CMC among Multilingual Students of English for Academic Purposes: Linguistic and Sociolinguistic Communicative Factors in Online Written Responses

Abstract

The present study examines linguistic and sociolinguistic factors in a Web-enhanced, advanced course of academic English reading comprehension. Language learning on the Internet involves skills different from those used in the traditional classroom. Another dimension is added when students are multilingual and have different native languages. The course activities include comprehension questions, informal written tasks integrating and evaluating various content areas of authentic reading materials, computer-mediated communication such as Forums and Polls (individual and group work), as well as usability and attitude questionnaires.

The sample population consisted of 35 students at the University of Haifa. Their native languages were Hebrew (21 students), Arabic (3 students), Russian (or one of the language in the former Soviet Union, 9 students), or Amharic (2 students). In this study, native speakers of Hebrew, the language of the majority, were considered to be bilingual (Hebrew and English), whereas native speakers of the other languages were considered to be multilingual, as they knew at least Hebrew and English in addition to their native languages.

Despite the linguistic, religious, ethnic, political and gender differences that separate our students, CMC, through the Forum, produced not only an equalization but an openness of participation both in quantity of participation and in quality. Both majority and minority groups participated more than has been experienced in face-to-face classroom discussion and in a variety of informal tones which previously had not been heard in the classroom. Responses indicated positive emotional involvement which motivated students to participate beyond the minimum requirement for class credit.