Research on Technology Use

Assistant Professor
Chinese University of Hong Kong

With the increased use of the Internet, online reading has become a major source of input for English as a foreign/second language (EFL/ESL) teachers as it provides them with authentic and motivating language for language teaching and learning. input as well as a fundamental skill for lifelong learning. Online texts are typically nonlinear, interactive, and inclusive of multiple media forms and are characterized by their richness and depth of the information they provide through nodes of information that are linked together. Each of these characteristics affords new opportunities while also presenting a range of challenges that requires new thought processes for meaning-making and constant decision-making regarding their reading order and the sources of information they need to use. Thus, it is critical to make EFL/ESL teachers consciously aware of online reading strategies.
The purpose of this project is to examine the complexity of online reading strategies used by eleven pre-service EFL teachers in the Republic of Korea. Individual participants read on the Internet, with the goal of developing technology-enhanced lesson plan incorporating their selected online resources. Internet reading strategies and teacher cognition were analyzed using participants' verbal reports, eye-tracking data, and triangulated complementary data (e.g., computer screen recordings and online reading strategies survey data). Results demonstrate the role that these strategies play in constructing meaning and decision making from Internet texts, as well as the interactive patterns of strategy identified in the Internet reading and lesson planning tasks. Findings from the project may offer insights into the types, patterns, and complexities of reading strategies used in the pre-service EFL teachers' Internet reading and lesson design. The project's findings and interpretation may also contribute to the foundational understanding of the link between reading strategies and new literacies of online reading comprehension involved in online reading tasks.
 
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Assistant Professor
Zhejiang University, China

Link to Hong Ma's second presentation

Assistant Professor
University of Saskatchewan, Canada

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced school courses around the world to be moved online. Educators have never been more eager to know how online classes can be delivered while maintaining high quality. One of the key indicators of effective teaching is a high-level of student engagement, which can be conceptualized as a multi-dimensional construct (for example., emotional, performance, skill, and participation engagement). To contribute to this on-going discussion about effective online teaching, the study reports on an analysis of the relationship between university students' engagement and pedagogical activities in online English classes at Zhejiang University, China, during the pandemic. An online survey was used to collect 286 students' responses to a modified 4-factor Online Student Engagement (OSE) Scale, along with their evaluation of the engagement levels of 12 pedagogical activities used in these classes, and technology use experiences. The analysis results indicate that students' engagement dimensions were associated with slightly different combinations of pedagogical activities. While activities like in-class videos, online discussions, video lectures, and group chat, were significant predictors of two or more of the four dimensions of engagement, some activities were more conducive to a higher level of a particular engagement dimension. engagement. For example, student's typed responses and online exercises were unique contributors to the emotional dimension of engagement. In addition, the frequency of technology use was significantly associated with the participation dimension of engagement. The findings will shed light on effective online teaching pedagogies and possible pitfalls by establishing the connection between students' engagement and teachers' instructional strategies.
 
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