Enjoyment of Communicaon Tools
4.2 Research question 2: What strengths and weaknesses do students perceive in the individual communication tools?
The qualitative analysis of the students’ responses to the open-ended questions on the post-survey revealed that students perceived several strengths and weaknesses when using the different communication tools. As email was a tool used mainly to negotiate times for the chats, students were not asked about advantages and disadvantages of that tool.
4.2.1 Strengths and weaknesses of discussion forums
Four strengths of discussion forums were identified in the survey responses of the US students. The main strength that students saw in the discussion forums was the flexibility due to its asynchronous nature. Students regarded this as especially beneficial because it gave them time to think, construct correct sentences, and make more substantive contributions. They also liked that it gave them regular writing practice through which they could learn new language constructions by using the German examples as a guide for their own compositions.
The second advantage that was reported was the simplicity of the tool. Students enjoyed that the discussion forum was so easy to use and that composing mes- sages was quick and simple. Thirdly, the discussion forum allowed for community building to take place, which students saw as another great strength. They enjoyed learning about a lot of different opinions, discussing a variety of topics, and as a result, being “able to feel like part of a big group” (Student A29). Lastly, students saw different learning benefits in the use of discussion forums. These included the opportunity to learn more about the target culture, to practice writing in the target language, and to receive feedback on errors or questions.
The majority of students described only one weakness of the discussion forum tool: issues of participation. Students were unhappy about long waiting times in- between posts. They also felt that there were unequal contributions –some students posted a lot and frequently, while others were largely absent in the discussions. This sometimes led to a boring exchange that seemed a bit forced and sometimes even impersonal. A few students would have wished not to have been restricted to one small group for the discussions for the whole semester.
The second weakness that was mentioned had to do with the logistics of the dis- cussion forum task. Students reported dissatisfaction with the discussion prompts which they perceived as too limited and narrow, as well as with the lack of formal feedback on their compositions. While many students had mentioned the formal writing practice as an advantage of the tool, a few students disliked the discussion
forums for their resemblance to essay writing. Two students found the technology of the discussion forums tedious.
4.2.2 Strengths and weaknesses of text-chats
Three main advantages of text-chats were identified in the students’ responses to the open-ended questions: the synchronous nature of the tool, the feedback, and the different learning benefits. Interacting synchronously with native speakers allowed students to practice speaking in real time and to develop a personal interaction through having real conversations. Additionally, students enjoyed the simple, con- venient, relaxed, and casual atmosphere the text-chats afforded. The feedback –due to real-time conversation– was immediate and students saw an advantage in being able to ask questions and receive answers right away. This also helped students to learn about the German language.
A variety of learning benefits were also mentioned by students, such as the ability to practice informal language use. Students reported learning slang and colloquial German as a strength of the text-chats and they felt that they were able to learn how to speak freely and naturally. Additionally, the text-chats allowed students to learn more about the target culture. Other strengths of text chats that were mentioned in the students’ responses include the absence of pressure or worry of making mistakes, and the ability to have good discussions in real-time while still having some time to think about responses.
The two main weaknesses identified in the responses include the time differ- ence, which made scheduling the text-chats difficult, and the discussion topics.
As with the discussion forum, some students found the pre-assigned topics too narrow and would have preferred a free conversation. Some students said it was easy to get off topic and talk about other matters of interest. The two other minor weaknesses of text-chats mentioned by the students were the length, which some found too long, and the inability to see the partners’ reactions, due to which some students felt uncertain about how they came across to their partner.
4.2.3 Strengths and weaknesses of voice-chats
The students’ perceived advantages of the voice-chats resembled those of the text- chats. The synchronous nature of the voice-chats was the main advantage again, as it allowed students to have a rapid exchange of ideas and get immediate feedback.
Students enjoyed seeing their partners’ facial expression and talking in real-time.
Speaking face-to-face with a real person also made the interaction more personal, which was another benefit of this synchronous tool.
Similarly to the text chats, a variety of different learning benefits were expe- rienced through the voice-chats. Students appreciated receiving help with pro- nunciation, learning to understand different accents, and practicing both their speaking and listening skills. Additionally, the voice-chats allowed students to build their vocabulary and learn colloquial expressions. Overall, students enjoyed getting to know their partners better through the voice-chats. They also thought the chats had a good length and were challenging in a good way.
Weaknesses connected to voice-chats were primarily the difficulty of schedul- ing the chats due to the time difference as well as technological problems with the audio or video software. Some students found it hard to hear or see their partner due to connection problems. Other weaknesses that students mentioned included a lack of sufficient German skills, which prevented them from understanding quickly spoken German and a sense of awkwardness and feeling overwhelmed.
4.2.4 Strengths and weaknesses of videoconferences
The main advantage students saw in the videoconferences was the class-to-class communication. Students thought it was fun to see the whole group and enjoyed the very collaborative exchange it enabled. Similarly to the voice-chats, being able to see all partners humanized the exchange for the students. Like the discussion forums, it provided students with insights into different views and opinions, stu- dents were able to ask many questions and talk a lot. In contrast to the voice-chats which were sometimes stressful for students, an advantage of the videoconference was that classmates were present for support.
As with the other tools, students also saw different learning benefits in the vide- oconferences. They enjoyed hearing many different accents in the partner group and receiving a lot of cultural information. Similarly to the voice-chats, students liked the combination of practicing speaking and listening. While some students had reported problems with their personal voice-chat technology, an advantage of the videoconference was seen in the stability of the technology. Overall, students thought that the videoconferences were a lot of fun.
Students perceived few weaknesses with the videoconferences. It was men- tioned that it can be a bit overwhelming and hard to keep track of everything. The fact that only one student can speak at a time was also disliked. A few weaknesses were perceived regarding the technology. Although advanced videoconferencing equipment was used, some students found it hard to hear, and experienced the roaming camera as stressful.