impact of native nonnative speaker interaction through video-web communication slideshare

Impact of native-nonnative speaker interaction through video-web

communication and Second Life on students’ Intercultural

Communicative Competence

Kristi Jauregi & Silvia Canto

Utrecht UniversityGothenburg, Eurocall 2012

We present the results of a case study (research in progress) on the added value of implementing networked interaction with expert peers in language courses.

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Introduction

NIFLAR (2009-2011)

Design & evaluation of innovative e-learning tasks for synchronous oral interaction with experts (NSs) for the development of ICC

2 environments: 3D Virtual worlds and Videocommunication

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Second Life

Open Sim

Videocommunication Adobe Connect

Virtual worlds

NIFLAR 2009-2011

Interaction

Social-constructivi

sm

(Vygotsky, 1978)

Social-constructivi

sm

(Vygotsky, 1978)

SLA theories(Mackey & Polio, 2009)

SLA theories(Mackey & Polio, 2009)

with expert peers

Context

• In a previous study (Canto, Jauregi & Bergh, in

press) it was found:

those students participating in blended learning courses (with opportunities to carry out tasks with NSs through VC or SL) developed more their communicative competence than a control group (who carried out the same tasks in the classroom setting with no NSs).

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Subjects

3 groups of Spanish (B1) chosen at random:

1. Experimental group VC (N:14)

2. Experimental group SL (N:14)

3. Control group (N: 14)

Carried out 5 interaction tasks during a 7 weeks’ course.

Instruments:- Pre- & post- oral tests were taken and recorded- Oral tests were assessed by 2 independent

raters according to an assessment grid

(CEFR: range, accuracy, fluency, coherence & adequacy)

Previous study: Effects on Communicative Competence

Interaction effect between condition and pre- and post-tests was found to be significant (F 2, 34 = 5.01; p = .012).

The results show that the difference between pre- and post- oral tests depends on the specific condition. Especially in the SL and VC condition students show on average more progression than in the control condition. Hence, both SL and VWC have an additive effect on students’ test scores.

Pre Post

4

5

6

7

8

Sco

re

C

C

VC

VC

SL

SL

Oral Language Proficiency

Previous study: Effects on Communicative Competence

Objectives of the present case study (research in progress)

• To study what happens during those interactions: what learning opportunities emerge in NS-NNS interactions through new media as compared to a control group

• To analyse the differences in learning opportunities the different contexts offer

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Method: case study• 3 groups at random chosen:

1. A videocommunication group: 2 NNs &1 NS

2. A Second Life group: 2 NNSs & 1 NS

3. A Control group: 4 NNSs

• NNSs: students of Spanish (B1 level) from Utrecht University

• NSs: pre-service teachers from the University of Valencia

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Weekly tasksTasks DescriptionSession 1: Cool people

Students: (1) visit an apartment they are meant to share(2) talk about themselves and exchange cultural information triggered by pictures & (3) choose an outing option (go to the cinema, to a museum or to walk in the city).

Session 2:People & adventure

Participants plan a holiday and reflect on past holiday experiences

Session 3:Movie celebrity people

Participants have to play different roles given the indications of a brief script

Session 4:People with heart

Participants impersonate different characters and experience the reactions caused on others

Session 5: People & cultures

Students participate in a cultural television-game style contest between a Dutch and a Spanish team.

Interaction analysis

• Time devoted• Language related episodes

(Swain & Lapkin, 1995)

• Interculturally related episodes (Byram, 1997)

-> negotiation of meaning

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Examples:VC

• VC task 2

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Examples: SL

SL task 2

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Examples: C

• Control group, task 2

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Examples:VC

• VC task 5

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Examples: SL

• SL task 5

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Examples: C

• Control group, task 5

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Results: time + negotiation of meaning

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Group Task duration

Negotiations

Second Life 01:15:01 27

Video communication 01:20:04 23

Control (C) 00:41:00 2

Table 1. Number of negotiations per group – task 2Table 1. Number of negotiations per group – task 2

Results: time + negotiation of cultural meaning

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Group Task duration

Negotiations

Second Life 01:46:08 26

Video communication 01:05:33 24

Control 00:41:00 12

Table 2. Number of negotiations per group – task 5Table 2. Number of negotiations per group – task 5

Si ves estas imágenes por la calle, ¿qué piensas que ha pasado? [10]

Example of cultural clarification

Example of cultural clarification

NNS1: cuando has terminado el instituto/ ¿sí? hay una fiesta y ponemos nuestras mochilas fuera/ con la bandera de Holanda y / y es como una fiesta que todo el mundo sabe que has hmm terminado el instituto bienNS: ¡Ah! ¿y entonces se quedan ahí las mochilas?NNS1 : sí/ fuera/ por dos semanas o así (risasNS: ¡Ah! NNS1: porque es la idea que nunca tenemos que usar la mochila (risas)NS: ¡Ah! ¡qué originales!

NNS1: when you have finished your secondary education / yes? there is a party and we put our rucksacks outside/ with the Dutch flag and / and it is like a party that everybody knows that you have hmm finished your secondary education well NS: Ah! and then the rucksacks stay there? NNS1: yes/ outside/ for two weeks or so (laughter) NS: Ah! NNS1: because the idea is that we don’t have to use the rucksack anymore (laughter) NS: Ah! how original!

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Differences VC vs SL?

• SL elicited a high degree of rich participation, some triggered by elements of the world. Added value: action.

• The interactions from the VC group (& control group) were characterized by a more descriptive language more limited to the photographs being used. Added value: access to visual information (through webcam).

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Conclusions

• The learning opportunities offered for SCMC via VC and SL seem to be much richer than those offered by the traditional educational setting (control group)

• This type of environments in addition to providing access to a wide range of interlocutors (including native speakers) may enhance cross-cultural understanding and communicative competence in the target language.

• The electronic medium seems to afford more opportunities for active participation, particularly SL, and provides a forum where participants actively engage in negotiation of meaning.

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Future research

• Negotiation of topic development

• Pragmatic issues (face)

• Identity negotiation

In further projects: EUROVERSITY & TILA

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Gothenburg, Eurocall 2012

Thank you for your attention!k.jauregi@uu.nls.canto@uu.nl

NIFLAR: www.niflar.eu

EUROVERSITY: www.euroversity.eu

References• Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative

Competence. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. • Canto, S., Jauregi, K. & Bergh, H. v/d (in press). Integrating cross-cultural

interaction through video-communication and virtual worlds in foreign language teaching programs: is there an added value? To be published in January 2013 in ReCALL.

• Mackey, A. & Polio, Ch. (Eds.) (2009). Multiple Perspectives on Interaction. New York: Routledge.

• Swain. M. & Lapkin, S. (1995). Problems in output and the cognitive processes they generate: A step towards second language learning. Applied Linguistics, 16: 371-91.

• Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind & Society. Cambridge: Mass. Harvard University Press.