CALL, MALL, and other technology-related issues
Shima Taheri; Hooshang Khoshsima; Ali Beikian; Amir Mohammadian
Abstract
Technology integration into language learning has appeared as a prominent research focus in the past few years. The present study aimed to investigate the comparative effects of using Dropbox Paper as an online collaborative tool versus traditional non-collaborative writing instruction on the academic ...
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Technology integration into language learning has appeared as a prominent research focus in the past few years. The present study aimed to investigate the comparative effects of using Dropbox Paper as an online collaborative tool versus traditional non-collaborative writing instruction on the academic writing skills of Iranian EFL learners across varying proficiency levels. The research utilized a quasi-experimental research design, focusing on the collection and analysis of quantitative data. A total of 90 Iranian EFL learners were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either the experimental group, which utilized Dropbox Paper for collaborative academic writing, or the control group, which engaged in non-collaborative writing methods. Each group contained 45 learners with three different proficiency groups, i.e., high, mid, and low. The instructional phase included a pretest, followed by targeted instruction on academic essay writing for two months for both groups. Collaborative practices using Dropbox Paper as an online collaborative tool to write comments and notes and to receive teacher and peer feedback on their writings were considered for the experimental group and only direct teacher's feedback for the control group, culminating in a posttest to evaluate the outcomes. The findings highlighted the need to align technology-enhanced writing instruction with learners’ proficiency levels. Collaborative tools like Dropbox Paper are more effective for mid and high-proficiency learners, emphasizing the importance of scaffolding for lower-proficiency learners to ensure equitable benefits. These insights provide practical guidance for integrating collaborative tools into EFL classrooms to optimize writing instruction.
Mohammad Nabi Karimi; Eskandar Samadi; Esmat Babaii
Abstract
The present study explored the effect of semantic priming in the resolution of ambiguous sentences containing Relative Clauses (RCs) preceded by a complex Noun Phrase (NP) by L1-Persian learners of L2 English. The type of semantic relationship examined was the one between the RC and one of the NPs in ...
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The present study explored the effect of semantic priming in the resolution of ambiguous sentences containing Relative Clauses (RCs) preceded by a complex Noun Phrase (NP) by L1-Persian learners of L2 English. The type of semantic relationship examined was the one between the RC and one of the NPs in the complex NP to find out whether semantic manipulation through priming one of the NPs to the RC can affect L2 learners’ attachment preference. The participants were 60 L1-Persian learners of L2 English with different proficiency levels. In a self-paced Paraphrase Decision Task using E-prime software, their reading times and attachment preferences while reading ambiguous sentences were examined. The low-proficiency participants’ off-line (RC attachment preferences) and on-line data (reading times) were compared with off-line and on-line data obtained from high-proficiency participants. The results revealed that in both groups, semantic priming affected participants’ attachment preferences. These findings are consistent with Constraint-based Models of sentence processing, which assume that several sources of information, including semantics, are used in sentence processing. The results also support predictions of the Spreading Activation Model. There were also significant differences between the two groups, low-proficiency participants fully transferred their L1 (Persian) processing strategies to their L2 (English). However, high-proficiency participants processed sentences similarly to native English speakers even though there were still traces of their L1 parsing preferences which is consistent with Shallow Structure Hypothesis.
