This study investigates how the Intercultura multimedia materials affect the
development of ICC in intermediate Spanish learners in the context of the foreign language classroom. This issue is investigated by seeking answers to five questions using two
approaches: an overarching qualitative approach was used in addition to a mixed methods approach.
2.8.1 Research question 1
What observable roles do learners take during the joint activity in the activity systems that derived from the negotiations of meaning/learning in the online discussions?
Question one focuses on the roles participants take in discussions for the
interpretation of cultural information. This question will be answered based on three factors: engagement of participants in the discussions, tools used (i.e. knowledge about the foreign culture and their own culture), and actions taken in the discussions. Question one seeks to uncover the way language learners discuss and process cultural information in intra-group interactions. Learning about this process and how it is articulated would expand our
understanding of the conditions that affect the negotiations of language learners, and would in turn assist language instructors to better facilitate the fostering of ICC in the foreign language classroom.
2.8.2 Research question 2
What components of the Intercultura materials facilitate or constrain ICC development of participants based on comparisons of the viewing of materials in and out of class?
Question two aimed at the identification of evidence of ICC development based on the four dimensions (attitudes, knowledge and awareness, interpreting and relating, and discovery) of ICC (Byram, 1997) and how the Intercultura materials and its implementation affect development. To establish development, instances of the ICC dimensions will be compared across the eight discussion forums considered in the study. The analysis of ICC development will consider the viewing of the Intercultura materials, in and out of class, to compare different components of the materials (e.g., access to information from four
countries in out-of-class viewing). Understanding how development occurs would provide valuable insights about the components of the Intercultura materials that are beneficial for the promotion of ICC.
2.8.3 Research question 3
Are there any observable differences in the development of activity systems caused by the contact participants have with the materials? In other words, are the activity systems that develop from viewing activities in class different from those that develop from viewing the activities outside of class?
This study utilizes an innovative approach that combines the use of multimedia materials and online discussion forums. The Intercultura materials were viewed in class and also out of class. Participants rotated the viewing from in to out of class by chapter. The purpose of this set up in the viewing of materials was to investigate if there are any differences in the interactions of participants based on the viewing of materials. Any differences that occur were explained based on the analysis of sociograms (Dawson & Lockyer, 2009) created for the discussion forums. In addition, information about the pursuance of goals (Hispanic or non-Hispanic) was used to explicate the differences that result from the viewing of materials and in relation to the goals pursued.
2.8.4 Research question 4
What attitudes do participants have about the Intercultura materials (e.g., relevance of information presented, structure of video materials, usefulness, discussion forums)?
Some researchers (Bateman, 2002; Belz & Thorne, 2006; Sercu et al, 2005) have echoed the need to consider the attitudes that students have towards materials used in the teaching of culture, and in particular those used in the foreign language classroom. The rationale behind this consideration is that the attitudes of students greatly influence the way they interact with the materials (Bateman, 2002; Belz & Thorne, 2006) and consequently gains in their learning. In addition, the effectiveness of the materials can be more accurately described in relation to students’ perspectives because their perceptions on materials can assist in discovering if judgments that students make about the materials are a factor that should be considered in the design, development, and implementation of such materials.
2.8.5 Research question 5
What attitudes do participants have about the approach utilized (i.e., viewing materials in class and outside of class)? In other words, what attitudes do participants have about the method of delivery of the materials (i.e., using webCT as a platform for accessing the Intercultura materials in comparison to viewing materials as a class?
Similar to research question four, question five aims at the examination of the
attitudes of participants in regard to the approach followed and the medium of delivery. Also, question five expands on the concepts analyzed in question three in the differentiation of in- class and out-of-class viewing of the materials. In question five, the discussion will be centered on the delivery of materials and integration into the course. The Intercultura materials were fully integrated into the course, and question five can help to explicate the capabilities or restrictions of this integration. As shown in the review of the literature (Sercu et al, 2005), the problem with the inclusion of materials for the teaching of culture is that
language instructors and learners alike have expressed reservations about the use of materials that are not perceived as part of the course materials given that this can translate into the materials being conceived of as ‘extra work’ or something additional that instructors and learners have to do.
2.9 Chapter summary
This chapter has presented the review of the literature in the area of ICC, foreign language teaching, and Activity Theory. In particular, the literature has served to situate the present study in relation to the teaching of culture, and specifically, to the teaching of culture in the foreign language classroom. Activity Theory was presented to introduce how this theory has assisted the area of ICC in the investigation of ICC development, and it has also been discussed how Activity Theory will be employed in the analysis and interpretation of findings in this study. The approach proposed and followed in the Intercultura materials was presented along with a description of the materials in relation to research findings that prompted their development. Finally, the research questions that guide this dissertation were stated.
Chapter 3. Methodology
This chapter describes the research methodology carried out in this dissertation. First, the research methodologies are presented followed by description of the setting and
participants of the study. Next, a detailed description of the Intercultura materials is provided. The description includes the process followed in the development and creation of the
materials. Finally, materials and procedures for data collection and analysis are described.
3.1 Research Methodology
Due to the nature of the research questions investigated in this study, an overarching qualitative design was used in addition to a mixed methods design. First, qualitative methods were employed to answer research questions one, two, and three. Qualitative data consisting of participants’ entries in forum posts were analyzed using two frameworks: 1) Well’s framework of joint activity (i.e., tools, activity systems, goals), and 2) Byram’s (1997) dimensions of ICC. A mixed methods design validating quantitative data model was implemented to answer research questions four and five. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected at the same time from an exit survey and the intent was to use qualitative information to provide evidence supporting the quantitative results (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2006; Holliday, 2010). The exit survey (see Appendix D) was administered during week sixteen in the semester of classes, after the qualitative data for the overarching qualitative method was collected. The quantitative data came from Likert-scale items in the exit survey, and included the participants’ judgments about the pedagogical approach, the materials, and the medium of delivery. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The second set of data in the mixed methods approach, qualitative (text), comprised participants’
answers to open-ended questions in the exit survey. This set of qualitative data was analyzed to identify recurrent themes. The rationale for this approach was that the general trends established from the statistical analysis (descriptive statistics) represent self-reported data, and in order to increase the validity of this data qualitative data was used to further explain the statistical results. The qualitative data will allow for the exploration of participants’ views about the approach and materials used in more depth.