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Virtual French Immersion versus Face-to-Face Immersion Classrooms

Research Proposal

Donna Forward-Houriet 64664865 University of British Columbia Dr. Leah Mac Fadyen and Dr. Yal Miriam Tagerud ETEC 565G April 7th, 2013

1. Introduction a. Statement of the topic While French Immersion remains a fairly popular educational choice for many students in Canada, virtual language learning is also quickly on the rise. However, with the shortage of native, French speaking teachers in British Columbia (Carr, 2007), many Anglophone educators, with a wide variety of French competencies, are filling in the gaps. The result is a French language that is often translated directly from English, creating an ethnocentric, English language and cultural dominance in Immersion classrooms. Furthermore, the students speak English or Franglais amongst themselves which, in retrospect, is also not true immersion. My aim is to examine the effectiveness of implementing a Virtual French Immersion (VFI) program in British Columbia, where all of the instructors and tutors will be Francophone speakers from around the world. This is a quantitative study, since I will have very little personal interaction with both groups of French Immersion students. This research will examine whether Kindergarten Immersion students, through continual online French conversation with native language instructors and students from French speaking countries, will be able to develop their language skills better than if they were to study French in a face-to-face, Immersion classroom.

b. Review of related literature I have selected seven research articles which I feel will help me examine and compare the different aspects that relate to virtual language acquisition. To begin with, I will provide a brief summary of the literature and will analyze and critique each selected article. Next, I will offer a synthesis which will allow me to discuss any common or conflicting messages within the papers, as well as mentioning any recurring themes that are evident. Finally, I will conclude with any further research questions or specific areas of focus that arise.

This first article, Digital Natives Digital Immigrants by (Prensky, 2001), discusses how todays Net generation (of digital natives) actually thinks differently as a result of how they relate to technology. This eye-opening paper supports the urgency of how traditional teachers (the digital immigrants) need to immerse themselves in the technical language of todays students. The digital natives receive information quickly, prefer graphics over texts and will choose games over serious work any day (Prensky, 2001). The main problem is that digital immigrants are having a hard time coping with teaching a generation that speaks a different, technical language than they do. This is the main reason why this article supports VFI, since it stresses the need for drastic changes in the current education system. Virtual language learning will offer digital natives the interactivity they are so craving. This paper also emphasizes that the issues of misunderstandings between teachers and students wont just disappear. Prensky (2001) adds that it is not possible to simply forget about digital natives until they grow up and do it themselves. This well-written, superbly presented article has become the most influential paper in the writing of my research proposal.

The next article, Virtual Ethnicity: The new digitization of place, body, language and memory by (Macfadyen, 2006), focuses on the identity of virtual students. This is often an argument that face-to-face learning advocates bring up when online education is discussed. They are worried that students will not have the physical, social interaction with others that is needed in their development and that they could possibly be lost in what (Macfadyen, 2006) refers to as the de-territorialized, disembodied virtual spaces of the internet. This article also takes a look at what we are doing with our bodies in defining our ethnic identities and how our ingrained attachment to material and physical places is also frequently invoked as an indication of ethnicity (Macfadyen, 2006). The author provides an example of this by stating that many ethnic communities are imagined (since weve never

actually meet the members or visit the specific regions), however in our minds we can envision being connected to those people and places. This will be a key concept to instill into the thoughts of virtual learners, in order that they keep close to their own culture and ethnicity when they venture into cyberspace. In addition to discussing the relationship between the body and virtual identity, this article presents how printed words in cyberspace are becoming the speech of the individuals in virtual worlds (Macfadyen, 2006). This concept goes along perfectly with what online collaborative discourse is about and how it will be applied by virtual language learners. This peer reviewed chapter, Towards a theory of online learning, from the book the theory and practice of online learning by the same author (Anderson, 2008), takes a look at the role of interaction in online learning. This theory introduces the different possible combinations of virtual interactions, such as; student-student, teacher-student and studentcontent. The author stresses that depending on which interactivity is taking place, sets the main criteria for deciding which media is used in delivering lessons. This is extremely important for VFI since each teacher will have to select appropriate online tools which will create positive, interactive teaching environments. (Anderson, 2008) also goes into detail about community-centered learning, knowledge-centered learning, learner-centered learning and concludes with assessment-centered learning. This section on formative evaluation versus summative assessment provides good information on which type of assessment is best to encourage and motivate online learners and to provide constructive feedback for both students and teachers (Anderson, 2008). Where virtual language learning is concerned, selecting appropriate assessment tools that do not conflict with the course design is crucial to the success of the course.

This next paper, The Design of Online Learning Communities: Critical Issues by

(Charalambos et al., 2004), was a result of a study, starting in 2000 that was conducted on American teachers who developed and shared ideas for online education. The group was called STAR-Online (Supporting Teachers Anywhere/Anytime Resources). The main focus in the study was to examine online learning communities and some of the challenges students face, from social to technical. Challenging social aspects such as gender, morality and equality issues in virtual communities are questioned as well as how social interaction is handled online. Some of the technical challenges include a learners need to continually develop how to use new, online learning tools which may require steep learning curves. The authors of this article stress that both face-to-face and online communities are real and that they both have their challenges and struggles that they need to deal with in order to feel a sense of belonging to communities (Charalambos et al, 2004). There is also mention of how communities are bound by conditions and practices that give rise to; which media is used, what forms of communication are selected, what the social, learning and political commitments are of the participants as well as the design of the learning environments (Charalambos et al, 2004). All of these online community aspects are so important in order to understand virtual learning communities.

Warschauer et al (2000), discuss the various research since 1980 that has been completed on Network-based Language Teaching (NBLT). NBLT involves presenting tutorials, simulations, online games, as well as drills and tests that virtual language learners can benefit from (Warschauer et al, 2000). The author offers a definition for NBLT as pedagogical use of computers connected in either local or global networks, allowing one-toone, one-to-many, and many-to-many communication. The interesting fact about this article is that it shows some of the negative sides to online language learning. Challenging aspects include teachers losing control over class discussion as well as students comprehension abilities being taxed due to the fast pace of written discussion forums. Also,

earlier studies done on synchronous conferencing showed that participants did not improve their grammar skills, but expression, responsiveness and the ability to voice multiple perspectives did improve (Warschauer et al, 2000). Contradicting with earlier studies, however, research conducted on Spanish language students concluded that online chatting could improve the grammatical competencies of the language learners. Tests done by Payne & Whitney 2002 (as cited by Warschauer et al, 2000), showed that by using synchronous chat discussion forums, Spanish students were stronger in post oral testing than the face-to-face control group they were compared against. This is exactly what I feel that VFI will offer language students. They will hopefully be able to outperform the regular students in real life settings, since their language instruction will be much more focused, intense and students will be interacting with native language speakers at all times online.

(Swain & Lapkin 2005) take a closer look at the French Immersion program in Canada in their article entitled, The evolving sociopolitical context of immersion education in Canada: some implications for program development. One interesting aspect that is discussed by the authors is the number of students registered in Immersion classes who dont speak English as a mother tongue. These are the students that I feel are also disadvantaged in the classroom since the teachers often revert to English (when safety issues or misunderstandings in language occur for example). However, I have also noticed an assumption in this paper where it is quoted that French Immersion teachers are bilingual in both French and in English (Swain & Lapkin 2005). Here is where my argument to support VFI classrooms over face-to-face enters. There are many instances where teachers cannot speak both languages well, and the majority of the time it is the English language that prevails and the French is taught poorly. Additional observations in this paper examine the fact that French in a face-to-face setting is used in the classroom only (Swain & Lapkin

2005). This supports VFI since in online teaching where are no defined boundaries and the possibilities for global awareness and expansion are endless. (Cummins 1998) points out another main concern in French Immersion, which is the lack of contact and communication that Immersion students have with authentic, native speakers of French. Another important aspect of this article is the discussion of the receptive and expressive aspects of language learning. Receptive aspects are listening and reading and expressive aspects are writing and reading. The author stresses that by grade 6 (after 7 years of Immersion education), that students are equivalent to native French speakers in their receptive skills but that there is a huge gap in their expressive skills when compared to their Francophone counterparts. I question this information since I know from experience that my own students often have a many difficulties with receptive skills and are far from being equivalent with native speakers. Again this is a paper that helps me with certain aspects of my research but also offers many assumptions, which according to my experience, are incorrect.

Synthesis of the Literature - Design The most popular, recurring trend amongst these seven articles was that of design. First, the choice of media that teachers select will affect the overall design when creating online communities. Next, the presence of tests and how students will be assessed is a crucial aspect of virtual learning design that educators will really need to examine. Poor design of student evaluation could be the deciding factor on whether or not the virtual classroom is a success or a disaster. Finally, not only do good virtual courses require designs that develop critical thinking amongst the students but the designs must speak the technical language of the Net-generation of learners. Virtual language learning courses that are designed with traditional practices in mind will, without a doubt, fail miserably.

Synthesis of the Literature Collaboration, Social Interaction and Identity Other themes that arose from the articles were the collaborative as well as social aspects of virtual learning. Online discourse amongst teachers and students will become the voices of all participants involved. Each individuals virtual identity also has the same challenges as those in face-to-face environments. Students are constantly seeking a sense of community and social contact and need interaction with native, French speakers. This is so important, especially for Kindergarten students who are just starting out their educational journey. Therefore, alongside with excellent course design, selecting effective collaborative discussion tools, which promote interactivity amongst the students and teachers, must be incorporated into the virtual language classroom design.

Conclusion of the Literature Each one of these articles offers a unique insight that is important to helping towards drawing some conclusions in the comparison of VFI with face-to-face Immersion. However, finding articles that critique the English influence in French Immersion classes in Canada is not a simple task. I was unable to locate any articles that have been written that would dare question the qualifications or French capabilities of Immersion teachers in Canada. Even though there are concerns in British Columbia, due to a shortage of French speaking teachers (Carr, 2007), the delicate subject of questioning Anglophone teachers poor French skills (which are almost always totally dominated by English), is a political matter that seems too taboo for discussion. Nonetheless, I was able to find some papers that support the importance of having an effective course design when it comes to virtual language learning. Also, the collaborative, social and identity issues are vital points that many of the articles discussed as well as challenged. The success of VFI will depend on these aspects, as well as how each online educator carefully designs them into their lessons.

c. Statement of the hypothesis Students who study VFI will develop much stronger French skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking than those of their counterparts who are learning in classrooms which are dominated and influenced by the cultural bias of the English language.

2. Method a. Participants This study will require selecting a stratified sample of 60, Anglophone Kindergarten students, from different communities in British Columbia, whose parents want their child to have a French education. Emphasis will be on finding families who live in fairly remote communities and who are considering online or home-schooling education as a first option for their child. I will also present my study to some school districts in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island in order to have a good, demographic balance of students. As a control group, I will be observing three, French Immersion Kindergarten classrooms; one with an Anglophone teacher, another with a Qubcois teacher and finally, a class with a teacher from France. Each of these classrooms has approximately 20 students, which will balance nicely with the number of virtual learners. All of these 3 control groups are full time Kindergarten classes where the students are in session for approximately 5 hours a day.

b. Instruments Testing I have selected the DELF (Diplme dtudes en langue franaise) PRIMARY exam to administer to the students. This exam is based out of the Ministry of Education in France and is offered worldwide to French as second language students. Even though the DELF PRIMARY is recommended for students, ages 8-12, I believe that by the end of grade

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1 (after 2 years of Immersion), the virtual students, age 7, will be able to successfully complete this exam, which puts an equal emphasis on reading, writing, listening and speaking. This cumulative exam will be presented to all of the virtual students, as well as the 3 classes of face-to-face students. The subject content of the exam is also geared towards elementary level students and therefore, both the virtual and face-to-face groups wont be confronted with issues that are beyond their maturity levels. Furthermore, where validity (Gay et al., 2009) is concerned, I believe that this test will give me a good indication as to whether in fact the VFI students will have much stronger French skills than the control group. The total length of the test is 1 hour and 20 minutes, which includes the reading, writing, listening and speaking components. Only certified DELF examiners in B.C. who speak French as a mother tongue will be considered for this study. In order to observe the English influence in both the virtual and face-to-face settings, I will be assigning a social activity (such as giving French directions for a Scavenger Hunt), that both the control group and virtual group will participate in. I will ask all of the teachers to record their students voices. In order to insure reliability (Gay et al., 2009), I will repeat this type of activity 3 times a year.

c. Design The Control Group This group of three, French Immersion face-to-face classrooms, will continue school business as normal. Some of these teachers may or may not be using technology with their students. How these Immersion classes are delivered will be completely left to the teachers discretion. However, 3 times a year I will ask the teachers to make audio recordings of their students during the same formative activities that I have also created and assigned to the virtual students.

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The VFI Group Will have 6 different instructors. Each instructor will teach a different subject and will be teamed up with a technical, digital native from their own country. Each virtual teacher will have a copy of the B.C. Kindergarten curriculum in French so that they are familiar with the expectations for Canadian children. The instructors will be French speakers from Tahiti, Switzerland, Ivory Coast, France, Martinique and Belgium. All of these teachers will also have online classes of students from their own countries that will be blended along with the Anglo-Canadian students, especially on the discussion forums. Finally, each student will be assigned a French first name only, which will rule out any assumptions on the cultural backgrounds of the students.

Home computers All computers for the VFI participants and their instructors must have high speed, Internet connection. They must also have enough memory and the capacity to download any online language learning applications that the instructors may require of the students. Students must also have programs such as Word, Power Point and Skype etc., installed onto their computers. Each student needs a webcam with a microphone and speakers that work. Furthermore, each learner must have their computer in a room where there is space to move around. Laptops would be ideal, since they can be transported into the kitchen for example, if the students are doing some basic cooking.

The Learning Management System (LMS) Each VFI student will be required to register and set up a free account with Moodle. All virtual teachers and students will have access to this site, including myself. I will not be a facilitator, just a silent, observing-lurker. However, I will organize the formative oral, social activities that will take place 3 times a year and coordinate them on the LMS with the teachers and their students.

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d. Procedure Each VFI teacher will provide a 45 minute lesson on their subject area daily. Teachers must be creative and vary which media they use to present their lessons. Also, since they will be dealing with Kindergarten students, who probably dont read and write yet, the activities teachers choose must be mostly based on visual images and sound. Most lessons will be asynchronous, due to the time differences of many of the teachers with the students in British Columbia. Some may be archived podcasts, for example, that the students can access. French language activities will have a wide range of possibilities but the aim of the teachers is to design interactive, collaborative virtual activities that will motivate the students to practice their French reading, writing, listening and speaking skills while avoiding any cultural bias or influences from the English language. Students must also be offered many opportunities to communicate with native, French speakers.

3. Data Analysis The formative oral activities will be recorded onto MP3 files and I will be required to listen to each students recording and to count each time an English word is spoken. Then, all totals collected from these recordings will be entered into an IBM SPSS Data Collection program onto graphs. There will be 5 of these formative oral testing periods. Also, once the results of the DELF exams are received, I will create a final graph comparing the overall French abilities of virtual students against the face-to-face control group. This graph will be divided into four categories for reading, writing, listening and speaking.

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Time Schedule This research study will take place over two full school years. Two weeks prior to starting the VFI school in September, I will start running on-line seminars in order to tutor

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the students and their parents on how to manage Moodle and to make sure that they are all properly set up with their computers. This will also be a time for me to answer any questions or concerns parents have about the study. During this time, parents and students will be notified with an official letter (Gay et al., 2009), explaining my research and my intentions for my Masters assignment. I will also need time to have them sign a consent form to allow me to publish any statistics or findings as a result of my study with their child and to assure them that I have examined all of the possible ethical (Gay et al., 2009) situations that may arise. Also, since the study deals with Kindergarten students, I will need a few days as well to get the students familiar with basic computer keyboarding skills. Participation of the parents will be absolutely necessary for the first month or so, or until the students are able to handle using computers on their own. The British Columbia Ministry of Education will need to be contacted a year in advance to make sure that the funding for the students is covered. The Ministry would also be involved in the hiring of the six, international Francophone instructors, who would also need to be contacted at least eight months ahead of time to allow them sufficient time to design their VFI courses. Quite a bit of time will be also be needed for me to listen to the recordings of the formative activities that the students produce. I may need to employ other experts in my cohort to assist me with this. Finally, getting this information into the SPSS data program and creating graphs could also be time consuming.

5. Budget Item Price cost for the Ministry of Education per virtual learner to pay for education for 60 students 6 Francophone foreign teacher salaries - 5x1 hour lessons a week /plus 5 hours prep 6 Computer digital native techs /5 hours week My Gas/hotel/food to meet with face-to-face classes (3 times per year) Per capita 2 years Total $10,000 $20,000 $1,200,000 $17,500 $8,750 $3,000 $35,000 $17,500 $6,000 $210,000 $105,000 $6,000

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Unexpected expenses, such as local tech help with our Moodle or paying cohort members to help with listening to recordings and registering data Pay for examiners and markers for DELF exams ($50 per hour) 4 examiners for 7 full days (to test 120 students, run oral interviews and mark their exams)

$250 per examiner per day

Plus $100 a day per teacher for food /travel

$3,000 $2,450 for 7 days per examiner $9,800

Cost for each DELF PRIMARY exam (X 120) IBM SPSS Data Collection Program and support

$25.00

$3,000

$530 Total (if all salaries and student educational costs are covered)

$ 1,060

$1,060 $22,860

The main challenge with the budget would be convincing the B.C. Provincial government to buy into the program. If major salaries are covered, then I would need to only come up with $22,860 to start on my research.

6. Significance and possible implications of the study If this research is able to be conducted, I believe that the outcome of the results could be revolutionary for French Immersion in British Columbia, as well as the rest of Canada. If VFI students indeed perform higher in reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, this would imply that students are in fact not learning to their full potential in face-toface Immersion classrooms. Also, conclusions could indicate that the English language is indeed dominating the French classrooms and that this ethnocentric influence of isolating students from authentic, native speakers, is in fact, jeopardizing the students chances of learning French correctly.

References Anderson, T. (2008). Towards a theory of online learning. In Anderson, T. & Elloumi, F. Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Athabasca University.

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Carr, Wendy. (2007). Intensive French a BC perspective. BC Teachers Federation Teacher Magazine. Vol 9, No. 6.

Charalambos, V., Michalenos, Z. & Chamberlain, R. (2004). The Design of Online Learning Communities: Critical Issues. 2004 International Council for Educational Media DOI: 10.1080/09523980410001678593.

Cummins, J. (1998). Immersion Education for the Millennium: What Have We Learned from 30 Years of Research on Second Language Immersion? Learning through two languages: Research and practice. Second Katoh Gakuen International Symposium on Immersion and Bilingual Education.

Gay, L. R., Mills, G. E. & Airasian, P. (2009). Educational Research: Competencies for Analysis and Applications (8th Edn.). Columbus, Ohio: Pearson.

IBM SPSS Data Collection Program. Retrieved March 29, 2013 from http://www01.ibm.com/software/analytics/spss/products/data-collection/ Macfadyen, L. (2006).Virtual Ethnicity: The new digitization of place, body, language, and memory.Electronic Magazine of Multicultural Education, 8 (1).

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives Digital Immigrants: On the Horizon. NCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5.

Swain, M., & Lapkin, S. (2005). The evolving sociopolitical context of immersion education in Canada: some implications for program development. International Journal of Applied Linguistics. Vol 15, No. 2.

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Warschauer, M., Kern, R. & Ware, P. (2000). Network-based Language teaching: Concepts and Practice. Cambridge University Press.