3.2.1 Setting
This study was conducted at Iowa State University (ISU), a large land-grant university in the Midwest. The participants in this study were enrolled in Spanish 202, Intermediate Spanish II, in the Spring semester of 2011. Prerequisites for enrolling in Spanish 202 include passing Spanish 201 or placement by examination. Students who have taken Spanish in high school are required to take a placement exam, and they can be placed in beginning (101, 102) or intermediate (201, 202) courses based on exam scores. In this study, a large number (n=71) of freshman students placed in Spanish 201, Intermediate Spanish I, upon entering ISU and had continued to take Spanish 202, Intermediate Spanish II.
In total, six sections of Spanish 202 were included in this study. There were four traditional face-to-face sections and two of the sections were hybrid courses. The hybrid sections of Spanish combine face-to-face and online instruction, whereas traditional sections meet four times a week in the classroom (i.e., face-to-face instruction). In the hybrid sections, students met twice a week in the classroom, and once per week online using the virtual world of Second Life. All sections of Spanish used webCT as the course management system for
delivery of some assignments such as course readings, quizzes, and homework. In addition to all assignments in regular (traditional) sections of the Spanish course, the hybrid sections integrated speaking assignments that students completed using Wimba Voice Board. In these assignments, students recorded a one-minute speech as a commentary in response to
comprehension questions that elicited their views on assigned readings. All students were expected to be very familiar with webCT and all course components given that the Spanish 202 course is a continuation of Spanish 201, and most students had taken Spanish 201 in the previous semester, Fall 2010. The sequence of Spanish 201 and 202 used webCT as the CMS for the delivery of course materials. Figure 5 shows the course homepage in webCT.
3.2.2 Participants
There were 116 students who participated in this study: 27 males and 89 females. The difference in the number of males and females is typical of language courses at ISU and many other institutions –language courses at ISU have a higher enrollment of female students. There was representation of students from all levels of university study in the sample of participants, with a predominant number of freshmen (n=71), followed by similar numbers of sophomores (n=18), junior (n=14), seniors (n=11), and a small number of graduate students (n=2).
Considering that the participants from this study were enrolled in an intermediate Spanish class, all participants had taken Spanish courses prior to the course considered in this study. Some participants reported to have studied Spanish for at least one year (n=9) while some had taken Spanish for five years (n=39). However, the participants who had taken Spanish for over two years were placed in Spanish 202, the intermediate course considered in this study, due to their scores (199 to 349) in WebCAPE, the placement test. Thus, the
Spanish language proficiency of students was considered similar.
3.2.2.1 Foreign languages of participants
In addition to the study of Spanish as a foreign language, there were participants in this study who had studied other languages such as French (n=1), German (n=2), and Russian (n=1). These students reported being at the beginning level of speaking the foreign
languages. There were five students who spoke languages other than English as a second or first language. There were two students who considered themselves native speakers of other
languages, one spoke Tai Dam, and the other Lao. Six students were second generation of immigrants, one of Arabic descent, two German, and three Spanish.
3.2.2.2 Abroad experiences of participants
In terms of experiences abroad, participants reported varying degrees of experience. Fifty-four participants had not had experiences abroad, while 45 had had limited experiences of stays abroad of less than six weeks. Twelve participants had had significant experiences abroad of more than six weeks abroad but less than 10 weeks. Six participants reported spending more than 10 weeks abroad. The participants who had extensive experiences abroad of more than 10 weeks were those who had family connections to a foreign language. For example, there was a second generation Spanish speaker from Guatemala who reported to have spent every summer in that country.
3.2.2.3 Sub-set of participants considered in qualitative approach
In this study, a qualitative approach was implemented to answer research questions one, two, and three in regard to the roles of participants, the tools (e.g., knowledge about cultures) they used in their interactions with other participants, and differences in the activity systems developed from their interactions. Considering the need to provide detailed
descriptions of the factors affecting the interactions of these participants, a sub-set of number of students was selected for extensive qualitative analysis. This sub-set of participants came from two of the six sections considered in this study. The same instructor taught both sections and the students enrolled in these two sections had access to the same course in webCT. Therefore, the participants in these sections contributed to the same discussion
forums from which the data sets used to answer research questions one, two, and three were taken. The participants in this sub-sample shared the same characteristics of the larger sample of participants, as shown in Table 4.
Table 4. Comparison of participants’ characteristics of the general population and sub-set
Characteristic General Population (n=116) Sub-set (n=42)
Distribution of class Freshman 71 (61.2%) 28 (66%) Sophomore 18 (15.6%) 3 (7.2%) Junior 14 (12%) 4 (9.5%) Senior 11 (9.4%) 6 (14.2%) Graduate 2 (1.7%) 1 (2.3%) Distribution of gender Male 27 (23%) 8 (20%) Female 89 (77%) 34 (80%)
Distribution of prior study of Spanish
Five years 39 (33.6%) 12 (28.5%) Four years 54 (46.5%) 27 (64%) Three years 9 (7.7%) 2 (4.7%) Two years 6 (5%) 1 (2.3%) One year 8 (6.8%) 2 (4.7%) Abroad experiences No abroad experience 53 (45.6%) 20 (47.6%)
Limited experience (less
than 6 weeks) 45 (38.7%) 17 (40.4%)
Significant experience (more than 6 weeks, less than 10)
12 (10.3%) 4 (9.5%)
Extensive experience (more than 10 weeks)
6 (5.1%) 1 (2.3%)
Foreign languages
Speak a foreign language proficiently (native or high proficiency)