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Examining the impact of Grammarly on the quality of mobile L2 writing
No full textWhile the use of automated writing evaluation software has received much attention in CALL literature, as Frankenberg-Garcia (2019) notes, empirical research on predictive text and intelligent writing assistants is lacking. Thus, this study addressed this gap in the literature by examining the impact of Grammarly, an intelligent writing assistant that incorporates predictive text technology, on the mobile writing quality of Japanese L2 English students. Specifically, the study explored if Grammarly had a significant effect on the grammatical accuracy, lexical richness, writing fluency, or syntactic complexity of L2 students’ writing when compared to unassisted mobile writing. A total of 31 university EFL students participated in the 8-week study which utilized a counterbalanced design. Participants took part in weekly guided freewriting tasks under each writing condition (on-Grammarly and Grammarly) over the duration of the study. The descriptive statistics and results from t-tests showed that when students wrote with the assistance of Grammarly, they produced fewer grammatical errors and wrote with more lexical variation. These findings highlight the potential of predictive text and real-time corrective feedback as a way to support L2 writing, particularly among novice writers who may struggle to write effectively in the L2
Emergency remote language learning: tudent perspectives of L2 learning during the COVD-19 pandemic
No full textAs teachers and students have abruptly shifted from traditional classroombased learning to online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to evaluate the attitudes of learners towards remote foreign language learning, particularly among Japanese students who often have little to no experience with the learning method. Therefore, the primary goal of this study was to evaluate Japanese L2 students’ opinions of remote language learning. Through a pre-/post-survey study design, the study also investigated if there was a significant difference between the participants’ initial perceptions of online language learning and their attitudes after a semester of study. A total of 208 students from three Japanese universities completed both the pre- and post-surveys, which were primarily comprised of Likert-scale items based on five Technology Acceptance Model constructs (perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitudes towards use, anxiety, and behavioral intention). Data from reflective reports was also obtained from a select group of participants to gain a deeper understanding of the learners’ views. Pertinent findings and pedagogical implications are discussed so that language teachers can make informed decisions about their own remote teaching contexts
Collaborative witnessing: A North Korean’s immigration experience in South Korea
No full textCollaborative witnessing is a form of “relational autoethnography” that allows interviews to be more informal and resembles a conversation rather than a structured question and answer format. Collaborative witnessing is the methodology utilized in this article, which is about the personal history of one North Korean defector, JeongOk Lee, who escaped to China twice and came to South Korea in 2004. Media and society refer to them as “North Korean defectors.” In this article, JeongOk shares her experience living in foreign countries through the stories and through three years of interviews. JeongOk provides stories and experiences in North Korea and South Korea. The conversations will reveal the hardships JeongOk experienced working in both North and South Korea. JeongOk experienced difficulties in language and work culture. Her experience resembles what many immigrants face when moving to a new country. These North Korean defectors, or refugees, should be viewed as immigrants through a multicultural lens rather than to focus on the controversial or political issues that arise when discussing North Korean refugees. North Korean refugees struggle to acclimate to South Korea’s culture, language, politics, lifestyle, and capitalist society. As a result, North Korea defectors feel alienated and isolated in South Korean society which makes it more difficult to build relationships. Viewing North Korean people through a multicultural lens could help promote better integration in South Korean society. For South Koreans to be more accepting and understanding of North Korean refugees, they must understand the hardships that North Korean refugees face
Reframing and hospicing mobility in higher education: Challenges and possibilities
No full textWhile the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold around the world, one of its most immediate effects – beyond significant loss of life and livelihood – has been the exposure of existing weaknesses in various sectors and systems. This is especially evident in higher education, with its growing overreliance on the (hyper)mobile student body. In this paper we explore critically the challenges and possibilities behind the options of ‘reframing’ and ‘hospicing’ current understandings of student mobility, particularly with respect to the simultaneously romanticized and commodified development of intercultural (communicative) competence. We treat reframing and hospicing as concurrent, co-existing approaches and spaces in which we may dwell as we rethink what it means to engage meaningfully and equitably with difference at both global and local levels. We also explore how ‘hospicing’ may help us to disinvest ourselves from the promises of mobility, letting go of our attachment to it, not simply because of its current impossibility, but rather because of its many ideological and ethical problems. We conclude with a set of critical, reflective questions intended as provocations that may stimulate ongoing dialogue in our shared journeys of knowing, being and relating to ourselves and the Other in the world
Exploring students' perceptions about intercultural communication education: Rethinking the design and facilitation of a course in Japan
No full textResearchers and intercultural educators have put forward various theoretical principles and pedagogical ideas related to the design and implementation of intercultural communication (IC) courses. Recently, researchers have called for curriculum development to include students’ voices about their intercultural communication education (ICE). This paper reports on a study which examined 42 students’ perceptions of an intercultural communication course taught over one semester at a university in Japan, focusing in particular on motivations for students’ intercultural learning and their strategies for maintaining or further developing their IC competence upon completing their studies. Students were also asked to consider the significance of ICE in terms of their life experiences. Survey results revealed that participants enrolled in the IC course to reflect on their study abroad experiences, develop tangible skills for their vocations, and effectively manage IC interactions. They also claimed that learning about perceptions and IC transitions contributed to their understanding of their own experiences and broader intercultural issues. The study contributes to understanding of what students who choose to enrol in an IC course potentially seek from such a course in this context and how they interpret its significance in terms of their own goals and anticipated life trajectories. It also offers some implications for the design of future IC courses
Design and evaluation of intercultural cooperative project-based learning in the field of inbound tourism in Japan: A tour guide training course with Chinese and Japanese learners
No full textAs internationalization in the learning environment is still developing in Japan, there is a need for further practical research in foreign language education which embeds international cooperative learning. The study reported in this paper aimed to explore the effectiveness of Intercultural Cooperative Project-Based Learning (IC-PBL) based on the integration of foreign language education and tourism education, aiming to develop the necessary skills for collaborating with people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Working in the context of a Japanese university, we designed IC-PBL to incorporate the acquisition of knowledge of tourism, tour guide conversation training, field investigation of tourist destinations, and presentation of travel itineraries. Learning outcomes were evaluated based on the concept of Fundamental Competencies for Working Persons (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, 2017) utilizing both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The study shows that the competencies for independence, ability to reach out to others, creativity, and ability to cope with stress were enhanced through the IC-PBL practice. In addition, learners recognized that collaborative learning experiences supported their improvements in thinking and teamwork within the framework of the Fundamental Competencies for Working Persons. This IC-PBL model shows potential as an effective instructional design to integrate foreign language education and tourism education and promote the ability to work with diverse people towards a common goal
Roadblocks to intercultural mobility: Indigenous students' journeys in Colombian universities
No full textEvery year, students from different indigenous communities in Colombia set out on a journey to higher education. Although previous research has looked into students’ challenges at university, there is still the need to understand indigenous students’ mobility trajectories in terms of how they come to grips with the new material, semiotic, and symbolic realities they face upon leaving their reservations. In this conceptual paper, we provide a discussion of research in mobility, critical intercultural dialogue, and critical pedagogy to answer the question, “How can conceptualizations of mobility and critical interculturality shed light on our understanding of indigenous students’ experiences at public universities?” We combine the concept of mobility with elements from a decolonial, critical intercultural view, and critical intercultural pedagogies. We conclude that mobility trajectories are highly marked by placed-based identities that connect students to their territories. Students contest processes of symbolic deterritorialization and deculturation by engaging in forms of re-contextualization and material and symbolic rearrangements of university sites which allows them to embody and enact their identities. We end the article with principles and strategies proposed in culturally sustaining pedagogies and other critical intercultural pedagogies which have significant potential to facilitate indigenous students’ intercultural mobility on university campuses
Motivators for learners of languages other than English in college elective courses in a monolingual social setting
No full textGuided by the Second Language Motivational Self System (L2MSS) framework, this study examined to what extent the three L2MSS components of ideal self, ought-to self, and learning experience described the motivation of learners who chose to enroll in college elective courses of modern languages other than English (LOTEs) in the monolingual social setting of Taiwan. Questionnaire surveys were conducted at the end of two consecutive semesters and learners were interviewed. Triangulation of survey and interview data suggested that a positive learning experience was the strongest factor in motivating effort. Although some classroom factors were known, others worth further exploration in instructional settings were pointed out. The ought-to L2 self was found to be an insignificant predictor with questionable validity. Instead, academic responsibility and instrumentality proved more relevant factors in LOTE. Results on ideal self were less straightforward, suggesting that the ideal self for LOTEs may be qualitatively different from the English ideal self. Comparisons of data sets across time and learner groups indicated motivation did not change over time. By considering major L2MSS components and related constructs together, this study uncovered their relative adequacy in explaining LOTE motivation and suggested possible new perspectives for studying motivation in instructed LOTE acquisition
Constraints imposed on the creative cover letter writing by digital online job advertisements
No full textGenre studies on the job cover letter (letter of application) have focused mainly on linguistic analyses of the genre in terms of the generic structure and linguistic strategies commonly used by applicants. These studies have taken the view that the cover letter was an open-ended opportunity for favourable self-promotion. However, to date no study has provided a detailed description of the context in which these letters were written. This study examines one essential contextual aspect, the job advertisement, and its impact on the cover letter. It aims to determine if the cover letter is still of major significance in the application process in the digital era. Based on a genre-based analysis of sixty Australian-based online advertisements and a case study, it is found that the open-ended and creative cover letter may no longer be the preeminent genre of the job application process
Irish language self-efficacy beliefs: Mediators of performance and resources
No full textSelf-efficacy, the system of beliefs that individuals possess which enables them to exercise control and actions when faced with a specific task, is an essential component to language learning, as it has the potential to promote the self-regulatory capacity required for successful language acquisition and performance. One way in which self-efficacy mediates language learning is exhibited in how individuals dedicate resources such as effort and time to overcoming tasks. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of Irish language self-efficacy beliefs on performance and resources allocated by Irish adults (N=450) on an Irish language reading test. Over two testing phases, three groups were formed based on results in phase one: a control group; a group of high performers; and a group of low performers. Manipulated comparative feedback and false results produced highly significant effects on performance and resources allocated, with low performing participants receiving a positive intervention consisting of false inflated results, leading to improved performance and increased time dedicated to task completion. High performers who received a negative intervention consisting of falsely deflated results saw a significant decrease in performance and the time allocated post-manipulation. The control group also saw a decrease in average performance scores, making the low performing group’s performance even more noteworthy. Overall, findings show that self-efficacy beliefs, though initially closely aligned with actual performance, can in fact be manipulated to influence performance outcomes