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Exploring the utility of a video‐based online EFL discussion forum
Author(s) -
Huang HengTsung Danny,
Hung ShaoTing Alan
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
british journal of educational technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.79
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1467-8535
pISSN - 0007-1013
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01373.x
Subject(s) - citation , computer science , library science , world wide web
Background Online discussion forums represent “online collaborative learning spaces in which communities become engaged in the discourse on a topic about which they share common interests or goals” (Montero, Watts & Garcia-Carbonell, 2007, p. 568). This digital communication modality has been claimed to enhance second/foreign language (L2) learning by facilitating and archiving group interactions in a threaded structure, enabling meta-commenting, fostering higher-order information processing through permitting reflections on peer contributions and so forth (Godwin-Jones, 2003; Lamy & Hampel, 2007; Thomas, 2002). However, to date, although L2 studies that examined the effectiveness of online discussion forums in enhancing language learning outcomes abound, most worked with text-based forums that only supported written exchanges (eg, Liaw, 2007); few, if any, efforts have been made to investigate the utility of video-based online discussion forums in strengthening language proficiency. Since video technology affords the possibility of visually presenting both verbal and nonverbal messages (Mayer, 2002) and could as such influence group dynamics, personal appearance and individual language variations (Godwin-Jones, 2003), the current research thus attempted to explore English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ perceptions of participating in a video-based online discussion forum as a way to augment their English competence.