Pedagogical Use Research Articles

ARE WE EXPERIENCING A NEOTECHNICIST SCENARIO IN EDUCATION? A SURVEY ON THE USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN PEDAGOGICAL WORK

This article examines the role of digital technologies in school education, addressing their possibilities, limits and contradictions in the pedagogical context, as well as their relationship with the neotechnicist approach, a branch of pedagogical technicality that had a significant influence in Brazil in the second half of the 20th century. The study aims to analyze the impact of digital technologies on the pedagogical process, investigating the connection between the current use of these technologies in the school environment and the characteristic elements of the neotechnicist approach. The methodology used was a narrative literature review, with the analysis of articles related to the topic, available in the CAPES journal database. Studies that explore technicality in Brazilian education, public policies and official documents that guide the implementation of digital technologies in the educational context, as well as experiences of using these technologies as pedagogical tools were selected. The research identified possibilities for the pedagogical use of digital technologies, alongside criticisms regarding teacher training and available infrastructures, highlighting the role of teachers in the pedagogical process and emphasizing digital technologies as a means, rather than an end in themselves.

Exploring Applications of ChatGPT to English Language Teaching: Opportunities, Challenges, and Recommendations

By utilizing a massive corpus of textual data, large language models can generate unique human-like outputs to questions and interact with users in a natural conversational way. ChatGPT is one such platform, and since it emerged into the public consciousness in November 2022, it has generated both excitement and concern among educators. A growing body of scholarship has considered the pedagogical use of ChatGPT and its ability to enhance teachers’ roles (e.g., Kohnke et al., 2023; Rudolph et al., 2023). Scholars have also raised concerns about ChatGPT’s impact on academic integrity and scholarly publishing (Teng, 2023). Nonetheless, AI has existed for some time (Holmes & Tuomi, 2022) and, rather than a beginning of the end of education, it may guide educators into an era of pedagogical innovation (Heaven, 2023). In this paper, we explore the role of ChatGPT in English Language Teaching (ELT). We first provide background information about ChatGPT and its functions. We then draw from literature to describe current thinking on its benefits and challenges then describe how we have experimented with ChatGPT at our own university. We conclude by discussing implications for using ChatGPT in ELT and offering recommendations for future directions in teaching and research.

All the World’s a Stage: Examining the Actors That Influence the Development of Primary Pre-Service Teacher Digital Competence in the Republic of Ireland

In accordance with contemporary educational policy, changes have been made to the requirements of initial teacher education (ITE) with the aim of promoting the development of digital competence among pre-service teachers (PSTs). This paper explores what it means for a primary PST to develop digital competence and posits that programmes of ITE should develop the digital teaching competence of PSTs, alongside positive attitudes toward digital technology use. This is a complex and under-researched process involving multiple actors, including higher education institution tutors, school placement tutors, and cooperating teachers. This research gap is addressed within this paper by examining these actors and unpacking the key issues which may prevent PSTs from developing and enacting digital teaching competence. It appears there is a lack of alignment across these actors, which may negatively impact the digital competence of PSTs. Consequently, we propose that the conceptualization of digital competence across programmes of ITE needs to be brought into alignment. Actions including the establishment of a shared vision of pedagogical use of digital technology, formal induction, and ongoing transformative professional learning for all actors across a programme of ITE are proposed if PSTs are to be enabled to develop the digital competence required by policy.

Effects of Computer-aided Instruction on Students’ Performance in Use of English in Tertiary Institutions in Anambra State, Nigeria

The research departs from the realization that technological advancement, especially Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is greatly changing the process of teaching and learning, in higher institutions. While this process of change may not yet be so speedy in Nigeria, there is no doubt that the traditional or conventional teaching process is gradually giving way, and the ICT based teaching is setting into the fora of higher education. Using the quasi-experimental design involving pretest, posttest and non-randomized control and experimental groups, the study examined the achievement scores of students taught Use of English using computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and conventional method of teaching. The population of the study comprised all the year one students offering the Use of English. The sample of the study consisted of one thousand and eighteen students drawn from two Universities in Anambra State. Two research questions guided the study and three null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level significance. The instrument for data collection was Use of English Achievement Test (UEAT) made up of 30 multiple choice test items with four options (A-D) from GSS 101 curriculum. The instrument was validated by three experts and a reliability coefficient of 0.80 was obtained using Kuder-Richardson Formula 20. Data collected were analyzed using mean scores to answer the research questions and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) to test the null hypotheses. Findings revealed a significant difference in the post test scores of students in the control group and experimental group. Although, students in the experimental group (taught Use of English using CAI) had higher mean scores than their counterparts taught using the conventional method of teaching. Also there was no significant difference in the mean scores of male and female students taught Use of English using CAI. Based on the findings it was recommended that Computer-Assistant Instruction should be encouraged in the teaching and learning of Use of English.

THE PRACTICE OF PEDAGOGICAL DIGITAL COMPETENCE AMONG ESL LECTURERS

With the goal of having students graduate with 21 century skills, there is a gap on who are the ambassador of the integration of digital skills. This is where language lecturers can be seen as role models of digital skills. Yet, there is a deficiency in studies looking at ESL lecturers’ use of technology in terms of pedagogical use. Taking in the lens of Krumsvik’s Teachers’ Digital Competence Model, the purpose of the qualitative study is to explore the practice of Pedagogical Digital Competence (PDC) among English as Second Language (ESL) lecturers through 14 in-depth interviews analyzed by Nvivo 12 software to define the themes and codes that emerged. The results revealed the lecturers’ use of ICT in the mastery of digital tools utilized for support their teaching, technological challenges faced during the implementation of said skills, as well as the cognizance of ethics in navigating the online world. It is interesting to note that the ESL lecturers highlighted policies restricting usage of technology in terms of formal assessments. The findings are highly relevant to bridging the gap in the growing literature of Malaysian ESL Lecturer’s PDC.

Pedagogical adoption of SVVR in formal education: Design-based research on the development of teacher-facilitated tactics for supporting immersive and interactive virtual inquiry fieldwork-based learning

Although spherical video-based virtual reality (SVVR) has gained attention as an effective tool for technology-enhanced learning, little research has been conducted on its integration in formal education settings and the role of teachers in facilitating its pedagogical use. In this study, a design-based research (DBR) approach was used to develop teacher-facilitated tactics for SVVR-supported learning based on virtual inquiry fieldwork in formal senior secondary geography education in Hong Kong. Over a period of 2 academic years, we engaged with nine teachers (from nine schools across the upper, middle, and lower academic bands in Hong Kong) and their Grade-10 classes, which comprised a total of 504 students. In addition to reporting and discussing the pedagogical effectiveness of the teacher facilitation practices designed, enacted, analysed, and refined in the iterative DBR process, this paper presents the teacher facilitation principles deduced from these practices. Overall, the findings and implications of this DBR are academically and practically relevant for researchers and educational practitioners who seek to utilise SVVR for educational purposes and strive to enhance its pedagogical effectiveness.

Pedagogical use of machine translation in novice second language writing classes

Pedagogical use of machine translation in novice second language writing classes

Beyond Policies and Procedures: Using the Syllabus Quiz to Predict How Well Students Will Perform in a College Course

Many instructors use a syllabus quiz to ensure that students learn and understand the content of the syllabus. In this project, I move beyond this exercise’s primary function and examine students’ syllabus quiz scores to see if they can predict how well students perform in the course overall. Using data from 495 students enrolled in 18 sections of an Introduction to Sociology course, I find that students who do not earn a maximum score on the syllabus quiz are more likely to receive a lower final course grade and are less likely to pass the course than their top-scoring counterparts. These findings allow instructors to identify struggling students as early as the first week of the semester and design interventions that will match up with students’ particular needs and strengths. Furthermore, this project demonstrates the pedagogical usefulness of the syllabus quiz beyond its initial purpose of testing students’ knowledge of course policies and procedures.

Multiply‐translated Chaucer in the Korean classroom

AbstractThis paper introduces a teaching experiment that uses a set of local translations of a European medieval text—in this case, Korean translations of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales—as teaching texts in the Korean classroom alongside the original work. Students compare a range of translations dating from all periods of the 20th century, including one from as early as 1915 and others from the 1960s, 1980s, and 2000s. Tracking the variety of translation methods and different linguistic and artistic choices employed by these multiple translations allows even students unfamiliar with Middle English to gain a better sense of the particulars of Chaucer's language and character‐making. Treating translation itself as a creative mode, this paper argues that even bad translations and messy histories of linguistic interference can be put to productive pedagogical use. Recuperated local translation archives can be used in the teaching of Middle English literature by helping students understand Chaucer's own positionality as a translator and compiler. Such archives also contribute to the study of comparative literature more broadly as they present case studies of how ideas of world literature are formed over time and space, and encourage a critical engagement with the canon even as it is being taught.

Incorporation of peer‐feedback into the pedagogical use of spherical video‐based virtual reality in writing education

Writing is a fundamental skill linked closely with academic achievement, day‐to‐day communication, formal negotiations, and more. However, due to their lack of contextual experience, learning to write has been a demanding and complex cognitive process for most learners. As a result, learners struggle to exhibit positive learning behaviours and cognitive engagement in writing, let alone embrace deep and autonomous learning. To solve these problems, in the present study, a spherical video‐based virtual reality (SVVR) learning environment is developed to provide students with a contextual learning experience. Moreover, a peer feedback strategy is used to guide students in deep learning in writing. A quasi‐experimental study was conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. A total of 79 students from one primary school in southeast China were recruited. The students were assigned to either the experimental group (EG) exposed to the peer‐feedback‐based SVVR (PF‐SVVR) approach or the control group (CG) exposed to the conventional SVVR (C‐SVVR) approach. The results show that PF‐SVVR had more positive effects than C‐SVVR in terms of students' writing performance, cognitive engagement and autonomous learning tendency. In addition, the PF‐SVVR approach was found to be more beneficial for triggering deep learning in writing than the C‐SVVR approach. This study further found that students in the PF‐SVVR group tended to exhibit less disorderly behaviours than those in the C‐SVVR group. Our study contributes to the prior literature by exploring the educational potential of the PF approach in the context of SVVR‐enabled writing learning. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Peer feedback approach provides opportunities for writing learners to regulate their longer‐term cognitive and behavioural competencies. Spherical video‐based virtual reality (SVVR) not only provides an authentic experiential learning context for learners, but it also significantly reduces the cost and the need for the high‐tech capabilities of traditional VR. What this paper adds A peer feedback‐based SVVR approach is proposed to promote students in learning to write. It was found that students' quality of learning to write can be improved by applying the PF‐SVVR approach in writing courses. Implications for practice and/or policy It is worth promoting the application of the peer feedback strategy and SVVR in school settings. The PF‐SVVR approach is useful for promoting young writing learners' cognitive engagement, autonomous learning tendency and deep learning. Further investigations on the effects of employing the PF‐SVVR approach in writing, with anonymous strategies in the process of giving or receiving peer feedback, are expected.

Understanding students’ views on the efficacy of video technology to promote engagement in higher education.

This article examines student engagement with video technology in a large undergraduate university subject. Drawing on a mixed methods study that included a survey and focus groups with students, we analyse students’ experiences with and perspectives on the videos to gain insights into their effectiveness in supporting student engagement and learning. By analysing engagement along three distinct, yet interconnected, dimensions – cognitive, behavioural and affective – our study highlights differences in the ways in which students engage with videos as one key form of technology enhanced learning. We find that videos can promote cognitive engagement by helping students to understand key concepts and making them more relatable, and that they can foster affective engagement, especially by creating an increased sense of teacher presence. However, while the students in our study largely perceived the videos to be engaging and beneficial to their learning, behavioural engagement was inconsistent across the cohort and often lacking. Student concerns about investing time in engaging with video resources suggest that communication from educators on their role in the curriculum is especially important. These findings contribute important insights into students’ video technology use which in turn can inform the pedagogical use of technology in teaching and learning.

Becoming a techie and improving your English with audiovisual translation

Abstract Audiovisual translation (AVT) as a tool in the teaching/learning of a foreign language has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers in the latest years. The TRADILEX Project team is currently working on the pedagogic use of AVT in the teaching /learning of English as a Foreign language (EFL) in an online environment, in a good number of Spanish universities. This paper presents the results of the TRADILEX experience, carried out at the University of Zaragoza (Spain). The methodology designed and applied for that end has required the use of technological tools to guide students through different steps, from an Initial Test of Integrated Skills (ITIS) to a Final Test of Integrated Skills (FITIS), both designed by members of the team. On their way from the former to the latter, students were invited to carry out a series of B1-level tasks in five AVT modes. The materials previously designed and tested aimed at a progressive autonomy of the student in their advance in the lesson plans of each mode. The analysis of the results obtained in each of the AVT modes, as well as the comparative results between the ITIS and the FITIS will highlight the virtues of the methodology used.

Technologies and Digital Competences in Portuguese Education: History of its Integration in Pedagogical Practices since the Beginning of the 20th Century

This study aims to analyse the evolutionary context of the introduction of technology in Portuguese schools, from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day, and to identify the digital competences of Portuguese teachers at different educational levels. The analysis, qualitative and quantitative in nature, allowed us to conclude that technologies had a slow diffusion in Portuguese schools, because of the scarcity of resources and residual investment in teacher training, giving the use of technology in school a more irregular and playful character rather than truly integrated in pedagogical practices to promote the quality of learning. Although in recent years there has been still some conservatism in the use of technology, very focused on its instrumental use, there have been more practices with pedagogical intent and more focused on the active participation of students, also noting the growing importance of teacher training in this field of digital technologies, with the aim of making teachers more competent and fluent in the pedagogical use of digital. Furthermore, the study focused on the teachers' perception of their digital competences in three dimensions: the teachers' professional and pedagogical competences and the students' competences from the DigCompEdu framework and the self-assessment questionnaire of digital competences built from the same framework - DigCompEdu Check-In. The analysis of the answers obtained in this questionnaire (collected from the participation of 434 teachers of Basic and Secondary Education and 118 of Higher Education) showed that teachers need to increase their levels of digital proficiency through specific training, since they present, globally, a moderate level of digital proficiency - level B1 -Integrators- being the areas 4 - Evaluation - and 6 - Digital empowerment of students, the ones that present the greatest weaknesses. Keywords: history of education, educational technologies, Portugal, teachers' digital competences, teachers' training

Changes in the attitudes of mathematics and science teachers toward the integration and use of computerized technological tools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

This quantitative retrospective study examines a non-probable convenience sample of 104 in-service mathematics and science teachers with the aim to understand their changes in attitudes toward the integration and use of information and communications technology (ICT) as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data included a self-report questionnaire. The results indicate an increase in teachers’ knowledge regarding the e-learning environments available at their schools. The teachers revealed that before the pandemic, they mostly used computer tools to support struggling students or carry out basic calculations. However, during, because they had to plan distance learning environments, they introduced adaptive pedagogical use of ICT tools for all their students. The findings reveal that most teachers experienced difficulties emanating from lack of preparation time, technological knowledge, and/or technical conditions, thus suggesting that policymakers must decide how to provide adequate knowledge and technical support to allow teachers to successfully integrate computerized technologies into their teaching.

중고등학생 영어듣기능력평가를 활용한 고등학교 영어 교수학습 프로토타입 개발

The present study aimed to develop a prototype for applying the Nationwide English Listening Test for Secondary School Students for high school English classes. In order to serve the purpose of the research, a lesson plan was developed as an example of pedagogical use of the test by making a draft in collaboration with English teachers. Subsequently, the content and structure of the draft went through an examination of English education experts for improvement and was modified by referring to their review. The following study should be well worth the effort to suggest possible improvements in order to activate the pedagogical use of the test in the classroom. Firstly, it is necessary to develop and provide an online English teaching and learning support system to schools because the usefulness of the prototype can be maximized if students are allowed opportunities to ubiquitously prepare or review for English lessons on computers or digital devices. Secondly, it is also recommended to disseminate exemplary cases of utilizing the test for pedagogical purposes in school, for example, by holding English class demonstration contests or running model schools.

Learning English in Early Childhood Education with Augmented Reality: Design, Production, and Evaluation of the “Wordtastic Kids” App

The pedagogical use of AR for language learning in early childhood education is focusing attention on the didactic potential that these resources present at such early ages. The aim of this study was to develop and assess the “Wordtastic Kids” Application (APP) in order to: (a) design, produce, and evaluate a new contextualized AR application for learning English in early childhood education; and (b) know the academic performance of early childhood education students towards learning English using an AR application. The methodology was based on the design of materials and the subsequent realization of the pre-test/post-test evaluation to determine the academic performance of the students. The results show a general increase in the scores obtained in all the pre-test and post-test categories that were addressed using the Wordtastic Kids Application, which proves to be a tool that improves the learning of English vocabulary in pre-school children. Therefore, it can be concluded that AR can be useful for complementing traditional vocabulary learning in children. However, it is important to note that the successful implementation of AR will depend on several factors, such as adequate teacher preparation, the quality of AR content, and the ability of children to interact with technology effectively.

Thomas Robertson and the Pedagogical Uses of Erasmus in Early Tudor Grammar Schools

Abstract Erasmus’ educational theories were popularized during the first half of the sixteenth century by a group of Tudor educators, who used the medium of elementary Latin grammars and introductory phrasebooks to offer practical tools for a multilingual literary culture that would come to full fruition in the second half of the sixteenth century. Their teaching notes and school commentaries that survive in their annotated textbooks provide a valuable source with which to trace how Erasmian methods of teaching were actually put into practise. Among these early educators is an obscure figure of English educational history, Thomas Robertson (fl. c. 1520–1561), headmaster of Magdalen College School in Oxford from 1526 to 1531, who devised the most thorough and comprehensive Erasmian program in his annotated edition of William Lily’s elementary grammar De Latinorum nominum generibus (Basel: Johann Bebel, 1532). In many ways, Robertson’s edition of Lily’s grammar epitomizes Erasmus’ grammatical encyclopedism expounded in De ratione studii and De duplici copia verborum ac rerum commentarii duo, which inadvertently resulted in a fundamental reinterpretation of textual studies in the Tudor classroom. It furthermore testifies to Robertson’s efforts to promote Erasmus’ trilingual ideal: a parallel Latin and Greek instruction, which was extended even to basic Hebrew from an early age.

A Practical Guide to Negotiation Simulation Writing

There are many good reasons for writing negotiation simulations, but designing and preparing simulations that generate desired pedagogical effects is a challenging process. Building on an earlier article in this journal that presented fundamental principles for the design of negotiation simulations, this article offers a practical guide that outlines in detail how negotiation simulations can be structured and what elements they should include. We offer blueprints for creating six types of simulations: short introductory, distributive, integrative, multi‐issue, multiparty, and multiparty multi‐issue. For each type of simulation, we suggest the pedagogical use, discuss the basics of the construction, and present the core elements schematically: parties, decision problem, interests, and options. Finally, we illustrate the different types of negotiation simulations with representative examples.

If ‘the medium is the message’, what do students learn to do in NLP and GBAs within physical education?

ABSTRACT Building on the original work of Bunker and Thorpe and their Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) approach to physical education, there is now a proliferation of Game Based Approaches (GBA) in the research literature (Bunker & Thorpe, 1982, A model for the teaching of games in secondary schools. Bulletin of Physical Education, 18, 5–8, 1983). Unlike other approaches to games teaching and coaching which trace their roots to TGfU, Non Linear Pedagogy (NLP) has been defined as distinct from, and even an alternative to, TGfU (Renshaw et al., 2016, Why the constraints-led approach is not teaching games for understanding: A clarification. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 21(5), 459–480. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2015.1095870). Although comparisons between approaches have arisen at a theoretical level, there is no comparison of the influence that these approaches have on learners. Addressing this issue, we turn to Postman and Weingartner’s (1971, Teaching as a subversive activity) pedagogical use of the famous aphorism of Marshall McLuhan, that ‘the medium is the message’. Deploying this concept, we ask: what is the message that the use of these approaches sends? First, we identify the main features of NLP and TGfU. Second, we compare their media with reference to two empirical studies. Third, we identify and discuss questioning and decision-making as two key differences between these otherwise similar approaches. Finally, we consider the implications of these results for teaching and learning of games under Mcluhan’s aphorism.

Students’ perceptions of pedagogy for 21st century learning instrument (S-POP-21): Concept, validation, and initial results

S-POP-21 is a short instrument designed to measure Students’ Perceptions of Pedagogy for 21st century learning. Students’ perception of their exposure to pedagogy is argued to be more important than the quality of teaching in terms of influencing student outcomes and may explain variation in their academic achievement within a classroom. Yet there are few instruments that measure student perceptions of pedagogy. This is particularly true within the context of 21st century pedagogy where the focus to date has been on students’ perceptions of teachers’ pedagogical use of technology. This paper aims to overcome these limitations by developing the first valid and reliable short scale that focuses on students’ perceived exposure to elements of 21st century teaching and learning in secondary school. To this end, a short scale was developed for and implemented within a longer survey of secondary school students (n = 3,863), with two random samples extracted for cross-validation. Following validation, results from the remaining respondents were used with another scale - SICKS (Short Instrument for Measuring Students' Confidence with ‘Key Skills') – in a novel study into whether there is a correlation between student's perceived exposure to 21st century pedagogy and their confidence in 21st century skills. The results show that there is indeed a correlation and in-depth exploration of the relationship highlights considerations that have implications for the ways teachers engage students in 21st century teaching and learning.