Technology, Motivation and Autonomy, and Teacher Psychology in Language Learning: Exploring the Myths and Possibilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 40-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn Stockwell ◽  
Hayo Reinders

AbstractThe expectations of the impact of technology for language teaching and learning have often exceeded the actual results themselves, where emerging technologies are often believed to be more effective than existing ones simply because they are newer, with little consideration of the differences in associated pedagogies (see Bax, 2003; Levy & Stockwell, 2006). Technology is often believed to be inherently motivating for students and linked to the development of autonomy. The realities of technology and its influence on motivation are proving to be somewhat more complex than perceived for both language teachers and learners (Stockwell, 2013). Technology can provide opportunities for motivated learners but is unlikely to lead to motivation or autonomous behavior in many learners unless appropriate pedagogies are applied that capitalize on the affordances of the technologies and include sufficient training in how to use the technologies for language learning purposes (see Reinders, 2018a). At the same time, the role of teachers in the classroom and their attitudes toward their environment and the pressures that they face (Mercer & Kostoulas, 2018) can also impact technology implementation. This article brings together these three interrelated areas and explores how they link to technology: learner motivation and autonomy, teacher psychology, and pedagogical considerations.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-193
Author(s):  
Lucía Pintado Gutiérrez

AbstractThis article explores the agency of the student in translation in language teaching and learning (or TILT). The purpose of the case study discussed here is to gain an overview of students’ perceptions of translation into the foreign language (FL) (also known as “inverse translation”) following a module on language and translation, and to analyse whether there is any correlation between students’ attitude to translation, its impact on their language learning through effort invested, and the improvement of language skills. The results of the case study reveal translation to be a potentially exciting skill that can be central to FL learning and the analysis gives indications of how and why language teachers may optimise the implementation of translation in the classroom. The outcome of the study suggests that further research is needed on the impact of translation in the language classroom focussing on both teachers’ expectations and students’ achievements.


2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Michael Bourne

Technology has an ever increasing impact on how we work and live. Article adressed the issue of the impact of technology in two key areas of language learning. On the one side learners increasingly used technology to translate. Given this trend, was there any real need to learn a language. On the other side, educational institutions increasingly used technology to rate language proficiency. Given this trend, would the work of the teacher become less and less important. The survey was conducted by using quantitative method. The respondents’ age range was 18-25. There were 53 respondents, 35% were male and 65% were female. The instrument was a questionaire having 9 questions describing the students’ reliance on computer in translation. It can be concluded that learners of English indicate that they accept and welcome the role of technology in language learning, but there is a doubt that the role and participation of humans in the learning process will be completely replaced. The human element remains an important ingredient. (EE)


HOW ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 18-30
Author(s):  
Ana Clara Sánchez-Solarte

This article overviews the major themes and pedagogical developments that have emerged via the academic endeavors of practitioners and researchers in the last 30 years, while also touching on how my work adheres to these developments. The document starts with a brief historical background on the establishment of HOW as a resource for the academic community. The next part of the article deals with the theoretical tenets that have influenced my published works. One of those perspectives is the post-method pedagogy, which acknowledges the limitations of attempting to determine what the “best” language teaching method is for everyone, and proposes three parameters to guide language teaching and learning. The next perspective is the psychology of language learning, particularly positive psychology, which is a field that adds balance to the study of negative emotions in the classroom and can be the basis for interventions that aim at enhancing the language learning process. The final construct discussed in the article is metacognition, which refers to how language teachers adapt their mental processes and behaviors to the emerging demands of their context. The article concludes highlighting a number of topics that were relevant three decades ago and that will likely keep their relevance in the future: the complexity of education, the dynamic nature of context and meaning, and the examination of the role of context in the L2 teaching/learning processes, to name only three.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Sayyed Rashid Shah ◽  
Abdullah Al-Bargi

<p>This action research study investigates the intelligibility of Saudi EFL learners’ speeches in relation to the Lingua Franca Core (LFC). This study is carried out in an EFL class of 15 Saudi learners. One native and four non-native speakers of English performed the role of evaluators. A mixed-method approach was adopted to collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data. The learners’ scores in their pre and post-intervention speeches led to the understanding of the impact of LFC on leaders’ speeches. The scores were awarded by five evaluators responding to a five-point Likert scale questionnaire while judging learners’ intelligibility. The results showed moderate improvement in the learners’ post-intervention speeches in terms of intelligibility. This procedure was followed by semi-structured interviews conducted with individual evaluators/listeners who rated post-intervention speeches as well-organized, lengthier and planned, delivered fluently and confidently in spite of insignificant improvement in the production of LFC features. Based on the findings, it can be recommended that LFC can have little or no impact on the learners’ pronunciation, thus intelligibility should be the goal of language teaching and learning in EFL settings.</p>


2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Xulian Coppens ◽  
Mercedes Rico ◽  
J. Enrique Agudo

<p>Exposure real life language experiences forms an integral part of the acquisition process. Authentic materials – those derived from the culture of the target language rather than specially produced for language learners – increase the relevance of the learning experience by reusing texts taken directly from the target culture. Web 2.0 technologies increase opportunities for bringing authentic materials into formal language learning environments by allowing material to be collected, reused and shared amongst language teachers and learners. This paper aims to look at the role of blogs in facilitating the use of authentic material by English language teachers and learners and the impact of the most authoritative blogs in the wider Web and in Social Media.</p><p>To reach this objective, the blog ranking site Technorati was used to select the most popular blogs for English language learners and teachers and each blog was analysed according to the authenticity of the cultural material used for language learning. The analysis reveals that 100% of the material on 56.25% of the blogs selected was authentic material and over 70% of the material on a further 35.3% of blogs was authentic.</p><p>Secondly, the impact of these blogs in the wider Web and Social Media was measured in order to draw some conclusions regarding the role of language learning blogs outside the world of blogging and the communities they serve and provide an image of the relationship between blogs and bloggers, the Web and Social Media.</p><p>The results show an inherent bias within Web 2.0 technologies towards providing contemporary authentic material for language learning – the technology itself encourages its use – and that sometimes blogs can have an impact beyond their communities through the Web and Social Media.</p>


Author(s):  
Sanju Choudhary

<p>Literature is not generally considered as a coherent branch of the curriculum in relation to language – development in either mother tongue or foreign language – teaching. As teachers of English in Multi cultural Indian class rooms we come across students with varying degree of competence in English language learning. Though, language learning is a natural process for natives but the Students of other languages put in colossal efforts to learn it. Despite   their sincere efforts they face challenges regarding Pronunciation, Spelling and Vocabulary. The Indian class rooms are a microcosm of the larger society, so teaching English language in a manner which equips the students to face the cut-throat competition has become a necessity and a challenge for English language Teachers. English today has become the key determinant for getting success in their career. The hackneyed and stereotypical methods of teaching are not acceptable now. Teachers have no longer remained arbitrary dispensers of knowledge but they are playing the role of a guide and facilitator for the students. Teachers of English are using innovative ideas to make English language teaching and learning interesting and simple. Teachers have started using the literary texts and their analysis to explore and ignite the imagination and creative skills of the students. One needs to think and rethink the contribution of literature to intelligent thinking as well as its role in the process of teaching – learning. My paper would, therefore, be an attempt at exploring the nature of the literary experience in the present day class rooms; and the broader role of literature in life.</p>


Author(s):  
Dr. Mee Jay A. Domingo ◽  
Harvey John Tolentino Aguillon

In the academe, stakeholders are starting to acknowledge the impact of social media in the teaching and learning process. Aware of this, the researchers conducted this study to determine the role of social media in the language learning experiences of students. Specifically, it identified the social media profile of the students and the platforms’ perceived use and advantages to vocabulary development. In realizing its objectives, the study employed a descriptive research design that involved 83 university students from a state university in the Philippines. Respondents answered an online survey questionnaire, which was tried out first to potential respondents before its actual use. The researchers used descriptive statistics to make sense of the data gathered. Results show that the students have high social media engagement as manifested by the number of social media accounts that they created for themselves (the majority have two or more accounts) and the number of hours that they spend a day online (majority are online for at least three hours a day). All the respondents use Facebook.com, making it the most commonly used social media platform among them. In addition, the study found that students perceive social media as contributory and effective applications for the enhancement of language and vocabulary skills due to the media’s accessibility, universality, ease of use, multimodality, general appeal, and its role in lowering communication anxieties. With these findings, educators are encouraged to explore the possibility of using social media platforms, preferably Facebook, as instructional media, specifically for the teaching of vocabulary. 


2021 ◽  
pp. 135-139
Author(s):  
Dania B. Meghabghab ◽  
Catherine Price

The lottery funding for technology in the state of Georgia has reshaped the directions of K-12 schools and redefined education at all levels. The use of technology has improved information access and provided new means for information retrieval.The impact of technology integration on teaching and learning is evident in many of Georgia’s schools. The discrepancies in the allocation of state funding across school levels and among regions, however, have widened the gap between the “information rich” and the “information poor.” This paper describes the impact of Georgia’s Technology Initiative on information access, teaching, and learning. It will address key issues for creating a technology-rich environment and provides recommendations for technology implementation.


Author(s):  
Maria João Marçalo ◽  
Maria do Céu Fonseca ◽  
Ana Alexandra Silva

Este artículo pretende explorar el Aprendizaje de Lenguas Asistido por Ordenador (CALL, Computer-Assisted Language Learning) en Portugal. Para ello, se centrará en el nivel de educación superior. La escasa explotación del CALL en Portugal ha sido ampliamente estudiado en varios informes, por ejemplo, el informe encargado por la UE titulado The Impact of Information and Communications Technologies on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and on the Role of Teachers of Foreign Languages (2002: 5): "The use and employment of ICT in FLT and FLL is far from satisfactory, as ICT resources are traditionally reserved for '(computer) science‘ subjects, and rarely assigned to arts subjects. A general lack of appropriate training of language teachers in meaningful uses of ICT tends to strengthen this trend". Este artículo abordará dichas necesidades centrándose en los resultados de proyectos europeos como POOLS. Analizaremos cuestiones relativas a los materiales en línea que pueden utilizarse para desarrollar contenidos de clases de lengua, hacienda uso de las ventajas del e-Learning.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 376-380
Author(s):  
Nuriye Değirmenci Uysal ◽  
Fatih Yavuz

This study presents a review of the literature regarding the impact of drama on dimensions of second/ foreign language learning. The paper first discusses the importance of integrating drama into the second/ foreign language learning process and the role of teachers and students in the learning process. Then, after introducing the pedagogical and linguistic aspects of using drama techniques in the language classroom in a broader perspective, it focuses on the drama-oriented verbal and nonverbal exercises. Next, the paper reviews the studies on the language learning through drama, and concludes that using drama in language teaching would facilitate emotional and social development in addition to language development of students while it points out that the number of studies on the issue is limited. 


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