-168-
2014 CALL Conference
LINGUAPOLIS
www.antwerpcall.be
Zoe Handley
University of York, York, United Kingdom
zoe.handley@york.ac.uk
Investigating the Impact of Text Chat on the Quality of Oral
Production During Face-To-Face Speaking Tasks
Bio data
Dr
Zöe Handley
is a Lecturer in Language Education in the Department of Education at
the University of York. Her current research interests lie in the area of computer-
mediated task-based language learning. She has also published
research on the use of
text-to-speech synthesis in CALL.
Abstract
Three modes of chat are distinguished, text, audio and video chat.
Previous research
suggests that each mode has a differential impact on the quality (complexity, accuracy
and fluency; CAF) of the language students produce during chat-mediated speaking tasks
and their self-efficacy. For example, Smith (2004) found that
during text chat students
focus more on form, and Satar and Ozdener (2008) found that participating in text-chat
reduced students’ levels of anxiety. This paper reports on the first in a series of studies
planned to systematically investigate the impact of the different chat modes on the
quality of the language that students produce during (and following) tasks and student’s
self-efficacy.
In this study text chat is compared with face-to-face (f2F) communication. Given that it
is not possible to directly compare text chat
and face-to-face communication, following
Bygate’s (1996; 2001) research which suggests that
task repetition leads to
improvements in the quality of students’ oral production, this study investigates whether
text chat and face-to-face communication have a differential impact on the quality of
students’ oral production in follow
-up face-to-face tasks.
20 pairs of Chinese speakers of English studying at a University in the UK volunteered to
participate in the study which had a within-participants design. The independent variable
was task condition (text chat vs. face-to-face). The dependent variables were: (1) quality
of the language produced during
follow-up face-to-face tasks, and (2) task-based self-
efficacy in follow-up face-to-face tasks.
Analysis of the data is ongoing. To date analyses of the self-efficacy
data have been
completed. These analyses suggest that participating in text chat has no impact on self-
efficacy in follow-up face-to-face tasks.
A number of issues have arisen in the coding of the data for quality and is therefore on-
going. The body of the talk will therefore focus on discussing issues associated with CAF
measurement.