| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 英語學系 === 100 === The present study adopts research synthesis and quantitative meta-analysis approaches to investigate the effects of computer-mediated-communication (CMC) on the acquisition of second language in terms of oral skills. It aims to synthesize CMC research on L2 oral skills published from1990 to present. A total number of 20 experimental and quasi-experimental studies which had used CMC as a language learning facilitation tool were included and carefully coded for the calculation of effect size, and for the examination of moderators including the CMC mode, mediums, and activities. A second coder was invited to ensure the inter-coder reliability. The data were retrieved from the following databases: (1) Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC), (2) ProQuest Digital Dissertation Full Text (PQDT), (3) JSTOR-Arts &; Sciences III Collection, (4) National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan (NDLTD), (5) Airiti Library, and and (6) Social Science Citation Index (SSCI). A list of inclusion and exclusion criteria for deciding which primary studies are suitable for the present study was also included.
The purposes of the present study are to investigate (1) the overal effect of CMC on L2 speaking skills, (2) whether L2 speaking skills benefit more from synchronous CMC or asynchronous CMC, (3) whether the CMC platform play a key role in students’ learning process, through meta-analysis, and (4) whether the types of CMC activities affects the oral leaning outcome. The results indicated that CMC leads to more gains in L2 speaking proficiency. Moreover, the examination of moderators suggested that total sample size, grouping, CMC modes, CMC activity, treatment duration, and class requirement could have an effect on the oral learning outcomes.
The present synthesis is limited in certain aspects. First, the number of the primary studies included was considered too small. Second, the learners’ L1 wasn’t taken into consideration when examining the moderators. Third, the final included studies didn’t contain studies investigating some popular CMC platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
The present study offers a number of pedagogical implications. To begin with, incorporating CMC into language classrooms can be facilitative. Suggestions of how CMC should be conducted are as follows: Put students into smaller groupings no more than 6, choose ACMC over SCMC, adopt free chat or voice blog as the CMC activity, and use CMC as a class requirement instead of optional activity.
There are some suggestions for future studies as well. To contribute to meta-analysis, the future researchers are advised to conduct experimental studies with a real control group, record and report in detail the statistical results, and separate the different variables for the convenience of comparison.
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