Transcription of interview: James, Jonah, Jack
Interviewer(s): Thy
Interviewee(s): James, Jonah, Jack

Thy: So maybe we start off by telling me how is learning English here same or different from how you learn English in school? Maybe we’ll start with James?

James: In school it’s always pen and paper.

Thy: Okay, good or bad?

James: [inaudible]

Thy: Why?

James: More fun.

Thy: Oh okay, so I can be giving the same composition title but one pen and paper, one typed, you prefer the one that is typing? But why would typing be more fun?

James: Because got screen.

Thy: Got screen, okay I’ll come back to that. What about Jonah?

Jonah: It’s more relaxed over here, I do more things. The cher will...for school they don’t.

Thy: Okay, can you tell me what are some of the more things you do here that makes it more relaxing?

Jonah: We get to listen to music while we write down the essay.

Thy: Okay. So that’s...do you learn better when you’re relaxed? Because sometimes adults say you must discipline, then you will do better. But which one works better for you?

Jonah: Both? But I prefer the relaxed one.

Thy: The more relaxed one, okay. I’ll come back to you to say what are some of the things that made it more relaxing here. What about you Jack?

Jack: We use the laptop more frequently [in CDAC].

Thy: Back in school I thought Sec 3 now all have the laptop in school?

James: They don’t let use.

Jonah: Mostly it’s restricted.

James: Mine’s not restricted,

Thy: Okay so there’s no...you bring the laptop all the way to school and then not use it?

Jonah: Sometimes we got use.

Thy: What about you? I mean you do have this personal device in school, so how is it used differently here compared to school?

Jack: We rarely use it in school.

Thy: Okay so how is the use of the laptop more fun here? Just now you talked about screen right, cannot just the screen right?

James: Because the screen got colour, if not you’re just staring at a black and white paper.

Thy: Okay, apart from that what makes it fun? He says it’s colour, for you?

Jonah: The internet. If you run out of ideas for writing for Scribo you can go to the other tab to do whatever you want, play chess while thinking on how to continue the essay.

Thy: Okay, so you’re more in control, you can go here there everywhere. What has helped you with the use of Scribo?

Jack: Like if I don’t know a word I can google it.

Thy: Okay on the side you go and ask ChatGPT or something like that. ...So what else has helped apart from the fact that you can go and get help? Does the Scribo check help?

James: It just tells you what you get wrong.

Thy: Okay, just like teacher in school right, just tell you what is wrong. But which one do you prefer? Teacher telling you or Scribo?

James: Scribo. Because nothing scolds you.

Thy: Okay, so Scribo doesn’t scold, Scribo just tells you it’s wrong. But does it also give you suggestions? And can you make sense of the suggestions?

James: No.

Thy: Okay, so then what do you do? Just ignore?

James: I just write some random word and hope it gets right.

Thy: Okay, but I thought it will suggest words right?

James: Sometimes it suggests the word, but then you check again and it suggests you another word.

Thy: Okay. What about you Jonah? What was it about Scribo that was helpful or not helpful?

Jonah: I mean it tells you what’s wrong but since it’s on the computer you can type and erase easily. Can also paragraph...not like you can do on pen and paper.

Thy: Ah so copy paste, it’s not so irritating where you have to use...

James: Oh but Scribo cannot copy paste.

Thy: Control C control V , you have to figure out what was the issue with it. So it’s easier to edit in that sense? Okay. What about Jack? In what way was Scribo helpful or not helpful?

Jack: Can correct your mistake.

Thy: Okay, what about the score? Scribo gives you a score right, is that helpful or not helpful?

James: Competitiveness.

Thy: Was that score helpful for you? In what way was it helpful?

Jack: If you get a higher score it encourages you to write more.

Thy: Okay, so it’s interesting you say “encourages” but James says “competitive. Competing with who?

James: The people next to me.

Thy: Have y’all done that before, competing with one another? Can you trust the score?

Jonah: Don’t know.

Thy: You can’t trust the score? So you can get a higher score but that higher score might mean anything?

Jonah: Because it doesn’t mark for content.

James: It’s straight up from 90 marks to 50 marks.

Thy: Yeah it marks for grammar. Actually the way Scribo works is that is starts off with a 100 marks, and then it starts to deduct.

James: So if we don’t write anything we can get a 100?

Thy: No of course not. You have to give something for it to actually run through in the first case. Just a way of recap, did y’all write a speech at the beginning of the year?...and then there was an expository composition...so how many pieces of writing did y’all have?

Jonah: 2 or 3.

Thy: Okay so let’s do with the 2 that you obviously remember, the one about writing a speech and the exposition. I’m trying to find out if at the beginning you found it difficult to use Scribo and then now it becomes better or...?

James: [shakes head]

Thy: Okay. You mean immediately you were able to make use of Scribo and it makes sense to you? Is that the same for Jonah and Jack as well?

Jack: [shakes head]

Thy: Oh you still found it very difficult to use. What was it that was hard for you to use in Scribo?

Is it content, or the grammar that you find difficult?

Jack: The grammar.

Thy: So you still don’t know...even when Scribo tells you you don’t know what do with it? Okay. Across the months as you’re beginning to be more familiar with Scribo, did it somehow transfer to your schoolwork? Did you find yourself more confident, less confident?

Jonah: Can’t identify.

Thy: There was no drastic changes or whatever it is? In their marking did both of your teachers make any comments like “James your grammar has improved” or no?

James: None. I forget everything in one...

Thy: So whatever you learn here it’s all forgotten? What about Jonah?

Jonah: My teacher just told me I need to improve on my grammar.

Thy: Need to? But she didn’t detect any changes in the grammar? Okay, that’s important for me to know. So what did your teacher say you need to do to improve?

Jonah: Pay attention in class.

Thy: Okay. What about corrections? Do your school teachers ask y’all to do corrections?

James: Corrections teacher throw back to us and tell us to do corrections, if you don’t want no need do.

Thy: So I’ve marked it, I throw it back to you then you have to do?

James: No if you do you do, you don’t want to do don’t do.

Thy: Oh it’s optional? For Jonah?

Jonah: Haven’t done like an email compo in a very long time.

Thy: Oh? Was your WA a compo?

Jonah: Because WA was a essay writing or something. “Say no to waste”.

Thy: But I imagine that before WA I know teachers are super kiasu they will do a lot of practice before that right? So before those practices you didn’t have to do corrections?

Jonah: Can’t remember.

Thy: Okay. The fact that you can’t remember says something already. What about Jack? Do your teachers ask you to do corrections after work?

Jack: No.

Thy: But over here are you asked to do corrections?

Jack: No.

James: Because it’s online

Thy: But it’s online, when you do the check do you...once you do the check you obviously also have to change it? And the teacher here gives you feedback and you have to change it? Help me understand here, some say that pressing the “check” button, a lot of mistakes highlighted can be a bit overwhelming.

What about y’all? Do y’all feel that “so many mistakes” or?

Jonah: They don’t tell us the mistakes.

Thy: On Scribo?

Jonah: Yeah they show you the percentage.

James: They got...if you choose “improve my writing” they’ll show.

Thy: Okay, what about Jack? When you press “check” what do they show you?

Jack: The...of the mistakes and they suggest you to change it.

Thy: They do right, so they highlight what is- and then you change. How does that make you feel when you see such suggestions?

Jack: You can learn from your mistakes.

Thy: Okay. That was good. If you were to help me give advice to the developer as to how it can be improved, what would you suggest?

James: Make it more entertaining.

Thy: Okay, what about Jonah?

Jonah: Maybe give examples.

Thy: Okay, actually when y’all are supposed to write the essay, there are some helping words and all that right?

James: Mhm. You have to write finish, check if they can link it to you (?) suggestions.

Thy: Oh okay but before that does the teacher here give you all examples and the helping words?

James: There is some at the side. There’s a paragraph at the side where you can use the [inaudible]

Thy: Okay, so do you make use of that to help you? Okay, you didn’t even know it was there Jonah? What about you Jack did you know there were examples at the side? No? Okay. Ok so I like what you said, which is to give more examples, make it more entertaining. Any suggestions from you?

Jack: Like explain why it is wrong.

Thy: Okay, so not just tell me it’s wrong but explain why it’s wrong. Do y’all have tuition with CDAC for other subjects as well?

James: Math.

Thy: Okay so how do you study for Math and how do you study for English? Is there-

James: Do paper.

Thy: Okay so do a lot of exercises for Math or for English?

James: Math.

Thy: So what about Jonah? Let’s say for WA, how do you prepare yourself for English language WA?

Jonah: I don’t.

Thy: Okay do you look back at your previous work?

Jonah: No.

Thy: Okay what about Jack? Do you prepare for WA?

Jack: I don’t study.

Thy: But do y’all study for Math? Science?

Jonah: No.

Jack: No.

James: [nods head]

Thy: James you were saying you do study for your other subjects so how do you go about studying for the subjects?

James: Take out a book and then just start writing.

Thy: For Math or for English?

James: For Math and Science.

Thy: Write what?

James: Take out assessment book

Thy: Okay so do you do that for English then?

James: Math and Science only.

Thy: But do you also do that for English?

James: [shakes head]

Thy: Okay. So that has always been the case for English language preparation or for English WA that has always been the case?

James: Yeah.

Thy: Okay. Is there anything else you want to tell me about either Scribo itself, or the tuition using Scribo that I should have asked but I didn’t ask? Anything you want to tell me about it? No? Okay thank you very much!