Monday, 1 April 2019

Review Journal "The iPad as Mediating Tool to Support EFL Speaking Skills" (Findings Section)



Good to see you again to another post, buddies! In this post I would like to continue reviewing and paraphrasing the Findings Section. Finding section is where you report the findings of your study based upon the methodology [or methodologies] you applied to gather information. It should state the findings of the research arranged in a logical sequence without bias or interpretation. Let's have a look to this journal's findings section.


FINDINGS

The role of the iPad in mediating speaking tasks
            How iPad has been used as meadiating tool between student and L2 is analyzed in this research. In particular, the data shows 1) Students can revise and correct their speaking performance in the iPad storage, and teachers take the tasks and reflected it. Student can develop their autonomy to become larger in doing tasks and improve their competency by repeat their language task as much as they want. The evidence of this research provided in the example that taken from learning observation and interview data. The lack of interest in question practice during EFL caused a student faced some problems in the correct use of questing intonation. He gradually involved in the learning task when he used iPad, it possibly make him to work by his own speed based on his weakness. He became very motivated and finish all his recording, he also listened to the recording he gave to his teacher who gave personal feedback.


“…I didn’t really like repeating questions and intonation, also the teacher was asking me to do
it every lesson. When I started using the iPad, I thought it was a useful exercise. The thing is that
no one can listen to me, so I do the activity and I don’t care what the others think…I feel my
pronunciation has improved a lot”.
(G. student – interview data)

2) This dynamic created collaborative habit where the teachers and students worked together to develop L2 learning base on what has been observed. Evidence of self-reflective and involve collaboration during language task showed by many researches (Lys, 2013; Pellerin, 2014). Self-reflection supported by the use cellular device that possibly to “digital documentation or learning evidence that real and vivid” confirmed by this study (Pellerin 2012a, page. 14). This research gave example the use of iPad to record and listen individual performance as the proof of learning consciousness and students’ self control. By using the function of recording, they can listen, recognize, and change some aspect (e.g. some pronunciations, connecting device to improve fluency, etc.), students talk several time about this. Experience always considered to be their performance reflection as positive practice.

Features of mediation in MALL
            Two different features from tablets mediation in the class have been possibly identificated: they were supporting interaction and facilitate scaffolding. 1)  They possibly can make way to interact speaking based on tasks, one to one or to many, modifiable, and learning oriented. It supported the idea that interaction which based on tasks and mediated computer can be ‘cognitive reinforcement’, which means it gives a new dimension and stimulate learning. iPad especially used to build asynchrony interaction with teacher by students who involved in this research. For example, through the use of specific app like Evernote they can ask and got personalized feedback. The tools was mediating this interaction by giving them a chance to fasten the process of making a good speaking performance. In general, based on techers feedback, students could do speaking tasks with high quality and fast even though it is absolutely that times and amount of mediation needed by each students are different. The tools offer fast working in revision, for example, it impacted to students’ pronunciation.

2) The importance of sfaffolding functions is provided and supported by tablet. Through scaffolding that made in the interaction with medium students might be done out of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). According to Vygotsky “the distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving, and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers” (Vygotsky; 1978, p.86). As a proof for this statement, researcher could see students repeated their recording more than once when class observation was being held. To support their performance, recording is often used as scaffolding technique. Students explained this habit as positive aspect to improve their accuracy.

            Access to many authentic language sample is owned by students; some method is used by tool to mediate their understandings about content and task instruction. First, it is possible to listen to sample as much as they want according to their proficiency in L2, it is in line with what they told. Motivator, Scaffolder and task simplifier are the functions of iPad in this case. Considering  the quality of their performance irrespectively  in foreign language, finally students could finish the tasks by the time provided. This is in line which Lantolf and Thorne (2006) stated, in reality, the frequency and quality of help and mediation needed in new language can be varied depend on sort period of time even though the performance itself doesn’t change significantly from a lesson to another lesson (Aljaafreh & Lantolf, 1994). Students who involved in this research for example, need moments to response positively the lesson mediator from a new tool, it is maybe because the used to know that teacher is only mediator in language class. Therefore, as Lantolf and Thorne (2006, p.208)  supported in the name of development, “while nothing has ostensibly changed in the learner’s actual performance, development has taken place because the quality of mediation needed to prompt the performance has changed.”  As proof from this statement, example, it is actually didn’t necessary for the last lesson, some of scaffolding activities needed in the earlier project, such as following the instructions from pdf file or listening to recording in order to find the key of information. If it is not  has  meaning as a good cognitive dimension  for students the symbols wouldn’t be valuable. Availability of cellular devices are not only known by students as physical tools. This fact also in this research and supporting other research (Pellerin, 2014). Students know how to operate and the keys of media and how to implement it in the daily life. iPad can be tool to learn about second language is unrecognizable by students in the earlier research. Guidance from their teachers is needed in order to take them to the level of recognition. Students are recognized the use of iPad has been impacted their speaking performance after they started to did particular speaking tasks. The move of this perspective doesn’t need to be clarified by teachers explicitly. Furthermore, the difference of the expectations of the students involved  toward realty make it harder. In reality, most of students didn’t believe that iPad can help them with their speaking skills improvement as this research concluded.

That is my paraphrase, thank you for your visit and see you to another post.

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