Study Site B

Site B was a tertiary institution that offered vocational and academic programmes ranging from the certificate to the postgraduate levels through several Schools. One of these Schools offered a certificate level English language programme to international students who were unable to meet the minimum English language requirement to gain direct admission into the mainstream programmes, such as Electrical Engineering, Hospitality, Nursing, or Engineering Technology. The language programme was for a total of 18 weeks. It was divided into two sessions of nine weeks each with a two-week study break at the end of the first session. There were two intakes a year for this programme which corresponded to two teaching blocks. The academic calendar for the programme corresponded with the semester-based academic calendar of the institution. Data were collected from this site during the second teaching block (July-November 2009) for a period of 18 weeks.

The English language programme consisted of four levels ranging from Level One to Level Four. Two levels were covered per teaching block of 18 weeks. For example, Level One was organised and delivered in the first session of nine weeks while Level Two commenced after the two-week study break and delivered in the second session of nine weeks. At each level, classes were conducted in the mornings from Mondays to Fridays while in the afternoons classes were organised from Tuesdays to Fridays. There was no afternoon class on Mondays, as it was reserved for staff meetings or professional development programmes.

Course delivery for each level was organised based on two separate modules – Listening and Speaking, and Reading and Writing. Students enrolled at each level

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attended both modules as a class. The student classroom contact hours for the listening and speaking module were 11 hours per week while for the reading and writing module, it was 12 hours per week. In total, classroom contact time for one class at each level was 22 hours per week. The schedule for each module varied for each class. A lesson was typically for a duration of three or two hours and could be scheduled either in the morning from 9.00am to 12.00 noon or 10.00am to 12.00 noon, or in the afternoon from 1.00 to 4.00pm or 1.00 to 3.00pm.The programme was aimed at developing the students’ language proficiency through the teaching and learning of the language skills. It also prepared them for tertiary level study by developing advanced study skills such as note taking, time management, and referencing.

The research focussed on a Level Three and Four, which consisted of students who scored between a band of 4.5 and 5.5 based on the IELTS test. There was only one class of approximately 25 students enrolled for the two modules at each level. The language programme did not have a curriculum that prescribed the learning areas, determined the delivery of the contents, or recommended the appropriate teaching approaches. There was also no language syllabus that provided the specific language learning content and how this content was organised and sequenced. Teaching and learning materials were prepared and developed by the teachers teaching a level and were sourced from a variety of online and printed resources. There was no prescribed textbook.

The delivery of the programme closely followed the requirements as stated in a course outline, which was made available to all students as well as the researcher. This outline contained a description and structure of the course, its learning aims and objectives, the teaching schedule, programme policy, and assessment guidelines. Classroom lessons for each module at Level Three and Four were organised based on four themes – Culture, New Zealand, Tourism, and Education. These themes were in existence since the inception of the programme but the sequence of each theme was determined by the Programme Administrator. Depending on the module, a typical listening and speaking lesson involved students listening or watching audio visual materials such as lectures, documentaries or films, and then discussing issues, presenting short talks,

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completing comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary exercises, or debating particular topics. While listening activities were typically conducted as a whole class, speaking activities often consisted of individual or small group (not more than four members) presentations. A typical reading and writing lesson involved students reading and understanding academic texts, working on academic word lists, completing comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary exercises and writing journals and essays, as well as preparing essay outlines.

In terms of assessment, the students were expected to successfully complete and pass three assignments for each module. Although there was marking criteria for each of assignments, the researcher was not privy to such information. There was also an end-of-block assessment. All students were required to pass all assignments and the final assessments to be awarded a certificate.

Tutorials were also organised by the teacher teaching a module as part of the classroom lessons. During the tutorial sessions the teacher discussed the planning for the course assignments with the students or organised extended language learning activities either at the self-access centre or the computer lab to support the development of language skills, grammar, or vocabulary. Tutorials were usually organised once a week at the discretion of the teacher.

Computers were used by teachers and students at Level Three and Four. All teachers had access to an individual desktop computer at their work area and were observed using various software applications (such as word processing, electronic grade book, web browser, and email) for teaching preparation and administrative work. Unlike Study Site A, the students of the English language programme had the same access as all other students at the institution to networked computer facilities. The institution was also Wi-Fi connected and the cost for the use of the Internet on campus was part of course tuition fees. Computer facilities were provided mainly at the student hub– a common area where other amenities such as student study areas, library, cafés, and photocopying services were provided. This hub was open 24 hours for seven days a week.

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There were also computer labs located on the institution’s campus for all students to use. For teaching and learning purposes, one computer lab was assigned to this level and was located approximately a 20-minute walk from the main classroom building. It was opened from 8.30am to 5.00pm five days a week. This computer lab was a shared facility with other levels in the English language programme and the use of it was organised based on a schedule to ensure fair access. This computer lab was equipped with a commercially produced proprietary language learning lab system, which was purchased by the institution for the School. All teachers were encouraged to use this system, which was Windows PC compliant and available on a local area network. This lab system supported a multimedia based, open learning environment that enabled teachers and students to share learning materials and work together or independently to enhance language proficiency. For instance during a lab session, a teacher could assign a listening activity to a small group of students and they could listen to it using the accompanying headsets and complete the exercises while another group of students could be assigned to work on an audio-visual activity.

An online language-learning package had also been developed by a team of in- house IT programmers and one of the teachers from the language programme for the School. The package contained interactive language learning activities and exercises according to the students’ level. A link to this online package was created on the students’ portal. The School encouraged all language teachers to use the package and several teachers described using it as part of the self-access learning activity, which were organised as tutorials. There was no indication however, that the use of this online package was mandated.

All classrooms were equipped with an Internet networked desktop computer and a ceiling mounted LCD projector. These facilities were regularly used by teachers during lessons to present video clips, web sites, and PowerPoint presentations. Teachers also took students to the designated computer lab as mentioned above mainly for self-access learning activities. Access to this lab was scheduled on a weekly basis.

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At the beginning of the research, four teachers voluntarily participated in the data collection. They consisted of two teachers both from Level One and Two and two teachers both from Level Three and Four. However, the two teachers from Level One and Two were unable to continue their participation in the study. One teacher asked to opt-out in the second week of the data collection, as she was assigned to an administrative task in the institution. Another teacher was unable to participate in the second and third teacher participant interviews, as there was a sudden increase in her teaching load. Thus, the number of participants was reduced to the two teachers teaching Level Three and Four who are identified as Teacher Four (T4) and Teacher Five (T5).

T4 and T5 had different academic backgrounds and teaching experiences – T4 was a Science major while T5 had majored in Theology and Philosophy. In terms of postgraduate qualifications, T4 held a postgraduate diploma in English Language Teaching (ELT) while T5 held a postgraduate diploma in Second Language Teaching (SLT) and a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics. As for their teaching experiences, both teachers had been teaching English to international students at this study site. At the time of the data collection, T4 had been teaching at the study site for approximately six years. T5 who had been employed at this site for a total of eight years had taught on the language programme for a total of five years. She had also spent three years working as part of a team at the institutional level to develop online materials for the English language programmes offered at the institution.

Similar to Study Site A, the teachers at Study Site B were hired based on a continuing, fixed, or casual contract. Teachers employed on a continuing as well as on a fixed term basis taught 21 hours per week. The casual teachers were employed on a needs basis and paid an hourly rate. At Level Three and Four, T4 was employed on a fixed term while T5 was employed on a continuing basis. Each teacher was assigned to teach one module for the one class at Level Three and Four based on a schedule. T4 taught the Listening and Speaking Module while T5 taught the Reading and Writing Module to the same class. Details of the two teachers, terms of employment, module assigned, and teaching schedule for Level Three and Four are provided in Table 4.4 on the next page.

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Details of the teachers, terms of employment, module assigned, and teaching schedule for Level Three and Four - Study Site B

Teacher Terms of employment

Module assigned

Teaching Schedule

T4 Fixed Listening and Speaking

Tuesdays (Two hours) Wednesdays (Three hours) Thursdays (Three hours) Fridays (Three hours) T5 Continuing Reading and

Writing

Mondays (Three hours) Wednesdays (Three hours) Thursdays (Three hours) Fridays (Three hours)

In addition to teaching the assigned Module at Level Three and Four, T4 also coordinated and taught at another level in the English language programme while T5 taught at another level as well. In total, each teacher taught 21 hours a week.

The two teacher participants at this site like those in Study Site A, also acknowledged the potential in using technology to support their students’ language learning. They too were interested to use Moodle as part of their module to provide their students with the opportunity for asynchronous learning. However while T4 had never used Moodle prior to this study, T5 has been using it for approximately five years and was appointed to assist other teachers in using Moodle at the School.

Moodle was initiated at this institution in 2003 and was implemented at the School for use in the language programme in 2007. The implementation was part of the 100 percent online policy initiated by the institution. The policy mandated that every course offered at the institution must provide an online presence. Each teacher teaching a module at a particular level in the programme was automatically provided a “Moodle site”. A Moodle site consisted of the online site complete with all the accompanying features.

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Moodle training involved the technical aspects and development of content, and the use of the LMS in course delivery. Training in the technical aspects and content development was provided by an independent team within the structure of this tertiary institution while training in the use of Moodle in course delivery was provided by a Centre which was part of the tertiary institution. Training was provided in the form of workshops and one-to-one support was also available on request. While technical training in the use of Moodle involved navigating the online environment, organising the layout of the interface, exposing teachers to how to access the LMS and the resources and activities, content development was concerned with how to present the content when using activities such as the Forum, Wiki and Quiz. Training in the use of Moodle in course delivery involved teachers and members of the training team discussing how their use of Moodle could support face-to-face classroom learning activities. The School offering the English Language programme also provided Moodle support for staff teaching on all levels in the programme. Two teachers were appointed by the School to assist other teachers in using Moodle. One of these teachers was T5 while the other teacher was from Level Two who had to opt out in the second week of the data collection described earlier. On the basis of Moodle training being readily available, the researcher also assumed that the teachers at this study site had attended / were attending as will be described in the discussion chapter. This assumption however, was unfounded. The implications of this assumption will also be discussed in the concluding chapter.

Similar to the teachers at Study Site A, T4 used the LMS to support the students’ classroom speaking. Discussion forums were created on Moodle. However, unlike the teachers in Study Site A who had readily available materials in the form of the task cards, T4 had to develop her own materials for the online forum. They consisted of a set of rubrics that stated the topic and listed key points to guide a student to speak about the topic. These rubrics were uploaded as text to the online forum. This online text information was referred to as a “Speaking Exercise” by the teacher, and this term will be used throughout this study in the subsequent chapters which reported the findings and discussed the key themes.

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The students were expected to respond to these speaking exercises online in text form to share the information with their peers outside classroom learning hours. They were required to incorporate the notes from their listening classroom lessons in their online responses. This approach in using Moodle was aimed at giving students more time outside the classroom learning hours to prepare for the classroom based speaking activities. The teacher had expected that the availability of many ideas online could provide the students with more information that they could use to help them prepare to speak in the classroom. Three classroom based speaking activities were organised based on the use of Moodle. The first classroom based speaking activity involved individual oral presentations (three minutes) while the second activity was organised as a course assessment involving small group oral presentations (eight minutes). The third classroom based speaking also involved small group oral presentations (five minutes). As T4 has never used Moodle, she requested the researcher’s assistance to create the online forums. In total, three forum discussions were created for the listening and speaking module.

T5 used Moodle to provide students with a bank of learning resources to support their classroom learning activities. A link to a web based vocabulary exercise was created on Moodle as an extension to the classroom based learning activities. A discussion forum was also created on Moodle to provide students the opportunity to share their personal views about a topic as a post-lesson activity. The teacher requested the researcher’s help to create the link to the exercise as a separate window and the discussion forum. In total one link to a web based vocabulary exercise and one forum discussion was created for the reading and writing module.

This section has provided a description of the two case study sites. The following section describes the data collection methods used and how data were collected for this study.

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