This thesis represents the culmination of work carried out as part of an ongoing research into hypermedia authoring for Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). It originates from, and is the natural continuation of previous research activities in user interface design, which addressed the problem of transferring existing human factors expertise derived from the field of human-computer interaction (HCI) to the hypermedia CALL authoring process. Problems identified with the development of specific design guidelines for authoring hypermedia CALL led to a need for a thorough examination of the usability field with a view to creating a coherent and exhaustive theoretical framework providing a comprehensive contextual and conceptual design support. At the conceptual level, emphasis is placed on defining the design process from an HCI perspective, on delineating the authoring input and explicating the potential of the hypermedia CALL platform, in terms of specificity, scope and limitations. At the contextual level, this research presents an in-depth study of mental models and user requirements elicited and formulated by students as targeted users on the basis of a selection of relevant applications. The resulting usability field is central to the design of the theoretical framework, inasmuch as it feeds into conceptual design considerations and is instrumental in facilitating and validating a realistic transition from theory into practice. Ultimately, the theoretical framework provides a comprehensive design support encapsulating design guidelines and generating design solutions. The main contribution made to hypermedia CALL rests on providing an extensive contextualized design support in the form of a practical and applicable framework with a sound theoretical underpinning designed to stimulate a conceptual approach to authoring hypermedia CALL environments. Therefore, it is designed to develop a much greater awareness of the design process and the role authors must play within it, as well as to provide a methodology and an approach to further identify and understand student requirements. Last but not least, it is conceived to promote and facilitate the use of design guidelines to turn a complex process into a successful, student-centred design outcome.

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This investigation comprised two studies aimed at identifying the relationship, if any, between beliefs about the formal or functional nature of learning English as a foreign language and learning behaviour in a vocabulary learning computer environment. Two measurement tools were developed.A questionnaire was developed to measure beliefs of a general nature about the task of learning a foreign language, definition of the formal functional components of language learning activities, and beliefs about the efficacy of the same language activities. This was done to observe the correlations, if any, between formal-functional bias in general beliefs and preferences for specific activities which respondents have previously defined in formal-functional terms. A hypertext program was also developed. This program consisted of vocabulary learning materials with code built into the programming which recorded user interaction in log files. Using the logged data, general beliefs and beliefs about the efficacy of language learning activities could then be compared with preference for inductive and deductive learning, passive and productive practice, and effort invested in the task as measured by the number of screens accessed and time spent on the task. The two studies making up the investigation consisted of a pilot study to test the questionnaire and a main study, combining the questionnaire and software. The Main Study was done in four stages with the first three stages being used to pilot the software and the final stage functioning as the source of data on subject behaviour. Questionnaire data was compared with the logged data and post-hoc interviews served to triangulate the logged data. A qualitative analysis of subject behaviour in the computer environment was also carried out. Main findings for questionnaire data were that formal-functional bias in general beliefs may be related to preference for formal or functional activities. Beliefs regarding knowledge of target language culture or learning context may be more closely related to formal-functional preferences than beliefs regarding grammar or vocabulary. Regarding correlational relationships with logged data, beliefs appeared to be less important than prior knowledge of target vocabulary. Subjects showed a consistent pattern of variation of preferences according to level of prior knowledge while effort invested showed a bellshaped curve with increasing prior knowledge. Formal-Functional biases in general beliefs had correlational relationships with effort invested, but the direction of the relationships varied according to the belief. Main conclusions were that the pattern of interaction suggested subjects were acting autonomously. In exercising this autonomy, they were influenced by their beliefs, but level of prior knowledge of the task was more important in determining how they learned or practiced the target vocabulary. Regarding pedagogical implications, it was argued that the formal-functional distinction has little pedagogical value in terms of understanding language learners. Finally, it was concluded that this research has shown that language learners' metacognitive knowledge of the task of language learning is a resource which teachers ignore at their peril.

Published Article / The contribution argues that there is a renewed interest by mainly Afrikaans and English speaking South Africans in learning another indigenous South African language. This came about as a direct result of the changed official language policy, elevating all the indigenous Bantu languages to that of being official. It is further argued that many individuals interested in learning a new language, do not have the time or the inclination to do so in a formal classroom context. Access to a computer has increased dramatically in the last two decades, and hence e-learning becomes a viable option in this regard. The contribution argues that computer-assisted language learning (CALL) can very sensibly complement and even substitute the language teacher. Some existing computer-assisted language courses aimed at learning Xhosa are briefly explored, and finally the attention is turned to the particular challenges experienced in developing an interactive multimedia Xhosa acquisition course within the Multitaal framework.

No description available.

Second language learners face many challenges when learning a new language. To determine which challenges learners needed additional support in overcoming, we conducted a needs assessment of the Russian language program at the University of Saskatchewan and found that their students needed the most help with speaking in Russian. As a result, we designed an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) to help students learn how to pronounce Russian properly. We hoped to alleviate some of the challenges that learners face when learning to pronounce words in a second language by building an ITS that uses a Historic Open Learner Model (HOLM) to encourage learner reflection and to help maintain learner motivation. We designed, built, and performed a formative evaluation of a system, called ProTutor, using beginner learners of Russian as a second language at the University of Saskatchewan. This evaluation showed that learners have a positive perception of HOLMs and of the system as a whole. However, ProTutor needs further evaluation in order to determine its effectiveness as a learning aide.

Second language learners face many challenges when learning a new language. To determine which challenges learners needed additional support in overcoming, we conducted a needs assessment of the Russian language program at the University of Saskatchewan and found that their students needed the most help with speaking in Russian. As a result, we designed an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) to help students learn how to pronounce Russian properly. We hoped to alleviate some of the challenges that learners face when learning to pronounce words in a second language by building an ITS that uses a Historic Open Learner Model (HOLM) to encourage learner reflection and to help maintain learner motivation. We designed, built, and performed a formative evaluation of a system, called ProTutor, using beginner learners of Russian as a second language at the University of Saskatchewan. This evaluation showed that learners have a positive perception of HOLMs and of the system as a whole. However, ProTutor needs further evaluation in order to determine its effectiveness as a learning aide.

One of the challenges students face in studying an East Asian (EA) language (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) as a second language is mastering their selected language’s written component. This is especially true for students with native fluency of English and deficient written fluency of another EA language. In order to alleviate the steep learning curve inherent in the properties of EA languages’ complicated writing scripts, language instructors conventionally introduce various written techniques such as stroke order and direction to allow students to study writing scripts in a systematic fashion. Yet, despite the advantages gained from written technique instruction, the physical presence of the language instructor in conventional instruction is still highly desirable during the learning process; not only does it allow instructors to offer valuable real-time critique and feedback interaction on students’ writings, but it also allows instructors to correct students’ bad writing habits that would impede mastery of the written language if not caught early in the learning process. The current generation of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) applications specific to written EA languages have therefore strived to incorporate writing-capable modalities in order to allow students to emulate their studies outside the classroom setting. Several factors such as constrained writing styles, and weak feedback and assessment capabilities limit these existing applications and their employed techniques from closely mimicking the benefits that language instructors continue to offer. In this thesis, I describe my geometric-based sketch recognition approach to several writing scripts in the EA languages while addressing the issues that plague existing CALL applications and the handwriting recognition techniques that they utilize. The approach takes advantage of A Language to Describe, Display, and Editing in Sketch Recognition (LADDER) framework to provide users with valuable feedback and assessment that not only recognizes the visual correctness of students’ written EA Language writings, but also critiques the technical correctness of their stroke order and direction. Furthermore, my approach provides recognition independent of writing style that allows students to learn with natural writing through size- and amount-independence, thus bridging the gap between beginner applications that only recognize single-square input and expert tools that lack written technique critique.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a software-administered shaping procedure in guiding English monolinguals to acquire accurate Mandarin pronunciation. A single-subject reversal ABAB design was used to evaluate treatment effects. A purposely-developed algorithm generated an accuracy score defined as the similarity between a participant’s utterance and the target pronunciation. The shaping procedure provided performance-dependent reinforcement, while the control condition provided performance-independent reinforcement at a density yoked to the shaping procedure. A no-feedback condition assessed spontaneous language learning ability prior to treatment. Data were evaluated via visual analysis and complemented with effect size analyses and repeated-measures ANOVAs. There were no overall treatment effects. However, three individuals demonstrated a statistically significant difference between treatment and control. A follow-up study compared shaping to no feedback using a simplified procedure and simpler stimuli. A multiple-baseline design was used. The results showed no treatment effects. Possible contributing factors and directions for future research are discussed.

This study investigated the students&amp / #8217 / and teacher&amp / #8217 / s perception of a web-based learning tool for an English course which was given as a second language at elementary level. The site was used as a supplementary material for 8th grade students in METU College. The researcher developed the site specifically for this study and in the development process internet and database technologies were used.The data were collected from the 22, 8th grade students through a computer attitude scale and a questionnaire, which was developed by the researcher. An interview with the course teacher was conducted. Descriptive statistics, frequency distributions and researcher observation were used to express the results of the study. The results showed that the site was perceived positively by more than half of the students in terms of vocabulary learning through the dictionary and activities page. The site was evaluated by the students and nearly most of the students found the site to be useful in terms of acquiring hearsay through the dictionary and the chat page of the site. More than half of the students perceived the chat environment more suitable for communication than classroom environment. The course teacher evaluated the site to be useful in terms of vocabulary learning, hearsay and online communication.