SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING

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CHAPTER 4 DATA REPORTING AND ANALYSIS

Introduction

Chapter 3 gave a detailed description of the methods used to gather the empirical data, as well as the reasons for employing these methods in this investigation. The chapter  also  provided  a  description  of  the  data-collection  instruments,  the  data analysis, the role played by the researcher, the participants, the research and the ethical considerations. The primary sources of data comprised the semi-structured e- mail interviews with the 19 learners, the learners‘ reflections on their experiences of the integration of technology recorded on the blog, the focus group discussions with the four First Additional Language (FAL) teachers and the technician in the chatroom, the observations obtained from the video recordings and the field notes, as well as the learners‘ e-portfolios.
Chapter 4 reports on the findings of the research and the interpretations of the data that were gathered; these are supported by the theory discussed in Chapter 2. Firstly, Chapter 4 reports on the participants‘ experiences of the integration of technology in a multilinguistic language class and their responses to these experiences. Furthermore, it sheds light on the similarities and differences between the learners‘ perceptions and those of the teachers in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the data. The analysis focuses on the different data-collection strategies and the categories that emerged from an analysis of the data obtained. Secondly, a representation of the themes  that emerged from the inquiry,  and  a discussion thereof  in  terms of  the existing literature, is presented. The correlations and discrepancies in the findings mirrored in the existing literature in this field are then discussed.
I will now report on the results of the first four data-collection strategies to shed light on this phenomenon using the lenses of the learners and the views of the four FAL teachers and the technician. The results as they relate to the e-portfolios will be discussed in Chapter 5.

Analysis of the electronic data

The data collected were analysed in order to answer the primary research question:
How  does  computer  technology  influence  First  Additional  Language teaching and learning in a multilinguistic class?
As an introduction to this chapter, I include Table 4.1 which summarises the five themes, categories and codes that transpired from this inquiry. The main themes that emerged from  the  data  are  a  century  characterised  by  fast-moving  technological innovations, the integration of technology into teaching and learning in the digital era, speed  and  ease  of  technology,  transformation  of  teaching  and  learning  and employment of specific technologies to address the individual needs of learners.
As  mentioned  in  Chapter  1,  this  inquiry  was  contextualised  according  to  two sociolinguistic  realities.  Firstly,  Golonka  et  al.  (2014b)  highlight  the  technological sphere and the need for teachers to engage with technology. I will now discuss the technological sphere and the integration of technology into the FAL class. Secondly, technology opens doors for language learning because of the exposure to the target language and the opportunities it offers for interaction in the target language. The value of technology integration in language learning, as mentioned by Chapelle (2009) will be discussed.
This study comprised a netnographic case study and most of the empirical data were gathered electronically via the internet from the following sources:

• a focus group discussion with four FAL teachers and a technician
• semi-structured interviews with 19 learners conducted by e-mail
• the learners‘ reflections recorded in a blog
• class observations recorded on video
• learners’ e-portfolios accessed via the Internet.

Presentation of the findings

The findings  were  recorded  by,  firstly,  reporting  on  the  data-collection  strategies separately in order to obtain a deeper insight into both the learners‘ perspectives and the teachers‘ perspectives. As meaning unfolds, the existing literature is interwoven with  the  data  that  were  collected  and  this  consequently  confirms  Kelly‘s  (2004) statement that the interpretation process is continuous and accelerates as one writes up the research report.
The  data  that  were  collected  during  data  gathering  were  supplemented  by  the theoretical  data  discussed  in  Chapter  2.  The  data-collection  process  was  done iteratively, moving backward and forward between data gathering and data analysis. I will now discuss the findings obtained from the different data-collection strategies.

Technological knowledge

In  the  discussion  of  the  following  data  collection  instrument,  the  focus  group discussions, I explain the teachers‘ views about TK in the FAL classroom.

Focus group discussions with the teacher

I chose to conduct focus group discussions online in a chatroom with both the FAL teachers and a technician because they were the people who could help to shed light on research sub-questions 1 and 2, that is, the influence of the integration of relevant computer technologies on teaching and learning in a multilinguistic language class and  the  learners’  perception  of  the  effective  use  of  computer  technology  in  a multilinguistic language class.
Table  4.2  shows  how  many  times  each  code  was  allocated  to  a  category.  Two categories stood out in the teachers‘ discussions. They were: technologies (35 codes) and  favourable  conditions  for  technologies  (25  codes).  Other  categories  that emanated from the focus group discussions were digital era (20 codes) and new century skills (19 codes)

Technologies

The teachers embraced the integration of technology in the classroom. Teacher 3 was very keen on integrating technology in her lessons and reported that she used the Smart board interactively with iPads, laptops, the intranet and the internet. In addition she reported that she used Voki characters at the beginning of the lesson to draw learners‘ attention and interest, as suggested by Golonka et al. (2014b). The teachers mentioned that the learners used technology to support their prepared speeches and also  for  research  for  their  creative  writing.  Teachers  were  of  the  opinion  that technology  promotes  creativity  and  innovation.  The  teachers  explained  that  the learners used their cell phones when they struggled with internet connection. It would seem that the teachers had realised the importance of adapting to the technological changes in the environment, as stated below:
I use the Smart board interactively with iPads, laptops, intranet and the internet. (P21:28)
I also use the DVDs as well as the learners’ cell phones when the internet is down. The audio devices are also used when necessary. (P21:16)
According to the teachers, the learners enjoyed doing tasks and projects that require research on YouTube, as they found them exciting and fun. YouTube is a website that they enjoy and they spend a lot of time on this website. The use of this method means that doing schoolwork becomes fun and learners become motivated as suggested by (Cramer, 2007) that increased motivation and more learner-centred learning are the results  of  authentic  instruction.  Scardamalia  &  Bereiter  (2003)  agree  that  active engagement with content leads to self-confidence because learners take ownership of their own learning.
The  teachers  found  education  technology  easy  to  work  with  and  stated  that  it encouraged learners to be creative and innovative. Other advantages reported by the teachers were increased communication and self-directed learning. One teacher said about technology:
I would recommend it anytime because it is always easy to work with and it encourages learners to be creative and innovative. (P21:53)
The teachers made use of the Learning Management System to post worksheets, messages and reminders, as well as for some small class tests. Golonka et al. (2014) note  that  the  Learning  Management  System  promotes  the  interaction  of  multiple learners and is a platform on which teachers are able to organise course content efficiently.  They  reported  that,  by  using  this  system,  the  teacher  becomes  the facilitator and guides the learners in their learning. The teachers used the Smart board for PowerPoint presentations and to play DVDs, and the audio devices to promote listening skills. The teachers also noted that their attitude towards the integration of technology was an important factor in the success of technology implementation. Furthermore, they believed that technology motivates the learners and, in language learning, enhances a more positive attitude towards the target language (Golonka et al., 2014). On the question of whether they would recommend technology integration to other schools, all the teachers answered in the affirmative.

DECLARATION 
ETHICS CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE.
SUMMARY 
DEDICATION 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .
List of terms 
Table of contents 
List of figures 
List of tables 
CHAPTER 1 ORIENTATION
1.1 BACKGROUND AND ORIENTATION
1.2 PROBLEM FORMULATION AND CONTEXTUALISATION
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.4 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
1.5 RATIONALE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
1.5.1 The school
1.5.2 The learners
1.6 LITERATURE STUDY
1.6.1 Literacy
1.6.1.1 Traditional literacy
1.6.1.2 Literacy as a social practice
1.6.1.3 Multiliteracy for the 21st century
1.6.1.4 Literacy in schools
1.6.2 Mastering of a language
1.6.3 The use of computer technology in the classroom
1.6.4 Relevant technologies
1.6.5 Conclusion
1.7 FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY
1.7.1 Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework
1.7.2 Adapted conceptual framework
1.8 RESEARCH DESIGN ‒ NETNOGRAPHIC CASE STUDY
1.8.1 Worldview or paradigm
1.9 QUALITATIVE APPROACH
1.9.1 Methodology
1.9.1.1 Data collection
1.9.1.2 Data analysis
1.10 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
1.11 TRUSTWORTHINESS
1.11.1 Reliability and trustworthiness
1.12 CHAPTER DIVISION
1.13 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 2  LITERATURE STUDY
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2 FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY
2.3 SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING
2.4 TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY
2.5 FEEDBACK
2.6 THE TEACHER IN THE 21ST CENTURY
2.7 THE LEARNER IN THE 21ST CENTURY
2.8 TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
2.9 TURNITIN
2.10 KEY DRIVERS FOR TECHNOLOGY ADOPTIONS
2.11 THE CURRICULUM
2.12 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 3  RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2 RESEARCH PREMISE
3.3 RESEARCH APPROACH: A QUALITATIVE APPROACH
3.4 PARTICIPANTS
3.5 DATA COLLECTION
3.6 ANALYSIS OF THE DATA
3.7 TRUSTWORTHINESS
3.8 ETHICAL ISSUES
3.9 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 4 DATA REPORTING AND ANALYSIS 
4.1 INTRODUCTION.
4.2 PRESENTATION OF THE FINDINGS
4.3 TECHNOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE
4.4 THEMES THAT EMERGED FROM THE TECHNOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE (TK)
4.5 PEDAGOGICAL KNOWLEDGE (PK)
4.6 THEME THAT EMERGED FROM THE PEDAGOGICAL KNOWLEDGE (PK)
4.7 LEARNERS‘ PERCEPTIONS VERSUS TEACHERS‘ PERCEPTIONS
4.8 CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 5 TURN THE CENTURY WITH TURNITIN 
5.1 INTRODUCTION.
5.2 TECHNOLOGICAL, PEDAGOGICAL AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE (TPACK)
5.3 TURNITIN
5.4 ADVANTAGES.
5.5 THEME THAT EMERGED FROM THE TECHNOLOGICAL PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
5.6 CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 6  OVERVIEW, SYNTHESIS OF FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION 
6.1 INTRODUCTION.
6.2 SUMMARY OVERVIEW OF THE INQUIRY
6.3 ADDRESSING THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS
6.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
6.5 RECOMMENDATIONS
6.6 FUTURE RESEARCH
6.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
6.8 CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY 
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