2007年度 森基金国際共同研究:フィールドワーク研究 報告書
No.5 英語を通じた国際理解教育:デジタルコンテンツを利用した経験学習の実践と評価
研究代表者:千代倉弘明 環境情報学部教授
研究担当者:飯沼瑞穂 環境情報学部訪問講師
Abstract
Prompted
by advances in information technology, digital contents are used in various
environments in
Introduction
Globalization has led
Raising global awareness in language classrooms is a pressing issue in all
level of Japanese English education.
We need to redefine English in education to one that includes diverse culture and English speakers, based on the notion of
“Global Englishes” (
Furthermore,
there is a need to design English curriculum which integrate and foster
information literacy. Information literacy along with English is viewed as an
important skill necessary to be successful in the labor force in
The concept
of ‘multiple literacies’ has emerged from this framework of the New
Literacy Studies (Rasool, 1999). “Multiple literacies” is a term
created in an attempt to incorporate the many facets of literacy used within
different societies. Some typology used are; social literacies, cultural
literacies, vernacular, and local or community literacies (Rasool, 1999, p.11).
Social literacy includes areas such as reading the newspaper online. This is a
type of literacy considered to be functional within everyday life. Cultural
literacies, on the other hand, are embedded in “religious and
ethnic-group-based cultural practices and may have high personal value
associated with issues of groups and self-identity” (Rasool, 1999, p.11).
Vernacular, local, or community literacies are associated with different
subcultures, communities, ages, and genders. They tend to “obtain their
relative value with particular, usually informal, contexts of
interaction” (Rasool, 1999, p.11). Along with the typology is information
literacy, which is skill to use the Internet, digital database and other
computer software and use of other new technology.
In the last
two decades, we have experienced a rapid progress in information technology,
and teachers were asked not to lag behind to its development. Armstrong &
Casement (2000) claim that in the 1980s, with the development of CDROM
technology, progressive teachers switched from the “drill-and-kill”
software to simulation programs and electronic encyclopedias. Since the 1980s,
each time a new technology arose, schools were forced to catch up with the new
development. For instance, since the mid 1990s, the focus has been on the
Internet. Since the 2000s, we are seeing a new development of technologies as
represented in Web 2.0, where easy collaboration in network communities and
on-line sharing of digital content is becoming possible. For example,
development of lightweight 3 dimensional computer graphics (3DCG) now allows
easy creation and sharing of 3D models on-line. Also, technology such as
geographic information system (GIS) is becoming easily available through the
internet.
Based on such background, in this study, we have
designed and implemented a
content
based EFL curriculum for higher education that
incorporates the use of digital contents to promote intercultural understanding and facilitate the use
of multiple literacies. The goals of the curriculum are
twofold; 1) to teach a language learning curriculum that integrates the theme of
Content based
language instruction
We
have chosen content based instruction as the pedagogy to develop our
curriculum. Content Based Instruction in EFL language
teaching provides English language development through content area
instruction. The model was originally designed for students who have developed
social communicative skills in English and students who are bilingual but still
need to acquire academic skill in English. The CALLA model is also recommended
for intermediate- level ESL (English as a Second Language) classes. However, there is a growing interest in content-based instruction in foreign
language education, particularly in English as a foreign language (EFL) in East
Asia (
Wesche & Skehan (2002) define content
based instruction as “integration of school or academic content with
language teaching objectives” (p.220). Content Based Instruction in
language teaching is an approach for ESL or ESL students that combine
development of language proficiency with content area knowledge. The goal is to
prepare students to learn a content area in the target language, while also
develop English proficiency. For example, the Cognitive Academic Language Learning
Approach (CALLA) is a model of Content Based instruction proposed by Chamot
& O`Malley (1994) which prepares ESLstudent in the
Wesche & Skehan (2002) mention that
today there are diverse form of content based instruction curriculum, some are
strong and some are weak forms of CBI. For example, a strong form of content
based instruction places its goal and emphasis on subject mastery. On the other
hand, a weak form of content based instruction focuses more on developing
communicative proficiency of second language through curriculum organized
around learning of content. Although there are numerous variation of content
based instruction in English learning classrooms, Wesche & Skehan (2002) state that in successful CBI, learners master both language and content
through a “reciprocal process as they understand and convey varied
concepts through their second language” (p.220).
Many research on content based instruction reported on different
initiatives on programs with content based instruction (Wesche & Skehan,
2002). Many of the research finding show that content based instruction is effective in EFL courses. According to Wesche & Skehan (2002) past research showed that
content based instruction, overall led to successful subject matter learning,
second language learning, as well as positive attitude change of both
instructors and students, compared to that achieved otherwise in academic
programs, in addition to it being highly appreciated by students. Garner &
Borg (2005) also mention that overall, content-based instruction has been
proposed as an effective approach of preparing students for study in
English-medium universities, and has won adherents for its pedagogical
effectiveness. The goal of the content based curriculum is for the students to learn about the content as well as
acquire language skills. To support the curriculum, we have
created our textbook by incorporating the pedagogical approach of content based
instruction. The
textbook was entitled “The Spirit of Vietnam:
International Perspective” (Iinuma & Tran, 2007), and was written for intermediate English language learners. The curriculum and the
textbook were designed so that the students would gain sensitivity towards
cultural understanding as well as acquire English skill. We have chosen
The
textbook introduces
Case study
In this study, a group of twenty students
at
Method
The following passage describes some examples of how
media technologies were used in the classroom. In every 90 minutes class
period, students work with reading materials and later are asked to participate
in group activities. Depending on the chapter content, appropriate media technology
is used to facilitate language acquisition and subject comprehension. For
instance, Figure. 1 shows an image of an instructor giving a lecture using GIS
map and a 3D model designed for this class. The image shows a screen snapshot
of the image projected on the monitor and the students and the instructor
discussing the architecture of
Fig. 1 Video recorded lecture
In this particular lesson, the students were later asked to refer to the textbook to engage in a group activity. An example page which describes the instruction for the group activity is shown in Figure 2. The students were asked to use their computers to look at different 3D models found in their CDROMS and to compare how the cathedral is different from a more traditional style architecture such as Van Mieu shown in Fig, 3. After a group discussion, the students are encouraged to give an English presentation using the 3D models as well as English comparison and contrast phrases taught in the classroom.
Figure 2
Fig 3. 3D model Van Mieu in
A similar lesson consisted
of learning about UNESCO world heritage sites found in
Figure 4. UNESCO world heritage Hue Complexes
The
advantage of using 3Dmodels in the language classroom is the possibility and
the degree of interaction it allows. The students can freely manipulate the
virtual object by changing its size, by rotating
it and by moving it. In the group presentations, students, for example
manipulated the 3D models to show the different characteristics of Vietnamese
architecture; therefore, handling the models as if they are objects. Thus, 3D
models can adequately used in virtual "show and
tell" activities. Also, GIS maps can be used to show the spatial
relationship among different historical and cultural places. For
example, GIS map was also used to create "Four day travel plan
of
Figure 5. Streaming Video of Vietnamese Language
In addition to the 3D models, GIS and video clips, the
students utilized collaboration website. The students used the collaboration website 1) to access digital contents such
as technological resources such as 3D models, GIS and video clips, 2)
to communicate with the class members using
the web discussion board, e-mails,WIKI, and blogs, and 3) to collaborate
online with small group members.
For instance, the students
were able to access the digital contents used in the classroom such as the 3D
models from the collaboration website outside the class period. Also,
collaboration website was used to enhance the communication between the
instructor and the class
members. The instructor posted each week`s assignment
on the collaboration website, and for each week`s designated page, the students
were able to upload their homework assignments. Other communication tools such
as web discussion board and e-mail were used. Lastly, the collaboration website
was used for small group activities. For example, this website allows creation
of sub-web pages with can be customized by each group. Figure 6, shows how the collaboration
website allows creation of sub-web pages for small student groups. In this way, each group was
able to have their own place within the collaboration website to communicate
with each members using electronic tools such as WIKI, web discussion
board, e-mails and file upload features to work on their projects.
Figure 6. Collaboration Site
Evaluation
We have administered a questionnaire to
the twenty students who participated in the course at the end of thirteen weeks. The purpose of the questionnaire was to evaluate the project from
the perspective of the learners. The evaluation was meant to establish
students` perceptions of the quality and usefulness of the course.
The questionnaire was also administered to see the students` perception on the
use of different
media technologies that were applied to the content
based instruction. The questionnaire asked questions related to class
satisfaction, types of knowledge learned, and effectiveness of the use of different media
technologies applied to the course. The questionnaire
consisted of total of 18 Likert-type survey format questions ranging from [1]“not at all” to [5]“very much”. Five multiple
selection style questions which allowed students to chose from several choices
of answers. In the last section of the questionnaire, the students were asked
to write comments on what they felt was the most useful aspect of the course
and areas they felt needed improvement. The summary of the
questionnaire is attached in Appendix 1.
Result
The
following graphs are the representative answers selected from the
questionnaire. When the students were asked to write why they decided to take the
course, twelve students said that they were interested in learning English,
eight students said they were interested in
Figure 6.
From figure 7 to
figure 15 show the answers to Likert type questionnaire. The questions
evaluated class satisfaction, perception of learning, and usefulness of
technology. For example, to evaluate class satisfaction, we asked the following
question; “Did you enjoy the course?” Figure 7 shows that 75% of
the students answered that they enjoyed the course “very much” and
25% answered “quite a lot”.
Figure 7.
According to the questionnaire, we received a high satisfaction
rate not only in the course itself but also on the textbook that was created
for this course. To the question, “was the textbook interesting to
you?” 80% of the students answered they enjoyed the text “very much”
and “quite a lot”.
Figure 8.
On the other hand, as
shown in Figure 9 below, 50% of the students said they enjoyed using the 3D
models and the other half answered “neither yes or no,” “not
so much” and “not at all”.
Figure 9
Figure 10 shows that
100% of the students thought they gained new knowledge by taking this course.
65% of the students answered “very much” and 35% answered
“quite a lot “.
Figure 10
When the student were
asked whether they would like to learn more about Vietnam, total of 70% said
that they would either like to learn more about Vietnam either “very
much” or “quite a lot.” 25% answered “neither yes or
no” and 5% answered not so much. The result shows that most students who
took the course gained further interest in learning about the content of the
course. The result is shown in Figure 11.
Figure 11
On the other hand, when
the students were asked whether taking the course increased their motivation to
learn more English, fewer students answered that it did. Figure 12 shows the
result from the questionnaire which asked this question. 50% of the students
answered that the course motivated them to learn more English. However, 50 %
said it had no effect.
Figure 12.
The students when asked whether the course help deepen their
understanding of culture of
Figure 13
Overall, as shown in Figure 14, more than half of the students
answered that GIS and 3D models helped them in learning about
Figure 14.
The students, when asked
whether the 3D models helped them in understanding English, 45% of the students
answered “not so much” 25% answered “neither yes or no”
25% answered “quite a lot” and 5 % answered “very
much”. The answers are shown in Figure 15.
Figure 15.
Figure 16 shows the students`
perception of learning effect of the different technologies used in the course.
The questionnaire asked two consecutive questions; which are, 1) “What
kind of learning effect did 3D and GIS have?” and 2) “What kind of
learning effect did the collaboration website have?” The students were
given the choices to choose from seven descriptions of possible learning
effects. The students were asked to select the as many answers as they thought
were appropriate. The descriptions were 1) motivation to learn about content 2)
understanding Vietnam 3) visualization of content knowledge 4) motivation to
learn English 5) support for English presentation 6)support in understanding
English 7)support in conducting group work.
Nineteen students said that 3D and
GIS were effective in visualization of content knowledge. However, only six
students said the collaboration site was effective in visualization of content
knowledge. On the other had, seventeen students said that the collaboration
site was useful in conducting group work; however, only five students said that
the 3D and GIS were effective in conducting group work. Only one student said
that 3D and GIS was effective in raising their motivation to learn English,
while eight students mentioned that the collaboration site was effective. On
the other hand, only three students mentioned that the collaboration site was
effective in raising the motivation to learn about
Figure 16.
Discussion
The course had a very
high satisfaction rate. 100% of the students answered that they either enjoyed
the course very much or quite a lot. By the end of the course, 100% of the
students said they gained “new knowledge” by taking this course,
and 85% of the students answered that they were able to gain deeper
understanding of
Conclusion
Globalization and the
progress of information technology are changing how English education is viewed
in
According
to the questionnaire taken at the end of the course, the students had a high
satisfaction of the course content and all students who participated in the
course thought that they gained new knowledge and understanding about
In future research, we
need to further look at linguistic acquisition of the students who partake in
such curriculum. We also need to look more closely into the qualitative
communication of the interaction using different types of technologies that
became a routine in the classroom activities. For example, interaction with
on-line group work, 3Dmodels and GIS were highly recurrent, and therefore,
provided much opportunity for English communication to occur. Further
investigation is needed to look at the differences inherent in diverse
communication media technology as well as how English can be used. In addition,
it would be beneficial to see how positive attitude change (Wesche, M.B., & Skehan, P, 2002) and acquisition of new
knowledge occur hand in hand. However, in this study, we were unable to analyze
such interaction in detail. Since students showed high satisfaction and
understanding of the content, in taking this course, we need to make sure that
this is due to the curriculum design and thus is reusable.
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank Dr. Takashi
Nakagawa, Dr. Shin-ichiro Nakazawa, and Dr. Hideaki Hayashi at
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