Exploring Saudi EFL Distance Learners' Attitudes towards Synchronous CMC: Effects on Language Use

Assignment Requirements: Dissertation

 

I would like the writer to start working on the literature review first. Then I would prefer if I have a direct contact with the writer so we can work on the rest of the dissertation step by step.

The word count has to be 12000 words. So the abstract, appendixes, and the list of references should not be included in the word count.

Please feel free to email me for any further concerns.

FORM ONE: CRITICAL STUDY PROPOSAL 2013/14

 

STUDENT NAME	Reham Basabain
STUDENT NUMBER
PROGRAMME (incl. Full time/Part time)	TESOL and ICT
DATE FORM SUBMITTED

Please complete the information below as far as you can, under the following headings, and return it via email to your programme manager.

Training in Ethics: What training have your received related to ethics in research? This may include your reading and/or sessions in modules you have taken or audited.

 

Topic of proposed research: What is the research about? What is its provisional title?

 

The research is going to be a field study on Saudi EFL distance learners to explore their attitudes towards using synchronous CMC ……………………….

The title:

Exploring Saudi EFL Distance Learners’ Attitudes Towards Synchronous CMC: Effects on Language Use

 

Introduction: Why did you choose this study? What is its purpose?

 The main purpose of this study would be to contribute to an understanding of how synchronous CMC would participate in the learning of Saudi EFL distance learners in higher education.

 

Literature: How does your research relate to previous work in the area? (Please write one or two paragraphs)

 Main research question(s): What questions does the research address?

 

–          What obstacles could the distance learners be facing in communicating and interacting with their supporting organization (instructors, administrators, and other students)?

–          What are the possible effects of the distance learners’ age, milieu, and educational background on their overall progress and their attitudes towards SCMC English Language courses?

–          What are the challenges the students might face as a result of the absence of eye contact between instructors and Saudi EFL distance learners during SCMC classes?

 

Approach and methodology: What will the approach be? How will data be generated?

 

–          A field study using surveys ( qualitative approach ) I’m going to be analysing teachers’ experiences.

–          Interviews

 Context and participants: Where will the study take place? Who will participate?

 

It will take place in the English Language Institute in King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The participants will be English language teachers.

 Analysis: How will data be analysed?

 Critical discourse analysis

 Quality: How will quality be assured? Consider the validity, reliability and robustness of your research design.

 – In order to determine whether the Interview questions are adequate and appropriate, they must be administered under the supervision of my assigned supervisor.

– In the literature review part, I should consider more paraphrasing than direct quoting.

Ethics: What ethical principles will guide the research?

 

–          Respecting confidentiality and privacy

–          Reassuring the participants with their right to withdraw

–          Understanding the limits of the Internet

–          Avoiding malpractice

Timeline: When will you complete the stages of your research?

 Suggested supervisor: If you have contacted a prospective supervisor, please say who this is.

 This section should be completed by the programme manager.

 If the programme manager approves the proposal, the programme manager should sign the form and, after discussion with the supervisor, add the name of the supervisor and forward the form to Deborah. (The supervisor and student should keep a copy of the completed form for their records).

 If the programme manager does not approve the proposal, the student should complete a new Critical Study Proposal form. The programme manager should inform the Student Education Office if a student has to complete a new Critical Study Proposal form.

 This is a viable proposal and does not raise any ethical issues which cannot be addressed.

 

Programme Manager:

Programme Manager Signature:

Supervisor appointed:

 Once they have met their supervisor, all students should now complete the Critical Study Ethical Approval Form 2 which will be emailed to them by Deborah once she has received supervisor details and logged receipt of Form 1.

 WHEN A SUPERVISOR HAS BEEN APPOINTED PLEASE FORWARD A COMPLETED COPY OF THIS FORM TO DEBORAH BRADY.

Teaching Context

I teach online English programs to external students in their preparatory year at King Abdulaziz University. Unlike the regular program, which registers 18-year-old students only, the external program enrolls students of all ages. The external students are not obliged to attend face-to-face classes on campus, but rather they just have to show up for a final exam in order to pass the course.

The regular students who attend actual classes undergo a placement test that determines their level, and they are accordingly distributed on four courses. On the other hand, the external online program consists of two obligatory courses where they are taught the beginner and the elementary levels in one course and the pre-intermediate and the intermediate in another.

The teaching occurs in an online classroom environment using a Synchronous CMC application called Centra. Centra is a web conferencing web application empowered by a company called Saba. It is a good interactive environment that allows students to participate by using the easy to recognize icons to raise their hands, applaud, laugh, and respond yes or no to a question. Instructors of the English Language Institute including myself are asked to use voice or ‘VoIP’ which is supported by Centra to explain the lessons. Students concurrently use text chat to interact with instructors throughout the session. The reason why teachers are not allowed to use text only is that the ELI posts all the recorded voice sessions on its website for the students to get back to them later. They can download the voice files and listen to them.

Identifying the problem

External online students take two courses of English in two academic semesters. A course is taught in a three-week period, three times a week. Each online session lasts for only one hour and a half. Considering the fact that the course covers two textbooks ‘Headway’, the teaching process has to be in a relatively fast pace, which affects the learning outcome in general. Moreover, I’ve always noticed that most of the students struggled in typing, this could be due to their poor typing skills, or it could be caused by their low language proficiency. This also resulted in slowing the pace of the lesson and interrupting the learning process. Nevertheless, most of the students if not all of them participated in the chat at least for once.

Although a lot of the students in this program are highly motivated to learn the language, there final grades are still lower than the regular face-to-face students.

 

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