Communication Technology and Teacher-Student Relationship in the Tertiary ESL Classroom During the Pandemic: A Case Study.

Autor: Yeung MY; Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education, The Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong SAR, China., Cheng HH; Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education, The Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong SAR, China., Chan PT; Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education, The Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong SAR, China., Kwok DW; Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education, The Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: SN computer science [SN Comput Sci] 2023; Vol. 4 (2), pp. 202. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Feb 10.
DOI: 10.1007/s42979-023-01667-7
Abstrakt: Introduction: The study aims to present the potential benefits and challenges of incorporating communication technology (CT), namely synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) (e.g., Zoom Video Communications), computer-mediated communication (CMC) (e.g., WhatsApp), and social networking sites (SNS) (e.g., Instagram) into the tertiary classroom based on the honest account of four English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers during the pandemic. The authors intend to explore the efficacy of SCMC in lowering language anxiety and in fostering closer teacher-student relationship as suggested by the previous literature (Abraham in Comput Assist Lang Learn 21:199-226, 2008; Aristika and Juandi in Emerg Sci J 5:443-456, 2021; Darhower in Synchronous computer-mediated communication in the intermediate foreign language class: a sociocultural case study, University of Pittsburgh, 2000; Hagenauer and Volet in Oxf Rev Educ 40:370-388, 2014).
Method: Qualitative data collected from the authors' teaching reflections over a 13-week period were analyzed from a third-person perspective. The above collaborative autoethnography (CAE) approach was adopted in face of the then difficulties in data collection given factors such as social-distancing during the pandemic. The authors selected and agreed on the key observations, feelings, and anecdotes worth-examining in their first-time online teaching experience at informal group interviews facilitated by SCMC.
Findings: It was identified by the authors that learners' text-based production in the target language increased possibly due to the novelty of online learning platforms, lower affective variables, and a closer teacher-student relationship fostered by teachers' increased self-disclosure and the reduced formality in communication technology. Despite the above potential benefits of CT in ESL, challenges, such as an increasingly blurred teacher-student professional distance, students' increased code-mixed production in their L1 and L2, and the resultant 'teacher burnout' due to the obscured concept of standard office hours, were observed. The incorporation of CT into English Language Teaching (ELT) is desirable for its potential benefits in the affective domain of both teachers and students. However, it is recommended that teachers should establish guidelines in the use of CMC and SNSs both inside and outside class to avoid boundary and privacy issues as well as deviation from the initial lesson objectives.
Competing Interests: Conflict of interestAll authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.
(© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd 2023, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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