WP 3 Research Specification of TILA research studies Lead Partner of WP 3: Steinbeis Transferzentrum Sprachlernmedien Kurt Kohn [[email protected]] Petra Hoffstaedter [[email protected]] February 2014 Project Coordination: Kristi Jauregi, Utrecht University The TILA project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This report reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. © TILA, February 2014 page 1 of 10 WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview Specification of TILA Research Studies Telecollaboration for intercultural language learning: task design, pedagogical integration, and evaluation ....... 3 Telecollaboration as a suitable method for enhanced L2 communicative competence in Spanish?..................... 4 A comparative study of TILA pilots using two different communication tools: the role of linguistic selfconfidence and language anxiety ...................................................................................................................... 5 Intercultural ELF discussions in BBB and OpenSim (ELF 2.0) ............................................................................... 6 Intercultural discussions in tandem and lingua franca situations ........................................................................ 7 Comparing the negotiation of meaning in the context of intercultural communication in exchanges between English as a lingua franca speakers and exchanges between native and non-native speakers ............................. 8 Intercultural discussions between teachers ....................................................................................................... 9 Analysis of teacher roles in TILA telecollaboration ........................................................................................... 10 © TILA, February 2014 page 2 of 10 WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview TELECOLLABORATION FOR INTERCULTURAL LANGUAGE LEARNING: TASK DESIGN, PEDAGOGICAL INTEGRATION, AND EVALUATION Partners involved Institution: STC Language Learning Media Main staff: Petra Hoffstaedter, Kurt Kohn Research objectives Overall objective is to study principles, conditions and processes underlying the development of telecollaboration tasks for intercultural foreign language learning. Special attention will be given to interdependences between learning objectives, task design, pedagogical integration, and course evaluation. Approach Using a participant observer approach, selected TILA pilot courses will be accompanied and analyzed, always in close collaboration with the teachers involved. In keeping with the concept of Blended Learning, tasks are envisaged as ensembles involving combinations of environments and technological media from face-to-face in class to independent work at home to synchronous and asynchronous interaction in the web. Oral synchronous communication will take place in a 3D virtual world (OpenSim) and/or in a videoconferencing environment (BigBlueButton, Skype); forum, wiki, or blog tools are used to support written communication. Preferred languages constellations are tandem and lingua franca. All task design follows the learning objectives specified for the respective pilot course. To ensure pedagogical integration into the overall curriculum, the tasks are not designed as isolated units but rather as more or less complex task ensembles organised in pedagogical macro phases from 'preparatory' to 'main' to 'follow-up'. Supported by examples of best practice, illustrating challenges encountered and solutions found, prototypical task templates will be developed to facilitate further TILA task adaptation and creation. For course evaluation, intercultural communicative interactions with be recorded and analyzed; qualitative assessments by teachers and pupils will be combined with questionnaires to elicit data on user experience, speaker-hearer satisfaction, as well as speaker profiles and requirements. CEF level from A1 to B1 Subjects • pupils/students from TILA school/class pilot collaborations Telecollaboration environments and tools • • • the videoconferencing system BigBlueButton (and Skype) the 3D virtual world environment OpenSim forum, blog etc. (in Moodle) Research tools • • • Recording & transcription: BB FlashBack and/or recording functions in BBB, Transana Questionnaires: User Experience, Speaker Profile & Requirements, Speaker-hearer satisfaction questionnaire, cognitive, emotional, behavioural (CEB) divergencies Communicative performance: discourse/conversation analysis © TILA, February 2014 page 3 of 10 WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview TELECOLLABORATION AS A SUITABLE METHOD FOR ENHANCED L2 COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE IN SPANISH? Partners involved Institution: Utrecht University Main staff: Kristi Jauregi Ondarra, Rick de Graaff & Erwin Maas Research objectives A pilot study to measure Dutch students’ L2 communicative competence in Spanish in order to investigate their L2 development over a period of time. Approach Students will be asked to fill out a language background questionnaire to get to know more about students’ previous knowledge of Spanish and other languages. Furthermore, students’ proficiency will be tested prior to the first week (pretest) and at the end of week 5 (posttest). Testing takes place at the TILA partner school, directly after the Spanish class. Both a group of Dutch secondary school students learning Spanish as a foreign language for the first time with the use of telecollaboration and a control group without the use of telecollaboration will be tested. CEF level From A1 to A2 (expected) Subjects (Dutch) students from TILA partner school(s) Telecollaboration environments and tools Synchronous communication tools Asynchronous communication tools A combination of the two Research tools Student questionnaire Pretest and posttest © TILA, February 2014 page 4 of 10 WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TILA PILOTS USING TWO DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS: THE ROLE OF LINGUISTIC SELF-CONFIDENCE AND LANGUAGE ANXIETY Partners involved Institution: University of Utrecht Main staff: Kristi Jauregi, Dayen Breddels Institution: University of Roehampton Main staff: Sabela Melchor Couto Research objectives To do a comparative study of TILA telecollaboration pilots • using two different communication tools • with regard to linguistic self-confidence and language anxiety • with regard to ELF or tandem communication Approach Telecollaborative pilots using two different communication tools, with preference to the virtual environments OpenSim and BigBlueButton, will be analyzed and compared on a motivational dimension. The communication between the students will be either in an EFL or a tandem context. Questionnaires will be used during the pilot (in a repeated-measurement design) to elicit data on the linguistic selfconfidence and language anxiety parameters. Additionally, a postquestionnaire gives more qualitative information about speaker profiles and factors influencing student motivation. CEF level A2 (expected) Subjects pupils/students from 2 TILA partner schools (expected to be a Dutch-Spanish match) Telecollaboration environments and tools • • the videoconferencing system BigBlueButton the 3D virtual world environment OpenSim Research tools • • Self-confidence and language anxiety: Questionnaire (Clément/AMTB) Speaker profile: Questionnaire © TILA, February 2014 page 5 of 10 WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview INTERCULTURAL ELF DISCUSSIONS IN BBB AND OPENSIM (ELF 2.0) Partners involved Institution: STC Language Learning Media Main staff: Petra Hoffstaedter, Kurt Kohn Research objectives • • • to do a comparative case study analysis of ELF communication in BBB and OpenSim with regard to linguistic-communicative and intercultural challenges and strategic solutions to evaluate and compare intercultural ELF communication in BBB and OpenSim with regard to 'user experience' parameters to study and compare the impact of BBB and OpenSim on speaker-hearer satisfaction Approach Telecollaborative discussions in the virtual environments OpenSim and BigBlueButton will be implemented outside regular classroom schedules. Emphasis is on English as a lingua franca (ELF) with the overall pedagogical objective to facilitate and foster intercultural communicative interaction and competence development in English. The discussions take place in small groups of up to 5 students from different countries and schools. A critical incident topic (e.g. "Pictures on facebook") will be used to ensure natural and semi-authentic communication. Following an overall case study approach, recordings, questionnaires and (retrospective) interviews will be used to collect and analyze data about ELF discussion performance, user experience, speaker profiles and requirements, as well as speaker-hearer satisfaction. CEF level from A2 to B1 Subjects • • • pupils/students individually selected from TILA partner schools pupils /students individually selected from other schools world-wide Recruiting through TILA teachers and other contacts. Telecollaboration environments and tools • • the videoconferencing system BigBlueButton (and Skype) the 3D virtual world environment OpenSim Research tools • • • • • • • • Recording: BB FlashBack and/or recording functions available in BBB and OpenSim Transcription: Transana, BB Transcriptor, or others(?) User Experience assessement: UEQuestionnaire/SAP Speaker Profile & Requirements: SPRQuestionnaire Speaker-hearer satisfaction: SHSQuestionnaire Intercultural challenges: CEB divergencies Questionnaire [CEB = cognitive, emotional, behavioural] Communicative performance: discourse/conversation analysis © TILA, February 2014 page 6 of 10 WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview INTERCULTURAL DISCUSSIONS IN TANDEM AND LINGUA FRANCA SITUATIONS Partners involved Institution: Paris 3/ Paris 6- Inalco Main staff: Martine Derivry, Sofia Stratilaki, Anthippi Potolia, Amel Bourghnim Research objectives To do a comparative case study analysis of lingua franca and tandem communicative situations with regard to linguistic, intercultural challenges and strategic solutions as well as to a description of parameters To study and compare the impact of lingua franca and tandem situations on speaker-hearer reflexive, intercultural and communicative development Approach Analysis of recordings of telecollaborative discussions either in lingua franca or tandem situations as well as learning diaries when available. Each language and each situation is selected so as the qualitative case study will be based on the interviewing of 8 learners. [Comment: A problem for us as we cannot access the recordings] CEF level From A2 to B1 for learning situations and near native for interviews. Subjects Learners individually selected from TILA class pilot telecollaboration Telecollaboration environments and tools The videoconferencing system BigBlueButton the 3D virtual world environment OpenSim Research tools Recording: BB FlashBack and/or recording functions available in BBB and OpenSim Transcription: Transana, BB Transcriptor, or others [comment: problem with recordings] Learner Experience assessment and satisfaction through individual interviews (BBB). Content analysis of experience combined with cultural and language biographies of learners in order to describe Tila’s impact on linguistic, intercultural and reflexive learning. © TILA, February 2014 page 7 of 10 WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview COMPARING THE NEGOTIATION OF MEANING IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN EXCHANGES BETWEEN ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA SPEAKERS AND EXCHANGES BETWEEN NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS Partners involved Institution: Universitat de València/UVEG Main staff: Barry Pennock Speck, Begoña Clavel Arroitia, José Ramón Gómez Molina Research objectives • To analyse aspects of the negotiation of meaning in synchronous telecollaboration tasks in BBB and OpenSim. • Our analysis will focus on the importance of the students’ cultural background when interacting with peers and we will observe differences such as the provision of feedback when comparing interaction between native and non-native speakers and interaction in the context of English as a lingua franca. • We will also pay special attention to the differences, if any, in verbal strategies in the negotiation of meaning between nonnative speakers of English as a lingua franca and exchanges between native and non-native speakers of English. Approach • Analysis of a number of recordings by non-native speakers using English as a lingua franca and pairs native and non-native speakers • Analysis of a number of recordings by native and non-native speakers of English CEF level A1 to B2 Subjects Pupils from partner schools Telecollaboration environments and tools BigBlueButton, OpenSim, Asynchonous Tools, Google forms Research tools Transcription of recordings. AntConc. Access © TILA, February 2014 page 8 of 10 WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview INTERCULTURAL DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN TEACHERS Partners involved Institution: Paris 3/Paris 6 - Inalco Main staff: Martine Derivry, Sofia Stratilaki, Anthippi Potolia, Amel Bourghnim Research objectives To do a comparative case study analysis of linguistic, intercultural, teaching challenges and strategic solutions with regard to description of parameters To study and compare the impact of Tila’s learning/teaching environment on teachers’ development Approach Analysis of questionnaires followed by individual or group interviews about TILA learning-teaching environment with regard to its main objective of intercultural enhancement. Interviewing participating Pilot Teachers of different Language Clusters (group or invidual interviews). CEF level Near native competence or English as a lingua franca Subjects Teachers from TILA Telecollaboration environments and tools The videoconferencing system BigBlueButton the 3D virtual world environment OpenSim Research tools Recording: BB FlashBack and/or recording functions available in BBB and OpenSim Transcription: Transana, BB Transcriptor, or others [Comment: we have a technical problem here as no one in France can listen to the recordings Teachers’ experience assessment and satisfaction through a common questionnaire and individual or group interviews through BBB Content analysis of teachers’ experience and professional development about intercultural, language and reflexive learning and teaching © TILA, February 2014 page 9 of 10 WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview ANALYSIS OF TEACHER ROLES IN TILA TELECOLLABORATION Partners involved Institution: Universitat de València/UVEG Main staff: Barry Pennock Speck, Begoña Clavel Arroitia, José Ramón Gómez Molina Research objectives To carry out a study on teacher roles in telecollaboration with a view to providing teachers with a guide on best practices in this type of foreign language teaching based on real teacher/student practice. Approach • • • • A taxonomy of hypothetical teacher roles will be arrived at using state-of-the-art literature on teacher roles in telecollaboration. Once the pilot experience is over, pupils and teachers will be given questionnaires in order to determine the actual roles that teachers adopted and the approximate time spent on each. Pupils and teachers will also be asked to give their views on their roles in the piloting process. The results will be compared with our initial hypotheses. Finally, the results will be used as input to suggest improvements, modifications of teacher roles and where further training for teachers might be needed. CEF level from A1 to B2 Subjects Pupils and teachers from partner schools Telecollaboration environments and tools BigBlueButton, OpenSim, Asynchonous Tools, Google forms Research tools Questionnaires administered to pupils and teachers involved in the TILA partnerships © TILA, February 2014 page 10 of 10