Iranian learners’ perceptions of the impact of technology assisted instruction on their English aural and oral skills

Размещено на http: //www. allbest. ru/

English Language Department, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran

Iranian learners' perceptions of the impact of technology assisted instruction on their English aural and oral skills

Rozi Souzanzan

English Language Instructor, PhD Candidate in TEFL

r.souzanzan@yahoo. com

Mohammad Sadegh Bagheri

Assistant professor, PhD in TEFL

bagheries @gmail. com

Abstract

iranian english language

The present study aimed to investigate the perceptions of Iranian English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners regarding the impact of technology-assisted instruction through the utilization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on their listening comprehension and speaking ability. To this end, eighty Iranian EFL learners whose age range was between twenty to thirty five took part in the study. They were randomly divided into four groups and were exposed to technology-assisted instruction on their course-related contents through different ICTs as their out-ofclass activities for one hour per week during two and a half months. The ICTs which were the focus of this study included: Podcasts, YouTube, Skype, and Instagram. The analysis of the participants' answers indicated that the majority of them (83.8%) were positive toward technology-assisted instruction. In addition, 80% of them tended to use ICTs for their future language learning purposes.

Keywords: ICTs; Instagram; Iranian EFL Learners; Listening Comprehension; Podcasts; Skype; Speaking Ability; Technology-Assisted Instruction; YouTube.

Аннотация

ВОСПРИЯТИЕ ИРАНСКИХ СТУДЕНТОВ ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКИ ПОДДЕРЖИВАЮЩЕГО ОБУЧЕНИЯ НАПРАВЛЕННОГО НА РАЗВИТИЕ ИХ СЛУХОВЫХ И УСТНЫХ НАВЫКОВ

Рози Сузанзан

Настоящее исследование направлено на изучение восприятия иранскими студентами, изучающих английский язык как иностранный (EFL - English as a Foreign Language), обучения с технологической поддержкой, используя информационно¬коммуникационные технологии (ИКТ), направленного на развитие их слухового восприятия и способность говорить. С этой целью, в исследовании приняли участие восемьдесят иранских учащихся EFL возрастом от двадцати до тридцати пяти лет. Они были случайным образом разделены на четыре группы и проходили обучение с поддержкой технологий соответствующее их учебной программе, используя различные ИКТ во время их внеклассной деятельности в течение одного часа в неделю, на протяжении двух с половиной месяцев. ИКТ, которые были использованы в данном исследовании, включали: подкасты, YouTube, Skype и Instagram. Анализ ответов участников исследования показал, что большинство из них (83,8%) положительно оценили технологически насыщенный процесс обучения. Кроме того, 80% студентов и в дальнейшем используют ИКТ для изучения языка.

Ключевые слова: ИКТ; Instagram; иранские студенты EFL; аудирование; подкасты; Skype; способность говорить; преподавание с технологической поддержкой; YouTube.

Introduction

The problem setting. Nowadays, the widespread use of technology has revolutionized everybody's life. The use of technology is on the rise and it is here to stay. As a result, day by day we witness more and more of technology use in all aspects of our lives, and English Language Teaching (ELT) is not an exception.

Considering various sorts of instruction used in the history of teaching and learning, many fluctuations can easily be noticed. Some instructors are still in doubt about the usefulness of their instructional methods. In the era of Information Technology (IT), it is not surprising to see instructors who are taking advantage of new technologies like the Internet, ICT tools, etc. to enhance both the quality of their own instruction and their students' active role in learning. On the basis of these new teaching methods, the role of teachers has changed from an authoritative into a facilitative one, and that of students from a passive user of materials into an active processer of them. In addition, through using technology, greater individualization, social interaction, and reflection on language might be possible.

According to Young (2012), the major disadvantage of traditional face-to-face instruction is that it is bound to a certain time and space. This limitation might lead to students' losing the chance of interacting with both teachers and peers as soon as they leave the class which cannot be ignored at the age of communication technologies.

To overcome this shortcoming of traditional face-to-face instruction, `e-learning' came into vogue. This method of instruction gave learners the chance of learning at any time or any place. On the contrary, there existed a lot of teachers and educators who were strongly in favor of the role a teacher can play in a language class. As a result, `blended learning' came into existence which is an amalgamation of the best attributes of both traditional face-to-face instruction and online learning. `Technology-assisted instruction' can be considered as an instance of `blended learning'. Being broad in scope, technology-assisted instruction does not have a very accurate definition that all scholars agree on. But generally, it can be defined as any form of instruction where technologies are used and applied to facilitate, assist, and enhance the quality of teaching and learning. According to JISC (2009), technology-assisted instruction can be conceived as a continuum, beginning with the traditional classroom-based/face-to-face instruction, supported by technology, moving to a more flexible, blended approach which greatly utilizes technology and makes less use of face-to-face contact, and ending in an entirely online approach which thoroughly relies on technology. Due to the fact that `Technology-assisted instruction' is an almost recent concept, little is known about the perceptions of teachers and especially learners regarding its effectiveness in language learning compared with the traditional face-to-face instruction.

Another issue which will be addressed in this study is related to ICT tools which are highly accessible and popular nowadays. Blurton (1999) regards ICTs as different pieces of technological devices and resources which are employed to communicate, produce, broadcast, and cope with information. ICTs have played vital roles in facilitating teaching and learning. They have altered classroom communication methods and modified instruction strategies. Since ICTs are intuitively robust and interactive, they have the capacity of satisfying each student's demands by providing situations to direct his/her learning; to search for information and accomplish activities in such a way that his/her needs and interests are totally met (Computer based technologies in English KLA, 1997). As such, this study seeks to first expose learners to different ICT tools like Podcasts, YouTube, Skype, and Instagram and then find out what their perceptions are of the use of such tools to enhance their listening comprehension and speaking ability.

1. Analysis of recent studies and publications

In 1993, a team of talented scholars headed by Dr. C. Ray Graham, from Brigham Young University, combined their knowledge to devise a methodology of teaching which blends the best of technologies with the most influential teaching practices and as a result technology-assisted instruction came into existence. Their purpose behind proposing such a method of instruction was to teach students in a way that they not only comprehend information, but also keep it in their minds and put it into use in their lives.

A significant amount of scientific works in the literature is devoted to the teachers' and students' opinions, attitudes or perceptions regarding both technology-assisted instruction and the ICTs which are the focus of this study.

Chiu (2003) investigated the attitudes of 300 college students towards Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Taiwan. The findings indicated that the participants hold a positive stance toward using computers as they were learning English. Besides, male participants were more in favor of CALL than female ones.

Monk, Ozawa and Thomas (2006) in a study conducted at a Japanese university concluded that learners did not have positive attitudes and perceptions toward podcasting as an educational material. The researchers suggested overabundance of untargeted materials and lack of design perspective as the probable reasons behind learners' lack of interest in using podcasts.

Albirini (2006) explored the attitudes of high school EFL teachers about ICTs in Syria. The findings revealed that teachers had positive attitudes toward ICTs in education. Eugene (2006) examined the way teachers' attitudes and beliefs might influence the integration of technology in their classes. A questionnaire was used as the instrument to evaluate the attitudes and beliefs of 32 teachers in this regard. Moreover, in order to discover the correlation between the teachers' attitudes and the implementation of technology in their teaching practices, a classroom observation technique was utilized. The result indicated that there was a mismatch between the teachers' beliefs and their actual integration of technology in their lessons.

Kavaliauskiene and Anusiene (2009) conducted a survey to investigate the perceptions of learners regarding listening to online podcasts. Most of the participants (76%) had positive attitudes toward the techniques of enhancing their listening skills through using podcasts.

In 2009 a study was carried out by Park and Son to investigate the factors which might have an impact on EFL teachers' use of computers in their classrooms, their perceptions regarding CALL, and the ways to enhance CALL practice in school settings. Twelve Korean EFL teachers participated in this study. A questionnaire and follow-up in-depth interviews were employed to collect data. The findings indicated that the teachers were mostly in favor of the use of the computers. They believed that computer technology can enhance the quality of instruction by proposing different types of language input, and increasing students' learning experiences in real life context. Moreover, shortage of time, strict school curricula and text books, inadequate computer facilities, and the absence of administrative support were mentioned as the external factors which negatively affected the utilization of CALL in classrooms. In addition, internal factors like restricted computer skills of teachers, their knowledge about computers and their perceptions of CALL could greatly influence teachers' decisions on the implementation of CALL.

Li (2010) investigated the perceptions of secondary six English as a Second Language (ESL) students in Hong Kong regarding the use of podcasting in English learning. All of the participants believed that podcasts had improved their language skills.

Stiffler, Stoten and Cullen's study in 2011 indicated that learners mostly did not have positive attitudes toward podcasting. They believed that written materials could be understood much better than podcasting. Kim and King (2011) maintained that teachers and students' attitudes toward podcasts differed in accordance with their prior experiences with different kinds of computer technologies. Their case study was conducted on three English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher candidates and investigated their perceptions of and their attitudes toward the use of podcasts and blogs in a core assignment. The data were collected through observations, interviews, dialogues, research field notes, emails and a pre-term anonymous survey. Kim and King's study indicated the ways teachers integrated podcast and blog while developing a case study for a particular English language learner in an authentic classroom context.

Hismanoglu (2012) studied the perceptions of prospective EFL teachers in the distance higher education system toward the integration of ICT in EFL teaching. Most of the participants who had negative attitudes toward ICT implementation believed that the nature, level and delivery of their training were insufficient and as a result they affirmed that they did not feel to have a good command of ICTs in a way that they could use them in their future subject teaching. The results of the study indicated that it was essential to train teachers to become competent in and receptive to ICTs in distance education realms.

Yunus and Suliman (2014) presented a study conducted in Asia, which showed 89.6% of the students involved in the study agreed that using ICT had improved their overall language skills.

Shah, and Empungan (2015) carried out a study to investigate the attitudes of Malaysian ESLteachers towards the implementation of ICTs in literature lessons. The study indicated that teachers used ICTs on the satisfactory level. Besides, they hold an acceptable positive attitude towards the integration of ICT tools in Literature lessons.

Ogden (2015) carried out a study to find out the perceptions of students and teachers about the usefulness of Skype in online remedial English composition courses by means of interacting with the teacher. The results indicated that both teachers and students found interactions through Skype to be effective in improving students' writing due to being easy to use, creating a friendly environment, indispensableness, and skill acquisition.

Salbego, and Tumolo (2015) investigated teachers and students' perceptions regarding synchronous Skype classes. Participants answered a questionnaire about their experiences with online classes, in relation to face-to face learning environments. In general, participants thought of web conferencing as potential for language learning, with emphasis on the speaking and listening skills.

The article's goal. Taking the previous studies into account, one can easily notice the absence of a study conducted on the perceptions of Iranian EFL learners about technology- assisted instruction by using various ICTs like Podcasts, YouTube, Skype, and Instagram in order to improve their listening comprehension and speaking ability. Therefore, the aim of this article is to expose students to technology-assisted instruction through using different ICTs like Podcasts, YouTube, Skype, and Instagram in order to discover their perceptions of the impact of ICTs' on their listening comprehension and speaking ability.

Methods

In this part, the participants of the study, the instrument used in the study, and the procedure followed in the study are presented. Finally, a brief explanation of the data collection and analysis is provided.

Participants. The participants of this study were eighty Iranian EFL students at the Kish Language Institute, Shiraz Branch, Iran, who were exposed to technology-assisted instruction through ICTs like Podcasts, YouTube, Skype, and Instagram for two and a half months. Their age range was between twenty to thirty five. Of this number, twenty four were males and fifty six were females.

Instrument. The instrument used in this study was a questionnaire which was adapted from Behjat, Yamini, and Bagheri's study in 2012 and entailed twenty eight open-ended questions that the participants were supposed to answer at the end of their instruction in thirty minutes (Appendix).

Procedure. First, the participants of this study were divided into four groups randomly. All the participants took their routine lessons in the form of traditional face-to-face instruction. However, their out-of-class activities were different. Each group was exposed to different ICT tools as their out-of-class activities for one hour per week during two and a half months. To meet this end, the participants of the first group were asked to download and listen to the teacher- recommended Podcasts whose topics were in accordance with their weekly course contents. The participants of the second group were asked to download and watch the teacher recommended videos on YouTube whose contents were related to their weekly lessons. The participants of the third group were given a timetable to interact with the teacher on Skype on the topics related to their weekly lessons. The schedule had flexibility so that if a participant could not afford interacting with the teacher at the specified time, a substitute participant would compensate for that. Therefore, no time was wasted this way. The participants of the fourth group were exposed to Instagram which included the video files related to their weekly course contents that were shared by the teacher. This fact is worth considering that in all groups, firstly all ICT tools were introduced to the participants and then the ways they could be used were explained to them thoroughly. So, all of the participants were technology-wise. Moreover, to make sure that the participants had listened to or watched the assigned audio or video files, they were asked to make a report of what had been watched or listened to and either present it orally to the class or hand over their written summaries to the teacher at the beginning of every session. After the instruction which lasted for two and a half months, the data were gathered through a questionnaire which is presented in the appendix.

Data collection and data analysis. The data which were gathered through the questionnaire (See Appendix) were classified into three groups: `Agree', `Disagree', and `Undecided'. `Agree' indicated that the participants were in favor of using ICT tools, `Disagree' showed that the participants were against using ICT tools, and `Undecided' revealed that they had no idea of using ICT tools for their future language learning purposes. The participants' comments were then analyzed by running a Chi-square and after that were shown in the form of frequencies, and percentages.

Findings

As mentioned before, the data were gathered through a questionnaire which aimed at finding answers to these five broad categories:

1. Identify the students' ideas on the usefulness of the ICT tools and their tendencies to employ them for language learning purposes.

2. Determine the positive effects of ICT tools on learners' language studies.

3. Discover if the participants would rather have technology-assisted instruction.

4. Determine if the participants felt reassured and experienced enough to employ the ICT tools for their future language learning by themselves.

5. Find out if they would utilize ICT tools like Podcasts, Skype, YouTube, and Instagram to enhance their listening comprehension and speaking ability.

The participants' answers to these questions were coded. Each answer was marked with an identification number. Next, the coding was done through converting the answers to the questions into three categories: `Agree', `Disagree', `Undecided'. Considering the tendency to utilize ICT tools for language learning purposes, the following responses were obtained.

Coded as “Agree”:

“This course gave me motivation to learn English independent of the teacher from now on.”

“I am now more eager to learn English than before.”

“Now, I am more familiar with ICT tools which are at my disposal for language learning purposes.”

“ICT tools provided more opportunities for me to learn English.”

“I like to share my experiences about the use of ICT tools for language learning purposes with my friends... I think they are the best way to learn English.”

Coded as “Disagree”:

“I like to attend traditional classes more.”

“These classes with a lot of assigned out-of-class activities are very boring to me.”

“Out-of-class activities are very time-consuming.”

Coded as “Undecided”:

“I am not sure.”

Table 1 Tendency to Employ ICT Tools