Text chat during video/audio conferencing lessons: scaffolding or getting in the way?

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    15 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Private online language tutoring is growing in popularity. An important prerequisite for development of effective pedagogies in this context is a good understanding of how different modalities can be combined. This study provides a detailed account of how several experienced private online teachers use text chat in their Skype-based English lessons, and the pedagogical role and interactional effect of these interactions. The study investigates the relationship between characteristics of a text message and students’ observable reaction to this message. The study employs a sequential Qualitative-Quantitative design and finds that text chat serves pedagogical and organizational roles in the analyzed context and that several characteristics of a text message were correlated with students’ reaction to messages. Specifically, students were more likely to incorporate a text message if: (a) it introduced new vocabulary, and (b) if it was produced bimodally (speaking and typing). The study also finds that teacher typing may have a negative effect on students’ fluency and teachers’ attention to student language production. The study calls for further research to investigate how written and spoken channels can be effectively combined in one-to-one English lessons via video/audio conferencing lessons.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)231-259
    Number of pages29
    JournalCALICO journal
    Volume33
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2016

    Keywords

    • effect of teacher typing
    • language lessons via Skype
    • LEVAC, multimodal lessons
    • private online tutoring
    • text chat
    • video/audio conferencing

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