This dissertation reports on a multiple-case study documenting the experiences of 23 French as
second language learners, most of whom were pre-service teachers, as they worked
independently to improve their existing oral/aural competency through the use of the interactive
videodisc program À la rencontre de Philippe. The program claims to invite learners into the
fictive Parisian world of a young freelance journalist, providing them with the opportunity for
immersion in the target language and culture as well as a degree of control over their learning.
The study explores learners' experiences as they work with this program, investigates the impact
this experience might have on their second language acquisition and reflects on the implications
this information might have for second language pedagogy and research. Participants were asked
to write a reflective personal language learning history and keep a journal documenting each
work session. These work sessions were videotaped. The data collected served as a basis for
interviews exploring the participants' interaction with the microworld presented by the program,
the program's technological features, learner autonomy, and the learning process and outcomes
as perceived by the learners. The experiences of the learners indicate that instead of using
technology to bring the second language and culture to learners in the classroom, it is now both
possible and desirable to use technology to "transport" learners from the classroom into the
second language environment. In other words, participants reported having the experience of
subjective personal presence in the microworld. Furthermore, their overall experience suggested
that language learning is both an embodied and a situated endeavour, as well as a cognitive one.
Therefore, computer technology can enhance second language acquisition by providing learners
the opportunity to be immersed in sociolinguistically-rich, simulated communities in which they
can engage in everyday activities and interact with target language speakers. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / A la rencontre de Philippe (Videodisc) / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/8621 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Murray, Garold Linwood |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Format | 14103637 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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