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ERIC Number: EJ1309050
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-May
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0008-4506
EISSN: N/A
The Role of Multimodality during the Negotiation of Meaning in an English/Spanish eTandem Video-Conferencing Exchange
Arellano-Soto, German; Parks, Susan
Canadian Modern Language Review, v77 n2 p129-153 May 2021
This study reports on how the affordances of the WebEx platform were used as multimodality resources during the negotiation of meaning by participants engaged in an English/Spanish eTandem video-conferencing exchange. The exchange involved five dyads of university students with an intermediate level of language proficiency. A total of seven tasks were completed in each language. Analysis of the transcribed interaction revealed 915 focus-on-form episodes (FFEs). Further analysis of the FFEs revealed that six types of multimodality resources were involved during the negotiation process: chat, pictures, whiteboard, electronic translator, webcam, and paper dictionary. Of these, the most frequently used were chat (over half of all FFEs), pictures, and the whiteboard. Although previous studies have pointed to the importance of multimodality resources during the negotiation of meaning, the present study provides statistical support and attests to the frequent use of combined resources. In contrast to previous studies that have mainly involved Skype, the study highlights how the increased affordances of the WebEx platform enhanced participants' ability to negotiate meaning, especially with respect to chat, the shared document feature that facilitated the use of pictures and the whiteboard for drawings. Although limited in their appreciation of the webcam with respect to actual language learning, participants acknowledged its importance at the socio-affective level as a means of establishing social presence and creating a rapport with partners.
University of Toronto Press. 5201 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON M3H 5T8, Canada. Tel: 416-667-7810; Fax: 800-221-9985; Fax: 416-667-7881; e-mail: journals@utpress.utoronco.ca; Web site: http://www.utpjournals.press/loi/cmlr
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A