Christina Gitsaki

Online reading: A preliminary study of the impact of integrated and split-attention formats on l2 students’ cognitive load

Cognitive load theory has been utilized by second language acquisition (SLA) researchers to account for differences in learner performance with regards to different learning tasks. Certain instructional designs were shown to have an impact on cognitive load and working memory, and this impact was found to be accentuated in a multimedia environment where there is a variety of interacting elements and tools that can lead to cognitive overload and consequently reduced learning outcomes. This study investigated the influence of split-attention and integrated instructional formats on students’ cognitive load and how they might facilitate second language online reading and vocabulary learning. Twenty English as a Second Language (ESL) intermediate students studying at an Australian language institution were randomly assigned to four conditions: SAND (Split-Attention No Dictionary), SAOD (Split-Attention with Online Dictionary), IFND (Integrated Format No Dictionary), and IFOD (Integrated Format with Online Dictionary). Subjects were asked to complete an online reading comprehension task in which subjects tested under the SAND and SAOD conditions were exposed to a typical reading text followed by comprehension questions, whereas subjects in the IFND and IFOD conditions were exposed to a reading text where the comprehension questions were physically inserted within the reading text. Under the SAOD and IFOD conditions, subjects had access to an online dictionary. Results showed that the integrated reading format was found to facilitate students’ reading comprehension more than the split-attention format. Also, students who had access to the online dictionary in the SAOD and IFOD groups performed better on the vocabulary test, but spent more time on the reading task than the other two groups. Furthermore, participants in the split-attention format group looked up more words than their counterparts in the integrated format group. The results of the present study have certain implications for multimedia instructional designers and ESL teachers.

Teaching WELL in a Computerless Classroom

The widespread availability of the Internet has meant that the traditional CALL lab is no longer the only place where students can access and utilize web resources for language learning. University students in Japan regularly browse the web using their mobile phones. However, even though Japanese students are proficient in browsing the web in their mother tongue, they lack the skills necessary for browsing the 80% of the websites on the Internet, which are in English. In this paper, first we outline how we use the web as a resource for enhancing our English language course (WELL – Web-Enhanced Language Learning) in a computerless classroom, how we prepare our students for using English websites outside the classroom, and what the students do with the information they find on the web. Secondly, we will present the results of a study that we conducted at the end of our WELL course in order to assess our students’ attitudes towards the use of the web as a language learning tool outside the classroom and towards the web-based activities used in this course.

Technoliteracy, Discourse and Social Practice: Frameworks and Applications in the Digital Age

Design and technology education Hybrid identity design online ICT in language learning Lack of technology integration Literacy of gaming Literate practices Multiliteracies and games Technoliteracy in practice Technology in society Vodcasting

Post-Secondary Students Using the iPad to Learn English: An Impact Study

The use of mobile technology in language learning has increased considerably, with an unprecedented adoption of mobile tablets in K-12 and higher education settings. Despite the number of recent small-scale studies that have found increased student motivation and engagement in learning as a result of using mobile tablets, there is a need to further examine the impact of these devices on student learning. This paper describes a study of 370 high-school graduate students learning English as a second language using the iPad in an intensive academic preparation program. The study utilised an online survey and student exam scores at the end of the 16-week treatment. Results of the self-reported data showed increased student motivation and engagement in English learning activities. Results were correlated with self-reported data and regression analysis models demonstrated that use of the iPad for specific English learning tasks correlated with better exam performance.

Preparing Emirati students to meet the English language requirements for higher education: a pilot study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on an applied research project that was conceived in response to the low number of Emirati high school graduates entering directly into undergraduate programmes in higher education institutions mainly due to lack of adequate academic English proficiency. Performing well in international standardised testing such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is of primary importance in preparing non-English speaking learners for higher education delivered through the medium of English. Design/methodology/approach – Three hundred ninety-one secondary education Emirati students were involved in an intervention study. The study was cross-sectional, and it used a pre/post-design to measure change and impact on the students’ IELTS scores with comparisons between different experimental groups by gender, region and overall. Additional attitudinal data were collected using a survey with students, teachers and principals involved in the intervention pr...