Virtual reality in problem-based learning contexts: Effects on the problem-solving performance,vocabulary acquisition and motivation of English language learners

Learning a foreign language requires interaction with language input while involved in a task. Given that problem-based learning (PBL) offers hands-on application in realistic contexts, and that virtual reality (VR) enables learners to interact with multiple modalities of information, this study examines how the integration of VR technology into PBL contexts affects students' motivation for, problem-solving during, and vocabulary acquisition in learning English as a foreign language (EFL). A total of 84 engineering majors who enrolled in a course of English for specific purposes were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. Students in the experimental group participated in a VR-assisted PBL context, in which they were to view a PBL scenario using VR technology and then to create VR videos about solving the given problems. Those in the control group participated in a PBL context without the use of VR technology for viewing and solving the identical scenario. After the intervention, all the students wrote a problem-solving analysis, took a vocabulary knowledge test, completed a learning motivation questionnaire, and participated in individual interviews. The results showed that the students in the experimental group significantly outperformed those in the control group in terms of vocabulary acquisition, and were more motivated to learn English related to their future careers, whereas there was no significant difference in the problem-solving performance of the two groups. Implications of these findings highlight the value of engaging EFL learners in immersive environments for contextualized learning through the integrated use of VR and PBL.     

Improving the effectiveness of English vocabulary review by integrating ARCS with mobile game‐based learning

Memorizing English vocabulary is often considered uninteresting, and a lack of motivation exists during learning activities. Moreover, most vocabulary practice systems automatically select words from articles and do not provide integrated model methods for students. Therefore, this study constructed a mobile game‐based English vocabulary practice system, which imitates the popular block elimination game and combines test items of article, difficulty, and teacher model in accordance with curriculum objectives and demands. The participants were first‐year students and classified into traditional group (Group T) and game‐based group (Group G), and learning effectiveness and motivation were analysed in this study. According to statistical analysis results, students who used the game‐based vocabulary practice system, which could captivate their attention and interest, had higher learning effectiveness and provided positive feedback of learning motivation. Furthermore, English teachers could select teaching materials that are consistent with the features, knowledge, and cultural background of learners to improve the relevance dimension of learning motivation.     

Personalized mobile English vocabulary learning system based on item response theory and learning memory cycle

Since learning English is very popular in non-English speaking countries, developing modern assisted-learning tools that support effective English learning is a critical issue in the English-language education field. Learning English involves memorization and practice of a large number of vocabulary words and numerous grammatical structures. Vocabulary learning is a principal issue for English learning because vocabulary comprises the basic building blocks of English sentences. Therefore, many studies have attempted to improve the efficiency and performance when learning English vocabulary. With the accelerated growth in wireless and mobile technologies, mobile learning using mobile devices such as PDAs, tablet PCs, and cell phones has gradually become considered effective because it inherits all the advantages of e-learning and overcomes limitations of learning time and space that limit web-based learning systems. Therefore, this study presents a personalized mobile English vocabulary learning system based on Item Response Theory and learning memory cycle, which recommends appropriate English vocabulary for learning according to individual learner vocabulary ability and memory cycle. The proposed system has been successfully implemented on personal digital assistant (PDA) for personalized English vocabulary learning. The experimental results indicated that the proposed system could obviously promote the learning performances and interests of learners due to effective and flexible learning mode for English vocabulary learning.     

Promoting contextual vocabulary learning through an adaptive computer‐assisted EFL reading system

The study developed an adaptive computer‐assisted reading system and investigated its effect on promoting English as a foreign language learner‐readers' contextual vocabulary learning performance. Seventy Taiwanese college students were assigned to two reading groups. Participants in the customised reading group read online English texts, each of which was customised by the developed system to offer immediate and repeated meetings with previously encountered unknown words, while participants in the typical reading group read online texts without control on unknown word recurrence. After the 4‐week online reading treatment, the two groups of learners were tested by online immediate and delayed vocabulary tests, and the students from the customised reading group were also required to complete the questionnaire regarding system use. The results showed that the vocabulary mean scores from both immediate and delayed testing demonstrated significantly better results in word gain and word retention with the customised reading group and that the adaptive reading system was appealing for the students. The study demonstrated that by providing customised reading with word recurrence specific to individuals' unknown words, this adaptive computer‐assisted English as a foreign language reading system creates a more favourable condition for foreign language vocabulary growth.     

Effectiveness of vocabulary learning via mobile phone

Whereas the penetration of mobile phones in Asian countries keeps climbing, little research has explored the application of the short message service (SMS) in second language learning. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of SMS vocabulary lessons of limited lexical information on the small screens of mobile phones. Thirty high school students were randomly distributed into two groups and given two sets of English words either on paper or through SMS messages during two weeks. Students recognized more vocabulary during the post‐test after reading the regular and brief SMS lessons than they did after reading the relatively more detailed print material. Qualitative data from interviews offer information about the learning process as well as the benefits and limitations of m‐learning. Results of the questionnaires show that students in general hold positive attitudes towards learning vocabulary via mobile phone. On the other hand, technological limitations, unfamiliar presentations and learning activities may prevent students from reading SMS lessons.     

Applying a multimedia storytelling website in foreign language learning

Storytelling is a practical and powerful teaching tool, especially for language learning. Teachers in language classrooms, however, may hesitate to incorporate storytelling into language instruction because of an already overloaded curriculum. English foreign language (EFL) teachers in Taiwan report additional problems such as having little prior experience with integrating storytelling into language teaching, locating appropriate stories, and lacking the cultural and language abilities to handle storytelling in English. On the other hand, researchers have demonstrated successful usages of computer and network-assisted English learning. The researchers in this study have developed a multimedia Storytelling Website to study how web-based technology can assist overcoming the obstacles mentioned above. The website contains an accounts administration module, multimedia story composing module, and story re-playing module. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of this Website in significantly facilitating teacher’s storytelling and children’s story recall processes in EFL classrooms, it was implemented in one elementary school to test its effectiveness in instruction and in resultant student learning. The results of the study support the significance and the education value of the multimedia Storytelling Website on EFL teaching and learning. If such a Website can be applied within elementary EFL classrooms, the quality of teaching and learning can be improved and students’ enjoyment and success in EFL learning may increase.     

阅读附带习得词汇国外研究之初探

词汇曾一度被认为是外语教学中的"灰姑娘"。近些年来,人们才逐渐认识到其在语言发展中的重要性,并就词汇习得问题作了很多研究。词汇习得又分为刻意学习和附带习得。词汇附带习得被认为是掌握大量单词的重要途径,极受重视。而阅读则是公认的词汇附带习得的主要途径之一。总体来看,这方面的研究在国内还不是很多;国外的研究数量多,且多属实证研究,有很多可借鉴之处;而且,国内大多数相关研究是对国外实证研究的简单重复,或是对国外相关理论的探讨或思辨,故本文主要关注于国外阅读中词汇附带习得的研究,以期读者可以借以了解国外该研究领域的现状。     

Internet cognitive failure and fatigue relevant to learners' self‐regulation and learning progress in English vocabulary with a calibration scheme

To determine the factors of learning effectiveness in English vocabulary learning when using a calibration scheme, this study developed a freshman English mobile device application (for iPhone 4) for students with low levels of English proficiency to practise vocabulary in the beginning of their Freshman English course. Data were collected and validated from 243 subjects for confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that Internet cognitive failure (i.e., trait cognitive disability) was positively correlated to Internet cognitive fatigue (i.e., state cognitive disability). Both types of Internet cognitive disability were negatively correlated to self‐regulation in English vocabulary learning (SREVL). SREVL was positively correlated to the degree of learning improvement. The findings implied that the use of a calibration design for mobile English vocabulary learning could benefit students with low levels of Internet cognitive disability but high levels of SREVL.     

Social media and student learning behavior: Plugging into mainstream music offers dynamic ways to learn English

The purpose of this study demonstrates how social media enables mainstream English songs to be extended into the classroom as teaching material for learning English as a second language. Students thrive under such fun conditions and enjoyable activities, improving their listening skills and bettering their control of the English language by learning common, everyday phrases most useful for modern day English communication. The teaching procedure, approach and course of events during the learning activity is described. Researchers such as Berk (2009) emphasize the use of video clips from TV movies, YouTube, and mtvU in the classroom as a systematic teaching tool to improve learning in college courses. Similarly, this paper would like to advance the idea that learning English mainstream songs can be a ubiquitous form of learning since the involvement of technology is omnipresent, and the ease of implementing it into the classroom is readily attainable.     

虚拟现实技术在大学英语口语教学中的应用

众所周知,语言的教与学必须在一定的环境中进行。在科学技术突飞猛进的今天,基于虚拟现实技术的语言环境对现代的语言教学起了举足轻重的作用。本文首先对虚拟现实技术的内涵进行概括性的介绍,然后根据大学英语口语教学的内容,提出当前利用虚拟现实技术进行课堂口语教学和课外口语学习的设想。     

Context‐aware language‐learning application in the green technology building: Which group can benefit the most?

To assess the effects and learner perceptions of context‐aware ubiquitous language learning (CAULL), a green‐building English‐learning application (GBELA) employing sensing technology was created to develop participants' English listening and reading skills using smartphones and QR codes. This study investigated the effects of 40 participants' perceived ease of use, usability, usefulness, learner attitude, satisfaction with the use of GBELA, and self‐efficacy in smartphone and GBELA usage. Quantitative and qualitative data through pretest/post‐test, questionnaires, and semistructured interviews were collected with a focus on green building–based English (GBbE) reading and listening skills. Results proved the effectiveness of the GBELA for both high‐achievement (HA) and low‐achievement (LA) groups. Furthermore, correlations were found between the HA group and ease of use of the GBELA. The correlations among learner perceptions and self‐efficacy showed that a well‐designed context‐aware learning system can help learners enhance self‐efficacy in CAULL mode. Implications for the design of effective context‐ and knowledge‐specific ubiquitous learning systems are provided in the study.     

Effects of a vocabulary acquisition and assessment system on students’ performance in a blended learning class for English subject

Vocabulary acquisition and assessment are regarded as the key basis for the instruction of English as a second language. However, it is time-consuming, fallible and repetitive for the school teachers and parents to assess the proficiency of the students’ vocabulary acquisition. We customized the open source course management system Moodle to build the individualized vocabulary review and assessment functions for English instruction. This web-based system was integrated into the regular English instruction of an experiment class of Grade three in a junior middle school, i.e. it was used in one school hour almost every week for an entire school term. Within this blended learning environment, the students’ performance of the experiment class in the ordinary and especially vocabulary examinations throughout the school term was improved gradually and was better than that of the control class, so that it achieved number one among sixteen classes in the same grade at the final term examination, compared with number eight before this experiment. The survey and interview with the students also demonstrated the system’s valuable functions for vocabulary acquisition and listening comprehension, and showed the students’ favor to such a kind of syllabus design with the intelligent course management system. The implication of this research is that the blended learning of English class with the individualized vocabulary acquisition and assessment system can improve the students’ performance in vocabulary acquisition and in ordinary test. This system can also be applied in other English classes.     

基于计算机辅助下语言学习设计教学新模式研究

随着教育领域的改革和深入发展,我国的高等教育正在迈向新的台阶。在高等职业教学体系中,传统的教学模式已经不能适应现在社会的变化,人们逐渐认识到了教学方式和学习活动的重要性和进行改革的必要性。当下,计算机辅助下的语言学习新模式已经在各个学科领域受到关注与实践。计算机辅助下的语言学习不仅强调信息技术的发展,更加要求教学思想和方式的改变以及各类资源和环境的共同构建融合。以高等院校英语教学为例,通过学习最新的教学教育理论,在所在单位设计了英语语言教学对比研究实验,利用不同的教学手段进行教学和综合评价,说明了计算机辅助下语言学习方式更能提高教学质量,取得良好的教学效果。     

Vocabulary learning by mobile‐assisted authentic content creation and social meaning‐making: two case studies

In recent years, we have witnessed the concomitant rise of communicative and contextualized approaches as well as the paradigmatic development of the mobile‐assisted language learning (MALL) framework in analysing language learning. The focus of MALL research has gradually shifted from content‐based (delivery of learning content through mobile devices) to design‐oriented (authentic and/or social mobile learning activities) study. In this paper, we present two novel case studies of MALL that emphasize learner‐created content. In learning English prepositions and Chinese idioms, respectively, the primary school students used the mobile devices assigned to them on a one‐to‐one basis to take photos in real‐life contexts so as to construct sentences with the newly acquired prepositions or idioms. Subsequently, the learners were voraciously engaged in classroom or online discussion of their semantic constructions, thereby enhancing their understanding of the proper usage of the prepositions or idioms. This work shows the potential of transforming language learning into an authentic seamless learning experience.     

基于Android的应用英语移动学习软件的设计与实现

智能手机的普及使移动学习成为一种全新的学习方式,越来越受到研究者与学习者的关注。调查显示,移动学习对英语学习特别是应用英语的学习有良好的效果。基于Android设计开发的英语学习软件包含"实用英语"、"词汇学习"、"词典翻译"、"休闲娱乐"、"交流互动"五大功能模块,能够帮助学生利用碎片时间学习英语,基于场景的实用英语学习模式能有效提高学生的英语应用水平。文章主要阐述了在Android平台下移动英语学习软件的设计开发过程。     

A ubiquitous English vocabulary learning system: Evidence of active/passive attitudes vs. usefulness/ease-of-use

English vocabulary learning and ubiquitous learning have separately received considerable attention in recent years. However, research on English vocabulary learning in ubiquitous learning contexts has been less studied. In this study, we develop a ubiquitous English vocabulary learning (UEVL) system to assist students in experiencing a systematic vocabulary learning process in which ubiquitous technology is used to develop the system, and video clips are used as the material. Afterward, the technology acceptance model and partial least squares approach are used to explore students’ perspectives on the UEVL system. The results indicate that (1) both the system characteristics and the material characteristics of the UEVL system positively and significantly influence the perspectives of all students on the system; (2) the active students are interested in perceived usefulness; (3) the passive students are interested in perceived ease of use.     

依据建构主义理论探索大学英语网络教学模式

提出了结合信息技术,整合课堂教学、自主学习、第二课堂的大学英语网络教学模式。借助网络平台,教师在课堂教学中作为知识传授者的身份逐渐弱化,作为课堂活动组织者的作用日益凸显,课堂教学之外,教师更成为学生自主学习和英语课外活动的监督者和指导者。采用这种网络化的教学模式有利于在大学英语教学中实践建构主义学习理论、提高学生语言应用能力和自主学习能力。     

移动环境下专业实习学习共同体数据平台的构建设想

专业实习是学生进行技能锻炼和提升的主要途径,也是教学计划任务中必不可少的环节。移动技术支持下的实习共同体的建立,便于促进实习生之间的交流、强化实习生对自身知识的反思、助学者角色可以给实习生提供相应的帮助。本文在移动学习和学习共同体涵义的基础上构建了专业实习学习共同体模式,指出了当前专业实习的现状,分析了专业实习学习共同体的组成要素,论述了此学习共同体对实习的有力支持。     

多媒体教学与学生自主学习的有机结合

随着国际交流的不断加深,学习外语越来越成为人们关注的焦点,而外语教学也成为了教育界的热点问题。利用计算机的多媒体网络技术培养学生的自主学习能力,并分析了教学与自主学习有效结合。