With globally increased migration and mobility between countries, it has become critical for many people to learn to speak a second language. The focus of this study is on adult migrant language learners that are learning a second language of the host country on the side of their working life. This study aims to support learners in their second language acquisition outside classrooms settings. In particular, it explores how the use of a specially designed application aimed at helping learners to keep track on how much time they spend on studying a second language affects their engagement and motivation to continue study the target language. To support migrant learners keeping track of the time spent on language learning activities (e.g., speaking, writing, reading and listening), a web-based application, the TimeTracker App, accessible through users’ mobile device has been developed by the researcher and offered to the learners. Participants in this study used the application for around two weeks. A mixed method approach was employed: data was collected through semi-structured interviews and by extracting log data from the application’s database. Interview data was analysed by means of a conventional content analysis and log data by using descriptive statistics. Overall, the study’s results show that the use of the TimeTracker App enabled the respondents to feel more aware of how much time they spent on their studies, and inspired them to devote more time to study the target language compared to before using the application. The findings suggest that migrant learners become more motivated and engaged in their second language learning when using the application. / Globalt ökad migration och rörlighet mellan länder har gjort det kritiskt för många att lära sig att tala ett andraspråk. Denna studie fokuserar på arbetande migranter som lär sig ett andraspråk vid sidan av sitt arbetsliv. Studien syftar till att stödja de studerande i sitt lärande av ett andraspråk utanför klassrummet. I synnerhet undersöker den hur användningen av en speciellt utformad applikation som syftar till att hjälpa eleverna att hålla reda på hur mycket tid de spenderar på att studera ett andraspråk påverkar deras engagemang och motivation för att fortsätta studera målspråket. För att hjälpa studerande migranter hålla reda på den tid som spenderas på språkinlärning (t ex att tala, skriva, läsa och lyssna) har en webbaserad applikation, TimeTracker App, som är tillgänglig via användarnas mobiltelefon, utvecklats av författaren och erbjudits till eleverna. Deltagarna i denna studie använde applikationen i cirka två veckor. En blandad metod användes: data samlades in genom halvstrukturerade intervjuer och genom att extrahera loggdata från applikationsdatabasen. Intervjudata analyserades med hjälp av en konventionell innehållsanalys och loggdata med hjälp av beskrivande statistik. Sammantaget visar studiens resultat att användningen av TimeTracker App gjorde det möjligt för respondenterna att bli mer medvetna om hur mycket tid de spenderade på sina studier och det inspirerade dem att ägna mer tid att studera målspråket jämfört med innan man använde applikationen. Resultaten tyder på att arbetande migranter blir mer motiverade och engagerade i sitt studerande av ett andraspråk när de använder applikationen.

This dissertation presents the design of a novel joining-in-type humanoid robot-assisted language learning that uses two robots to conduct a goal-oriented conversation with the human learner to practice English as a second language. The system uses implicit learning as the main learning style to teach the usage of a specific expression form. A mix of tutoring and peer learning is implemented in the course of a three-party conversation. This learning style enables the learner to gain linguistic knowledge, and at the same time it improves the performance of the speech recognition engine. / 博士(工学) / Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering / 同志社大学 / Doshisha University

In the last thirty years, language learning strategies have been used in the field of English as a Second Language (ESL) to help learners autonomously improve their English listening, speaking, reading, and writing. However, language learning strategies have not been applied to pronunciation learning in a large scale manner. This study attempted to bridge this gap by investigating the usage of pronunciation learning strategies among adult ESL learners. A strategic pronunciation learning scale (SPLS) was administered to 183 adult ESL learners in an Intensive English Program. Their scores on the SPLS were compared with their scores of spontaneous pronunciation on a program-end speaking assignment. A stepwise regression analysis showed that frequently noticing other's English mistakes, asking for pronunciation help, and adjusting facial muscles all correlated significantly with higher spontaneous pronunciation skill. Other analyses suggested that strong pronunciation learners used pronunciation learning strategies more frequently than poorer learners. Finally, a taxonomy is proposed that categorizes pronunciation learning strategies into pedagogically-founded groups based on Kolb's (1984) learning construct and four stages of pronunciation acquisition: input/practice, noticing/feedback, hypothesis forming, and hypothesis testing. This taxonomy connects language learning strategies to pronunciation acquisition research.

In the Swedish school system, English is one of three core subjects that are mandatory to pass at the end of year 9 to be able to engage in further studies in high school. However, English is not introduced at the same time in all schools. In fact, primary schools in Sweden can choose freely (between age 6-10) when they want to start introducing English to their students. The main purpose of this paper is to disclose if starting English education at an earlier age results in higher student scores on the total score and the three different parts of the National Exam for English in year 6. The National Exam scores from 14 different schools were collected and compared. 7 schools that introduce English in year 1, and 7 schools who begin their English education in year 3. The results from the statistical tests show that there is a significant difference between the two groups at the total score, speaking, and receptive skills. The early starters performed better on all parts. However, there was no significant difference between the groups in writing.

Denna studie undersöker hur elever upplever lärandet av engelska som andraspråk jämfört med hur lärare upplever elevers lärande. Undersökningar visar att elever har olika inlärningsstilar och preferenser för dessa. Detta betyder i så fall att elever använder olika metoder för att lära. Studien fokuserar på hur elever upplever och reflekterar kring sin inlärning och sina inlärningsmiljöer samt att de ger förslag på förbättringar som de önskar göra. Lärare ger också sina synpunkter på vad de tror fungerar bäst för elevers inlärning och vad de tror att elever anser om sina inlärningsmiljöer. Studien är explorativ och genomfördes med hjälp av enkäter, de innehöll frågor som var "open-ended". Enkäterna delades till elever och lärare i tre klasser på en högstadieskola. Resultatet av studien visar att för att lärande skall infinna sig, måste det finnas en ömsesidig förståelse för inlärningsprocessen mellan lärare och elever. Slutligen visar studien att elever har oilka preferenser när det gäller inlärningsstilar och därför bör lärare vara medvetna om dessa för att kunna facilitera elevers inlärningsprocess. / This study looks at how pupils perceive and their learning of the English language, juxtaposed to what the teachers believe about the pupils’ learning. Sometimes, it is taken for granted that the methods and the way a teacher goes about teaching pupils is the best way to go about a lesson. However, research shows that pupils tend to have a learning style preference which means that a method that works for one pupil is not necessarily the one that works for other pupils. The focus in this study is on how pupils feel about their learning and their learning environments as they give suggestions on improvements they wish to make. The teachers also discuss means they believe work best for their pupils and what they think their pupils feel about their learning environments. The study is an explorative one and was carried out through the use of questionnaires with open-ended questions. The questionnaires were distributed to pupils and their teachers in three English classes at one upper secondary school. In conclusion, it is discussed that for any learning to take place, there has to be a mutual understanding of the learning process. This study brings to light that pupils have learning preferences, therefore teachers have to be aware of these in order to facilitate the learning process.

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京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間・環境学) / 甲第24301号 / 人博第1057号 / 新制||人||248(附属図書館) / 2022||人博||1057(吉田南総合図書館) / 京都大学大学院人間・環境学研究科共生人間学専攻 / (主査)准教授 PETERSON Mark, 准教授 中森 誉之, 教授 勝又 直也, 教授 FIELD Malcolm Henry / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human and Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

With the rise of the smartphone industry, the domain of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) has increasingly grown. A large number of language learning applications have been developed aiming to support individuals’ second language acquisition on various levels, e.g., by teaching vocabulary and grammar to improve reading and listening comprehension. The viability of these applications has been examined in literature and shows overall positive but mixed results. On one side, their success is partly attributed to gamified design elements. These are reported to improve the user experience (UX) and boost learners' motivation. On the other side, the primary reliance on decontextualized vocabulary and grammar exercises is criticized. In response, one such application, SVT Språkplay developed by the Swedish non-profit Språkkraft, incorporated television programs as a longer form of context. This introduced novel video-based learning functions. The first aim of this thesis was to start filling a gap in research by evaluating the usability and user experience of these functions. This was performed through user tests and interviews with seven second language students who used the app to learn Swedish over a period of at least two weeks. The second aim of the thesis was to improve the usability and user experience of the problematic learning functions through a user-centred design process with the ultimate goal to improve learner support and vocabulary acquisition outcomes. The study participants consisted of doctoral researchers and students recruited from a basic Swedish course at KTH. They represent a demographic that benefits from learning Swedish to improve their job opportunities. The initial evaluation results were analysed through the lens of the MUUX-E theoretical framework [10] , a framework for evaluating the “user experience and educational features of m-learning environments”. The evaluation showed that the core vocabulary learning aids directly integrated into the video watching experience were perceived as useful. Conversely, the gamified learning functions outside of the video watching experience were found to be scarcely used as intended. The subsequent user-centered design process improved upon the design of problematic learning functions by adhering to the principles of the MUUX-E framework. Concretely, more varied contextualized vocabulary exercises were designed, more options for user customization were included and feedback and progress metrics such as “streaks” were highlighted. An evaluation of the design with the same participants as the initial evaluation suggests that these changes would improve the usability and user experience of the application. Further research should evaluate an implemented end-product based on the proposed designs in a real-life setting. In that case, its pedagogical merit should also be evaluated. In summary, this thesis found that mobile video-based MALL apps such as Språkplay can provide usable and enjoyable language learning functions. / Med tillväxten av mobiltelefonbranschen har domänen för mobilassisterad språkinlärning (MALL) ökat alltmer. Ett stort antal språkinlärningsapplikationer har utvecklats för att stödja individers förvärv av andraspråk på olika nivåer, t.ex. genom att lära ut ordförråd och grammatik samt för att förbättra läs- och hörförståelsen. Dessa applikationer har undersökts i litteraturen och visar positiva men blandade resultat. Å ena sidan tillskrivit deras framgång delvis spelelementen. Dessa rapporteras förbättra användarupplevelsen (UX) och öka elevernas motivation. Å andra sidan kritiseras det primära förlitandet på dekontekstualiserade ordförråd och grammatikövningar. Som ett svar skapades en sådan applikation, SVT Språkplay, utvecklad av den svenska ideella föreningen Språkkraft, vilken använder TV-program som en längre form av språkligt sammanhang. Detta introducerade nya videobaserade inlärningsfunktioner. Det första syftet med denna uppsats var att börja fylla ett hål i forskningen genom att utvärdera användbarheten och användarupplevelsen av dessa funktioner. Det gjordes genom att genomföra användartester och intervjuer med sju andraspråkstudenter som använde appen för att lära sig svenska under en period av två veckor. Det andra syftet med arbetet var att förbättra användbarheten och användarupplevelsen för dessa inlärningsfunktioner genom en användarcentrerad designprocess med det slutliga målet att förbättra studentens stöd. Studiedeltagarna bestod av doktorander och studenter rekryterade från en nybörjarkurs i svenska på KTH. De representerar en demografisk nytta av att lära sig svenska för att öka deras tillgång till den svenska arbetsmarknaden. De första utvärderingsresultaten analyserades genom tillämpning av MUUX-E-ramverket, ett ramverk för att utvärdera “ u ser experience and e ducational features of m -learning e nvironments” [10] . Det visade att de grundläggande ordförrådets inlärningshjälpmedel som direkt integrerades i video upplevdes som användbara. Omvänt användes knappt alls de spelifierade inlärningsfunktionerna utanför videon. Den efterföljande användarcentrerade designprocessen förbättrades vid design av problematiska inlärningsfunktioner genom att följa principerna i MUUX-E-ramverket. Konkret utformades mer varierade kontextualiserade vokabulärövningar, fler alternativ för användaranpassning inkluderades och feedback- och framstegsmetriker som “streaks” lyftes fram. En utvärdering av designen med samma deltagare som den första utvärderingen tyder på att dessa förändringar skulle förbättra användbarheten och användarupplevelsen. Ytterligare forskning bör utvärdera en implementerad slutprodukt baserad på de föreslagna designförbättringarna i en verklig miljö. I så fall bör dess pedagogiska meriter också utvärderas. Sammanfattningsvis fann vi att videobaserade MALL-appar som Språkplay kan ge användbara och roliga språkinlärningsfunktioner.

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