The use of Skype Chat for Improving Writing Skills in an A2 Adult Learners Group. Consuelo Iboneth Beltrán Orjuela. Universidad de la Sabana

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1 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 1 The use of Skype Chat for Improving Writing Skills in an A2 Adult Learners Group Consuelo Iboneth Beltrán Orjuela Universidad de la Sabana

2 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 2 The use of Skype Chat for Improving Writing Skills in an A2 Adult Learners Group Consuelo Iboneth Beltrán Orjuela A research report submitted for the degree of Master in English Language Teaching Autonomous Learning Environments Directed by: Dr. Nohora Edith Bryan Zambrano Master in ELT Autonomous Learning Environments Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures Universidad de la Sabana Chia, Colombia November, 2009

3 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 3 This research report is the result of my own work and includes nothing that was done in collaboration with others. Consuelo Iboneth Beltran Orjuela (Signature) Acknowledgements: I would like to thank all the teachers, professors, educational managers and all the academic team who I have shred my personal and professional life all through these years of learning here in Colombia and abroad. Mainly, I want to thank to the Masters Professors especially to my thesis director Dr. Nohora Bryan who supported me and gave me all her wisdom, attention and time. Also, I want to thank Dr. Sonia Jimenez for her professionalism and vision to start this amazing project, this Masters program that has enriched a lot of lives. Finally, I want to thank my parents Mrs. Consuelo Orjuela and Mr. Edgar Beltrán for their support, encouragement and faith in all the projects I have carried out in my life and to my fiancé Mr. Jouni Kettunen for his understanding, confidence and positivism all through this time.

4 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 4 ABSTRACT This action research project has the purpose to use Skype Text Chat for improving writing skills in an A2 adult learners group. The project theoretical support is based on The computer - assisted language learning (CALL), the use of chat in language teaching to improve writing skills, Chat Programs Skype and teaching English with technology to adult learners. The research process is a positive experience to prompt students motivation through the use of technology and an opportunity to improve the teacher s performance. Students are encouraged to use Skype Text Chat as an academic tool and the teacher gets in touch to new learning technological strategies to foster learners improvement. Key words: Skype Chat, writing skills, students motivation, technology, teacher s performance, academic tool, technological strategies.

5 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 5 RESUMEN Este proyecto de investigación acción tiene la intención de utilizar el chat de texto en Skype para mejorar las habilidades escritas en un grupo de estudiantes adultos clasificados en nivel A2 de acuerdo al Marco de Referencia Europeo. El soporte teórico del proyecto se basa en la escritura, el aprendizaje asistido a través del uso de tecnología (CALL), el uso del chat en la enseñanza del inglés, programas de Chat Skype y la enseñanza del inglés para adultos a través de la tecnología. El proceso de investigación es una experiencia positiva para fomentar la motivación de los estudiantes mediante el uso de tecnología y una oportunidad para mejorar el desempeño docente del profesor. Palabras clave: el chat de texto en Skype, habilidades escritas, motivación en los estudiantes, tecnología, desempeño docente.

6 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 6 CONTENT Page CHAPTER 1: Introduction Statement of the problem Research question Research objectives Rationale CHAPTER 2: Theoretical Framework 11 CHAPTER 3: Research Design Type of study Researcher s role Context Participants Data Collection Instruments Data Collection Procedures CHAPTER 4: Pedagogical Intervention 32 CHAPTER 5: Data Analysis and Findings 37 CHAPTER 6: Conclusions Conclusions Pedagogical Implications Limitations

7 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 7 Further Research 73 BIBLIOGRAPHY 74 APPENDICES 76

8 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 8 CHAPTER 1: Introduction Statement of the problem This action research project addresses the fact to overcome a group of adult learners difficulties in their writing skills. This is a group of learners that take their English classes at Libre University on weekends. They belong to the community program that the University provides to help the community and to let language practitioners of the Education Faculty carry out their teaching practice in a real educational context. This project is important as it is a way to detect weaknesses and transform them into strengths helping students be more accurate and successful in their learning process. Also, the project itself is an opportunity for other teachers to re-think and reflect about their methodologies and get to know how technology can be incorporated into their classrooms in order to enrich their learners processes and their own teaching performance. Finally, this group s difficulties were evidenced in their work and performance all through the course when describing everyday life situations, arguing or giving opinion about different topics (all in written work). For that reason, the learners role is important in their learning process. They need motivation, decision making power and responsibility. According to (Harmer, 2007) there is a difference between trying to impose a pattern of learner autonomy and imposing autonomy. The first one deals with the fact of giving students agency (responsibility for themselves) as a key component in sustaining and increasing motivation. While the second one is related to teachers controller stage with does not allow any responsibility to the learners. Therefore, the use of technology Skype text Chat to improve their writing skills will be a key tool that will foster their motivation and engage them with their own process.

9 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 9 Research question After having identified the weakness and having though of a possible way of improvement. I decided to set up the following research question: Will the use of Skype text Chat in English Language Teaching let an A2 adult learners group improve their English writing skills? Research objectives After having identified the research question. It was essential to set up the general objective: To improve English writing skills in an A2 adult learners group of students by using Skype text chat. Also, it was vital to point the specific objectives: To improve A2 writing skills. To develop peer correction skills by means of rubric. To motivate learners use Skype text chat as a facilitating tool to improve writing. Rationale This action research will be carry out in a 13 student group who are taking an Intermediate English Language course at Libre University. They are studying in the Saturday Community program of this university. For that reason, the students come from diverse educational backgrounds, so some of them have been exposed to the target language since they started school, while some others have not studied English for a very long time, and some others are taking English classes in their schools and universities.

10 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 10 They are not totally fluent in the oral language, but they are able to handle a conversation at an A2 level according to the Common European Framework. However, the different class work and specific activities evidenced that their writing skills need to be improved. Therefore, this project is to help students improve their writing skills by using Skype text chat. In the following chapters, it will be possible to understand the chronological order of the project and the theoretical supports of it. Also, the ways how and when it took place. The coming chapters are: Chapter 2 Theoretical Framework, Chapter 3 Research Design, Chapter 4 Pedagogical Intervention, Chapter 5 Data Analysis and Findings and Chapter 6 Conclusions, Pedagogical Implications and Further Research. Also, Bibliography and Appendices in the last part of the project.

11 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 11 CHAPTER 2: Theoretical Framework To assure a complete coherence among theories and concepts in order to carry out this research project, it is necessary to have a theoretical support on the following constructs: writing skills, the computer - assisted language learning (CALL) which deals with constructivism theory and collaborative work. Also, the use of chat in language teaching, Chat Programs Skype and teaching English with technology to adult learners. These constructs will give a clear justification of what it is expected to demonstrate through the action research project. The main purpose of this project is to put into evidence the effectiveness of applying and implementing technology chat in the English classroom. For this reason, the authors chosen to analyze and explain this theoretical framework are: Ken Beatty, H. Douglas Brown, Gavin Dudeney, Jeremy Harmer and Nicky Hockly. Writing Skills: Good writing skills are essential for effective communication. Learning to write well takes time and practice. For that reason, an appropriate strategy to improve writing is by applying different tools that can be put into action during this process. Specifically, using skype text chat to this process. According to Good (2007) writing can be a tool to be applied through the use of technology to facilitate the processes of editing and reviewing of a text or document by working in real-time or asynchronously. The different writing tools offer great flexibility and usefulness in learning. The students can improve, reinforce and learn form each others feedback while this strategy provides

12 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 12 an easy mean to generate writing exercises, reports and other assignments in a full educational environment. To summarize, writing tools can vary a great deal and can range from the simplicity of systems. Basic features include the typical formatting and editing facilities of a standard word processor with the addition of live chat. Therefore, the use of Skype text chat is essential to prompt this process among the learners of this specific group. Computer-assisted Language Learning: According to Brown (1994), the collaborative work in the acquisition of a foreign language can be performed by using the new educational applications of computer equipments and programs. For this reason this project is also supported by the Computer assisted language learning (CALL). It is said that CALL is a student-centered model that promotes the self-paced learning and it is used by teachers to enable the language learning process in an interactive or an individualized way. Warschauer (1996) divided the development of CALL into three phases: behavioristic CALL, communicative CALL and integrative CALL. Taking into account that this research project that is a collaborative work, the communicative CALL is the phase that fixes perfectly to the purpose of the project. Computer and computer-based resources like the Internet are used to present, reinforce and assess material to be learned. CALL can be applied by using the Internet, software, CD-ROMs, text-building programs, or computer word processing programs. In other words, Computer - assisted Language Learning can be defined as learning language at the computer either as a direct activity through structured lessons or during an activity peripheral to the study of language but that, nonetheless, promotes language

13 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 13 awareness and acquisition. In some cases, computer software that is used for teaching subjects other than language, such as mathematics, is included under the umbrella of CALL if the software s language has been simplified or otherwise adapted for use by non-native speakers (Beatty, 2003) Consequently, CALL is related and linked to the Constructivism Theory, which is defined as the interaction of various paradigms with an emphasis on social interaction and the discovery or construction of meaning according to Brown (2007, p. 12) Therefore, constructivism is understood as the integration of linguistic, psychological, and sociological paradigms which in essence combines cognitive processes and social interaction of an individual within specific contexts. For this reason, it is important to keep in mind what learning means in order to guide learners through the most reliable paths and strategies to make their language acquisition process successful. Kaufman (2004, p.304) defines learning as a developmental construction process built on prior learning experiences. The meaning is socially constructed by learners and emerges out of their social interactions with their environment. The previous statement supports the idea of practicing as a developmental process involving prior experiences, cooperative learning and cultural issues. Taking into account that a constructivist classroom relies on collaboration among learners where language is used for interacting and communicating through the use of technological tools like chats in this project specifically. The Constructivism and CALL work together as they provide an idea of how knowledge is being organized. Moreover, Constructivism supports key constructs of CALL, collaboration and negotiation of meaning. Collaboration provides opportunities for negotiation of meaning as learners struggle to build new concepts and extend existing ones. Therefore, the role of the teacher

14 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 14 in a constructivist educational environment includes presenting opportunities for learning and encouraging reflective and critical thinking in learners by working collaborative group activities. So CALL programs can encourage language learning because it addresses cooperative, teamwork and collaborative skills such as: recognizing problems and responding appropriately by using coordination, decision making, interpersonal and communication abilities. Even thought, it could be thought that working at a computer can be an isolated experience for learners, there are some others point of view about this matter. According to Crook (1994) working in terms of teaching and learning with computers facilitate the social interaction and organization of the classroom rather than inhibit learning. Finally, this computer work to promote collaboration is sometimes teacher initiated but is always more often learner initiated (Beatty, 2003) However, that is exactly what I am going to verify in this project. I do want to look for answers about the fact of using chats with academic purposes in order to develop learner autonomy and improve learners English language level and take advantage of a blended learning environment. Use of Chat in Language Teaching: Chat is understood as real time communication over the internet (Dudeney and Hockly, 2007) Using a chat can be fruitful not only for teachers but also for learners as they will often be familiar with and will use their social lives, so using this technological tool with academic purposes can be a real challenge for them and the teacher as well. For this reason, the teacher must be skillful enough to link classes, topics and groups by working collaboratively in projects based on chat sessions outside the classroom. Therefore, the most important issue to bear in mind is that using chat needs to have clear purpose, a real

15 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 15 learning goal and a teaching aim of course. Otherwise, there is not worthy to make students chat without a real reason. It is necessary to know about the types of Chats that can be put into action to integrate effectively this technological tool into regular teaching, so according to (Dudeney and Hockly, 2007) It is important to distinguish between text and audio chat and public and private chat. Also the authors make reference to the fact to see the differences between these types of chats, such as: the synchronous communication e.g. mobile phone texting, and when the chat users are able to see the status or availability of other chat users. Now, those differences or characteristics will be presented below: Text chat: is when the chat communication between users is carried out by typing texts. The process consists in typing a message into the chat program, it is sent and it appears instantly on the screen of the other user. Audio or voice chat: is when the chat communication between users is carried out via audio, like a phone call conversation, but is conducted on the internet. Public chat: can be described by identifying its characteristics these types of chat rooms are open to any kind of users, users do not know each other, they get to know over time and they will decide to use an alias instead of their real name. As an illustration of a public chat forum is Yahoo Chat where chat rooms are grouped into categories like Business and Finance, Schools and Education, Movies, Music, etc. Private chat: requires the installation of a client program, which connects individual users over the Internet. While users may be linked over an intranet. Private text chat is also known as Instant Messaging. As an illustration, some of the

16 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 16 most popular instant messaging are Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, Google Talk, Skype and Aol Instant Messenger. In spite of the fact that all these types of chats are different they can be used as academic tools to improve learning. There are several different types of educational chat that can set up learners. According to teacher Daphne Gonzalez chats can be set in the following way: Free topic chats: this type of chat does not have topic or agenda or specific moderator. Here, learners can work in pairs or small groups via an instant messaging program to practice English. Collaborative, task oriented chats: this type of chat let learners meet out of class to complete real tasks. This fact implies that they have to all the documents, presentations, ect to each other previously, so then they will be able to work them during the chat session. Informative or academic chats: This type of chat disseminates information. As an illustration, a learner or teacher gives a presentation on a topic via chat. Then, there is a stage of questions and answers. This is a blended learning approach that is put into action when learners meet some of the time online and some other face to face. Practice chats: these chats will reinforce the practice of specific function or form of language by developing specific skills through the use of concrete strategies and all this process will take place out of classroom time. Chat Programs Skype Text Chat The software to be used on this research project is Skype this is the software that is being used the most because it is free. Skype is known as P2P (peer to peer) data

17 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 17 transfer techniques to facilitate free audio and video conversations over the Internet. This is often referred to as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology. Most instant messaging applications include webcam facilities, so in that way it is not only possible to text chat and voice chat, but also to see the participants, if they have a webcam installed on their computer. For that reason, this research project requires a software that fits the aimed goals to be reached during this process and the best found option was Skype that is an ebay company, headquartered in Luxembourg (with several offices located throughout the world)--began in 2003, and was founded by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis. Skype is an online communication tool that can be used to talk to anyone anywhere in the world. This software can be used as an instant messaging service, or as a telephone with a special Skype phone, or traditional headset. It even works for video calls, too. Calls to and from other Skype members are free. Calls made to and from cell phones, or land line phones are charged at a per minute rate. There are also plans for unlimited international use. Since the dawn of the first version of the program, the Skype community continues to grow, offering a wide variety of features and services used in conjunction with the program. These are: Skype-In: This program allows people using landline phones to reach a Skype user on his or her computer via a regular telephone number. The telephone number can be assigned for 3 months at a time for $12, or $24 for an entire year. Numbers are available all over the United States and in several countries worldwide. Voice Conferencing: This feature was introduced in 2006 and allows customers to hold video conference calls with other Skype users. This feature became available for the Linux OS in early 2008.

18 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 18 Skype To Go: The newest feature available to Skype Pro users, allows people to make international calls from their mobile phones, at the Skype-Out rate they use for all calls from their computer. Skype Mobile: In April 2008, Skype released Mobile Skype, compatible with around 50 different phones. The list of compatible phones continues to grow as programming and technology continue to sync. Throughout the last five years, Skype has grown from a small program that very few people knew of to a very useful program with lots of features that millions of people all over the world use each day. (Watrous, 2008) Retrieved from Teaching English with Technology to Adults Learners: This project will be based on collaborative, task oriented chats because learners will have the opportunity to work outside of the classroom to complete and design new activities for presenting in the F2F sessions. In other words, learners by using Skype chat will have to interact previously to collaborate cooperatively in the construction of their tasks. It is important to take into account that using tools such as synchronous text chat can improve learners language abilities. Since text chat provides opportunities for negotiating meaning, seen as the key in the language acquisition process. According to Dudeney and Hockly (2007) it has also been proved that online chat, especially text chat, does not follow the same rules of face-to-face interaction. For that reason, text chat can often appear disjointed where conversation threads get lost or questions are ignored. What is more, there are overlapping turns and certain amount of confusion during the session while voice chat

19 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 19 is more likely to make learners produce more fluent language. Consequently, text and voice chat rely on language interaction one typed and the other spoken. Both options provide learners use and develop different sets of skills to be able to communicate on the second language. Fortunately, many chat programs combine text and voice capabilities. For that reason, exposing learners to this combination will be fruitful to their language learning process. Now, as noted Dudeney and Hockly (2007) there are some advantages and disadvantages of text chat that are already put them into this project context. Advantages that are taking into consideration with this specific group of learners: Learners may already use text chat at home. Brings current technology into the classroom. Use of a new tool can be motivating for learners. Enables learners to make contact with learners in other (settings). A low tech option. Non-threatening and easy to learn to use. chat transcript can be used later for language analysis Disadvantages that will be transform into strengths as long as the project goes on and learners get familiar with it: Unclear whether text chat improves learners English. The need to teach chat speak. It can be difficult to identify errors vs. typos vs. non-standard chat speak. Weaker typists are put at a disadvantage. According to Dudeney and Hockly (2007) the best way to get started is by using text chat and then moving to voice chat and it is possible to share this real spoken experience

20 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 20 with learners from other contexts. Basically, that is the final aim of this project to let and encourage learners to interact with other learners by using their writing skills to perform a final task that will be monitoring by the teacher. Moreover, the most interesting feature is the possibility for teachers to work with a variety of types of software or hardware. Since they integrate the contents into their daily teaching plans by the use of computers and technology. However, it has been difficult to assimilate this idea into the educational community all around the world. As there are still teachers whose fears are managing and facing technological tools into their classrooms despite of the latest advances applicable to language teaching such as specialized websites, blogs, wikis, language teaching methodology, journals, and so. Fortunately, nowadays, language teachers and learners are more used to working on CALL approach (Computer Assisted Language Learning) to get learners involved in the process to receive stimuli, guidance and feedback on the computer screen in order to carry out specific tasks. That is the reason why the teachers guidance is essential in all the educational process and when working with technology is even more important. Students need to feel supported and guided and especially if they are not used to using technology as an academic tool according to Dudeney and Hockly (2007) there are strong and supportive reasons to use technology in the ELT classroom when working with adult learners these reasons can be addressed in the following way: Adult learners have a wider range of life experiences to be used as an advantage to be more disciplined than adolescents and children in using technology to carry out specific activities during their English language learning process.

21 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 21 Adults often have a clear understanding of the reasons why they are learning things and sustain their motivation by perceiving and holding on to long-term learning goals. Basically, that is why this research project will demonstrate how adult learners are ready to work with technology in the classroom in order to develop their autonomy by evidencing the improvement of their writing skills in English language. Finally, it is important to realize some characteristics that are essential in adult learners according to Harmer (2007) They can engage with abstract thought. They have a whole range of life experiences to draw on. They have expectations about the learning process, and they already have their own set patterns of learning. Adults tend to be more disciplined than other age groups and crucially they are often prepared to struggle on despite of boredom. They come into classrooms with rich range of experiences which allow teachers to use a wide range of activities with them. Taking into consideration all the previous theoretical constructs, it is important to highlight that the process of improvement in the learners writing collaborative skills might be possible by taking into consideration the appropriate strategies and the reflections about the analysis of the four constructs mentioned and explained before. It is possible to think that the implementation of using Skype text chat as an academic tool may be a motivational strategy for students to get involved in the collaborative writing process in order to improve their learning process of the foreign language. Besides that, this incorporation of technology into the classroom might help to have a clear picture of students real

22 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 22 perceptions, wants and needs in terms of their own learning process. So the reason why, this research project will be based on Skype text chat rooms (that is a technological tool used in the learners social lives) to be part of their academic process to improve their writing skills in English language.

23 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 23 CHAPTER 3: Research Design Research design chapter gives a clear picture of the different procedures that took place during the project. The chapter has six main parts: the first one, Type of Study where it is explained the type of research that was carried out in this project. The second one, the researcher s role that describes the teacher s performance during the process. The third one, it is related to the context where the project took place. The fourth one, talks about the participants of the project. The fifth one describes and gives a clear justification of the use of the data collection instruments and finally, the last part describes the data collection procedures that were carried out during the project. The following chart illustrates the steps of the research design process clearly. Type of Study: Action Research Researcher s role: Observer Context: Universidad Libre Participants: Extension courses Saturday Community Program students Data Collection Instruments: Questionnaires Students artifacts Teacher s reflections Chart 1: Research Design Description Type of study Taking into account the educational context where this project will take place, the students needs and the set up objectives in this process. I decided to carry out the following methodology. This project is an Action Research one because this type of research is inquiry or research in the context of focused efforts to improve the quality of an organization and its performance. It typically is designed and conducted by practitioners who analyze the data to improve their own practice. Moreover, Action research can be done by individuals or by teams of colleagues. The team approach is called collaborative inquiry.

24 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 24 Action research has the potential to generate genuine and sustained improvements in schools. Furthermore, it gives educators new opportunities to reflect on and assess their teaching; to explore and test new ideas, methods, and materials; to assess how effective the new approaches were; to share feedback with fellow team members; and to make decisions about which new approaches to include in the team's curriculum, instruction, and assessment plans. Figure 1. Detailed Action Research Model (Susman, 1983) Figure 1. Action Research Cycle In other words, Action Research is a process in which participants examine their own educational practice systematically and carefully using the techniques of research by identifying specific problematic situations, being effective in their assessment, encouragement and cooperative work to enrich their professional and academic development. For those reasons, this type of research is the most appropriate for the A2 Adult learners at Libre University to help them improve their writing skills by getting used to Skype text chatting. Researcher s role The main teacher s role will be as an observer of the whole process in the different stages. Also, as an observer the teacher will be in charge of doing self-evaluation this

25 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 25 process requires having an ability to systematically reflect on his/her own pedagogical performance when designing, planning and implementing activities. Therefore, action research supports and helps teachers in this process and makes them aware of the real educational situation that is being faced in their classrooms. According to Freeman (1998) the main significance of action research for professional development is to use it as a strategy of change in educational institutions, and as a production of new knowledge in education and learning. Context Libre University is a private university in Colombia. The university was founded with the intention of creating a learning institution during a radical political period in Bogotá, Colombia in the latest of 19th century. Libre University was leaded by Mr. Benjamin Herrera who started classes with the first faculty of Law and Sciences therefore; the University has been recognized as the pioneer in Law. It is important to mention that Libre University has extended as an educational institution all over the country. There are some other branches in Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena, Cucuta, Pereira and Socorro also the school was founded in Bogota by Professor Hector Manuel Beltran. In Bogota at this moment, there are five more faculties: Philosophy, Accounting, Business Administration, Engineering, and Education & Humanities within this last faculty there are the following programs: Majors in Physical Education, Pedagogy and Languages (Spanish, English and French).

26 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 26 It is evident that Libre University promotes the appropriate training for future Colombian teachers in different areas. For that reason, the teaching practice for the intraining teachers is essential and vital to get their B.A. Diploma. The Education and Humanities faculty decided to create a Language Community Program for children and adults who want to learn and improve in a foreign language, so by creating this program the faculty gave the in-training teachers the opportunity to carry out their teaching practice inside the University in a real teaching context. The Language Community Program has been growing as the number of Language practitioners and the number of the students as well. The community is encouraged as the costs, accessibility and facilities are coherent to their needs and expectations. Right now, there are 60 courses of an average of 30 students of (English and French). The Program has organized the levels in the following way: the most elemental 1a to the most advanced 3a. However, it is essential to mention that this classification has not to do with the one ruled and designed by the Common European Framework. Photo 1 Universidad Libre Campus Bosque Popular

27 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 27 Participants The learners group is a 13 student group who are taking an Intermediate English Language course at Libre University. These students come from various educational backgrounds given their academic and personal profiles, and some of them have been exposed to the target language since they started school, whereas some others have not studied English for a very long time. They are not totally fluent in the oral language, but they are able to handle a conversation at an A2 level according to the Common European Framework for example: "they can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple exchange of information on familiar and routine matters". As their teacher and facilitator in this process, I had to apply many strategies to identify their main weakness. For that reason, the lessons were designed and focused on their needs, wants and expectations knowing this, the different class work and specific activities evidenced that their writing skills need to be improved. Photo 2 Libre University Saturday Community Program Students and Teacher

28 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 28 Data Collection Instruments The data collection instruments chosen for carrying out this project are questionnaires students artifacts and teacher s reflections. Firstly, talking about the questionnaires, they are often viewed as quick and easy to do. However, this is not always the case. So to get useful responses, in a cost-effective way, it is important to be clear about the aim of the questionnaire and how the responses will help improve the learning process in this case applying technology skype text chat. It is essential also to think about the analysis of results. It can be sobering to consider the amount of data to be generated and the time it will take to analyze. As a result there are some advantages of using questionnaires (Milne, 1999) The responses are gathered in a standardized way, so questionnaires are more objective, certainly more so than interviews. Generally it is relatively quick to collect information using a questionnaire. However in some situations they can take a long time not only to design but also to apply and analyze. Potentially information can be collected from a large portion of a group. This potential is not often realized, as returns from questionnaires are usually low. However return rates can be dramatically improved if the questionnaire is delivered and responded to in class time. Secondly, taking into account students artifacts, those instruments are the most real evidence of learners progress and the development of the project. For that reason, all students writings will be taken into account as essential part of the

29 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 29 process; specially the collecting data stage. Those students products will shown the final results by the end of the project. Thirdly, the teacher s reflections will be essential to keep record of the coherence in the different stages of the project prestage, in-while stage and post-stage. It would be possible to modify, adapt and implement new strategies as long as the project goes on, so the teacher will keep that reflection record on her blog and website. To summarize, these instruments offer an alternative form of data collection because they involve predetermined information in written form that is vital during the process. For that reason, this research project will need these types of instruments to get the specific data to design, adapt and implement tasks and activities to work according to their wants, needs and expectations. Data Collection Procedures The process of data collection procedures will be evidenced in three moments during the process. Moreover, there were specific instruments to be applied during these three moments. The following chart illustrates the moments and instruments. STAGES IN THE PROCESS INSTRUMENTS Pre-stage Pre online questionnaire. While stage Research Project Activities Schedule. List of writing conventions. Rubrics for writing. Rubrics for Skype Text Chat. Lesson Plans (5) Students artifacts writing

30 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 30 reflections peer-corrections Teachers reflections written in her website and blog. Post stage Students final artifacts. Teacher s final reflections. Final Activity for being discussed in the last Skype Text Chat Session with the Foreign Guess. Final Skype Text Chat session with the Foreign Guess. Post online questionnaire. Chart 2 Stages in the process and the instruments designed The three stages where key momentums during the process. For that reason, each one had specific instruments to be applied. The pre-stage was the beginning stage to start exploring students perceptions about using technology in their English class. This fact was essential as it was the opportunity to motivate learners to know, explore and use Skype text chat as an academic tool. The while stage, was how and when the project started running. It means that it was necessary to design Rubrics for Writing and Chatting list of writing conventions and adapt the syllabus of the course to the expectations for this project. In other words, the lesson plans were implemented with specific and concrete activities to prompt collaborative writing and foster writing discussion through the use of Skype text chat sessions. It is possible to say that this stage was meaningful as the students artifacts evidenced their understanding and improvement during the process, also the teacher s reflections were a possibility to enrich the process. The post stage evidenced the final products and processes that were reinforced during the project time. The students artifacts were a bit much more elaborated, their participation increased and their motivation was

31 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 31 high as well. Moreover, the last Skype text chat session with the foreign guess was meaningful and challenging for the students and the post online questionnaire evidenced the impact of having incorporated technology into the classroom. Finally, the three stages and the instruments that were designed, applied and implemented to carry out the research project were essential to get to concrete results. The following chapter will evidence clearly the mechanic and description of the pre, while and post stages.

32 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 32 CHAPTER 4: Pedagogical Intervention This project prompts learning in a motivational way supported on technology, so students will be engaged in the processing of information, then the teachers challenge will be to find and maintain creative dynamic learning environments that involve students in doing and thinking critically about the construction of knowledge. For that reason, the purpose of this research project is to improve students writing skills by the use of Skype text chat. So to carry out the pedagogical intervention of this action research project, it was necessary to design a webpage, a blog and a schedule of activities. First of all, the design of the webpage was essential to keep track of the whole project. The website has different sections where it can be seen the progress of the project. Here it is the link: next, it was important to design a blog which purpose is to keep the research diary to be shared as research findings with other educational colleagues. Here it is the link: after that, I designed 5 special lesson plans in which I put into evidence the research work and the monitoring of the students class work and chat independent work. Finally, it had to design a schedule activity chart where it will be possible to see the description of tasks chronologically. Now, talking about the implementation and the data collection process. It was necessary to design questionnaires, writing activities and using the students papers for that as well. The teacher s role was to design those instruments to start the process of collection students data during their English course. The data collection process was carried out according to the schedule of the activities to be worked with the students. So there are three specific moments during this process: the pre-stage where the first online questionnaire was applied to the students. Then, a first initial Skype text chat session took place, so students got in touch with this electronic tool

33 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 33 in a an academic environment. Next, the design of rubrics for Skype chatting. Also, the design rubrics for writing and a list of conventions. Finally, the project program or schedule of activities was essential to organize the process of collection samples from the students and monitoring their work during the course. Finally, the While-stage and post-stage were essential to keep record of the Skype text chat sessions in word documents, also the lesson plans. Finally, the design of the webpage and blog were vital to have the track of the research process and to share the findings with other educational researchers in our Colombian context and abroad. This is the description of the three stages that were mentioned above: STAGES IN THE PROCESS INSTRUMENTS Pre-stage Pre online questionnaire (see appendix 1) While stage Research Project Activities Schedule (see appendix 2) List of writing conventions (see appendix 3) Rubrics for writing (see appendix 4) Rubrics for Skype Text Chat (see appendix 5) Lesson Plans 5 (see sample of the first one appendix 6) Students artifacts writing reflections peer-corrections (see appendix 7) Teachers reflections written in her website and blog (see appendix 8) Post stage Students final artifacts (see appendix 9) Teacher s final reflections (see

34 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 34 appendix 10) Final Activity for being discussed in the last Skype Text Chat Session with the Foreign Guess (see appendix 11) Final Skype Text Chat session with the Foreign Guess (see appendix 12) Post online questionnaire (see appendix 13) Chart 3 Description of Stages in the process and the instruments designed Pre-stage: Apply an Online questionnaire designed in: that questionnaire has 10 questions related to the use of chats Set up the first Skype Chat session and the students the first documents to be used and applied during the project: rubrics for chatting, rubrics for writing and list of conventions for correcting writing. Continue collecting the students papers, works and start getting them familiar with the feedback given based on the list of conventions. Set up a well organized and detailed Project program where the different activities can be well understood. While-stage: Keep the track of the skype chats by creating and saving them in Word. Documents or just by using the back-up of skype logs option. Design five lesson plans where the project activities are linked to the syllabus of the course. Those lesson plans were designed for a 2 hour class in which the writing and reading practice is evident. So students have time to reflect, discuss and share

35 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 35 insights about the different readings previously assigned and then they write about it. Finally, they conclude and support their writings in the chat meeting. Create a webpage with a special section for the teacher s research reflection. Create a blog where those track of the teacher s diary can be shared with other researchers in Colombia and around the world. Design the final activity to be worked by the students and the guests and create a rubric for that. Post-stage: Keep the record of all Skype Chat sessions in a word document. Finish with the teacher reflection log. Design a final questionnaire on This tool put into evidence the positive or negative impact of the whole chat experience and specially the perception about the last session with the foreign guest Start the process of collecting all students data in the different proposed tools (webpage, blog, word documents, class work papers, etc) Start the process of analyzing the gotten data. Through the description of the pre-stage, the while-stage and post-stage it is possible to underline the different actions that are carried out during the research project. The students and teacher have an important role when handling these moments. The pre-stage, shows the first action plan to start with after identifying the problem in this group of learners. The

36 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 36 while-stage shows the actions that are happening in the middle of the research process and in the time the course is being carried out and the post-stage, shows the actions that are proposed to the end of the research process, so it is the stage where the results start emerging. Finally, the description of the three stages of the action research project put into evidence how Action research is a reflective and a cyclic process. In addition, at all stages the researcher teacher can get the data and modified the designed activities and tasks based on students reactions, concerns and needs. This project let me the opportunity to be a leader researcher who could go and explore the different constrains and create an action plan to overcome those difficulties through the action research journey. As the final result of this methodology component, it is possible to say that all the gotten data was done because of the students collaboration, hard work and motivation to take part of this project.

37 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 37 CHAPTER 5: Data Analysis and Findings According to Sagor (2005) there are three main activities to take into account during this last stage of the action research process. They are: Analyzing, Planning and Reporting. They take place when the collected data begins to be analyzed and when the reflections and insights about the research process are highlighted by researcher who will start planning and action plan that will report his/her finding with other colleagues. During the research process every stage provides meaningful evidence of the project itself and that evidence can not be changed or modified as claims Sagor (2005) every element (the characters, conflicts, setting and themes) can be understood through your data. Therefore, there are required three action research questions: What did I do? What changes occurred regarding the achievement targets? And what was the relationship between actions taken and any changes in performance on the targets? Those are essential supports in the Trend Analysis approach. Trend analysis is a versatile strategy that can easily be modified and adjusted for use with an array of data sources and should help answer a broad range of action research questions Sagor (2005) for that reason, this approach will be applied to analyze the data of this project in order to set up coherent categories in the process for answering the research question. Now, it is essential to start answering the three research questions. 1. What did I do? The collection of data for this research project was carried out in the following stages: Allocating Time The planned time for carrying out this research project was 5 weeks. However, there were external factors such as: partials and class observations that interfered in the planning

38 USING SKYPE CHAT FOR IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS 38 and extent the work for 3 more weeks. So the whole process took from the 12 th April to the 6 th June 2009 this process was that long as the classes took place on Saturdays afternoon from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Libre University. To summarize this stage, it is possible to say that: a) The project lasted for 8 weeks. (2 hour class time per week) b) Approximately 30% of the class time was spent to check the assigned reading, solve questions, and check vocabulary and understanding of it. c) Overall 30% of class time (30 40 minutes per week in the F2F class) was spent in writing processes (reflections, opinions, comments) d) Overall 15% of class time (20 minutes per week in the F2F class) was spent in peer and collaborative writing (students worked in groups, pairs and checked their work using the rubrics) e) Overall 50% of class time was spent working on writing conventions and grammar. f) During 8 weeks (April 12 th and June 6 th ) 50% class time was spent on checking writing and spoken students understanding to get ready for the Skype text chat discussions every week. Looking for Patterns It was necessary to check my teacher s blog, lesson plans and webpage where I kept record of the occurrences of the students performance and written production during this