<i>CASLA through a social constructivist perspective: WebQuest in project-driven language learning</i>

Simina, Vassiliki; Hamel, Marie-Josée

doi:10.1017/s0958344005000522

Cited by 33 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(18 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Social constructivism stresses the primacy of social interaction and context in knowledge construction and cognitive development (Wertsch, 1991). Learning, in the social constructivist's view, is a dynamic process of knowledge construction and constant transformation of existing understanding through social interactions (Bednar, Cunningham, Duffy, & Perry, 1992;Simina & Hamel, 2005;Sun & Chang, 2012).…”

Section: Web 20 and Social Constructivismmentioning

confidence: 99%

I help, therefore, I learn: service learning on Web 2.0 in an EFL speaking class

Sun

Yang

2013

Computer Assisted Language Learning

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The present study integrates service learning into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) speaking class using Web 2.0 tools -YouTube and Facebook -as platforms. Fourteen undergraduate students participated in the study. The purpose of the servicelearning project was to link service learning with oral communication training in an EFL speaking class by having each student create two YouTube videos in which they made informative presentations about the university (e.g., transportation system) and the city (e.g., sightseeing spots) in English to international students on campus. A Facebook community was established as a forum for students to share their videos with the international students and peers. The results suggest that the project enhanced EFL students' public speaking-related skills (e.g., idea and content development, and pronunciation), built their confidence in speaking English, and allowed them to develop their own learning process and strategies. Moreover, Web 2.0 tools endow service learning with new possibilities of reaching a greater number of the target audience and provide the members of the community with alternative means of communication.

show abstract

Section: Web 20 and Social Constructivismmentioning

confidence: 99%

I help, therefore, I learn: service learning on Web 2.0 in an EFL speaking class

Sun

Yang

2013

Computer Assisted Language Learning

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Since then, researchers have been examining the potential of such tools for language learning as well as their effectiveness (Brandl, 2002;Felix, 2002;Levy & Stockwell, 2006;Nagata, 1998;Simina & Hamel,;. In the mid to late 1990s, communication tools started to become available to teachers and learners.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fostering S tudent I nteraction and E ngagement in a V irtual L earning E nvironment: A n I nvestigation into A ctivity D esign and I mplementation

Hampel¹,

Pleines²

2013

CALICO Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Online tools, such as forums, wikis, and blogs lend themselves to learners negotiating meaning and co-constructing knowledge through interaction. However, not enough is known about how tasks need to be designed to make best use of the possibilities of complex virtual learning environments (VLEs) to motivate and support learners, foster interaction, and contribute to knowledge construction. This article reports on a twoyear study exploring the design and implementation cycle of online activities as an integral part of a distance language course. When the course was introduced in 2009, activities had been designed on the basis of second language acquisition principles as well as sociocultural theories, providing a basis for student interaction and taking into account the affordances of the environment, a Moodle-based VLE. After the end of the first year an evaluation was carried out that examined quantitative and qualitative data (Moodle user logs, learner survey and learner interviews). It was found that students preferred forums to other tools and that assessment-related activities attracted higher participation rates than other tasks. It also highlighted a number of issues, including low participation in on-task discussions, a large gap between viewings and contributions, very large differences in individual engagement, low priority given to the online activities by some students, and varying levels of e-literacy amongst learners. Consequently, activities were re-designed and a number of changes were implemented in 2010 that included more teacher involvement, fewer tasks, a simpler structure, and a reduced number of tools. A comparison of learner participation across the two years shows that these changes had a positive impact on learner engagement.

show abstract

“…By combining CALL and PBL, additional benefits may be expected, such as a structured and well-organized, yet authentic context for collaboration and social interaction in which learners construct the knowledge of the target language on their own while engaged in meaningful activities (Simina and Hamel 2005). At the same time, the use of online tools (e.g.…”

Section: Application Of Pbl In a Call Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Project-based learning in computer-assisted language learning: An example from legal English

Djordjevic¹,

Blagojevic²

2017

Nasledje, Krag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The research presented in this paper aims at exploring the effectiveness of Project-Based Learning (PBL) when applied in a specifically designed Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) setting in the context of practising writing skills. The initial hypothesis of this research was that PBL in a CALL setting within a Legal English (LE) as an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course may improve students' writing skills. For that purpose, a two-week project was carried out with 20 third-year English language students who were presented a specific issue from LE, unfair dismissal in Employment Law, by means of a webquest as an online inquiry-oriented activity. The specific objective was to explore whether the students were able to draft a written claim based on digital resources provided to them through the webquest. Based on rubrics, the assessment of the final written products submitted by the students revealed that PBL did contribute to the practice of students' writing skills in an ESP course based on CALL, but only to a certain extent. The assessment scores analysed in the experiment reflected an overall improvement of student performance in comparison to their usual performance. However, the assumption that PBL in a CALL setting enables students to make adequate choices regarding the selection and use of proper resources provided to them could not be fully confirmed, thus leaving an open door to subsequent research to explore the issue under consideration.

show abstract

CASLA through a social constructivist perspective: WebQuest in project-driven language learning

Cited by 33 publications

References 26 publications

I help, therefore, I learn: service learning on Web 2.0 in an EFL speaking class

I help, therefore, I learn: service learning on Web 2.0 in an EFL speaking class

Fostering S tudent I nteraction and E ngagement in a V irtual L earning E nvironment: A n I nvestigation into A ctivity D esign and I mplementation

Project-based learning in computer-assisted language learning: An example from legal English

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About