We investigated the effects of a synchronous computer-mediated communication tool for developing L2 speaking and listening abilities over five months. Results show that the use of such tools significantly improved the students’ interest in an international posture even if using the tools was not frequent or counted toward grades.
This study investigated the effects of the introduction of a synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) tool for developing the English speaking and listening abilities of Japanese high schoolers. Some 322 Grade 10 students were randomly divided into experimental and control groups, and only the experimental group was offered opportunities to communicate for 25 minutes with English-speaking Filipino teachers via Skype several times a week over five months. These opportunities were offered as extra-curricular activities and did not count toward grades. The two participating groups were measured in terms of the targeted English abilities (speaking and listening), willingness to communicate (WTC), and international posture. In addition, gender, self-regulatory attributes (e.g., tendency to procrastinate) and study-abroad experiences were also explored as possible explanatory factors for individual participation rates. Results reveal that: (1) on average, only 6% of experimental group students completed the recommended number of lessons over the observation period; (2) experimental group members became more interested in an international vocation and foreign affairs; and (3) probably due to the low completion rate, students did not improve on average in the targeted English abilities. Further investigation shows that the participating rate was particularly low among students showing a tendency to procrastinate. These results suggest the importance of maintaining students' motivation to keep using CMC tools if they are not already incorporated into the existing program. Having procrastinators self-regulate may be especially crucial. Finally, significant positive changes in the experimental group's attitude suggest merits for the use of such CMC tools in non-English-dominant contexts such as Japan as repeated use may eventually lead to a significant increase in targeted L2 proficiency.
