A Study Comparing the Effects of Synchronous CMC and FTF Interaction on L2 Oral Proficiency Development for Students with Various Working Memory Capacities

線上即時通訊討論及面對面討論對第二外語口語進步成效轉移性影響—以運作記憶為附屬因素之探討

王茜儀(Chien-I Wang)

指導教授 ： 柯安娜

國立清華大學/人文社會學院/外國語文學系/碩士(2010年)

摘要

The effects of synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) on language learning have been researched widely and proved significant because of SCMC’s similarity with oral communication. SCMC involves interlocutors in real-time communication, requiring them to comprehend the input immediately and give instant responses, yet is less demanding compared to the traditional face-to-face (FTF) mode. However, the current interest centers around whether the improvement language learners have displayed in SCMC modes can be transferred to real-life oral language performance. The different features of language produced in FTF communication and SCMC have been investigated, but only a few studies have discussed the transferability of skills developed in the two modes (e.g. Abrams, 2003).
In regard to transferability, Payne and Whitney (2002) conducted an experiment hypothesizing that SCMC develops the same cognitive processing mechanism needed in FTF communication and thus it can indirectly improve oral performance. The research also brought forth a subordinate factor— working memory capacity (WMC). It was stated that when speaking, the functions of storage and processing are competing for limited capacity. Results from their study indicated that the chatroom environment may be beneficial for students with lower ability to maintain verbal information especially in the phonological loop. However, their working memory tests were mainly recognition-based and could not explore more deeply the relationship between working memory capacity and oral proficiency development.
Replicated from the Payne and Whitney (2002) study, this present study aims to investigate the effect of SCMC on English learners’ development of oral proficiency, in which WM is also proposed as a variable that influences learners’ improvement and the suitability of interaction modes. The purposes of this present study are targeted to examine (1) if L2 oral proficiency can be improved through SCMC interaction, and (2) if individual difference in working memory is a related factor of the efficiency of oral proficiency improvement cultivated through SCMC-interaction.
The present study is a quasi-experimental study containing two amended WM tests, a speaking pretest, treatment in the form of five discussion interactions, and a speaking posttest. The data was collected from an intact class of freshman college students who are English majors, taking the course of Introduction to Linguistics. The whole class was divided into two groups. One of them served as a control group, receiving the traditional FTF interaction. The other was the experimental group that used SCMC media (i.e. G-talk) as the medium to interact with their group members. Two working memory tests were applied at the beginning of the semester to measure the participants’ working memory capacity. An impromptu speech pre-test was given after the working memory tests, prior to any treatment. After the treatment of five instances of interactive activities (i.e., the experimental group using SCMC and the control group using face-to-face), another impromptu-speech post-test was administered to see if there was any improvement in their speaking proficiency. In the end, a questionnaire was distributed to the participants for their responses of receiving respective interaction.
To complement the possible inadequate and insensitive holistic rating scale used in the previous studies, both the holistic (TOEFL iBT independent speaking rubrics) and analytic scales (amount of output, lexical complexity, syntactic complexity, accuracy, and fluency) were adopted to measure the participants’ oral production. To investigate the relationship between working memory capacities and L2 speech production, a correlation analysis was applied to determine the degree of association. By means of this measure of their relationship, whether working memory capacity is a significant related factor of L2 speech production would be verified. Last, the participants’ perspectives and perceptions on their improvement and their attitudes towards their treatment were collected to support the statistical findings.
The results indicated that both groups improved to some degree while learners benefited in different language features in different learning environments. The results supported our prediction that through the implementation of SCMC interactive activities, participants in the experimental group would perform better than or at least equivalently well compared to the control group receiving the FTF interaction. That is because in the environment of online chatting, the burden on working memory would be reduced, and thus linguistic development of students with lower working memory span could be facilitated. Also, the use of holistic rating scale was tested to be necessary to target subtle changes in language development. As for working memory capacity to be a related factor of learners’ rate of oral improvement, there was no significant relationship. Inconsistent with the prediction, more consideration in regard to various speaking-processing tasks should be made. Last, the participants’ attitudes were generally positive but more time was needed for them to sense their significant improvement, thereby increasing their likeability about the new technology.

關鍵字

線上即時通訊 ； 運作記憶 ； 口說能力

並列摘要

無資料

並列關鍵字

synchronous CMC ； working memory ； speaking ability

參考文獻

Abrams, Z. I. (2003). The effects of synchronous and asynchronous CMC on oral performance in German. Modern Language Journal, 87, 157-167.

Adam, A. M., & Gathercole, S. E. (1995). Phonological working memory and speech production in preschool children. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 38, 403-414.

Ashcraft, M. H.,(1994). Human memory and cognition. New York: Harper Collins.

Atkinson, R. C., & Shiffrin, R. M. (1968). Human memory: A proposed system and its control process. In K. W. Spencer (Ed.), The psychology of learning and motivation: advances in research and theory (Vol. 2, pp. 89-195). New York: Academic Press.

Baddeley, A. D. & Hitch, G. J. (1974). Working memory. In G. Bower (Ed.), The psychology of learning and motivation, Vol 8 (pp. 47-90). New York: Academic Press.