The use of clickers to assess knowledge in foreign language classes and their failure to increase reading compliance

Juan Pablo Rodríguez Prieto

doi:10.4995/rlyla.2013.1611

Authors

Juan Pablo Rodríguez Prieto Butler University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4995/rlyla.2013.1611

Keywords:

reading compliance, Spanish, foreign language, quiz, clickers

Abstract

This is the firstquantitative research on reading compliance in FL courses. It investigated theeffect of clickers on learning gains for regularly assigned readings, determinedby 16 quiz grades during a semester. 38 intermediate L2 Spanish studentsassigned to two group conditions also completed a questionnaire at the end ofthe semester about their preparedness for the quizzes and their opinions aboutthe use of clickers. Results indicated that participants in the Clickercondition obtained significantly lower grades in the quizzes than those in thePaper and Pencil one, despite clickers receiving positive feedback andcomments, and even though students in the Clicker condition reported preparingfor class more often than those in the Paper and Pencil condition.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Juan Pablo Rodríguez Prieto, Butler University

He studied English Philology at the University of Valladolid (Spain), completed a masters program in TESOL at West Virginia University (US) and a doctorate programin Hspanics Linguistics at the University of Florida (US). He specialized in Spanish SLA and his interests include Hispanic Linguistics, Spanish SLA, Teaching Methodologies, Psycholinguistics, and Teaching with Technology. He is Assisstant Professor of Spanish at Butler University where he teaches a variety of Hispanic Linguistics courses at the undergraduate level, including Spanish SLA, Spanish Morphosyntax, Intro to Hispanics Linguistics, and Spanish Pronunciation.

References

Beekes, W. (2006). "The 'millionaire' method for encouraging participation", Active Learning in Higher Education 7/1, 25-36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1469787406061143

Beekes, W. (2009). ""Is that your final answer?" Encouraging student participation using the personal response system", in Enhancing Student-Centred Learning in Business and Management, Hospitality, Leisure, Sport, and Tourism. Oxford: The Higher Education Academy, Oxford Brookes University, 76-86.

Bunce, D., VandenPlas, J., and Havanki, K. (2006). "Comparing the effectiveness on student achievement of a student response system versus online WebCT quizzes", Journal of Chemical Education 83/3, 488-493. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed083p488

Burchfield, C., and Sappington, J. (2000). "Compliance with required reading assignments", Teaching of Psychology 27/1, 58-60.

Burnstein, R., and Lederman, L. (2001). "Using wireless keypads in lecture classes", The Physics Teacher 39/1, 8-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.1343420

Burroughs, N., Kearney, P., and Plax, T. (1989). "Compliance-resistance in the college classroom", Communication Education 38/3, 214-229. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03634528909378758

Cardoso, W. (2010). "Clickers in foreign language teaching: A case study", Contact 36/2, 36-55.

Cardoso, W. (2011). "Learning a foreign language with a learner response system: The students' perspective", Computer Assisted Language Learning 24/5, 393-417. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2011.567354

Clump, M., Bauer, H., and Bradley, C. (2004). "The extent to which psychology students read textbooks: A multiple class analysis of reading across the psychology curriculum", Journal of Instructional Psychology 31/3, 227-232.

Connor-Greene, P. (2000). "Assessing and promoting student learning: Blurring the line between teaching and testing", Teaching of Psychology 27/2, 84-88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/S15328023TOP2702_01

Cotner, S., Fall, B., Wick, S., Walker, J., and Baepler, P. (2008). "Rapid feedback assessment methods: Can we improve engagement and preparation for exams in large-enrollment courses?", Journal of Science Education and Technology 17/5, 437-443. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10956-008-9112-8

Cutrim Schmid, E. (2007). "Enhancing performance knowledge and self-esteem in classroom language learning: The potential of the ACTIVote component of interactive whiteboard technology", System: An International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics 35/2, 119-133.

Cutrim Schmid, E. (2008). "Using a voting system in conjunction with interactive whiteboard technology to enhance learning in the English language classroom", Computers & Education 50/1, 338-356. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2006.07.001

Draper, S.W., and Brown, M.I. (2004). "Increasing interactivity in lectures using an electronic voting system", Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 20/2, 81-94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2004.00074.x

Elliott, C. (2003). "Using a personal response system in economics teaching", International Review of Economics Education 1/1, 80-86.

Ewing, A.T. (2006). "Increasing classroom engagement through the use of technology", en http://mcli.maricopa.edu/files/mil/ewing_rpt.pdf [fecha acceso: 5.24.2012].

Freeman, M., Blayney, P., and Ginns, P. (2006). "Anonymity and in class learning: The case for electronic response systems", Australasian Journal of Educational Technology 22/4, 568-580.

Freeman, S., O'Connor, E., Parks, J., Cunningham, M., Hurley, D., Haak, D., Dirks, C., and Wenderoth, M. (2007). "Prescribed active learning increases performance in introductory biology", CBE Life Sciences Education 6/2, 132-139. http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.06-09-0194

Gass, S. (1997). Input, Interaction and the Second Language Learner. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Gass, S., and Selinker, L. (2008). Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaun Associates.

Gier, V., and Kreiner, D. (2009). "Incorporating active learning with Powerpoint-based lectures using content-based questions", Teaching of Psychology 36/2, 134-139. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00986280902739792

Hake, R. (1998). "Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses", American Journal of Physics 66/1, 64-74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.18809

Howe, N., and Strauss, W. (2000). Millennials Rising. New York: Vintage Books.

Jones, C., Connolly, M., Gear, A., and Read, M. (2001). "Group interactive learning with group process support technology", British Journal of Educational Technology 32/5, 571-586. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-8535.00226

Karp, D., and Yoels, W. (1976). "The college classroom: Some observations on the meanings of student participation", Sociology and Social Research 60/4, 421-439.

Kennedy, G., and Cutts, Q. (2005). "The association between students' use of an electronic voting system and their learning outcomes", Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 21/4, 260-268. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2005.00133.x

King, D., and Joshi, S. (2008). "Gender differences in the use and effectiveness of personal response devices", Journal of Science Education and Technology 17/6, 544-552. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10956-008-9121-7

Krosnick, J. (1999). "Survey research", Annual Review of Psychology 50/1, 537-567. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.50.1.537

Krueger, J. (1998). "Enhancement bias in descriptions of self and others", Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 24/5, 505-516. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167298245006

Lantz, M. (2010). "The use of 'clickers' in the classroom: Teaching innovation or merely an amusing novelty?", Computers in Human Behavior 26/4, 556-561. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.02.014

Lee, J., and Bainum, C. (2006, April). "Do clickers depersonalize the classroom? An evaluation by shy students", poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Western Psychological Association, Palm Springs, CA.

Marlow, D. (2010). "Engaging syntax: Using a personal response system to encourage grammatical thought", American Speech 85/2, 225-237. http://dx.doi.org/10.1215/00031283-2010-012

Mayer, R., Stull, A., DeLeeuw, K., Almeroth, K., Bimber, B., Chun, D., Bulger, M., Campbell, J., Knight, A., and Zhang, H. (2009). "Clickers in college classrooms: Fostering learning with questioning methods in large lecture classes", Contemporary Educational Psychology 34/1, 51-57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2008.04.002

Morling, B., McAuliffe, M., Cohen, L., and DiLorenzo, T. (2008). "Efficacy of personal response systems ("clickers") in large, introductory psychology classes", Teaching of Psychology 35/1, 45-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00986280701818516

Narloch, R., Garbin, C., and Turnage, K. (2006). "Benefits of prelecture quizzes", Teaching of Psychology 33/2, 109-112. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15328023top3302_6

Oller, J.W., Jr. (1981). "Can affect be measured?", International Review of Applied Linguistics 19/3, 227-235.

Oller, J.W., Jr. (1982). "Gardner on affect: A reply to Gardner", Language Learning 32/1, 183-189. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1982.tb00526.x

Poirier, C., and Feldman, R. (2007). "Promoting active learning using individual response technology in large introductory psychology classes", Teaching of Psychology 34/3, 194-196. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00986280701498665

Prensky, M. (2012). From Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom: Hopeful Essays for 21st Century Learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Raines, C. (2002). "Managing millennials", en http://www.generationsatwork.com/articles/millenials.htm [fecha acceso: 5.29.2012].

Reese, S. (2010). "Teaching languages to the millennial generation", The Language Educator 5/4, 34-38.

Rodríguez Prieto, J.P. (2008). "Creación de preguntas de preparación para promover las lecturas asignadas en cursos de contenido en lenguas extranjeras", Revista Iberoamericana de Educación 46/3, 1-10.

Ruscio, J. (2001). "Administering quizzes at random to increase students' reading", Teaching of Psychology 28/3, 204-206. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/S15328023TOP2803_08

Ryan, T. (2006). "Motivating novice students to read their textbooks", Journal of Instructional Psychology 33/2, 135-140.

Sappington, J., Kinsey, K., and Munsayac, K. (2002). "Two studies of reading compliance among college students", Teaching of Psychology 29/4, 272-274. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/S15328023TOP2904_02

Sikorski, J., Rich, K., Saville, B., Buskist, W., Drogan, O., and Davis, S. (2002). "Student use of introductory texts: Comparative survey findings from two universities", Teaching of Psychology 29/4, 312-313. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/S15328023TOP2904_13

Spodark, E. (2010). "Structuring a language course to respond to millennial generation workplace characteristics", The Language Educator 5/4, 39-42.

Stowell, J., and Nelson, J. (2007). "Benefits of electronic audience response systems on student participation, learning, and emotion", Teaching of Psychology 34/4, 253-258. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00986280701700391

Swain, M. (1985). "Communicative competence: Some roles of comprehensible input and comprehensible output in its development", en S. Gass, and C. Madden (eds.) Input in Second Language Acquisition, Rowley, MA: Newbury House, 235-253.

Swain, M. (1995). "Three functions of output in second language learning", en G. Cook, and B. Seidlhofer (eds.) Principle and Practice in Applied Linguistics, Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 125-144.

Thorne, M. (2000). "Extra credit exercise: A painless pop quiz", Teaching of Psychology 27/3, 204-205. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/S15328023TOP2703_09

Wit, E. (2003). "Who wants to beâ€¦ The use of a personal response system in statistics teaching", MSOR Connections 3/2, 14-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.11120/msor.2003.03020014