Canadian E-Learning Conference June 17-20 2008

Writing online in a foreign language: Wiki or no Wiki?

Presenter: Ulf Schuetze

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The paper reports on a study that investigated the use of a Wiki in a first year 'German as a foreign language' classroom on students' use of syntactic-morphological structures.

Results showed that most students used a Wiki to edit and reflect on their writing, that most students were motivated by this technology to write, that the use of grammar did not improve over students who did not use a Wiki. The question remains: is it worth the trouble?

Detailed Description

The paper reports on a study that investigated the use of a Wiki in a first year 'German as a foreign language' classroom. 

The first part of the study analyzed the error-ratio of syntactic-morphological structures.

The structures investigated were taken from the textbook used for first year German courses at the University of Victoria.  Three classes of 30 students participated. In each class, students had two writing assignments and two tests. Students of two classes collaborated on the assignment (the 30 students divided into groups of two): one class did so by using a Wiki (online and therefore location independent), the other by not using a Wiki (face-to-face and therefore location dependent). Students in the third class did not collaborate and did not use a Wiki but worked on the assignment on their own. The study analyzed the syntactic-morphological structures used and previously learned by students and compared the error-ratio of the three groups using Ancova. The syntactic-morphological structures of the first assignment were also analyzed in the second assignment to analyze their retention. Results showed that the groups collaborating on their assignments outperformed the group who did not.  However, there was no difference between the two groups who were collaborating - one group using a Wiki and one group not using a Wiki. 

The second part of the study carried out a survey asking students on where and when they participated in the collaboration; technical issues; and their attitudes and motivation writing online. Results showed a mixed usage of a Wikis. Most students appreciated the time to reflect and edit each other's writings online; most students were not intimidated sharing their writing online; some students encountered technical problems; and some students met in front of a computer and wrote the 'Wiki' together making no revisions and defeating the purpose of a Wiki.  

In my presentation, I will briefly present and discuss the results of the study and speak on the implications for teaching a foreign language. In particular, I will speak on differences between instructors' ideas of how to use a Wiki and how students actually use them. Questions for the audience are: 

1. The survey showed that most students appreciate writing online but their grammar does not improve over students who do not write online. Is it worth the trouble? 

2. The design of a Wiki can be changed by adding features such as uploading photos or writing blogs. Do you think students will spend more time using a 'Wiki' with those features? Will they write more? Will that improve their use of grammar? 

3. Do you think students are getting tired of using technology in a foreign language classroom?

Presenter Bio:

Dr. Ulf Schuetze

My research interest is in computer-mediated communication (CMC) in second language acquisition. I have studied or taught at seven universities in Germany, the U.S.A, Australia and Canada. Most recently, I was appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Victoria and put in charge of the German Language Program.