LINGUIST List 17.163
Wed Jan 18 2006
Diss: Applied Ling: Fuchs: 'Computer-Mediated Negoti...'
Editor for this issue: Meredith Valant
<meredithlinguistlist.org>
Directory
1. Carolin
Fuchs,
Computer-Mediated Negotiation Across Borders: German-American collaboration in language teacher education
Message 1: Computer-Mediated Negotiation Across Borders: German-American collaboration in language teacher education
Date: 17-Jan-2006
From: Carolin Fuchs <cfuchscalmail.berkeley.edu>
Subject: Computer-Mediated Negotiation Across Borders: German-American collaboration in language teacher education
Institution: Justus Liebig University Giessen
Program: Department of English Studies
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2005
Author: Carolin Fuchs
Dissertation Title: Computer-Mediated Negotiation Across Borders: German-American collaboration in language teacher education
Linguistic Field(s):
Applied Linguistics
Dissertation Director:
Michael Legutke
Dietmar Rösler
Dissertation Abstract:
The overall goal of this study was to gain insight into the complex natureof computer-mediated communication (CMC)-based negotiation and learning byanalyzing a collaborative project among teacher educators and preserviceteachers in the US and in Germany.
The collaboration aimed at providing preservice teachers with theopportunity to explore the potential of integrating computer technologyinto their own English or Foreign Language Teaching by collaborating withtheir counterparts as well as to develop professional literacy. Six groupsof pre-service teachers collaborated via the email and chat functions ofthe FirstClass® computer conferencing software with their transatlanticpartner groups in designing a joint website for CMC-based languageteaching. The following research questions were addressed:1.Which key principles of negotiation can be identified in a CMC-basedlearning environment?2.What kind of challenges do preservice teachers encounter whencollaborating over a distance? What impact do these challenges have on thekey principles of negotiation?3.What kind of pedagogical value do CMC-based projects have in teachereducation?4.What are the implications with regard to teacher and learner trainingstrategies?
The theoretical framework of this dissertation draws on the following threemajor concepts:1.The principles of cooperative learning (based on socio-cultural theory,pedagogical theories from educational research, and social psychologicaland sociological research);2.Computer technologies in language learning (based on technology andcommunications theory);3.The notion of model learning (based on pedagogical theories fromeducational research).
Data collection instruments were triangulated and included email and chattranscripts, logs, pre-course/post-course questionnaires, learning processstatements, voices from the classroom, post-course self-assessments andsmall-group interviews. A Grounded Theory approach was used to identifycategories such as linguistic issues and missed negotiation opportunities. Based on the characteristics displayed by one group which successfullynegotiated and cooperated with their transatlantic partner group,suggestions are made with regard to enhancing CMC-based learningenvironments. Lastly, recommendations for further research are outlined.
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