This thesis investigates the effect on having a physical robot present to take the role of a teacher or exercise partner in a language learning exercise. In order to investigate this, an application was developed enabling a vocabulary exercise to take place in three different situations. In one situation a non-embodied voice would be the teacher, in the second situation an animated face on the screen in front of you would be the teacher, and in the final situation the teacher was move into the physical world by a robotic head with a 3D face mask. Initially one study on a vocabulary exercise with 15 participants was conducted. In order to gather more valuable data, the exercise was redesigned and conducted with another 11 participants.  The results from the user studies are interpreted to point towards a higher task motivation when working with a robotic head. / Denna uppsats undersöker påverkan av att ha en fysiks robot närvarande för att inta rollen som lärare eller övningskamrat i språkinlärning. För att undersöka detta utvecklades en applikation som möjliggjorde genomförandet av en övning av glosor framför en dator i tre olika situationer. I en situation var en icke förkroppsligad röst ledare för övningen, i en annan situation var ett animerat ansikte på skärmen ledare för övningen, och i det sista fallet var övningsledaren förflyttad till fysisk form genom ett robothuvud med en 3D-ansiktsmask. Inledningsvis gjordes en användarstudie med en vokabulärövning med 15 deltagare. För att samla mer data för diskussion strukturerades övningen om och genomfördes med 11 nya deltagare. Resultaten från användarstudierna tolkas som att man kan se en ökad motivation för uppgiften när man arbetar med robothuvudet.

Thesis (MPhil (Modern Foreign Languages))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.

Thesis (MPhil (Modern Foreign Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / As computers increasingly seem to gain importance and have become a useful tool to carry out everyday routine tasks and to facilitate communication, task-based and student centred approaches of foreign language teaching and learning need to evaluate how computers can be integrated into the classroom to equip students with the necessary skills they need to master the challenges which may come with these new technologies. Since CALL (computer assisted language learning) -research has also suggested that computers can assist both students and teachers by enhancing L2 learning activities and by providing useful tools to complete them, it seems like there is no way computers can not play a role in L2 teaching and learning today. This thesis aims to give an overview of the use of computer applications in the L2 classroom and illustrates them by giving practical examples for a specific learning environment, namely the Goethe-Zentrum Kapstadt. As informed use of computers in a CALL scenario must be based on a thorough understanding of L2 learning processes, this thesis also provides a critical overview of general L2 teaching and learning theories as well as CALL research in particular. As a theoretical framework may vary according to the specific conditions of the learning environment a description of the Goethe-Zentrum is also given and considered as a criterion for the development and integration of learner-centred and task-based CALL activities at the Goethe-Zentrum.

We are at a point in the history of higher education in South Africa when radical changes are occurring in instructional delivery system models. Of increasing significance is a mixed mode of traditional and distance delivery (i.e. Telematic Learning Systems at the PU for CHE). In this changing environment, language lecturers, the persons responsible for developing language modules within various Telematic programmes, remain a key element in the teaching and learning process. However, these lecturers are suddenly expected to make appropriate decisions in terms of distance education technology classification, evaluation, and consequent selection without the necessary knowledge and/or capacity to make effective technological decisions. The purpose of this article is to assist "Lone Ranger" language lecturers, in making pedagogically sound decisions when classifying, evaluating and selecting distance education technologies by: (a) considering technology selection as part of the instructional design process, (b) referring to some reasons for using technology for language learning, (c) focusing on criteria for classifying and evaluating distance education technologies, and by (d) reviewing selected studies in order to indicate the application possibilities of technologies for language teaching and learning. / Thesis (M.A. (English))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2002

The primary aim of this study is to determine whether it is possible to standardize written feedback on L2 student writing for use in a computerised marking environment. It forms part of a bigger project aimed at enhancing the feedback process as a whole The study attempts to establish "best practice" with regards to feedback on writing, by establishing from the literature what works and what should be avoided. Also, an empirical study was launched to establish what lecturers focus on and what marking techniques they use. A set of randomly selected essays from the Tswana Learner English Corpus and the Afrikaans Learner English Corpus were sent to the English departments of different tertiary institutions across the country. The essays were marked by the English lecturers at the relevant institutions. The conclusion was that lecturers typically focus on surface structures, and use ineffective marking techniques. The best practice (and data from the empirical study) was then used to create a set of standardised feedback comments (tag set) that can be used in a specially programmed software package in which students submit their texts electronically. Lecturers can then mark the student essays on the computer, hopefully speeding up the process, while at the same time giving much more detailed feedback. In later stages of the bigger project, students will get individualized exercises based on the feedback, and there are experiments currently being run to try and automate certain pans of the marking process in order to take some strain off the lecturers when marking. The immense archiving abilities of the computer will also be utilized in order to create opportunities for longitudinal studies. The effectiveness of the feedback tag set was tested in comparison to the marking techniques used by the lecturers in the empirical study and a self-correcting exercise. The conclusion was that the feedback tag set is more effective than the other two techniques. but students seem to perform weak overall when it gets to the revision of cohesive devices and supporting arguments. I argue that students are not used to revising these features, since lecturers seldom (if ever) comment on the structural elements of texts. However, the experiment proves that standardization of written feedback is possible to an extent. The implications of the findings are discussed, and recommendations for further research are made. / Thesis (M.A. (English))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006

This research aims to explore the effective use of modern technology and the encouragement of learner autonomy in support of English language teaching and learning at a university in Northeastern China in order to address a number of learning and teaching problems, in particular, the so-called “time-consuming, low efficiency” and “deaf and dumb English” problems. Action research was employed as a research methodology in this study. The action research project consisted of three cycles: the teaching time of each cycle was six weeks, with two teaching hours each week in each class. The 102 research participants were the second-year undergraduate non-English major students who had (or had nearly) reached an intermediate level in terms of English proficiency. Research methods included questionnaires, pre-testing and post-testing, interviews, classroom observation, learning diaries and research journal. All the data were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative techniques as appropriate. SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) was used for statistical analysis. The research findings from the qualitative and quantitative data analysis show that the students made greater progress and improvements within a very short time (6 weeks) in each cycle in terms of listening and speaking skills by the effective use of modern technologies such as computers and the internet, which were used in ways designed to promote learner autonomy and effective learning strategies. More importantly, a more novel and more effective approach to teach listening from the intermediate level to the advanced level has been discovered from this project and a new teaching model using CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) environments in a Chinese context has come into being. On the whole, the students benefitted a great deal from autonomous learning by using modern technologies, dependent upon the quantitative data such as test score changes and qualitative data such as interview and learning diaries. In the meantime, the student learning experiences, my “teacher as researcher” teaching experience, and my professional development have been improved. This study is of great significance, particularly in the Chinese context, in contributing to the current literature on English teaching and learning research, CALL research and applications such as the novel listening teaching approach and the new teaching model using the CALL environments mentioned above. Finally, pedagogical implications are discussed and some suggestions on further research are also proposed.

This thesis investigates the vocabulary learning behavior of Romanian high school students in a digital context. The research identifies the vocabulary learning strategies used by EFL high school students and focuses on how the choice of vocabulary learning strategies varies across four independent variables: students' age, gender, academic profile (math-ICT, humanities, science and economic-technical) and language program (intensive English, bilingual, normal). These variables are hypothesized to influence learners' vocabulary behavior. Furthermore, the study examines the technology enhanced tools (computer and mobile assisted language learning tools) used by these students in their vocabulary learning as well as their attitudes towards using technology in vocabulary learning. Likewise, the study analyzes how students' choice of technology enhanced tools and their attitudes towards them vary across the four independent variables. The study is a mixed methods investigation with 1,239 participants (60% female, 40% male, aged 14-19 years old) learning English as a foreign language in nine Romanian secondary schools. Of the 1,239 participants who filled in the self-reported questionnaire, 43 also participated in focus group discussions prior to the administration of the questionnaire. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics procedures whereas the qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The results from both phases were integrated in the results chapter. The main findings indicated that Romanian high school students prefer social strategies, followed by determination, metacognitive, cognitive and memory strategies. However, the usage of the strategies in these categories is medium towards low. As for individual vocabulary learning strategies, the participants reported that the impact of a new word, English media, guessing from context, associating the word with a picture and using cognates are frequently used strategies. The results also indicated that students' use of vocabulary learning strategies varies across the four independent variables. As far as the use of digital tools for vocabulary learning, the findings indicated that the students in this particular cultural context use few available digital tools with a preference for online dictionaries, games and social networking web sites. The results showed that overall Romanian students are not very familiar with computer and mobile assisted language learning tools, their attitudes towards the use of digital tools for vocabulary learning are neutral and they mostly associate the use of personal devices with their personal space, suggesting that they may not want to embed learning in their everyday activities. The results enrich existing knowledge of vocabulary learning strategies in a Romanian cultural context and they also give us an insight into how high school students use computer and mobile assisted language tools in their vocabulary learning. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed.

Taiwanese society perceives English as an important skill; most people expend significant efforts and resources to learn English. However, Taiwanese education focuses exclusively on traditional teaching in language courses, overlooking interactions and cultural concepts. Thus, students' ability to communicate orally in English remains relatively low. Existing literature indicates that Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) can enrich language learning as computers provide many functions to enhance lectures in a meaningful and effective manner. In particular, CALL can incorporate speech recognition software to help develop oral language and practice pronunciation. Integrating CALL technology into traditional language courses may improve Taiwanese students' oral performance. The current study utilized learner-centered design and second language acquisition theories as guidelines to identify relevant software; the SECTIONS model and evaluation criteria were used to select the most suitable program for integration into a traditional course. The experimental design was administered to two sophomore English classes whose students were not majoring in English at a private university in Taiwan over an eight-week period. Pre- and posttests were used to identify language achievement during the study while a questionnaire was administered to determine attitudes toward using the software. Changes in the Spoken English Test (SET) resulting from the treatment were found to have no statistically significant difference, but the experimental group demonstrated greater improvement on the sentence mastery section and vocabulary. The perceived usefulness and the subject norm had a significant and strong influence on the adoption and use of computer technologies in participants' English oral practice.

abstract: In a growlingly digital world, scholars must understand the changes in textuality and communication associated with Web 2.0 technologies to incorporate potential pedagogical benefits to language curricula. For example, with the affordance of these technologies, language learners (LL) are increasingly exposed to language contact zones found both on and offline. A practice that could potentially support the communicative practices of LL within these multilingual spaces is translanguaging, or the use of strategies employed by LL when engaging with diverse codes by utilizing the resources of their semiotic repertoire as well as their language(s). Previous research has focused principally on contexts of bilingual education and identity formation vis-à-vis translanguaging. Therefore, the present study is the first to examine the actual translanguaging practices of second language (n=5) and heritage language learners (n=5) of Spanish in a digital language contact zone: Facebook affinity spaces, or common interest spaces. The dynamic data gathered from screen capture recordings of the participants’ interactions and think-aloud protocols in the affinity spaces, stimulated recall interviews, and written reflections were analyzed using content analysis and critical discourse analysis. This analysis revealed key findings in the data that focused on translanguaging practices, negotiation strategies, and performative competence - or the procedural knowledge which focuses on how learners communicate rather than what they communicate. First, the participants displayed a preference toward the separation of languages in written output, adhering to the ideals of linguistic purism, while simultaneously engaging in translanguaging practices via non-linguistic semiotic resources, such as the use of emojis, in their communication. Second, the participants’ self-reported proficiency levels for their writing abilities in Spanish correlated with their use of outside digital resources as a mediation tool. The findings show that, theoretically, the conceptualization of communicative competence must be expanded in order to incorporate the languaging practices of interlocutors in digital contexts. Pedagogically, educators need to support the development of LLs’ digital literacies, or communicative practices that are facilitated by technology, and address the bias toward linguistic purism to help students reap the cognitive benefits offered by translanguaging practices. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Spanish 2018

This dissertation examines the discourse produced by beginning learners of Spanish using social media. Specifically, it looks at the use and development of interactional resources during two video-mediated conversations. Through a combination of Conversation Analysis tools and quantitative data analysis, the use of turn-taking strategies, repair trajectories, and alignment moves was examined to discover how beginning language learners manage videoconferencing exchanges and develop their interactional capabilities in this new interactional setting. The goal of this investigation was twofold: 1) to describe and explain how students construct, manage and maintain conversations via videoconferencing, and 2) to gain a better understanding of the links between technology-based social media and language learning. The results of this study indicate that instructional videoconferencing conversations display their own clearly delimited and idiosyncratic organization of interactional features. In terms of turn-taking, the results of the analyses demonstrate that beginning learners are fully capable of participating competently in speaker selection to manage a conversation with a peer of similar proficiency level. In the area of repair, the analyses show that, during instructional videoconferencing exchanges, beginning learners orient to both the communication of personal meaning and the accuracy of their discourse. They enact this orientation through the use of self-initiated self-repair. Finally, with regard to the use of alignment moves, the analyses reveal that, in tune with their nascent linguistic and interactional abilities, beginning learners use primarily acknowledgement moves.