2021 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
The effect of synchronous computer mediated communication on language acquisition
| Project/Area Number |
21K00673
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| Research Institution | Saitama University |
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Principal Investigator |
ヒューズ リアンダー 埼玉大学, 教育機構, 准教授 (80513861)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | Computer / CALL / SCMC / CMC / Communication / Interaction / Language / Learning |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
During the 2021 academic year, the researcher developed Text Detective (TD) the online system that would administer the tasks and measures for this study. Two versions of Text Detective were developed in accordance with the original research proposal, an input-only version called TD Read and a communicative version called TD Chat. In addition, a third ‘pseudo’ communicative version called TD Note was created, that involved dynamically computer mediated note taking. The TD versions were piloted and one full experiment conducted, comparing the effect TD Chat versus TD Note on immediate and delayed language acquisition. Preliminary results show that both versions had a significant effect on language acquisition with no significant difference in gains between them.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
In the original proposal, the main experiment was to be conducted in the 2022 academic year. However, one main experiment was already successfully carried out at the end of the 2021 academic year, the results of which are currently under analysis. This experiment, though, was not part of the original research plan, but tested a new 'pseudo communicative' version of Text Detective (TD) called TD Note, which involves input and output, but no person-to-person communication. This version was compared to the communicative version of TD (TD Chat), and the results showed that TD Note was equally effective. The originally proposed experiment has yet to be conducted, but will take place in June or July this year.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
The next Text Detective (TD) experiment will be conducted in June or July this year and will involve the original comparison proposed: input only study of a text (TD Read) versus communicative study of the same text (TD Chat). Preparations are currently underway for this next experiment. At the same time, the data from the first experiment comparing TD Note to TD Chat is still undergoing analysis.
One important change to note in the research plan is that the experiments only involve one session of study rather than three. This is due to time constraints of the courses in which the experiments are being conducted. Fortunately, preliminary results from the first experiment show that significant learning can take place in a single session, so this change is not likely to aversely affect the research.
It is expected that the next experiment will reveal an advantage for TD Chat over TD Read. In this case, TD Note will be compared to TD Read, to see if TD Note shares a similar advantage over TD Note. In the case that no difference is found between TD Read and TD Chat, then TD Read will be compared to a version of TD Read that does not feature questions at the end to investigate whether the questions make the difference. If still no difference is found, experiments will be repeated only using more difficult target vocabulary and involving longer study sessions to see whether changing these factors moderates the effectiveness of the different versions. This is the tentative plan and may be subject to change based on the results that emerge and classroom-related constraints.
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| Causes of Carryover |
Further development of the Text Detective program is required in order to conduct the forthcoming experiments and collect the data. In addition, research assistance is required for the checking and analysis of data. Some funds may also be necessary for conference and research meeting attendance
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