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(MOO) As a High School Procedure for Foreign Language Acquisition James A Nova Southeastern University NSUWorks CEC Theses and Dissertations College of Engineering and Computing 1999 Multi-User Domain Object Oriented (MOO) as a High School Procedure for Foreign Language Acquisition James A. Backer Nova Southeastern University, [email protected] This document is a product of extensive research conducted at the Nova Southeastern University College of Engineering and Computing. For more information on research and degree programs at the NSU College of Engineering and Computing, please click here. Follow this and additional works at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/gscis_etd Part of the Computer Sciences Commons Share Feedback About This Item NSUWorks Citation James A. Backer. 1999. Multi-User Domain Object Oriented (MOO) as a High School Procedure for Foreign Language Acquisition. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences. (396) https://nsuworks.nova.edu/gscis_etd/396. This Dissertation is brought to you by the College of Engineering and Computing at NSUWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in CEC Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of NSUWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Multi-User Domain Object Oriented (MOO) as a High School Procedure for Foreign Language Acquisition by James A. Backer A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Doctoral Program in Computer Technology in Education School of Computer and Information Sciences Nova Southeastern University 1999 We hereby certify that this dissertation, submitted by James A. Backer, conforms to acceptable standards and is fully adequate in scope and quality to fulfill the dissertation requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. J~ /s;)..ooO ~ ) ) Gertrude W. Abramson, Ed.D. Date Chairperson of Dissertation Committee Marlyn Kemper Littman, Ph.D. Dissertation Committee Member Vivian Zamel, Ph. Dissertation COllll111 tee Member Approved: ~~.---e:------_ c=~?/ Edward Lieblein, Ph.D. Date Dean, School of Computer and Information Sciences School of Computer and Information Sciences Nova Southeastern University 1999 An Abstract of a Dissertation Submitted to Nova Southeastern University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Multi-User Domain Object Oriented (MOO) as a High School Procedure for Foreign Language Acquisition by James A. Backer November 1999 Foreign language students experience added difficulty when they are isolated from native speakers and from the culture of the target language. It has been posited that MOOs (Multi­ user domain Object Oriented) may help to overcome the geographical isolation of these students. MOOs are Internet-based virtual worlds in which people from all over the real world meet for synchronous textual conversations and can interact with asynchronous textual objects found there. Students who enjoy a MOO site may identify with its virtual target language community and find integrative motivation which the literature suggests is necessary for advanced language acquisition. This study focused on the affective nature of MOO. An experimental group ofIsraeli high school EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students experienced 12 academic hours at schMOOze University, a MOO site for students of English as a SecondlForeign Language. A control group employed normal EFL procedures, including reading comprehension passages, taped songs, class discussions, and grammar exercises. Using pretest and posttest questionnaires, participants indicated their anxiety about and motivation towards various EFL procedures and English class in general. (Motivation was divided into course-specific subconstructs: interest, relevance, expectation of success, and satisfaction.) The findings demonstrated some significantly positive attitudes towards using MOO as an EFL procedure, particularly for male students and those who felt proficient with computers. Nevertheless, the findings did not match the enthusiasm found in various position papers about MOO in Second/Foreign Language instruction. The experimental group gave significantly higher scores for relevance and expected success in regard to general EFL instruction. However, it gave MOO significantly lower scores in relevance and satisfaction as an EFL procedure when compared to the overall averages of the 13 other EFL procedures. No other major significant differences were found. External factors, which could not be compensated for by the experimental design, may have caused the discrepancy between the position papers and the findings. Repeated, long interruptions of the research may well have produced feelings of discontinuity and frustration, rather than greater motivation, for students unfamiliar with the technology. Therefore, James A. Backer recommendations for further research include an experimental design with a more concentrated MOO experience. Acknowledgments I would like to express my appreciation to my dissertation committee. My chairperson, Dr. Gertrude W. Abramson, inspired me with her enthusiasm for educational technology and her guidance during the preparation and execution of this project. Dr. Marlyn K. Littman provided an example of excellence in instruction in the field of educational technology. Dr. Vivian Zamel, from the University of Massachusetts - Boston, aided me in applying the study of educational technology to my research and work in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). I extend my thanks to the staff members and students of the Har V'Gai Regional School, in Israel, who allowed me to successfully carry out my experiment. In particular, Eli Bliech, the Principal of the school, actively supported my experiment. Wendy Segal, the Chairperson of the English staff, approved the experiment proposal, despite its inherent administrative problems. Ms. Segal, as well as Sigalit Katan and Barry Praag, participated as classroom teachers in the experiment. I thank them for reorganizing their teaching to accommodate the experiment. Thanks also go to the Computer teachers, Chen Barak, Moti Gal, and Oma Lotan, for their technical support during the experiment. I would like to express similar thanks to the members of the virtual experimental site, schMOOze University. Without the help of Julie Falsetti and the other administrators of the MOO site, this experiment would have been impossible. Thanks also go to the other members of the schMOOze University who met with the participants of the experiment. Special thanks go to Shlomo Getz, who assisted me with the statistical aspects of this experiment. In addition, I extend my thanks to all those who read sections of my work-in­ progress and who were kind enough to share their opinions with me: Anny Backer, Larry Davies, Julie Falsetti, Sophie-Ioannou Georgiou, Janet Gross, Cathy Hall, Dr. Donald Hindley, Dr. Charles Meyer, Dr. Madge Mahoney Thombs, and Peter Mostovoy. (I apologize if! have omitted anyone from this list.) Last, but not least, I would like to thank the members of my family. For a period of three years, my wife, Anny, and my daughter, Tamara, willingly subordinated normal family life and the use of the family computer to my academic requirements. Finally, my parents, Morton and Rae, offered invaluable logistical support in the United States while I was living in Israel. Without my family's support, this project would have been inconceivable. Table of Contents Abstract ii List of Tables vii List of Figures viii Chapters I. Introduction 1 Statement of The Problem and Goal 1 Relevance of the Study 15 Barriers and Issues 17 Research Questions and Hypotheses 20 Limitations and Delimitations of the Study 25 Definition of Terms 29 Summary 35 II. Review of the Literature 37 Historical Overview of the Theory and Research Literature 37 The Theory and Research Specific to the Topic 58 Summary of What Is Known and Unknown about the Topic 69 The Contribution This Study Will Make to the Field 70 III. Methodology 72 Research Methods to be Employed 72 Specific Procedures to be Employed 74 Formats for Presenting Results 83 Projected Outcomes 86 Resource Requirements 87 Reliability and Validity 89 Summary 91 IV. Results 93 Analysis and Findings 93 Summary of Results 117 V. Conclusions, Implications, Recommendations, and Summary 119 Conclusions 119 Implications 123 Recommendations 127 Summary 130 VI Appendixes A. Consent Form Sent to Parents of Participants in Experiment 134 B. Questionnaire 1 (Pretest and Posttest) l36 C. Questionnaire 2 (Second Posttest) 142 D. Class Room Procedures for Using MOO in EFL 143 E. Examples of In-Class Material Given to Experimental Group 154 F. Examples of Material Given to Experimental Group During Internet Lab Sessions 160 G. Tables of All Descriptive Data from Posttest Questionnaires 170 Reference List 176 Vll List of Tables Tables 1. Anxiety and Motivational Subconstructs for MOO as an EFL Procedure and the Overall Averages for the 13 Other EFL Procedures (Experimental Group Only) 102 2. Comparing Anxiety and Motivational Subconstructs for MOO and the Overall Averages for the 13 Other EFL Procedures (Experimental Group Only) 105 3. Gender-Based Differences in Self-Reported Anxiety and Self-Reported Motivational Subconstructs while Using MOO in High School EFL 109 4. Correlation Between Self-Reported Keyboard Skills and Self-Reported Anxiety and Self­ Reported Motivational Subconstructs while Using MOO in High School EFL 111 5. Self-Reported
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