<p dir="ltr">For college students, using motivation regulation strategies (MRSs) is beneficial for important outcomes such as academic satisfaction and effort, with benefits for achievement. While extant research has investigated the quantity and types of MRSs students use, there is limited understanding of strategy quality and its development. This is due to a primary focus on understanding strategy use and change over time using self-report survey measures at multiple administrations, as well as early quality assessments that rely on brief scenarios and/or alignment with experts’ evaluation of MRSs. This study aimed to extend research by describing qualitative changes to students’ self-reported MRS use reflected in their course artifact reflections and investigating the role of metamotivational knowledge in this development, over the course of a semester. Participants were enrolled in an undergraduate learning-to-learn (L2L) course (N=43). Qualitative analysis of course artifacts coded for types of MRSs used early and late in the semester showed students’ improved use of more adaptive strategies and refined strategy repertoires. From the sample showing adaptive stability or positive change over the term (95.35%), six participants were selected for case analysis to richly describe quality MRS and metamotivation knowledge changes. Case analyses showcased the development of agency (self-responsibility) and progressive quality change in employed MRSs toward less reliance on extrinsic strategies and corresponding heightened reliance on intrinsic strategies. Students’ reported learning goals during self-regulated learning (SRL) shifted from a distal to a proximal focus and in quality from avoidance and completion focus to aiming for understanding. Students’ experiences in monitoring through course artifacts and developing their self-knowledge for MRSs provoked the positive progressions in quality changes of MRSs over the term. Findings from this qualitative study contribute to the emerging research about metamotivation knowledge by proposing discernment of a negatively valanced strategy for increasing value when regulating motivation involves the manifestation of negative affect. Further, this study highlights areas needing further contextual understanding when motivation is bolstered or sustained by modifying the environment, especially the influence of culture and diverse backgrounds in accessing resources.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p>

The use of instructional technology has opened up new avenues in education with broad implications in the foreign or additional language (L2) learning context. One of the research priorities is to explore student perceptions of the use of such modern means in their education which otherwise might not be anticipated. The present study aimed to determine (a) the perceived affordances as well as limitations of the information and communication technology (ICT) pedagogical application in coded corrective feedback (e-feedback) provision on L2 writing, (b) English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ perspectives on using e-feedback to reduce their local and global mistakes, and (c) the type of self-regulated learning (SRL) behaviours, according to EFL students’ self-reports, electronic feedback and learning logs called forth in cognitive, affective, and metacognitive domains. The participants (n=48) were high-intermediate to advanced EFL learners from four cohorts enrolled on an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) preparation course in a branch of the Institute of Science and Technology in Tehran. Each cohort went through 84 face-to-face tutorial sessions in four months. During this period, they also wrote essays and received e-feedback on 12 IELTS Writing Task 2 prompts with a minimum of drafting work three times for each on an e-learning platform (www.ekbatani.ir) specially designed for this study. The data from all four cohorts were collected over the course of 11 months, using semi-structured interviews, online structured and unstructured learning logs, and an open-ended questionnaire to provide an in-depth picture of student perceptions of this technology mediation. Through a purely qualitative research design, the log, interview, and open-ended questionnaire data were analysed, categorised and coded. The findings represented students’ perceptions of the benefits of the e-feedback and learning logs as (i) offering a motivating and empowering means of providing EFL writing support, (ii) enhancing the thinking and problem-solving processes, (iii) a flexible and fast scaffolding approach for L2 writing improvement, and (iv) encouraging student writers’ active knowledge construction by helping them notice mistakes, focus on writing specifics, overcome the fear of writing, and grow confidence in L2 learning. The self-reported data indicated perceived limitations including (i) the time-consuming nature of the e-feedback processes, (ii) the occasional need for face-to-face discussions, peer feedback addition, providing supplements to e-feedback such as on-demand e-tutorials, and (iii) increased workload for the teacher in proportion to the number of students. Specific writing improvement was perceived to be locally in the use of punctuation signs and grammar, in spelling skills and the scope of vocabulary; and globally in organising ideas, finding ideas in the form of blueprints, and developing ideas into full-length essays. The student perceptions demonstrated that the learner-centred e-feedback environment created different affordances for students’ cognitive, affective, and metacognitive behaviours: (i) cognitively, it assisted the use and development of various learning strategies, enhanced student EFL writing experience, and increased awareness of error patterns in their essays; (ii) affectively, it supported students’ motivational processes, ability to appraise their progress, restore, and sustain positivity, and greater perceived self-efficacy beliefs in their own L2 writing skills; finally, (iii) metacognitive affordances included the ability to rethink and amend their plans as well as seek out support, ability to reflect on the writing processes holistically, ability to self-monitor to remain on course, and ability to devise and implement a plan of action mostly by finding a strategy to deal with mistakes and by taking greater caution in writing their future drafts. Despite arising from a particular contextual framework with the experience of particular cohorts of students, the findings can hopefully be of value to researchers and practitioners in the fields of online language pedagogy, second language acquisition (SLA), EFL writing, and computer-assisted language learning (CALL) with communication uses. The findings can assist language courseware designers, e-feedback platform developers, and L2 writing course administrators to support and enhance their practices and decisions, especially in providing and implementing ICT and SRL initiatives in EFL writing.

Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa / English proficiency is regarded important for economic empowerment in South Africa, since English is the official business language of the country. South Africa is, however, a multilingual country, with 11 official languages. The majority of South African learners do not speak English as first language, but study English as an additional language in school. This leads to English Second Language (ESL) classroom complexities such as multilingualism, negative attitudes to ESL, and various levels of linguistic proficiency, which affect the teaching of the prescribed curriculum. Many learners arrive in secondary school (Grade 8) with underdeveloped English proficiency, which means that a lot of time in ESL classrooms is spent on re-teaching English language concepts, especially grammar concepts. This causes stress for both ESL teachers and learners. This study tested the effectiveness of a self-help ESL grammar intervention programme in order to establish whether existing gaps in grammar knowledge could be closed via self-study outside of the classroom. More specifically, the study asked the question whether learners’ knowledge of Parts of Speech could be enhanced via a self-help intervention programme, which was based on the principles of Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG). SFG is not traditionally used as an instructional framework in ESL classrooms in the South African context. The rationale for assessing the efficiency of an SFG self-help intervention programme was that there is currently a dire need for alternative approaches to teaching ESL grammar, which would assist struggling learners to raise their proficiency levels quickly, and which would allow teachers to continue with the prescribed curriculum. The intervention programme was tested in a controlled quasi-experimental study, which included an experimental group and a control group, and which compared performance in the mid-year examination and year-end examination to performance in a baseline assessment. The results of the study showed that the self-intervention programme was effective in enhancing ESL learners’ knowledge of Parts of Speech, and also had a positive effect on other aspects of grammar knowledge and on writing. Based on these findings, it is recommended that self-regulation and self-instruction be considered for inclusion in ESL syllabi in the South African context, as it can play a positive role in enhancing ESL learners’ linguistic proficiency. / Engelse taalvaardigheid word as belangrik beskou vir ekonomiese bemagtiging in Suid–Afrika, aangesien Engels die offisiële besigheidstaal van die land is. Suid-Afrika het egter elf erkende offisiële landstale en is dus ‘n meertalige land. Die oorgrote meerderheid Suid-Afrikaanse leerders se eerste taal is nie Engels nie, en hierdie leerders neem Engels as tweede taal (ook genoem eerste addisionnele taal) in ‘n formele omgewing op skool. Dit veroorsaak verskeie uitdagings in Engelse tweedetaalklasse, onder andere meertalige leerders, ‘n negatiewe houding teenoor Engels, en oneweredige ontwikkelingsvlakke in Engels. ‘n Groot aantal leerders begin hul sekondêre skoolloopbaan met onderontwikkelde vaardighede in Engels, met name in grammatika. Dit beïnvloed die onderrig van die voorgeskrewe Engelse tweedetaal kurrikulum, veral in Graad 8. Onderwysers is dikwels genoodsaak om baie tyd aan die heronderrig van grammatikale konsepte te spandeer, alvorens die voorgeskrewe Graad 8 kurrikulum hervat kan word. Dit plaas spanning op sowel onderwysers as leerders. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die effektiwiteit van ‘n self-onderrig intervensieprogram te toets – meer spesifiek om te toets of kennisgapings in “Parts of Speech (POS)” oorbrug kan word met ‘n self-onderrig program wat gebaseer is op Sistemiese Funksionele Linguistiek (SFL). SFL word nie tradisioneel in die Suid-Afrikaanse leerprogram gebruik nie, en die rasionaal vir die toetsing van ‘n SFL program was dat daar tans ‘n geweldige vraag is na alternatiewe benaderings tot die onderrig van Engels, wat leerders sal ondersteun om hulle vaardigheidsvlakke snel te verbeter, sodat onderwysers kan voorgaan met die voorgeskrewe kurrikulum. Die SFL intervensieprogram in hierdie studie is deur middel van ‘n gekontroleerde kwasi-eksperimentele metode getoets, wat ‘n eksperimentele groep en ‘n kontrolegroep ingesluit het. Die twee groepe se kennis van woordsoorte is in die middeljaar, asook die eindjaareksamen gemeet, en vergelyk met die resultate van ‘n basislyntoets wat aan die begin van die jaar afgeneem is. Die resultate het bevestig dat die SFL intervensieprogram ‘n positiewe effek gehad het op kennis van woordsoorte. Verdere positiewe effekte was merkbaar in ander aspekte van Engelse grammatika en in skryfvaardigheid. Na aanleiding van hierdie bevindinge is die aanbeveling van hierdie studie dat selfonderrig and self-regulasie oorweeg moet word as belangrike komponente van die Engels tweedetaal sillabus in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks, aangesien dit ‘n positiewe rol kan speel in die verbetering van Engels tweedetaal leerders se taalvaardigheid. / Ubugcisa kulwimi lwesiNgesi bubaluleke kakhulu ekuxhobiseni ezoqoqosho eMzantsi Afrika kuba silulwimi lwezoshishino olusemthethweni kweli lizwe. Naxa kunjalo uMzantsi Afrika lilizwe elineelwimi ezininzi, apho ezili-11 zamiliselwa njengeelwimi ezisemthethweni. Uninzi lwabafundi baseMzantsi Afrika alusithethi njengolwimi lokuqala isiNgesi, koko lusifunda njengolwimi olongeziweyo esikolweni. Oku kukhokelela kwiingxaki ezininzi kwiklasi efundisa isiNgesi njengoLwimi lwesiBini, ezifana nokusetyenziswa kweelwimi ezininzi kwakunye namanqanaba awohlukileyo olwazi nobugcisa bokusebenzisa ulwimi, nto ezo zichaphazela ukufundiswa kwekharityhulam esekiweyo. Abafundi abaninzi bafika kwisikolo sasesekondari (iBanga lesi-8) bengenalwazi nabugcisa baneleyo besiNgesi, ngenxa yoko, kwiklasi yesiNgesi uLwimi lwesiBini kuchithwa ixesha elininzi kuphindaphindwa ukufundiswa kwesigama sesiNgesi, ngakumbi isigama segrama. Esi sifundo sophando siye sahlola ukusebenza kwenkqubo yongenelelo kufundiso lwegrama yesiNgesi uLwimi lwesiBini apho umfundi azinceda ngokwakhe, ukuze kufunyaniswe ukuba zingavaleka na ezi zikhewu zikhoyo zokuswela ulwazi lwegrama ngokuzifundela ngaphandle kweklasi. Olu phando lujolise ngakumbi kumbuzo wokuba, ingaba ulwazi lwabafundi ngeziGaba zeNtetho lungaphuculwa na ngokusebenzisa le nkqubo yongenelelo yokuzinceda esekelwe kwimithetho-siseko yeSystemic Functional Grammar (iSFG). ISFG ayisetyenziswa ngokwesithethe njengesakhelo sokufundisa kwiklasi yesiNgesi uLwimi lwesiBini eMzantsi Afrika. Esona sizathu sokuvavanya ukusebenza kwale nkqubo yongenelelo yokuzinceda yeSFG, kukuba kukho intswelo enkulu yeendlela ezizezinye zokufundisa igrama yesiNgesi uLwimi lwesiBini, nto leyo inokunceda abafundi abatsala nzima baphucule amaqondo abo obugcisa, kananjalo incede ootitshala bakwazi ukuqhubela phambili nekharityhulam emiselweyo. Le nkqubo yongenelelo yavavanywa kuphando oluphantsi kolawulo olwaziwa ngokuba sisifundo sophando olungagqibelelanga (quasi experimental study), olwaquka iqela lolingelo kunye neqela elisetyenziswa njengomgangatho wentelekiso (control group). Olu phando lwathelekisa indlela abaqhuba ngayo abafundi kwiimviwo zombindi wonyaka nezokuphela konyaka, ithelekiswa kunye nenkqubo yabafundi kuvavanyo olusisiseko. Iziphumo zophando zabonisa ukuba inkqubo yongenelelo yokuzinceda ibe nempumelelo ekuphuliseni ulwazi lwabafundi lweziGaba zeNtetho kwaye ibe nefuthe elakhayo nakweminye imiba yolwazi lwegrama nesakhono sokubhala. Ngokwezi ziphumo kucetyiswa ukuba kuqwalaselwe ukuzilawula nokuzifundisa kwabafundi njengenxalenye yesilabhasi yesiNgesi uLwimi lwesiBini ngokwemeko yaseMzantsi Afrika njengoko oku kuya kuba nefuthe elakhayo ekuphuhliseni ubugcisa babafundi bolwimi lwesiNgesi uLwimi lwesiBini. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / D. Phil. (Languages, Linguistics and Literature)

Technologien wie Sensoren können dabei helfen, die Fortschritte und Zustände der Lernenden (z.B. Langeweile, Verhaltensweisen des Aufgebens) zu verstehen, und diese erkannten Zustände können genutzt werden, um ein Unterstützungssystem zu entwickeln, das als Begleiter fungiert. Zu diesem Zweck werden in dieser Dissertation drei Forschungsfragen untersucht: 1) Wie können multimodale Sensordaten wie physiologische und eingebettete Sensordaten genutzt werden, um Lernbegleiter zu entwickeln, die den Lernenden ein Bewusstsein für ihre Zustände vermitteln? als erste Forschungsfrage, 2) Wie können Lernbegleiter auf verschiedenen Modalitätsschnittstellen entworfen werden, wie z.B. bildschirmbasierte Agenten und verkörperte Roboter?, um verschiedene Möglichkeiten zu untersuchen, wie Lernende effektiv beraten werden können, und 3) Wie können nicht-technische Nutzer bei der Gestaltung und Nutzung multimodaler Lernbegleiter für ihre Anwendungen unterstützt werden? Zur Beantwortung der obengenannten Forschungsfragen wurde als Methode der Design-Based Research (DBR) Ansatz gewählt, bei der Theorie und Praxis gleichermaßen berücksichtigt wurden. Die daraus abgeleiteten Designüberlegungen dienten als Leitfaden für die Gestaltung von Lernbegleitern und der Plattform zur Entwicklung multimodaler Lernbegleiter. / This dissertation investigates three research questions: 1) How can multimodal sensor data such as physiological and embedded sensor data be used to design learning companions to provide learners with an awareness of their states?, 2) How can learning companions be designed for different modality interfaces, such as screen-based agents and embodied robots? to investigate various means to provide effective advice to learners, and 3) How can non-technical users be supported in designing and using multimodal learning companions in their various use cases? To answer these research questions, design-based research (DBR) methodology was utilized, considering both theory and practice. The derived design considerations were employed to guide the design of the learning companions as well as the platform to design multimodal learning companions. The findings from this dissertation reveal an association between the change in physiological sensor values and the arousal of emotion, which is also endorsed by prior studies. It was also found that using sensor devices such as mobile and wearable devices and Facial Expression Recognition (FER) can add to the methods of detecting learners’ states. Furthermore, designing a learning companion requires a consideration of the different modalities of the involved technology, in addition to the appropriate design of application scenarios. It is also necessary to integrate the stakeholders (e.g. teachers) into the design process while also considering the data privacy of the target users (e.g. students). The dissertation employs DBR to investigate real-life educational issues, considering both theories and practical constraints. Even though the studies conducted are limited, as they involved only small sample sizes lacking in generalizability, some authentic educational needs were derived, and the corresponding solutions were devised and tested in this dissertation.