Implementing sociocultural interactive strategies to foster negotiation of meaning in oral tasks

113 Páginas.Este documento presenta una investigación-acción cuyo objetivo fue analizar los efectos de las estrategias socioculturales e interactivas (Oxford, 2011), en la negociación de significado y a examinar las tácticas para negociar significado al implementar dichas estrategias. Los participantes fueron un grupo de 18 jóvenes de noveno grado de un colegio público ubicado al sur de Bogotá, Colombia. La implementación pedagógica propuesta adaptó el enfoque Basado en Tareas e integró las estrategias socioculturales e interactivas en el desarrollo de interacción oral. Los instrumentos de recolección de datos incluyeron notas de campo, un cuestionario semiestructurado y un registro de pensamiento en voz alta. Se usaron procedimientos de codificación abierta, axial y descriptivos para analizar los datos. Los resultados revelaron que el uso de estrategias socioculturales e interactivas en tareas de interacción oral fomentaron la negociación de significado. Los aprendices ganaron confianza para interactuar de manera oral en el idioma extranjero y las tácticas sirvieron como estímulo para que los estudiantes negociaran significado. Finalmente, mientras los estudiantes usaban diversas tácticas para negociar significado, el uso del español, como una de ellas, disminuyó

Implementation of Focus on Form in a Task-Based Language Teaching Context in the United Arab Emirates EFL Middle School Setting

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has been researched from various perspectives for more than two decades. While research into the theoretical background of the framework and the design and implementation of tasks is growing worldwide, there is little experimental research in the Gulf area and, in particular, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study investigates the implementation of TBLT in an intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms context in the UAE, focusing specifically on how teachers focus on form (FonF) in their teaching practice. The study explores the differences between four teachers when they introduced meaning-oriented tasks based on the textbook and two learning outcomes (LOs) proposed by the Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK). The study also investigates teachers’ views and perceptions towards the TBLT framework, FonF, and the prescribed textbook. It also examines the views of students towards their classroom teachers’ implementation of FonF and the challenges and constraints facing the implementation of TBLT and FonF in the UAE. Adopting a mixed-methods experimental study approach, the data set included a total of one unit taught by four teachers on the same theme, with individual lesson plans and teaching materials. Data were collected from classroom observations, field notes, and documentation of students’ work, as well as interviews with teachers and surveys for both teachers and students. Results show that teachers differed in their teaching practice along four dimensions: (a) the successful fulfillment of the LOs; (b) the type of FonF employed; (c) strategies used in FonF; and (d) the possibility of implementing TBLT successfully in their teaching. All teachers and students agreed that form was important for language learning and mastering. Further, teachers agreed on the efficiency of TBLT as a teaching and learning approach, but time-consuming. Additionally, teachers found the textbook a useful resource but not useful enough when they have to prepare extra materials to fulfill the LOs required by ADEK. Students also found the textbook a great resource for learning form and believed that it offered sufficient explanation for the targeted structures. Further, challenges and limitations that face implementing TBLT in the UAE are: (a) lack of motivation (b) the gap between students\u27 current level of proficiency and the required level; (c) class size; (d) sticking with the learning outcomes; (e) time; and (f) the effect of L1. Findings imply that the most important factors that contribute to enhancing language learning are not the task or the pedagogic framework of the textbook per se, but rather the teachers’ successful understanding of the framework and their reactions to students’ needs in the classroom. It is expected that findings of the study will influence the instructional practices of teachers so as to better teach language form in their classrooms and help students achieve grammatical competence, which is an essential part of language proficiency. It may also help curriculum developers and material designers to amend the existing textbooks to best fit students’ needs. Additionally, this study creates more research opportunities in the context of intermediate EFL school classrooms in the UAE. It is hoped the study will emphasize the benefits of implementing TBLT in UAE educational settings in terms of quantity (or amount) and quality (or depth) of learnin

Enhancing Students’ Motivation in the EFL Classroom Through Life is Strange: A Digital Game-Based Learning Scenario Proposal

Màster Universitari de Formació del Professorat de Secundària Obligatòria i Batxillerat, Facultat d'Educació, Universitat de Barcelona. Curs: 2022-2023. Tutora: Gemma López[eng] This research study introduces a learning scenario integrating the video game Life is Strange (DontNod, 2015) into the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom. It explores the viability and practicality of incorporating digital game-based instruction into English language learning and investigates its impact on student motivation and engagement. The development and partial implementation of the learning scenario in the 4th of ESO classroom are guided by design principles that align with language learning objectives and follow the task-based supported language teaching (TSLT) methodology. Results indicate that the integration of the video game in the instruction generates a substantial learning experience. Students exhibit increased motivation and engagement, actively participating in the tasks. In conclusion, incorporating the video game Life is Strange into instruction effectively fosters student motivation in English language learning. Further research is needed to explore long-term effects, but video games in education promise to enhance student motivation and create engaging learning experiences.[cat] Aquest estudi de recerca presenta una situació d’aprenentatge que integra el videojoc Life is Strange (DontNod, 2015) a l'aula d'anglès com a llengua estrangera. L'objectiu és explorar la viabilitat per incorporar l'ensenyament basat en jocs digitals en l'aprenentatge de la llengua anglesa i investigar el seu impacte en la motivació dels estudiants. El desenvolupament i la implementació parcial de l'escenari d'aprenentatge a l'aula de 4t d'ESO es guien per uns principis de disseny que s'alineen amb els objectius d'aprenentatge, tot i seguint la metodologia TSLT (task-based language teaching). Els resultats indiquen que la integració del videojoc a la classe genera una experiència d'aprenentatge substancial. Els estudiants mostren una major motivació i compromís, participant activament en les activitats d'aprenentatge. En conclusió, la incorporació del videojoc Life is Strange a l’aula fomenta de manera efectiva la motivació dels estudiants en l'aprenentatge de la llengua anglesa. Es necessiten més investigacions per explorar els efectes a llarg termini, però l'ús de videojocs a l'educació és prometedor per millorar la motivació dels estudiants i crear experiències d'aprenentatge atractives

Rethinking task design for the digital age: A framework for language teaching and learning in a synchronous online environment

This article discusses a framework for the development of tasks in a synchronous online environment used for language learning and teaching. It shows how a theoretical approach based on second language acquisition (SLA) principles, sociocultural and constructivist theories, and concepts taken from research on multimodality and new literacies, can influence the design and implementation of tasks for computer-mediated communication (CMC). The findings are based on a study conducted at the Open University, a study which examined all three levels of theory, design and implementation. The paper first presents the underlying theories in more detail before examining how these theories translated into the design of tasks for language tutorials via an audiographic conferencing tool. Finally it looks at how the design was implemented in practice by focusing on a number of issues such as student–student and student–tutor interaction, feedback, use of multimodal tools, and the differences between teaching face-to-face and online

Exploring Teaching Language with Culture

This portfolio contains the author\u27s insights into teaching a second language, which she gained while in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University (USU). It is organized in two major sections: teaching perspectives and research perspectives. The content reflects the author’s main focus and value on language teaching as a graduate instructor and student. In the teaching perspectives section, the author shares the professional environment that she wants to work in, her teaching philosophy statement, and the professional development in language education through observing her colleagues’ teaching. In the research perspectives, two research papers and an annotated bibliography are included, which are tightly related to the author’s philosophy in teaching a second language

Developing Adults\u27 Oral English Communicative Competence in an EFL Environment: Collaborative Studies of a Chinese EFL Teacher and Her Students

Economic and educational globalization presents Chinese college students with career and academic incentives to develop their oral English communicative competence; however, at the secondary level, students study English mainly for the purpose of written tests. As a result, their oral English learning is largely overlooked. In addition, significant challenges exist for learning oral English at the college level: large-sized classes, an English-as-a-foreign-language-learning (EFL) environment, traditional rote learning, student diversity, and different English-learning histories. This research aims at investigating effective teaching pedagogy suitable for large-sized college classes of students developing oral communicative competence in an EFL environment. With Vygotsky sociocultural theory as a foundation, I apply practitioner action research to conduct two phases of study. The action applies a collaborative, communication-oriented pedagogy in a large-sized oral English class. In phase one of the study, students\u27 group or pair work on communicative activities promotes and facilitates their social interactions in an EFL environment that enhance comprehensible input and output. In phase two of the study, continual practicing of communicative activities in groups or pairs facilitates their oral English grammatical knowledge, speaking strategies and sociocultural discourse rules through meaning negotiation and EFL teacher and or learners\u27 collaboration and assistance. Also, practicing communicative activities actively engages students in their own learning process and offers a new role for the EFL teacher: introducing language social rules, directing students to resources, encouraging peer-to-peer assistance, and focusing on feedback that enhances strategic competence. Therefore, I suggest that for developing students\u27 oral English communicative competence in an EFL environment with large-sized classes, consistent group or pair work using diverse communicative activities should be applied.\u2

Interactive story telling among EFL children in Primary School

Este estudio se basa en la importancia que tienen la producción oral y la interacción en la adquisición de una segunda legua. Su objetivo principal es determinar la efectividad del aprendizaje basado en tareas. Para ello, se analiza si una tarea de interacción oral con alumnos de diferente nivel genera estrategias de interacción y comunicación y feedbak correctivo. Además de esto, se realiza un cuestionario final para valorar la motivación y el impacto afectivo de dicha tarea en los alumnos. La actividad que se ha diseñado consiste en la narración de historias y respeta los principios pedagógicos del aprendizaje basado en tareas. Dicha tarea es implementada por 24 estudiantes de once años, y se analiza en detalle la producción de tres parejas de diferentes niveles (alto, medio y bajo). Los resultados muestran que esta actividad promueve la interacción oral, así como el uso de estrategias comunicativas dependiendo del nivel de competencia. Sin embargo, no influencia la producción de feedback correctivo. Además, vemos que la efectividad también parece depender de factores afectivos. A la luz de los resultados podemos afirmar que es recomendable incorporar el aprendizaje basado en tareas en el aula ya que proporciona oportunidades para utilizar el inglés oral de manera comunicativa, sin embargo, es necesario tener en cuenta los niveles de competencia y los factores afectivosThis study focuses on the important role that oral production and interaction play in language acquisition. The main aim is to determine the impact of TBLT by analysing if an oral interactive story-­‐telling task generates communication strategies and provision of feedback among young learners of English with different levels of proficiency. In addition to this, a final questionnaire investigates the importance of affective and motivational factors. The story-­‐telling task was designed bearing in mind TBLT’s principles and characteristics with the aim of promoting learners’ oral interaction in class. The activity was carried out with 24 eleven year-­‐old students, from which the results from three pairs with different proficiency levels were analysed. Results show that the task promotes students’ oral interaction, as well as the use of communicative strategies, whose variety is affected by proficiency. However, it does not appear to influence students’ feedback. On the other hand, affective factors also seem to play an important role in the task’s success. In light of these results, we can state that it is advisable to incorporate TBLT methodologies in the language classroom because they provide learners with meaningful opportunities to communicate orally, however, proficiency levels and affective factors should be taken into account when designing specific tasksGraduado o Graduada en Maestro en Educación Primaria por la Universidad Pública de NavarraLehen Hezkuntzako Irakasletzan Graduatua Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa

Learning English as a Foreign Language in a Blended Mode of Face-to-face and Online Discussions: A Case Study in a University in Taiwan

Learning English as a Foreign Language in a Blended Mode of Face-to-face and Online Discussions: A Case Study in a University in Taiwan Previous studies have documented many beneficial results arising from integrating online discussion with face-to-face instruction for language learning, yet the interactive process of students within both formal and informal contexts remains to be explored. This research examined the dynamics of student learning in blended face-to-face and online discussions in and after class in the context of learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in a university in Taiwan. An embedded case study was applied with a mixed-methods approach to investigate how students jointly accomplished tasks, and how this blended approach had contributed to their English learning. The data collected include the qualitative data of observations on three groups of 14 participants, three focus groups with 11 participants, 72 online discussion logs of the three groups and the quantitative data of 45 questionnaire responses. The findings revealed that students learned primarily through mediation of L1 and L2, through collaborative interaction, through co-construction of meaning, and from teacher and peer scaffolds. Students tended to provide information and suggestions in face-to-face discussions by using L1, but they expressed thoughts, gave comments and probed questions in online discussions by using L2. Students changed their interactive patterns from passive to active by mutually assisting each other in accomplishing tasks. Data also showed that students recognised that blended discussions had contributed to their cognitive, language, interactional and affective gains. Blended discussions were perceived as learner-centred undertakings that increased participation, collaboration and engagement. Four key factors were observed to have affected learning in this blended instruction. The research concludes that blended discussions changed the conventional EFL classroom culture and had a positive influence on student learning in terms of interaction, processes of meaning construction and perceptions. Keywords Online Discussion, Computer-Mediated Communication, Computer-Assisted Language Learning, Blended Learning, Collaborative interaction, Co-construction of Meanin

Oral computer-mediated interaction between l2 learners: it’s about time!

This study explores task-based, synchronous oral computer-mediated communication (CMC) among intermediate-level learners of Spanish. In particular, this paper examines (a) how learners in video and audio CMC groups negotiate for meaning during task-based interaction, (b) possible differences between both oral CMC modes and traditional face-to-face (FTF) communication, and (c) how this oral computer mediated negotiation compares to that found in the text-based CMC literature. Fifteen learner-to-learner dyads were randomly assigned to an audio group, a video group, and a FTF control group to complete a jigsaw task that was seeded with 16 unknown lexical items. Experimental groups used Skype, free online communication software, to carry out the task. The transcripts of the conversations reveal that oral CMC groups do indeed negotiate for meaning in this multimedia context when non-understanding occurs between speakers. In addition, results showed differences in the way audio and video groups carry out these negotiations, which were mainly due to the lack of visual contact in the audio group. No differences were found between video and FTF groups. Furthermore, oral CMC turn-taking patterns were shown to be very similar to FTF patterns but opposite to those found in written synchronous CMC. Oral CMC interaction patterns are shown to be more versatile