online cmc presentation

Understanding Power Relations and Identity Construction in Online

Communication Between NS and NNs

Ahmed FahadDoctoral Candidate

College of EducationUniversity of Cincinnati

FLEAT IV conference 2015

Purpose of This Presentation:

1. Share my findings

2. Getting feedback from you

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Background of the Study

Personal experience!

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• 8/4, 3:29am• Glen Chapman“I understand that English is not your first language. You write quite well and I teach ESL writing so I know what I'm talking about but I have a question for you. It concerns your Facebook profile. It tells me you live in Iraq, that you're married and work at a university. It also says you are interested in both men and women. I feel compelled to make clear what "interested" means. If you say you are interested in men, it means you are attracted to men in a sexual nature. It doesn't matter to me, personally, someone's sexual orientations but I don't usually see that kind of candor from an Arab living in an Arab state. I don't mean to offend you and I really don't mean to offend you if you are bisexual but I thought I'd bring it up just in case you made a mistake. When you get to town, we'll have to have a long talk. Good luck with the GRE and keep studying…”

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Continued Background of the Study

• Many studies but little has focused on identity and power relations in online communication between NSs and NNs

• The recent advancement in ICT and the decrease in the digital divide ?

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Statistics!• There are 686,000 international students in 2014 (an

8% increase from the previous year. (Open Door Report (2014)

• Facebook users: 936 million daily active users, 798 million mobile daily active users, 1.44 billion monthly active users, and 1.25 billion mobile monthly active users.

• Approximately 82.8% of Facebook daily active users are outside the U.S and Canada.

(Facebook news room 2015)

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Theoretical Framework• Sociocultural theory. CMC works as a scaffolding

and bigger zone of proximal development (ZPD) to pave the way for the process of internalization (Vygotsky, 1962; 1978)

• Comprehensible input theory (Krashen 1982; Long 1985). Authenticity.

• Second language socialization theory (Duff, 2007; 2010; Schieffelin & Ochs, 1986) “acquisition of linguistic, pragmatic and other cultural knowledge through social experience” (p. 426).

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Methodology:Critical Discourse Analysis

• Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is the field where the social factor plays an essential role in determining the individual’s meanings and intentions when using a language.

• Language is an irreducible part of social life and refers to a dialectic relation between language and social reality.

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Discourse as Text, Interaction and Context

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Research Question

What are the interactional patterns and discursive strategies used by NSs and NNSs in online communication to make meaning?

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Participants, Data and Research Context

• University Alumni Program

• Data sources include:

o Semi-structured interviews.

o Alumni group Viber chat and email correspondence.

o Publicly available transcripts of Facebook communication

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FindingsIdentity Construction:

• Identity is socioculturally constructed, continuous and changing.

• self-regulation concept, learner-to-learner interaction

• Develop transcultural identities.• Agency-oriented identity that push

towards active learning. 13

Preliminary Findings• Power Relations

• Lower effective filter.• The sense of anonymity gives learners

more power.• Power distance (less powerful members

accept the unequal distribution of power)• NSs’ collaboration (i.e. keeping the face,

topics initiation, and questions initiation”

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Continued FindingsMeaning Making/Construction/Negotiation

• Definition request and confirmations checks: ICT and Relations Democratization: new communication strategies and more friendly and favorable environment

• Scaffolding leading to internalization: NSs’ flexibility and adjustment to facilitate communication

• Self-Regulation: Positive effect of a student’s autonomy, peers feedback, and collaboration

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Continued Findings

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• Codes alternation:

Continued Findings

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Social (informal) Code

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Conclusion• The study suggests that the use of Web 2.0

technologies in L2 education may be particularly beneficial for second and foreign language learners

• SNSs have a high potential to provide access to

optimal conditions for learning as they provide exposure to and opportunities to use the target language in a highly engaging, authentic, and motivating context

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Pedagogical implication

• This would help curriculum designers incorporate more space for the use of SNS and develop guides for students to use based on empirically proven research.

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Questions?Please ask now or provide feedback now or email me at:

fahadak@mail.uc.edu

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