Designing a model for a technology-enhanced environment developing the oral interactional competence of beginner language learners

Designing a model for a technology-enhanced environment developing the oral interactional competence of beginner language learners Oral communication skills in second and foreign language acquisition have been described as the principal skill that represents an overall knowledge of the target language and the importance thereof has often been reiterated in literature. Developing this important skill is a complex process that is frequently hampered by the setup in educational institutions where opportunities to develop this skill in a foreign language learning environment are scarce, and all too often, learners are afforded insufficient chance to practise oral skills inside as well as outside the formal classroom. Many studies on how to create an optimal environment where students can develop their foreign language oral skills in a contextualised, meaningful and integrated way have been (and are still being) conducted. However, most of these studies focus on the development of oral communication skills for learners with prior knowledge of the target language whereas the greatest need in the context of this study is at beginner level where high student numbers often make individual attention, practice and feedback impossible. The participants in this study consisted of students registered for a beginner module in French at a South African university and this study set out to create a design model that represents the different processes involved in a technology- enhanced out-of-class practice environment that focuses on the development of oral communication skills of beginner language learners in order to supplement limited face-to-face teaching time. In order to achieve this, the different activities (and their associated tasks) that should be included in the design of such a practice environment were identified and a strategy for the organisation of these activities was determined. These activities and tasks were identified and organised by implementing an instructional design process that consisted of different cycles of analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation. The results from each phase informed the next and the process culminated in an open model consisting of different learning cycles and instances of assessment. This provided a research-based platform that allowed this practice environment to be integrated into the broader teaching and learning environment. The practice environment and, thus, the design model, were then evaluated to establish its suitability and perceived usefulness from a student’s perspective. A design-based research approach was chosen and two iterations of a mixed- method multistrand design were completed. This yielded quantitative and qualitative data results that guided the refinement of both the practice environment and the design model – a process that included, amongst others, the addition of several learning cycles which led to a greater integration of the practice environment into the wider teaching and learning context. A refined design model that encapsulates the quantity and order of the different learning cycles that constitute this type of learning environment was subsequently proposed. Several design principles and general recommendations for the teaching and learning environment were formulated. These can serve as a point of departure for teachers and researchers who wish to create a technology-enhanced out-of-class practice environment for beginner learners of a foreign language in their particular context.

Jaar van publicatie:2020

Trefwoorden:Doctoral thesis

Toegankelijkheid:Open