Effects of Viewing Authentic Video on EFL Learners’ Expository Essays

http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/convention2010/index.asp

 

論文發表人:蔡惠文 (夏威夷大學課程研究學系碩士班)

 

英文學術寫作對於以英語為外國語文的學生而言向來是極大的挑戰。學生可能花了數年學習英文卻仍無法寫出一篇完整、通順並具深度的文章。本研究以閱讀/寫作理論為研究基礎架構，探討利用實境影片對於台灣學生英語寫的影響。研究發現實境影片可激發學生興趣進而助其轉換影片內容，增廣其文章之深度與字彙使用。

此跨個案分析研究探討以英語為外國語文的台灣學生觀看影片對於其論說文之影響，並特別檢視其文章內容與字彙使用之面向。此外，此研究探討學生對於此寫作活動之觀感與其鷹架作用。29位台灣高中二年級學生參與此研究，資料蒐集時間為9周，其中包括課堂觀察錄影、問卷調查，以及與師生面談。

學生分為三組，每組學生英文能力類似，皆包含高、中、低程度之學生。每組在撰寫論說文前各參與一種寫作文活動：觀看12分鐘之有字幕實境短片、觀看相同影片但沒字幕之實境短片，或是閱讀相同內容之文章。寫作完成後，學生填寫問卷，研究者依問卷答覆內容設計面談綱要，並加以分析其觀感。此外，研究者分析三組學生作文之內容語字會使用兩面向。

此研究不僅對於英文為外國語文之台灣學生寫作有助益，同時提供作文教師與研究者另一種創新及提高學生寫作能力的寫作活動。

 

Writing academic essays is difficult and yet important for EFL learners. Spending years learning English, it is common that many EFL learners still struggle to compose essays of coherence and depth. Using the theoretical framework of reading/writing connections, the researcher claims that authentic video can be an alternative input resource that better satisfies today's media-centered learners' inclination to receive information.

This exploratory cross-case study investigates how viewing a video affects the expository essays written by EFL high school students, in terms of essay content and vocabulary use. Additionally, learners' perceptions about how they are engaged and scaffolded by the video during their writing process are discussed. The study is bounded by participants (29 EFL 11th graders), location (a public high school in Taiwan), time (9 weeks of data collection) and data. Analysis of student essays, class observations, surveys, and audiotaped interviews with students as well as the instructor is conducted.

The student participants are divided into three groups with mixed ability and each group undergoes one of the three interventions before writing in response to an expository writing prompt. The interventions include viewing a 12-minute online authentic video with English subtitles, viewing the video without subtitles, and reading a print text adapted from the video. A closed- and open-ended question survey is given once the prompt is completed, where student participants share their general thoughts about the intervention. Elaboration of their responses and the instructor's perceptions are collected in the later individual interviews. The essays written by the three groups are cross-analyzed with a focus on the sophistication of the content as well as the vocabulary use.

This study is believed to be beneficial not only for EFL learners but also for EFL teachers who wish to enhance their students' expository writing in an innovative, up-to-date, and interesting way.