobile application was documented using qualitative data that considered the students’ use of and perception of Grammar Clinic.

The effects of text-based scmc on sla: a meta analysis

Abstract: Wei-Chen Lin, National Tsing Hua University Hung-Tzu Huang, National Tsing Hua University Hsien-Chin Liou, Feng Chia University As various means of computer mediated communication (CMC) have been incorporated within language classrooms over the past two decades, it has become important to critically understand whether, to which extent, and under what contextual factors, a particular type of CMC is more effective than other modes of communication. This study examined the magnitude of the effect of text-based synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) on second language acquisition (SLA). By searching the studies published between 1990 and 2012, this meta-analysis explored 10 experimental and quasiexperimental journal articles and doctoral dissertations and reports their overall effect on SLA, and the contextual factors that influence the between-study variation. A small but positive overall effect (m = .33) indicates that text-based SCMC could make a larger difference on SLA than other means of communication. Findings further suggested that intermediate learners may benefit more from SCMC tasks if they are grouped into pairs or small groups and participate in SCMC interactions on a weekly basis. In terms of suggestions for future research, authors should provide more description about the SCMC task in order to confirm or disconfirm the factors that are associated with effectiveness of second language (L2) learning in technology-mediated language learning contexts.

Ojibwe language revitalization, multimedia technology, and family language learning

Abstract: Mary Hermes, University of Minnesota Kendall A. King, University of Minnesota Although Indigenous language loss and revitalization are not new topics of academic work nor new areas of community activism (e.g., King, 2001; Grenoble & Whaley, 2006), increased attention has been paid in recent years to the ways that new technology can support efforts to teach and renew endangered languages such as Ojibwe. However, much of the work with Indigenous languages and technology thus far has been aimed at adults rather than children or families (e.g., Coronel-Molina, 2005). Addressing this gap, the current project examined how urban Ojibwe participants utilized computer-based language learning technology with their families at home. Specifically, we investigated how a particular multimedia tool might jumpstart communication in the Ojibwe language at home. During the two-month study, families were regularly video-taped using the software and participated in weekly audio-video recorded interviews regarding their language use and learning. Presented here is a fine-grained, qualitative analysis of two families’ language and technology use. Findings suggest that technology-based language learning was incorporated into existing family dynamics and was helpful in providing a starting point for learning and language use within established extended networks.

Motivation matters in mobile language learning : A brief commentary

Abstract: In this paper I offer a brief commentary on motivational issues in mobile language learning, drawing on empirical insights from the articles in this special issue.

Podcasting for Language Learning through iTunes U: The Learner's View.

Abstract: iTunes U has become the main worldwide provider of educational podcasts but,despite its popularity, little is known about the type of user who downloads iTunes U language resources, or how those resources are used. This paper presents the results of the first major survey (1891 responses) of users of one of the most popular iTunes U content providers in terms of downloads. It presents a profile of the iTunes U language learner, their listening habits and their opinion of the resources they download. Comparisons are drawn between language learners and learners of other subjects. The results show that in contrast with profiles of learners in other contexts, such as VLE-delivered podcasts, identified in previous research (mostly carried out with young university students who download podcasts for instrumental reasons) iTunes U language learners are different. Respondents in this study are mostly middle-aged, employed, and download resources for personal interest. Users have a high opinion of the quality of the materials and believe they help them to learn. The results also show that userslisten to language podcasts on mobile devices, in sharp contrast with previous research. Finally, the paper discusses implications for further research.

L2 identity, discourse, and social networking in Russian

Abstract: Liudmila Klimanova, University of Iowa Svetlana Dembovskaya, Loyola University Chicago As the integration of Internet-based social networking tools becomes increasingly popular in foreign language classrooms, the use of modern communication technologies is particularly critical in the context of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs), where student exposure to the target language and its speakers is usually minimal. This paper describes communicative exchanges between native speakers and non-native speakers (NS-NNS) in a telecollaborative project that spanned two semesters and brought a rich and authentic social networking community, VKontakte, into college-level Russian classes in the United States. The analysis of the students' online activities, phenomenological interviews, and interactions with Russian keypals grounded in the principles of identity construction through interaction (Bucholtz & Hall, 2005) and Discourse Analysis Framework (Gee, 2005) shed light on the students' emerging online second language (L2) identities along the continuum from L2 learners to L2 users. Along with global and local categories of L2 identity enactment in virtual social spaces, we bring into focus the notions of digital wisdom (Prensky, 2009) and investment (Norton, 2000), while exploring the ways in which learners of LCTLs, such as Russian, draw on Internet mediation in order to compensate for the lack of contact with the L2 and to extend social connections beyond the confines of a language classroom.

Using a radical-derived character e-learning platform to increase learner knowledge of chinese characters

Abstract: The present study is aimed at investigating the effect of a radical-derived Chinese character teaching strategy on enhancing Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) learners’ Chinese orthographic awareness. An e-learning teaching platform, based on statistical data from the Chinese Orthography Database Explorer (Chen, Chang, L.Y., Chou, Sung, & Chang, K.E., 2011), was established and used as an auxiliary teaching tool. A nonequivalent pretest-posttest quasi-experiment was conducted, with 129 ChineseAmerican CFL learners as participants (69 people in the experimental group and 60 people in the comparison group), to examine the effectiveness of the e-learning platform. After a three-week course—involving instruction on Chinese orthographic knowledge and at least seven phonetic/semantic radicals and their derivative characters per week—the experimental group performed significantly better than the comparison group on a phonetic radical awareness test, a semantic radical awareness test, as well as an orthography knowledge test.

Applications of text analysis tools for spoken response grading

Abstract: This study explores the potential for automated indices related to speech delivery, language use, and topic development to model human judgments of TOEFL speaking proficiency in second language (L2) speech samples. For this study, 244 transcribed TOEFL speech samples taken from 244 L2 learners were analyzed using automated indices taken from Coh-Metrix, CPIDR, and LIWC. A stepwise linear regression was used to explain the variance in human judgments of independent speaking ability and overall speaking proficiency. Automated indices related to word type counts, causal cohesion, and lexical diversity predicted 52% of the variance in human ratings for the independent speech samples. Automated indices related to word type counts and word frequency predicted 61% of the variance of the human scores of overall speaking proficiency. These analyses demonstrate that, even in the absence of indices related to pronunciation and prosody (e.g., phonological accuracy, intonation, and stress), automated indices related to vocabulary size, causality, and word frequency can predict a significant amount of the variance in human ratings of speaking proficiency. These findings have important implications for understanding the construct of speaking proficiency and for the development of automatic scoring techniques.

Learning Chinese Idioms through iPads.

Abstract: iPads. Students’ short-term and long-term learning was measured; feedback from a questionnaire and artifacts created during the learning process are also reported here. The results show that the textual and visual illustrations of the idioms created by the heritage learners facilitated their learning of the idioms. The results also show that the learners enjoyed this mobile way of learning. This study identified three keys areas that will need to be addressed in the next cycle of action research: learner collaboration, peer learning and assessment, and technological issues.

The Effects of Online Feedback Training on Students' Text Revision.

Abstract: Yu-Fen Yang, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology Wen-Ting Meng, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology Oftentimes, college students who learn English as a Foreign Language (EFL) provide their peers with incorrect and misleading feedback during text revision. To improve the effectiveness of peer feedback, this study examined the degree to which online feedback training impacted EFL college students’ text revisions. A sample of 50 college students was grouped into the moreand less-proficient groups with 25 students in each. Results of this study reveal that the less-proficient students improved more during text revision than the more-proficient students did after the online feedback training on error correction. They were better able to detect and correct both local errors (i.e., grammatical) and global errors (i.e., text development, organization, and style) in their own and peers’ texts. Their texts improved as a result of receiving immediate feedback and having the opportunity to explicitly observe how their more-proficient peers provided corrections and useful suggestions to peers and clarified writing problems for text improvement. The moreproficient students did not trust their peers’ suggestions as much and made corrections mainly on local errors. These EFL college students’ perceptions toward the effects of online feedback training on text revision were elaborated in this study.

Online Strategy Instruction for Integrating Dictionary Skills and Language Awareness

Abstract: Jim Ranalli, Iowa State University This paper explores the feasibility of an automated, online form of L2 strategy instruction (SI) as an alternative to conventional, classroom-based forms that rely primarily on teachers. Feasibility was evaluated by studying the effectiveness, both actual and perceived, of a five-week, online SI course designed to teach web-based dictionary skills integrated with knowledge of lexical patterns (involving grammatical collocation, complementation, and transitivity). Sixty-four learners in a US university ESL composition course were matched for vocabulary size and then randomly assigned to treatment and comparison groups in a learning management system. The SI treatment comprised multimedia presentations and a variety of practice activities with immediate, specific feedback, while the comparison condition involved recurrent use of dictionaries for referencing vocabulary usage features but no instruction. Performance data showed significant gains among the SI group in contrast to the comparison group, as well as a clear need for such training, while perception data indicated that participants felt the instruction was effective and relevant. The findings point to the as yet untapped potential of this form of instruction to address long-standing cost-benefit concerns about SI, as well as to help learners make more strategic use of CALL resources.

From particular to popular: Facilitating EFL mobile-supported cooperative reading

Abstract: This paper reports the results of an action research-based study that adapted a mobilesupported cooperative reading system into regular English as a foreign language (EFL) classes at one Taiwanese elementary school. The current study was comprised of two stages: adaptation and evaluation. During the adaptation stage, a mobile-supported cooperative EFL reading (MCER) system—chosen because of a report about its effects on enhancing the development of young EFL learners’ reading abilities (Lan, Sung, & Chang, 2009)—was tailored to be integrated into a regular elementary EFL curriculum based on the suggestions of experienced elementary EFL teachers. During the evaluation stage, an EFL class learned reading via the support given by the MCER system; quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed to evaluate the effects of the adapted reading system on young EFL learners’ reading abilities. The results revealed that the adaptation and use of the MCER system was successful and that it might facilitate the acquisition of reading abilities by young learners if used within EFL classes around the entire school.

Emerging Technologies: The Technological Imperative in Teaching and Learning Less Commonly Taught Languages.

Abstract: Robert Godwin-Jones, Virginia Commonwealth University Anyone in the United States who wants to learn Spanish can easily find local instructional options. Opportunities abound as well for maintaining oneʼs Spanish: all-Spanish television stations, widely distributed print media, and an abundance of native speakers. Learning opportunities and resources for other commonly taught languages (CTL) such as French or German are fewer than for Spanish, but still much greater than for less commonly taught languages (LCTL) such as Russian. Prospective Russian students will have considerably more difficulty in finding classes offered locally. That is true as well for local conversation partners and other available means to maintain proficiency. If this is the case for Russian, with its over 150 million speakers and geo-political clout, one can imagine the difficulty wouldbe learners of Dari or Ojibwa face. It’s likely that learners of LCTLs will find and use online resources for learning and maintaining the language, because there may be no other option available.

Anonymity and Motivation in Asynchronous Discussions and L2 Vocabulary Learning.

Abstract: Nihat Polat, Duquesne University Rae Mancilla, Duquesne University Laura Mahalingappa, Duquesne University This study investigates L2 attainment in asynchronous online environments, specifically possible relationships among anonymity, L2 motivation, participation in discussions, quality of L2 production, and success in L2 vocabulary learning. It examines, in asynchronous discussions, (a) if participation and (b) motivation contribute to L2 vocabulary learning, (c) if motivation is related to level of participation in anonymous versus nonanonymous discussions, and (d) if a student’s quality of L2 use varies in anonymous vs. nonanonymous discussions. Data from 87 high school students enrolled in a cyber-charter school Spanish II course in the Eastern United States included a preand post-cloze, a vocabulary recognition test, e-documents retrieved from the asynchronous discussions, and demographic information and motivation surveys. Results revealed that students who participated in the asynchronous discussions received significantly higher scores on the post-test than those who did not. In terms of level of participation, nonanonymous forums may have a comparative advantage over anonymous ones for learners with high levels of introjected regulation, whereas for learners with high levels of identified regulation, both forums are advantageous. Introjected regulation was the only significant predictor of success in learning L2 vocabulary. Finally, nonanonymous forums seem to generate higher quality L2 production than anonymous ones.

Digital texts for learning finnish: shared resources and emerging practices

Abstract: Recent studies in the field of new literacies have indicated that a remarkable change in the way we access, consume, and produce information has taken place. The boundaries between concepts such as authorship and ownership have become blurred. This paper will deal with using digital texts in teaching reading comprehension on a university-level course with a special focus on Finnish as a second language. Furthermore, the benefits and challenges of teaching L2 reading comprehension in a multimodal learning environment will be discussed. The three main perspectives utilized are meaningfulness, sharing, and adaptivity. The students attending the course described in the paper were advanced university students from various European countries, who studied Finnish as a second language. The study examines the literacy practices that take place when learners of Finnish as a second language engage in reading and writing blogs in a reading comprehension course. The results of this study indicate that sharing, meaningfulness and adaptivity promote learners’ engagement with reading as a social practice and thus support the claim that using blogs represents opportunities to enhance L2 reading comprehension skills.

Language Development and Scaffolding in a Sino-American Telecollaborative Project

Abstract: Li Jin, DePaul University Previous research (e.g., Belz & Thorne, 2006; Ware & O’Dowd, 2008) has discovered that language learning can be afforded through intercultural telecollaboration. From a sociocultural theoretical perspective, the current study investigated the language development outcomes and process in a 10-week Sino-American telecollaborative project involving 10 college-level American learners of Mandarin Chinese and their respective native Chinese partners from China. The findings show that the American learners’ production quantity in Mandarin Chinese increased steadily throughout the project whereas the quality of their production didn’t improve as rapidly. These learners also selfreported gains in age-appropriate cultural information, reading ability, and expanded vocabulary. The analysis shows the gains can be attributed to the scaffolding conditions (van Lier, 1996, 2004) that focused on friendship building and idea sharing in Mandarin Chinese and were specifically manifested in the operation of intersubjectivity, contingent help, and handover by both American learners and their Chinese partners throughout the project. Possible underlying reasons for the unbalanced focus on form versus on meaning in the project are discussed. Based on the findings, pedagogical suggestions are provided to enhance the learning conduciveness of email-based intercultural telecollaborative projects, particularly those involving participants from oriental cultures.

Computer Learner Corpora: Analysing Interlanguage Errors in Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication.

Abstract: This study focuses on the computer-aided analysis of interlanguage errors made by the participants in the telematic simulation IDEELS (Intercultural Dynamics in European Education through on-Line Simulation). The synchronous and asynchronous communication analysed was part of the MiLC Corpus, a multilingual learner corpus of texts written by language learners from different language backgrounds. The main research questions centred on the differences in the amount and types of errors found in both the synchronous and asynchronous modes of communication, and whether different L1 groups committed certain errors more than their counterparts from other mother tongue backgrounds. As we hypothesised, more errors were found in the synchronous mode of communication than in the asynchronous; however, when examining the exact types of errors, some categories were more frequent in the synchronous mode (the formal and grammatical errors, among others), while in the asynchronous, errors of style and lexis occurred more frequently. A analysis of the data revealed that the frequency of error types varied with each different L1 group participating in the simulation, this same analysis also showed that highly relevant associations could be established the participants’ L1 and specific error types.

Mall—somewhere between the tower, the field, the classroom and the market: a reply to professor stockwell's response

Abstract: In the previous issue of LLT, I commented upon Stockwell (2010), suggesting that the learning activities investigated limited the scope of his research on the effects of the MALL platform. Professor Stockwell responded in the same issue with a spirited riposte. However, it became clear that much of the disagreement lay in a matter of definition. The reply I present here provides a definition of learning activity, intended to clarify any misunderstanding. I then proceed to outline a design for learning activities that would be highly relevant to MALL platforms: I attempt to address the learning activity not only in terms of the constraints imposed on MALL by technological limitations, but also in terms of the psychological and environmental contexts MALL is likely to be used in. My original commentary suggested “that more care needs to be taken to develop a research framework within which the platform is not artificially separated from the learning activity” (Ballance, 2012, p.21); the reply presented here concludes with reflections on the limitations of the design presented herein and implications for future MALL research, with particular reference to “working within constraints in mobile learning” (Stockwell, 2012a, p.24).

Implementing glossing in mobile-assisted language learning environments: Directions and outlook

Abstract: Hansol Lee, Korea Military Academy Jang Ho Lee, Korea Military Academy While mobile technology, such as the touch-based smart-phone, has become part of our daily lives, research into and classroom practices surrounding mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) have generally not kept up with the pace of technological development. This situation may be caused in part by the fact that a considerable proportion of researchers and teachers have not had personal experience with the newly developing technology. In order to improve this situation, the present paper provides comprehensible and useful directions for building web-based reading materials with integrated electronic glossing, with which readers can create their own web-based materials. The authors provide methodological descriptions and discussions of how to implement two useful formats of electronic glossing: (a) hyperlinks to target iframe and (b) tooltips by touching in web pages. The directions are carefully written so that these two formats of glossing work properly in both PC and mobile device environments. Lastly, the authors urge researchers and teachers to be more actively involved in the field of MALL and look forward to future work bridging the gap between computer-assisted language learning and mobile-assisted language learning.

LCTLs and technology: The promise of open education

Abstract: Carl Blyth, COERLL, University of Texas at Austin LCTL educators are beginning to participate in the Open Education movement by developing and sharing their own pedagogical materials referred to as open educational resources (OERs) This new generation of collaborative LCTL materials will invariably challenge longstanding hegemonies in the fields of foreign language education and educational publishing