Abstract
This chapter examines the use of computer-mediated communicatio n (CMC) technologies in second and foreign language education from the perspective of sociocultural theory. Drawing on the concept of mediation pervasive in Vygotskian psychology, research that has examined the way that CMC affords and constrains communicative activity and learning opportunities is presented. While early developments in the 1990s focused on some basic questions regarding new technologies’ potential benefits for language learning, the major contribution of research conducted since the end of the twentieth century has been a focus on how CMC connects people across time and space. Current research, it is argued, reflects the normalization of CMC, which has become ubiquitous in most domains of everyday life. Thus, we no longer ask whether or not CMC should be used in language education but rather how and when it is the best tool for the job. This brings about a variety of challenges, but also important possibilities, regarding curricular goals and decisions about when and how to use different CMC technologies in order to meet learning objectives. Future directions for research that center on the nature and complexity of mediation in CMC and the relationship between CMC-mediated and non-CMC-mediated learning opportunities are discussed.
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Notes
- 1.
Vygotskian sociocultural psychology (e.g., Vygotsky 1978, 1986), is often—if not normally—called “sociocultural theory” in applied linguistics (see Lantolf and Thorne 2006), but I will avoid the singular “theory” in preference for “psychology” in order to avoid ambiguity, as well as to better reflect the nature of the theory.
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van Compernolle, R.A. (2017). Sociocultural Approaches to Technology Use in Language Education. In: Thorne, S., May, S. (eds) Language, Education and Technology. Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02237-6_36
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