Web-Based Language Teaching: An Investigation into Iranian EFL Stakeholders' Perceptions and Practices of Vocabulary Mustapha Hajebi MA degree from Islamic Azad University of Bandar Abbas, Iran
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Abstract The purpose of the research is based on the effect of web-based language learning on the vocabulary improvement of the subjects and to get the attitudes of the learners on the use of web-based approach in the language class. Participants were divided into one experimental group who used free vocabulary learning of IELTS English language learning site every day for 8 weeks and one control group who received ordinary classroom instructions. The result shows that learners’ perception improve by incorporating web based instruction in language learning classroom and a significant difference between experimental and control group with regard to their vocabulary knowledge. The findings of this study may offer some implications for language teaching and learning. Keywords: Web-based language teaching, Vocabulary Retention, EFL 1. Introduction A number of L2 students have mistakenly perceived the process of L2 vocabulary learning. They think knowing only the form and meaning of a given vocabulary item is sufficient to master the target word. In this regard, a great number of L2 lexical practitioners and researchers confirm that knowing a given lexical item involves much more than just comprehending its form and meaning (e.g., Nation, 2001; Schmitt, 2000 cited in Rashtchi & Aghili, 2014). In order to master a new word, Nation (2001) considered that several aspects of L2 lexical knowledge should be mastered. Learning a new vocabulary item is not simply a connection between the form and meaning of the word; rather it is a complicated developmental process in which the learning of syntactical functions such as parts of speech as well as frequency intuitions such as related collocations of word should be considered (Rashtchi & Aghili, 2014). As Read (2004) states, to know a lexical item the L2 learners need
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to learn about both morphological and syntactical features as well as pragmatic and collocational characteristics of the word. It is claimed that the nature of L2 lexical acquisition is incremental and complex as different types of vocabulary knowledge reveal and it is impossible to learn all of these types of vocabulary knowledge instantaneously (Schmitt, 2000). In general, Nation (2001) claimed that vocabulary learning is a gradual process and is not an all-or-nothing piece of learning (Rashtchi & Aghili, 2014). To explain the level of L2 learners’ lexical knowledge, both receptive and productive types of Vocabulary knowledge should be used (Read, 2000) and based on Nation (2001) it is an agreed-upon fact that learners’ vocabulary knowledge can be located on a receptive to productive continuum. L2 students are likely to first recognize a word’s form, pronunciation and basic meanings; then with further experiences or practice, their word knowledge will move along the continuum and finally reach the point of being able to use these words freely in productive mode (Saslow and Ascher. (2011c).
1.1 Vocabulary Learning and Technology
In L2 learning process, Ellis (1994) stated that vocabulary teaching/learning is a very complicated and challenging process. As such, L2 learners do their best to find out the vocabulary learning technique that is more beneficial for them. However, memorizing the new vocabulary item is their first approach in vocabulary learning. Clearly, beginner learners prefer to learn items separately by using a list of word items to memorize, whereas advanced learners attempt to acquire words in their context (Akhlaghi & Zareian, 2015). In general, teaching vocabulary items is limited to presenting new words as they appear in any activity without preparing the learners through activation of their background knowledge or assisting them in revising the previously learned vocabulary items until they are completely learnt. Accordingly, computers have been employed in the L2 instruction process in order to overcome this restriction and provide learners and teachers with better opportunities and a variety of activities. The significant impact of computer-assisted instruction on developing reading comprehension skills and learning lexical items has been reported in numerous studies. Considering the vocabulary instruction through technology, many practitioners of the field (e.g. Dodigovic, 2005; Yoshii, 2003) have claimed that vocabulary has been one of the most
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commonly taught language areas through technology in recent years. Genc (2012), for example, states that the rapid dramatic advancements in computer technologies have been affecting all aspects of language learning in general and vocabulary component in particular for more than two decades. Genc also believes that among the most important L2 learning areas that have been affected by this huge improvement are the reading skill and lexical items. Gorjian, Moosavinia, Ebrahimi and Hydarei (2011) state that vocabulary teaching are in line with the profound changes taking place in other areas of knowledge and advances in network technologies. The researcher further claim that this has resulted in the emergence of virtual worlds designed to facilitate synchronous (online), rather than asynchronous (offline), learning activities and practices among students (Gotjian, et al, 2011). As such, it can be claimed that technology can be employed to help students and teachers learn and teach L2 vocabulary items more effective. According to Long and Doughty (2009), technology can be used to increase the quality of input, to provide useful corrective feedback and train students in the use of technological advances that are fundamental skills in learning another language vocabulary items. Generally, the impact of mixture of technology and education can be seen in classrooms as we can see computers, mp3 players and also the access to the internet in many EFL/ESL classrooms. Computer-assisted and online vocabulary learning contexts have proved to be of great help to EFL learners, which are discussed in detail in the following sections (Zimmerman, 1997). 1.2 The Importance of Vocabulary Learning
The importance of vocabulary learning is undeniable and the need for sustained vocabulary learning is clear. According to August (2005), limited vocabulary knowledge of L2 learners make them not to be able to understand the target language text and not to be able to communicate properly. Similarly, Allen (1983) points to the significant role of vocabulary learning in ESL/EFL context. He states that L2 speakers know a great number of words that speakers and writers of the target language employ in their interactions and asserts that teachers and students agree on the need to learn a large number of vocabulary items. Krashen (1989) also emphasizes the important role vocabulary knowledge plays in L2 communications and states that most of the meaning in a language is carried by lexical items (cited in Tozcu & Coady 2004).
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Vocabulary learning is at the heart of language learning and language use. As Zygadlo (2007) puts it, lexical knowledge is what makes the essence of a given language. Zygadlo further adds that it is not easy to conduct a message or communicate in English by those who have learnt only grammatical structures and their knowledge of words needs to be enriched. He explains that many EFL learners have somehow experienced that most of their time spent over the L2 learning process has been devoted to absorbing and remembering vocabulary. In this regard, Gorjian, et al (2011) also point to the importance of vocabulary knowledge by stating that L2 learners can boost their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and may eventually improve comprehension and production in the L2 by vocabulary learning (cited in Talang & Mahmoodi, (2013)). According to Meara (2005), the importance of vocabulary learning becomes more important due to the fact that English has a rich and a very large group of vocabularies. In fact, Nation (2001) explained why English lexical system is a complicated mixture of Germanic and Romance words (Meara, 2005). Meara further explains that the result of this mixture of items is that learning English lexical items presents a lot of very complicated problems for foreign learners. Accordingly, an effective solution must be exerted for this problem and that is why English learners must be familiarized with useful methods of learning lexical items. If not, they may feel disappointed and lose their confidence (Yunus and et al. 2016). 1.3 Vocabulary Learning and Technology
In L2 learning process, Ellis (1994) stated that vocabulary teaching/learning is a very complicated and challenging process. As such, L2 learners do their best to find out the vocabulary learning technique that is more beneficial for them. However, memorizing the new vocabulary item is their first approach in vocabulary learning. Clearly, beginner learners prefer to learn items separately by using a list of word items to memorize, whereas advanced learners attempt to acquire words in their context (Akhlaghi & Zareian, 2015). In general, teaching vocabulary items is limited to presenting new words as they appear in any activity without preparing the learners through activation of their background knowledge or assisting them in revising the previously learned vocabulary items until they are completely learnt. Accordingly, computers have been employed in the L2 instruction process in order to overcome this restriction and provide learners and teachers with better opportunities and a
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variety of activities. The significant impact of computer-assisted instruction on developing reading comprehension skills and learning lexical items has been reported in numerous studies. Considering the vocabulary instruction through technology, many practitioners of the field (e.g. Dodigovic, 2005; Yoshii, 2003) have claimed that vocabulary has been one of the most commonly taught language areas through technology in recent years. Genc (2012), for example, states that the rapid dramatic advancements in computer technologies have been affecting all aspects of language learning in general and vocabulary component in particular for more than two decades. Genc also believes that among the most important L2 learning areas that have been affected by this huge improvement are the reading skill and lexical items. Gorjian, Moosavinia, Ebrahimi and Hydarei (2011) state that vocabulary teaching are in line with the profound changes taking place in other areas of knowledge and advances in network technologies. The researcher further claim that this has resulted in the emergence of virtual worlds designed to facilitate synchronous (online), rather than asynchronous (offline), learning activities and practices among students (Gotjian, et al, 2011). As such, it can be claimed that technology can be employed to help students and teachers learn and teach L2 vocabulary items more effective. According to Long and Doughty (2009), technology can be used to increase the quality of input, to provide useful corrective feedback and train students in the use of technological advances that are fundamental skills in learning another language vocabulary items. Generally, the impact of mixture of technology and education can be seen in classrooms as we can see computers, mp3 players and also the access to the internet in many EFL/ESL classrooms. Computer-assisted and online vocabulary learning contexts have proved to be of great help to EFL learners, which are discussed in detail in the following sections (Zimmerman, 1997).
1.4 Empirical Studies on Computer-Assisted Vocabulary Learning
Effective design of computer-assisted vocabulary learning software, which would succeed in presenting, practicing and testing vocabulary in a self-study mode, has received on- going attention of researchers. Multimedia vocabulary learning environments would attempt to help learners construct connections between the verbal and visual representational systems (Mayer and Sims, 1994), resulting in an increase in vocabulary knowledge and exercising a positive
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effect on reading comprehension and the rate of speed for frequent word recognition (Tozcu & Coady, 2004). Such multimedia vocabulary learning environments may take different shapes, depending on the teaching context and learners’ needs. In their study, Chun and Plass (1996) combined video as a visual organizer to the reading text with annotation of individual vocabulary items consisting of both visual and verbal information (cited in Hadid Tamjid & Saber Moghadam, 2012). Following the Tutorial CALL pattern with the study, practice and review approaches Tozcu and Coady (2004) aimed at enabling individualized vocabulary practice by allowing students to add words to an individualized list for further study or setting reminders to help words by synonyms, antonyms, translation or paraphrase. When authoring a vocabulary learning environment geared at young learners, Sun and Dong (2004) showed the importance of appealing framework for vocabulary study (a popular Disney cartoon), however, pointing out to the fact that without providing proper learning support (e.g., in the form of sentencelevel translation and target warming-up) the appeal of the learning environment will not guarantee more effective L2 vocabulary learning. Also Chun and Plass (1997) warn that multimedia-assisted reading comprehension and vocabulary learning may meet with a lower amount of invested mental effort than the use of static pictures and as a result, students who used the text and picture annotations scored higher on the follow-up vocabulary test than students who used text and video annotations (Hadid Tamjid & Saber Moghadam, 2012).
2. Research method The research design included pre and post-tests. The experimental group was instructed using web-based language learning and the control group used the ordinary classroom instruction of learning vocabulary.
2.1 Participants
The participants were selected from among 100 Iranian EFL students. They were male and female language learners who study in pre- intermediate level at Iran Language Institute (ILI) in our city. All the participants range in age from 18 to 20 year-old.
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2.2 Procedure
In order to ensure the homogeneity of the students, a modified Michigan test (version1997) was presented among 100 intermediate learners to select 66 male and female students at the same level of proficiency. Then, they were divided into one experimental group (n1=33) and one control group (n2=33). As for the receptive vocabulary learning, in the pretest phase, the learners were asked to take the Nation's 14000 version Vocabulary Size Test (1000, 2000 and 3000 word family level, each level having ten questions). The participants in experimental group learned their course vocabularies making use of free vocabulary learning sites of IELTS English language learning site every day for 8 weeks. IELTS vocabulary learning section is based on the spaced repetition learning system, which aims at helping learners to review target words for a short period of time every day. Students had access to computers every day. They were informed that IELTS vocabulary learning website is free and they can use their laptops at home individually. The students in control group received ordinary classroom instructions each session. The posttest was administered to experimental and control groups at the end of the course. The Nation's 14000 version Vocabulary Size Test (1000, 2000 and 3000 word family level, each level has ten questions) was utilized to measure the receptive vocabulary size. Finally, in the last session, in order to investigate learners’ perspectives on Web based vocabulary learning the questionnaire was administered. In the following paragraphs, the researcher reports the acquired results of the research based on the analysis of collected data.
3. Results 3.1 Independent samples T-test for vocabulary size pre-post-test grades of EFL participants
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Table 3.1: Independent samples T-test for vocabulary size pre-post-test grades of EFL participants Independent Samples Test
Levene's Test for Equality of Variances
T-test for Equality of Means
F
T
Sig.
Df
Sig. taild)
Equal variances assumed grade equal variances not assumed
1.310
.260
(2-
Mean Difference
Std. Error Difference
95% Confidence Interval of the Difference
Lower
upper
-4.624
38
.000
-1.00000
.21628
-1.43783
-.56217
-4.624
37.263
.000
-1.00000
.21628
-1.43812
-.56188
The independent sample T-test procedure offered two tests of the comparison between the pre and post-tests. The significance index of the Levene statistic was .260 (greater than .05); it could be assumed that the both tests had equal variances. Based on Table 3.1, there was a significant difference (sig 2 tailed= .000) between the mean differences of the vocabulary size test scores of participants before and after the treatment in terms of their vocabulary development tests because the Sig (2-Tailed) value is less than.05. So, we can conclude that there is a statistically significant difference between two conditions (p < 0.05). The second section of the questionnaire was used to determine participants’ reworks, attitudes and feelings about the WB vocabulary teaching through 10 Likert-scale items. This test was administered in the last session. Both sections of the questionnaire were adopted from Altiner (2011) and Bulut & Farhan (2007) respectively.
4. Discussions The findings are in line with Sampson (2003) who believed that web-based education is a mode of delivery which includes learning independently by using self-study texts and asynchronous communication. Participants who use Internet for ESL learning had positive attitudes toward web-based language learning (WBLL) and indicated that they would like additional activities that could be completed in and outside class time (Son, 2008). The findings of the study also support many researchers’ claims in terms of the learners’ perception after using a computer-based program for increasing the speed and amount of vocabulary. The results of current study are compatible with those achieved by Altiner Page 8 of 12
(2011). This result is also endorsed by other researchers who have shown that students prefer to use different technologies and technology use can generate positive attitudes in learners (Oblinger, 2005).
5 Conclusions The result appeared to manifest that learners’ perception improve by incorporating web based instruction in language learning classroom. The findings indicated a significant difference between experimental and control group with regard to their vocabulary knowledge. WBL instruction enhanced EFL learners' vocabulary knowledge. 5.1 Suggestions for further research
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