Mairéad Nic Giolla Mhichíl

Twitter and the Irish language, #Gaeilge – agents and activities: exploring a data set with micro-implementers in social media

ABSTRACT This paper considers agentic-activities relating to the Irish language on Twitter and who is engaged with them? To answer this question, this study draws on Twitter data and filters it using the linguistic identifiers, ‘#Gaeilge’ and the word ‘Gaeilge’ (Irish language). Tweets with these identifiers are conceptually considered as formulations of agentic practice with respect to language (Sabatier, P. [2007]. Theories of the Policy Process. Boulder, CO: Westview Press). Individuals who use the #Gaeilge identifier in particular are viewed within this study as micro-implementers. Their communications provide partial insight into agentic activities within the Twittersphere specifically, related to and about the Irish language. To explore this data, peak, network, content and sentiment analyses were conducted. The study’s findings illustrate that there are a number of influential hubs in this network. They are in the main micro-level individuals as opposed to macro-level or governmental institutions promoting the Irish language. This paper demonstrates the potential for in-depth research into agentic practices of minority linguistic communities within Twitter, and outlines the limitations of a computational approach in conducting such research.

#MOOC Friends and Followers: An Analysis of Twitter Hashtag Networks

In this paper we present results of the initial phase of a project which sought to analyze the community who use the hashtag #MOOC in Twitter. We conceptualize this community as a form of networked public. In doing so we ask what the nature of this public is and whether it may be best conceived of as a social or informational network. In addition we seek to uncover who the stakeholders are who most influentially participate. We do this by using Social Network Analysis (SNA) to uncover the key hubs and influencers in the network. We use two approaches to deriving a network typology - one based on follows and on based on replies and compare and contrast the results.

Designing the online oral language learning environment SpeakApps

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on SpeakApps, a major collaborative computer-assisted language learning project, developed based on an open source techno-pedagogical solution to facilitate online oral language production and interaction. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed method approach was incorporated as part of the development process which included a comprehensive literature and practice review, user requirement survey of 815 learner, 61 pilot studies with 7,180 students, construction of qualitative teaching scenarios and a Delphi analysis. Findings – Language learners have limited experience of using synchronous communication tools within language learning contexts. Improving usability features within the Open Educational Resources supported the notion of sustainability and that the provision of the mechanism to indicate quality were vital to support the integrity of open content. Originality/value – The paper provides an overview of the operationalisation of an action-oriented a...

Big course small talk: twitter and MOOCs — a systematic review of research designs 2011–2017

Although research on the use of Twitter in support of learning and teaching has become an established field of study the role of Twitter in the context of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has not yet been adequately considered and specifically in the literature. Accordingly, this paper addresses a number of gaps in the scholarly interface between Twitter and MOOCs by undertaking a comprehensive mapping of the current literature. In so doing the paper examines research design through: data collection and analysis techniques; scope and scale of existing studies; and theoretical approaches and underpinnings in the empirical research published between 2011 and 2017. Findings serve to demonstrate the diversity of this line of research, particularly in scale and scope of studies and in the approaches taken. By mapping the research using a systematic review methodology it is shown that there is a lack of qualitative data on how Twitter is used by learners and teachers in MOOCs. Moreover, a number of methodological gaps exist in published quantitative survey research at the interface between Twitter and MOOCs, including issues in the trustworthy reporting of results and full consideration of tweet and tweet meta-data collection. At the same time the paper highlights areas of methodological “best practice” in the research around these issues and in other important areas such as large-scale hashtag analyses of the use of Twitter in MOOCs. In reviewing the literature the findings aim to strengthen the methodological foundation of future work and help shape a stronger research agenda in this emerging area.