Authors:
- Reveals the gap between the rhetoric and reality of language learning with the current web
- Analyses and explains the technology resistance in out-of-class English learning from a sociocultural perspective
- Proposes a framework that explains choice of technology use among language learners
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Table of contents (8 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
About this book
The argument is developed on the basis of the findings of a mixed sequential study that focused on 1485 Chinese undergraduates’ use and non-use of online tools and applications outside the English classroom. Particular attention is paid to the role of context and agency when understanding their learning choices and behaviours in the context of digital technology. In particular, the book acknowledges the explanatory power of agency in the minority instances of ‘good practices’ among these EFL learners. At the same time it demonstrates that for most learners, use of the current web is limited and mostly non-interactive. The barriers to ‘2.0’ transfer are largely contextual and the so-called ‘communicative opportunities’ and ‘participatory culture’ in particular did not fit into the learners’ sociocultural context of (language) learning.
Overall, the compelling argument proposes that the technology-facilitated changes in EFL practices are a ‘bottom up’ process that is taking place in day-to-day situations and constrained by the learning context within which the learner is situated. Based on these arguments, the book provides a framework that challenges the existing beliefs about (language) learning with online technology, and that contributes to our understanding of how context mediates EFL learners’ behaviours surrounding digital technologies. It is a valuable resource for teachers, researchers and policy makers, providing them with insights into using digital technology to stimulate ‘good learning practices’ outside the classroom.
Authors and Affiliations
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University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
Shuang Zeng
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: English Learning in the Digital Age
Book Subtitle: Agency, Technology and Context
Authors: Shuang Zeng
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2499-4
Publisher: Springer Singapore
eBook Packages: Education, Education (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-13-2498-7Published: 05 December 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-981-13-2499-4Published: 23 November 2018
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 212
Number of Illustrations: 17 b/w illustrations, 22 illustrations in colour
Topics: Language Education, Educational Technology, Technology and Digital Education