ERIC Number: EJ956316
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-May
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0742-7778
EISSN: N/A
From the Mouths of Canadian University Students: Web-Based Information-Seeking Activities for Language Learning
Peters, Martine; Weinberg, Alysse; Sarma, Nandini; Frankoff, Mary
CALICO Journal, v28 n3 p621-638 May 2011
This article presents student perceptions about different types of web-based activities used to seek information for French language learning. Group interviews were conducted with 71 students in five Canadian universities to elicit data on their use of the Internet for information-seeking activities. These students use the Web for three main purposes: firstly, to expand their knowledge base by searching for information for language projects; secondly, to concentrate on form-focused activities by consulting online dictionaries or translation software; and finally, to organize their studies by consulting language course management websites. Our results are presented in a continuum of characteristics articulated by the students. Four continuums were identified: the first is goal-related (maintain/improve); the second is action-oriented (check/gather); the third involves the engagement of the students (receive/search), while the fourth one relates to the nature of the information (fact/culture). (Contains 4 figures.)
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Information Seeking, French, Learning Activities, Student Attitudes, Educational Technology, Use Studies, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, College Instruction, College Students, Interviews, Focus Groups, Qualitative Research, Information Science, Information Utilization, Users (Information), Online Searching, User Needs (Information), Internet, Computer Uses in Education, Integrated Learning Systems, Questionnaires, Content Analysis
Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium. 214 Centennial Hall, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666. Tel: 512-245-1417; Fax: 512-245-9089; e-mail: info@calico.org: Web site: http://calico.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A