EXPLORING LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ DIGITAL PRACTICES FOR INFORMAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING

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Date

2023-09

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[Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University

Abstract

The ubiquity of technology has given language learners increased access to foreign language (FL) content and provided them with opportunities to engage in various digital activities in the FL. These digital practices such as gaming, social media, and video streaming are often not explicitly connected to FL learning, yet language learners are able to gain valuable linguistic and cultural knowledge that can aid their FL development. In this vein, this dissertation details three studies (Dizon, 2021; Dizon, 2023a; Dizon, 2023b) I conducted involving technology-mediated informal FL learning. Specifically, the focus of the research was on self- directed FL learning via digital technologies and resources in beyond-the-class settings. Two of the studies (Dizon, 2021; Dizon, 2023b) investigated a specific digital resource, namely, video streaming, to better understand how this technology can be used to support informal FL learning. The other study (Dizon, 2023a) was a systematic review paper on FL learning in the digital wilds, i.e., technology-mediated FL learning in which language learning is not the primary goal. Taken together, the findings from these three studies shed light on the benefits of technology-mediated informal FL learning in self-directed, out-of-class contexts. The results suggest that video streaming in a FL provided the learners with an authentic way to learn more about FLs and foreign cultures that better connected with their personal backgrounds and interests compared to classroom-based learning. Findings from the systematic review on the digital wilds further highlights the affordances of engaging in digital practices in a FL. That is, this informal learning environment offers learners an authentic means to collaborate and receive feedback from other FL speakers while also making use of a wide range of multimodal resources. These studies underscore the importance of identifying learners’ informal digital practices in order to link them with the formal language classroom, which in turn, can lead to a more equitable learning environment that is grounded in students’ identities.

Description

Thesis (Ed.D.) - Indiana University, Department of Curriculum and Instruction/School of Education, 2023

Keywords

computer-assisted language learning, literacy practice, foreign language learning, informal learning

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Doctoral Dissertation