2020 INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Showcase
Synchronous Online Teaching of English as a Foreign Language with Young Learners: How Do Teachers Do It?
Abstract
Education has been greatly enhanced by technology. Instructors and students can now interact in real time via synchronous communication. However, previous research investigating synchronous language teaching all but neglects young learners. Therefore, this research study aims to fill that gap. The study concerns itself with synchronous technology being used to teach English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to young learners in China via an online learning platform and describes the practices of current online EFL teachers. Questions about common teaching approaches, techniques, and tools were administered via an electronic survey to a sample of five respondents who currently teach online synchronous EFL classes. In addition, the respondents described their individual techniques for fostering student motivation, which is another understudied area. All of the respondents are located in and teach from the United States. The age span of the young learners ranges from five years to fifteen years old. The qualitative data was analyzed for patterns and recurring themes. The findings reveal more information about which approaches are effective, how teachers interact with students and technology, and various ways to foster motivation in young learners. According to the data, the respondents use multiple teaching approaches, which are governed by student factors, primarily age and proficiency level in English. This information is useful for language teaching because it can be used to train current and future online teachers. It furthers the body of knowledge regarding language education for young learners, indicating more about how children learn languages with technology.
Synchronous Online Teaching of English as a Foreign Language with Young Learners: How Do Teachers Do It?
Education has been greatly enhanced by technology. Instructors and students can now interact in real time via synchronous communication. However, previous research investigating synchronous language teaching all but neglects young learners. Therefore, this research study aims to fill that gap. The study concerns itself with synchronous technology being used to teach English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to young learners in China via an online learning platform and describes the practices of current online EFL teachers. Questions about common teaching approaches, techniques, and tools were administered via an electronic survey to a sample of five respondents who currently teach online synchronous EFL classes. In addition, the respondents described their individual techniques for fostering student motivation, which is another understudied area. All of the respondents are located in and teach from the United States. The age span of the young learners ranges from five years to fifteen years old. The qualitative data was analyzed for patterns and recurring themes. The findings reveal more information about which approaches are effective, how teachers interact with students and technology, and various ways to foster motivation in young learners. According to the data, the respondents use multiple teaching approaches, which are governed by student factors, primarily age and proficiency level in English. This information is useful for language teaching because it can be used to train current and future online teachers. It furthers the body of knowledge regarding language education for young learners, indicating more about how children learn languages with technology.
