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Empirical Study On Input Theory And Autonomous Language Learning In Web-based Multimedia Language Learning Environment

Posted on:2012-12-14Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:Y DuFull Text:PDF
GTID:2235330395463917Subject:English Language and Literature
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In recent years, learner autonomy has become a hot issue in foreign language learning. The term "learner autonomy" refers to "the ability to take charge of one’s own learning" raised by Henri Holec in1981. It is widely believed that learners should play an active role and take more responsibility in language learning to improve their learning efficiency. The Ministry of Education of China published the latest College English Curriculum Requirements, which highlights that learner autonomy is one of the objectives of college English teaching, and the development of individualized study methods and the autonomous learning ability on the part of students is an important indicator of the successful reform of the teaching mode. At same time, information and communication technology provides technological support to reform the English language education model to cater to an increasing number of learners’diverse needs. Web-based multimedia English education approach and autonomous language learning model have been strongly advocated by National Education Ministry.Language acquisition is a very complicated process, which is influenced by many factors. During the late1970s Krashen put forward an account of second language acquisition. According to his Input Hypothesis, if a learner is at stage "i", then acquisition takes place when he/she is exposed to "comprehensible input" that belongs to level "i+1". Since not all of the learners can be at the same level of linguistic competence at the same time. Krashen suggests that natural communicative input is the key to designing a syllabus, ensuring in this way that each learner will receive some "i+1" input that is appropriate for his/her current stage of linguistic competence. Linguistically speaking, input refers to the language the learner is exposed to. The web-based multimedia language learning environment makes the students exposed to greater amount of language input, compared with the traditional classroom teaching.The purpose of the present study is to find out whether the web-based multimedia autonomous learning environment could improve the learners’comprehensible input and therefore enhance their language abilities. By analyzing the interviews and questionnaires, the researcher could also present the students’attitudes toward the web-based multimedia language learning mode, and the difficulties and confusion they may encounter during the whole learning process. The subjects of the research are114students from China Medical University. All of them are non-English majors. The students are from two classes. One class was chosen as the Control group and the other the Experimental group. A pre-test was carried out to both the Control group and the Experimental group. After the test, the two groups received different treatments, with the Experimental group learned in web-based multimedia language environment and the Control group taught with traditional teaching mode. The research lasted about eighteen weeks. Finally, a post-test was conducted to both the two classes. Then the data of the two tests was collected. The data was analyzed by SPSS16.0.It can be concluded from the analysis that for most of the students in the research, the web-based multimedia autonomous language learning promotes their language ability especially in reading and listening.
Keywords/Search Tags:web-based multimedia language learning, learner autonomy, input hypothesis
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