‘IMPACT OF IMPLEMENTING ASYNCHRONOUS COMPUTER MEDIATED COMMUNICATION INSECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION’
S. Sumangala1, S.Srisethuparan2 1
Department of English, Advanced Technological Institute, Jaffna.
2
Department of Information Technology,Advanced Technological Institute, Jaffna.
ABSTRACT:This paper discuses research methods for a study focusing on ‘Impact of Implementing Asynchronous Computer Mediated Communication in Second language Acquisitionin the Advanced Technological Institutes for the ESL students who are following the Higher National Diploma in English course.The major purpose is to collaborate asynchronous media in second language environment both in teaching and learning in support of Krashen’s second language acquisition theory, and the evaluations to adopt asynchronous media in the second language learning environment. The objectives of this study is to investigate how language instructors can use asynchronous ICT as a media to enrich their second language lessons in a meaningful and effective manner and to introduce how asynchronous media have already been used in the field of second language learning, and what specific questions educators must overcome in applying asynchronous media to the second language learning environment. It also focuses the implementation of asynchronous learning environment intended to promote meaningful social interaction and collaboration with other students, instructors & native speakers and to Connect students with native speakers/ native speaking environment and provide opportunities for authentic target language practice ,and also focuses further on students’ reactions towards learning through , asynchronous computer tools and Introducing Krahen’s theory to provide guidance in choosing the right computer mediated method in teaching second languages.
1. INTRODUCTION.
Asynchronous e-learning, commonly facilitated by media such as e-mail and discussion boards, supports work relations among learners with teachers, even when the participants cannot be online at the same time. It is thus a key component of flexible e-learning system. The fact is many people are interested in online courses because of their asynchronous nature, combining education with family,work and other commitments. Asynchronous e-learning makes it possible to the learners to log on to an e-learning environment at any time and can download documents or send messages to teachers or peers. Students spend more time refining their contributions, which are generally considered more thoughtful compared to synchronous communication7. Hence this study is interested in exploring in detail how the asynchronous e-learning is utilized in the Language laboratories in ESL courses and how much it supports to Kereshen’s Language Acquisition theory.
The objectives of this study is to investigate how language instructors can use asynchronous ICT as a media to enrich their second language skills and lessons in a meaningful and effective manner and to introduce how asynchronous media have already been used in the field of second language learning, and what specific questions educators must overcome in applying asynchronous media to the second language learning environment.
The major purpose is to collaborate asynchronous media in second language environment both in teaching and learning in support of Krashen’s second language acquisition theory, and the evaluations to adopt asynchronous media in the second language learning environment. It also focuses on the design development and implementation of asynchronous learning environment intended to
Promote meaningful social interaction and collaboration with other students, instructors and native speakers.
Connect students with native speakers/ native speaking environment and provide opportunities for authentic target language practice.
Assist students practice the target language skills.
Promote the development of social relations and a sense of community among participants. Support active engagement of the students and the facilitators.
Foster authentic, language- centered approaches to language learning.
Application of asynchronous media in an equitable manner in the process of learning a second language.
To study students’ reactions towards learning through asynchronous computer tools.
Introducing Krahen’s theory to provide guidance in choosing the right computer mediated method in teaching second languages.
2. METHODOLOGY.
In order to create an asynchronous computer mediated interaction in second language learning processes effectively in the ESL class rooms, there are three problems have to be addressed.
1. The first problem concerns the issue that students respond best to different teaching styles. Thus, we must find an effective teaching method that will help the greatest number of students learn. The teaching style we select will depend on comprehension of the various topics desired by the Institutional system(s) in which we are testing.
2. Our second problem focuses on the variety of student learning styles. For example, some students learn better when presented with visuals and images while others might learn more from audio or hands-on experience. Successfully addressing this problem can greatly improve the efficacy of the learning styles.
learn the material; can help create this enthusiasm for learning. People are more willing to learn language through technology because they are more relaxed and motivated to be successful.
We adopt several types of data collection such as interviews, questionnaires, and observation to triangulate the findings. The combination of these three methods can achieve the goal of this study. This is because that this study is interested in the experience and opinion from lecturers and students. Therefore it is most appropriate to talk with them. In order to see what happens in the computer rooms and to get direct evidence on how the lecturers and students use computer software or online programs to develop listening and speaking skills in the computer rooms can be done through observation. The study will explore insights, feeling and experiences through interviews with students and lecturers and through observation. Some questions in this study contains ‘what’ and ‘how much’ in asking participants’ perspectives, for example, ‘how much do you like to use computers for speaking activities? Hence this study also uses questionnaires. These research methods, interviews, questionnaire and observation allow to develop this study as comprehensively and completely as possible. Further, the analysis is based on holistic factors from varies methods rather than isolated factors. Therefore they help to extend the understanding of the specific situation.
The survey is being conducted by sending a questionnaire for theselected two Advanced technological Institutes, especially Jaffna and Dehiwala to conduct an in-depth study. These centers provide a unit CALL in their curriculum for the HND in English students in a diverse cultural and lingual setting. Approximately 300 students are now following HNDE in these two ATII. These students would be sufficient for my data collection. In addition, the course module for the HND in English mainly focuses on skills development on second language learning and have in their schedule use of computer program to develop listening and speaking skills in the language laboratories every week
It also employs several procedures in the collection and analysis of articles related to Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), Computer Aided Language Learning (CALL), Computer Mediated Communication (CMC), implementation in language learning. The use of synchronous and asynchronous computer mediated tools in second language teaching learning environment are investigated for their potential to support meaningful social interaction and to assist students develop their language skills.
Finally all recorded data is analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively to examine the impact of Computer Mediated Interaction on Second Language teaching learning process.
3. RESULT AND DISCUSSION.
Since our society heavily depends on Information and Communication Technology in many aspects of work and personal life, it is expected that the Higher Educational Institutions to familiarize pupils with computers and their applications during their learning processes. Today’s learning environments must incorporate strategies and tools that prepare students for their future. Ignorance about Information and Communication Technology will render people functionally illiterate, as doesignorance of reading, writing and arithmetic. In the process of second Language learning the integration of Computer Assisted Language Learning does not mean replacing teacher with computers, but it only means that the following can be used for teaching learning process.
Content based software Open ended packages
The ICTs used in computer mediated instruction of second languages can be classified into either synchronous or asynchronous.
1. Synchronous computer-mediated communication, wherebypeople communicate in real time via chat or discussion software, with all participants at theircomputers at the same time;
2. Asynchronous computer-mediated communication, whereby peoplecommunicate in a delayed fashion by computer, e.g. by email; and the reading and writing of on-line documents via the internet.
Graph –I Graph–II
Graph I
Summary of the listening performance in the second semester examination of first year students of NHDE and number of hours spent with computers asynchronously for their listening and spoken activities.
Graph II
Summary of the spoken performance in the second semester examination of first year students of NHDE and number of hours spent with computers asynchronously for their spoken and listening activities.
As these graphs, indicating an overwhelmingly positive effect of computer based technology in the applications asynchronous tools on language learning. Thus judging from this analysis, it is reasonable to conclude that the impact of asynchronous tool in second language learning environment showa very positive effect in improving students’ language learning. This is a summary of the empirical findings of the effects of a variety of asynchronous tools on virtually all aspects of language learning (e.g., vocabulary, grammar, reading, listening, writing, speaking, and cultural understanding.).
Compared to a traditional instructional model, the implementation of ICT tools in blended learning does promote social interaction among students and their engagement and thus a more learner-centered learning environment was created by means of integrating e-learning elements. However, it does not automatically facilitate students in their adoption of active learning strategies. The roles group members ought to play should be recognized to promote effective and efficient asynchronous computer mediated interaction. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 0 5 # s t u d e n t s
No of hours
# hrs spend with computers Peformance 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 0 5 # s t u d e n t s
No of hours
# hrs spend with computers
Key competencies such as how to work electronically within a group and how to harness ICT tools should be instructed, especially for students accustoming to traditional learning methods. Specifically, reflective practice for a person to use reflective processes to critically analyze, reappraise, and learn from experiences should be advocated, to help students adopt virtual learning methods, work collaboratively, and maximize learning outcomes. By so doing, students may increase their metacognitive awareness of the learning process and strategies ways to achieve the pedagogical goals of the tasks assigned (in this case, hospitality, culture exchange and language learning) instead of the epiphenomena arising in the process of task completion.
4. CONCLUSION.
Asynchronous tools enable communication and collaboration through a "different time-different place" mode. These tools allow people to connect together at each person's own convenience and own schedule. Asynchronous tools are useful for sustaining dialogue and providing people with resources and information that are instantly accessible, day or night. Asynchronous tools possess the advantage of being able to involve people from multiple time zones. In addition, asynchronous tools are helpful in capturing the history of the interactions of a group, allowing for collective knowledge to be more easily shared and distributed. The primary drawback of asynchronous technologies is that they require some discipline to use when used for ongoing communities of practice and they may feel "impersonal" to those who prefer higher-touch synchronous technologies.
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