Learning English reading in a mobile-assisted extensive reading program_第1页
Learning English reading in a mobile-assisted extensive reading program_第2页
Learning English reading in a mobile-assisted extensive reading program_第3页
Learning English reading in a mobile-assisted extensive reading program_第4页
Learning English reading in a mobile-assisted extensive reading program_第5页
已阅读5页,还剩7页未读 继续免费阅读

下载本文档

版权说明:本文档由用户提供并上传,收益归属内容提供方,若内容存在侵权,请进行举报或认领

文档简介

Keywords:Computer-assisted readinge-BooksExtensive reading programs (ERPs)language2009;many languageences below) in their classes.for tests, learners need to beand understanding (Day & Bamford,reading ability, promoting theirYamashita, 2008; more below). Basedthe internet (Arnold, 2009; Huang,2013a;Pino-Silva,2006;Sun,2003).Nowadays,off-linedigitizedtextisequippedwithmultimediafunctions,suchasvoicereadingwithtexthighlights and interactive stories, and online multimedia e-books are freely available, for example, Clifford Interactive Storybooks (/clifford1) and MightyBook (). As language teachers and researchers embrace technology far morethanbefore,mobiledeviceshavebeenusedtoenhancelanguagelearninginvariousareas(Kukulska-Hulme,2009,2012;Kukulska-Hulme&Shield, 2008). Thelatestpublicationson mobile-assisted language learning includeStockwell (2013) for vocabulary, Hsu,Hwang,and Chang(2013) for reading, Abdous, Facer, and Yen (2012) for listening, Liu and Chu (2010) for speaking, Liu and Tsai (2013) for writing and the* Tel.: 886 2 77341817.Contents lists available at ScienceDirectComputers & EducationComputers & Education 78 (2014) 48e59E-mail address: .tw.teachers have attempted to incorporate extensive reading or an extensive reading program (ERP; referThe goal of incorporating an ERP in a language class is simple. In addition to studying text in isolationexposed to a vast amount of reading material in context for such purposes as enjoyment, information2002). Advantages of an ERP have found support from empirical studies and they include improvingmotivation and changing attitudes toward reading (Asraf on the advantages from previous empirical studies, ERPs have been implemented on computers and onclass (Grabe Tomlinsons argument in Arnold, 2009). To change learners misleading impression of reading,detail, including memorizing morphological information and analyzing sentence structures, oftentimes deteriorate learners interest inreading. Subsequently, memorizing vocabulary items and grammar rules is considered the only skill that needs to be learned in a readingMobile-assisted readingMobile tablet PCs1. IntroductionA globally recognized problem thatlanguage (L2)” on their own (Arnold,/10.1016/pedu.2014.05.0040360-1315/ 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.effects of using mobile tablet PCs in an online ERP on adolescent English learners online activities,reading ability and users perceptions. Two intact classes taught by a same English teacher in a seniorhigh school in Taiwan were recruited to participate in a ten-week online ERP. One class was assigned tothe mobile group reading their assignments on their tablet PCs and the other, the PC group, readingtheirs on desktop PCs. During the online ERP, each class dedicated one class period every week for in-class reading and the participants in both classes were encouraged to read as many as possible afterthe class period. The results favored the mobile group who not only outperformed the PC group in onlineactivities and reading achievement but also showed greater appreciation of the online ERP than their PCcounterparts. The study also proposed two directions for future studies on mobile-assisted reading. Theyincluded learners studying textbooks and their reading strategies on mobile devices. 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.teachers have been faced with is that most learners feel “reluctant to read in the targetDay & Bamford, 2002). Due to the intensive reading approach, studying reading material inAccepted 1 May 2014Available online 22 May 2014for reading, have not yet been applied to develop language learners linguistic prociency and affectiveabilities in any ERP. The aim of the present study was to address this gap in literature by investigating theLearning English reading in a mobile-assisted extensivereading programChih-cheng Lin*National Taiwan Normal University, 162, Section 1, East He-ping Road, Taipei, 106, Taiwan, Republic of Chinaarticle infoArticle history:Received 9 January 2014Received in revised form3 April 2014abstractPrevious studies on Extensive Reading Programs (ERPs) have reached positive conclusions, namely, thatan ERP for language learners is effective in improving their linguistic abilities related to reading andpromoting their motivation and attitudes toward reading. Current mobile devices, even though suitablejournal homepage: /locate/compeduOctober issue 2013 for mobile-assisted language learning on Language Learning and Technology (). However, mobile devices havenot yet been used in any online ERPs. The urgency of the present study is, therefore, obvious.The purpose of the present study was to assess whether mobile integration in an online extensive reading program in natural settingswas effective or not. The context was learning English as a foreign language (EFL). The concerns of the present study on mobile-assistedextensive reading were practical. The present study was concerned with the effects of mobile-assisted extensive reading on engagingparticipantsinonlinereadingactivities,ondevelopingparticipantsreadingskillsspecictoreadingmaterialandonparticipantsperceivingonline extensive reading. Findings of the present study would provide empirical evidence to answer the three efciency questions thatpreoccupy those language teachers who are suspicious of mobile integration in language classrooms.2. Background studies2.1. Ofine ERPsExtensive reading (ER), dened by various authors, can be understood as a reading pedagogy in which language learners freely choosereading material of their interests and, in a rather fast pace, they read large quantities of material for enjoyment, information andcomprehension (Grabe & Stoller, 2002, p. 259). Theoretically, ER found its support from the input hypothesis (Krashen,1982), which holdsthat learners acquire a second language (L2) by “understanding the language that contains structure a bit beyond their current level ofcompetence with the help of context or extra-linguistic information” (p. 21; italics by the author). Evidences in L2 showed that learnersare able to acquire vocabulary and grammar by reading extensively in the target language (Krashen,1982). Pedagogically, L2 learners in anextensive reading program learn how to read in a real-life situation: they are free to select what they enjoy reading and they read a greatnumber of them for pleasure (Yamashita, 2008). For this pedagogical approach to L2 reading, Day and Bamford (2002) compiled tenprinciples for teachingextensive reading (Appendix A), which many previous studies and the present studyadopted. From the viewpoint ofER, reading is viewed as an individual endeavor, described in Principle 8 in Dayand Bamfords list, so books are not discussed in class. Manyclassroom teachers then engage learners in post-reading activities so that learners comprehension, vocabulary acquisition and grammarlearning can be checked (Arnold, 2009).Twomajorareasthatthepedagogyofextensivereadinghascontributed greatlyarelanguagelearners linguisticimprovementsandtheiraffective promotion. The improvements of learners language were centered on the reading ability. Reading comprehension (Nakanishi &Ueda, 2011; Tanaka Iwahori, 2008; Tanaka & Stapleton, 2007) were reported improved after the treatment of ERPs. In terms of vocabulary acquisition, thelearners vocabulary size was enlarged in general (Pigada Shin, 2003) and new words were learned faster in an extensivereading program (Horst, 2005). Other linguistic benets also included grammatical competence (Yang, 2001) and writing uency (Tsang,1996); and, most impressively, reading extensively enhanced L2 learners overall language prociency (Bell, 2001; Iwahori, 2008). Inaddition tolinguistic improvements, learners affective promotionwas also reported. Asraf and Ahmad (2003) and Hitosugi and Day (2004),for example, found their L2 learners changed their attitudes toward reading and felt that they were motivated to read in L2 after an ERP.TanakaandStapleton(2007)foundthattheirJapaneseEFLteenagers,assignedtothegradedreadersgroup(ERP),enjoyedextensivereadingbecause graded readers offered interesting topics matching their prociency level to reduce their workload.2.2. Online ERPsWhile most ERPs studies were conducted on printed papers, few reported on results of using “authentic, online” material for readinginstructions (Arnold, 2009; pp. 344e345). Four studies on online ERPs were related to the present study.Sun (2003) constructed a reading website, Extensive Reading Online (ERO), on which various online tools, including online dictionary,concordance, annotation, test generator and others, were available for EFL college students to post web-based reading material and learnreading strategies. With college learners positive feedback, Sun concluded that the ERO could enhance “learner autonomy, independence,and long-term reading interest” (p. 446). The signicance of Suns pioneer study on extensive reading lies in the use of online resourcesfreelyselectedbyEFLcollegelearnersandtheintegrationof theonlineplatformwherethoselearnerscouldsharereadingmaterialthattheyfound interesting and informative.Pino-Silva(2006),basedontheresultsofa10-year-oldpaper-basedExtensiveReading(p-ER)inVenezuela,implementedtheweb-basedextensive reading program (w-ER) to guide EFL adults to learn English and to promote them to become life-long autonomous learners. TheEFL adults, after reading sufcient authentic online material that the program collected for them, reported that they increased their vo-cabulary power greatly, beneted fromteachers assistance on the online platform, and acquireduseful skills inweb-based learning. Similarto Suns study discussed above, Pino-Silva emphasized the importance of the acquisition of self-efcacy relative to extensive reading.Using a qualitative method, Arnolds (2009) online extensive reading program in German for eight advanced learners featured learnersfree selection of authentic online reading material (Principle 3 in Day & Bamford, 2002) outside of class. The analyses of the learners self-reports on seven individual online sessions found that the online reading program not only successfully improved the learners readingability but also increased their motivation for reading and raised their condence to read in German. The advanced learners stressed theimportance of reading for pleasure and demonstrated learner independence in the online reading program.Opposite to Arnolds free-selection online reading program, Huangs survey study (2013a) prepared strictly selected downloadable e-books, including 77 non-audio and 36 audio, for the target EFL college learners. Following Suns platform design, Huangs online self-studywebsite also provided the learners with referencing tools, submission function and discussion forum. The results of learning journals,surveys and interviews showed that the EFL college learners gave positive feedback to the program, in particular, the functions of journalsubmission,discussionpostsandstatisticsfordownloadede-books.Theyalsoagreedthattheirlinguisticabilityimprovedandtheirsenseoflearning community was fostered in the program.Consistent with the ndings of their paper-based versions discussed above, online extensive reading programs were found efcient inC.-cheng Lin / Computers & Education 78 (2014) 48e59 49that adult learners of English improved their overall reading skills (Arnold, 2009; Huang, 2013a; Sun, 2003) and vocabulary knowledgeChenand Hsu(2008) implemented personalizedintelligentmobile learning system(PIMS)on PDAs for EFLcollegelearnerstoread newsteaching experiences, the teacher knew well how to cope with the unied syllabus and the strict demands for test scores from the schoolauthority. The teacher often engaged students to practice vocabulary and grammar in context and made efforts to incorporate activities intheEnglish class. Theonline ExtensiveReadingProgramin thepresentstudy was oneof the activities thatthe Englishteacherdesigned. Theteacher wanted the participants to explore reading material different from their textbook and exercise books. During the reading program,recommended by the learning system based on their reading abilities; moreover, the system helped learners review vocabulary, newly andpreviously learned, according to individual learning history. The college participants found PIMS effective and efcient in helping themcomprehend news and acquire unfamiliar vocabulary.Chang and Hsu (2011) developed a computer-assisted language-learning system on PDAs for EFL college learners to look for translationandinsertannotationsofnewwordsinordertohelpthemselvesortheirgroupmemberscomprehendreadingmaterial.Afterthetreatment,the EFL college learners perceived the usefulness and ease of use of the vocabulary-enhanced English reading system; and, they alsodemonstrated that the collaborative optimum efcacy in reading comprehension could be achieved by a group of three members.Acombinationofpersonalizedrecommendation(Chen&Hsu,2008)andmulti-usersharing(Chang&Hsu,2011)wasseenmostrecentlyin Mobile Adaptive Language Learning system for PDAs by Hsu et al. (2013). The system recommended reading material that matchedlanguage learners reading preferences and knowledge levels; in addition, the system included an annotation module in which languagelearners could add their denitions of new vocabulary either for themselves or for their peers. With annotated information on recom-mended reading material, their adolescent English learners could practice reading without the presence of their instructor and found thesystem useful and satisfying.The above-reviewed studies clearly stressed a research trend of collaboration among language learners and intelligent recommendationfor reading material in mobile-assisted reading. Equally clear were their efforts on testing their specic systems, which left mobilitymarginalinnaturalsettings.AsKukulska-Hulmeargued(2009,2012),mobiletechnologieshavealreadybroughtininnovativedirectionsforlanguage learning and teaching; subsequently, studies on mobile-assisted language learning should continue to explore potentials andpossibilities on mobile devices by “moving beyond a supercial understanding of the eld (MALL)” (Kukulska-Hulme, 2009, p. 163). Thesignicance of the present study was to provide empirical support for using a mobile device in an online extensive reading program innatural settings (Stockwell, 2010, 2013), where users are free to choose material to read for enjoyment or information (Day & Bamford,2002). Because the reading material in the present study was available all time during the experiment, participants could have access tothem by using their mobile devices wherever Wi-Fi network covered. The present study emphasized mobile-assisted reading in naturalsettings, as opposed to laboratory environments.The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of using a mobile device, the tablet PC iPad Mini, in an online ERP foradolescent English learners on their English reading ability. The following three research questions guided the present study.1. ArethereanydifferencesinlearningactivitiesintheonlineextensivereadingprogrambetweenthoseusingmobiletabletPCsandthoseusing desktop PCs?2. Are there any differences in learning outcomes of the online extensive reading program between the two groups?3. Are there any differences in users perceptions of the online extensive reading program between the two groups?3. Methodology3.1. ParticipantsThe participants in the present study were two intact 10th-grade classes, totaling 84 students, taught by the same English teacher in asenior high school in northern Taiwan. Their English prociency level was low-intermediate based on their English scores of the uniedentrance exam, the difculty level of their textbook and the teachers judgment. Both classes had four regular meetings each week for theirEnglish course.Because of a unied syllabus, the participantsfocused theirefforts on learning requiredlessons in the four regular meetings.The participants were often bombarded with vocabulary quizzes, grammar exercises and review tests before monthly exams. TheirachievementinEnglishwasmainlyassessedbythescoresobtainedfromalltests.Beforetheexperiment,thescoresof theirmonthlyEnglishtest, vocabulary quizzes, and grammar quizzes were compared between the two classes and no signicant differences were obtained.The English teacher of the two classes had been teaching English for more than 30 years when the study began. From the years of(Pino-Silva, 2006). They also expressed positive attitudes toward reading (Huang, 2013a; Sun, 2003) and displayed their motivation forreading online (Arnold, 2009; Pino-Silva, 2006).2.3. Mobile-assisted reading and the present studyMobile devices so far have not yet been used in any ERP but in reading, in general. Recent studies on mobile-assisted reading havereported on success in using mobile devices to develop users reading ability. Five studies published in major journals were related to thepresent study and reviewed below.Lan, Sung, and Chang (2007, 2009), for example, asked young English learners to learn how to learn English vocabulary and Englishreading on Android-based tablet PCs in Mobile-device-supported Peer-Assisted Learning System (MPAL) and Computer-Assisted ReciprocalEarly English Reading System (CAREER), respectively. MPAL provided 26 third-grade English learners with scaffolding for individual andcollaborative learning of reading lessons (Lan et al., 2007). CAREER offered 26 fourth-grade English children in the experimental groupvocabularyand reading lessons designed for individual and collaborative learning (Lan et al., 2009). Both studies received positive feedbackfromtheir young learners and reported success in helping the beginners

温馨提示

  • 1. 本站所有资源如无特殊说明,都需要本地电脑安装OFFICE2007和PDF阅读器。图纸软件为CAD,CAXA,PROE,UG,SolidWorks等.压缩文件请下载最新的WinRAR软件解压。
  • 2. 本站的文档不包含任何第三方提供的附件图纸等,如果需要附件,请联系上传者。文件的所有权益归上传用户所有。
  • 3. 本站RAR压缩包中若带图纸,网页内容里面会有图纸预览,若没有图纸预览就没有图纸。
  • 4. 未经权益所有人同意不得将文件中的内容挪作商业或盈利用途。
  • 5. 人人文库网仅提供信息存储空间,仅对用户上传内容的表现方式做保护处理,对用户上传分享的文档内容本身不做任何修改或编辑,并不能对任何下载内容负责。
  • 6. 下载文件中如有侵权或不适当内容,请与我们联系,我们立即纠正。
  • 7. 本站不保证下载资源的准确性、安全性和完整性, 同时也不承担用户因使用这些下载资源对自己和他人造成任何形式的伤害或损失。

评论

0/150

提交评论