A mixed-methods study of online learning in the EFL classroom

Carolina Girón-García; Sorina Boghiu-Balaur

doi:10.4995/rlyla.2021.13950

A mixed-methods study of online learning in the EFL classroom

Carolina Girón-García, Sorina Boghiu-Balaur

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4995/rlyla.2021.13950

Abstract

The need to adapt classroom materials to maintain students’ interest to learn the subject matter in an engaging environment, by means of Information and Communication Technologies, becomes a first concern. The purpose of this mixed-methods study, which involves a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data analyses, is to survey the perceptions and engagement of higher education students as regards learning theoretical content and vocabulary through the implementation of two online called ‘Cybertasks’. The participants were administered two perception questionnaires in order to gather information concerning their previous knowledge and their acquired knowledge. Additionally, a final written exam was delivered to determine whether there is a correlation between students’ satisfaction with Cybertask completion and their academic achievement. The results indicate that students with higher levels of engagement towards the use of the Cybertask to improve their acquisition of theoretical content and vocabulary showed higher academic achievement in their final exam.

Keywords

content-based instruction; task-based language teaching; information and communication technologies; Cybertask; students’ perceptions

Full Text:

PDF

References

Appleton, J. J., Christenson, S. L. & Furlong, M. J. (2008). Student engagement with school: Critical conceptual and methodological issues of the construct. Psychology in the Schools, 45(5), 369-386, https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20303

Bedenlier, S., Bond, M., Buntins, K., Zawacki-Richter, O. & Kerres, M. (2020). Facilitating student engagement through educational technology in higher education: A systematic review in the field of arts and humanities. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 126-150, https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.5477

Bond M., Buntins K., Bedenlier S., Zawacki-Richter O. & Kerres M. (2020). Mapping research in student engagement and educational technology in higher education: a systematic evidence map. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 17:2, 1-30, https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0176-8

Brinton, D.M. & Snow, M. A. (2017). The evolving architecture of content-based instruction. In M.A. Snow & D.M. Brinton (Eds.), The content-based classroom: New perspectives on integrating language and content (pp. 2-20). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Clark R. C. & Mayer R. E. (2016). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119239086

Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Dennis, A. R., Abaci, S., Morrone, A. S., Plaskoff, J. & McNamara, K. O. (2016). Effects of e-textbook instructor annotations on learner performance. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 28(2), 221-235, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-016-9109-x

Dodge, B. (2001). FOCUS: Five rules for writing a great WebQuest. Learning & Leading with Technology, 28(8), 6-9, 58.

Dunn, T.J. & Kennedy, M. (2019). Technology enhanced learning in higher education; motivations, engagement and academic achievement. Computers & Education, 137. pp. 104-137. ISSN 0360-1315, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.04.004

Fincham, D. (2013). Introducing online learning in higher education: An evaluation. Creative Education, 4(9), 540-548, https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2013.49079

Gimeno Sanz, A.M. (2014). Fostering Learning Autonomy in Technology-Enhanced ESP Courses. In: E. Bárcena, T. Read & J. Arús (eds.), Languages for Specific Purposes in the Digital Era, pp. 27-44. Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02222-2_2

Girón-García. C. (2013). Learning Styles and Reading Modes in the Development of Language Learning Autonomy through 'Cybertasks'. ISBN 978-84-695-9179-6. Barcelona. Ed. Universitat Jaume I. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/125440

Girón-García, C. & Silvestre-López, A.J. (2019). Students' self-perception of motivation regarding a Cybertask integrating different types of online resources in the ESP classroom. International Academy of Technology, Education and Development (IATED). pp. 4120-4126. ISSN: 2340-1079. https://doi.org/10.21125/inted.2019.1032

Goh, F. C., Leong, M. C., Kasmin, K., Hii, K. P. & Tan, K. O. (2017). Students' experiences, learning outcomes and satisfaction in e-learning. Journal of E-learning and Knowledge Society, 13(2), 117-128, https://doi.org/10.20368/1971-8829/1298

González-Lloret, M. (2016). A Practical Guide to Integrating Technology into Task-based Language Teaching. Washington D.C. Georgetown University Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02328-1_16-1

González-Vera, P. (2016). The e-generation: the use of technology for foreign language learning. In A. Pareja-Lora, C. Calle-Martínez, & P. Rodríguez-Arancón (Eds), New perspectives on teaching and working with languages in the digital era (pp. 51-61). Dublin: Research-publishing.

Hinkelman, D. (2018). Blending technologies in second language classroom. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53686-0

Hughes, A. (2003). Testing for Language Teachers (2nd Ed.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 0521484952 (paperback).

Keller, J. M. (1983). Motivational design of instruction. In C.M. Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional-design theories and models: An overview of their current status. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Kim, H.J., Hong, A.J. & Song, H. (2019). The roles of academic engagement and digital readiness in students' achievements in university e-learning environments. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 16:21, 1-18, https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0152-3

Kizilcec, R. F., Piech, C. & Schneider, E. (2013). Deconstructing disengagement: Analyzing learner subpopulations in massive open online courses. In Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge (pp. 170-179). Leuven, Belgium: (LAK' 13) Association for Computing Machinery, New York. https://doi.org/10.1145/2460296.2460330

Kokoç, M., Ilgaz, H. & Altun, A. (2020). Individual cognitive differences and student engagement in video lectures and e-learning environments. In E. Alqurashi (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Fostering Student Engagement with Instructional Technology in Higher Education (pp. 78-93). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-0119-1.ch005

Krahnke, K. (1987). Approaches to Syllabus Design for Foreign Language Teaching, Language in Education: Theory and Practice, No. 67. [Washington, D.C.] Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 1987, 105 p. Available at https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED283385

Krause, K-L. (2005). Understanding and promoting student engagement in university learning communities. Centre for the Study of Higher Education: University of Melbourne. Engaged, inert or otherwise occupied? Deconstructing the 21st century undergraduate student at the James Cook University Symposium 2005, Sharing Scholarship in Learning and Teaching: Engaging Students, James Cook University, Townsville/Cairns, Queensland, 21-22 September 2005.

Lei, H., Cui, Y. & Zhou, W. (2018). Relationships between student engagement and academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Social Behavior and Personality: An international journal, 46(3), 517-528, https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.7054

Levitt, R. & Piro, J. M. (2016). Innovation in education through web-based instruction: Digital and cross-platform storytelling. In M. Raisinghani (Ed.), Revolutionizing Education through Web-Based Instruction (pp. 131-144). Hershey, PA: IGI Global, https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-9932-8.ch008

Lightbown, P. M. (2014). Focus on Content-Based Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Long, M. H. (2016). In defense of Tasks and TBLT: Nonissues and real issues. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 36, 5-33. Cambridge University Press, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190515000057

Luzón, M.J, Ruiz-Madrid, M.N. & Villanueva, M.L. (Eds.) (2010). Digital genres, new literacies and autonomy in language learning. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Lyster, R. (2018). Content-Based language teaching. New York: Routledge, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315103037

McLaughlin, M., McGrath, D. J., Burian-Fitzgerald, M. A., Lanahan, L., Scotchmer, M., Enyeart, C. & Salganik, L. (2005). Student content engagement as a construct for the çmeasurement of effective classroom instruction and teacher knowledge. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. Available at http://www.air.org/files/AERA2005Student_Content_Engagement11.pdf https://doi.org/10.1037/e539752012-001

Martin, F. & Bolliger, D. (2018). Engagement matters: student perceptions on the importance of engagement strategies in the online learning environment. Online Learning, 22(1), 205-222, https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v22i1.1092

Navarro-Coy, M. & Silvestre-López, A.J. (2010). The CIBERTAAAL Project: Helping Students Become Wreaders. In Digital genres, new literacies and autonomy in language learning. Luzón, M.J, Ruiz-Madrid, M.N., & Villanueva, M.L. (Ed.) (pp. 101-125) Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Perea-Barberá, M.D., & Bocanegra-Valle, A. (2014). Promoting Specialised Vocabulary Learning Through ComputerAssisted Instruction. E. Bárcena, T. Read & J. Arús (eds.), Languages for Specific Purposes in the Digital Era, pp. 129-154. Cham: Springer https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02222-2_7

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants Part 1. On the horizon, 9(5), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816

Prensky, M. (2017). The changing ends and paradigm for education in the World. WISE Education Review, 1, 1-3.

Reaburn, P., Muldoon, N. & Bookallil, C. (2009). Blended spaces, work based learning and constructive alignment: Impacts on student engagement. In Proceedings of the 26th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, ASCILITE 2009 (pp. 820-831).

Richards, Jack. (2006). Communicative Language Teaching Today. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Richards, J. & Rodgers, T. (2001). Approaches and methods in language teaching. New York: Cambridge University Press, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667305.021

Richards, J. C. & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching (3rd ed.). Cambridge university press.

Richards, J. & Schmidt, R. (2010). Longman Dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics (4th ed.). London: Longman (Pearson Education Limited).

Rovai, A. P., Ponton, M. K., Wighting, M. J. & Baker, J. D. (2007). A comparative analysis of student motivation in traditional classroom and e-learning courses. International Journal on E-Learning, 6, 413- 432.

Ross, B., Pechenkina, E., Aeschliman, C. & Chase, A.-M. (2017). Print versus digital texts: understanding the experimental research and challenging the dichotomies. Research in Learning Technology, 25, https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v25.1976

Sokolik M. E. (2014). Digital technology in language teaching. In M. Celce-Murcia, D.M. Brinton & M.A. Snow (Eds.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language pp.409-422) (4th ed.). Boston, MA: National Geographic Learning/ Heinle Cengage Learning.

Stryker, S. & Leaver, B. (1997). Content-Based Instruction in Foreign Language Education: Models and Methods. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.

Suárez-Vilagran, M.D.M.S. (2012). Learner autonomy in e-portfolios: from ambitious learning objectives to downto-earth outcomes. Revista del Congrés Internacional de Docència Universitària i Innovació, 1/1.

Taillefer, L. (2018). A Business English Course in the Digital Era: Design and Analysis. R. Muñoz-Luna & L. Taillefer (eds.), Integrating Information and Communication Technologies in English for Specific Purposes, pp. 165- 182. Cham: Springer https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68926-5_11

Tavakoli H., Lotfi A. R., Biria R. & Wang S. (Reviewing editor) (2019). Effects of CALL-mediated TBLT on motivation for L2 reading. Cogent Education, 6:1, https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2019.1580916

Teddlie, C., & Tashakkori, A. (2009). Foundations of Mixed Methods Research: Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Sage, London.

UNESCO (2016). Futures for ICT and higher education: Changes due to the use of open content. Retrieved from: https://iite.unesco.org/publications/3214745/

Ushioda, E. (2016). Language learning motivation through a small lens: A research agenda. Language Teaching, 49 (4), pp. 564-577, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444816000173

Vanichvasin, P. (2019). Effects of Content-Based Instruction on English language performance of Thai undergraduate students in a non-English program. English Language Teaching, 12:8, pp.20-29, 10 pp. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v12n8p20

Yu, W. & Du, X. (2019). Implementation of a blended learning model in Content- Based EFL curriculum. International Journal Of Emerging Technologies In Learning (IJET), 14(05), pp. 188-199, Kassel, Germany: International Association of Online Engineering, Available at https://www.learntechlib.org/p/208407/ https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v14i05.8546

Abstract Views

802

Metrics Loading ...

_{Metrics powered by PLOS ALM}