Videoconferencing with strangers: Teaching Japanese EFL students verbal backchannel signals and reactive expressions

Sardegna, Veronica G.; Molle, Daniella

doi:10.1515/iprg.2010.013

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…There are some exceptions, however. The studies that have used technology platforms for instruction have shown a promising approach to connecting learning with authentic language use (Wishnoff 2000; Belz & Vyatkina 2005; Kakegawa 2009; Sykes 2009, 2013; Sardegna & Molle 2010; Cunningham & Vyatkina 2012). In many of these studies, there has been an interface between instruction and authentic online dialogues with native speakers so the degree of learning is reflected in the learners’ ability to perform target pragmatic functions in a naturalistic meaning exchange.…”

Section: Discussion and Directions For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides speech acts, several studies taught discourse organizational skills, such as the structure of small talk (Liddicoat & Clozet 2001) and job interview skills (Louw, Derwing & Abbott 2010). Eight studies focused on conversation devices, such as sentence final particles (Kakegawa 2009), interactional discourse markers (Yoshimi 2001; Iwai 2013), gambits (Taylor 2002), hedging (Wishnoff 2000), hearsay expressions (Narita 2012), and reactive tokens (Utashiro & Kawai 2009; Sardegna & Molle 2010). Regarding teaching approaches, 25 studies adopted the explicit teaching method and incorporated direct metapragmatic explanations of target features, while two studies adopted the implicit method, which withholds explanations 3 .…”

Section: Is Instruction Effective In Learning Pragmatics?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Instructed pragmatics at a glance: Where instructional studies were, are, and should be going

2015

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This paper brings together the research and developments of instructed pragmatics over the past three decades by reporting the synthesis findings of instructional intervention studies in interlanguage pragmatics. Two questions have guided this investigation: (1) is instruction effective in learning pragmatics?; and (2) what methods are most effective in learning pragmatics? Exhaustive electronic bibliographical searches yielded a body of 58 instructional intervention studies for the review. Findings across these studies are compared and explored for common patterns and inconsistencies that emerge among them. The paper concludes with implications for future research based on the survey of the existing practice.

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Section: Discussion and Directions For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Is Instruction Effective In Learning Pragmatics?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Instructed pragmatics at a glance: Where instructional studies were, are, and should be going

2015

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“…Although certain findings of the study must remain tentative, it is clear that participation in telecollaboration affords opportunities to improve pragmatic production (Belz & Kinginger, , ), especially when undergirded by a focused instructional approach (Belz & Vyatkina, ; Cunningham & Vyatkina, ; Sardegna & Molle, ; Vyatkina, ). The study additionally confirms that aspects of requesting behavior are teachable, albeit with differing effectiveness (Codina–Espurz, ; Martínez–Flor, ; Martínez–Flor & Usó–Juan, ; Safont, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research has shown that using focused instruction in conjunction with telecollaboration can lead to measurable gains in pragmatic learning targets across a variety of languages, including German and French pronominal address forms (Belz & Kinginger, , ), German modal particles (Belz & Vyatkina, ; Vyatkina, ), German modal verbs (Cunningham & Vyatkina, ), English backchannel signals (Sardegna & Molle, ), and Japanese interactional particles (Kakegawa, ). While such studies have established strong relationships among focused instruction, telecollaborative exchange, and pragmatic development, they have done so by focusing on particular linguistic structures that index pragmatic intent.…”

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confidence: 99%

Request Modification in Synchronous Computer‐Mediated Communication: The Role of Focused Instruction

Cunningham

2016

The Modern Language Journal

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The pairing of telecollaboration and focused instruction can lead to measurable gains in second language learners’ pragmatic competence (Belz & Vyatkina, , ; Vyatkina & Belz, ). This article examines speech act production in telecollaborative exchange, focusing on the requesting behavior of American learners of German for professional purposes as they interacted with German‐speaking professionals in Germany via synchronous Web conferences. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative methods, the study investigated the effect of interaction with expert speakers and the implementation of focused instruction on learners’ pragmatic development. Whereas quantitative analysis showed no change between experimental conditions, qualitative analysis of 4 learners’ request production over the course of 4 online discussions revealed idiosyncratic developmental pathways and the emergence of a common strategy for managing participation in oral synchronous computer‐mediated communication. The findings provide new insight regarding the nature of second language request production and confirm the utility of pragmatics instruction in telecollaboration. At the same time, the study calls for more refined analytical tools when investigating language development in extended telecollaborative discourse.

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“…These online tools can be appropriate substitutes for traditional faceto-face communication in the classroom. For example, several research studies have revealed that the use of videoconferencing and web conferencing tools, such as Skype and GotoMeeting, can improve the interactions and computer skills of both students and teachers (Eaton, 2010;Mok and Li 2007;Sardegna and Molle 2010;Wu, Yen, and Marek 2011). EFL teachers should update their knowledge of the software tools and programs which can enhance the level of interactivity in the online EFL course.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

English as a foreign language—teachers’ perspectives on implementing online instruction in the Iranian EFL context

Dashtestani

2014

Research in Learning Technology

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This paper describes a research project that focuses on the intelligibility of pronunciation in English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. English could be called a lingua franca, or a language that makes communication possible between people who do not share a native language. In the globalized world, English need not be pronounced correctly, but can be pronounced with any accent as long as it is intelligible. The fact that Japanese speakers' English generally lacks intelligibility is attributed to the difference between Japanese and English. The aim of this study is to devise explicit instruction on the difference of the two languages in the phonetic system and the relation between letters and sounds. This experiment was executed in two junior high schools, with one as the treatment group and the other as the contrast group. The seventh-grade students in the treatment group were given instruction in the rules of phonics and the international phonetic alphabet (IPA), while the seventh-grade students in the contrast group were given normal instruction on pronunciation. The pronunciation test was administered in both groups before and after the year-long instruction. The recoded data from the test was assessed by a native English speaker with criteria of intelligibility. The results of the pre-and post-test proved that the treatment group exceeded the contrast group with a significant difference. It is anticipated that phonics and IPA instruction at the beginning of EFL learning would lay the foundations for students' development into English speakers who can pass in globalized society.

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Videoconferencing with strangers: Teaching Japanese EFL students verbal backchannel signals and reactive expressions

Cited by 16 publications

References 27 publications

Instructed pragmatics at a glance: Where instructional studies were, are, and should be going

Instructed pragmatics at a glance: Where instructional studies were, are, and should be going

Request Modification in Synchronous Computer‐Mediated Communication: The Role of Focused Instruction

English as a foreign language—teachers’ perspectives on implementing online instruction in the Iranian EFL context

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