The reading of this week "Noticeing and text-based chat" argues the possibilities of the effect of Computer-Mediated Communication (chatting) on Noticing. This article concludes that text-based chatting elicits learners' attention on what they typed on the chat, which is a necessary factor for second language acquisition according to the Noticing Hypothesis. Although I agree with the point that text-based chat can work good for noticing, I doubt if it really works for SLA. The reading shows that learners' self error correction occurs more in text-based chatting than face-to-face conversation, it does not show that this error corrections enhanced their language acquisition. Also, the article does not mention the negative aspect of the frequent error correction: it can interrupt the fluency of the communication. The data shows that the face-to-face conversation has less self correction than text-based chat, it does not mean that it is less efficient for SLA. I think that the face-to-face conversation does good for learners fluency (while text-based chat does good to their accuracy). Ann E. Chun et al's study (1982) shows that in native-nonnative conversations, native speakers correct nonnative speakers' errors in terms of vocabulary, not too frequently to keep the fluency of conversation. This projects another point of view on the article in that error correction from the face-to-face interlocutor can work good on SLA.
My question is that how Computer-Mediated Communication (text-based chat) should be used to enhance the learner's acquisition. Should it be used to improve their accuracy? Or should it be used for their fluency improvement?
My current answer is that since chatting is casual, not very academic, it will work better when the purpose is set on the improvement of the learner's fluency, not accuracy.
What do you think?
Reference:
Ann E. Chun, Richard R. Day, N. Ann Chenoweth, Stuart Luppescu (1982) "Errors, Interaction, and Correction: A Study of Native-Nonnative Conversations" TESOL QUARTERLY Vol. 16, No. 4 December 1982.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3586471
I think the teacher could possibly provide a topic for students to discuss which might focus on fluency and then have students print their conversation and review it as a way to incorporate accuracy.
ReplyDeleteI think it has the potential to help with both fluency and accuracy. If students used a voice communication tool, rather than IMing, they have the potential to gain a lot of experience with fluency. But again, they need to be closely monitored, at least in the beginning, to assure that they are acquiring the proper speaking skills.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comments.
ReplyDelete>Erin
I imagined grammar-only accuracy when I used "accuracy" so I was thinking that chatting will be better used for fluency, but yeah, it can connect fluency to accuracy in conversation. Thank you.
>Deena
Yeah, it's important to assure that the task is for speaking skills if we want to focus on it! Thanks.