ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Aligning Out-of-Class Material with Curriculum: Tagging Grammar in a Mobile Music Application
Author: Sundberg, Ross
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Second Language Instruction,Telecommunications,Computer Oriented Programs,Music,Teaching Methods,French,Grammar,Singing

The time available for classroom language learning is often insufficient for attaining reasonable levels of proficiency in the target language. For this reason, optimising time in the classroom is contingent upon what students are able to do outside of class time. In this paper, we introduce Bande à Part, a mobile application (app) that uses music as a pedagogical tool, developed for learners of French as a second or foreign language. As an out-of-class tool, the proposed app has the potential to increase the quantity (and possibly the quality) of the exposure to the target language, thus addressing the time constraint mentioned above. Specifically, we describe the recent addition of grammatical information to the app, which is now tagged to individual songs. With this addition, songs can be better aligned with curricula and individual needs. Aligning the application to a curriculum helps bring continuity between the classroom and learning outside of the classroom. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
What Are More Effective in English Classrooms: Textbooks or Podcasts?
Author: Selwood, Jaime
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Second Language Instruction,College Freshmen,English (Second Language),Required Courses,Textbooks,Electronic Publishing,Audio Equipment,Handheld Devices,Comparative Analysis,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Teaching Methods,Language Tests,Foreign Countries

In the 21st century it has become clear that more and more language-learning pedagogical materials have begun to shift to a digital mobile-access format and away from being a textbook and classroom based one. High quality language-learning podcasts can provide a cheap, beneficial and portable technology that allows learners the freedom to access useful materials whenever and wherever convenient--especially through smartphones. However, despite the low cost involved in producing and accessing podcasts, educational institutions still seem reluctant to fully utilise them as an integral part of the language-learning process. This presentation will outline the structure of a comprehensive study that analysed the communicative abilities of 102 university freshmen students undertaking a compulsory English oral communication course. The study was divided into a traditional model that was centred-around a paper textbook and digital model where no textbooks were used and the course was structured around a series of high-quality, pedagogically sound English language podcasts. It was found that students progressed in similar ways during the course, regardless of the pedagogical materials used. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Meeting the Technology Standards for Language Teachers
Author: Tschichold, Cornelia
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Computer Assisted Instruction,Technology Uses in Education,Influence of Technology,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Standard Setting,Academic Standards,Teacher Education Programs,Undergraduate Students,Applied Linguistics,Multimedia Materials,Courseware,Graduation Requirements

The starting point for this project was the question in how far a Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) module in a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) course can bring the students up to the required level of being confident CALL users. The teachers' part of the TESOL Technology Standards Framework was chosen as evidence for the level of training required. Each standard was first matched against the components of an existing CALL module. Standards that were not met were then filtered for achievability in a preservice teacher training situation. Next, all remaining standards were examined to find out whether they could be incorporated into the module, either by modification of an existing element or the introduction of new elements. A second step involved the evaluation of components of the CALL course that did not seem to contribute to helping the students reach any of the technology standards. One of the goals of this procedure was to give more structure to the process of regular updates of the module content, beyond simply updating the software used in the module, and to allow for a more principled improvement of the module over the years. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Mingling Students' Cognitive Abilities and Learning Strategies to Transform CALL
Author: Nisiforou, Efi
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Language Skills,Cognitive Ability,Undergraduate Students,Greek,Foreign Countries,Second Language Instruction,Correlation,Learning Strategies,Computer Assisted Instruction,Educational Technology,Teaching Methods,Statistical Analysis,Psychometrics

Language researchers have identified a number of elements related to language performance. One of these factors is individual attributes of the language learners or their cognitive ability. In the fall semester 2015, 18 undergraduates of Greek for academic purposes language course of a public university in Cyprus participated in the study. This research work attempts to investigate the relationship between students' Field Dependence-Independence (FDI) cognitive ability and learning strategies within a Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) environment. Students FDI cognitive style was measured on their performance on the Hidden Figures Test (HFT) psychometric tool and classified into Field- Dependent (FD), Field-Mixed or Neutral (FM/FN), and Field-Independent (FI) learners. Statistics and mainly qualitative analyses were used to interpret the data. With the end goal of understanding how learners' FDI cognitive ability intersects in learning within a CALL environment, the article concludes with some directions for further areas of research. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Does the Usage of an Online EFL Workbook Conform to Benford's Law?
Author: Olszewski, Mikolaj
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Workbooks,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Prediction,Theories,Numbers,Student Behavior,Online Courses,Electronic Learning,Time Management,Behavior Patterns,Learning Activities,Second Language Instruction,Graphs

The aim of this paper is to explore if English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' usage of an online workbook follows Benford's law, which predicts the frequency of leading digits in numbers describing natural phenomena. According to Benford (1938), one can predict the frequency distribution of leading digits in numbers describing natural datasets, e.g. river lengths. In such numbers, the digit 1 occurs most frequently, while the digit 9 occurs least-frequently. This counterintuitive phenomenon attracted the attention of researchers seeking inconsistencies in data, e.g. false tax claims (Miller, 2015). We show that the practical application of Benford's law could extend to detecting abnormal learner behaviour in online EFL products. First, we show that the distributions of leading digits of the number of online activities submitted by EFL learners on an e-learning platform and the time spent on those activities do indeed follow Benford's law. Then, we show that some learners whose behaviour does not conform to Benford's law show online behaviour that is abnormal relative to their peers--in particular, they submit many activities in a few days, which could suggest, for example, poor time management. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Mind the Gap: Task Design and Technology in Novice Language Teachers' Practice
Author: Smits, Tom F. H.
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Beginning Teachers,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,English (Second Language),Language Teachers,Educational Technology,Preservice Teachers,Task Analysis,Instructional Design,Teacher Student Relationship,Information Technology,Graduate Students,Qualitative Research,Teacher Education,Scores,Technology Integration

This paper focuses on the possibilities/challenges for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers designing tasks grounded in Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and taking advantage of the affordances of technology--Interactive WhiteBoards (IWBs). Teachers have been shown to confuse tasks with exercises or activities. The interactive Technologies in Language Teaching (iTILT) projects revealed that when it comes to IWB use the focus often shifts from interactive teaching to interactive technology. To better prepare novice EFL teachers for their future teaching practice, an &quot;IWB for TLBT&quot; training programme introduced the affordances of IWBs. Our analysis of how (un)successful they were at marrying TBLT and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) operationalised TBLT criteria from Nunan (2004) and Erlam (2016). Supporting evidence of the participants' aptitude in TBLT practice is provided by a traditional, non-IWB-oriented task each individual had designed earlier. Combining both elements in the analysis, our study answers the question: to what extent are pre-service teachers able to design a TBLT environment involving modern technology that adheres to iTILT principles and current theories of TBLT methodology? [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
&quot;Just Facebook Me&quot;: A Study on the Integration of Facebook into a German Language Curriculum
Author: Leier, Vera
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Social Media,German,Second Language Instruction,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Questionnaires,Semi Structured Interviews,Journal Writing,Student Behavior,Language Usage,Language Skills,Interaction,College Students,Foreign Countries,Ethnography,Pretests Posttests,Coding,Student Attitudes,Teaching Methods

Student and teacher activity in a closed Facebook group for a tertiary German class was observed during a 12-week teaching semester. This was complemented by questionnaires, semi-structured interviews with students, and teacher reflections in a researcher journal. Collected data were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis followed by a deductive Activity Theory (AT) analysis to explore the tensions between student and teacher expectations of the Facebook component of the course. The analysis showed individual variation in Facebook behaviours. A number of students were reluctant to write in the target language, German, reporting that they felt anxious when required to do so. It became evident that students differentiated sharply between their private Facebook interactions and their interactions in the Facebook group. Students adopted the Facebook group as an authentic language platform and continued to use the page after the course had ended. The Facebook group facilitated high quality meaning-focused target language production within the class group, and the participants were overwhelmingly positive towards their Facebook experience. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Teacher Professional Learning: Developing with the Aid of Technology
Author: Kyprianou, Marianna
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Faculty Development,Higher Education,Informal Education,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,English (Second Language),Supervisors,Professional Continuing Education,Influences,Individual Characteristics

Education is a field that constantly changes, which dictates the need for continuing teacher professional learning and development. Teacher professional learning and development can be divided into two categories: formal learning/ development and informal learning/development. This paper focuses on the experience of the presenters as coordinators of a large language section in a tertiary education institution, as this gave them the chance to develop professionally through informal learning, without attending any formal training sessions. Both coordinators did not have any previous experience in coordination, but they decided to keep a positive outlook on challenges and weaknesses, turning them into opportunities and strengths with the aid of technology. The experience of coordination will be presented using a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats/challenges (SWOT) framework of analysis. The present paper will report on this experience and how it helped the presenters develop professionally, and will also discuss the role of the use of online tools in the process. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Worldwide State of Language MOOCs
Author: Perifanou, Maria
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Online Courses,Large Group Instruction,Distance Education,Access to Education,Global Approach

In the age of globalization, the need for language learning is greater than ever before. &quot;Globalization is a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and [function] together&quot; (Chomsky, 2006, cited in Ivan, 2012, p. 81). As global citizens we need to be able to work in settings characterized by linguistic and cultural diversity and that means that &quot;language competencies and intercultural skills [are] more than ever a part of the key qualifications needed to successfully work and live in this new reality&quot; (Perifanou &amp; Economides, 2014, p. 3561). Even though many prestigious universities offer open language courses at a large scale, choosing well known Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) providers, the body of research on mapping existing language learning MOOC initiatives worldwide is rather poor. This paper aims to partially fill this research gap presenting the research contribution of the Erasmus+ KA2 project entitled LangMOOC project. More specifically, the paper first presents the main findings of the background research (Perifanou, 2014; Perifanou &amp; Economides, 2014) of the LangMOOC project that has explored the first language learning MOOC initiatives and evaluated them based on the Massive Open Online Interactive Language Learning Environment (MOILLE ) framework. Next, the paper analyzes the overall aims of the LangMOOC project and in the end, it discusses its first research findings as well as its future research steps. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Flip-J: Development of the System for Flipped Jigsaw Supported Language Learning
Author: Yamada, Masanori
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Second Language Instruction,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Video Technology,Homework,Cooperative Learning,Integrated Learning Systems,Formative Evaluation,Questionnaires,Usability,Program Effectiveness,Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes,College Students,College Faculty,English (Second Language)

This study aims to develop and evaluate a language learning system supported by the &quot;flipped jigsaw&quot; technique, called &quot;Flip-J&quot;. This system mainly consists of three functions: (1) the creation of a learning material database, (2) allocation of learning materials, and (3) formation of an expert and jigsaw group. Flip-J was developed as the plugin of the learning management system Moodle, and the formative evaluation for its improvement was conducted in a language learning class. Learners were required to answer an open-ended questionnaire on the usability of Flip-J after three weeks of flipped jigsaw classes, and the instructor was interviewed by the researcher. The results highlighted several areas for improvement, such as &quot;unfriendly interface of discussion plugin&quot; and &quot;translation function&quot;, which will be incorporated in forthcoming classes. The instructor pointed out issues such as the learners seemed to face difficulties in using the discussion plugin and role management in Flip-J. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Synchronous Tandem Language Learning in a MOOC Context: A Study on Task Design and Learner Performance
Author: Fondo Garcia, Marta
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Large Group Instruction,Online Courses,Technology Uses in Education,Educational Technology,Second Language Instruction,Program Effectiveness,Spanish,English,Video Technology,Interpersonal Communication,Learning Activities,Language Proficiency,Synchronous Communication,Cooperative Learning,Web 2.0 Technologies

In the context of a Language Massive Open Online Course (LMOOC), teacher interventions have to be designed into the course, since personalized teacher feedback actions are impossible due to the large number of participants. Learner autonomy, peer-feedback and task design are crucial in this course design. This paper presents a study on the task design effect on participants of a tandem MOOC (English-Spanish). The tandem MOOC takes advantage of the &quot;massive&quot; aspect of a MOOC to provide learners with ample opportunity for language use with native speakers of their target language, and access to peer-feedback. The tasks provide content and an objective for the conversations, turning them into episodes of meaningful language interaction. The study is conducted through observations of eight video recorded conversations by two learners of English carrying out four different tasks, eight tasks in total, with five different learners of Spanish, as it will be explained in more detail in the methodology section. The results show that task types had an effect on students' performance, but variables such as proficiency also played a role in learner interaction. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Integrating Mobile Technologies into Very Young Second Language Learners' Curriculum
Author: Sadykova, Gulnara
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Telecommunications,Technology Uses in Education,Handheld Devices,Educational Technology,Preschool Children,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Young Children,Technology Integration,Preschool Education,Preschool Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Parent Attitudes,Surveys,Foreign Countries,Questionnaires

This report is based on an exploratory case study of a private multilingual preschool language program that integrated a Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) project into the curriculum of five/six year-old children whose native language(s) is/are Russian and/or Tatar. The purpose of the study was to reveal teachers' and parents' perceptions of the educational value of mobile language learning in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom and explore the case of MALL integration into the curriculum of young language learners. To collect the data, the researchers surveyed eight teachers, including a teacher who introduced the MALL project into her class of 12 children, as well as 12 parents whose children participated in this project. The results speak for the growth of MALL enthusiasts among teachers and the lack of MALL supporters among parents. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
The Effects of Utilizing Corpus Resources to Correct Collocation Errors in L2 Writing--Students' Performance, Corpus Use and Perceptions
Author: Wu, Yi-ju
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Computational Linguistics,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Language Proficiency,North American English,Foreign Countries,Phrase Structure,Writing (Composition),Error Correction,Mixed Methods Research,Language Tests,Error Analysis (Language),Student Attitudes

Data-Driven Learning (DDL), in which learners &quot;confront [themselves] directly with the corpus data&quot; (Johns, 2002, p. 108), has shown to be effective in collocation learning in L2 writing. Nevertheless, there have been only few research studies of this type examining the relationship between English proficiency and corpus consultation. The current study intends to fill the gap by investigating how 140 learners of three different levels of English proficiency from Taiwan utilized Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) to correct eight different types of collocation errors adapted from their writing. Data was obtained from three aspects: learners' collocation performance, learners' COCA use, and learners' evaluation toward COCA. A mixed-methods approach that included quantitative statistics and qualitative interviews was used. The results showed that even though learners of higher English proficiency performed better when using corpus, learners across all proficiency levels have improved collocation performance by 30%. Nevertheless, even though lower proficiency learners have received the same amount of assistance from corpus consultation, they did not think corpus as helpful as their higher proficiency fellows did. Teachers should not restrict the use of corpus to higher proficiency learners only because lower proficiency can also benefit from corpus use. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Mobile-Assisted Language Learning and Language Learner Autonomy
Author: Lyddon, Paul
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Telecommunications,Lifelong Learning,Teaching Methods,Barriers,Personal Autonomy,Informal Education,Access to Education,Handheld Devices

In the modern age of exponential knowledge growth and accelerating technological development, the need to engage in lifelong learning is becoming increasingly urgent. Successful lifelong learning, in turn, requires learner autonomy, or &quot;the capacity to take control of one's own learning&quot; (Benson, 2011, p. 58), including all relevant decisions about what, when, where, and how to learn. Mobile technologies, as not only potential means for learning anywhere and anytime but also conduits to rich, multimodal content, provide unprecedented opportunities for the development of learner autonomy. However, even when learners possess adequate training in mobile technology use and autonomy itself, implementation of mobile learning devices in the classroom often seems to engender little additional autonomous behavior. This paper highlights the differing constraints on learner autonomy in formal and informal learning environments. It then proposes an approach to encouraging greater demonstration of autonomy through an explicit linking of institutional requirements associated with routine lesson assignments and the achievement of personally meaningful, individually determined learning goals. Finally, it suggests the role that mobile technology can and properly ought to play in capacitating consistently high levels of demonstrated autonomy both inside and outside the classroom. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
Mobile Assisted Language Learning and Mnemonic Mapping -- The Loci Method Revisited
Author: Waragai, Ikumi
Date: 2016-08-00
Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Subjects: Mnemonics,Electronic Learning,German,Concept Mapping,Class Activities,Handheld Devices,Technology Uses in Education,Informal Education,Educational Environment,Courseware,Teaching Methods,College Second Language Programs,Foreign Countries,Second Language Learning

This paper presents the prototype of a Mobile Language Learning Environment (MLLE) allowing learners of German at a Japanese university to map classroom learning content onto the pathways of their everyday lives, turning places they come by into mnemonic &quot;loci&quot;, and thus changing their daily commute into a learning trail. Even though the evaluation based on learners' self-reports could not confirm the assumption that this type of MLLE supports the use of the loci method for all learners, it allows the conclusion that at least for some learners mnemonic mapping with mobile devices might lead to changes in learning awareness and an expansion of strategy knowledge. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]