2021 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
A tool to improve EFL students' English speaking abilities through progress tracking
| Project/Area Number |
21K13052
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| Research Institution | University of Fukui |
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Principal Investigator |
ロンバルディ イヴァン 福井大学, 学術研究院教育・人文社会系部門(総合グローバル), 講師 (10772981)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-04-01 – 2025-03-31
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| Keywords | EFL speaking / progress tracking |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
The 4R routine described in the main report was finalized and implemented, thus entering the data collection phase as per the original plan. Due to the perduring pandemic, it was not possible to proceed with the original research design (see: 現在までの進捗状況), but the necessary steps were taken to continue the research with a hybrid design to allow data collection during emergency remote teaching. While the nature of the data collected is different due to the limitations of controlling all the variables online, the researcher gathered quantitative data through online surveys and qualitative data through follow-up online interviews. The first results show that the 4R routine had a decisively positive effect on student awareness of speaking progress for the vast majority of the participants.
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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
The research design had to be updated to reflect the continuing emergency remote teaching situation at the research location. This influenced data collection to a major extent and data analysis to a lesser extent. From 2022, the experimental environment is restored to the original condition for most, though not all, of the participants. The research is running a second round of data collection in this controlled environment, which is similar, though not identical, to the one predicted in the research design phase.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
The researcher is currently working on a slightly modified version of the original plan to collect more data from another iteration of the course analyzed - this time in a context that is similar to expectations. The goal of this extra round of data collection is to verify the validity of the data collected online in the previous academic year against the known quantity of data collected in a controlled environment. The new set of data, quantitative and qualitative, will be analyzed using the same tools and procedures as the previous sets. It is hoped that the new set of that will solidify the researcher's understanding of the effectiveness of the 4R routine.
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| Causes of Carryover |
The researcher tries to be careful with money and avoid unnecessary expenses. In addition, the audio/video recording equipment was not necessary, since all of the experimental environment was brought online by a new wave of COVID-19. Usage plan: Research materials: laptop computer; computer monitor; lapel or boom microphone for in-person interviews; speakers; transcription foot pedal; data storage units; data security solutions; data labeling tools. Research software: quantitative and qualitative analysis software; productivity software; publishing software. Reference books.
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