Teaching English as a second language: dissertation research directions

¶ … TESL pedagogy. The purpose of this discussion is to explore the concept of teaching ESL online and how the exploration of this concept will form the basis of a dissertation. There are several aspects of ESL online that have been researched. These topics include curriculum that utilizes the internet for the purposes of teach ESL, online feedback for ESL and weblogs and ESL. The internet can be a beneficial tool in such circumstances because it allows teachers and instructors to come together in a way that was not previously possible. This means that more people can learn English as a second language. In addition learning online may provide some students with the skills needed to speak English in a more efficient way than was previously possible using traditional methods. Although some research exists on this topic there are also many gaps in the research. For the purposes of exploring this topic in a more in depth manner, the actual success rates associated with teaching English as a Second language online would be explored. For the purposes of carrying out this type of research, the researcher must seek out institutions of learning that currently use online language learning to teach English as a second language. The data that needs to be collected will be inclusive of surveys from both teachers and students. The surveys will contain a 5-point Likert scale and seek to uncover the feelings of students and teachers concerning online learning. The surveys will reveal both the pros and cons of this teaching method and provide greater insight as it pertains to the use of such a method.

Introduction

Teaching English as a second language (TESL) has become an issue of debate and critique. There are many different factors that arise in the context of TESL pedagogy (Ferris & Hedgcock, 2005). In recent years technology has transformed the manner in which people function in society. One of the major impacts of changes in technology is the use of the internet as an instrument for teaching. The purpose of this discussion is to explore the concept of teaching ESL online and how the exploration of this concept will form the basis of a dissertation.

Literature Review

There are several aspects of ESL online that have been researched. These topics include curriculum that utilizes the internet for the purposes of teach ESL, online feedback for ESL and weblogs and ESL. The literature review will discuss each of these topics in greater detail.

Teaching ESL Online

A t the current time there have been initiatives and curriculum designed specifically to teach ESL via the internet (O'Malley et al., 2006). According to Coburn (2010) one of the ways in which technology can be used to teach ESL is in the area of English conversation through the use of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP). The author further explains that Skype is utilized by Conversation Facilitators throughout the globe in an effort to teach (oral English to university undergraduate students in Iran. These students utilize this technology because they are not allowed to attend regular universities. The author further explains that "Poor internet connections limit the practical design of conversation assignments since the average student's bandwidth cannot support multimedia graphics in addition to audio. Therefore, the CFs and students utilize written Skype chat as a supplement to VOIP (Coburn,2010. p.3)."

ESL Online Feedback

Many who believe in the use of the internet for teaching ESL assert that the technology is especially useful because it provides learners with much needed feedback (Yearwood, 2008). Dekhinet (2008), reports that many schools in the United States have a significant foreign student population. Many of these students require assistance as it pertains to speaking English as a second language. As a result many schools have language centers that are designed to assist these students in becoming more proficient at English. In some cases, schools have begun to use online tools to help these students particularly in the area of providing feedback. According to the author

"online enhanced corrective feedback (OECF) as a useful peer tutoring provision for international students to develop their language skills and at the same time experience a successful and healthy sojourn in the hosting country while studying for their academic courses. This programme is structured yet very flexible. It entails the use of (1) NSs as peer tutors, and (2) Internet as a means of social interaction. NSs, in this instance are meant to assist NNSs in practicing their L2 while socialising online. This peer tutoring approach is mainly based on Vygotsky's (1978) theory where competent learners scaffold weaker ones and help their progression through the zone of proximal development

(Dekhinet, 2008, p. 410)."

OECF functions by utilizing online instant messaging programs. The authors explains that this form of communication occurs quickly and allows for the mobility of the student. This form of communication is also beneficial because the discourse is co-constructed in a way that is similar to oral conversations (Dekhinet, 2008). Additionally peer tutoring techniques find their foundation in one of the collaborative approaches of Peer Assisted Learning. According to such an approach tutors are matched with NNSs for the purpose of providing them with feedback and help them to succeed academically (Dekhinet, 2008). The author also explains that such interaction is important because it encourages learning in several ways for instance,

"When the tutors and the NNSs are engaged in talking to each other about the task, they present their ideas and perspectives, ask questions, provide information and so on. It is an opportunity for them to clarify their own ideas, elaborate on them, evaluate their existing knowledge for accuracy and gaps, integrate and reorganize knowledge or in some other manner re-conceptualise the material (Brown & Campione, 1986). This cognitive change tends to affect subsequent learning and performance (Dekhinet, 2008, p.411)."

Indeed learning and performance are positively impacted by the feedback that is presented to learners through the utilization f the aforementioned strategy. The presence of this feedback increases the likelihood that learners will become more proficient in English. This proficiency becomes a reality because students are given the opportunity to interact not only with a tutor but with a tutor who is also a peer. In many cases students feel more comfortable discussing problems with people that are the same age and share the same forms of communication including electronic forms of communication. The peer tutoring combined with electronic communications makes it possible for ESL learners to garner a better understanding of the language using tools that are familiar to them.

Weblogs and ESL

Another use for the internet as it pertains to ESL is the use of weblogs. According to various studies, there has been a rapid increase in the utilization of electronic journals within the context of education, particularly in America (Johnson, 2004; Yih & Nah 2009). Additionally an increased number of foreign educators have used this user-friendly technology in classroom instruction and language learning (Campbell, 2003; Johnson, 2004). Kennedy (2003) reports that

"publishing student writing has gained widespread adoption in middle and high school English classes. Although not originally intended for use in education, web logs have an important impact on education (Schroeder, 2003) and possess immense potential as a valuable tool for the teaching of second language writing, especially in written communication skills (Johnson, 2004; Wu, 2005). According to Lever-Duffy, McDonald and Mizell (2005), web logs have been used successfully to give students an opportunity to publicly post daily journal entries (Yih & Nah 2009, 48)."

With these things understood, the use of web logs could also be beneficial within the context of ESL. These benefits are associated with assisting students with their use of the English language. Students need the opportunity to develop their English skills in an environment that is non-threatening. This type of exposure gives students the opportunity to build confidence and to practice using the language in a way that allows them to become more proficient in English.

Research Problem

At the current time there are many people who desire to learn English as a second language. However, in many cases the opportunity to do so is limited because of location or lack of instructors. The internet can be a beneficial tool in such circumstances because it allows teachers and instructors to come together in a way that was not previously possible. This means that more people can learn English as a second language. In addition learning online may provide some students with the skills needed to speak English in a more efficient way than was previously possible using traditional methods. With these things understood the exploration of this topic is necessary and warranted.

Although some research exists on this topic there are also many gaps in the research. For the purposes of exploring this topic in a more in depth manner, the actual success rates associated with teaching English as a Second language online would be explored. At the current time a great deal of research focuses on why the internet is a beneficial tool as an aspect of ESL pedagogy. However this research fails to focus on the outcomes of this particular teaching method. For instance, the existing research does not reveal conversational abilities, level of comprehension or whether or not the learner is able to read and write English proficiently. All of these issues are relevant to understanding the success of teaching ESL online. A better understanding of the failure and/or success rates of online learning when compared to traditional teaching methods is needed so that instructors and administrators know whether or not they want to utilize online learning as a curriculum tool.

Methodology

For the purposes of carrying out this type of research, the researcher must seek out institutions of learning that currently use online language learning to teach English as a second language. A decision must be made concerning whether or not the research will focus on adult learners or young learners. Once this decision is made, the researcher can proceed by requesting permission to utilize a class or several classes within an institution to carry out the research. Once permission is established the researcher has to determine the type of research that is to be carried out.