The Effects of Synchronous CMC on English Proficiency and Social Presence, Affinity for Partners: Text Versus Video Chat between Japanese and Philippine EFL Learners

抄録

Synchronized computer mediated communication (SCMC) tools such as text chat and video conference have been used commonly for daily communication in the field of language learning in recent years as technology has increased opportunities for their use. We examined how each application may affect language production by non-native English speakers (NNs) in terms of exchange and interaction. We also examined whether learners expressed different attitudes in each mode of online communication. We used a reciprocal peer review system with an E-voting activity module in Moodle in the context of English learning in international collaborative learning. We paired Philippine and Japanese students of English in text chat and video chat modes of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). The results suggest that the use of these tools, both text and video, increased the sense of closeness between peer partners. The results show that “fun” was more highly evaluated by the Philippine learners for both modes, whereas the Japanese learners evaluated fun higher in text chat groups. The results of this study also suggest that the Philippine English learners promoted communication with Japanese learners of English, and thus mutual understanding between them deepened.