Hello! Can you hear me?

Research methods in Second Life and Online Oral Communication.

Overview Language teaching and learning in Second Life. Tertiary educational contexts with students and teachers

residing in different countries. Action Research theory Focus on oral participation in online learning events. Rationale for the research questions, the designing of the

course and the specific tasks Point of interest: Language Pragmatic Features Relationship between teacher behaviour and learner

engagement in Second Life. Data collection process and our choice of research

methodology. Strengths and weaknesses of the research framework we

used Potential Future areas of research: Accommodation.

Second Life

Audio, text chat, possibility of including various audio-visual tools, open environment by default, ‘buildable’ environment, multi-modal (very) complex environment

Research Context KAMIMO (Kalmar, University of Central

Missouri, Molde University) (Norges universitet) […] to test and evaluate how good the selected

virtual environment (SL) is as a learning platform in a life long learning perspective.

[…] to test selected learning tools or elements together with the virtual environment (SL) to determine if they are suitable to achieve learning through social interaction between actors in academia, business life and students.

Research Context AVALON

Lifelong Learning Programme, EACEA (EU-funded) Manchester University, Pisa University, Molde University

(Norway), Vienna University, Mid Sweden University and several smaller language institutions.

create case studies which will include field-tested communicative scenarios and the guidance on how utilise them;

provide the necessary skills for language teaching professionals to work in these new online environments through a targeted training course;

facilitate easier access in cases where there are limited computer resources;

promote general awareness in mainstream educational contexts of the potential of these environments.

Action Research

Oral Proficiency- Why? How? Possibility of

connecting L2 learners with target language speakers in authentic communication of primary interest. Oral skills of particular interest Authentic

communication Collaborative learning

models Engaging design

Oral Proficiency-What?

Interests: What factors lead to active participation?

Task design Social factors (community building etc) Technical aspects Teacher role/behaviour Students role

In this particular study – language pragmatics

What features are we looking at

Question – How do language signals used affect participation in an environment devoid of body language and facial expressions?

Verbal back-channeling Other supportive moves Elicitors Conversational management

Transcript 1 T2: [….] Shall we start by sort of going the team around, and I suppose there’ll

have to be some sort of order, so I’ll start by saying: F1 could you just present yourself a little bit there please. (directed elicitor)

2. F1: Ok - Can you hear me? (check) 3. T2: Yeah, I can hear you │ │ (confirmation) 4. T1: Yeah, a little bit …, yeah, yeah │ │ (pause filler) [pause 2 sec] 5. F1: Hello (check) 6. T2: Yeah hello, we can hear you (confirmation) 7. S1: Do you want me to sit down? (check) 8. T1: Ahmm│ │ 9. T2: You can│ stand up if you want, I think it is probably easier. │ (instruction) [Pause 3 secs with some laughter] 10. S1: Ok, my name is F1 (task statement) [Pause 3 secs] 11. T2: yeah (minimal response) 12. F1: hello (check) 13. T1: yeah, yep,│ yep │ (confirmation) 13. T2: yeah│ │ (confirmation) 14. F1: Shall I continue? (request) 15. T2: Yeah, absolutely.│ │ (confirmation) 16. F1: Can everyone hear me? │ │ (check) 17. T2: yeah (confirmation) 18. F1: Ok, I just try to present myself to the group. (task statement) 19. T1: Uhu uhu (minimal responses) 20. F1: Errm [pause 2 secs] (pause filler) 21. T1: Where are you right now F1? (elicitor) 22. F1: I’m right now at my home in Sweden. (task statement) 23. T1: Aha (minimal response) 24. F1: In xxx [name of town] (task statement) 25. T1: Uhu (minimal response) 26. F1: And I might have some minor problems with the sound probably because my (task statement)

little boy who is seven months is hopping in my lap right now ….[….] 27. T1: [laughter] (minimal response)

Data 1: participation

start time end time total speaker

0:00:00 0:37:00 0:37:00 T2 0:39:00 0:41:00 0:02:00 SF1 0:42:00 0:43:00 0:01:00 T2 0:44:00 0:47:00 0:03:00 T1 0:48:00 0:49:00 0:01:00 SF1 0:50:00 0:52:00 0:02:00 T2 0:52:00 0:54:00 0:02:00 SF1 0:55:00 0:59:00 0:04:00 T2 1:01:00 1:03:00 0:02:00 SF1 1:07:00 1:08:00 0:01:00 SF1 1:07:00 1:09:00 0:02:00 T2 + T1 1:09:00 1:11:00 0:02:00 SF1 1:11:00 1:13:00 0:02:00 T2 1:13:00 1:14:00 0:01:00 SF1 1:15:00 1:18:00 0:03:00 SF1 1:20:00 1:21:00 0:01:00 T1 1:21:00 1:22:00 0:01:00 SF1 1:23:00 1:24:00 0:01:00 T1 1:26:00 1:50:00 0:24:00 SF1

Data 2: pragmatic categories

start time

end time total T2 pragmatics comment

1 0:00:00 0:37:00 0:37:00 T2 elicitor I want to lead this as little as possible _ irina can you present yo urself

2 0:39:00 0:41:00 0:02:00 SF1 check confirmation can you hear me

3 0:42:00 0:43:00 0:01:00 T2 confirmation

4 0:44:00 0:47:00 0:03:00 T1 confirmation + pause filler

5 0:48:00 0:49:00 0:01:00 SF1 check hello

6 0:50:00 0:52:00 0:02:00 T2 confirmation yeah hello - we can hear you

7 0:52:00 0:54:00 0:02:00 SF1 check do you want me to sit down

8 0:55:00 0:57:00 0:02:00 T1 pause filler

9 0:55:00 0:59:00 0:04:00 T2 instructions stand up if you want - probably easier

10 1:01:00 1:03:00 0:02:00 SF1 statement my name is …

11 1:04:00 1:05:00 0:00:30 T2 minimal yeah

12 1:07:00 1:08:00 0:01:00 SF1 check hello can you hear me- hello. Shall I continue.

13 1:07:00 1:09:00 0:02:00 T2 + T1 confirmation Yep (3+1)

14 1:09:00 1:11:00 0:02:00 SF1 check shall I continue

15 1:11:00 1:13:00 0:02:00 T2 confirmation yes- absolutely

16 1:13:00 1:14:00 0:01:00 SF1 check can you hear me

17 1:14:00 1:15:00 0:01:00 T1 confirm yeah

18 1:15:00 1:18:00 0:03:00 SF1 statement well I'll just try present myself to the group

19 1:20:00 1:21:00 0:01:00 T1 minimal hmm

20 1:21:00 1:22:00 0:01:00 SF1 pause filler uurrrmm

21 1:23:00 1:24:00 0:01:00 T1 elicitor where are yo u right now

22 1:24:00 1:25:00 0:01:00 SF1 statement I’m in …

23 1:25:00 1:25:00 T1 minimal aha

24 1:25:00 1:26:00 0:01:00 SF1 Statement In name of town

25 1:26:00 1:26:00 T1 minimal uhu

26 1:26:00 1:50:00 0:24:00 SF1 statement L1 laughing supportively as SF1 tells about 'hopping baby' Irina pauses and says 'hello' again.

27 1:30:00 1:32:00 0:02:00 T1 minimal laughter

First session

Last session

Supportive moves/floor time

Conclusions

Back-channeling encourages active students

Results seem to suggest that students thus may use the teachers as linguistic role models, and thus converge their linguistic codes to more closely resemble that of the teachers.(Accommodation Theory (Giles, Taylor, & Bourhis, 1973;Giles, Mulac, Bradac, & Johnson, 1987; Giles & Smith, 1979)