Chapter One Introduction

1.1 Research Background

The concept of interactive learning is not new to the so-called “technologygeneration,” and in fact has only recently come to be associated with computers.Decades ago, any learning that involved more than simple lecture and regurgitationwas considered interactive. Ever since computers have become a mainstream part ofmost industrialized societies, educators at all levels have been looking for ways tointegrate technology into the classroom. Interactive learning depends on computeruse, but it is usually far more than simple computer education-learning to type, tooperate basic software, and to locate resources online are important skills certainly,but do not usually come under the umbrella of interactive learning. Most of the time,interactivity is about the integration of computers into regular lessons.Interactive learning in the web-based instructional environment is an effectivelearning method. Opposite to passive learning, which is merely observing a learningprocess or just listening to information, interactive learning describes a method ofacquiring information through interactive means. Interactive learning has evolved outof the hyper-growth in the use of digital technology and virtual communication,particularly by students. Thus, web-based teaching requires new instructionalpractices built on a unique relationship between learners and instructors.

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1.2 Significance and Purpose of the Thesis

It is of both theoretical and practical significance to conduct this study.Although the investigation of the effect of interaction in web -based environment hascommenced for some time, most researches are implemented from the way thatlimited in forms and performance, which lack meaningful interaction in WBLE andspecific way to operate. It is doubt that whether the findings on general learningcould be applicable to developing learners’ language ability and learning ability.Although there exist some researchers trying to explore the roles of interactionon second language teaching and learning in medium-equipped environment,especially in China they only explained their results based on using computers orPPT to lecture without providing sufficient evidence about how web-basedenvironment actually changes learners psychologically. Therefore, a furtherexploration is needed to explore how the WBLE influences the listeners’ interactionwith teachers, peers and computers, thus influences their second language ability andlearning ability.Besides, this study is of great practical significance. As what has beensummarized of the studies of interactional instruction, conclusions about the effectsof WBLE is not consistent even though the EFL teachers and scholars began to putemphasis on interactive learning classroom a long time ago. The present study couldprovide some observable implications for all EFL teachers and learners.

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Chapter Two Literature Review

2.1 Previous Studies on L2 Classroom Interaction

L2 classroom interaction research began in the 1960s with the aim of evaluatingthe effectiveness of different methods in foreign language teaching in the hope thatthe findings would show the best method and its characteristics. The methodologyadopted was strongly influenced by first language (LI) classroom teaching researchwhich was motivated by the need to assess objectively the teaching performance ofstudent-teachers during practical teaching. Various classroom observationinstruments have been proposed to capture the language used by the teacher and theinteraction generated. These interaction analysis studies revealed that classroomprocesses are extremely complex and that a prescriptive approach to ascertain thebest method would be fundamentally flawed if the descriptive techniques areinadequate. Research efforts therefore turned to coping with problems of description(Allwright, 1988), and the focus of classroom interaction studies shifted fromprescriptive to descriptive and from evaluative to awareness-raising.

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2.2 Defining Interaction and Interactive Learning

Interaction is “an exchange of thoughts, ideas or feelings between two or morepeople hoping to result in a reciprocal effect on each other” (Brown, 2001, p. 159). Interaction is not just a matter of words, but it is an affective temperamental issue notmerely a question of someone saying something to someone else and someone elsetaking it and answering. So, there must be cultivated relationships that encourageinitiation of interactive activities from teacher to student or each side (Rivers, 2000).According to Brown (2001, pp. 54-70), the following key principles are listed toform foundation stones for constructing a theory of interaction in languageclassroom: In whatever kind of teaching, interaction is always the heart. Particularly inforeign language classroom settings, interaction is “an integral part of the languageclassroom because it builds rapport between the teacher and students” (Cho, 2003, p.1). All learning is interactive in the sense that learners interact with content toprocess, tasks to accomplish, and/or problems to solve. “Real interaction requires theteacher to step out of the limelight, to cede a full role to the student in developingand carrying through activities, to accept all kinds of options, and to be tolerant oferrors t he student make while attempting to communicate” (Rivers, 1997, p. 9).

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Chapter Three Methodology ........... 22

3.1 Research Question .......... 22

3.2 Subjects......... 23

3.3 Instrument ........... 24

3.4 Procedures........... 26

3.5 Data Collection ......... 37

Chapter Four Results and Discussions........ 39

4.1 Results........... 39

4.1.1 Results of Before-Semester Questionnaire ..... 39

4.1.2 Results of After – semester Questionnaire...... 40

4.1.3 Results of Tests ........... 41

4.1.4 Results of Interviews ........ 45

4.2 Discussions ......... 46

Chapter Five Conclusion .......... 48

5.1 Pedagogical Implications for Interactional Teaching Practice in Classroom ........48

5.2 Pedagogical Implications for Interactional Learning Practice in Classroom........ 50

5.4 Limitations of the Present Study and Suggestions for Future Studies.... 54

Chapter Five Conclusion

5.1 Pedagogical Implications for Interactional Teaching Practice inClassroom

A major concern of L2 teachers is how to generate rich and meaningfulinteraction in the classroom which will facilitate SLA. Many teachers find it difficultto engage students in interaction, especially in teacher-fronted settings. The researchfindings summarized above have a number of pedagogical implications. First, whenstudents fail to respond to the teacher’s question, it may be because the questionswere too complex, inappropriately phrased or contained difficult vocabulary items. Ifthe question is too complex, then the modifications should be comprehension-oriented, such as paraphrasing difficult words, simplifying syntax and making themain point salient. If it is inappropriately phrased, then the modifications should beresponse-oriented, such as rephrasing into several simple questions to which thestudents can respond more easily (Tsui, 1995, pp. 56-64). One effective way is to askteachers to video-tape their own lessons and examine questions which fail to elicitresponses. For example, in an L2 lesson the teacher put on the board a newspaperheadline Police to pursue crooked cabbies and asked the students what is it? Nevermind what it means but what is it? When no response was forthcoming, he modifiedit as Where would you find this? However, after 8.5 seconds there was still noresponse.

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Conclusion

Even though, as detailed above, the literature has provided a number of idealizedinstructional strategies for enhancing online interaction, they are not sufficient forcollege instructors or instructional designers in real practice. Most components in theresearch were supposed be what they should be. Instructors and instructionaldesigners cannot be expected to know how to apply the idealized strategies to theirown online courses without considerable support. What’ more the sample in thepresent study is not representative enough. The researcher just chose subjects fromtwo parallel classes in college in order to ensure the equivalence of two classes’average English level before the experiment. For further research, a larger scale studycould be carried out with more subjects at different English proficiency levels so asthat research findings will be more convincing, thus better represent the wholepopulation. Instructors may also have reservations as to whether the above strategiesare truly effective in practice. Instructors and instructional designers need clearerguidelines, practical examples, and especially field-related information from otherinstructors regarding the use of these strategies. By reviewing the successes andfailures found in real cases, instructors are able to get a clearer picture of whatmeaningful interaction is and how meaningful interaction may be supported it inonline courses.

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Reference (omitted)