The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of technology-mediated TBLT (Task based language teaching) tasks where students must collaborate within an English as Foreign Language (EFL) course created to develop their English speaking abilities. A total of 25 students participated in this study and were assigned to groups of 4 to 6. Each group was asked to create seven five-minute video productions in English using their cell phone camera about topics assigned to them by the teacher over the course of one semester. The results of the pre-test and post-test indicated that the tasks were effective in improving students’ English speaking abilities. Class observations and students’ Facebook posts showed predominately positive perceptions towards the task of video making with their respective groups using technology tools. The bi-weekly video productions and the end-of-term survey revealed that the participants believe that technology-mediated TBLT in a collaborative learning environment was beneficial in increasing their English speaking abilities, which highlights the need to shift from teacher-centered activities to learner-centered activities within a collaborative learning environment.
We investigated gender and differences in level of anxiety in regard to use of coping strategies for foreign language learning anxiety (FLLA). Participants were 122 Taiwanese university students enrolled in English as a foreign language courses. Results of multivariate analysis of variance
showed that the female students scored significantly higher than did the male students in two coping strategies: peer seeking and positive thinking. In contrast, the male students were more inclined to use relaxation as a way of coping. There was no difference between the groups with different
levels of anxiety in their choice of coping strategies and no interaction effect between gender and anxiety level in the coping strategies used. Results thus showed that gender played a significant role in university students' choice of strategies to cope with FLLA.
The increasing demand for mobile learning is visibly driving educators to rethink their pedagogical theory in today's Internet-enhanced society. This research reported and analyzed the survey results of 450 college students in Taiwan who used mobile English learning (MEL) with regards to usage frequency, perception, and acceptance. Positive results were indicated by high values for all three variables among students in Taiwan. Most participating respondents believed that they were comfortable and ready for MEL. The most frequently used MEL applications are listening to music, watching movies, using a dictionary and accessing social network sites. Additional analysis revealed that students believed MEL would change the way they learn English and would increase their learning achievements. They also expected to adopt more MEL functions in the classroom because such functions are fun and motivating. There was a strong positive relationship between perception and acceptance of MEL. Statistically, significant differences were identified in the perception and acceptance of MEL between males and females, and between usage frequency and perception of MEL in terms of students' school area.
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