scholarly journals Improving Spanish-speaking students’ pragmatic competence through SCMC: a proposal

Author(s):  
Sofia Di Sarno García

Due to the scarcity of studies analysing Spanish-speaking students’ acquisition of pragmatic competence in English, this paper focuses on the preliminary stage of a longitudinal study on the impact that Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication (SCMC) has on the use of apologies and the acquisition of intercultural communicative competence. In other words, this paper presents the type of explicit instruction that students from Spain need in order to improve their ability to express apologies, and how interaction with English-speaking students through Skype will help them to acquire the strategies that L1 speakers use in everyday conversations. Spanish-speaking students will complete a pre- and post-test questionnaire to measure their level of pragmatic knowledge before and after the interaction with English-speaking students. Additionally, a control group will carry out the task via face-to-face interaction. It is envisaged that after the telecollaborative exchanges, Spanish students in the experimental group will experience greater improvement in the performance of apologies than those in the control group and, subsequently, in their pragmatic competence.

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 350
Author(s):  
Ahmad Mousa Bataineh ◽  
Nadhim Obaid Hussein

<p>This study aimed to investigate the effect of using web-cam chat on developing of the pragmatic aspects of language by college-level English as foreign language (EFL) learners in Jordan. A quantitative approach was applied to determine first, whether the use of web-cam chats had a positive effect on EFL learners’ pragmatic competence. Second, the effect of presenting pragmatic through two delivery systems face-to-face, in-class activities and computer-mediated communication (CMC) via web-cam chats i.e. Facebook and Skype was investigated in this study. The sample of the study consisted of thirty-two undergraduate students who made up two intact classes in a "Conversation Skills course, which call Penguin Functional English by Peter Watcyn-J0nes .Code N 1302109” at AL al-Bayt University in Jordan, during the second semester of the academic year 2013/2014. The students were interviewed in order to know their actual levels in the pragmatic aspects of English before starting the experiment. The sample  was divided into two groups; the control group (15 students) was taught the course content using the regular communicative method through which students received instructor-led lessons from the textbook, while group two, the experimental (17 students) was taught using web-cam chat. After conducting the activities, a post test was administered. Scores were tabulated and prepared for statistical analysis. The results showed that web-cam chat had a positive impact on the EFL learners’ pragmatic competence. Learners who studied via web-cam chat performed better on the pragmatic aspects of English post-test than those who did not. The findings also indicated that technology can be a valuable tool for delivering pragmatic instruction. Moreover, the findings of the study revealed that students acquired the speaking and listening skills in web-cam chat more efficiently and effectively than in the regular communicative method.</p>


Author(s):  
David Brown

In reciprocal learning, learners of different mother tongues are paired so that each can help the other learn their language. Developments in ICT have broadened the possibilities for reciprocal learning, enabling synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC). This study focuses on 48 French-speaking learners paired with 48 British students. Each pair worked synchronously and quasi-autonomously on communication activities in a real-time, quasi-face-to-face environment via Skype. This article reports on the pedagogical potential of the above SCMC scheme. The data discussed are drawn from a quantitative study carried out during the scheme. Two instruments were used for data-collection during the investigation: a self-report questionnaire on motivation, and a battery of language tests completed after the SCMC encounters had taken place. The same tests were also taken by a control group (N=48). The findings suggest that SCMC improves oral expression and interactivity in that it helps learners to enhance language confidence and language knowledge gains.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 682
Author(s):  
Sanam Mehri ◽  
Siros Izadpanah

This project examined the perceptions of Iranian EFL learners’ attitudes towards online computer-mediated communication tools usefulness. Few researches have been done to evaluate student perceptions of the helpfulness of CMC tools in online learning. In this regard, based on convenient sampling method, 60 English Language Teaching students (B.A) of Zanjan Azad University were selected. The students attended in two classes that were held by two different instructors. To homogenize the participants, PET was administered. Those participants whose scores was ±1 above and below the standard deviation were selected as the statistical sample (n= 60). Then, the selected participants were randomly assigned to one experimental (n= 30) and one control group (n= 30).The Community of Inquiry (CoI) questionnaire was distributed among the participants in groups before the treatment. During the study, the experimental group was taught using e-mail and telegram chat. In the control group, the learners were taught through traditional way of teaching. At the end of the treatment, the CoI questionnaire was re-administered among the learners in the both groups. Responses before and after the treatment revealed that the perceptions’ of the learners in the experimental group were significantly influenced as a result of instructing by e-mail and telegram.


2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 689-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Baralt

Informed by the cognition hypothesis (Robinson, 2011), recent studies indicate that more cognitively complex tasks can result in better incorporation of feedback during interaction and, as a consequence, more learning. It is not known, however, how task complexity and feedback work together in computerized environments. The present study addressed this gap by investigating how cognitive complexity in face-to-face (FTF) versus computer-mediated communication (CMC) environments mediates the efficacy of recasts in promoting second language development. Eighty-four adult learners of Spanish as a foreign language at a mid-Atlantic university were randomly assigned to a control group or one of four experimental groups. The experimental groups engaged in one-on-one interaction and received recasts on the Spanish past subjunctive but differed according to (a) whether or not they had to reflect on another person’s intentional reasons during the task and (b) whether they interacted in FTF or CMC environments. Learning was measured with two production tasks and a multiple-choice receptive test in a Pretest-Posttest 1-Posttest 2 design. Results revealed that in the FTF mode, performing the cognitively complex task while receiving recasts led to the most learning. In the CMC mode, the cognitively complex task + recasts was not effective. Instead, the cognitively simple task led to the most development in CMC. The study also found that judgments of time on task were the only independent measure of cognitive complexity that held across mode.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 233
Author(s):  
Vita Vendityaningtyas ◽  
Erlik Widiyani Styati

This research aimed to investigate the effect of computer-mediated communication (CMC) and face-to-face (F2F) communication on the students’ writing. The subjects were the English department students of the fourth semester at the private University in Madiun. The researchers employed the students in class A and B as the research subjects. The research method used was a quasi-experimental design. The research design was divided into pre-test, treatment, and post-test. Both of the two groups were given pre-test to see the homogeneity of the two groups. The experimental group was given CMC, and the comparison group was given F2F communication. Then, both of the two groups were given post-test. The data collection technique was done by giving the students a writing test. Data analysis was done by employing the independent t-test. The result shows that the students’ writing after employing F2F communication is more effective than students’ writing after employing CMC. The students like to share the ideas directly than they employ CMC because it is more complicated. In addition, it is because the students find difficulty in sharing the ideas through CMC, so, F2F communication is better than CMC on the students’ writing quality.


Author(s):  
David Brown

In reciprocal learning, learners of different mother tongues are paired so that each can help the other learn their language. Developments in ICT have broadened the possibilities for reciprocal learning, enabling synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC). This study focuses on 48 French-speaking learners paired with 48 British students. Each pair worked synchronously and quasi-autonomously on communication activities in a real-time, quasi-face-to-face environment via Skype. This article reports on the pedagogical potential of the above SCMC scheme. The data discussed are drawn from a quantitative study carried out during the scheme. Two instruments were used for data-collection during the investigation: a self-report questionnaire on motivation, and a battery of language tests completed after the SCMC encounters had taken place. The same tests were also taken by a control group (N=48). The findings suggest that SCMC improves oral expression and interactivity in that it helps learners to enhance language confidence and language knowledge gains.


2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 74-80
Author(s):  
Jung-Seung Park ◽  
Hyun-Ho Shin

This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of mobile virtual practice and present a new training method to improve the ability of 119 paramedics to triage in the event of multiple casualties. A total of 24 of the 119 paramedics were selected as subjects, and the experiment was conducted by classifying 12 and 12 into mobile virtual practice and lecture explanation groups, respectively. Both groups performed triage evaluations before and after education and practice, and additional questionnaires were completed for mobile virtual practice. Both groups of virtual practice and course description showed significant differences between pre-assessment and post-assessment. In the control group (lecture), the accuracy (29.16) increased from 49.17 ± 18.32 in the pre-test to 78.33 ± 16.42 in the post-test (p = .001). In the experimental group (virtual practice), the accuracy (24.2) increased from 60.0 ± 23.7 in the pre-test to 84.2±13.8 in the post-test (p = .004). If face-to-face education and training are not possible, mobile virtual practice should be considered. Moreover, various educational programs that are engaging and effective are needed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 019027252110302
Author(s):  
Susan Sprecher

In this experimental study, unacquainted dyads engaged in a get-acquainted task using two modes of communication across two segments of interaction. The dyads either first disclosed in text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) and then disclosed face-to-face (FtF) or the reverse. The participants completed reaction measures after each segment of interaction. After the first segment, dyads who communicated FtF reported more positive outcomes (e.g., liking, closeness) than dyads who engaged in CMC. Furthermore, dyads who began in CMC and then transitioned to FtF increased in their positive reactions, whereas dyads who began in FtF and transitioned to CMC either experienced no change (in liking, closeness, and perceived similarity) or experienced a decrease (in fun/enjoyment and perceived responsiveness). Implications of the results are discussed both for the classic social psychology question of how people become acquainted and for current interest in how mixed-mode interactions generate social bonds that can help meet belonging needs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Ziegler

The current study reports on a meta-analysis of the relative effectiveness of interaction in synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) and face-to-face (FTF) contexts. The primary studies included in the analysis were journal articles and dissertations completed between 1990 and 2012 (k = 14). Results demonstrate that interaction in SCMC and FTF had a significant impact on second language (L2) development, providing further support for previous research demonstrating the efficacy of interaction in both communication modes (e.g., Mackey & Goo, 2007; Pellettieri, 2000; Smith, 2004, 2005). There was also a small advantage for interaction in SCMC on measures of overall L2 learning outcomes, with additional analyses indicating a small advantage for SCMC interaction on productive and written measures and a small advantage for FTF interaction on receptive and oral learning outcomes. Interestingly, there were no significant differences between SCMC and FTF, suggesting the mode of communication has no statistically significant impact on the positive developmental benefits associated with interaction.


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