WP 3 Research Specification of TILA research studies Project Coordination:

WP 3 Research
Specification of TILA research studies
Lead Partner of WP 3:
Steinbeis Transferzentrum Sprachlernmedien
Kurt Kohn [kurt.kohn@stw.de]
Petra Hoffstaedter [petra.hoffstaedter@stw.de]
February 2014
Project Coordination: Kristi Jauregi, Utrecht University
The TILA project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This report reflects
the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may
be made of the information contained therein.
© TILA, February 2014
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WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview
Specification of TILA Research Studies
Telecollaboration for intercultural language learning: task design, pedagogical integration, and evaluation ....... 3
Telecollaboration as a suitable method for enhanced L2 communicative competence in Spanish?..................... 4
A comparative study of TILA pilots using two different communication tools: the role of linguistic selfconfidence and language anxiety ...................................................................................................................... 5
Intercultural ELF discussions in BBB and OpenSim (ELF 2.0) ............................................................................... 6
Intercultural discussions in tandem and lingua franca situations ........................................................................ 7
Comparing the negotiation of meaning in the context of intercultural communication in exchanges between
English as a lingua franca speakers and exchanges between native and non-native speakers ............................. 8
Intercultural discussions between teachers ....................................................................................................... 9
Analysis of teacher roles in TILA telecollaboration ........................................................................................... 10
© TILA, February 2014
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WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview
TELECOLLABORATION FOR INTERCULTURAL LANGUAGE LEARNING: TASK DESIGN,
PEDAGOGICAL INTEGRATION, AND EVALUATION
Partners involved
Institution: STC Language Learning Media
Main staff: Petra Hoffstaedter, Kurt Kohn
Research objectives
Overall objective is to study principles, conditions and processes underlying the development of
telecollaboration tasks for intercultural foreign language learning. Special attention will be given to
interdependences between learning objectives, task design, pedagogical integration, and course
evaluation.
Approach
Using a participant observer approach, selected TILA pilot courses will be accompanied and analyzed,
always in close collaboration with the teachers involved. In keeping with the concept of Blended
Learning, tasks are envisaged as ensembles involving combinations of environments and
technological media from face-to-face in class to independent work at home to synchronous and
asynchronous interaction in the web. Oral synchronous communication will take place in a 3D virtual
world (OpenSim) and/or in a videoconferencing environment (BigBlueButton, Skype); forum, wiki, or
blog tools are used to support written communication. Preferred languages constellations are
tandem and lingua franca. All task design follows the learning objectives specified for the respective
pilot course. To ensure pedagogical integration into the overall curriculum, the tasks are not
designed as isolated units but rather as more or less complex task ensembles organised in
pedagogical macro phases from 'preparatory' to 'main' to 'follow-up'. Supported by examples of best
practice, illustrating challenges encountered and solutions found, prototypical task templates will be
developed to facilitate further TILA task adaptation and creation. For course evaluation, intercultural
communicative interactions with be recorded and analyzed; qualitative assessments by teachers and
pupils will be combined with questionnaires to elicit data on user experience, speaker-hearer
satisfaction, as well as speaker profiles and requirements.
CEF level
from A1 to B1
Subjects
•
pupils/students from TILA school/class pilot collaborations
Telecollaboration environments and tools
•
•
•
the videoconferencing system BigBlueButton (and Skype)
the 3D virtual world environment OpenSim
forum, blog etc. (in Moodle)
Research tools
•
•
•
Recording & transcription: BB FlashBack and/or recording functions in BBB, Transana
Questionnaires: User Experience, Speaker Profile & Requirements, Speaker-hearer
satisfaction questionnaire, cognitive, emotional, behavioural (CEB) divergencies
Communicative performance: discourse/conversation analysis
© TILA, February 2014
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WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview
TELECOLLABORATION AS A SUITABLE METHOD FOR ENHANCED L2 COMMUNICATIVE
COMPETENCE IN SPANISH?
Partners involved
Institution: Utrecht University
Main staff: Kristi Jauregi Ondarra, Rick de Graaff & Erwin Maas
Research objectives
A pilot study to measure Dutch students’ L2 communicative competence in Spanish in order to
investigate their L2 development over a period of time.
Approach
Students will be asked to fill out a language background questionnaire to get to know more about
students’ previous knowledge of Spanish and other languages. Furthermore, students’ proficiency
will be tested prior to the first week (pretest) and at the end of week 5 (posttest). Testing takes place
at the TILA partner school, directly after the Spanish class. Both a group of Dutch secondary school
students learning Spanish as a foreign language for the first time with the use of telecollaboration
and a control group without the use of telecollaboration will be tested.
CEF level
From A1 to A2 (expected)
Subjects
(Dutch) students from TILA partner school(s)
Telecollaboration environments and tools
Synchronous communication tools
Asynchronous communication tools
A combination of the two
Research tools
Student questionnaire
Pretest and posttest
© TILA, February 2014
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WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TILA PILOTS USING TWO DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION
TOOLS: THE ROLE OF LINGUISTIC SELF-CONFIDENCE AND LANGUAGE ANXIETY
Partners involved
Institution: University of Utrecht
Main staff: Kristi Jauregi, Dayen Breddels
Institution: University of Roehampton
Main staff: Sabela Melchor Couto
Research objectives
To do a comparative study of TILA telecollaboration pilots
• using two different communication tools
• with regard to linguistic self-confidence and language anxiety
• with regard to ELF or tandem communication
Approach
Telecollaborative pilots using two different communication tools, with preference to the virtual
environments OpenSim and BigBlueButton, will be analyzed and compared on a motivational dimension.
The communication between the students will be either in an EFL or a tandem context. Questionnaires
will be used during the pilot (in a repeated-measurement design) to elicit data on the linguistic selfconfidence and language anxiety parameters. Additionally, a postquestionnaire gives more qualitative
information about speaker profiles and factors influencing
student motivation.
CEF level
A2 (expected)
Subjects
pupils/students from 2 TILA partner schools (expected to be a Dutch-Spanish match)
Telecollaboration environments and tools
•
•
the videoconferencing system BigBlueButton
the 3D virtual world environment OpenSim
Research tools
•
•
Self-confidence and language anxiety: Questionnaire (Clément/AMTB)
Speaker profile: Questionnaire
© TILA, February 2014
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WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview
INTERCULTURAL ELF DISCUSSIONS IN BBB AND OPENSIM (ELF 2.0)
Partners involved
Institution: STC Language Learning Media
Main staff: Petra Hoffstaedter, Kurt Kohn
Research objectives
•
•
•
to do a comparative case study analysis of ELF communication in BBB and OpenSim with regard to
linguistic-communicative and intercultural challenges and strategic solutions
to evaluate and compare intercultural ELF communication in BBB and OpenSim with regard to
'user experience' parameters
to study and compare the impact of BBB and OpenSim on speaker-hearer satisfaction
Approach
Telecollaborative discussions in the virtual environments OpenSim and BigBlueButton will be
implemented outside regular classroom schedules. Emphasis is on English as a lingua franca (ELF) with the
overall pedagogical objective to facilitate and foster intercultural communicative interaction and
competence development in English. The discussions take place in small groups of up to 5 students from
different countries and schools. A critical incident topic (e.g. "Pictures on facebook") will be used to
ensure natural and semi-authentic communication.
Following an overall case study approach, recordings, questionnaires and (retrospective) interviews will
be used to collect and analyze data about ELF discussion performance, user experience, speaker profiles
and requirements, as well as speaker-hearer satisfaction.
CEF level
from A2 to B1
Subjects
•
•
•
pupils/students individually selected from TILA partner schools
pupils /students individually selected from other schools world-wide
Recruiting through TILA teachers and other contacts.
Telecollaboration environments and tools
•
•
the videoconferencing system BigBlueButton (and Skype)
the 3D virtual world environment OpenSim
Research tools
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Recording: BB FlashBack and/or recording functions available in BBB and OpenSim
Transcription: Transana, BB Transcriptor, or others(?)
User Experience assessement: UEQuestionnaire/SAP
Speaker Profile & Requirements: SPRQuestionnaire
Speaker-hearer satisfaction: SHSQuestionnaire
Intercultural challenges: CEB divergencies Questionnaire [CEB = cognitive, emotional,
behavioural]
Communicative performance: discourse/conversation analysis
© TILA, February 2014
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WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview
INTERCULTURAL DISCUSSIONS IN TANDEM AND LINGUA FRANCA SITUATIONS
Partners involved
Institution: Paris 3/ Paris 6- Inalco
Main staff: Martine Derivry, Sofia Stratilaki, Anthippi Potolia, Amel Bourghnim
Research objectives
To do a comparative case study analysis of lingua franca and tandem communicative situations with
regard to linguistic, intercultural challenges and strategic solutions as well as to a description of
parameters
To study and compare the impact of lingua franca and tandem situations on speaker-hearer reflexive,
intercultural and communicative development
Approach
Analysis of recordings of telecollaborative discussions either in lingua franca or tandem situations as
well as learning diaries when available. Each language and each situation is selected so as the
qualitative case study will be based on the interviewing of 8 learners.
[Comment: A problem for us as we cannot access the recordings]
CEF level
From A2 to B1 for learning situations and near native for interviews.
Subjects
Learners individually selected from TILA class pilot telecollaboration
Telecollaboration environments and tools
The videoconferencing system BigBlueButton the 3D virtual world environment OpenSim
Research tools
Recording: BB FlashBack and/or recording functions available in BBB and OpenSim Transcription:
Transana, BB Transcriptor, or others
[comment: problem with recordings]
Learner Experience assessment and satisfaction through individual interviews (BBB).
Content analysis of experience combined with cultural and language biographies of learners in order
to describe Tila’s impact on linguistic, intercultural and reflexive learning.
© TILA, February 2014
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WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview
COMPARING THE NEGOTIATION OF MEANING IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERCULTURAL
COMMUNICATION IN EXCHANGES BETWEEN ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA SPEAKERS
AND EXCHANGES BETWEEN NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS
Partners involved
Institution: Universitat de València/UVEG
Main staff: Barry Pennock Speck, Begoña Clavel Arroitia, José Ramón Gómez Molina
Research objectives
•
To analyse aspects of the negotiation of meaning in synchronous telecollaboration tasks in
BBB and OpenSim.
•
Our analysis will focus on the importance of the students’ cultural background when
interacting with peers and we will observe differences such as the provision of feedback
when comparing interaction between native and non-native speakers and interaction in the
context of English as a lingua franca.
•
We will also pay special attention to the differences, if any, in verbal strategies in the
negotiation of meaning between nonnative speakers of English as a lingua franca and
exchanges between native and non-native speakers of English.
Approach
•
Analysis of a number of recordings by non-native speakers using English as a lingua franca
and pairs native and non-native speakers
•
Analysis of a number of recordings by native and non-native speakers of English
CEF level
A1 to B2
Subjects
Pupils from partner schools
Telecollaboration environments and tools
BigBlueButton, OpenSim, Asynchonous Tools, Google forms
Research tools
Transcription of recordings. AntConc. Access
© TILA, February 2014
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WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview
INTERCULTURAL DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN TEACHERS
Partners involved
Institution: Paris 3/Paris 6 - Inalco
Main staff: Martine Derivry, Sofia Stratilaki, Anthippi Potolia, Amel Bourghnim
Research objectives
To do a comparative case study analysis of linguistic, intercultural, teaching challenges and strategic
solutions with regard to description of parameters
To study and compare the impact of Tila’s learning/teaching environment on teachers’ development
Approach
Analysis of questionnaires followed by individual or group interviews about TILA learning-teaching
environment with regard to its main objective of intercultural enhancement. Interviewing
participating Pilot Teachers of different Language Clusters (group or invidual interviews).
CEF level
Near native competence or English as a lingua franca
Subjects
Teachers from TILA
Telecollaboration environments and tools
The videoconferencing system BigBlueButton the 3D virtual world environment OpenSim
Research tools
Recording: BB FlashBack and/or recording functions available in BBB and OpenSim Transcription:
Transana, BB Transcriptor, or others
[Comment: we have a technical problem here as no one in France can listen to the recordings
Teachers’ experience assessment and satisfaction through a common questionnaire and individual or
group interviews through BBB
Content analysis of teachers’ experience and professional development about intercultural, language
and reflexive learning and teaching
© TILA, February 2014
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WP3 Research: Research Studies - Overview
ANALYSIS OF TEACHER ROLES IN TILA TELECOLLABORATION
Partners involved
Institution: Universitat de València/UVEG
Main staff: Barry Pennock Speck, Begoña Clavel Arroitia, José Ramón Gómez Molina
Research objectives
To carry out a study on teacher roles in telecollaboration with a view to providing teachers with a
guide on best practices in this type of foreign language teaching based on real teacher/student
practice.
Approach
•
•
•
•
A taxonomy of hypothetical teacher roles will be arrived at using state-of-the-art literature
on teacher roles in telecollaboration.
Once the pilot experience is over, pupils and teachers will be given questionnaires in order to
determine the actual roles that teachers adopted and the approximate time spent on each.
Pupils and teachers will also be asked to give their views on their roles in the piloting process.
The results will be compared with our initial hypotheses.
Finally, the results will be used as input to suggest improvements, modifications of teacher
roles and where further training for teachers might be needed.
CEF level
from A1 to B2
Subjects
Pupils and teachers from partner schools
Telecollaboration environments and tools
BigBlueButton, OpenSim, Asynchonous Tools, Google forms
Research tools
Questionnaires administered to pupils and teachers involved in the TILA partnerships
© TILA, February 2014
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