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Computer-assisted oral skills learning with and without peer-modeled stimuli on primary students’ chinese oral performance
Author
Zou, Wen
Supervisor
Chew, Lee Chin
Abstract
Peer-modeling has been acclaimed as an innovative technique in language training, and current technologically enhanced classrooms suggest potentials of computer-assisted peer-modeled oral stimuli for language instruction. The primary focus of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of computer-assisted oral skills learning with and without peer-modeled oral stimuli for CL subject. The influences of two student-related factors, namely, gender (male versus female) and past CL oral ability (low- versus high-ability) on the effectiveness of computer-assisted oral skills learning were also explored.
A total of 56 students (8 year-olds) from two intact classes of a local school participated in this pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study. One class had the computer-assisted oral skills learning intervention with peer-modeling and the other class without peer-modeling. A school-based oral semestral examination was used as the pre-test and also to determine students’ CL oral ability. Four one-hour sessions of each intervention were enacted during curriculum time over a one-week period. After the intervention, a post-test to assess students’ oral competency was conducted.
A key study finding is that students who had the intervention with peer-modeled oral stimuli (Class 1) performed significantly better on the pos-test than those who had the intervention without peer-modeling (Class 2). It is observed that the gender variable did not affect students’ computer-assisted oral skills learning within each intervention and between interventions as evidenced by their post-test results. The same finding is observed for the CL oral ability variable within each intervention, that is, low- and high-ability students in each intervention did not differ in their performance on the post-test. But an interesting finding is noted for between interventions. Compared to their counterparts in Class 2 (without peer-modeling), the low-ability students in Class 1 (with peer-modeling) had performed significantly better at the post-test. But the high-ability students in both classes did not differ on their post-test performance. Computer-assisted oral skills learning with peer-modeled oral stimuli had benefited the low-ability students.
The findings were discussed in relation to benefits of using peer models in language learning and technology for enhancing and motivating student learning. In addition, future directions of research were discussed with practical suggestions to help classroom teachers implement peer-modeling strategies for language learning.
The study found that most pupils committed errors in the comprehension, transformation and process skills stage. Comprehension errors included the misinterpretation of the meanings of the numerator or denominator of a given simple fraction in the context of the questions, misinterpretation of the denominator of a fraction as representing the actual number of a whole in context to the question and misinterpretation of ‘x/y of a remainder’ and relate it to a given known quantity in the context of the question. The transformation errors made by pupils also included mistranslation of a given fraction of a whole into a comparison model of two wholes, mistranslation of two given like fractions of a whole as two fractions of two wholes instead, mistranslation of two given unlike fractions of two different wholes and being unable to change to their equivalent fractions for repartitioning and mistranslation of ‘a/b of the remainder’ as ‘a/b of the whole’ instead in the model. Formulating incorrect number statement to represent relationships among parts in the model drawing is the error committed under the process skill stage.
The improvement in the pupils’ marks in post-test 1 and post-test 2 as compared to the pre-test also proved that the Newman Error Analysis Guideline was useful in diagnosing pupils’ errors. Together with the Structured Conferencing interview sessions, it was a programme which benefited both the teacher and the pupils. Such one-to-one interactions enabled the teacher to identify exactly the type of mistakes the pupils made and immediate remediation was rendered through scaffolding in the structured conferencing technique.
A total of 56 students (8 year-olds) from two intact classes of a local school participated in this pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study. One class had the computer-assisted oral skills learning intervention with peer-modeling and the other class without peer-modeling. A school-based oral semestral examination was used as the pre-test and also to determine students’ CL oral ability. Four one-hour sessions of each intervention were enacted during curriculum time over a one-week period. After the intervention, a post-test to assess students’ oral competency was conducted.
A key study finding is that students who had the intervention with peer-modeled oral stimuli (Class 1) performed significantly better on the pos-test than those who had the intervention without peer-modeling (Class 2). It is observed that the gender variable did not affect students’ computer-assisted oral skills learning within each intervention and between interventions as evidenced by their post-test results. The same finding is observed for the CL oral ability variable within each intervention, that is, low- and high-ability students in each intervention did not differ in their performance on the post-test. But an interesting finding is noted for between interventions. Compared to their counterparts in Class 2 (without peer-modeling), the low-ability students in Class 1 (with peer-modeling) had performed significantly better at the post-test. But the high-ability students in both classes did not differ on their post-test performance. Computer-assisted oral skills learning with peer-modeled oral stimuli had benefited the low-ability students.
The findings were discussed in relation to benefits of using peer models in language learning and technology for enhancing and motivating student learning. In addition, future directions of research were discussed with practical suggestions to help classroom teachers implement peer-modeling strategies for language learning.
The study found that most pupils committed errors in the comprehension, transformation and process skills stage. Comprehension errors included the misinterpretation of the meanings of the numerator or denominator of a given simple fraction in the context of the questions, misinterpretation of the denominator of a fraction as representing the actual number of a whole in context to the question and misinterpretation of ‘x/y of a remainder’ and relate it to a given known quantity in the context of the question. The transformation errors made by pupils also included mistranslation of a given fraction of a whole into a comparison model of two wholes, mistranslation of two given like fractions of a whole as two fractions of two wholes instead, mistranslation of two given unlike fractions of two different wholes and being unable to change to their equivalent fractions for repartitioning and mistranslation of ‘a/b of the remainder’ as ‘a/b of the whole’ instead in the model. Formulating incorrect number statement to represent relationships among parts in the model drawing is the error committed under the process skill stage.
The improvement in the pupils’ marks in post-test 1 and post-test 2 as compared to the pre-test also proved that the Newman Error Analysis Guideline was useful in diagnosing pupils’ errors. Together with the Structured Conferencing interview sessions, it was a programme which benefited both the teacher and the pupils. Such one-to-one interactions enabled the teacher to identify exactly the type of mistakes the pupils made and immediate remediation was rendered through scaffolding in the structured conferencing technique.
Date Issued
2012
Call Number
PL1068.S55 Zou
Date Submitted
2012