Recent progress in the discipline of computer applications such as the advent of web-based communication, afforded by the Web 2.0, has paved the way for novel applications in language learning, namely, social networking. Social networking has challenged the area of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) to expand its research palette in order to account for the way individuals engage in processes of learning and socialization, the way they interact, and the way they construct and perform their identities. With this in mind, it is necessary to examine the new material conditions, social arrangements, and the communicational landscape of Social Networking Sites (SNS). This study focuses on SNSs for language learning (SNSLL) and examines the particular case of Busuu. Drawing on theoretical tenets of sociocultural and ecological approaches combined with multimodal social semiotics, this research aims to analyze the views of language and learning that are enacted through the semiotic design of Busuu. It also purports to examine the types of identities wherein users are positioned through the compositional elements of this participatory online environment. The research design is informed by the principles of a qualitative case study and autoethnographic research. The data collected for this study consist of documentary information obtained from Busuu and the autoethnographic accounts of the researcher, who participated as a member of the Busuu community for 10 weeks. Results indicate that overall Busuu is an ecological system composed of sub-systems of nested views about language, learning, and users in which multiple timescales, spatiotemporal, and discursive resonances of various theories work in synergy. Thus, the semiotic spaces of Busuu combine structural, interactional and ecological views of language. Similarly, Busuu crystalizes views of learning that echo behaviorist, cognitivist, and constructivist theories. The website enacts different identities, positioning users as learners and teachers/tutors who are members of an imagined community. The study draws implications about the need for theoretical coherence and pedagogical alignment among the different components of the language curriculum (e.g. language and learning views, instructional activities) of Social Networking Sites for Language Learning.

Given current changes and trends in foreign language (FL) education (National Standards, waning interest in FL study), educators need to develop intellectually stimulating tasks to encourage personal, inter-/intrapersonal and cultural growth. Although many researchers postulate that fictional texts are a superior means to accomplish this goal (Swaffar, 1992; Shanahan, 1997; Einbeck, 2002), only few have experimented with using them as a basis for culture learning (Scott and Huntington, 2002) or measured their overall efficacy for FL learning. This study investigated the effectiveness of fictional media in the German intermediate FL classroom using a multi-faceted research design incorporating different data sets (questionnaires, student journals, and CMC chats), which underwent quantitative and/or qualitative analyses.The pre-posttest format for of three questionnaires assessed changes in learners' responses to FL attitude and motivation for study, course interest, the National Standards, perceptions about the intellectual content of fictional media, motivation, and enjoyment. Results showed that literature provides educational value beyond the level of language acquisition and encourages a multitude of learning dimensions.Students' CMC journals written about fictional media were analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (Pennebaker, Francis, & Booth, 2001) to ascertain changes of word usage in certain categories over the duration of the semester. A qualitative analysis using Grounded Theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Glaser 1992 & 1998) showed emergent changes and themes relevant for culture and language learning. In addition to the journals, learners' CMC chats were also analyzed qualitatively to investigate the social nature of L2 language use and its pedagogical implications (Vygotsky, 1986). Shifts in categories and the emergence of themes were attributed to the effect of Text content/Genre rather than Time, and learners' chat did not evidence co-constructivist/dialogic learning as first postulated.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Research into the variables which affect second language (L2) learning has shown varying results. The relationship between one of these factors, language learning strategies (LLSs), and language proficiency has been studied extensively in the English as a second language (ESL) setting, often with inconclusive results. Other variables which have been shown to influence the type and frequency of LLS use include gender and length of exposure to the L2. There has however been a dearth of studies focusing on the relationship between LLSs and these variables, including language proficiency, in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context, and especially in East-Asian and South-East Asian tertiary settings. Against this backdrop, this study sets out to investigate the relationship between the LLSs and language proficiency of Vietnamese-speaking EFL learners in Vietnam in an attempt to add to the body of literature in this field. This study begins by discussing various prominent classification systems of LLSs and provides a definition which will be used in this investigation. This is followed by a discussion of the existing LLS literature, focusing on the variables to be tested, and LLS research in the Asian setting. To test whether there is a significant relationship between the participants’ LLS use and their language proficiency, and also whether gender and length and type of exposure to the L2 influenced their LLS use, data was collected quantitatively. Firstly, data was gathered on the students’ type and frequency of LLS use by means of a commonly implemented self-report questionnaire, the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and on their language proficiency by means of their course assessment results. A background questionnaire was used to collect information on the other variables to be tested. The participants were found to be medium to high frequency LLS users overall, with their reported use of certain LLS categories contradicting the general stereotype that Asian students are passive and rote learners. No significant correlations were found between frequency of LLS use and language proficiency. Furthermore, no significant difference was found between the reported frequency and type of LLS use of female and male participants, nor any correlation between additional exposure to English outside of high school and LLS use. These results are then discussed in the socio-cultural context of Vietnamese-speaking learners in a tertiary EFL setting, followed by conclusions drawn from these results, and suggestions for future research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Navorsing rakende die faktore wat die verwerwing van ’n tweede taal (T2) beïnvloed, het verskillende resultate opgelewer oor die afgelope paar dekades. Die verhouding tussen een van hierdie faktore, naamlik taalleerstrategieë (TLSe), en taalvaardigheid is reeds uitvoerig ondersoek in die konteks van Engels as tweedetaal (ET2), dikwels met onbesliste resultate. Ander faktore wat volgens navorsing ook ’n invloed blyk te hê op die tipe en gereeldheid van TLS-gebruik, sluit in geslag, sowel as lengte van blootstelling aan die T2. Daar is egter ’n tekort aan studies wat fokus op die verhouding tussen TLSe en hierdie veranderlikes, insluitend taalvaardigheid, in die konteks van Engels as vreemdetaal (EVT), spesifiek in Oos-Asiese en Suid-Oos-Asiese tersiêre instansies. Teen hierdie agtergrond het hierdie studie ten doel om die verhouding tussen die TLS-gebruik en taalvaardigheid van Viëtnameessprekende EVT-leerders in Viëtnam te ondersoek, ten einde by te dra tot die literatuur in hierdie veld. Hierdie studie begin met ‘n bespreking van verskeie prominente TLS-klassifikasiesisteme en die uiteensetting van die definisie van “TLS” wat in hierdie ondersoek gebruik sal word. Daarna volg ’n bespreking van die bestaande TLS-literatuur. Ten einde te toets of daar ’n beduidende verhouding is tussen die deelnemers se TLS-gebruik en hulle taalvaardigheid, en ook of geslag en die lengte en tipe blootstelling aan die T2 die deelnemers se TLS-gebruik beïnvloed, is kwantitatiewe data ingesamel. Data rakende die tipe en gereeldheid van die deelnemers se TLS-gebruik is deur middel van ’n wyd geïmplementeerde self-rapporteringsvraelys, naamlik die sogenaamde “Strategy Inventory for Language Learning” (SILL), ingesamel. Die deelnemers se kursusassesseringsresultate is geïnterpreteer as ‘n aanduiding van hulle taalvaardigheid. Die gerapporteerde gebruik van sekere TLS-kategorieë weerspreek die algemene stereotipe dat Asiese studente passiewe leerders is wat staatmaak op blote memorisering. Geen beduidende korrelasies is gevind tussen taalvaardigheid en die gereeldheid waarmee TLSe gebruik word nie. Verder is geen beduidende verskille gevind tussen die gerapporteerde gereeldheid of tipe TLS-gebruik van manlike teenoor vroulike deelnemers nie. Daar is ook geen beduidende korrelasie gevind tussen TLS-gebruik en addisionele blootstelling aan Engels wat deelnemers gedurende hulle hoërskooljare buite skoolverband ontvang het nie. Hierdie resultate word geïnterpreteer en bespreek met inagname van die sosiokulturele konteks van Viëtnamees-sprekende leerders in ’n tersiêre EVT-omgewing. Daarna word gevolgtrekkings gemaak op grond van die resultate, en voorstelle vir verdere navorsing gebied.

This study examined the beliefs and opinions of U.S university students towards learning foreign languages. Four major areas were explored, including attitudes and motivations towards learning foreign languages, perceptions of foreign languages in the U.S., and favorability of Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Korean, and Spanish. One additional area that investigated participants' opinions in support or against a foreign language requirement in the United States was also examined. The instrument included a survey of 22 items, consisting of 13 quantitative attitude/opinion questions, two qualitative open-ended questions, and seven questions for demographics. The data was analyzed through descriptive, inferential, and content analyses, including Cronbach's Alpha, independent and dependent samples t-tests and one-way ANOVAs. The results of the study showed that participants generally had positive attitudes and high motivations towards learning foreign languages. Their perceptions were slightly critical of Americans' perspectives of foreign languages but indicated the belief that the U.S. education system does provide reasonable opportunities to learn foreign languages. Participants showed high favorability towards learning Spanish, with French also slightly favorable. Participants did not demonstrate positive favorability towards learning Arabic, Chinese, German, or Korean. However, participants commonly referred to Chinese as being particularly useful for business opportunities and consistently indicated low interest or usefulness in Arabic. Few significant differences were observed between genders or foreign language education background. Overall, female participants had slightly more positive views about learning foreign languages, whereas the same was true for participants with higher-level foreign language ability.

abstract: This study investigated the effects of concurrent audio and equivalent onscreen text on the ability of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) to form associations between textual and aural forms of target vocabulary words. The study also looked at the effects of learner control over an audio sequence on the association of textual and aural forms of target words. Attitudes towards experimental treatments and reported level of cognitive load were also examined in the context of a computer-based multimedia instructional program. A total of 200 college students took part in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to experimental conditions in a 2 x 3 factorial design with level of learner control (learner-controlled vs. not-learner-controlled) and format of presentation of information (audio + no text vs. audio + full text vs. audio + keyword text) as factors. The subjects completed a pretest, a posttest, cognitive load questions, and an attitude questionnaire. The results revealed the following findings: (a) groups in the audio + keyword text conditions outperformed those in the audio + no text and audio + full text conditions on text-sound association, (b) within the audio + keyword text conditions, the learner-controlled group outperformed the not-learner-controlled group on text-sound association, (c) within the learner-controlled conditions, the audio + keyword group outperformed the audio + no text and audio + full text groups on text-sound association, (d) a redundancy effect was not found for any treatment condition, and (e) overall, participants had positive attitudes towards the treatments. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed within the frameworks of cognitive load theory and cognitive theory of multimedia learning. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Educational Technology 2014

O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar a problemática da fala do aluno em aula de Inglês como Língua Estrangeira, por meio das opiniões de alunos e professores. O principal aspecto analisado foi o processo motivacional dos alunos para falar inglês em aula. As respostas foram divididas em oito categorias: o professor, as atividades, os outros alunos, o material didático, a própria personalidade do aluno, a avaliação, o ambiente de aula, a falta de conhecimento da língua estrangeira e outros fatores. No entanto, as razões por que o aluno estuda inglês, as opiniões sobre a distribuição da fala em aula entre alunos e professores e as possibilidades de intervenções que estes utilizam de maneira consciente para estimular os alunos a falar em inglês durante a aula também foram analisadas. Para tanto, foram desenvolvidos e aplicados questionários em 125 alunos, jovens e adultos, que estudavam em Cursos Livres em um Centro de Idiomas da cidade de São Paulo. Ao mesmo tempo, 4 professores da mesma instituição também responderam questionários similares, desenvolvidos de maneira específica para esta pesquisa. Os resultados principais foram a grande diversidade de possibilidades para o processo motivacional do aluno e a importância atribuída ao professor como um estímulo para eles falarem em aula. Conseqüentemente, é necessário que o professor conheça seus alunos (interesses, objetivos, gostos, experiências) por meio de uma comunicação significativa em sala de aula, de modo a compreender o seu processo motivacional. Além de conhecer os alunos, os professores de Inglês devem utilizar estratégias específicas com o objetivo de incentivá-los a falar em aula. A maioria dos professores estudados afirmou utilizar o estímulo direto por meio de questões e debates e a conscientização do aluno sobre o processo de ensino-aprendizagem como estratégias de estímulo à fala. Quanto aos obstáculos para falar em aula, a personalidade do aluno foi o fator mais citado, devido à timidez e ao medo de errar. Além disso, todos concordaram com a idéia de que os alunos devem falar uma quantidade de tempo ligeiramente superior à dos professores durante a aula. Por fim, foi observada na população pesquisada uma clara predominância da motivação instrumental. / This dissertation analyses the students speech in English as a Foreign Language classes, according to the opinions of students and teachers. The main analyzed aspect was the students motivational process to speak English during the class. The answers were divided in eight categories: the teacher, the class activities, the other students, the course material, the students own personality, the assessment, the class environment, the lack of knowledge about the foreign language and other factors. However, the English students learning goals, the opinions about class speech distribution among teachers and students and the strategies intentionally used by teachers to encourage their pupils to speak English during the class were also studied. For that, self-report questionnaires were developed and applied to 125 young adult and adult students in eligible EFL programs in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Also, 4 teachers from the same institution answered similar questionnaires, specifically developed for this study. The main results were the huge diversity in the students motivational process and the importance attributed to the teacher as an encouragement for them to speak during the class. Consequently, it is necessary for teachers to know their students (interests, goals, likes and dislikes, experiences) through meaningful interaction in the classroom in order to understand their motivational process. Besides knowing their students, the teachers used specific strategies to encourage them to speak during the class. Most teachers surveyed said they used direct stimulation through questions and class discussions and tried to make students aware of their learning process as strategies for speech encouragement. The students shyness and fear of making mistakes were regarded as the most frequent obstacles to speak during the EFL class. Besides that, everybody agreed that the students should speak a little more than the teachers in the class. Finally, the instrumental motivation was predominant among the studied population.

Este trabalho se insere na tendência transdisciplinar que vem marcando as pesquisas em lingüística aplicada nos últimos anos. Ele tem como principal objetivo inserir o corpo nos debates sobre interação e aprendizagem de línguas estrangeiras. A relação do sujeito com o corpo, sua constituição pela interação são também parte deste estudo. Em um primeiro momento, procuramos refletir sobre o lugar que o corpo ocupa na história, sua importância nos dias de hoje e sua inclusão nos estudos discursivos, o corpo formatado pelo o outro, não apenas em língua materna, mas também em língua estrangeira. No segundo capítulo trabalhamos com a idéia de alteridade corporal em língua estrangeira junto com alguns conceitos da Análise do Discurso, como a noção de sujeito descentrado, formações discursivas, o interdiscurso, tudo isto associado ao corpo na interação. Na terceira parte procuramos inserir o estudo do corpo no processo de aprendizagem de uma língua estrangeira dentro do campo de pesquisas que versam sobre a complexidade. Em seguida apresentamos a noção de intercorpo que procura mostrar que aprender uma língua estrangeira é estranhar o corpo da língua materna, penetrando sensorialmente no corpo da outra língua. Por fim, no ultimo capítulo, expomos nossas reflexões sobre as implicações didáticas do corpo na aprendizagem de uma língua estrangeira. Apresentamos ainda uma proposta de aprendizagem de uma língua estrangeira partindo da experiência de Berltolt Brecht com a peça didática como modelo de aprendizagem. Procuramos, através desta experiência, esboçar um plano de atividades centradas na participação do corpo no processo de aprendizagem de uma língua estrangeira. Acreditamos que o trabalho apresentado nesta dissertação será útil tanto aos formadores quanto aos professores de língua estrangeira, pois ele permite descrever alguns parâmetros importantes de uma situação de aprendizagem, apontando em particular, a constituição do sujeito e sua relação com o corpo na interação. Nós esperamos que o professor encontre neste trabalho a possibilidade de melhor compreender a interação em sala de aula em função da relação do aluno com o espaço, com o outro e com o papel do corpo na produção discursiva. / This work is within the recent transdisciplinary tendency in applied linguistic researches that has been developed in the last few years. It aims to insert the body in the debates about interaction and the learning of foreign languages. The relation between man and his body considering the interaction is also studied. First, it was observed the position the body occupies in History, nowadays, and how it is included in the discourse studies concerning the body formatted by the other, not only in mother tongue but also in foreign language. Second it is discussed the idea of body alterity in foreign language together with the concept of decentred subject, discourse formation and inter-discourse associated to the body within the interaction. Third, there was an attempt to insert the study of the body in the process of foreign language learning into the area of the research on complexity. Then it is presented the notion about inter-body trying to show that learning a foreign language is to ....the body of the mother tongue, sensory penetrating in the body of another language. Finally, it is exposed some reflections about the pedagogical/didactical implications of the body in the learning of a foreign language. Yet, it is presented some suggestions of how to use Berltolt Brecht´s didactical plays as a model for the learning of a foreign language. Through this experience a draft for a lesson plan based on the body participation in the process of learning a foreign language was designed. I believe that the work presented here may be helpful for both field, teacher formation as well as foreign language teaching since it allows to describe some important parameters for learning situation, pointing out particularly to the constitution of the subject and its relation with the body within interaction. It is expected that the teacher finds, in this dissertation, the possibility to better understand the students interaction with the classroom space, with the other and with the role of the body to the discursive production .

Partindo da afirmação segundo a qual as tecnologias da informação e da comunicação (TIC) podem fornecer importantes ferramentas para professores de línguas estrangeiras e trazer benefícios para os alunos, o presente trabalho propõe uma utilização pertinente e coerente de um dos recursos disponíveis pela Internet: a plataforma de ensino COL (Cursos on-Line) desenvolvida e disponibilizada pela Universidade de São Paulo. A partir da aplicação dessa ferramenta em um curso presencial de francês língua estrangeira, pudemos observar as vantagens que a mesma oferece 1) para uma melhor organização e disponibilização do material e do conteúdo pedagógicos, 2) para uma maior interação entre professor e alunos, bem como entre os próprios alunos e o material didático disponibilizado, 3) para o desenvolvimento da autonomia de estudo e de aprendizagem dos alunos envolvidos, e 4) para o oferecimento de um espaço complementar ao da sala da aula para o contato com a língua e a cultura francesa. Apesar das grandes vantagens que traz, uma plataforma de ensino apresenta algumas restrições e problemas sobre as quais oferecemos elementos de reflexão para professores e pesquisadores que desejam utilizar esse tipo de recurso no ensino/aprendizagem de línguas estrangeiras. / Working on the principle that information and communication technologies (ICT) can provide important tools for foreign language teachers and bring benefits to the students, the present study proposes a relevant and coherent use of the one of the resources available on the internet: the teaching platform CoL (on-line courses), that was developed and put at the users disposal by the University of Sao Paulo. On applying this tool in a French as a Foreign Language attending course, we were able to see that this application offers lots of advantages such as 1) a better organization and availability of the pedagogical material and content, 2) a better interaction between teachers and students, as well as between the same students and the didactic material available, 3) the development of self-study and learning by the students involved, and 4) the disposal of a space, complementary to the classroom, that gives the possibility of contact with the French language and culture. Despite the great advantages that it brings, a teaching platform shows some restrictions and problems to which we offer elements of reflection to teachers and researchers that wish to use this kind of resource in teaching/learning foreign languages.

Previous research from the perspective of the sociocultural theory of learning indicates that discussion and interaction with other people promote language learning. The purpose of the present study is to examine discussions of 12 German university-level students solving a linguistic task, a translation, in groups during their Swedish language lessons. The key point is to investigate the benefits of collaborative tasks in language learning. When translating the text together, the students verbalized their hypotheses about the Swedish grammar and compared their implicit conceptions with their fellow students. The students used many different strategies to give explanations to problematic linguistic phenomena. The discussions were usually democratic, but it has also shown that the students’ language skills and personality played a central role in the decision making process. Moreover, the analysis reveals that the translations produced by the groups were more accurate than those written individually. Finally, implications of these results and pointers to further exploration are discussed.

Motivation is an important factor when it comes to learning a language, including the Deaf and hard of hearing pupils. The purpose of this investigation is to investigate whether Deaf and hard of hearing pupils in Sweden are motivated to learn a foreign language, i.e. English, and whether the motivation is an intrinsic or extrinsic kind. The aim of this study is to contribute with extended knowledge and an in-depth understanding of motivation to learn a foreign language among Deaf and hard of hearing pupils, since no research of this kind has been conducted in Sweden, so far. The investigation was conducted through semi-structured interviews in Swedish Sign language about the motivation to learn a foreign language, and the findings showed that many of the pupils are motivated to learn English. The factors that affect their motivation are studying or working abroad, communicating with people from other countries and understanding information when travelling around the world. Another significant finding was a wish to learn an International Sign language in the school as a complement to the subject English to be eligible to communicate with Deaf people from other countries.