scholarly journals Language teacher perceptions and practices of digital literacy in Finnish higher education

2018 ◽  
pp. 41-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taina Juurakko-Paavola ◽  
Heidi Rontu ◽  
Michael Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teacher Perceptions ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
National Level ◽  
Curriculum Planning ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language And Communication ◽  
High Level ◽  
Finnish Higher Education

Digital literacy and digitalization have rapidly entered curriculum planning as key development targets in Finnish higher education, and consequently, also in the teaching and learning of languages and communication. For language teachers, this creates new development possibilities but also challenges, as new working methods and proficiencies need to be embraced. In this paper we focus on teacher perspectives of and practices in digital literacy and seek to identify the development needs they have and the challenges they face. Our study shows that there is a high level of interest in digital issues in language and communication teaching in Finland. Teachers are encouraged to include digital elements in their teaching. However, teachers need support and have varied needs in developing digipedagogical skills. The results of our study form the basis for a national-level strategy for furthering the digital literacy of language and communication teachers in higher education at personal, organizational and national levels.

scholarly journals An assessment of the interplay between literacy and digital Technology in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahrokh Nikou ◽  
Milla Aavakare
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
University Staff ◽  
Willingness To Use ◽  
The Impact

AbstractDigital technologies fundamentally transform teaching and learning in higher education environments, with the pace of technological change exacerbating the challenge. Due to the current pandemic situation, higher education environments are all now forced to move away from traditional teaching and learning structures that are simply no longer adaptable to the challenges of rapidly changing educational environments. This research develops a conceptual model and employs Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using Partial least Squares (PLS) to examine the impact of information and digital literacy on 249 Finnish university staff and students’ intention to use digital technologies. The findings show the complex interrelationship between literacy skills and digital technologies among university staff and students. The results illustrate that information literacy has a direct and significant impact on intention to use; while, unlike our expectation, digital literacy does not have a direct impact on the intention to use. However, its effect is mediated through performance expectancy and effort expectancy. The authors suggest that to understand the changes that are taking place in higher education environment, more attention needs to be paid to redefining policies and strategies in order to enhance individuals’ willingness to use digital technologies within higher education environments.

scholarly journals Going 3D with Technology: An Overarching Approach for Language Teachers

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Jason D. Hendryx
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Observational Data ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Student Interaction ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Classroom Observations ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Key Features

Después de más de una década de observaciones en clases de más de una docena de idiomas, en múltiples instituciones de educación secundaria y de educación superior en varios países, se puede afirmar que existen tres usos pedagógicos clave para una introducción exitosa de la tecnología por parte de los profesores. Los tres usos identificados son: el direccional, el de desarrollo, y el crítico. En lo sucesivo, llamados usos 3D. Los datos de observación obtenidos sugieren que cuando un profesor de idiomas introduce la tecnología en el aula por medio de cualquiera de los tres usos indicados, incrementa el éxito de resultados. El éxito aquí debe entenderse como un mayor nivel de interacción, de motivación, de compromiso y de producción de lenguaje por parte de las estudiantes. Mientras tanto las observaciones de profesores que introducen la tecnología en el aula sin tener en cuenta los usos 3D, revelaron aplicaciones rígidas y aburridas de los medios tecnológicos para la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de idiomas. Dichas aplicaciones muchas veces se caracterizan por desdeñar el contexto pedagógico de manera que generan entre los estudiantes escasos o nulos niveles de interacción o de producción de lenguaje.Grounded in over a decade of language classroom observations, in multiple institutions of secondary and higher education in several countries, across over a dozen languages, three key features of what appear to be successful applications of technology by instructors in these classes for language teaching emerged. These features came to be identified as directional, developmental, and decisive—Hereafter referred to as the 3Ds. Observational data suggests that when an instructor embraces any of the 3Ds while using technology for teaching and learning purposes, the more successful that application of technology seems to be. Success here should be understood as higher levels of student interaction, engagement, and motivation, with more kinds and types of student language being produced.  Meanwhile, observations of instructors who did not utilize any of the 3Ds, revealed stiff, uninspiring uses of technology, oftentimes devoid of context, which did not result in much, if any, student interaction or language production.  

Becoming a process drama practitioner: An exploratory study of higher education language teachers in Japan

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110609
Author(s):  
Kim Murray ◽  
José Reis-Jorge ◽  
Julie-Anne Regan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Process Drama ◽  
Educational Approach ◽  
Japanese Higher Education

Research in language learning indicates that process drama (PD), an educational approach where students and teachers work in and out of role to explore themes and issues, can be well suited to the Japanese higher education (HE) context. Despite the benefits highlighted in the literature, PD remains a niche approach to language teaching and learning, with a limited number of practitioners in Japan. This study seeks to uncover language teachers’ experiences of becoming Process Drama Practitioners (PDPs) and using and sharing PD as an English language teaching approach in Japanese HE. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with six experienced PDPs. The findings indicate that prior positive experiences with drama was an encouraging factor of the adoption and self-directed initial use of PD in their teaching practices. Positive student outcomes and feedback were primary motivators for continued use of PD. Experiences of sharing PD led to a perceived need to distinguish PD from theatre-based approaches and establish connections to familiar approaches to language teaching.

Lessons from “communicative language teaching” for Māori language teachers in English medium schools

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-267
Author(s):  
Sophie Judy Nock
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Communicative Language Teaching ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Of Instruction ◽  
Generational Transmission ◽  
Ultimate Fate ◽  
High Level

Can the teaching approach “communicative language teaching” support Māori language teachers teaching te reo Māori (the Māori language) in English medium schools? Given that, in the absence of a high level of inter-generational transmission, and more than two-thirds of Māori school children attend schools in which the primary language of instruction is English, the ultimate fate of the language rests, to some extent at least, with the success of instructed language learning. This article will discuss and support the notion of adopting characteristics of communicative language teaching as a supportive teaching tool for language teachers. This article will also introduce a number of “focus points” derived from the review of a range of literature sources specific to the analysis of language lessons and relevant literature on the teaching and learning of second or additional languages and will provide anecdotal illustrations from lessons observed. Finally, this article will suggest some useful recommendations for already heavily burdened Indigenous language teachers.

scholarly journals Internationalization of the Curriculum in Finnish Higher Education: Understanding Lecturers’ Experiences

2019 ◽  
pp. 102831531988846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanna-Mari Renfors
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Culturally Diverse ◽  
Teaching Styles ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Teaching And Learning Environment ◽  
Inclusive Curriculum ◽  
Design Culture ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Finnish Higher Education

This qualitative study presents an example of the internationalization of the curriculum (IoC) in a non-English speaking country, Finland, by including the lecturers in the debate. The topic is highly relevant, as IoC is becoming a focus area in Europe, and internationalization has been identified as an area in need of improvement in the Finnish system of higher education. The findings demonstrate that many lecturers are familiar with the meaning of IoC, but its implementation is highly dependent on the priorities at the institutional level. The lecturers can incorporate inclusive curriculum content and perspectives of the future profession in their teaching, but they do not have competencies, resources, and tools to adapt their teaching styles to an international, culturally diverse teaching and learning environment. Thus, IoC in Finland calls for the establishment of a new program design culture supported by the institution with the focus on international and intercultural learning outcomes and assessment practices.

scholarly journals Digital Video Creation in the LSP Classroom

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ornaith Rodgers ◽  
Labhaoise Ni Dhonnchadha
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Digital Video ◽  
General Assumption ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Video Creation ◽  
High Level

<p>The twenty-first century world of digital media and multimodalities demands a rethinking of approaches to languages for specific purposes (LSP). This article seeks to determine the effectiveness of digital video creation as a teaching and learning tool in the LSP context through an investigation of students’ perceptions of the usefulness of this activity. The study is based on a digital video creation project carried out with a group of second year undergraduate students on the BSc in Biotechnology programme in NUI Galway who also study French as part of their degree programme. The findings are indicative of an overwhelmingly positive response from learners to this activity, both in terms of the development of language skills and other key social and professional skills. However, findings also warn that students’ digital competencies must not be over-estimated, despite a general assumption in technology-enhanced language learning research, that the current generation of students have a high level of digital literacy. This study highlights the pedagogical potential of digital video creation in the language classroom and demonstrates that it embraces many of the core elements underpinning progressive LSP pedagogy, by giving students the opportunity to keep pace with the multimodality afforded by digital media and by ensuring their language learning is both contextualised and authentic. It advocates the use of digital video creation in language learning and particularly in LSP, by highlighting the strong impact that this activity had on the participants in this study.</p>

scholarly journals ATHENA: Contributing to Development of Higher Education Institutions for the Digital Age

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-131
Author(s):  
J. C. Quadrado ◽  
Yu. P. Pokholkov ◽  
K. K. Zaitseva
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
European Union ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Grant Programs ◽  
Professional Educators ◽  
Digital Era

Facilitated by public administrations and the European Union, higher education institutions should support their teachers so they develop the skills for online and other forms of teaching and learning opened up by the digital era and should exploit the opportunities presented by technology to improve the quality of teaching and learning. The article focuses on new European Union grant programs that empower the increasing of digital literacy in the higher education area, developing cooperation, and overcoming challenges during the coronavirus pandemic. This initiative can empower a new European University and support an international project aimed at certification of professional educators with the participation of a Russian partner.

scholarly journals Is Attitude an Impediment to Achieving English Proficiency amongst the Final Year Students in the Northern Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria: A Comparative Study of Southern and Northern Geopolitical Zones

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Famogbiyele O. Taiwo
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
High Level ◽  
Descriptive Survey ◽  
Effective Teaching And Learning

<p><em>This study investigated whether it is the learners’ attitudes in the northern geopolitical zone of Nigeria which impede them from achieving high level of proficiency in the study of English language as compared to that of their counterparts in the southern geopolitical zone.</em><em> Three research questions were </em><em>generated to guide the study. </em><em>28-item questionnaire adapted from Gardner’s (1985b) </em><em>Attitude Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) were used to elicit the data needed. The descriptive survey research design that was adopted for the study comprised of four-part Likert-type statements. 610 students (male and female) registered for SSCE examination were selected from 18 government-owned public secondary schools in the Northern and Southern geopolitical zones using stratified random sampling technique. The data collected were analyzed using simple mean scores and percentages. The result of the study showed that </em><em>students in the </em><em>Northern geopolitical zones,</em><em> in fact, have high positive attitude towards the learning of English but were not motivated to learn it and that </em><em>language anxiety had a pervasive impact on the language learning experience of the students. </em><em>The study recommends amongst others that, language teachers need to </em><em>evolve effective teaching and learning strategies</em><em> that generate the attitudes and motivation most conducive to the production of more successful learners of English language.</em><em></em></p>

scholarly journals Co-word analysis and academic performance from the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology in Web of Science

2021 ◽  
pp. 119-140
Author(s):  
Jesús López-Belmonte ◽  
Antonio-José Moreno-Guerrero ◽  
Santiago Pozo-Sánchez ◽  
José-Antonio Marín-Marín
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Educational Technology ◽  
Teacher Perceptions ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Word Analysis ◽  
Australasian Journal ◽  
Technology In Learning

Since its inception in 1985, the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (AJET) has been dedicated to the diffusion of studies on the integration of technology in higher education. Its track record in this field has placed it in the first quartile of the Scimago Journal & Country Rank. The objective of the study was to reveal to the scientific community the journey and evolution that this journal has had throughout its existence in Web of Science. A bibliometric methodology was used, supported by a scientific mapping from a unit of analysis of 798 documents. For this reason, a co-word analysis can be a fundamental tool for understanding the characteristics of their production and their impact on the scientific community. There is an evident progressive evolution of the studies published in the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, with a first phase focused on the design and implementation of educational technology in learning environments, a second phase focused on the enrichment of technology and its acceptance within the processes of teaching and learning, and finally a stage focused on student and teacher perceptions of the implementation of technology in the educational context. Implications for practice or policy: We have established a contextual framework to show researchers current trends in educational technology and delineate future lines of research. Those interested in this subject will have a set of bibliometric indicators to delve into the field of educational technology. Higher education teachers and students will discover the evolution of the use of technology in learning spaces.

scholarly journals Digital Curation as a Core Competency in Current Learning and Literacy: A Higher Education Perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leona M. Ungerer
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Core Competency ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Digital Curation ◽  
Education Environment

<p class="3">Digital curation may be regarded as a core competency in higher education since it contributes to establishing a sense of metaliteracy (an essential requirement for optimally functioning in a modern media environment) among students. Digital curation is gradually finding its way into higher education curricula aimed at fostering social media literacies. Teachers are urged to blend informal and formal learning and since most people informally use curation in their daily lives for compiling relevant information, it may be fairly easy to adopt digital curation in teaching and learning. Teachers, however, require considerable insight in incorporating various informal digital curation tools in educational practices.  The SECTIONS model may assist in guiding decisions around the suitability of digital curation tools for a higher education environment. Including digital literacy training in the professional development of academic staff members may sensitize them to the possibilities that incorporating digital approaches in curricula offer. The Five Cs of Digital Curation framework may guide academic staff members in compiling suitable digital material. There as yet appears not to be a pedagogy that fully acknowledges the various digital curation processes. A pedagogy of abundance, acknowledging that content often is freely available and abundant, may eventually prove relevant in this regard.</p>

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