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IATEFL Poland A Journal for Teachers of English ISSN 1642-1027 Vol. 3, Issue 2 (April 2003) |
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IATEFL Poland A Journal for Teachers of English ISSN 1642-1027 Vol. 3, Issue 2 (April 2003) |
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AN INITIAL STUDY ON EFL LEARNERS' ATTITUDE Abstract This paper focuses on the attitude
of EFL learners towards the integration of multimedia into a language learning
program. It reports on a questionnaire-based survey administered at the end of
the first semester of 2001 to 46 first year junior college students at Wenzao
Ursuline College of Languages in Taiwan. All of these students were majoring in
Spanish but were also taking English Listening and Writing as one of their required
language courses. The survey was related to the English Listening and Writing
course. The results of the survey indicate that the majority of EFL learners
had a positive attitude towards the use of multimedia resources in their
language program, appreciating, in particular, opportunities to practice and
extend their language abilities by surfing the Internet, to take
laboratory-based listening tests via a test analyzer, and to record and save
their own writing and to make use of multi-media resources in developing their
reading skills. Introduction Multimedia technology has been used
worldwide and its application in the field of education has provided teachers a
great deal of convenience in terms of teaching, learning, research, and
communication. It also offers learners an alternative way of learning like
e-mailing, discussing online, self-access learning, presenting assignments or
projects with software. Multimedia application in language
learning has positive influence on students' attitude. Researches show that
students have positive attitude toward the use of computers for language
learning (Fujieda, 1999, Levine, Ferenz, & Reves, 2000). Warschauer (1996)
reports that most students become motivated if teachers integrate multimedia in
the curriculum, provide opportunities of interactivities, and help them get
knowledge and computer skills. The more familiar students were with technology,
the more positive attitude they had toward technology (Jones, 1992). Furthermore,
self-access learning is one of the appealing characteristics of using computers
in the language classrooms. Students develop learner autonomy through web-based
learning individually or cooperatively (Brajcich, 2000). Believing that Information
Technology makes a difference in language learning and teaching and that
learners' needs and learning styles should be taken into account when designing
lessons, the writer has endeavored to reach out for available resources in
terms of hardware and software to enrich her teaching, such as using the
equipment in the language lab. The convenient devices of the test analyzer
accompanying with the audio tape device to check listening comprehension with
instant feedback and the online recording tool which enables learners to
record, save, and submit their reading saves time and highlights the learning
atmosphere. In order to find out the learners' feedback about such integration,
the writer designed a questionnaire with statements and open-ended questions
for the first-year Spanish major students and conducted the survey at the end
of the first semester in 2001. Presenting lessons with Power Point
slides is a new way in the classroom instruction. Practicing listening and
reading with technology is full of novelty. Active participation leads to
motivation of students. The results of the study showed that most learners had
positive feedback toward such computer-based learning procedures as, for
example, taking listening tests with the test analyzer in the lab, recording
and saving their story reading with the lab facilities, and surfing the
Internet to appreciate other people's works online. Literature Review Computer Assisted Language Learning
has been used in the field of language teaching for decades and has been
regarded as a powerful tool for both the teachers and learners. Recently
multimedia and Computer-Mediated Communication have been utilized to affect a
whole new learning experience. Many teachers and scholars have reported studies
of the effectiveness of educational instruction on achievement and students'
attitudes regarding learning with technology (Salaberry, 2001; Oladejo, 2001). Learners' motivation and attitudes
are correlated with their language acquisition (Mantle-Bromleyan, Miller, 1991;
Mantle-Bromley, 1995). According to Schoepp and Erogul (2001), the use of
computer technology helps develop learner autonomy and independence as well as
the growth of self-access language learning. Students gain confidence through
"learning-by-doing" in an interactive environment. Affective domain
does make a difference for language learners. When working online, especially
in Internet-based collaborative learning, students develop the sense of
community and respect different opinions. Computer-based learning provides an
environment that combines the feeling of security, novelty, and exposure to the
real world. It also makes students control their own learning pace, increase
self-esteem, and improve academic skills. Pow (1999) indicated that learners
experienced the value of group work when they were engaged in interactive
activites online. Fujieda (1999) stated that learners who were involved in
group work had positive feedback to the application of technology. Students
perceived the value of word processing, paid more attention to mechanics in
writing and favored computer-based writing (Cunningham, 2000). As for the teacher's role, it has
remained almost the same as the facilitator, designer, advisor, cooperator,
except that the instructor has to develop computer literacy, manage links of
resources, and create interactivities based on his/ her understanding of the
characteristics of the modern "magic". Teachers who use computer or
Internet as a tool in language teaching also develop their professional growth.
The exposure to numerous teaching websites and authentic resources enables
teachers to retrieve valuable materials and make necessary adaptations to meet
learners' needs. Technology-supported tasks foster the development of cognitive
strategies, socioaffective strategies, and metacognitive strategies (Loyo,
deMagnago, 2001). In the new trend of technology-based learning, only through
the teacher's experimenting with using IT, like the Internet and
Computer-Mediated Communication, can both learners and teachers realize what
they can or cannot do (Chen, 2001, Mantel-Bromley, Miller, 1991). The purpose
of this study is mainly to examine students' attitude toward the application of
multimedia. More specifically, it reports the perceptions of junior college
freshmen who have never taken a formal language class with computer class as a
whole group in school. This study is to be used as a pilot study for the
upcoming project undertaken by the writer and the other two colleagues in the
second semester to investigate the correlation between the learners' performance
and the exposure to the technology-enhanced environment. Method Subjects The study took place in the first
semester of academic year of 2001 and the subjects in this study were the
46-freshman class of Spanish Department in Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages.
The population was the first year junior college students who were taking first
year English Listening and Writing as one of the required language courses
while the study was conducted. The instructor met the class four hours a week,
i.e. two hours in the classroom and the other two hours in the language lab
where there are individual audio devices for students (a headphone set, a
cassette tape booth) and for teachers (a teacher's control counsel with two
cassette decks, a test analyzer, a videotape player, a screen, a projector, and
a computer.) A new multimedia language lab with all the equipment mentioned
above in addition to individual computer connecting to the Internet was
installed while the study was undertaken. The writer reserved it twice in order
to offer them an extra opportunity to actually learn with technology. Instruments and Materials The writer used the following
instruments in the study: 1) a questionnaire with Likert
Scale, a five-point scale ranging from 5 strongly agree to 1 strongly disagree
and open-ended questions, 2) the regular language lab (E301)
and the multimedia language lab (W002), 3) Statistics Package for Social
Studies (SPSS) for Windows to analyze collected data quantitatively. The materials used in this study
included OHP slides for dicto compositions and the websites for teachers: ALELA
(http://alela.wtuc.edu.tw) which students logged in with a fixed user name and password (the user
name: ALELA, the password: antonialin), and ALELA at Blackboard, which was a
free-of-charge website and was available before June, 2002. Dicto composition
is a dictation training that has been practiced for more than a decade in
Wenzao Ursuline College. At the first stage, students are given two to four
pictures and listen to the teacher's story once without writing anything down
in the first listening. Then the teacher reads a couple of sentences three
times and students concentrate on listening to the sentences, which they write
down after the teacher finishes each section. The same process continues until
the whole story is done. At the final stage, students may check their writing
while the teacher reads the whole story again. All the lessons covered in the
first semester were presented in the transparencies in the PowerPoint format
which were also uploaded to the teacher's website for learners to explore as
supplementary learning or take an adventure in listening and writing on their
own in their spare time. Procedures The first year students were
scheduled to learn writing through dicto composition with which they were
trained to listen to a passage and write down what they heard correctly. The
principal instruction tool was transparencies and the writer’s ALELA website. The
instructor used transparencies in the classroom for each lesson and students
gave feedback on such an alternative way in learning English writing. The
writer's website ALELA was introduced to the students in the language lab. Besides
dicto composition, students were required to make a series of story mini books
by using all the stories they had written. In order to accomplish this task,
the newly installed multimedia language lab was reserved twice (four hours) for
the class to experience computer-mediated learning in the last month of the
semester. A guideline was provided to the learners so that they could operate
the computer on their own with less anxiety. The main task of the first two
hours was to practice how to surf ALELA page by page, appreciate the works in
words or in sound, and practice using the recording devices to read their
stories in the mini books. The instructor prepared a guideline as shown below
for the class so that they could follow the steps of recording their stories,
which the instructor had posted online. Thus, they could save their stories in
the text file and voice file on the Internet as well as a sound file on a tape.
As for the other two hours in
the multimedia language lab, students were invited to record their favorite
story formally and then mail it to the instructor who then classified them by
topic and uploaded the learners' read-aloud to the website. Students were also
invited to reflect on such a project in ALELA's guest book. In the last period of the course, a
questionnaire with a 5-point Likert Scale and open-ended questions was
conducted with instructions. (See Appendix). The questions were grouped
according to 1) learning in the first semester, 2) computer literacy, and 3)
suggestions to classmates, teacher, oneself, and ALELA. This questionnaire took
place in the lab and it took about fifteen minutes. Afterwards, the collected
data were run under SPSS for Windows. In the questionnaire, part I
consisted of 16 questions, of which questions 7-16 were followed by reasons in
addition to the scale. Part II consisted of 6 questions, of which questions 1-5
were the opinion scale and question 6 was to figure out the length of time
these learners had worked on computers. Part III consisted of open-ended
questions allowing them to evaluate their own learning, reflect on their peers'
and the teacher's work. Results and Discussion Data collected from the
questionnaire were qualitatively transcribed and quantitatively analyzed. The
following tables show the results of students' preference in terms of learning
in the first semester, multimedia application, and computer literacy. As for
the open-ended questions, a summary of students' opinions follows the tables. Additionally, the feedback of
students' experience in the multimedia language lab is also summarized in this
section. My learning in the first semester Eight statements concerning the
activities of dicto composition are listed below. 1. In dicto composition I like listening to one sentence three times. 2. In dicto composition I like listening to two sentences three times. 3. In dicto composition I like listening to three sentences three times. 4. I can write well when listening to one sentence read three times. 5. I can write well when listening to two sentences read three times. 6. I can write well when listening to three sentences read three times. 7. I like using transparencies to learn writing. 8. I like revising writing with transparencies. As shown in Table 1.1 below, over 73
% of the subjects agreed or strongly agreed that they liked listening to one
sentence three times, and only 1 of the students (2.2 %) disagreed. Over 58 %
of the subjects agreed or strongly agreed that they liked listening to two
sentences three times, and 13 % of them disagreed. Only 6.5 % of the learners
agreed that they liked the listening to three sentences three times, and over
60% of the subjects disagreed or strongly disagreed. As for being able to dictate well,
over 82 % of the students agreed or strongly agreed that they could write well
when listening to one sentence read three times, and only one student (2.2 %)
disagreed. Over 39 % of the students agreed or strongly agreed that they could
write well when listening to two sentences read three times, and about 17 % of
them disagreed. About 4 % of the students agreed or strongly agreed that they
could write well when listening to three sentences read three times, and over
67 % of them disagreed or strongly disagreed. In response to using transparencies
as an instructional tool to learn writing, over 63 % of the students agreed or
strongly agreed, and about 6 % disagreed or strongly disagreed. As regards
revising writing with transparencies, more than 52 % of the students agreed or
strongly agreed, and 13 % disagreed or strongly disagreed. Table 1.2 indicates the mean and
standard deviation of students' responses towards dicto composition. Most of
them gave positive feedback (1 = 1.74, 2 = 2.41, 4 = 1.67, 5 = 2.74, 7 = 2.28,
8 = 2.48) except having the three sentences read thrice (3 = 3.63, 6 = 3.89).
Table 1.1. The Percentage Analysis of Students' Responses to Dicto
Composition
Table 1.2. The mean and standard deviation of questions 1 to 8 The subjects had positive response
to listening to one sentence read three times as well as writing well when
listening to one sentence read three times. Likewise, they seemed to respond
negatively to listening to three sentences read three times and writing well
when listening to three sentences read three times. It appeared that listening
to one sentence read three times was preferred since it was easier for the
learners to handle. Listening to three sentences read three times was the least
preferred since it was more challenging and stressful than the others. Reasons Showing transparencies in the
classroom seemed to be less effective than in the multimedia language lab. The
instructor orally inquired the learners' opinions about the transparency
presentation in order to make improvement of the font, size, and the layout of
the page. As for the use of transparency, over half of the students agreed or
strongly agreed. This could be continuously used in the second semester, but
the font of the words and the distance between the lines should be modified. It
seemed that the class had never had the experience of learning English through
transparencies. As regards the use of transparencies to learn writing, the
learners made the following suggestions: 1. It is clear but the font should be enlarged. They also gave the following
positive feedback: 1. I can concentrate on the lesson. As for the revision of writing with
transparencies, students thought they could see their mistakes immediately. Nevertheless,
some of them were unable to catch up with the pace, and they could not see the
text clearly. Multimedia application Eight statements in terms of
multimedia application in language learning are listed below. 1. I like listening test with buttons in the lab. Table 2.1 shows the descriptive
report of multimedia application. In response to the use of the test analyzer
in the language lab (E301), more than 80 % of the students strongly agreed or
agreed, and only 4 % disagreed. In terms of recording, over 80 % of the
learners agreed or strongly agreed that they liked recording the stories in the
language-computer lab, and only one student (2.2 %) out of 46 disagreed. More
than 78 % of the learners agreed or strongly agreed that they liked the way of
recording their favorite story in the multimedia language lab, and about 6 % disagreed.
Almost 70 % of the students liked sending their reading via email, and only one
student (2.2 %) disagreed. More than three quarters (76.1 %) of the students
liked surfing ALELA, and only two students (4.3 %) disagreed. As regards individual work in
association with creative work, about 32 % of the students liked the way of
making storybooks, and about 15 % of them disagreed or strongly disagreed. With
regard to making stories with the chosen words listed in ALELA, nearly 37 % of
the learners agreed or strongly agreed, and about 15 % disagreed. When being
asked about reading their story on the platform, over one fourth of the
learners (28.2 %) agreed or strongly agreed, and about 13 % of them disagreed
or strongly disagreed. Regarding the mean and standard
deviation of students' responses towards their preference to multimedia
application, all of them gave positive feedback as shown in Table 2.2. Their
attitude towards story recording and sending the story via e-mail was positive.
However, the means of their preference for story making and reading their
stories out loud were not so high as the other activities in the category of
multimedia application.
Table 2.1. The Percentage Analysis of Students' Preference to Multimedia
Application.
Table 2.2. Mean score and standard deviation of questions 9 to 16. Reasons As for the listening test with
buttons in the lab, students indicated that it was fun, easy, exciting, and
convenient to do so because they could see the results right after the test. Besides,
some of them stated that this kind of test was much easier than writing the
answer down while listening. In terms of recording stories in
W002, the students thought it was relaxing and dynamic, and it was great to hear
their own story. They could erase the file by clicking the mouse instead of
rewinding the tape. Also, they were able to save their voice files and send
them to other people or themselves. Although they could interact with other
people through exchanging their stories, some of them were afraid of the
failure of delivery. As to the students' opinions about
surfing ALELA, they responded that it was interesting, convenient and abundant
with information. It was great to have ALELA because they could review lessons
and get extra practice. Only one replied that it was kind of mess and one said
that the parents would not allow his or her surfing the Net at home. In reply to the storybooks project,
students had different opinions. Some thought it was great and brought a sense
of achievement. They had a lot of fun with the extra learning style. Some
thought it caused them trouble because it was hard to make storybooks and it
did not help a lot to their English. Some preferred to write the stories in
their notebook instead of making mini storybooks. In regard to the story making
based on the given words, some thought it was a test to check their writing
ability and it was fun to do so. What's more, it stimulated imagination and
they could make use of words. Yet, some thought they had no creation in making
stories because theirs appeared to be similar to the teacher's. Although only
part of the class had the chance to read their stories aloud on the platform,
some of the students thought it would make them nervous and scared, and they
were not willing to read to the class. Some replied that it was good to share
their stories and practice their speaking ability. My computer literacy Five statements concerning computer
literacy are listed below. 1. I have no problem in working on computers. As shown in Table 3.1 below, 63 % of
the subjects agreed or strongly agreed that they had no problem in working on
computers, and only 8.7 % of the students disagreed. Over 65 % of the students
agreed or strongly agreed that their computer competence was sufficient for
them to work in the multimedia language laboratory, and only 6.5 % disagreed. 8.6
% of the students agreed or strongly agreed that they had no experience of
using computers before, and 84.8 % disagreed or strongly disagreed. Obviously,
this matched with the learners' computer history as presented in Table 4; in
other words, 84.8 % of the students had enough computer experience. Over one
quarter of the subjects (26.1 %) agreed or strongly agreed that they knew how
to type and could type fast, and about 28.2 % disagreed or strongly disagreed. 17.4
% of the students agreed or strongly agreed that they could not type at all,
and over half of the students (56.5 %) disagreed or strongly disagreed. The mean and standard deviation of
students' responses towards their computer literacy show that most of them gave
positive feedback as presented in Table 3.2. It reveals that students did have
experience of using computers and they were able to type. The speed of typing
would be an issue for them. They would take a formal typing training course in
the second year.
Table 3.1. The Percentage Analysis of Students' Computer Literacy The results of the percentage in
students' computer literacy might imply that typing skills should be trained. In
fact, students are going to learn typing in the second year. If further study
is to be continued, instructors need to take the issue into account when
working in the multimedia language lab.
Table 3.2. The Mean & Standard Deviation of Students Responses
towards Their Computer Literacy The computer literacy data in Table
3.2 reveal that students did have some knowledge in working on computers and
they had experience in using computer. This information is quite valuable for
the instructor so that guided instructions may be provided to the students who
need it. Learners' experience with the
computer In order to investigate students'
experience in using computers, a sentence was given for them to fill in the
length of time they learned about computers, such as how to work on Word, send
email, etc. Question: I have learned about computers (such as Word, e-mail, etc.)
for … years. As shown in Table 4, 15.2% of the
students had never learned or were going to learn how to use computer and 43.5%
had learned about computers for about one year. Surprisingly, 41.3% of them had
learned about computers for 2 to 7 years.
Table 4. The Percentage Analysis of Students' Computer History. Table 4 indicates that most learners
(84.8 %) had computer experience and this would lead to the possibility of
integrating educational technology instruction in the upcoming project. Nevertheless,
in order to offer a secure learning environment, a brief online learning
orientation should be arranged. It appears that further detailed questions
about what learners can do with computer should be developed, such as "Can
you work on Word/Excel/Access/PowerPoint/Front Page?" Thus, the instructor
may get a clearer picture of the learners' computer skills. Feedback of students' experience in
the language-computer lab Most of the learners showed positive
feelings toward working on the tasks in the multimedia language lab. Here are
some of their expressions without correction. I like this class very much because
we try something new,like using computer to record..... if we can have the
class like that every time.That must be wonderful! I don't know computer very
much.Today in this class, I feel very good.It's new for me. It's too fun!I like using computer!I
like the class which like this!Thank you Miss Line, you give me the good class!
^_^ I like Wenzao.It's because Wenzao
has good machines!I'm so embarrassed!I like computer class! I love computer because it's useful.I
feel good today!I got more things about computer on 002!~~~YA! I'm so excited this class,so today I
can learn something more.I always play games with computer, so … Have a good
time. I learned computer for one month in
summer vacation,so I am not so good for computer, just can a little about WORK.
Today is fun.I like to use computer. The class in W002 is much better
than in E301 because the desk here has computer & educational recorder.W002
IS SO NICE ! IT'S A GREAT CLASS IN W002!!!! TODAY
IS A LITTLE SPECIL ~BECAUSE WE CAN USE COMPUTERS~~ IT'S NOT AS NERVOUS AS IN
THE CLASS. I cannot use the computer very
well.I feel today is so good...because I didn’t record with computer before I can just use a little computer. It's
really interesting and useful use recorder and computer at same time. I think this class very busy,but I
feel good. It is because I can learn more. I studied computer by myself two
years ago.I think today I learn some special in W002.Thank you very much, Miss
Lin. This classroom let me feel very
perfect,and I like it so much.I HOPE WE CAN COME HERE EVERY CLASS! I don't know computer at all.I feel
happy and I think it's a very good experience for me. I think it is good for us.I learned
something about computer. I like this way to learn English. Obviously, students were excited to
work in such a special and well-equipped environment. When there is less stress
in a learning situation, learners' motivation becomes high; as a result,
learning takes place effectively. What students expressed in the message board
corresponds to Warschauer’s (1996) statement. If learners are given
opportunities to work on technology in language learning, they become
motivated. It also matches with Jones's (1992) expression that when learners
get familiar with technology, they have positive attitude toward technology. As shown in Table 3.1, the learners
can type, but what they did in the message board as quoted above reveals that
they did not have a formal training in typing in that they did not strike the
space bar to leave a space after the comma or two spaces between sentences. They
seemed to use a lot of emoticons, Chinese punctuation marks and capitalized
words to emphasize their opinions. Conclusion In this paper the writer reported
the use of a variety of multimedia technology in teaching English to EFL
freshmen in the junior college in terms of dicto composition, story writing,
story recording, and Internet surfing. Learners perceived that
technology-enhanced learning motivated them in that they could accomplish their
tasks and that it was such an unusual experience to work in the lab where they
could operate the machines appropriately and complete their tasks successfully.
The findings have raised the
writer's awareness of creative work in the future. Although some of the
learners might regard it difficult, they are fascinated with the marvelous
functions of technology, for instance, to present computer-based writing
lessons and to offer chances for students to practice language and accomplish
their work. Learners' autonomy and language exposure can be developed
appropriately if the amazing technology devices can be well integrated in the
curriculum. Thus, the multimedia language lab is
to be reserved for the class in the second semester in order for the instructor
to have a closer observation and further investigation in the use of multimedia
language lab for language teaching and learning. In conclusion, this study is an
initial investigation at Wenzao focusing on junior college freshmen's attitude
towards and preference for multimedia application in language learning and
teaching. It seems that it is worth integrating multimedia in the curriculum of
language teaching for teenagers. To date, the institution where the instructor
is teaching right now has purchased a licensed courseware platform and has
started using the so-called E-course as a formal teaching resource or
supplementary resource. Since it was professionally designed for education, it
affords much more functions than the teacher-made website. For further study,
the effects of E-course, online, or partial online course may be compared with
the traditional classroom instruction. References Brajcich, J. (2000)
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Teacher Online, March, 2000. URL: http://langue.hyper.chubu.ac.jp/jalt/pub/tlt/00/mar/sh_brajcich.html Chen, C. F. (2001)
"Constructive Freshman English Learning on the Internet." The
Proceedings of the Tenth International Symposium on English Teaching. Taipei:
The Crane Publishing Co. Ltd., 249-261. Cunningham, K. (2000)
"Integrating CALL into the writing curriculum." The Internet TESL
Journal, Vol. VI,
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Fujieda, M. (1999) "Japanese
EFL learners attitudes toward CALL." URL: http://www.econ.fukushima-u.ac.jp/~matsuura/lla.html
Jones, T. (1992) "IITS
Students' evaluation questionnaire for the fall semester of 1991. A summary
report." Eric Document Retrieval Service ED 345 716, URL: http://www.tcom.ohiou.edu/ouln/Stdtatt.htm Levine, A., Ferenz, O., Reves, T.
(2000) "EFL academic reading and modern technology: how can we turn our
students into independent critical readers." TESL-EJ, Vol. 4, No.
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learners' behaviors and attitudes towards on-line language learning." The
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activity in writing through information technology." Paper presented at
ITMELT 99 Conference, Hong Kong, 1999, URL: http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/conference/papers/index.htm#Encouraging%20creative%20writing%20through%20Information%20Technology. Salaberry, M. (2001) "The use
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in Foreign Language Learning. Hawaii: University of Hawaii
Press. Appendix Questionnaire on S1B Listening & Writing in 2001 Please read each statement and circle the best answer that
describes your opinion. 1 = strongly agree I. My learning in the first semester In dicto-composition I like the way of reading one sentence three times. In dicto-composition I like the way of reading two sentences three
times. In dicto-composition I like the way of reading three sentences three
times. I can write well when listening to one sentence read three times. I can write well when listening to two sentences read three times. I can write well when listening to three sentences read three times. I like the way of having transparency to learn writing. Reason: I like the way of correcting writing with transparency. Reason: I like the way of listening test with buttons in the lab. Reason: I like the way of recording my stories in W002. Reason: I like the way of recording my favorite story in W002. Reason: I like the way of sending my reading via e-mail. Reason: I like the way of surfing ALELA. Reason: I like the way of making story books. Reason: I like the way of making stories with the chosen words. Reason: I like the way of reading my story on the platform. Reason: II. My computer literacy 1. I have no problem in working on computer. 2. I think my computer skill is good for me to work in W002. 3. I had no experience of using computers before. 4. I know how to type and I can type fast. 5. I cannot type at all. 6. I have learned about computers (such as Word, e-mail, etc.) for …
years. (Please put a check.) ___ never ___ going
to learn soon ___ less
than 6 months ___ 7
months ~ 1 year ___ 2
years ~ 3 years ___ 4
years ~ 5 years ___ 6
years ~ 7 years ___ more
than 8 years COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION: Abstract Class discussions conducted in a CMC
environment may give students an equal opportunity for participation. This
paper discusses English language lessons which were conducted in such an
environment. It particularly tries to see how best to teach language using the
synchronous mode of communication. Pair-work, small group and whole class
discussions were studied for this purpose. The study shows that students
preferred small group discussions as they were more interesting and stimulating
than the other two modes of communication. Students’ background such as their
command of the language and their nationality were taken into consideration
when the grouping was done. This was to ensure the effectiveness of
communication. Seating arrangement was also important to warrant that they
would not resort to face-to-face interaction. Introduction In a traditional language classroom,
creating an authentic environment for interactive communication to take place
might be a problem. Thanks to the advances in technology, the creation of such
an environment ceases to be a major obstacle, especially in cases where
telecommunication technology is available in the classroom. Class discussion on
a computer network entails meaningful use of the target language (Colombo and
Simutis, 1996), as, for example, students can be asked to engage in classroom
discussion online with their classmates via the computers. This may encourage
students to apply the language skills that they are learning. It also gives them
more opportunity to participate as everybody can contribute their ideas without
having to wait for their turn. The technology can hence increase students’
opportunities for collaboration and active participation. As learners are forced to use their
knowledge of the language structure to construct meaningful information,
Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) environment may facilitate and promote
comprehensible input. Users of CMC technology can share brief as well as
lengthy messages, not only in one-to-one but also in one-to-many mode of
communication. Such attributes may facilitate collaborative reading and writing
(Warschauer and Kern, 2000). CMC allows either asynchronous (not
simultaneous) or synchronous (simultaneous) communication with other users in
real time modes. The synchronous mode of CMC is indeed a combination of written
and oral styles of communication (Bordia, 1996). As it is not face-to-face, it
is not entirely spoken but neither is it strictly written as the composition is
done online where the use of planning and editing strategies that are often
employed in writing is ruled out. This paper discusses an attempt to
describe how synchronous or instantaneous conversation via the computers can
provide opportunities for meaningful learner output in a second language
classroom. CMC and Language Learning Different students may have
different learning styles, hence the need to expose them to many kinds of
learning experiences (Brooks, 1997). The use of the computer in this case may
add to the range of learning situations and environments. Both the asynchronous
and synchronous modes of communication can be valuable tools for discussion,
reflection, negation and the development of creative and critical thinking
skills. Learning can be turned into an active process of knowledge acquisition.
Studies on CMC identified equality
of participation as one of the beneficial effects of using electronic
synchronous discussion in writing instruction. Warschauer (1996a) claims that
this equalization effect is the result of the absence of oral interaction which
normally has elements of fear of being interrupted or to interrupt, the need to
manage the floor, and the need to co-orient to the production of sequentially
relevant discourse. In a study done by Chun (1994), the advantages of more
equitable participation in terms of potential learner development in
discoursal, interactional, and functional competence were also reported. Beauvois
(1992) and Kelm (1992) made a positive finding in their study as well. In their
impressionistic account, they mentioned an increase in the participation
pattern of shy students. Students who are often embarrassed to speak up have an
equal tendency to participate in a CMC environment as they do not have to pay
attention to the way they speak. In her study, Beauvois (1992) looked at
real-time synchronous discussions among intermediate Portuguese and elementary
French learners whereas Kelm (1992) observed non-native speakers of Portuguese
enrolled in fourth semester Brazilian Portuguese course. Group Interaction in a CMC
Environment In the traditional classroom, there
are always learners who outshine others when whole class discussions are held. However,
in a CMC environment studies show that electronic discussions increased with
the size of groups (Beavois, 1992; Chun, 1994; Kern, 1995). The researchers
found that group size and equality of participation are negatively related in
traditional oral interaction whilst they are positively related in a computer
aided classroom discussion. It was also reported that there is
no domination in a CMC environment. Instead, the quality and efficiency of peer
suggestions for revision increased in the electronic mode of communication
(Sullivan and Pratt, 1996). In another research work done on four groups of
students, it was mentioned that three out of the four groups shared greater
equality of participation in the electronic discussion. The conclusion was made
based on the ratio of total words per speaker per total amount of words
produced by the groups (Warschauer, 1996b). Warschauer, however, asserts that
research into small group discussions is still scarce and that further studies
would need to be done in order to confirm the equalization impact of the two
modes of communication. Objectives of Study The general objective of this study
is to look at the aspects that would have to be considered if electronic
discussion is to be adopted in language classes. Although many of the studies
found such a discussion beneficial, there is little information on how to
ensure that the desired output is achieved to its maximum. Hence, in this
study, groups of students will be observed as they discuss via the computers to
see how best to teach using the synchronous mode of communication. Study Sample The study was conducted on three
English proficiency classes at a tertiary institution in Malaysia. There were
students from various countries in all of these classes, the majority being
Malaysians. The others included those from West Asian, South Asian, South-East
Asian, African and European countries. The findings reported in this paper are
based on a month’s period of observation. There were 20 to 30 students in each
class, and they belonged to the intermediate group. The English courses that
they were following were in the four integrated language skills, namely
reading, writing, listening and speaking. The classes chosen for this study
were those doing the speaking and listening components. This was done because
of CMC’s close resemblance to spoken discourse. Instruments Various interactive chat network
programs were tried for the purpose of this study. Yahoo! Messenger (http://messenger.yahoo.com/) was the first software used. The teacher found it too time-consuming
especially when she tried to register the students for the program. The line
was too slow especially during peak hours. The teacher then resorted to a chat
room which was manned by the English Division of the University. This was also
found to be problematic as other language courses were also online at the same
time as this class, which congested the system. After a two-week period, the
teacher finally decided to use a local area network program called LAN Chat
Enterprise. This works fine as it does not rely on the Internet. The
instructions were easy to follow, and the teacher then decided to adopt the
program for the rest of the lessons. This Study As suggested by Warschauer (1996a),
the electronic discussion is only done when there is a need to do it, which was
the approach adopted also in the present study. Discussions were held based on
the themes of discussion for the week. The students were made aware of the need
to use the technology, in doing the exercise to make them see the relevance of
it to improve their language proficiency. The students in all classes were
asked to discuss the topic of the day as part of their pre-listening activity. They
were then asked to listen to the assigned tape. A worksheet was provided to
answer the questions posed in the tape. The students were then asked about the
difficulties that they faced in understanding the conversation on the tape. An
open-ended question concerning the topic was then given to the students for
them to discuss using the synchronous mode of electronic communication. In the
study, there were students who questioned the reason behind using computers for
communication. Some felt that the traditional mode might be a better alternative
for learning purposes. The teacher in this study made it known to the students
that mistakes made in oral communication are often left undetected or
uncorrected. The print-out of their interaction would enable them to see their
own mistakes at the end of each lesson. Various approaches were used in this
study, such as small group discussions, pair-works and whole class discussions. Small Group Discussions Students were divided into small
groups, which consisted of three or four students each. Initially the grouping
was based on students’ preference. However, when it was observed that weak
students tended to choose other weak students, the grouping was done by the
teacher herself. She made sure that there was at least one student who was
better than the others in each group. They were expected to lead the
discussion. Such a student could also be the model for the other students,
serving as a provider of comprehensible input in this sense. Wherever possible,
the teacher also made sure that at least one student of a different nationality
was in the group. This was to reduce the likelihood of them using their native
language instead of English. Apart from that, members of every group were
placed far apart to ensure that they would not resort to face-to-face interaction. Pair-work Discussions Pair-work discussions were held for
some of the activities. The study shows that the students’ participation was
highest in this form of discussion as members were compelled to discuss with
each other. However, when they were asked whether they liked this mode of
discussion, a majority of students said they disliked it. They would rather
discuss in small groups of three or four because they found generating ideas
difficult when discussing one-to-one. They also found pair-work less
interesting because they had to wait longer for a response than in small group. Whole Class Discussions Whole class discussions were held in
the first two weeks. All the students were expected to discuss the given topic
electronically. They were asked to join the ‘common group’ mode to enable them
to discuss with the whole class. This instruction was, however, ignored by the
students and many chose to remain in their small group. Observation Analysis The observation revealed a few
salient points for consideration if this method is to be employed at all by a
language teacher. Time for Discussion Before allocating the time for this
type of activity the teacher must first choose a program that is easy to handle
both by a language teacher and students. The more advanced students might be
able to cope with a more sophisticated program provided that the teacher
himself or herself finds the program user-friendly. Initially, 45 minutes were allocated
for discussion via the network. Based on the output it was observed that
students got restless after half an hour of discussion. After thirty minutes,
they started to stray from the given topic. However, when the students were
asked at the end of the study whether thirty minutes were enough, most
mentioned that they preferred to have a longer time (up to forty-five minutes).
They argued that they needed more time to allow them to think before they gave
their response. Students’ Participation As reported by Warschauer (1996a),
Chun (1994), Beauvois (1992), and Kelm (1992) there was equality of
participation in the sense that all students had an equal chance of
participating in the discussion. But this does not mean that you actually get
the participation of all those involved in the activity. In this study, it was
observed that many of the students did not join the whole class mode of
discussion. Table 1 shows the number of students from the three classes who
participated in online discussions in the second week. The table reflects that
on average less than half of the students joined the whole-class discussions. Added
to that, not all of them could participate actively as they had to wait for
their turn. Table 1: Students’ Participation in
Online Discussions in the Second Week*
* Discussions in the first week are
omitted because of the numerous technical problems that we experienced in that
week. When the students were interviewed,
they admitted that they enjoyed small group discussions more than whole class
discussions, as the latter were observed to be complicated as far as
turn-taking and flow of discussion were concerned. The students tended to rely
on their group leaders to communicate with the teacher, not feeling the need to
participate. This would defeat the objective of the discussion where all of the
students were expected to collaborate and contribute ideas. This aspect of
whole class discussion is actually similar to a whole class discussion in a
face-to-face environment, where the more outspoken and confident students tend
to dominate. It is worth mentioning that the picture might have been different
if the teacher had played a more authoritarian role in the class. The study also shows that the small
group discussion is the more desirable mode of discussion. It was noticed that
the better ones in the groups were able to generate discussion. They made the
others respond, and they helped to rephrase on behalf of those who had
difficulties in expressing their ideas. The output demonstrates that the group
members did not seem to mind it, nobody seemed to be inhibited when they were
engaged in electronic discussions. Peer-correction, however, was found to be
minimal. Language Used Although measures were taken to
ensure that they used the target language, the Malaysians particularly tended
to use their mother-tongue when there were fellow Malaysians in the group. Teacher
control is crucial in such cases to ensure that students would not resort to
their mother tongue. In this study, the teacher constantly checked on the
students, and reminded them to use English when they started to ramble in their
own language. This also shows that teacher’s presence is important in such
classes. The teacher would have to play the role of a moderator in this sort of
discussions. It is also worth mentioning that the Arab speakers hardly used
Arabic in this class, with the different writing scripts as a possible reason
for not doing so. Class Control It is important that the lesson is
well-planned. The time allocated for each exercise would have to be planned
well in advance to ensure that the entire lesson can fit in one class period. In
the lesson-plan, time should also be allocated for setting-up the computers if
electronic discussion is to be held. As students tended to do other things if
they were not watched, a ‘tighter’ control would be needed. It was observed
that when the teacher concentrated on setting up the program for some students
the others started to surf the Internet. For this reason, the presence of an
assistant is invaluable to ensure that no students surf the Internet for other
things when the teacher is not watching. Teacher Feedback At the beginning of the study,
students were excited about the activity as they had never been exposed to
online discussion in a language classroom. Towards the middle of the study, a
few of the students started to question the rationale behind the task. To them
it was less time consuming if it was done orally. The teacher then decided to
use the output for peer correction. From there onwards, the students took the
task more seriously. This shows the importance of immediate teacher feedback in
this kind of exercise. Turn-Taking The output shows that turn-taking
was not as clear cut as face-to-face interaction. While some students were
giving their opinion or responding to another, some other members might send in
their responses at the same time. But it was interesting to see that most
students were patient enough to wait for the response to their answers before
they replied back. Responses which were not meant for them were simply ignored.
The students might not feel this as awkward because many were already used to
chatting on the Internet. Keyboarding Skills Not all students were good at
typing, and this could be quite problematic in this kind of exercise. This was
obvious when a few members of the group got up and went to those who were slow
in responding. It was then that they realized that the problem lay in their
partner’s keyboarding skills. This was apparent in all classes. However,
although this problem existed, it did not really impede communication. In fact,
when they were interviewed, the students said that they did not find
keyboarding skill an obstacle to communication. Conclusion The classroom observation of
electronic discussion shows that generally the students were interested in
carrying out the task, that is, provided measures have been taken to ensure the
smooth running of such discussions. These include making the purpose of the
discussions clear to the students. The students should be able to see how they
can improve from such exercises. The planning stage is also important if the
teacher wants to ensure the effectiveness of the lesson as a whole. Other than
that, the program would also have to be user-friendly to ensure that not too
much time is spent on dealing with technical matters. Above all, a CMC
environment is found to be useful in improving students’ proficiency, and the
students found small group discussions more interesting and stimulating. Pair-work
is equally good but students have difficulty in generating ideas to chat
especially when the topic is not familiar to them. In whole class discussions
theoretically all students can participate but in practice only the outspoken
ones did so. To sum up, the small group option is the most favourable CMC
environment for promoting maximum interaction among group members. References Beauvois, M.H. (1992)
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verbal interaction on the Internet: The case of rumor transmission
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computer networking to facilitate the acquisition of interactive
competence." System, 22 (1), 17-31 Colombo, G., Simutis, J. (1996) "Visible
conversation and Academic Inquiry: CMC in a culturally diverse classroom,"
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"Patterns of social interaction and learning to write: Some effects of
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classroom interaction with networked computers: Effects on quantity and
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(4), 457-476. Sullivan, N., Pratt, E. (1996)
"A comparative study of two ESL writing environment: A computer-assisted
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Collaborative Learning: Theory and practice (Research Note No.17) Honolulu:
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7-26.\ Warschauer, M., Kern, R. (Eds.). (2000)
Network-Based Language Teaching: Concepts and Practice. Cambridge:
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Last Updated: April 10, 2003 |
