researching ict-integrated efl instruction in japan

Researching ��ICT-Integrated ��

EFL Instruction in Japan

Mari Yamauchi Michael Stout

ICTEC 2012, Sep. 27-29 2012, New Delhi

Online “communicative” activities 2010-2012

(2010 Fall)

2011 Spring

2011 Fall

2012 Spring

2012 Fall

Regular Class-room

Moodle - In-class - Assigned M-Net - Inter-school - Spon- taneous

Blog 1 (T/S) - In-class - Assigned Blog 2 - Interschool - Spontaneous

Blog 1 (T) Blog 2 (S) - In-class - Assigned Blog 3 (S) - Interschool - Assigned/ Spontaneous

Blog 1 (T) Blog 2 (S) - In-class - Interschool - Assigned

Blog 1 (T) Blog 2 (S) - Assigned - In-class FB Group - Spontaneous - in-class/Interschool

Lab Blog (T) Twitter (S) - In-class - Spontaneous

Blog (T) Twitter (S) - In-class - Assigned/Spontaneous

Successful student blogging can …

v  Make them aware that productive use of English is beneficial for learning it & improving their skills

v  Make them aware of the gap between what they want to say and what they can

v  Make them feel more confident about expressing themselves in English

v  Help them realize what it is like to use English in everyday life

v  Help prepare them for the networked world where they can find plenty of opportunities for communicative use of English

v  Help them build good relationships with classmates

Challenges in implementing student blogging

Related to Technology Use

-  Strong preference for mobile phones -  Limited computer/Internet literacy -  Little expectation to use technology

in language classes

General shyness

Output anxiety Limited

language skills

Developing a learner community

Blogging (out of class)

Pair/Group work

(in class)

- Knowing each other

- Motivation to commu-

nicate

Treatment of students’ errors

Explicit corrective feedback

in the comments

Treatment of students’ errors

Less threatening feedback:

Students’ Posts → Language exercise

(Using Moodle, 2010, N=25)

Students found it hard or too much of bother to use a computer for communicative activities. (“It would’ve been easier with a smartphone!” “How about using cellphones?”)

Strong preference for using mobile phones

Signed up at home in a week 92%

Submitted writing assignment (Ave.) 80%

Dropped by Interschool Forums (M-Net) 76%

Contributed to interschool discussions 60%

Found Moodle easy to use (Don’t know) 29% (38%)

Showed positive feelings about online activities 88%

Strong preference for using mobile phones

Q: Which do you use more often to do the following, a computer or your mobile phone? (May 2012, N=135)

40#19# 18# 26#

14# 5# 6#

36#12# 9#

28#

22#10#

16#18#

10#

22#

20#11#

8#

6# 8#8#

8#

5#

Very#familiar#

Okay# Not#very#familiar#

Not#familiar#at#all#

Very#familiar#



Very#familiar#



Internet#search# Email# MSWord#

I#own#a#computer# My#family#shares#a#computer# We#have#no#computer#at#home#

“Limited” computer experience

Q: Are you confortable using a computer to do the following activities? (May 2012, N=135)

4%#

12%#

31%#

4%#

15%#

20%#

1%#

6%#

4%#

0%# 10%# 20%# 30%# 40%# 50%# 60%#

Never#

Once#a#week#or#less#

275#days#a#week#

6#days#a#week#or#more#

I#own#a#computer# My#family#shares#a#computer# We#have#no#computer#at#home#

… though they do use a computer or the Internet

Frequency of Internet use (n=135)

Devices used to access the Internet (n=63; Multiple answers allowed)

Solution: Mobile-phones-friendly activities

Shared account → Posting by email


Settings for Posting by Email


Labels for tracking

Blogging using a shared account

2011 Spring 2011 Fall 2012 Spring

Blog 1: T & S use + Blog 2: interschool (later)

Blog 1: T use Blog 2: S use/in class Blog 3: S use/interschool

Blog 1: T use Blog 2: S use/ in class & interschool

A shared account used + A class set of iPads

Posting-by-email introduced Labels used to identify the authors

Student posts integrated with class work

Errors from the posts covered in class + Corrective feedback

given in comments

Pair/group work used to help build a community + Students randomly paired up every time


Overall satisfaction

Satisfied: 52% (3.6)

Satisfied: 66% (4.17)

Blogging helps improve English skills

Yes: 85% Yes: 84% (4.6) Yes: 83% (4.7)

Posting by email Easy to use:

66% (4.2) Easy to use: 66%

(3.7) Easy to use: 74%

(4.1)

Commenting on the web

Easy to use: 67% (4.2)



Communication tool

Blog preferred: 59%

Blog preferred: 74%



*Liked the way posts were used in class: 67%

Mistakes to be corrected in red in the post: 42%

Mistakes to be corrected explicitly (in Japanese) in the comment: 61%

*Mistakes to be corrected: 41%

Corrective feedback to be included in the comment: 27%

Mistakes to be covered in class (Worksheet): 22%

Private feedback to be given (email/paper): 27%

Mistakes to be corrected implicitly (in English) in the comment: 17%


Overall satisfaction & relevant factors (2012)

Overall satisfaction with blogging

1 2 3 4 5 6 Ave.

Perceived helpfulness of blogging in English

2 2 4.33 4.25 5.57 5.75 4.74

Satisfaction with pair work 2 2 3.5 4 5 5.75 4.3

Satisfaction with the use of iPads for hands-on instructions

2 2 3 4.5 4.71 5.25 4.09

Perceived ease of use of the posting method

2 1 3.67 3.5 4.71 5.5 4.09

Perceived ease of use of the commenting method

2 1 3.17 2.75 4.86 5.75 3.91

1.   Accessibility of a platform is crucial to get students to participate in the online activities.

v  Using posting by email helps get students started easily in a classroom with limited access to ICT.

v  Hands-on experience using ICT tools in class is desirable to help less experienced students to get started.

2.   Perceived usefulness of activities can be a stronger factor to keep students motivated than perceived ease of use of the online tools.

Conclusions

3. Pair/group work and blogging activities can help each other to promote active participation.

4. Posting by email using a shared account is a great way to help students get used to using English productively.

v  Suitable for assigned work, helping prepare inexperienced/shy students for communicative activities.

v  Not very suitable for informal, spontaneous interaction: tracking and editing problem can be frustrating for those who got used to blogging and want to do more. → Twitter/Facebook will be more suitable.

5. Explicit feedback can hinder spontaneous interaction.

Conclusions

v  If/How Twitter/Facebook can facilitate spontaneous, more natural communication (2012 Fall)

v  If/How their English is improved through online productive/communicative activities (Text analysis)

v How motivational factors correlate each other (Survey revision)

v How to give straightforward corrective feedback

v  If/How student attitudes towards using technology and English will change over the academic year

To be examined

Thank you [email protected]

researching ict-integrated efl instruction in japan

Education