Anthony Young

Synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) offers second/foreign language (L2/FL) learners’ interactional environments that are unique to face-to-face (F2F) communication. Such modes have the potential to facilitate better learning outcomes under certain conditions. The aim of this study was to compare the capacity of two online modes – text chat and voice chat – to promote uptake of targeted vocabulary in an English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom setting. Three distinct tasks (opinion exchange, dictogloss, problem-solving task) were used to measure the effectiveness of both modes to facilitate immediate and delayed uptake compared to F2F communication. The study investigated: (1) how task design and communication mode affected EFL uptake; (2) the effect time allocation had; and (3) the degree to which task perceptions differed depending on communication mode. The effectiveness of the three modes and tasks was measured using a series of pre-tests and post-tests. Post-questionnaires and interviews were also conducted to gain insight into the participants’ perceptions of the tasks. The investigation revealed both similarities and differences in the way SCMC and F2F communication affected learner uptake and demonstrated that certain task design features, such as input, time allocation, and goal orientation, can play a role in the effectiveness of text chat and voice chat to promote uptake in the EFL classroom.

Machine Translation (MT) increasingly has the potential to facilitate or impede second language learning in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. To understand teacher and EFL learner perspectives about its use, two surveys of 20 university professors (10 non-native English teachers and 10 native English teachers) and 139 EFL students were carried out. To measure MT’s capacity to promote language awareness, a comparative study with an online dictionary was done, using two translation tasks, a posttest, and a post-questionnaire. The preliminary survey results revealed variations in how learners and teachers perceive text-based machine translation as a valuable tool for language learning and how much they felt its use by students in educational settings should be accepted. Analysis of the posttest also found significant differences in the capacity of DeepL (MT network) to promote language awareness compared to the online dictionary, which aligned with the students’ post-questionnaire feedback. These results emphasise the need for additional research and workplace dialogues going forward, regarding the incorporation and supervision of MT in L2 instruction.