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Abstract Belamaric Wilsey, Biljana ABSTRACT BELAMARIC WILSEY, BILJANA. Ecological View of the Learner-Context Interface for Online Language Learning: A Phenomenological Case Study of Informal Learners of Macedonian. (Under the direction of Dr. Kevin Oliver). Studies of informal language learning and self-instruction with online materials have recently come into prominence. However, those studies are predominantly focused on more commonly taught languages and there is a gap in the literature on less commonly taught languages (LCTL), precisely the languages that are often studied outside of formal settings. The current research aims to begin to fill that gap by examining the experiences of learners of Macedonian. Using a qualitative approach, the author presents an ecological perspective of the phenomenon of learning Macedonian informally as reported by the learners themselves through interviews. Eleven participants from Albania, Canada, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Russia, and the United States described how their learning context impacted their study through self-instruction with online resources (n=5) and with the additional help from tutors (n=6). The study results were presented through the lenses of Ecological Systems theory and Learner-Context Interface theory. Most of the participants in the study reported support, albeit limited, for their Macedonian language learning and maintenance in their microsystem, as well as through Internet resources in their exosystem, whereas their macrosystem exerted a negative impact upon their language study. Most participants stated that their biggest obstacle was finding opportunities to practice the language and most participants were open to the remedy of practicing in virtual learning communities. All the participants used online means to search for resources, most were comfortable using online materials, and they considered them effective. In addition, all of the participants were simultaneously using multiple resources, such as Web sites which stream Macedonian content (news, movies, music, and e-textbooks from Macedonia), Web sites which explain Macedonian grammar and vocabulary (such as the recruitment site for the study, the Macedonian Language E-Learning Center), online dictionaries and Google translate, Facebook, Skype, radio, online flashcards, and tutoring. These conclusions taken together point to a normalization of online technologies for LCTL study. The researcher also found that most of the learners did not have specific goals and objectives on which they based their searches for and use of materials and technology, but instead had general end-goals, such as speaking Macedonian fluently. In addition, none of the participants spoke about evaluating the quality of the resources (including physical and human) that they found before starting to use them. Deducing from these two findings, it can be concluded that although the learners were experienced language learners (all of them had studied other foreign languages before), they still needed guidance on choosing effective resources and achieving their goals. This guidance is the task of instructional designers and tutors. Designers of materials for LCTLs need to be explicit about the goals and objectives on which resources are based in order to facilitate the learners' understanding of a path towards a goal. They also need to provide learners with information how to best navigate and adapt materials to fit their own needs and preferences. Furthermore, learners need to be educated that not all online resources are equally effective, trustworthy, or appropriate for their needs and they need assistance with learning to evaluate resources. © Copyright 2013 Biljana Belamaric Wilsey All Rights Reserved Ecological View of the Learner-Context Interface for Online Language Learning: A Phenomenological Case Study of Informal Learners of Macedonian by Biljana Belamaric Wilsey A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Curriculum and Instruction Raleigh, North Carolina 2013 APPROVED BY: _______________________________ ______________________________ Kevin Oliver Ellen Vasu Committee Chair ________________________________ ________________________________ Donna Petherbridge Scott Despain BIOGRAPHY Biljana Belamaric Wilsey is the founder, Executive Director, and principal instructional designer of the award-winning Macedonian Language E-Learning Center (http://macedonianlanguage.org), an online non-profit resource center for learning Macedonian language and culture. Her research interests include technology integration in higher, adult, and distance education curricula; multimedia and online technologies and pedagogy for teaching and learning foreign languages, specifically the less commonly taught languages; and sociolinguistics of the Balkans. Her research has been published in the peer- reviewed journals CALICO Journal, International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, and South-East European Politics Online. She is a reviewer for the Computer Assisted Language Learning journal and also reviewed articles for the book Virtual Mentoring for Teachers: Online Professional Development Practices, edited by J. Keengwe and L. Kyei-Blankson, and published by IGI Global in 2012. Biljana is a member of several professional associations, including National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages, Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO), Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, and Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching. She holds an M.A. in Slavic Languages and Literatures from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.A. in English as a Second Language from the University of Memphis, and a Bachelor's degree in Music Performance from the University of Memphis. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without the astute guidance and gentle encouragement of my advisor, Dr. Kevin Oliver, as well as the patience and support of Dr. Donna Petherbridge, Dr. Scott Despain, and Dr. Ellen Vasu, all of whom graciously agreed to serve on my dissertation committee. I am also thankful to the College of Education for awarding me the Doctoral Dissertation Support Grant, without which completing some of the research would not have been possible. I also could not have completed the dissertation without the loving support of my husband and our daughters, who patiently and selflessly stood by while I focused on studying, research, and writing. I also want to acknowledge my parents, who instilled in me a love for learning and a yearning for high achievement. They are greatly missed. Thank you also to my brother, extended family, and friends, who helped me to stay on task and occasionally to veer off task in order to feel human again. I am indebted to the volunteer participants in this study for sharing their language learning experiences with me. It was truly a privilege to get a glimpse into their daily lives and to be able to write down and pass on their stories and advice. Lastly, I am grateful to all the users of MLEC resources and to my students of Macedonian, who gave me a reason to carry on with this research even when my own life pulled me in different directions. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... x LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................. xii 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 1.0. Background ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Purpose of Study ................................................................................................................ 4 1.2. Discussion and Definition of Terms .................................................................................. 6 1.2.1. Defining the Formality of the Learning Setting .......................................................... 6 1.2.2. Distance Education and Learning, Online Learning, and E-learning ....................... 12 1.2.3. Less Commonly and Almost Never Taught Languages ........................................... 14 1.2.4. Macedonian Language and Instruction ..................................................................... 15 1.2.5. Constructivism .......................................................................................................... 17 1.2.6. Ecological Systems Theory....................................................................................... 18 1.2.7. Learner-Context Interface Theory ............................................................................ 20 1.3. Significance of Study ....................................................................................................... 22 1.4. Overview of Approach ..................................................................................................... 23 1.5. Organization of Study ...................................................................................................... 25 iv 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................
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