ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Automatic Dialogue Scoring for a Second Language Learning System
Author: Huang, Jin-Xia
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Computer Assisted Instruction,Dialogs (Language),Scoring,Feedback (Response),Accuracy,Grammar,Syntax,Vocabulary Development,Student Attitudes,Essays,Semantics,Intelligent Tutoring Systems

This paper presents an automatic dialogue scoring approach for a Dialogue-Based Computer-Assisted Language Learning (DB-CALL) system, which helps users learn language via interactive conversations. The system produces overall feedback according to dialogue scoring to help the learner know which parts should be more focused on. The scoring measures are presented, including task proficiency, grammar accuracy, vocabulary knowledge, and syntactic ability, to assess the user performance during the dialogue. A user evaluation is performed on the automatic dialogue scoring results and the generated feedback to collect the feedback from real learners, and to see if the measures are helpful and proper. A discussion is also held about the difference between the automatic dialogues scoring from essay scoring based on the user evaluation. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Using WebQuests as Idea Banks for Fostering Autonomy in Online Language Courses
Author: Sadaghian, Shirin
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Online Courses,Web Based Instruction,Learning Processes,Metacognition,Teaching Methods,Goal Orientation,Personal Autonomy,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Decision Making,Computer Assisted Instruction,Instructional Design,Critical Thinking,Skill Development,English (Second Language),Open Universities,Interviews,Student Attitudes,Learning Activities,College Students,Foreign Countries

The concept of language learner autonomy has influenced Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) to the extent that Schwienhorst (2012) informs us of a paradigm change in CALL design in the light of learner autonomy. CALL is not considered a tool anymore, but a learner environment available to language learners anywhere in the world. Based on a work-cycle as a practical framework for implementing autonomy in online courses (Legenhausen, 2003), the current study introduces WebQuest to be used as ideas and an activity bank. Work cycle design takes several principles of learner autonomy such as goal setting, content and format choice, self-evaluation and reflection in action and is defined as a learner-based approach that emphasises metacognitive knowledge that raises students' awareness to become more conscious of their own language learning process, strengths and weaknesses (Ter Haseborg, 2012). The idea and activity bank at the top of a work cycle provides learners with the opportunity to plan and negotiate, make decisions, do project work and evaluate their learning in a cyclic mode. Thus, the current article argues that because of its flexibility and accessibility, WebQuests lend themselves to the work cycle approach in online courses aimed at fostering autonomy. Moreover, the findings of the current study indicate that WebQuests contribute to the development of learner autonomy by encouraging critical thinking among learners. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Investigating Commercially Available Technology for Language Learners in Higher Education within the High Functioning Disability Spectrum
Author: Savvidou, Georgia
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Technology Uses in Education,Second Language Instruction,Educational Technology,Higher Education,Young Adults,Dyslexia,Learning Disabilities,Attention Deficit Disorders,Articulation Impairments,Learning Problems,Mental Disorders,Assistive Technology,English (Second Language),Usability,Student Satisfaction,Computer Software,Student Attitudes,Case Studies

This work presents the assistive use of a combination of technologies in language learning to individuals with high functioning disabilities within a higher education environment. The primary aim of this research is to introduce the initial findings of a pilot exploratory user test which aims to facilitate a better understanding of the suitability and user preference of technological tools in language learning; specifically of children with disabilities. In this article, we present a case study of ten young adults with different levels of needs and abilities, including dyspraxia, dyslexia, dysgraphia, attention deficit disorder, articulation, learning difficulties and psychological problems. The learners, engaged in different disciplines in higher education, were exposed to bespoke and off the shelf solutions as assistive technologies. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Risk Behavior of Students on the Internet
Author: Duranovic, Marina
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Risk,Student Behavior,Internet,Web Sites,High School Students,Foreign Countries,Adolescent Attitudes,Adolescents,Antisocial Behavior,Technology Uses in Education,Technological Advancement,Questionnaires,Violence,Access to Information

The aim of this research is to examine risk behaviour of students (adolescents) on the internet, i.e. which risk websites students visit most in their free time, and whether there are differences among students considering the type of school they attend (gymnasium, four-year high school and three-year high school). The research was carried out in the school year 2014/2015 in 18 high schools on a sample of 2,395 participants in Republic of Croatia (two counties). According to research results, students most often visit websites that reproduce movies and music and offer entire channels without having to pay any sort of fee. Websites where they can upload pictures and stories that might affect other people's reputation are the least visited. A difference in visiting risk websites considering the type of school students attend has also been confirmed. According to research results, there are no statistically significant differences among students considering the way they spend their free time and the amount of free time they spend on the internet. [Selected paper of the International Conference on Education (ICED) (4th, St. Petersburg, Russia, June 26-28, 2015).]
Designing Strategies for an Efficient Language MOOC
Author: Perifanou, Maria
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Online Courses,Large Group Instruction,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Questionnaires,Learning Activities,Instructional Design

The advent of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has dramatically changed the way people learn a language. But how can we design an efficient language learning environment for a massive number of learners? Are there any good practices that showcase successful Massive Open Online Language Course (MOOLC) design strategies? According to recent research findings (Perifanou &amp; Economides, 2014; Perifanou, 2015) there is not an ideal MOOLC platform that can offer a successful massive open online interactive language learning environment. Most of the current MOOLCs are following the traditional model of xMOOCs that is based on a cognitive behavioral pedagogical model, but there are also few examples that embrace the connectivist version, i.e. the cMOOC model (like Instreamia, Mixxer, OpenLearning, etc.). This paper aims to facilitate the work of language teachers and language and training providers who wish to design and create successful massive open online and interactive language courses for all. First, it presents the Massive Open Online Interactive Language Learning Environment (MOILLE) questionnaire analyzing the key steps in order to design a successful LangMOOC2. Next, it showcases specific examples of successful LangMOOC activities and other platforms' features. In the end, the paper provides few useful and practical tips for the MOOLCs designers. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Learning Languages in 3D Worlds with Machinima
Author: Schneider, Christel
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Second Language Instruction,Mixed Methods Research,Questionnaires,Interviews,Focus Groups,Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Video Technology,Simulated Environment,Case Studies,Web Based Instruction,Foreign Countries,Elementary Secondary Education,Higher Education,Adult Education,Online Courses

This paper, based on the findings of the EU funded CAMELOT project (2013-2015), explores the added value of Machinima (videos produced in 3D virtual environments) in language learning. The project research evaluated all stages, from developing to field testing Machinima. To achieve the best outcome, mixed methods were used for the research, including quantitative and qualitative techniques of data collection, such as questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions. The data were provided by teachers and learners using Machinima in their classroom, as well as by learners participating in web based language courses of which all results were well documented in the form of case studies. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
CALL and Less Commonly Taught Languages--Still a Way to Go
Author: Ward, Monica
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Computer Assisted Instruction,Teaching Methods,Instructional Innovation,Barriers,Uncommonly Taught Languages,Second Language Learning

Many Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) innovations mainly apply to the Most Commonly Taught Languages (MCTLs), especially English. Recent manifestations of CALL for MCTLs such as corpora, Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) and Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are found less frequently in the world of Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs). While some resources exist, there is not the range and variety of CALL resources available for these languages compared with the MCTLs. The vast majority of CALL literature refers to learning English in many different contexts and there is a limited amount of publications on LCLTs in the CALL domain. There are many reasons for this, including economic, political, cultural and historical ones as well as the fact that English is the &quot;de facto&quot; global lingua franca at the moment. It is important that CALL researchers working with LCTLs utilise the knowledge gained from CALL for the MCLTs. CALL researchers working with LCTLs can also learn from other LCTL CALL researchers and aim to be pragmatic and efficient when designing, developing and deploying CALL resources for learners. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Game of Words: Prototype of a Digital Game Focusing on Oral Production (and Comprehension) through Asynchronous Interaction
Author: Loiseau, Mathieu
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Educational Games,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Second Language Learning,Oral Language,Language Proficiency,Competence,Asynchronous Communication,Role Playing,Simulated Environment,Questionnaires,Teaching Methods

In this paper, we present a learning game designed according to a strategy focusing on favouring the learners' &quot;playful attitude&quot;. The game's modalities pertain to what we might call &quot;guessing games&quot;. The chosen avatar of such guessing games both exists as learning and Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) board games. We explain in this paper how we adapted them into a digital game, taking decisions prompted by language learning but also addressing technical and contextual issues. We resort to the literature on communicative strategies to justify the expected outcomes of using this game and describe certain feedback stemming from self enrolling user tests performed by language teachers in early 2016. We conclude by describing the next steps in this research. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Developing Oral Interaction Skills with a Digital Information Gap Activity Game
Author: Rueb, Avery
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Games,Second Language Instruction,French,Teaching Methods,Problem Solving,Cooperative Learning,Competition,Oral Language,Language Skills,Persuasive Discourse,Student Attitudes,Surveys,Interviews,Focus Groups,College Students,Foreign Countries

This study introduces the digital game Prêt à négocier, an information gap digital game, and investigates language learners' perceptions of its use in a French as a Second Language (FSL) context. In the game, students negotiate orally and synchronously with a partner for items like cars, houses, and even pirate ships. Inspired by Larsen-Freeman and Long's (1991) information gap activity, game players exchange information to solve a common problem (e.g. to buy a car within certain conditions imposed by the game). As a competitive game, the pairs must use their oral interaction skills in a comprehensible and persuasive manner to win (e.g. to obtain the best final price on a product). In addition to describing Prêt à négocier, this study examines 28 students' perceptions of its pedagogical use in a standard FSL classroom via a triangulation of methods that include a survey, interviews with participants, and focus group discussions. Based on our findings, we conclude that students' perceptions of the game are highly positive in most aspects of our analysis and that Prêt à négocier is well-positioned to help students improve oral interaction skills in a fun, comfortable, and interactive manner. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Classification of Swedish Learner Essays by CEFR Levels
Author: Volodina, Elena
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Swedish,Second Language Learning,Classification,Essays,Writing Evaluation,Guidelines,Vocabulary Skills,Computer Assisted Testing,Foreign Countries,Computational Linguistics,Accuracy,Second Language Instruction,Syntax,Morphology (Languages),Semantics

The paper describes initial efforts on creating a system for the automatic assessment of Swedish second language (L2) learner essays from two points of view: holistic evaluation of the reached level according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), and the lexical analysis of texts for receptive and productive vocabulary per CEFR level. We describe the data and resources that our experiments were based on, provide a short introduction to the algorithm for essay classification and experiment results, present the user interface we developed for testing new essays, and outline future work. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Exploring EFL Learners' Lexical Application in AWE-Based Writing
Author: Lu, Zhihong
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Writing (Composition),Pretests Posttests,Questionnaires,Student Attitudes,Revision (Written Composition),Writing Instruction,College Students,Writing Evaluation,Computer Assisted Testing,Writing Improvement,Vocabulary Skills,Academic Discourse,Telecommunications,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Audio Equipment,Video Technology,Instructional Effectiveness,Computer Assisted Instruction,Student Motivation,Statistical Analysis

With massive utilization of Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) tools, it is feasible to detect English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' lexical application so as to improve their writing quality. This study aims to explore Chinese EFL learners' lexical application to see if AWE-based writing can bring about positive effects of lexicon on linguistics features, especially in word count, word frequency and word density in their writing texts across a series of tracked revisions in University English classrooms and beyond. The findings from both classroom observations and learners' responses to a post-test questionnaire survey reveal that they showed very positive perceptions of AWE-based writing in which they were greatly encouraged to make modifications in each writing task. It shows from data analysis of the writing texts that learners tended to replace simple lexical terms with more academic and concrete ones in revisions. The results signify implications for EFL learning of lexicon and writing, and also for AWE developers. However, it implies from the analytic features of lexicon that learners' lexical modification was limited. This perhaps suggests for further research on learners' lexical modification in AWE-based writing context to see if there is any difference across genders and different levels of achievers. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Exploring the Benefits and Disadvantages of Introducing Synchronous to Asynchronous Online Technologies to Facilitate Flexibility in Learning
Author: Papadima-Sophocleous, Salomi
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Synchronous Communication,Asynchronous Communication,Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Masters Programs,Lecture Method,Web Based Instruction,Feedback (Response),Graduate Students,Interaction,Mixed Methods Research,Student Participation,Interviews

This article examines the impact of online synchronous tutorials on eight second language (L2) practitioners enrolled in a Master of Arts (MA) in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) L2 Curriculum Development and Evaluation module. The module is delivered asynchronously and synchronously (lecture). To accommodate immediate interaction to the instructor and the students, weekly synchronous online tutorials were also included. These tutorials aimed to give the opportunity to learners to get their questions answered immediately and receive instant feedback, reinforce their understanding of the content covered and the assigned tasks, discuss issues of concern, share ideas and knowledge, and interact with the instructor for questions or problems. A mixed-method data collection approach was used (records of student participation, online interviews in the middle of the course and online interviews at the end of the 13-week module). The data analysis indicated a positive attitude towards tutorials, improvement in clarity in participants' understanding of the material studied and development of a sense of comfort and reassurance. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Leveraging Automatic Speech Recognition Errors to Detect Challenging Speech Segments in TED Talks
Author: Mirzaei, Maryam Sadat
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Automation,Computer Software,Listening Skills,Error Patterns,Video Technology,Second Language Learning,Comprehension,Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),College Students

This study investigates the use of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems to epitomize second language (L2) listeners' problems in perception of TED talks. ASR-generated transcripts of videos often involve recognition errors, which may indicate difficult segments for L2 listeners. This paper aims to discover the root-causes of the ASR errors and compare them with L2 listeners' transcription mistakes. Our analysis on the ASR errors revealed several categories, such as minimal pairs, homophones, negative cases, and boundary misrecognition, which are assumed to denote the challenging nature of the respective speech segments for L2 listeners. To confirm the usefulness of these categories, we asked L2 learners to watch and transcribe a short segment of TED videos, including the above-mentioned categories of errors. Results revealed that learners' transcription mistakes substantially increase when they transcribe segments of the audio in which ASR made errors. This finding confirmed the potential of using ASR errors as a predictor of L2 learners' difficulties in listening to a particular audio. Furthermore, this study provided us with valuable data to enrich the Partial and Synchronized Caption (PSC) system we proposed earlier to facilitate and promote L2 listening skills. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Quizlet: What the Students Think--A Qualitative Data Analysis
Author: Lander, Bruce
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Vocabulary Development,Visual Aids,Language Proficiency,Private Colleges,Student Attitudes,College Students,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Instructional Materials,Language Tests,Second Language Learning

The immediate area of interest in this study is the primary building block of all foreign languages: vocabulary acquisition. Due to recent updates and innovations in educational software, foreign language educators now have a huge supply of ever improving tools to help enhance, transform and completely modify learning. Despite this surge in interest of recent times, there is very little physical evidence that indicates an overall sign of approval from learners. This empirical study used the now well-known digital flashcard tool Quizlet to help a large group of lower intermediate students to improve their vocabulary and ultimately raise their English comprehension levels at a medium sized private university in Japan. They were encouraged to use the said tool throughout the duration of the year-long course and were asked for their feedback about it in the final class. This study helps to reinvigorate the notion that technology can and does help the modern day language learner and can be approved in a positive manner by the majority stakeholder; the student. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Turnaround Arts Initiative: Summary of Key Findings
Author: Stoelinga, Sara Ray
Date: 2015-01-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: School Turnaround,School Effectiveness,Partnerships in Education,Art Education,Program Implementation,Academic Achievement,Performance Factors,Comparative Analysis,Attendance,Educational Indicators,Discipline,Teacher Attitudes,Educational Improvement,Educational Change

Turnaround Arts is a public-private partnership that aims to test the hypothesis that strategically implementing high-quality and integrated arts education programming in high-poverty, chronically underperforming schools adds significant value to school-wide reform. In 2014, the Turnaround Arts initiative completed an evaluation report covering two years of program implementation. The final report provides a description and analysis of program impacts in the pilot cohort of 8 Turnaround Arts schools by the end of their second year. This report includes summaries of program operation and implementation practices and outcomes in school reform indicators and student achievement data. This brief also provides an overview of key findings from the broader evaluation report. Key findings include: (1) High prevalence of arts resources in Turnaround Arts schools; (2) High prevalence of the use of the arts in non-arts classrooms; (3) Intentional development of the pillars as a lever for school improvement; (4) Evidence of strategic mobilization of the arts toward larger school improvement goals; and (5) Relationships between implementation of Turnaround Arts and broader school improvement outcomes. [Turnaround Arts is supported and funded by a coalition of partners and funders without whom this program would not be possible. Special thanks to Booz Allen Hamilton and the NAMM Foundation for their support of this research and evaluation.]