RecallPub Date : 2021-07-01DOI: 10.1017/S0958344021000124
Sangmin-Michelle Lee
{"title":"An investigation of machine translation output quality and the influencing factors of source texts","authors":"Sangmin-Michelle Lee","doi":"10.1017/S0958344021000124","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344021000124","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The use of machine translation (MT) in the academic context has increased in recent years. Hence, language teachers have found it difficult to ignore MT, which has led to some concerns. Among the concerns, its accuracy has become a major factor that shapes language teachers’ pedagogical decision to use MT in their language classrooms. Despite the urgency of the issue, studies on MT output quality in foreign language education remain scarce. Moreover, as MT is advancing every year, updated studies are imperative. Therefore, the present study investigated the quality of MT outputs (Google Translate) from Korean to English by comparing it with the English-translated texts of intermediate English as a foreign language students. The study also examined the factors within the source texts that affect the quality of MT outputs. Five trained evaluators examined multiple aspects of MT output samples (N = 104) and students’ English texts (N = 104), including mechanics, vocabulary, grammar, and context. The results showed that both texts were equally comprehensible, but MT outperformed the students in most aspects under investigation. The study further found that only two factors in the source texts – punctuation and sentence complexity – influenced MT output quality, whereas lexical and grammatical accuracy, lexical diversity, and contextual understanding did not affect it. Based on the results, the study presents classroom implications for using MT for educational purposes.","PeriodicalId":47046,"journal":{"name":"Recall","volume":"34 1","pages":"81 - 94"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2021-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/S0958344021000124","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44719201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RecallPub Date : 2021-06-30DOI: 10.1017/S0958344021000197
J. Lee
{"title":"An editable learner model for text recommendation for language learning","authors":"J. Lee","doi":"10.1017/S0958344021000197","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344021000197","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Extracurricular reading is important for learning foreign languages. Text recommendation systems typically classify users and documents into levels, and then match users with documents at the same level. Although this approach can be effective, it has two significant shortcomings. First, the levels assume a standard order of language acquisition and cannot be personalized to the users’ learning patterns. Second, recommendation decisions are not transparent because the leveling algorithms can be difficult for users to interpret. We propose a novel method for text recommendation that addresses these two issues. To enhance personalization, an open, editable learner model estimates user knowledge of each word in the foreign language. The documents are ranked by new-word density (NWD) – that is, the percentage of words that are new to the user in the document. The system then recommends documents according to a user-specified target NWD. This design offers complete transparency as users can scrutinize recommendations by reviewing the NWD estimation of the learner model. This article describes an implementation of this method in a mobile app for learners of Chinese as a foreign language. Evaluation results show that users were able to manipulate the learner model and NWD parameters to adjust the difficulty of the recommended documents. In a survey, users reported satisfaction with both the concept and implementation of this text recommendation method.","PeriodicalId":47046,"journal":{"name":"Recall","volume":"34 1","pages":"51 - 65"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2021-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/S0958344021000197","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47254498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RecallPub Date : 2021-05-11DOI: 10.1017/S0958344021000161
Yan Li, Christoph A. Hafner
{"title":"Mobile-assisted vocabulary learning: Investigating receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge of Chinese EFL learners","authors":"Yan Li, Christoph A. Hafner","doi":"10.1017/S0958344021000161","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344021000161","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Considerable research has been conducted on the advancement of mobile technologies to facilitate vocabulary learning and acquisition in a second language (L2). However, whether mobile platforms lead to a comprehensive mastery of both receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge has seldom been addressed in previous literature. This study investigated English vocabulary learning from engagement with mobile-based word cards and paper word cards in the context of the Chinese university classroom. A total of 85 undergraduate students were recruited to take part in the study. The students were divided into two groups, a mobile learning group and a paper-based learning group, and tested on two word knowledge components: receptive knowledge of the form–meaning connection and productive knowledge of collocations. Both the digital and non-digital word cards enhanced L2 vocabulary learning, and the results showed that the mobile application (app) promoted greater gains than physical word cards.","PeriodicalId":47046,"journal":{"name":"Recall","volume":"34 1","pages":"66 - 80"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2021-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/S0958344021000161","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48393866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RecallPub Date : 2021-05-01DOI: 10.1017/S0958344021000094
Elena Martín-Monje, Kate Borthwick
{"title":"Researching massive open online courses for language teaching and learning","authors":"Elena Martín-Monje, Kate Borthwick","doi":"10.1017/S0958344021000094","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344021000094","url":null,"abstract":"There has been an increasing interest in open educational resources, open practices, and open learning spaces in language teaching and learning in the last decade (Comas-Quinn & Borthwick, 2015; Gimeno-Sanz, 2016) in which language massive open online courses (LMOOCs) have played a relevant role. Defined by Bárcena and Martín-Monje (2014: 1) as “dedicated Web-based online courses for second languages with unrestricted access and potentially unlimited participation”, LMOOCs have experienced an exponential growth since their appearance in 2012 (Jitpaisarnwattana, Reinders & Darasawang, 2019), with an unexpected boost due to the recent pandemic, which has led language learning to be in the top 10 subjects of interest in MOOCs (Shah, 2020). MOOCs have caused a stir in the educational landscape, blurring the distinction between formal, non-formal, and informal education, and encouraging new models of content delivery, tuition, assessment, and accreditation. They have been heralded as a serious attempt to democratise higher education, enabling students around the world access to good-quality language learning resources (see, for instance, Mazoue, 2013). MOOCs are both learner centred and socially oriented, and focus on online social interaction and flexible multimodal resources (Bárcena, Read, Martín-Monje & Castrillo, 2014). They eliminate potential problems such as registration fees and compulsory attendance but preserve the essential defining features of an academic course (i.e. syllabus, learning objectives, course materials, activities, teacher–student and student–student interaction, assessment, etc.). There is even the possibility of obtaining a certificate after completing the course, and in some cases participants obtain credits that are valid for further qualifications at university level. Language MOOCs have been acknowledged to be an emergent and expanding research field (Godwin-Jones, 2014; Martín-Monje & Bárcena, 2014; Panagiotidis, 2019), but have been recently identified by Gillespie (2020) as one of the less studied areas in computer-assisted language learning (CALL). Despite this lack of published research, Gillespie notes that “EUROCALL [the European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning] has an LMOOC Special Interest Group, so there is clearly interest in this area” (p. 135) and advises researchers to pursue this endeavour. A systematic review of the published literature in LMOOCs (Sallam, Martín-Monje & Li, 2020) has revealed some interesting issues. The main common features of LMOOC design are (1) a robust set of communications for language learning, (2) short videos with linguistic and cultural content, and (3) assessment tools that are valid for heterogeneous cohorts. The main strengths of","PeriodicalId":47046,"journal":{"name":"Recall","volume":"33 1","pages":"107 - 110"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2021-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/S0958344021000094","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44692733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RecallPub Date : 2021-04-28DOI: 10.1017/S095834402100015X
Cédric Brudermann, M. Grosbois, Cédric Sarré
{"title":"Accuracy development in L2 writing: Exploring the potential of computer-assisted unfocused indirect corrective feedback in an online EFL course","authors":"Cédric Brudermann, M. Grosbois, Cédric Sarré","doi":"10.1017/S095834402100015X","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S095834402100015X","url":null,"abstract":"In a previous study (Sarré, Grosbois & Brudermann, 2019), we explored the effects of various corrective feedback (CF) strategies on interlanguage development for the online component of a blended English as a foreign language (EFL) course we had designed and implemented. Our results showed that unfocused indirect CF (feedback on all error types through the provision of metalinguistic comments on the nature of the errors made) combined with extra computer-mediated micro-tasks was the most efficient CF type to foster writing accuracy development in our context. Following up on this study, this paper further explores the effects of this specific CF type on learners’ written accuracy development in an online EFL course designed for freshmen STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students. In the online course under study, this specific CF type was experimented with different cohorts of STEM learners (N = 1,150) over a five-year period (from 2014 to 2019) and was computer-assisted: CF provision online by a human tutor was combined with predetermined CF comments. The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of this specific CF strategy on error types. In this respect, the data yield encouraging results in terms of writing accuracy development when learners benefit from this computer-assisted specific CF. This study thus helps to gain a better understanding of the role that CF plays in shaping students’ revision processes and could inform language (teacher) education regarding the use of digital tools for the development of foreign language accuracy and the issues related to online CF provision.","PeriodicalId":47046,"journal":{"name":"Recall","volume":"1 1","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2021-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/S095834402100015X","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47600205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RecallPub Date : 2021-04-27DOI: 10.1017/S0958344021000057
Shaoqun Wu, Alannah Fitzgerald, A. Yu, Zexuan Chen
{"title":"What are language learners looking for in a collocation consultation system? Identifying collocation look-up patterns with user query data","authors":"Shaoqun Wu, Alannah Fitzgerald, A. Yu, Zexuan Chen","doi":"10.1017/S0958344021000057","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344021000057","url":null,"abstract":"Corpus consultation with concordancers has been recognized as a promising way for learners to study and explore language features such as collocations at their own pace and in their own time. This study examined 1.5 million search queries sent to a collocation consultation tool called FlaxCLS (Flexible Language Acquisition Collocation Learning System; http://flax.nzdl.org) over a period of two years to identify learners’ collocation look-up patterns. This paper examines and characterizes learners’ look-up patterns as they entered search queries, clicked on the query formation aids provided by the system, and navigated through the different levels of collocation information returned by the system to support collocation learning. We looked at how learners formulated query terms, and we analyzed the characteristics of query words learners entered, the characteristics of collocations they preferred, and the sample sentences they checked. Our collocation look-up pattern analyses, similar to traditional user query analyses of the web, provide interesting and revealing insights that are hard to obtain from small-scale user studies. The findings provide valuable information and pedagogical implications for data-driven learning (DDL) researchers and language teachers in designing tailored collocation consultation systems and activities. This paper also presents multidimensional analyses of learner query data, which, to the best of our knowledge, have not been explored in DDL research.","PeriodicalId":47046,"journal":{"name":"Recall","volume":"1 1","pages":"1-19"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2021-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/S0958344021000057","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47217359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RecallPub Date : 2021-04-23DOI: 10.1017/S0958344021000100
Conchúr Mac Lochlainn, Mairéad Nic Giolla Mhichíl, Elaine Beirne
{"title":"Clicking, but connecting? L2 learning engagement on an ab initio Irish language LMOOC","authors":"Conchúr Mac Lochlainn, Mairéad Nic Giolla Mhichíl, Elaine Beirne","doi":"10.1017/S0958344021000100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344021000100","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Language massive open online courses (LMOOCs) represent an exciting prospect for language teachers and instructors around the globe (Bárcena & Martín-Monje, 2014). In this paper, we report on the dynamics of participation and learner behaviour in an ab initio Irish language course. The course, Irish 101, ran during March 2019, and we used a mixed-methods approach to analyse both typical patterns of behaviour among course participants and learner reflections upon their reasons for doing so. Findings suggest that most learners use the course resources in an assessing and exploratory manner and are far less likely to produce, or to examine, second language (L2) output, either written or spoken. Learners were found to be selective and to demonstrate significant metacognitive awareness (Wenden, 1998) in their interactions and learning methods, displaying agency and exploiting affordances beyond the design of the course itself. Implications for LMOOC design, including the need to question whether courses should emphasise L2 production or resource provision, are considered, in addition to a general need for more granular, dynamic research, so as to better understand the types of learners who engage in LMOOCs and to better cater to diverse learning needs.","PeriodicalId":47046,"journal":{"name":"Recall","volume":"33 1","pages":"111 - 127"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2021-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/S0958344021000100","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41507636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RecallPub Date : 2021-04-23DOI: 10.1017/S0958344021000033
Zsuzsanna Bárkányi
{"title":"Motivation, self-efficacy beliefs, and speaking anxiety in language MOOCs","authors":"Zsuzsanna Bárkányi","doi":"10.1017/S0958344021000033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344021000033","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This paper examines the role of motivation, anxiety, and self-efficacy beliefs and their interplay with regard to speaking on beginners’ Spanish LMOOCs. It answers three research questions: (1) what are learners’ motivations and goals for joining these LMOOCs and how do these relate to foreign language speaking anxiety; (2) how do learners’ self-efficacy beliefs and anxiety levels change as a result of course completion; and (3) is there a correlation between motivation, foreign language speaking anxiety, and self-efficacy beliefs in this context? A mixed-methods research design used quantitative and qualitative data gathered from self-reflective questionnaires and forum discussions. The results reveal that learners with intrinsic motivation are more likely to complete the courses than those who sign up to manage a personal situation or advance in their career or studies. No direct correlation was, however, found between motivation and the other variables under scrutiny. Learners present higher self-efficacy beliefs at the end of the courses than at the beginning, while anxiety levels are affected to a much smaller degree by course completion. Although spoken interactions in this learning environment are not synchronous, apprehension and anxiety prevent many learners from fully participating in the speaking activities.","PeriodicalId":47046,"journal":{"name":"Recall","volume":"33 1","pages":"143 - 160"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2021-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/S0958344021000033","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42957637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RecallPub Date : 2021-04-19DOI: 10.1017/S0958344021000148
Fatemeh Nami
{"title":"Developing in-service teachers’ pedagogical knowledge of CALL through project-oriented tasks: The case of an online professional development course","authors":"Fatemeh Nami","doi":"10.1017/S0958344021000148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344021000148","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The growing popularity of online CALL professional development (PD) courses and programs has necessitated a more in-depth look into their design. For so doing, a qualitative case study was carried out to explore how project-based learning (PBL) contributes to six in-service teachers’ CALL PD. Drawing on data obtained from technology-review projects and follow-up discussions, it was observed that the experience of review, reflection, and discussion enhanced participants’ technological knowledge, along with their attention to the affordances and constraints of different tools, their application for materials development or selection, and CALL evaluation. The potential contribution of this study to PD research lies in the account of how inquiry-oriented projects can be defined into the design of a CALL PD. The integration strategies are applicable for online PD attempts across various contexts.","PeriodicalId":47046,"journal":{"name":"Recall","volume":"34 1","pages":"110 - 125"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2021-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/S0958344021000148","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42453975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
RecallPub Date : 2021-04-15DOI: 10.1017/S095834402100001X
M. Hassanzadeh, E. Saffari, Saeed Rezaei
{"title":"The impact of computer-aided concept mapping on EFL learners’ lexical diversity: A process writing experiment","authors":"M. Hassanzadeh, E. Saffari, Saeed Rezaei","doi":"10.1017/S095834402100001X","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S095834402100001X","url":null,"abstract":"Nowadays, many second/foreign language (L2) academic writing instruction programs place a high premium on pre-writing strategies. The current study examined the effect of software-supported concept mapping on lexical diversity (LD) of English learners’ argumentative essays within a process writing framework. Additionally, the relationship between the learners’ LD and their overall writing quality was investigated. To this end, 53 university English as a foreign language (EFL) undergraduates were assigned to a computer-aided concept mapping (CACM) and a traditional outlining condition over a span of seven weeks. The CACM group was instructed through the graphic organizer software Inspiration®, whereas the comparison group underwent outlining instruction for planning their writing tasks. Measure of textual lexical diversity (MTLD) was used to assess the so-called D values of the assignments. The results revealed that the CACM group outperformed the outlining group in terms of LD scores. Also, no relationship was found between LD and overall quality of the essays. The findings provide L2 researchers and teachers with insights into understanding the use of CACM strategy in process writing. Moreover, exploiting MTLD afforded our experiment the opportunity to counteract potential pitfalls associated with text size. Further implications for the L2 teacher are also discussed.","PeriodicalId":47046,"journal":{"name":"Recall","volume":"1 1","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2021-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/S095834402100001X","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49192723","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}