THE BENEFITS OF ASYNCHRONOUS DISCUSSIONS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL
STUDENTS
LEARNING SPANISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
A Project
Presented to the faculty of the Department of Education
California State University, Sacramento
Submitted in partial satisfaction of
the requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
in
Education
(Education Technology)
by
Stephanie Anne DiPalma
SPRING
2012
©2012
Stephanie Anne DiPalma
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ii
THE BENEFITS OF ASYNCHRONOUS DISCUSSIONS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL
STUDENTS
LEARNING SPANISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
A Project
by
Stephanie DiPalma
Approved by:
__________________________________, Committee Chair
Chia-Jung Chung, Ph.D.
__________________________________, Department Chair
Rita M. Johnson, Ed.D.
____________________________
Date
iii
Student: Stephanie Anne DiPalma
I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format
manual, and that this project is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for
the project.
__________________________, Department Chair
Rita M. Johnson, Ed.D.
Department of Teacher Education
iv
___________________
Date
Abstract
of
THE BENEFITS OF ASYNCHRONOUS DISCUSSIONS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL
STUDENTS
LEARNING SPANISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
by
Stephanie DiPalma
During the middle school years, students often experience a drop in academic
performance as peer relationships begin to take precedence over relationships with
teachers and parents. At the same time, students this age have the opportunity to begin
learning a second language at school, an academic endeavor. This quasi-experimental
study explored the potential benefits of using a secure blogging site to increase middle
school student participation, thereby increasing student success as they begin to learn
Spanish as a second language.
Twenty-four participants from 11 through 13 years of age were divided into two
groups with half of them collaborating using a secure Moodle site hosted on a school
computer. The other half worked on the same assignments without using AD. Data
collected from survey results, bi-weekly quiz results, teacher observation, and interviews
v
demonstrate that students enjoy blogging, spent extra time working on Spanish, and
gained confidence in their ability to read and understand Spanish.
Most students improved in their Spanish writing skills over the course of the
study. The intervention group posted slightly higher gains than the control group on
posttests and scored significantly higher on bi-weekly quizzes. The difference between
pretests and posttests were too close to form definite conclusions as to the long-term
academic benefits of using asynchronous discussion technology for student collaboration.
The results indicate further research studies into the potential benefits of this pedagogy.
_______________________, Committee Chair
Chia-Jung Chung, Ph.D.
Department of Education
vi
______________________
Date
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
List of Figures .............................................................................................................. ix
Purpose of the Research .................................................................................................1
Questions Researched ....................................................................................................2
Review of Literature ......................................................................................................3
Methodology ..................................................................................................................3
Population Being Studied ....................................................................................3
Definitions ...........................................................................................................4
A Late Start ..........................................................................................................4
Selection of Control and Intervention Groups .....................................................6
Procedure .......................................................................................................................6
Data Analysis .................................................................................................................9
Were There Drawbacks to Blogging with Middle School Students? ................19
Limitations of the Study ....................................................................................20
Conclusions and Recommendations ..................................................................22
Appendices ...................................................................................................................27
Appendix 1 -- Pretest Assessments for Writing: ...............................................27
5th grade. .......................................................................................................27
6th grade. .......................................................................................................27
7th grade. .......................................................................................................27
vii
Appendix 2 -- Post-test Assessment ..................................................................29
5th grade. .......................................................................................................29
6th and 7th grades. ...........................................................................................29
Appendix 3 – Assessment Rubric for Writing Assignments During the Study 30
Appendix 4 – Assessment Checklists for Students............................................31
Appendix 5 – Back to School Survey ................................................................33
Appendix 6 – Interview Questions for Students ................................................34
Appendix 7 – Pretest and Posttest Results Tables .............................................35
Intervention group. ........................................................................................35
Control group. ................................................................................................35
Appendix 8 – Courtyard School Moodle Screenshots .......................................36
References ....................................................................................................................41
viii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figures
Page
1. Comparison of test results, control group ..................................................................... 11
2. Comparison of test results, intervention group ............................................................. 12
3. Average score out of 20 points ..................................................................................... 14
4. Beginning of study survey results ................................................................................. 15
5. End of study survey results ........................................................................................... 16
ix
1
Running Head: BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
The Benefits of Asynchronous Discussions for Middle School Students
learning Spanish
Bridging the gap between vocabulary memorization for a test and actual fluency
in speaking, listening and writing presents a challenge to the middle school foreign
language teacher. Many students this age feel self-conscious and choose not to participate
in oral activities designed to help them practice their second language and gain fluency.
After tests are taken, they forget what they’ve learned because they don’t use it, so they
need to continuously relearn vocabulary and grammar structures.
Middle school students enjoy texting, blogging and online activities, using new
technology, and collaborative activities with young people their own age. At this age,
children begin to prefer interaction with their peers to interacting with adults. The
challenge for the teacher is to tap into this resource, use it to engage students in practicing
their new language and help them become fluent.
Purpose of the Research
In years past, second language instruction in the United States has been viewed as
part of a liberal education; however, the global market is pushing 21st century Americans
to reconsider the value of becoming bilingual or multilingual. In addition to having
technical and professional skills, Americans need to be fluent in more languages
(Weatherford, 1986). Theodore Mitchell, the president of the California board of
education, and Jack O’Connell, the state superintendent of public instruction write,
“California is home to the most diverse student population in the country, with well over
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
a hundred languages and dialects spoken by children in our schools. It is important to
recognize and appreciate this diversity in our schools by placing an added emphasis on
the effective learning of these languages and the cultures from which they are derived
(Education, 2010).”
Questions Researched
A recent study conducted with high school advanced placement (AP) Spanish
students seemed to show that online portfolios which included blogging, writing, and
video components to practice for AP exams improved the quality of student work
(Nunes-Dore). Nunes-Dore’s students were high school age and highly motivated. She
used online portfolios with her high achieving class, rather than using it with students
achieving at different levels. More research was indicated as to the effects of using
similar tools at the middle school level with students performing at different competency
levels. The research questions for this study are:
1. By using online collaboration with middle school students, can teachers motivate
student to participate more?
2. Will students become more fluent in Spanish if they work with their peers, post work
on our secure Moodle site, and review one another’s work in this way?
3. Will middle school students who are reluctant to speak up in front of the class, be
bolder when they are recording and posting their work online?
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Review of Literature
The complete review of literature, “Using Asynchronous Online Communication
to Enhance Second Language Instruction with Middle School Students” investigates the
use of blogging as well as other forms of asynchronous communication including mobile
texting to enhance second language instruction. It looks at student motivation, test results,
and professional development issues. Link to Review of Literature
Methodology
Population Being Studied
This study includes a relatively small sample of students from middle to upper
class families attending a private school in Mid-town Sacramento, California. They were
between the ages of 9 ½ and 12 ½ years of age at the beginning of the study. Included
were ten 5th grade students, eleven 6th grade students and five 7th grade students. Some
come from families where Spanish is spoken often and some travel to Spanish speaking
countries on a regular basis, but most speak only English with their families.
Most of the participants have received Spanish enrichment classes since
kindergarten through the school, but up until the 2010-11 school year, Spanish instruction
lacked sequence and scope. Former Spanish teachers focused on vocabulary rather than
conversations with many of the same vocabulary lists being taught year after year. One of
the former Spanish teachers moved on to regular classroom assignment after being in
charge of the Spanish program for a couple of years. The next teacher was a
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
paraprofessional who spoke Spanish. Spanish was cancelled 2010 when the Spanish
teacher and then the paraprofessional who substituted for her both suffered health
problems. The inconsistency of the Spanish program created a situation where students in
the 4th through the 7th grades work at many different levels. Because Spanish is viewed as
an enrichment class rather than a core subject, students who fall behind are unlikely to
put in extra work during study hall or at home to catch up.
Definitions

Asynchronous Discussions (AD) means online discussions such as emails and
blogging. Students were required to post work and post comments on one
another’s work.

Total Physical Response (TPR) is a strategy where students use pantomime and
hand movements while practicing vocabulary in target language.

Epals.com is a monitored online email service fostering international
collaboration between teachers and their classes.

Moodle is a free online course management tool available for download which is
similar to the Blackboard system used by CSUS.
A Late Start
There were technical difficulties getting started on time with this project, as it was
dependent upon the installation of a Moodle site over the summer which would then be
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
set up before the beginning of the school year. Administration didn’t want students
working on the server, so they decided to purchase a computer that would sit in the office
shared by the Spanish teacher and the extended day director, Ms. Krause. This computer
would be used by the director for the administration of the school’s extended day
program, by the Spanish teacher, and it would house Moodle. Unfortunately, the school
didn’t purchase the new computer until the second week of school and it took another
week for the tech service to install everything. The Moodle site wasn’t ready for the
students to use until the first week of October. In the meantime, the children were eager
to get started. Permission slips were sent out to parents and received back before the end
of September. The purpose and procedures of the study had already been explained to
participating students. They were able to ask questions and all of them signed forms
informally consenting to having their work and test scores represented in the study.
Students went through preliminary Spanish review activities from the preceding year
from September 6th through the 16th.
During the third week of September writing assessments were given in order to
assess students’ initial ability to write in Spanish. These pretest assessments were used to
set up the first Moodle writing assignment at students’ proximal zone of Spanish
development. Students practiced using vocabulary and verbs by writing a letter for their
e-pal which they would upload onto the Moodle site for peer comments, or send to the
teacher on the Epals.com site. They hand-wrote their first drafts during the week of
September 26th through 30th.
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Selection of Control and Intervention Groups
The 5th and 6thgrade classes were divided in half randomly by drawing names
from a basket. Five students in each of these classes were assigned to the Moodle group
and about 11 were assigned to the control group. All five of our 7th graders were initially
assigned to the Moodle group. One 7th grader moved away before the end of October.
Another took his place, but was excused from Spanish for medical reasons. Two more of
the 7th graders were taken out of the Moodle group for disciplinary reasons by midOctober. Also, one of the 5th grade students who had been randomly chosen for the
Moodle group traded with another student after the first week. He had a difficult time
typing his password accurately and found the entire process too stressful. His friend
wanted to be part of the intervention group, and had been disappointed when he wasn’t
selected.
Procedure
Beginning in October 2011 the intervention group worked on structured AD
activities once a week, while the control group did the same assignments as those of the
intervention group but without the AD component. Intervention students wrote sentences
and answered questions in Spanish on their Moodle blogs and their classmates were
asked to make positive comments and suggestions to their classmate’s blogs. Control
group students either wrote out assignments at home or they used Epals.com email to
send their work to the teacher using the computer.
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
All students took pretests based on what they had learned the previous year in
Spanish at Courtyard School (appendix 1). The post-tests (appendix 2) were based on the
students’ learning objectives between January 17th and 19th. They were graded for current
learning objectives and scored according to a 20-point rubric for vocabulary use, correct
verb use, adjective placement, punctuation, and spelling (see appendix 3). Regular
quizzes were recorded and analyzed by the teacher to gauge student improvement in
Spanish and guide instruction. At the end of the study, Moodle blogs were reviewed,
comparing them to classroom behavior and students were interviewed. At the beginning
of the study and again at the end of the study students also took online surveys to
ascertain prior knowledge of AD and to gauge students’ perceptions of themselves as
Spanish students (see appendix 5). Blog data was compared to student interview data in
order to discover whether students participate more or less online than they do in class.
Over a period of three months, students received direct instruction, listened to
recordings, and participated in in-class Spanish practice activities including guided
conversations and TPR. There were no differences between the assignments done by
students in the intervention group and those in the control group. The intervention group
collaborated on written assignments using blogs on the school Moodle site in Spanish,
making comments on one another’s blogs in English. Control group students turned in the
same assignments directly to the teacher. They might have received feedback from their
classmates; they were encouraged to share their work with one another and to advise each
8
BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
other on writing assignments using checklists (see appendix 4) but this wasn’t carefully
monitored.
All students completed several small written assignments, took advantage of
practice activities posted to the Moodle site and to the Spanish site, and worked in small
groups to create videos in Spanish demonstrating target vocabulary. Because of the study,
intervention students were grouped together and control students worked together to
work on group projects. Groups were given the opportunity to use either a flip camera or
a canon camera with the ability to record flash video clips. Some used their cell phones to
record videos, but it wasn’t possible to transfer the footage from some of the cell phones
to the computer for editing.
During the trimester two, all students participated in Moodle blogs and activities.
(see appendix 8 for screenshots) Students were asked to complete online surveys during
computer lab time at the outset of the study to ascertain their perceptions of themselves as
students learning Spanish. The survey was taken again at the end of February, after the
control group was given the chance to try out Moodle blogging assignment for three
weeks. A comparison of the students’ beginning and ending surveys would help identify
any changes in students’ confidence in themselves as Spanish students. It might also
show a change in their views about using AD for collaboration with their peers (see
appendix 5). Taking the confidential surveys was voluntary. Twenty four students took
the initial survey. There were some absences and one student had moved, so only 21 took
the final survey.
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Young people are aware of what types of activities motivate them to do their best
and are usually happy to share this information. During the week of March 5th through
the 9th willing students from each group were interviewed to discover their feelings and
ideas about the various activities they had done in Spanish this year, including AD (see
appendix 6 for interview questions). Answers were carefully noted. Several of the
interviews were also videotaped.
Data Analysis
Data was triangulated from several sources using a mixed methods approach.
Qualitative descriptive data was collected by analyzing the content of student blogs,
interviews, and researcher notes. Answers were categorized and compared to each other.
Quantitative data comes from a comparison of pre and post assessment scores and survey
data. Data from regular student quizzes during the study spoke to students’ retention of
vocabulary and grammar as taught during Spanish instruction. Student answers during
interviews were carefully noted and compared to individual performance on assessments.
In the conclusions and recommendation section of this paper, qualitative and quantitative
data is compared to results of similar studies discussed in the review of literature.
Pretest scores demonstrate that none of the students remembered how to write
well in Spanish at the beginning of the school year. One fifth grade student and one of the
7th grade students, couldn’t think of a single sentence in Spanish to write, and earned a
zero score. Eleven and a half points on the assessment rubric, were earned by a 5th grade
student who had spent part of his summer visiting grandparents in a Spanish-speaking
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
country with 13 out of 20 being the highest score attained by any student on the pretest.
The other high scores of between 10 and 13 were earned by four of the 6th grade students,
two of whom practice Spanish outside of school with Hispanic relatives.
It was important to understand the wide variation in pretest and posttest scores, so
these are compared to class scores on quizzes. Student report card grades are based on
quiz scores and class participation in the form of conversation practice, completion of
exercises, attendance, and work on projects. An extra effort is made to prepare students
for quizzes, informing them as to what will be on the test. To ensure their success,
students are given: a word bank, multiple choice questions, or the option of using their
notes, depending on the quiz. The average score on quizzes for the sixth grade class
during trimester one was 90%. Because this class cares deeply about their grades, three
6th grade students retook quizzes to make sure that they would earn an A on their first
trimester report cards. The fifth grade, however, averaged 65% on quizzes. In order to
determine if there is a relationship between effort in preparation for quizzes and the
pretest/posttest scores, all are compared to the class mean, showing a positive or negative
relationship.
In figures one and two data is triangulated for individual students showing a
rough correlation between students’ quiz performance in Spanish class and how they
scored on the pre and post writing assessments for this study. For each student there are
three data points, one compares the individual student’s average quiz score to the class
average, the others compare the individual student’s pretest and posttest scores to his or
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
her class mean for the assessment. In this case, a 5th grade score is compared with the 5th
grade mean on assessments. The 6th and 7th are grouped together since they are being
taught together this year. Figure 1 plots the scores of twelve students in the control group.
Figure 2 plots the scores of eleven intervention group students. Two of the four 7th grade
students are not represented here because they didn’t take the posttest. Students are
arranged by grade level from left to right for the control group and for the intervention
(Moodle) group. The 5th grade students are numbered one through five, the 6th grade
students are numbers six through eleven and one of the 7th grade students who was
removed from the Moodle group is number twelve.
comparison to class mean
Control Group
20.0
0.0
1
-20.0
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
pretest
10
11
12
pretest
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10 11 12
0.9 -0.2 -5.2 0.9 -0.2 -2.2 -1.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.3 0.3
posttest
3.0 -0.5 -3.5 -4.5 1.0 -6.5 -2.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.4 3.4
Class assessments 1.5 -9.6 -5.1 -7.1 -6.6 -7.6 3.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 15.1 18.0
Figure 1- Comparison of test results, control group
12
comparison to class mean
BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Moodle Group
20.0
10.0
0.0
-10.0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
pretest
9
10
8
9
10 11
2.3 -2.7 -1.7 -3.7
11
pretest
1
2
3
4
5
6
6.4 -1.2 1.9 -2.2 -1.2 4.3
7
0.3
posttest
6.5
3.4 -0.6 -6.6 3.4 -6.577
6.0
1.0 -6.5 -2.5 4.4
Class assessments 12.0 8.5 10.5 -7.6 3.5 18.0 3.1 18.0 16.0 15.0 19
Figure 2 – Comparison of test results, intervention group
Figures 1 and 2 may demonstrate a relationship between student assessment
scores and student participation in blogging. At the beginning of the study, about half of
the students in each group, 45% in the Moodle group and 41% in the control group,
scored below the mean on their pretest assessments. After using blogging to practice
skills for ten weeks results are similar on the posttests with four in each group scoring
below the mean score. On biweekly quiz averages, however, there is a noticeable
difference. Only one of the students using blogging scored below the class average.
Student #5, who scored below his class average, also had low scores on both the pretest
and the posttest. The rest of the students in the intervention group scored above the mean
by at least three percentage points (figure 1). Looking at the chart for the control group,
there appears to be less improvement over time. Four intervention group students scored
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
below the mean, with seven above average posttest scores versus five control group
students who scored below the mean on their quiz averages and three others who received
scores that matched their class averages.
Student blogs functioned as a place where intervention students could do class
assignments and receive feedback from one another. Students were expected to post the
assignment and then read one another’s work, making appropriate comments. Not all
students used the Moodle site appropriately at first. They posted greetings in English and
Spanish to one another and asked each other how to post downloaded pictures on their
profiles. There were posts that were completely off topic. For example one boy posted
“Turtle’s rule!!” Other students responded with comments such as “What is it with you
and turtles?” After a few reminders, most students began to focus on assigned activities.
The first major writing assignments practiced the use of adjectives. The 7th and 6th grade
class were given an assignment to write several sentences describing specific famous
people; the 5th grade class created riddles beginning with the words “¿Quién es? They
were expected to read each other’s riddles and make a guess. Some of the control group
students printed out their riddles or emailed them to their classmates and received
guesses, but using Moodle generated more participation with 30% more guesses per
riddle. Other Moodle activities involved listening to recordings or watching videos and
answering questions. Control group students accessed these resources using the Spanish
website.
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
The students enjoyed working in small groups on video creation project during
trimester one, which was graded on a rubric. There was no difference between the control
group and the Moodle group on their project grades. This is probably due to the fact that
success was dependent on face to face interactions. Blogging their movie ideas didn’t
turn out to be practical. Students in both groups worked on creating a script either by
hand or on the computer and printing it out. After that they edited it together, talked about
it, created props, rehearsed, and digitally recorded it using one of the available cameras.
Students’ vocabulary and writing skills improved by the time posttests were
given. Most students scored
14
higher on posttests than
12
10
they did in their pretests.
8
They used more vocabulary
6
4
Control
2
0
Moodle
Pretest
Posttest
Figure 3 – Average score out of 20 points
words, made fewer errors in
the use of verbs, and were
more careful with spelling
and punctuation. Seven
remembered to use adjectives and placed them correctly. Eight students scored 14.5 or
higher in the posttest (appendix 7). The average change in score was +5.06 points. There
was very little difference between the two groups. The Moodle group’s average gain was
slightly higher 5.25 with a standard deviation of 1.1 than the control group’s 4.45 with a
standard deviation of 0.9 (figure 3).
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Surveys give insight as to how students view themselves as Spanish speakers.
According to a survey at the beginning of this study, one student believed she could write
and say everything in Spanish, three felt that they couldn’t understand any spoken
Spanish; two didn’t believe they could read or speak the language at all, and one didn’t
feel he could write in Spanish. By the end of the study only one student felt that he knew
no Spanish whatsoever, but neither did any of the students feel that they knew everything.
Do you understand what you read in
Spanish?
most
17%
none
8%
about half
33%
very little
42%
Figure 4 – Beginning of study survey results
The biggest positive change in student confidence was in their perception of their
ability to read and understand Spanish. In the beginning, 33% felt they could understand
half of what they read and 17 % felt that they could understand most of what they read.
By the end of the study both numbers had grown so that 76% of the students surveyed
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
now believe they can understand about half or most of what they read in Spanish (see
figures 4 and 5).
Do you understand what you read in
Spanish?
none
5%
most
24%
very little
19%
about half
52%
Figure 5 – End of study survey results
Interviews took place after all of the students had an opportunity to use the
Moodle blog (see appendix 6). When interviewed, an overwhelming majority of the
students expressed a positive attitude toward using blogs for Spanish. Fifteen students
were asked if they prefer blogging or raising their hands in class as a form of
participation. Thirteen preferred blogging for different reasons. Four view it as less
embarrassing than talking out in front of class; two felt that blogging offers an
opportunity to collaborate. The following list contains relevant student comments made
during interviews in answer to questions about their preferences, what they liked and
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
didn’t like about Spanish this year, and whether there was anything else they would like
teachers who read this paper to know.

Blogging is less embarrassing than answering in class.

I fixed my errors after getting input from other students.

Blogging gives everyone a chance to answer.

With blogging it’s easier to focus on my work.

It was fun.

[I like] blogging; I’m embarrassed to answer in front of the class.

After [a peer] commented on my work, I fixed it.

I prefer raising my hand in class. I get immediate feedback.

Spanish was harder this year than last year. I took my book home.

It’s good practice for the future.

The conversations on Moodle are good for getting everyone’s input, rather than
just focusing on one thing [like verb conjugations].

Blogging is freer.

You get to send messages to your friends. I like that.

It’s a good way to get kids to help each other.

I would have fixed my work if I’d been in the Moodle group.

I think it’s a good way to give everyone a chance to participate (referring to
blogging).

Blogging is fun.
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH

I like raising my hand better. I would have liked the blogs better if there was a
more immediate response.

You should do coloring activities and make scrapbooks. I didn’t like blogging.

Kids are motivated when you use blogs, online games, and ePals.
Four students said that blogging was fun and two others said that it was more
interesting. Blogging was the second most popular activity in Spanish this year. Five
students interviewed enjoyed group projects most, four picked blogging, and three other
activities received two votes each as a favorite activity. Three students felt that Spanish
became more difficult with the introduction of Moodle. They said that they brought their
textbooks home to study so that they would be able to keep up. Two students felt that
using blogging was less distracting than classroom activities; one said “I could focus on
my Spanish”. The two students who prefer raising their hands in class over blogging feel
that you “get a more immediate response” by raising your hand in class. One felt that he
would have liked blogging better if he had received feedback more quickly.
One of the interview questions asked whether the student had ever fixed his or her
work after receiving feedback from the teacher or from peers. Seven out of fifteen
students interviewed had. One didn’t know that she could. Another said that she would
have if she’d been in the Moodle group. Being asked this question made one student who
had not gone back to fix errors think more deeply about the quality of his work.
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Were There Drawbacks to Blogging with Middle School Students?
There were some drawbacks to using blogging with the students. Not all took
their blogging assignments seriously. During an interview, one of the control group
students said, “I prefer blogging because it is freer…you can message your friends.” His
initial blogs were off topic; he wrote: “peep!!!”, “hi homeys!” and “¡Hola!” on his blogs
and in his comments to other students’ work, rather than making an effort to write the
assignments. What that means is that he didn’t use the blog to post assignments; he was
using the messaging feature of Moodle to socialize. This may be because he was new to
using the site and wanted to play with it. Several of the intervention group students also
posted off-topic blogs when they first started.
A few times derogatory comments were posted on blogs, which were deleted by
the teacher. Two of the 7th grade students were taken out of the intervention group for
using threatening language on the blog site at the beginning of the study. Although these
negative effects are unacceptable, it is important to note that this type of behavior can
happen in any setting and it does. By having written evidence in a monitored blog, adults
in charge are able to intervene quickly and effectively.
No teaching strategy works perfectly with every student. When interviewed, one
of the 6th grade students said that blogging was her least favorite Spanish activity. She
suggested coloring activities like the ones she did in the 4th grade two years earlier.
During the second trimester when all of the students began working on Moodle, it was
decided that one of the 7th grade students would have a better chance of staying focused
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
on assignments using a pencil and paper outside of the computer lab. He was given a
copy of the work and printouts of vocabulary pictures and other resources. This was the
right decision for this particular student and his grades have begun to improve.
Another problem is plagiarism. By the exact wording, including minor errors, it
appeared that one or two of the students may have waited until another student had
posted responses to questions, and then copied and pasted her responses into their blogs
as if they had written it themselves. Using a simple single discussion forum on Moodle
would prevent students from seeing other students’ posts until after they have come up
with their own. This method wasn’t used for two reasons. One is that several of the other
students benefitted by being able to look at their more advanced classmate’s blogs before
attempting assignments on their own. Another reason is that, with the late start, there
wasn’t time before the beginning of the study to learn how to program advanced control
features in Moodle.
Limitations of the Study
There were time constraints in connection with this study, which prevented
triangulation of participation data to the extent possible. It was originally planned to
collect data on in-class to participation and online participation in order to see if online
blogging increased participation by self-conscious students who normally do not
voluntarily participate in the classroom. Under ideal conditions, the number of times that
students raised their hands during in class activities would have been tallied, but it proved
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
very difficult to keep these records during direct instruction. It was also difficult to find
detailed participation data on the school Moodle site. For this reason, participation data is
based on personal recollection and student interviews.
Another limitation comes from the small atypical sample available for study. The
research was conducted at a private school where most students begin learning Spanish in
kindergarten. Some had Spanish-speaking nannies before starting school and several take
vacations with their families to Spanish-speaking countries. The population includes
upper middle class and wealthier families who have high expectations for their children
in every subject.
Technology resources are not as important in a private school environment as
they might be in a public school because of small class size, and a high teacher to student
ratio. There were frequent technology-related setbacks throughout the course of the
study. The Moodle site wasn’t installed over the summer as planned, so preparation and
set-up time was limited. Most of the computers in the lab were outdated, so web
resources didn’t always work on every computer. There were times when there were not
enough working computers for the 6th and 7th grade group to use at the same time.
Working around these issues meant that students didn’t spend as much time using AD as
originally planned.
The private school community focuses on building self-esteem, and giving
children the individual help they need in a sheltered environment. The largest class in this
study, the combined 6th and 7th grade class, contained 16 students, but these were split up
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
once a week. This is not the case with public middle schools where a middle school class
may have up to 37 students. If this study were repeated at a middle school with a larger
population, more up-to-date technology resources, and a lower teacher-to-student ration,
the results might be different.
Research indicates that students like using technology and blogging, and there is
strong support for cooperative learning across many subject areas. However, actual data
demonstrating increased learning as a result of cooperative learning through the use of
AD is sparse and this study focused only on Spanish as a second language. Results
indicate that most students this age like blogging and that its use doesn’t hurt student
performance. The results of this study indicate that blogging may increase student
performance on regular quizzes in the second language classroom, but there was not a
significant difference in writing fluency gains between the control and intervention
groups over time. Even if the results had been more dramatic, they might not be
consistent across all subject areas taught in middle school.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Asynchronous discussions offer an exciting alternative to traditional classroom
instruction and homework assignments. They help students practice language skills in
the context of building relationships. They also provide students and their teachers with
controlled access to a tool that builds responsibility and trust. Middle school children
challenge the adults in their lives to begin treating them as adults. Desiring to keep their
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
children safe, wise parents and teachers guide them as they gradually allow them
increased independence. Secure, monitored, education-based blogging may provide the
right balance in today’s Internet-connected world. Teachers can track student
collaboration and monitor conversations using this technology. Most educational
blogging sites give teachers monitoring and record keeping tools. For teachers familiar
with technology tools, this also makes grading easier than it is with paper journals.
Schoolwork is rarely the top priority of middle school students, but with AD,
students are motivated to participate. In this study, 14 out of 15 students interviewed said
that they worked harder this year than last year. AD provides an environment where
students can work at their own pace on assignments, access online resources, try out
answers, and collaborate. Since most middle school students think technology is fun, they
spent more time outside of class on assignments. Several of the participants in this study
took their textbooks home because they perceived that “Spanish got harder.” If the blog
had been available over the Internet, they might have checked on assignments and reread
Moodle conversations from home as well.
Potential drawbacks to using AD with middle school-age students learning a
second language include: a potential for online bullying, the easy use of online translation
tools rather than actually learning vocabulary words, and the danger that students might
plagiarize one another’s work. Some of these problems can be prevented using computer
software and built-in filters. However, consistent monitoring of student blogs is the best
way to protect students and encourage rigor. Potential benefits come from the same
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
sources. Students can reread their teacher’s directions as well as their classmates’
comments, questions, and answers at any time. Online tools can be used to help students
with supplemental vocabulary, and counter-productive comments can be caught and dealt
with quickly because they are recorded in the online blog.
The student surveys in this study demonstrate how children can become more
confident in their ability to read and understand what they read when they use AD even in
a second language. This research does not provide proof that middle school students’
written Spanish will improve through the use of blogs, but a lengthier study might
produce more pronounced results. At this point, pretest and posttest results were too close
to be considered conclusive. Student interview answers, however, indicate that the
majority of youths at this school prefer blogging activities over raising their hands and
participating in the classroom. This is supported in the review of literature, as well
(DiPalma, 2012). If so, increased motivation may lead to improved fluency over time. It
takes longer than four months for a language student to become fluent in a second
language.
Many questions remain unanswered. It may be that there are no academic
advantages to using technology over doing work the old-fashioned way, with pen and
paper. Once its newness wears off, will students continue to think of AD as fun and
interesting? Will the next generation of students be motivated to greater participation
when their teacher assigns AD? Maybe they won’t. Another topic of research might look
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
into perceived benefits enjoyed by teachers who use AD as an authentic assessment tool
and record student participation.
Asynchronous discussions give students an environment where they can work at
their own pace on assignments without distracting classmates who work at a faster or
slower pace. They can help one another, review each other’s work, and ask for help by
using messaging tools or in the online forum. Two students interviewed stated that
Moodle helped them focus on their work. A third student felt freer not to focus on his
work, but to socialize. This may be another potential benefit of using AD over other
forms of cooperative learning in a large classroom. Children who want to do their
assignments can focus on their work during class without being distracted by students
who want to socialize with them.
For this study, I used a secure Moodle site hosted at my school but unavailable
over the Internet. Limiting the accessibility of the site increased its security, making it
easier to gain parental support and approval from the University of California to do this
research. There are other secure web-based blogging sites available to teachers, such as
Edmodo.com or Kidblog.org. These are already programmed to filter content and are
easier to set up and use than Moodle was. Use of these tools would reduce the time
teachers need to spend setting up a virtual classroom environment and allow more time to
monitor blogs. Resources could be linked to blogs, as well. With online sites, students
have the ability to access the discussion threads, questions and answers, and resources
from home. Perhaps over time, as teachers and students become proficient in the use of
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
this technology, blogging will help students will make greater gains, not only in Spanish,
but in other subjects as well.
In a sample this small, it would be difficult to prove that using blogging as a
cooperative learning tool helps students learn more they would doing conventional
cooperative learning activities, but there is a lot of evidence to indicate that AD activities
motivate greater student participation. Logic suggests that when students spend more
time working at a subject, there will be improvement. It is strongly recommended that
using AD to supplement classroom instruction with middle school children be studied
further.
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Appendices
Appendix 1 -- Pretest Assessments for Writing:
5th grade.
You are on vacation in Spain with your parents. You ran out of spending money
but you want to buy a surprise present for your mom or dad without telling them. Sra.
Cordero next door wants to pay you to help with some chores, but she doesn’t speak any
English. Write her a note in Spanish telling her your name, your age, and at least four
things that you can do to help around the house.
6th grade.
Julián Rivera and Marisela Bombal are two Exchange students from Ecuador who
will be arriving tomorrow Your Spanish teacher will ask you to help either Julián or
Marisela on his or her first day at your school. You are supposed to meet your new friend
in front of the main office. Write a short note (approximately four to six sentences) in
Spanish describing yourself to Julian or Marisela so that he or she can recognize you.
Remember to proofread your work.
7th grade.
You have a pen pal in Peru named Catalina. You and Catalina both like to watch
sports and your favorite team is playing right now. Unfortunately, the game is only being
28
BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
aired in the United States. Write an email to your pen pal in Spanish with an update on
the game.
Your email should include:
 The name of the sport
 The names of the teams that are playing
 The score
 Which team has the ball
 Some details on the action.
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Appendix 2 -- Post-test Assessment
5th grade.
Write a paragraph in Spanish describing a special dinner or celebration with your
family. Be sure to use the vocabulary and verbs that we have been learning this year in
Spanish class. Your paragraph should be long enough to give details. You are being
graded on the use of vocabulary, adjectives, correctly conjugated verbs, spelling and
sentences punctuated correctly.
6th and 7th grades.
“Hago un viaje” writing assignment. You are very excited about a trip you will
soon be taking. Write a letter to a friend about your plans and what you are doing to
prepare. Tell them about what you will be packing to bring, what you will do when you
get there, and what you will see. Remember to use the verbs, adjectives and vocabulary
words that we have been learning. Be careful to conjugate the verbs correctly and make
your adjectives match the nouns in gender. Check your Spanish punctuation before
turning this into your teacher. Your rubric tells you how to earn the grade you want on
this assignment.
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Appendix 3 -- Assessment Rubric for Writing Assignments During the Study
1 points
2 points
Uses Spanish words
we have been
learning, but there are
errors in their use.
Uses at least 5
different words we’ve
been learning, and
most are used
correctly.
Used verbs we’ve
been learning lately.
Used verbs we’ve
been learning lately
and most are
conjugated correctly.
Used no Spanish
adjectives or only one
adjective in the
composition, or they
don’t make sense in
the composition.
Threw a lot of English
words into the
composition or didn’t
write with complete
sentences.
Used 3 Spanish
adjectives that fit the
nouns, and placed at
least 1 correctly.
The assignment has 5
or more words either
in English or not
spelled correctly in
Spanish.
There are 4 or less
spelling errors and/or
English words in this
assignment.
Every sentence has a
Spanish verb. Most of
the sentences have a
capital letter at the
beginning and a
period at the end.
A- 18, B- 16, C- 14, D- 12
3 points
Uses at least 5
different words. They
are all used correctly.
4 points +
You used 6 or more
of the recently
learned words. They
make sense and are
used correctly. You
used some words
more than once.
Your verbs are from
You used
the vocabulary we’ve vocabulary verbs
been learning and
correctly with 3 or
they’re conjugated
more different
correctly.
conjugations (yo,
Maybe you used verbs tú, el/ella, nosotros,
we learned in the past ustedes, etc.).
also.
Maybe verbs we
learned in the past.
Used at least 3
Used three or more
adjectives and placed adjectives to make
at least two of them
the composition
correctly in the
more interesting
sentence.
and placed them all
correctly.
All of the words in the There are different
complete sentences
types of sentences
are in Spanish and
with correct
make sense. There are punctuation, (¿? ¡! .)
capital letters where
All of the sentences
they belong, and
make sense and are
punctuation at the end in Spanish.
of the sentences.
There are 3 or less
There are 2 or less
spelling errors in this
spelling errors in
assignment (including this assignment
accents being in
(including accents
place).
being in place).
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Appendix 4 -- Assessment Checklists for Students
With each assignment, whether it is a written assignment, or a speaking
assignment, all students will be given a 5 question checklist and a copy of the rubric. The
checklist is simpler and is the list that students will be most likely to use when deciding if
their assignment is finished and when giving feedback to their peers. The rubric will be
given to them in case they want more details as to what they need to do to get an “A” on
their assignment.
Writing checklist:
 You used the Spanish words we have been learning..
 Your verbs matched the subjects (they used the right form of the verb).
 You put the adjectives after the subject when they are supposed to.
 You wrote with complete sentences.
 You spelled the words correctly and put accents in the right place.
Speaking checklist:
 You used the Spanish words we have been learning.
 You answered the question.
 You spoke loud enough and clear enough.
 You used correct Spanish pronunciation, including word stress.
 Your adjectives are after the subject when they are supposed to be.
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Video checklist:
 Your video helps the viewer learn Spanish words we have been learning.
 You used Spanish grammar correctly (verb conjugations and adjectives)
 You spoke loud enough and clear enough and your subtitles are also clear.
 You used correct Spanish pronunciation and word stress.
 This video is creative, fun, and/or interesting to watch.
Directions for peer feedback: Listen to, read, or watch your classmate’s assignment
carefully. It is okay to re-read, or watch a video more than once. Start with a compliment when
you give feedback and use the checklist to help them improve.
Intervention group only:
Post a blog on Moodle for your peer:
 Write something positive about this writing/presentation.
 See if they did everything on the checklist for the assignment.
 If you think they did everything on the checklist perfectly, think about other
things that you know about writing, speaking, and making videos.
 Make at least one suggestion for next time.
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Appendix 5 – Back to School Survey
html: <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XRSL5VQ">Click here to take survey</a>
link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XRSL5VQ
Section
password: cpsstudent
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Appendix 6 -- Interview Questions for Students
1. Were you in the group using Moodle this trimester?
2. Which do you prefer, blogging or raising your hand in class?
3. After your peers commented on your work, did you change anything?
4. What did you enjoy the most about Spanish this trimester?
5. What did you like the least about Spanish this trimester?
6. Did you spend more time than you did last year on Spanish and how do you feel
about that?
7. Is there anything else you want teachers who read my paper to know?
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Appendix 7 – Pretest and Posttest Results Tables
Intervention group.
grade level
5
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
6
6
7
7
Pretest
Posttest
7
11.5
3
4
4
12
6
8
5
10
5
4
change
11
17
4
16.5
8
17
16
16
6
12
13
6
deviation squared
4
-1.25
1.6
5.5
0.25
0.1
1
-4.25
18.1
12.5
7.25
52.6
4
-1.25
1.6
5
-0.25
0.1
10
4.75
22.6
8
2.75
7.6
1
-4.25
18.1
2
-3.25
10.6
8
2.75
7.6
2
-3.25
10.6
standard
1.1
TABLE 2
Control group.
grade level
5
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
6
6
6
Pretest
Posttest
6
5
6
5
0
8
11
7
4
7
13
change
6
10
13.5
11.5
7
15
16
12
4
14.5
16
0
5
7.5
6.5
7
7
5
5
0
7.5
3
deviation squared
-4.45
19.8
0.55
0.3
3.05
9.3
2.05
4.2
2.55
6.5
2.55
6.5
0.55
0.3
0.55
0.3
-4.45
19.8
3.05
9.3
-1.45
2.1
standard
0.9
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
TABLE 3
Appendix 8 – Courtyard School Moodle Screenshots
This appendix contains screenshots of the Courtyard Moodle site. The site is
formatted the way that a Moodle site looks when you initially download it. There are
capabilities to modify the appearance. The source code is created using Java scripts.
Because technicians installed the Moodle site after the start of the school year and all
content needed to be created and loaded quickly, there have been very few changes made
to this site.
Students access the site with their personal login. After the first month, I decided
to use an online resource, Juno, for some content and for quizzes; a link was added to the
front page. This way, students did not need to log into both sites in order to take online
quizzes. Juno was much easier to use than Moodle. Questions were easy to create and
there was less data loss during the process. In addition, grades can be synced with online
grade books. Since most teachers are pressed for time, ease of use is an important feature.
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Courtyard Moodle site login page
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Fifth grade assignment on Moodle
Fifth grade student blogs
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Sound file resource for listening comprehension activity
Directions for listening comprehension activity and a grammar assignment for 6th grade
6th grade “Take it for a Spin” assignment
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Advanced students’ discussion forum
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BENEFITS OF AD FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
References
California Department of Education. (2010). Introduction. World Language
Content Standards for California Public Schools; Kindergarten through grade twelve.
[State adoption].
DiPalma, S. (2012). Using asynchronous online communication to enhance
second language instruction with middle school students. Review of Literature.
Education Dept. California State University, Sacramento. [online portfolio].
Education, C. D. o. (2010). World language content standards for California
public schools; Kindergarten through grade twelve. [State adoption].
Nunes-Dore, L. Evaluating the impact of electronic portfolios on student
performance and work quality in AP Spanish [Online portfolio].
Weatherford, H. J. (1986). Personal benefits of foreign language study. Eric
Digest, ED276305.