DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED TBLT FOR BEGINNING VIETNAMESE: INSIGHTS FROM ACTION RESEARCH

Abstract

During the initial stages of the global COVID-19 pandemic, foreign language educators faced unprecedented challenges as all classes were suddenly forced to transition to online formats. These issues were further exacerbated for less commonly taught language (LCTL) classrooms due to the range of constraints found in this context, including the co-presence of heritage and non-heritage language learners (HLLs) as well as a shortage of established curriculum, syllabi, and materials for this diverse student population (Carreira & Kagan, 2018). In addition, although the efficacy of task-based language teaching (TBLT) has been demonstrated through empirical studies and syntheses (e.g. Chong & Reinders, 2020; Keck et al., 2006), much of this work has focused on non-HLLs, with few studies having targeted program development and evaluation for LCTLs, or online curriculums for such programs (Bryfonski & Mckay, 2019). Seeking to address this gap, the current study uses action research (Burns, 2010, 2011) to report the experience of the teacher-researcher in creating, implementing, and evaluating technology-mediated TBLT materials for a beginning Vietnamese language class at an American university. This study addresses two research questions (RQ): 1) How can longitudinal action research guide the development of an online TBLT curriculum for mixed classrooms at the novice level? 2) To what extent did students learn during the TBLT courses? The technology-mediated TBLT curriculum (Ellis, 2003; Long, 2015) for this research was developed over multiple phases, including an initial needs analysis, subsequent task design and sequencing, curriculum implementation, and evaluation. In addition, to address the unique concerns of teaching a tonal language and the distinctive variation of Vietnamese dialects, activities using applications such as Flipgrid and Quizlet were also included. All class sessions were taught using the mutli-modal features available through Zoom (including screen sharing, video-, audio- and text-chat) and were recorded. Building on the use of TBLT as the pedagogical foundation, action research was used as the methodological framework through four iterative cycles (i.e., two academic years) conducted with two mixed cohorts of HLL and non-HLL students. To answer RQ1, data consisted of students’ task exit surveys, course evaluations, semi-structured interviews, and the teacher’s reflective teaching journals were analyzed using an inductive analysis for the qualitative elements and descriptive statistics for the quantitative ones. To address RQ2, students’ task assessments were analyzed, and starting from Cycle 3 the Avant speaking and writing proficiency test results from pre- semester, post Cycle 1, and post Cycle 2 were also reported. Results indicate the improvement of the curriculum over time and, while some students were concerned with the lack of grammar drills as a result of the TBLT program, findings demonstrate that the course helped improve learner’s task performance and speaking and writing proficiency. By exploring the affordances of multimodal technology-mediated TBLT, this research stands to make valuable contributions to the larger TBLT research and teaching community as well as provide evidence-based materials designed specifically for teaching online Vietnamese classes with mixed learner populations, thereby serving as a resource for future research and pedagogical applications.