Community Connections
Featured Community-based Online ESOL Classes and Intersectional Migrant Integration: Implications in the Post-pandemic Era View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Nishat Tasneem
With the onset of the pandemic, there was a crop up of an increased proportion of community-based online English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes in Glasgow and elsewhere across Scotland to support the English language learning needs of refugees and asylum seekers. It is to be noted that in relation to community-based ESOL learning classes, Scottish integration strategy documents manifest that such opportunities to practice with native speakers outside formal classes can boost migrant integration, confidence, and skills development. However, in the post-pandemic era, provisions for such online classes for refugees and asylum seekers have decreased significantly as perceived needs and preferences seem to be higher for in-person classes. While such community-based online classes come with the challenges of lack of additional funding, digital literacy, accessibility, etc., however, these can play a vital role in promoting language education for refugees and asylum-seekers with intersectional identities. The study uses a narrative inquiry approach-including interviews, participant observation, and policy document analysis- to highlight the voices, agencies, and needs of the research participants in this regard. The findings highlight that such online classes and digital pedagogy, due to their potential to transcend beyond physical constraints, can promote social justice and social transformation for intersectional migrant groups with various disabilities, economic constraints, caregiving responsibilities, etc., who are often overlooked in such community-based integration processes. The study also presents an intersectional integration model which will help to merge the gap between theory, practices, and policies regarding ESOL provisions in community-based organizations in Scotland.
Boosting ESP Learners’ Communication Skills through Project-Based Learning and the Use of ChatGPT
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ana Gimeno Sanz, Beatriz Martín Marchante
Despite the benefits that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can bring to teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP), the emergence of ChatGPT has raised concerns in higher education. This highlights the need to carry out studies dealing with how to achieve an ethical and responsible use of AI and discuss its benefits, risks and drawbacks. There are sundry options that are currently being explored to find ways of incorporating ChatGPT into the language classroom, aiming to support transformative pedagogies. This paper focuses on one such option aimed at boosting ESP learners’ communication skills through project-based learning and the integration of ChatGPT. The authors report on the outcomes of an experimental project conducted at a Spanish university whereby intermediate ESP learners participated in a collaborative project based on curricular content making use of ChatGPT to build on each other’s input and co-construct knowledge. One of the aims of the study was to analyze how learners used ChatGPT to reformulate complex ideas conveyed in English to a level of understanding that was appropriate to their level of comprehension. The authors report on the findings of this project. Amongst the more interesting findings are ways of incorporating automatically generated corrective feedback, alleviating instructors from conducting this task and be able to focus on other learner support actions, as well as discovering that project-based learning and integrated AI tools can effectively aid ESP learners in developing life skills, such as effective communication, that can be of help in their future professional careers.
Evaluating English Learning Apps for Chinese Preschoolers: A Critical Multimodal Case Study View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Rongle Tan
English learning apps are popular in informal Chinese early childhood education. While previous studies of educational apps for preschoolers have highlighted concerns about their developmental appropriateness (Callaghan & Reich, 2018), critical studies of English learning apps for non-English background preschoolers are yet to emerge. This study examines to what extent the design of these apps and the discourses around them reflect research evidence on how young children learn English. Adopting a critical multimodal approach to studying semiotic software (Djonov & Van Leeuwen, 2018) and legitimation in discourse (Van Leeuwen, 2017), we analyse how the apps present and legitimise the English learning content they offer for preschoolers, and how other stakeholders in early childhood English education (i.e., parents and teachers) review the apps. Specifically, we selected the iHuman ABC and Khan Academy Kids as cases. Our data comprise the apps’ interface design, legitimation statements about the apps found in material promoting the apps, user reviews and semi-structured interviews with 10 English teachers in Chinese private preschools. This study contributes to critical multimodal studies of English learning apps by examining both their design and discourses about their use from different perspectives.
What Factors Are Correlated with Student Success? View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Robert Corwyn, Belinda Blevins-Knabe, Elisabeth Sherwin
Knowing what predicts college success can lead to better instructional approaches, and institutions can benefit from higher retention rates, optimized resource allocation, and more conducive learning environments. To discover the best predictors of student success (i.e. overall GPA), we collected data in our Capstone class from the Spring of 2020 to the Fall of 2024. Our focus was to find measures that allow us to design interventions that increase the likelihood of student success. For aptitude measures, Verbal ability (r(103) = .32, p < .00) and Word knowledge (r(111) = .31, p < .00) were significant predictors of overall GPA. A free version of the psychology GRE was also a significant predictor (r(103) = .24, p < .00) as was Reading Comprehension (r(110) = .39, p < .00) and Critical Thinking ((r(110) = .34, p < .00). Distractibility and hopelessness were negatively related to overall GPA. Several factors, including Academic Delay of Gratification, Incremental Theory of Intelligence, Self-Regulation, and Academic Beliefs were not predictive. Data analysis and data entry continue. The results support our efforts to enhance reading, writing, and critical thinking skills in the curriculum. Along with observations in the classroom, these results suggest that students have difficulties fully comprehending instructions, and thinking critically. Future interventions may need to focus on these skills as well as basic English proficiency.
