A research study on the integration of

technology into the Foreign Language

Learning community and the motivation

of Foreign Language Learning students.

Techology’s Role in

the Motivation of

Foreign Language

Students

How to motivate students for their

education

Jake Weber

University of Denver

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Chapter 1: Introduction……………………..………………………………………… 2

Chapter 2: Review of Literature……………………………………………………… 4

Chapter 3: Methodology………………………………………………………………. 7

Chapter 4: Results and Analysis of Data……………………………………………. 9

Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusion…………………………………………….. 14

Works Cited (References)…………………………………………………………... 15

About the Author…………………………………………………………………….. 16

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The acquisition of a foreign language has been an academic challenge for centuries, ever since countries began talking to one another. As a modern society, we fortunately have the

advantage of technology at our sides. In order to aid ourselves in any endeavor, we utilize technology. My research is concerned with how society could integrate modern technology

into the foreign language learning classroom. A variety of methods have been researched and measured to discover the best ways to learn via technology, but I am not concerned

with that. Instead of simply looking at the growth and results due to a specific technology, I am looking towards how to motivate students to want to learn. Across the nation, the majority of students are learning a language to increase their social abilities. In the first steps

of my research, I sent out surveys that proposed a few different technologies to potentially integrate. Since everyone has their own interests and preferences, the results were quite

varied.

My personal interest in this topic comes from the fact that I am a millennial teenager of modern day as well as a victim of a large problem within the US education system. The millennial aspect developed my interest in the integration of technology into the classroom.

Growing up, I have always seen how technology helps in almost any situation so I wanted to see if it could help in the classroom setting as well. The victim aspect justifies my interest

in foreign languages. The problem within the US education system is that children are not pushed to learn languages at all. I am 19 years old and speak fluent English and basic

French which I believe to be an enormous problem. I did not realize that it was a problem until I began speaking with a Pen Pal of mine. She was a particularly average, French student who spoke fluent French, German, and Italian, as well as having moderate

proficiency in English. Knowing that many languages is not uncommon in Europe, yet my research showed that only 6% of students at the University of Denver spoke 3 or more

languages with moderate proficiency. Now, when you combine these two aspects, it makes sense why I am interested in the integration of technology into the foreign language learning

community. Throughout my research, I discovered two main motivators for students. The first motivator

is a social setting. My results conclusively showed that the students of DU want to be social. The other motivator that I discovered was that familiarity is vital. Throughout my paper, I

will discuss my findings and the greater implications they could have education.

As I have worked through this paper, I divided it into a number of chapters which create order and maintain organization. I began with the review of literature for context on my

topic, which was important for developing a good background on the subject as well as

building a strong foundation upon which I built my research. The secondary research allowed me to form opinions on different methods of technology that showed promise

within the classroom and how they may motivate a student to learn. Next, I developed my methods chapter. This was particularly important because it determined how I would carry

out my research. I decided to utilize both surveys and interviews. I collected the bulk of my data from the surveys and I was able to support those findings with my interviews. Then, I created my results chapter after analyzing the raw data I had collected. At which point, I

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discussed the results in the final chapter. In this discussion chapter, I reveal the potential implications of my research that could be used in the broader field of education.

As a reader, you can expect to take away two main things from this research paper. The

first is how to motivate students, not only in the language learning setting, but outside as well. My findings indicate two primary motivators that will strengthen your classroom

teachings. Another thing that you may take away is how to motivate yourself throughout your own education. As a student, I have also struggled to motivate myself for class. By applying the motivators that I discuss, you may be able to develop your own methods for

studying and become excited about your education.

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There is near unanimity in the academic field in regards to technology’s beneficial effect on the acquisition of foreign languages. My primary research focuses on how technology can

be used to motivate students when they are learning a foreign language. To provide a solid foundation for my own research, I examined a variety of studies that discussed which types

of technology are beneficial in the acquisition of foreign languages. From the review of literature, the works of Golonka, et al. as well as Chang, et al. discuss the broad uses of

technology and the many ways that they benefit foreign language learners (FLL). Specifically, Golonka, et al. notes the use of many types of technologies that can augment foreign language acquisition. Fortunately, there have been studies that support to Golonka,

et al.’s claim that the aforementioned types of technologies benefit FLL. These studies include the works of: Knutzen & Kennedy, Sanatullov & Sanatullova-Allison, and Tare, et

al. Knutzen & Kennedy give credibility to the claim that virtual realities aid the acquisition of foreign languages. Sanatullov & Sanatullova-Allison support the use of course

management systems. Tare, et al. advocates the use of online chat systems to gain social skills in a foreign language. There was an additional study, separate from Chang, et al. and Golonka, et al., that examined how non-interactive technology may benefit a FLL. It was

conducted by Bahrani & Sim, who studied the effects of audiovisual mass media exposure on FLL. As one can see, the majority of the technologies mentioned are interactive which

adds and engaging element. This element helps reveal the primary motivating aspects of social and familiarity later on in the analysis of the results of my primary results.

Ching-wen Chang, a professor at Missouri State University who specializes in Technology in Education, expresses why technology can aid in the acquisition of a foreign language for

a FLL. “Through technology experiences, language learners are able to interact with others, confront virtual reality collaboratively, expand their knowledge, and establish personal

communications” (Chang, et al. 2012, 1). From her perspective, the cognitive benefits that are yielded from working as part of larger, social community alone are reason enough for

why technology can no longer be neglected in the foreign language education community. With that in mind, she suggested four of the many facets of technology to aid in foreign language learning. They are: blogs, wikis, threaded discussion boards, and skype (Chang, et

al. 2012). My research has discovered that blogs are one of the most effective methods for learning a foreign language. This is because they can increase a student’s motivation to

work harder, allow students to learn outside of the classroom on a more familiar platform, and increase their writing ability. Historically, this is not unexpected because journals have

been a popular tool for similar reasons. The primary differences between the two is merely the fact that students of the 21-century are more motivated to utilize the internet and since

they are publishing their work for an endless audience, they are more motivated to produce

higher quality works (Golonka, et al. 2014). Most research agrees with this, but Golonka, et al’s study of blogs also shows that FLL have more room in terms of online collaboration

which allows them to expand their personal communications. Blogs are only one of the online social platforms that can be used for learning foreign languages. Another method is

immersion in an online virtual reality.

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By definition, virtual realities are computer-generated simulations of environments where people can interact with others in a variety of ways. In 2009, Professor Brant Knutzen of the

University of Hong Kong proposed to develop and integrate a virtual world teaching resource into his curriculum. From that, the Second Life virtual environment was created.

Over 200 students participated in the study, 100 from Hong Kong and 100 from Texas A&M, and here is one testimonial from one of the Hong Kong participants, “ ‘tonight very

lucky that I talked with 3 American students […] Those guys are great and we spent a good time together. We referred to many things from weather to reading even some class we attend. The process was very confortable and joyful.’” (Knutzen, B., & Kennedy, D. 2012).

The virtual environment not only proved to increase student motivation within the class, it provided a setting from FLL to interact with native speakers and expand their vocabulary in

a natural setting. Also, meeting and interacting with someone through a virtual avatar takes away the pressure of talking to a stranger face to face, and makes it easier to comfortably

interact. Historically, there has not been much research done on virtual realities, but it is widely accepted that speaking with native speakers through immersion is the fastest way to acquire a foreign language. Virtual realities allow those who do not have the time or

resources to immerse themselves fully to gain some of the benefits. Additionally, most research is in agreement with the fact that virtual environments are beneficial. Virtual

environments have not only demonstrated significant improvements in the acquisition of foreign languages, but they also are more immersive in foreign cultures which can provide

vital background information for FLL (Golonka, et al. 2014). Having information about the culture of foreign country could be the difference between proper communication and accidentally seeming tremendously rude or ignorant.

The last method that aids the development of FLL is the use of online Course Management

Systems (CMS). CMS offer teachers and students a way to access syllabi, required readings, calendars, etc. through the internet (Golonka, et al. 2014). This system makes it more

convenient to share materials, but also helps students communicate with their professors. A study conducted by the University of Wichita’s Marat Sanatullov and Elvira Sanatullova-Allison, both of whom specialize in educational technology, found qualitative data that

shows how both teachers and students alike enjoyed the use of their CMS. Before the study was conducted, 80% of teachers and students had agreed that they wanted an online

component for their classes. After using a basic CMS for one or more terms, these teachers and students were given a follow up survey. The results of this second survey showed that

96% of teachers and students wanted to continue using the online component (Sanatullov, M., & Sanatullova-Allison, E. (2006).). The study not only shows the need for an online component, but the strong preference for one by anyone involved in the foreign language

educational community. Most research is in agreement with the idea that CMS are beneficial to the acquisition of a foreign languages. One study conducted by the US

Government claims the following about course management systems, the “technology helps students become independent and confident learners” (Golonka, et al. 2014) The ability to

become an independent learner is astronomically important in the foreign language learning community. This is due to the fact that the average language requires about 600 hours of practice to attain fluency, even more if it is a harder language to acquire. In an academic

setting, it is nearly impossible to attain all of these hours unless it is an immersive program.

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An independent learner is more likely to practice out of class as well, which allows them to hit the goal of 600 hours in a shorter amount of time.

In conclusion, the clear consensus is that technology has a beneficial effect on the

acquisition of a foreign language. My research question is: what are the best ways to integrate technology into the classroom in order to motivate FLL to learn? There has been

research done to show that blogging has an enhanced effect and motivation in the acquisition of a foreign language as well as increasing the FLL willingness to experiment with the language (Golonka, et al. 2014). With that in mind, this is only one of the

technologies I am proposing. The rest of my research will go more in-depth on which technology could be best utilized to motivate students in and out of the classroom.

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3.1 Research Field My research field is technology and education so I was put into an unusual situation

because most research that illuminates this field is about the improvements that students can make using technology. For the majority of the field, technology is seen as a way to augment the classroom and statistically improve how students are doing. This is especially

true in the foreign language learning community as it is easier to detect growth in proficiency quantitatively, as opposed to researching how to motivate students individually.

If a student is motivated to learn, they will develop a better understanding of the language and push themselves in more beneficial ways. This is the type of research I am looking into

as it promotes intrinsic growth.

3.2 Who My research is geared to answer a question brought up by the fact that young millennials are in school and attempting to learn foreign languages. My question is: in what ways does technology help you in the classroom and how can students be motivated to learn a

language? With this in mind, I collected data via surveys and two interviews. The surveys are necessary so I can measure what students prefer in terms of technology on a grander

scale. Additionally, this will provide me with quantitative data which will provide a concrete number to integrate into my research. The interviews are necessary so I can go

more in depth with individuals about what motivates them. This will provide me with deeper qualitative research to answer my research question.

3.3 What I will be using two of the three most common research methods. The first would be a broad survey to the public. Surveys have some perks, but also some drawbacks. The first perk is

that they are generalizable. Since surveys have so many responses, they give conclusive data for a sample of people that is representative to a broader population. The second perk is that

they gather data conveniently. Through the utilization of my social media accounts, I expect that more than 100 people will take my survey. The last perk would be that surveys offer

statistically significant results. With proper analysis, my surveys will yield healthy numbers that can strengthen my claims. Unfortunately, there is one drawback. Inflexibility is an issue within surveys because it does not allow for a participant to elaborate or add to their

statements which could be helpful to the study. Beyond these perks and drawbacks, I was mainly convinced to use surveys by Xiuyuan Zhang and Gang Cui, who conducted a

research study of language learning in China that utilized surveys to collect significant and conclusive data.

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3.3 Continued The second research method I will be implementing is the interview method. This also has a

handful of pros and cons. The first perk would be that they are deeply insightful. With interviews, I can ask more elaborate questions that could give me necessary information. Additionally, the interpersonal connection that interviews offer allows for a better

relationship with participants. This is beneficial in case I have follow up questions that need to be answered. The questions used in my interviews will be very similar to that of the

surveys, but with the interview, I can dive deeper into the questions with my interviewees. However, I could not simply jump straight into my interactions with the public. There were

many steps that had to be taken in order to properly prepare my survey and interview questions.

3.4 Procedures 3.4.1 Surveys: To implement the surveys into my research I followed a strict procedure in

order to keep them as unbiased and insightful as possible. Firstly, I determined what

information I wanted to get out of the surveys. Secondly, I looked into surveys done by other researchers to see how they went about the process. Thirdly, I postulated a rough draft

set of questions that would that I could polish. Fourthly, I searched for the bias within the questions and attempted to remove it. Fifthly, after the revisions, I created the survey.

Sixthly, I distributed the surveys via email, Facebook, and word of mouth. Lastly, I began to compile the information for analysis.

3.4.2 Interviews: To implement the interviews into my research, I used the information from

3.4.1 steps 1 through 4 to build my questions. Next, I went through those questions and

removed ones that I could receive an abundance of data from my surveys. The objective of these interviews would be to counteract the inflexibility of traditional surveys and allow me

to gain additional information for my study. The two interviewees that I found were both in the basic level of French: one had decided that basic French was enough for them, while the

other is going to continue learning the language through the intermediate level courses.

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In order to collect data for my research, I utilized surveys and interviews. Here I will show

all of my data, most of which came from the surveys. In some cases though, the interviews proved to solidify the findings from the surveys. Overall, I collected data from 49 students:

47 survey participants and 2 interviewees.

Above, you see figures 4.1 and 4.2 which illustrate that this student body is familiar with the teaching process of foreign languages at the University of Denver. Figure 4.1 represents the

answers to the question, “How many languages do you speak with moderate proficiency?” A majority of participants, 47.73%, responded by saying that they only spoke 1 language,

while 45.45% responded saying that they spoke 2 languages, and only 6.82% reporting that they spoke 3 or more languages. This shows that the majority of the population surveyed

should be learning at least one more language while studying at the University of Denver. Figure 4.2 backs up this finding by showing that 91.49% of participants are either currently learning a language through the university or have already completed their language

program. This student body is important have because they are involved a foreign language program currently with moderate to little prior experience with foreign language learning.

0

5

10

15

20

25

Number of languages spoken

Figure 4.1

1

2

3

Figure 4.2

Yes

No

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Figure 4.3 Requirement Study Abroad Own Interest

Disagree 23 11 14

Neutral 7 16 4

Agree 17 18 29

Illustrated by figure 4.3, the next set of data looked into why people were learning a foreign language by giving 3 statements where the participant could agree, disagree, or remain

neutral for. In order, here are the statements: “You are only learning a new language to meet DU's Foreign Language requirement”; “You are learning a foreign language for study

abroad”; and “You are learning a foreign language as part of your own interest, major, or minor”. The most important data to come from this research lays within the answers for the last statement. 29.87% of participants disagreed with the statement with 8.51% remaining

neutral and 61.70% of participants agreeing with the statement. This once again shows that the student body here is ideal for my study because they are motivated to learn the foreign

language than most people are.

Unfortunately, I ran into an inconsistency that can by illustrated by figure 4.4. This data showed that

only 56.52% of students surveyed practice their language on their own. When compared to the figure

4.2’s own interest section, one should expect those studying a language for their own interest and education to be motivated to learn it, yet there is a

5.18% difference between the numbers. My data from figure 4.4 goes against the idea that this is the

ideal student body to survey as they are motivated to learn, but it should be noted that numbers are

typically much lower when looking at how many students practice on their own.

Figure 4.4

Practice on own time

Do not practice on own

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The next question set was the most important in terms of my research because I asked students to look at 6 different types of technology that could be integrated into the

classroom setting. These students were allowed to disagree, agree, or remain neutral on the type of technology being asked about. Figure 4.5 contains the data from this question set. At

this point, I will share each set of data individually in order of how well liked it was.

Blogs:

The results for blogs was interesting to discover as it goes against the research that I reviewed for my literature review. Blogs are generally recognized to have the ability to

motivate those who utilize them, yet 47.83% of students reported that they were not interested in them at all. With only 28.26% of students reporting that would like to utilize blogs in the class, it is the least supported technology proposed. I believe that the idea of

keeping a blog is daunting to these students, because it can be so time consuming and must be maintained every day or so. This goes along with the idea that students are complacent

and do not want more work to do.

Virtual Realities:

In order to fully understand this method, I must first clarify. The term virtual reality includes online avatar-based platforms such as World of Warcraft, Runescape, and Second Life. The results of this data was overwhelmingly underwhelming. Like the Blogs, my

secondary research supported the integration of virtual realities and a language learning environment. However, in my research, 30.44% of students were interested in using it

whereas 50.00% of students were entirely against it. Interestingly enough, when asked about virtual environments, an interviewee responded with, “I would totally try learning via

virtual reality. For some, social media would be comfortable and normal. For me, the virtual environment would be comfortable, normal, and exciting […] it allows the opportunity to be social, engaged, and constantly

22

12 1

4 15

23

20

11

11

7 8 9

6

13

23 24

23

14

21

B L O G S S O C I A L M E D I A O P E N D I S C U S S I O N

B O A R D S W I T H F O R E I G N

S T U D E N T S

C O U R S E M A N A G E M E N T

S Y S T E M S

V I R T U A L E N V I R O N M E N T S

P E N P A L S

FIGURE 4.5

Disagree Neutral Agree

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Virtual Realities (continued):

working to goals with the virtual environment.” Highlighting something that is commonly overlooked, virtual realities are social which seems to be a necessity for the language

learning process. Perhaps at first consideration, students see virtual realities as simply playing games and wasting time, instead of actually being productive. There is already a

social stigma surrounding virtual realities that many people do not want to be associated with, which may be initially off-putting. As a result, the actual benefits would need to be further explained to the students for them to realize how the virtual realities can be

beneficial to their education.

Pen Pals:

The results for blogs was interesting because it had the 3rd highest number of people who liked it at, but also had the 3rd highest number of people who disagreed with it. Overall,

45.65% of students supported Pen Pals, while 43.47% of students were against it, and 13.04% of students remained neutral on the topic.

Course Management Systems:

Once again, for clarification, a course management system (CMS) is a collection of software tools providing an online environment for course interactions, such as VHL, BlackBoard,

Canvas, etc. Now, 50.00% of students reported that they would be interested in this system and 32.60% of students were against the integration of this technology into their classrooms.

Fortunately for those 50.00% of students who were supportive of this technology, it is already integrated into the University of Denver curriculum universally. This may appeal to students because it provides information that is right at their fingertips, and it is an

immediate way to improve. They do not have to go searching or wait for their own progress to develop over time, like Blogs or Virtual Realities.

Social Media:

Almost a mirror image of the Blogs data, Social Media has promising results. With 50.00%

of students being in support of this option, 26.08% of students not supporting it, and 23.92% remaining indifferent on the issue; there is fairly strong support of this technology. Additionally, Social Media was the 2nd most popular option of all the technologies proposed.

Also, one of my interviewees was opinionated about social media as a learning platform when she states, “It is perfect! In my opinion, the most important factor for learning a

foreign language would be the social aspect and social media handles it perfectly. Additionally, it is a hybrid of 3 of the other proposed technologies. Through Facebook,

Instagram, or Twitter, a student can be involved in discussion boards with foreign students,

speak one-on-one as if pen pals, and post their own thoughts as if it was a blog. Social Media can do all of these while hanging on to the normalcy of everyday life.” The fact that

Social Media is so flexible allows students to individually gain as much experience as possible from it. Additionally, the social aspect of Social Media is its main perk in the sense

that if a conversation is started online during class, a student is likely to continue even after class ends.

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Open Discussion Boards:

This form of technology is Social Media’s only true competition as it has more people in support of it, but also more against it. 52.17% of students were supportive of the idea of

having open discussion boards with foreign students which 2.17% more students that Social Media had. On the other hand, Social Media had 26.08% against it and the Open

Discussion Boards has 30.43% of the students against it which is a difference of 4.35%. The open discussion board is a wonderful use of technology as it is both social and familiar for the students. In these open discussion boards, students would be able to interact with foreign

students and maintain casual conversations. Also, a professor would be able to center a discussion board on a specific question or topic, which would foster a more in depth

conversation on a subject.

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My research could go a number of places, but the most important would be to the broader realm of education. My research was focused on motivating students within the field of

foreign language learning. It could be quite beneficial to look at motivating students in any field of education, not just foreign language learning. This could mean a multitude of things,

but the most ideal would be that it leads to students becoming more proactive in their own education. Instead of having students dreading going to class, they could be excited to go. I

can roughly predict two different results of students getting excited about class. The first potential result would be greater education level of the current generation which would more than likely be observed through a rise in test scores. The second potential result would

be a decrease in the youth dropout rate which is commonly correlated with a decrease in the crime rate and decrease in poverty.

With that in mind, my research could be the stepping stone to something greater in the field

of education. Having discovered that the two most important motivators of students revolve around a social environment and familiar methods, this could be applied to all fields of education. I hope my research may serve as a catalyst for future research in education.

Current research typically involves exploring different methods to use while teaching, and which of those leads the greatest amount of growth in the students. I hope that in the future,

more research will revolve around the motivation of students. Although studying the best methods is important, I believe that getting students motivated to apply themselves in

school is far more important. At this moment, the scope of my research is limited to the field of foreign language learning,

but has the potential to impact the entire field of education. Societally, my research may allow students to become more excited about education which could lead to a growth in

post-secondary education. My research touches on the previously under-researched topic of student motivation in education as opposed to simply looking at student growth.

The solution of my particular research would be to actually integrate my discoveries into the foreign language learning curriculum in schools. This could start with the introduction of

my top two most popular technologies: Open Discussion Boards and Social Media.

For future research, I would change one thing. Although surveys are important for the collection of a lot of shallow data, I believe that having more in-depth interviews with

foreign language learners could be more beneficial. The data I learned from my interviews was very similar to my surveys, but one potential suggestion from a student could

revolutionize the education system. Although the chance of this suggestion being received

by researchers is slim, it is well worth the effort.

At this point in time, I believe the next step is to increase the amount of research done on the topic of student motivation. I understand that increasing test results is very important for

us as a nation, but increasing the student motivation may benefit us even more as a society.

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Knutzen, B., & Kennedy, D. (2012). The global classroom project: Learning a second

language in a virtual environment.Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 10(1), 90-106. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/docview/1031153801?accountid=14608

Golonka, E. M., Bowles, A. R., Frank, V. M., Richardson, D. L., & Freynik, S. (2014). Technologies for foreign language learning: A review of technology types and their effectiveness. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 27(1), 70-105. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/docview/1651844054?accountid=14608

Chang, C., Pearman, C., & Farha, N. (2012). Second language acquisition: Implications of web 2.0 and beyond. Critical Questions in Education, 3(2), 52-64. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/docview/1651865924?accountid=14608

Sanatullov, M., & Sanatullova-Allison, E. (2006). Instructional technology as a means to enhance foreign language learning.Central States Conference Report, Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/docview/85671857?accountid=14608

Tare, M., Golonka, E. M., Vatz, K., Bonilla, C. L., Crooks, C., & Strong, R. (2014). Effects of interactive chat versus independent writing on L2 learning. Language Learning & Technology, 18(3), 208-227. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/docview/1651864691?accountid=14608

Bahrani, T., & Sim, T. S. (2012). Informal language learning setting: Technology or social interaction? Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology - TOJET, 11(2), 142-149. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/docview/1312425185?accountid=14608

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Jake Weber is a Marketing Major at the

University of Denver. His interest in Foreign Languages is sparked by a passion to study French. This passion is intermixed with his

aspirations to enter the Wine & Spirits Industry. Pairing these two together has led to

a particular interest in the French study abroad programs that require him to be a fluent

speaker.

Outside of academics, Jake has proven to be a leader time and again. In High School, he was the Varsity Captain of both the Water Polo

team and the Swim team. As well as being a Youth Leader at the Church of Ranch

Bernardo. He has taken these leadership abilities to greater heights when he became the

Vice President of Social Media and Marketing of the University of Denver Cooking Club.

He currently maintains a 3.87 GPA, but will

not be returning to the University of Denver in the fall.

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