THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITIONMonica McCrory (PhD Student)

University of Missouri at Columbia

Email: mmccrory@austin.utexas.edu

AIMS OF THE STUDY:

1. To determine if learners in blended learning conditions have higher motivation to learn than learners in traditional classrooms.

2. Examine how perceptions of technology as enablers/ barriers relate to motivation to learn.

3. Examine how Learning Goal Orientation relates to the perception of SNSs as enablers.

4. Examine how perceptions of barriers and enablers relates to course outcomes

WHAT IS SOCIAL-NETWORKING? “Social networking is the practice of expanding knowledge by

making connections with individuals of similar interests.” - Gunadarwena, Hermans, et al., 2009

“Social networking refers to sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Linkedin, where users set up a profile, create formal connections to people they know, communicate, and share preferences and interests.” – Erlandson (2008)

“Thus, Web 2.0 tools foster interaction, collaboration, and contribution. An essential feature is user generated content enabling sharing, co-creating, co-editing, and co-construction of knowledge reflecting the collective intelligence of the users.”

- Gunadarwena, Hermans, et al., 2009

PROBLEM STATEMENT

SNSs can support the natural process of SLA, however current ESL/EFL pedagogy often lacks the integration of Web 2.0 technologies to do so.

Concerns NNSs expressed about SNSs are (a) comfort level with strangers, (b) ability of SNS to improve their language skills, (c) lack of feedback from native speakers. -Liu et al. 2010

NNSs need scaffolding to speak with NSs; SNSs do not adequately scaffold NNSs for interaction

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will contribute to the growing empirical literature on the effectiveness of technology-enhanced instruction by examining:

1. Factors that influence students’ perceptions of technology-enhanced instruction (i.e. perceived barriers & enablers, Learning Goal Orientation, and motivation to learn)

2. Instructional delivery methods that scaffold NNSs for interactions with NSs on SNSs

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY:

1. To evaluate and report whether SNSs enhance language learning and/or language skills.

2. To determine whether learners in the blended learning conditions have higher motivation to learn than learners in classroom conditions.

3. To examine how Learning Goal Orientation relates to motivation to learn.

4. To understand how learners perception of SNSs as enablers or barriers relates to motivation to learn.

5. To examine how the above factors relate to course outcomes & course satisfaction

STEPHEN KRASHEN’S THEORY OF SLA "Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language -

natural communication - in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding."

"The best methods are therefore those that supply 'comprehensible input' in low anxiety situations, containing messages that students really want to hear. These methods do not force early production in the second language, but allow students to produce when they are 'ready', recognizing that improvement comes from supplying communicative and comprehensible input, and not from forcing and correcting production.“

"In the real world, conversations with sympathetic native speakers who are willing to help the acquirer understand are very helpful.“

The Affective Filter hypothesis plays a facilitative, but non-causal, role in (SLA). These variables include: motivation, self-confidence and anxiety.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Synchronous Computer Mediated Communication

• SCMC is effective in communicative language learning because SCMC can promote social interaction such as negotiation of meaning, and comprehensible input as well as output.- Krashen, 1985; Gass, Mackey, & Pica, 1998; Swain, 1985,

1995 SCMC (audio & video conferencing) is effective in the

instruction of communication skills in SLA because it is similar to F-2-F communication

-Blake, 2000; Lee, 2002

CONCEPTUAL MODELBASED ON HOWARD KLEIN, RAYMOND NOE, AND CHONGWEI WANG (2006)

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Training Motivation Theory

- Colquitt, LePine, & Noe, 2000 Motivation to learn has a direct effect on learning

outcomes Individual characteristics and situational factors

are recognized as having direct and indirect effects on motivation to learn and learning outcomes

Colquitt et al., 2000

HYPOTHESES:

H1: Learners in the blended learning condition will have higher motivation to learn compared to learners in the classroom condition.

H2: Learning Goal Orientation will be positively related to motivation to learn.

H3: The extent to which learners view features as enablers rather than barriers will be positively related to motivation to learn.

HYPOTHESES

H4: Learning Goal Orientation will be positively related to the perception of features as enablers.

H5: Motivation to learn will be positively related to course outcomes including (a) course satisfaction (b) metacognition, and (c) declarative knowledge.

H6: The effects of learner characteristics, perceived barriers, and enablers and delivery mode on course outcomes will be partially mediated by motivation to learn.

METHODOLOGY

1. Participants: International students enrolled in intermediate listening & speaking classes

2. Data collection will occur over a 14-week term

3. 6 Tasks will be given to students related to course goals over the 14-week term

4. Students will meet in a regular class twice a week, and a computer lab once a week.

5. Students will receive instruction to scaffold interactions with NSs.

METHODOLOGY

6. In the computer lab, students will find language partners through a SNS

7. Learners will conduct 3-4 audio conferences via Skype with different NSs to complete the 6 tasks

8. Learners will record the conferences and upload the best conference to the course management system

9. Learner will listen to the recording then write a reflection on the course discussion board

10. Learners will read and respond to at least 2 other students’ postings

11. Teacher will listen to MP3s and provide feedback

METHODOLOGY 14. The following measures will be administered

to both a blended class & traditional class: 15. Motivation to learn will be assessed using Noe

and Schmitt’s (1986) eight-item scale. 16. Course satisfaction will be assessed using a

5-item scale adapted from Hantula, 1998; Johnson 1999

17. Metacognition will be measured with a scale developed by Ford et al. (1998)

18. Course grades will be operationalized as declarative knowledge

19. Control variables: Demographic and experience variables will assess learner comparability.

METHODOLOGY

Motivation to learn will be assessed using Noe and Schmitt’s (1986) eight-item scale.

Course satisfaction will be assessed using a 5-item scale adapted from Hantula, 1998; Johnson 1999

Metacognition will be measured with a scale developed by Ford et al. (1998)

Course grades will be operationalized as declarative knowledge

Control variables: Demographic and experience variables will assess learner comparability