The Role Of Computer Mediated

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Abstract

Vocabulary is no longer a neglected aspect of language learning (Meara, 1980).Highly complex and incremental process of lexical acquisition involves, at a minimum, noticing the various properties of the new lexical items, the storage of the item in the internal lexicon, and consolidation of such storage. This study intended to explore the possible solutions related to one of the most widespread difficulties among Iranian students learning English at intermediate level. After the selection of the participants, they were divided into two experimental groups and one control group. All the participants went through nine sessions of ninety minute classes. The experimental groups were taught according to Interactional Hypothesis Theory, in a computer mediated communication with each other in a synchronous mode over a local area network. They were asked to take part in two different tasks, that is, complete decision –making and jigsaw ones that rooted with largely unknown target lexical items. The control group remained intact and ordinary procedure of teaching and learning went on. Through administering immediate and delayed posttests, the results showed that, the participants who used computer mediated and negotiated interaction procedures in previously unknown lexical items, retained such items better than those items where preemptive input alone provided and where target items were not engaged by those who have not used them. The research findings showed that through taking advantage of computer mediated and negotiated interaction the researcher could help his students strengthen their vocabulary acquisition and as a result understand the reading comprehension text better and communicate with each other more efficiently.

Keywords: Computer-Mediated, interaction, lexical items, negotiated, interactional hypothesis

1-Introduction

As English continues to dominate as the lingua franca of business, media, technology, medicine, education, and research, the demand for its learning is growing rapidly, particularly in EFL countries where English is mainly used for instrumental purposes (Tsao, 2008; Xu, 2008). People in these countries learn English in order to fulfill the school and university curriculum requirement, to pass standardized English proficiency tests, or to obtain promotion or professional development at work. In traditional environments, the focus of classroom instruction had been based on reading comprehension, learning words by hearts had been considered as one of the most crucial factors in evaluating the learners' success in language learning. In addition to traditional methods of language teaching, Computer-mediated communication (CMC) has changed the way people keep in touch with each other and begin new relationships among them. Computer-mediated communication as Abrams, Z. (2006) asserts, is widely discussed as a crucial language learning process because it provides opportunities for language learners to practice their language through information and communication technology (ICT) interaction. Several researchers, as Bryan Smith asserts, have suggested that the highly complex and incremental process of lexical acquisition involves, at a minimum, noticing the various properties (i.e., morphological, phonological, syntactic, semantic, stylistic, and collocational) of the new lexical item, the storage of the item in the internal lexicon, and the consolidation of such storage.

Warschauer , M. (1998) conducted several case studies on using email or discussion boards in different language classes. Warschauer, M.(1998) believes that information and communications technology (ICT) bridge the historic divide between speech and writing. Thus, considerable concern has arisen over reading and writing research in L2 due to the booming of Internet. The purpose of the present research is to see if computer –mediated and negotiated interaction has any effects on Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners, and explore the matter of differences between male and female learners in this aspect.

2. Theoretical background

Scholars and researchers in the field have done many studies under the umbrella term of computer mediated and negotiated interaction in ESL and EFL (specially the acquisition of new lexical items) through a variety of perspectives. They have shown that the process of language acquisition is more or less dependent on new lexical acquisition. Vocabulary acquisition may be the most important component for language learners (Gass & Selinker, 2001). So much of the recent research into L2 vocabulary tries to find suitable answers to questions such as: how it is learned, what condition favors its development and how it helps the process of language learning.

Hulstijin, 1992 and Nation, 1990, 2001 believe that the highly complex and incremental process of lexical acquisition involves, at a minimum, noticing the various properties (i.e., morphological, phonological, syntactic, semantic, stylistic, and collocational) of the new lexical item, the storage of the item in the internal lexicon, and the consolidation of such storage (Groot, 2000).

Determining exactly what it means to know a word is an equally complex issue and several aspects of word which include receptive and productive knowledge of its spoken and written form, its grammatical and collocational behavior, its frequency and structure, its stylistic register constraints, its conceptual , referential, affective, and pragmatic meanings, and its lexical relations to other words ( Laufer,1997; McCarthy & Carter, 1997; Melka, 1997; Nation; Schmitt).Moreover research suggests that some of these kinds of word knowledge are interrelated (Schmitt & Meara, 1997).

The literature has suggested that one of the procedures of learning a language has devoted to the various ways of vocabulary learning.

According to (Ellis, Tanaka, & Yamazaki, 1994; Pica, Doughty, & Young, 1986; Pica, Young, & Doughty, 1987) there is fairly solid evidence supporting the view that negotiation assists comprehension with more mixed results regarding to negotiation and grammatical development. Ellis, 1994 makes a distinction between the two types of broad categories of Interactionist theories, namely, cognitive and social ones. Due to the cognitive interactionist theory, acquisition is seen as a product of the complex interaction of the linguistic environment and the internal mechanisms of the learner. Interactionist research clearly suggests that learners tend to negotiate around lexical rather than grammatical features( Bryan Smith, 2004; Pica,1994; Lincoln Porter & Panino, 1990, 1996) believe that this may have to do with the nature of learner attention during negotiation and is likely to be influenced by proficiency level (VanPatten,1990, 1996).Since Computers have opened new horizons of endeavor to human beings and are becoming an increasingly significant element in teaching and learning environments, one of the various influential ways of linguistic interaction between learners can be achieved through computer mediated and negotiated interaction. It takes place in various setting including; work relationships, family relationships, romantic relationships and friendships Warschauer, M (1998). Among many others who stress that computer technology is no longer just a possible tool but as an essential new medium of language and literacy practices alongside face-to-face communication and the printed page, Warschauer, M (1998, a ) has highlighted the importance of incorporating computer technology in language learning. Warschauer believes that knowing English (or any other languages) well in the current era is something beyond the syntactic, pragmatic and lexical items of the language. Knowing how to read, write and communicate in electronic setting is what computer programs necessitate. There are some concerns with computer-mediated communication, including concerns about dwindling interpersonal communication skills. CMC can be divided into synchronous and asynchronous modes. In synchronous communications all participants are online simultaneously, while in asynchronous communications the participants face with time constraints, (e.g. email) and/or off line relationships. People prefer asynchronous communication for delayed, controlled and longer messages and email for negative emotion as they are distant from the receiver. On the other hand, people prefer synchronous communication on immediate and breaking good news. They also use it because they can use the process of multitask while talking. Synchronous computer –mediated communication (CMC) refers to real-time interaction –usually written communication-between people over either a local or a wide area network (Bryan Smith, 2004). He believes that messages are typed, sent, and received instantaneously, and participants are required to communicate in the same session. Unlike synchronous computer- mediated communication, this is contrasted with asynchronous CMC, in which participants are not required to be online at the same time and there is no longer delay between the time the message is sent and when it is received by the addressee.

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) possesses some textual features, such as lexical density, that are similar to those associated with writing and others, such as the use of the first person, which are most often found in oral language (Yates, 1996).According to what Benson (1994) claims, with globalization and advancement in information and technology (ICT), new skills and competencies in computer use are called for to cope with the demands of the future work environment. As the recent research shows CMC has also been found to exhibit a simplified register compared to face-to-face communication These features include an increased use of abbreviations, simplified syntax ( including typographical errors or misspellings), the use of emotions to express emotional meaning, and the use of formulaic phrases(Murray,2000). The structure of CMC conversation has been shown to differ from face-to-face exchanges in at least two ways, including optional openings and closing and differences in turn taking behavior (Gains, 1999).Finally, some research has suggested that instructors may dominate electronic classroom discussions as much as they do face-to-face discussions (Hawisher & Selfe, 1998), which suggests that some aspects of interactional behavior are not substantially altered by the CMC medium.

As it was cited before the aim of the present study provides further evidence of an explicit link between computers mediated and negotiated interaction and EFL learning (specially the acquisition of new lexical items). It also focuses on two specific types of interactional modifications (Preemptive and responsive) and their relative effectiveness during computer-mediated and negotiated interaction in terms of Iranian male and learners' lexical learning at intermediate level.

2.1 Purpose of the present study

This experimental study aimed to test the effects of interactional hypothesis in a computer mediated and negotiated communicative setting in Iranian EFL learners' lexical learning at intermediate level. As mentioned earlier, a considerable amount of research has focused on the relationship between lexical learning and computer mediated and negotiated interaction and its role in academic achievement. So this research tried to show the concepts and interest in CMC, from an interactionist viewpoint on L2 learning. It involves specific ways in which CMC is relevant to SLA. This study is trying to see whether there is any relationship between gender and applying computer mediated and negotiated interaction in learning the English vocabulary, as well as the difference between learners' attitudes before and after the treatment.

Taking the aforementioned purposes into consideration, the present study tried to address the following research questions:

Q1: Does computer mediated and negotiated interaction enhances lexical learning ability of Iranian intermediate EFL learners?

Q2: Is there any significant difference between Iranian intermediate EFL learners' lexical learning ability in immediate and delayed recall tests?

Q3: Is there any difference between learners’ attitudes before and after the treatment?

Q4: Is there any significant difference between Iranian male and female EFL learners in using computer mediated negotiated interaction in learning vocabulary

Based on the above research questions, the following hypotheses were formulated for investigation:

H01: Computer mediated and negotiated interaction does not improve lexical learning in intermediate EFL learners.

H02: There is significant difference between Iranian intermediate EFL learners' lexical learning in immediate and delayed recall tests.

H03: The difference between learners’ attitudes before and after the application of computer mediated and negotiated interaction is meaningful

Ho4: There is meaningful difference between Iranian male and female EFL learners using computer mediated negotiated programs in learning vocabulary.

3. Method

3.1. Participants

The population from which the participants have been selected for this study included all EFL learners whose first language was Persian and had not yet been to an English speaking country. Then a total number of 80 students, male and female, whose age ranged between19-24, were chosen and they were asked to take the vocabulary section of TOEFL test (2007 version). The test was administered to them to find the homogeneity of the participants. They were also asked to fill a Bio-data questionnaire which contained different questions about their age, native language, if they had been in an English speaking country, some questions about the amount of time they spend on learning vocabulary and the kind of materials they choose and finally to see if they knew how to work with computer programs including e-mail, word processing, and chatting. The rationale behind this questionnaire was to make sure that the participants did not much differ in terms of their background knowledge. Then sixty students whose scores, in their TOEFL test, were one standard deviation below and above the mean were selected and randomly divided into two male and female experimental groups and one control group.

3.2. Materials

For the purpose of this study, the following instruments were applied:

The bio-data questionnaire: this questionnaire was designed so as to get information about participants’ background knowledge.

The vocabulary section of TOEFL test (2007 version): in the earlier stages of the study all the participants were asked to take this test in order to homogenize them.

The vocabulary section of TOEFL test (2007 version): in the earlier stages of the study all the participants were asked to take this test in order to homogenize them.

The pretest: In order to test the participants' vocabulary and reading comprehension the related section of a TOEFL test (2007 version) was selected and the participants took the test. The chosen test included 30 items which was used as the pretest before the treatment.

-The immediate/delayed post test: in order to see the probable effects of applying computer mediated and negotiated interaction procedure on the participants' ability in learning vocabulary and reading comprehension, two sample tests, with thirty questions in each (i.e., 15 multiple choice questions and 15 reading comprehension questions) adapted from a TOEFL test (2007 version) were used after the experiment as the immediate and delayed posttests with one month interval between the two.

In order to explore the learners' attitudes before and after the treatment an attitude questionnaire containing six items of a close ended question adapted from Likert scale was given to participants and the participants were asked to answer the questions honestly.

4. Procedure

After the selection of the participants with similar previous background experience working with computer, and being able to use computers regularly for the purposes of e-mail, word processing and chatting, they were assigned into two male and female experimental groups and one control group, with twenty in each group. The control group followed the routine method for learning process while the experimental groups had to take part in workshops in the university computer site during regularly preplanned schedule over a nine sessions of ninety minute classes. The experimental groups took part in an introduction class to review how to use computer programs to compose e-mails and to do the chatting and were asked to practice interacting and doing the following tasks with each other. The task types chosen for the study, some of which were taken from the processes introduced and applied by Bryan Smith were as follows:

Three task types chosen for this study; each task has two parts. The first part was the main focus of the task whereby learners attempt to solve the problem and engage with items. The second type of each task was an extension of part one in which the participants were asked to discuss a topic related to the activity presented in part one

Jigsaw: the jigsaw tasks were essentially sequential ordering tasks, which presented each participant with a series of three pictures that needed to be mixed in the correct order to reveal a humorous story. The participants in experimental groups tried to take part in this activity as a kind of practice during the course using both offline and on line internet services

Decision-making: the decision making tasks necessitate participants to reduce their total number of items or objects held from ten to five. Each task included a total of ten target lexical items (five for each learner) with the text and corresponding color graphic images listed at the bottom of the task sheet.

Choosing among the presented list of the words to see the most heard applied words which best match with the meaning of the definition given.

After the treatment the experimental groups received an attitude questionnaire to investigate if their attitudes have been changed before and after the treatment. Immediately after the treatment ended a reading test with the same design as that of the pre-test was given to the participants in the experimental and control groups, to measure their lexical learning and reading comprehension improvement. The experimental groups received an additional post –test as the delayed test, one month after the immediate post-test. The pretest, posttests, i.e., immediate and delayed recall tests and the attitude questionnaire were analyzed by utilizing SPSS. To examine the normality of the distribution, descriptive statistics was employed and the means obtained from the C/E groups were compared through a test.

5. Results

To accept or reject the aforementioned hypothesis, the data gained through the administration of the various tests as well as the data of the questionnaire were analyzed by SPSS program. The quantitative approach was applied to evaluate the four research questions .The raw data obtained from the pre/post tests were given to SPSS program to process the information and the subsequent computation were made, and the following information based on each research questions obtained.

Table 4.1 shows the descriptive statistics of the participants' mean scores across on the control and experimental groups. It can be seen in the above table that the difference between mean scores for the control group (mean=23.05) and that of the male experimental group and that of the female is (mean =23.05.7 & 24.40) and (mean=23.05 &27.60) respectively.

4.1. The results of the first research question

The first question sought the relationship between computer mediated and negotiated interaction lexical learning ability in Iranian EFL Learners’ Lexical learning at intermediate Level

According to the statistic analysis gained through ANOVAs conducted to vocabulary learning ability test scores for the control and experimental groups, the difference between the control and experimental groups, i.e., male and female experimental groups are lesser than .05, that is, it is significant so computer mediated and negotiated interaction enhances lexical learning ability of Iranian intermediate EFL learners, that is, the first hypothesis comes to be wro

4-2-Multiple Comparisons between the control and experimental groups

Based on the multiple comparisons done on the control and experimental groups as it is manifested in the aforementioned table the difference between the control (variable 1) and male experimental group (variable 2) and that of female experimental group (variable 3) is meaningful.

4.2.2. The results of the Second Question

The second question as it was mentioned earlier sought the relationship between Iranian intermediate EFL learners' lexical learning ability in immediate and delayed recall tests.

To test the second question closely, the gained data through immediate and delayed tests was run on SPSS to make multiple comparisons between the mean differences of control and experimental groups.

Multiple Comparisons

Table 4-3 & 4-4-Multiple comparisons between the participants' performance in immediate and delayed post tests

According to the tables (4-3 & 4-4) above, it can be concluded that the difference between Iranian intermediate EFL learners' lexical learning ability in immediate (Mean of male ex-group=24.40,SD=1.18210, Mean of female ex group=27.60,SD=3.20000 and delayed recall delayed (Mean of male ex-group=25.25,SD= -3.679, Mean of female ex-group=27.55,SD=-3.20000), and based on the data analyzed the difference between the participant immediate and delayed post tests is significance, so the second hypothesis comes to be true.

4.2.3. The results of the Third question

The third question wanted to see whether there is any difference between learners’ attitudes before and after the treatment. So an attitude questionnaire, which consisted of six items of closed ended questions and was adapted from Likert scale, was given to the participants and they were asked to answer the questions honestly. Based on the data obtained out of the given, there was no significant difference between the participants' attitudes before and after the treatment.

To answer the last question (i.e., the relationship between learners' gender and L2 learning through using CMC in vocabulary learning) the results as summarized in table 4-4 shows that, although the same procedure of teaching and learning strategy has been used for both groups, the difference between Iranian male and female EFL learners in using computer mediated and negotiated interaction in learning vocabulary is meaningful(the male and female mean scores show the difference)is and their gender proved significantly related to the outcomes of the study, namely, gender of the learners did have the effect on the learners vocabulary. As a result there was significance difference in students' learning English vocabulary items due to gender.

5. Discussion

The results revealed that, the learners using computer mediated and negotiated interaction procedures, retained such items better than those items where preemptive input alone provided and where target items were not engaged by those who have not used them. Then through taking advantage of computer mediated and negotiated interaction, the teacher could help his students strengthen their vocabulary acquisition and as a result understand the text better and communicate with each other more efficiently. The analysis of the data shows that there is a growing evidence for more direct link between computer mediated and negotiated interaction and EFL and provide initial evidence that negotiated interaction may facilitate vocabulary acquisition in a computer- mediated setting. The research has not made any claims that the Participants had completely acquired the target items, however. Nevertheless, there is no clue that negotiated interaction helps the students acquiring vocabulary items in a short time. The benefits of negotiated interaction for lexical acquisition may also be partially explained by the concept of involvement load suggested by Laufer and Hulstijin (2001).Negotiation of meaning may heighten and deepen the degree of involvement in processing the target words. According to Laufer and Hulstijin's terms, in negotiation, the need is strong because it is learner initiated.

Moreover, to study the role of gender, the analysis of gained scores for the negotiated items of the participants, males and females, indicated that females' scores were found to be significantly higher than those of the males (both in immediate and delayed post tests). Considering the participants' attitudes before and after the treatment the data obtained shows that there is no difference between the participants' attitudes in this case, that is, being able to apply computer mediated and negotiated interaction makes no changes in the participants' attitudes.

The results also suggest that in order to make the most use of CMC, both the teachers and the participants should be possess the good command of computer, chatting and being able to send and receive email. It may be the case that in a Computer mediated communication setting learner uptake is simply less likely to occur.

6. Conclusion

This research revealed that there is an interaction between computer mediated and negotiated interaction procedures and retaining language items. Therefore, it is not difficult to include computer mediated procedures in the process of language education. Although the researches done by the researchers in the field have shown CMC to be similar in some ways to traditional procedures of learning vocabulary, several distinguishing features have also been discussed in this article. Being aware of the limitations imposed on CMC environment, such as short of time, needing technical appliances, etc, has avoided direct comparisons fully. Accordingly, the findings from this study only directly inform our understanding of learner-learner and teacher-learner interaction in a synchronous CMC setting.

This study has shown that learners can and do negotiate meaning when problems in communication arise in CMC environment and that such routines are extremely successful at resolving these difficulties , especially as they relate to negotiation around lexical items. It is also shown that learners can provide each other with necessary input in this electronic setting, that is, email which is also quite valuable in helping their classmates learn a new word. Because the role and nature of learner uptake have not been explicitly and fully addressed in Computer mediated and negotiated interaction and EFL literature, more focused research in this area seems to be crucial.