Abstract
This chapter presents key findings from a 4-year research engagement with a school in New Zealand that has embraced the opportunity to teach the Net Generation. We have followed the school’s implementation of the foreign languages (FL) curriculum for its Year 7 and 8 students (age 11+ to 12+) through a combination of forward-thinking leadership and technologically rich programme design incorporating a blended model. Following a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest approach, we collected data to measure the effects on students’ FL proficiency and motivation as a result of a dedicated online writing peer-tutoring initiative. Our study enabled us to consider the interplay between motivating the learner, educational leadership and curriculum design, and our data provided evidence of students’ engagement in meaningful and authentic written interactions. Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires and summative interviews with students indicated benefits in terms of motivation towards language learning, and engagement with peers as tutors and tutees. Our findings demonstrate that, although not without its limitations, when it comes to motivating netizens to learn an FL, there is considerable potential in technology-mediated peer tutoring. For several learners, learning a language online optimised conditions for authentic interaction and genuine collaboration with others while learners co-constructed new knowledge. Although working under the guidance of their teachers, students exercised agency in the nature and form of the interactions, becoming the drivers of their own learning as true members of the Net Generation.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
One interesting example of this, noted by a student in the 2012 cohort, was the opportunity to share images of each other’s lunchboxes, and compare and contrast them.
References
Australian Learning and Teaching Council. (2009). Educating the net generation: A handbook of findings for practice and policy. http://www.netgen.unimelb.edu.au/downloads/handbook/NetGenHandbookAll.pdf. Accessed 1 Sept 2013.
Boekaerts, M. (2010). The crucial role of motivation and emotion in classroom learning. In H. Dumont, D. Istance, & F. Benavides (Eds.), The nature of learning: Using research to inspire practice (pp. 91–111): Paris: OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. http://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/thenatureoflearningusingresearchtoinspirepractice.htm. Accessed 4 Oct 2013.
Calkins, A. & Vogt, K. (2013). Next generation learning: The pathway to possibility. Washington, DC: Educause. http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/NGW1301.pdf. Accessed 6 Sept 2013.
Council of Europe. (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Dörnyei, Z. (2001a). Motivational strategies in the language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Dörnyei, Z. (2001b). New themes and approaches in second language motivation research. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 21, 43–59.
Dumont, H., Istance, D., & Benavides, F. (Eds.). (2010). The nature of learning: Using research to inspire practice. OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. http://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/thenatureoflearningusingresearchtoinspirepractice.htm.
East, M. (2009). Promoting positive attitudes towards foreign language learning: A New Zealand initiative. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 30(6), 493–507.
East, M. (2012). Working towards a motivational pedagogy for school programmes in additional languages. Curriculum Matters, 8, 128–147.
East, M., Tolosa, C., & Villers, H. (2012). Reciprocal role peer tutoring: Can it enhance students’ motivation and perceptions of proficiency when learning a foreign language? Babel, 47(1), 24–31.
Ford, B. L. (1983). An overview of hot-deck procedures. In W. G. Madow, I. Olkin, & D. B. Rubin (Eds.), Incomplete data in sample surveys (pp. 185–207). New York: Academic.
Johnson, L., Levine, A., Smith, R., & Stone, S. (2010). The 2010 Horizon Report. Austin: The New Media Consortium. http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2010/. Accessed 26 July 2013.
Lightbown, P., & Spada, N. (2006). How languages are learned (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Long, M. (2000). Focus on form in task-based language teaching. In R. D. Lambert & E. Shohamy (Eds.), Language policy and pedagogy: Essays in honor of A. Ronald Walton (pp. 179–192). Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
McCrindle, M. (2006). New generations at work: Attracting, recruiting, retraining & training Generation Y. http://www.mccrindle.com.au/wp_pdf/NewGenerationsAtWork.pdf. Accessed 16 Aug 2012.
Noels, K., Pelletier, L., Clement, R., & Vallerand, R. (2000). Why are you learning a second language? Motivational orientations and self-determination theory. Language Learning, 50(1), 57–85.
O’Dowd, R. (Ed.). (2007). Online intercultural exchange: An introduction for foreign language teachers. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Oblinger, D.G., & Oblinger, J.L. (2005). Educating the net generation. Washington, DC: Educause. http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/pub7101.pdf. accessed 25/04/2012
Pell, T., & Jarvis, T. (2001). Developing attitude to science scales for use with children of ages from five to 11 years. International Journal of Science Education, 23(8), 847–862.
Thonus, T. (2004). What are the differences? Tutor interactions with first- and second-language writers. Journal of Second Language Writing, 13, 227–242.
Thurston, A. (2004). Promoting multicultural education in the primary classroom: Broadband videoconferencing facilities and digital video. Computers & Education, 43, 165–177.
Thurston, A., Duran, D., Cunningham, E., Blanch, S., & Topping, K. (2009). International on-line reciprocal peer tutoring to promote modern language development in primary schools. Computers & Education, 53(2), 462–472.
Tolosa, C., East, M., & Villers, H. (2013). On-line peer feedback in beginners’ writing tasks: Lessons learned. The IALLT Journal for Language Learning Technologies, 43(1), 1–24.
van Lier, L. (1996). Interaction in the language curriculum. Awareness, autonomy and authenticity. London: Longman.
Villers, H., Tolosa, C., & East, M. (2010). Implementing Learning Languages in the intermediate school sector: How one school is meeting the challenge. The New Zealand Language Teacher, 36, 47–52.
Villers, H., Tolosa, C., & East, M. (2011). Language learning in the third space: Students changing learning trajectories. In J. Parr, H. Hedges, & S. May (Eds.), Changing trajectories of teaching and learning (pp. 165–178). Wellington: NZCER.
Ware-Paige, D., & O’Dowd, R. (2008). Peer feedback on language form in telecollaboration. Language Learning & Technology, 12(1), 43–63.
Warschauer. (2011). Learning in the cloud: How (and why) to transform schools with digital media. New York: Teachers College Press.
Wong, J., & Fauverge, A. (1999). LEVERAGE: Reciprocal peer tutoring over broadband networks. ReCALL, 11(1), 133–142.
Wright. (2010). E-learning and implications for New Zealand schools: A literature review. Wellington, NZ. http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/ict/77614. accessed 9/08/2013
Zahner, C., Fauverge, A., & Wong, J. (2000). Task based language learning via audiovisual networks: The LEVERAGE project. In M. Warschauer & R. G. Kern (Eds.), Network-based language teaching: Concepts and practice (pp. 186–203). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Tolosa, C., East, M., Villers, H. (2015). Motivating Twenty-First-Century Learners: The Impact of an Online Reciprocal Peer-Tutoring Initiative for Foreign Language Learning. In: Koh, C. (eds) Motivation, Leadership and Curriculum design. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-230-2_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-230-2_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-287-229-6
Online ISBN: 978-981-287-230-2
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)