EFL Online Learning and Task Authentic Interaction
For Postgraduate Students in China
Abstract: Online language learning has emerged as an updated learning
trend for the web-based learners. As it has made clear that foreign
language learning aims to communicate naturally, a communicative
orientation to language teaching is, very much, in vogue, hence develops
the idea of authenticity. The term is open to a number of interpretations.
This paper aims to figure out the relationship between task authentic
interaction and EFL online learning and the research was carried out
among the postgraduate students in China.
Key word: EFL online learning, task authentic interaction
EFL Online Learning for Postgraduate Students in China
English as a Foreign Language (EFL), is usually a compulsory course for students in China. Online
English learners usually are those people who have some great desire of learning English, but they have
a full-time job and little time to attend English classes. As one of the most commonly spoken languages
in the world, many employers in China require their employees to master the English language. In
China, the postgraduates of universities or colleges must pass an English exam called Level 6 to
graduate; otherwise they will not get the certificate and have only limited opportunities of finding an
“ideal” job. Therefore, learning English is becoming a necessary, sometimes essential for students in
China. Online learning has become one of the latest platform of English learning for many students in
China. It allows online multimedia and hypermedia, which may attract the learners’ attention and
sustain their motivation, not to mention providing flexibility for the students. Within an online learning
environment, learners can navigate the web with several links and take advantage of web browser to
obtain web resources with different browser menus and buttons such as main menus, file menus, edit
menus and view menus.
Authenticity and Task Authentic Interaction
While online learning has become more popular, many educators have argued that authenticity is an
important element in any learning consideration. Authenticity can be conceptualised as natural
language behaviour (Widdowson, 1978) and it is open to a number of interpretations. Widdowson
(1978) for example, suggests that there are three types of authenticity, which are material authenticity,
task authenticity and learner authenticity. Material authenticity is a much-discussed term and
sometimes intermingled with task authenticity, which has different labels such as text authenticity,
input authenticity and discourse authenticity. Nunan (1985) explained that authentic materials are
usually defined as those which have been produced for purposes other than to teach language. They can
be culled from many different sources: video clips, recordings of authentic interaction, extractions,
extracts from television, radio and newspapers, sign, maps and charts, photographs, timetable and
schedules. Since the learner is the most decisive factor to determine whether language learning take
place, learner authenticity is the final stage of authenticity, because if a certain group of learners are
not engaged by the task, genuine materials may seem inauthentic and task which are authentic by any
of the above criteria may appear inauthentic. There is little doubt that the most crucial type of
authenticity is learner authenticity. Nunan (1988) states that “by learner authenticity is meant the
realization and acceptance by the learner of the authenticity of a given text, task, set of materials or
learning activity. However, in this paper, the middle stage of authenticity will be concentrated upon
because the authenticity lies not only in the genuineness of the materials, but also has much to do with
the interactions between teachers and students. Moreover, learner authenticity must engage the interests
of the learners by relating to their interests, background knowledge and experience and stimulate
genuine communication through these. In communicative language teaching, task is a general term,
which refers to all classroom interactions including input data, classroom activities, a goal and roles for
both teacher and learner (Nunan, 1989 Widdowson 1990) distinguishes communicative tasks from
pedagogic activities, where the language learners are simply producing language form correctly. Good
examples are grammar exercises drills and practice activities in which the emphasis is on a particular
linguistic form. In communicative tasks, on the other hand, the primary importance should be attached
to meaning and communication. In this kind of interaction, learners have the chance to interact
naturally, in “real time”, to achieve a particular communicative goal. In addition to focusing on real
world situations, one of the main authentic activities with a second language classroom is
communication about how best to communicate. All everyday procedures provide learners with
abundant authentic sources for communication within classroom. Therefore, whether authentic tasks
are used serves as a substantial criterion to differentiate pedagogic way of language teaching from
communicative language teaching. Authentic tasks have three guiding principles: a genuine purpose
(communicative goal), relationship with real world needs and authentic classroom interaction.
Authentic task refer to learners’ authentic processes to which he or she submits the genuine discourse,
oral or written, and the things he or she is required to do with the data. To some extent, designing
authentic tasks weighs using authentic materials for all authentic materials may fail to elicit natural
communication if pedagogic activities are used. The focus of the transformation of the language
textbooks should be on the design of authentic tasks. Because of the above reasons, task authenticity
demonstrates great importance on the language teaching and learning and due to its situation which
stands for the interaction between material authenticity and learner authenticity, and moreover, it
involves the interaction between teachers and learner.
Research methods
The purpose of the research was to investigate the possible factors that may influence the task authentic
interaction for postgraduate students in China within on-line EFL language learning environment. The
research methods employed included surveying postgraduate students who had the language learning
experience and had used the Internet. Questionnaires were used to gather data relating to relationships
between task authentic interaction and EFL online learning for postgraduate students in China.
The population in this study consisted of postgraduate students who had undertaken the language study
or computer-based study, and are aged from 15 to 40. The sample size consisted of 30 students and
employees.
In this study, random sampling from an online language learning centre and non-random sampling
methods such as convenience sampling and purposive sampling were used. The accessible population
for research is the students from Hehai University in China, which might identify all the postgraduate
students who undertook the language study or computer-based study. In this study, the percentage of
different majors of students was carefully considered to ensure the research is reasonably conducted.
The questionnaire consisted of 24 closed- and open-ended questions. The questionnaires were
distributed to the sample group. The data were collected and analysed using appropriate statistical tools
provided by SPSS windows data analysis package. The data gathered were organized in groups
according to the similarities and differences of the information and coded. Many patterns were used
according to the nature of the data and the requirements of research study.
The questionnaires collected data about the demographic background of subjects, their experiences
with foreign language learning and online learning, and, in particular, the interaction in their online
language learning procedures.
Results
1.
Attempts were made to ensure that students from all majors were represented.
Table 1: Educational major’s differences
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
animal medicine
4
13.3
13.3
13.3
Educational
management
4
13.3
13.3
26.7
English language
education
2
6.7
6.7
33.3
mechanics
1
3.3
3.3
36.7
Chinese
1
3.3
3.3
40.0
economics
9
30.0
30.0
70.0
genetics
1
3.3
3.3
73.3
computer science
2
6.7
6.7
80.0
law
1
3.3
3.3
83.3
agronomy
1
3.3
3.3
86.7
100.0
garden arts
4
13.3
13.3
Total
30
100.0
100.0
Table 2: Sex
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Percent
male
13
43.3
43.3
43.3
female
17
56.7
56.7
100.0
Total
30
100.0
100.0
Table 3: Age
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Percent
16-20
2
6.7
6.7
6.7
21-30
23
76.7
76.7
83.3
100.0
31-40
5
16.7
16.7
Total
30
100.0
100.0
The 30 subjects come from 11 different majors (Table 1) and the study is not biased and the
subjects comprised almost half female (56.7%) and half male (43.3%)(Table 2). Moreover,
Table 3 shows the majority of the age for postgraduate students in China is the second age
group (21-30), which is 83.3%. From the tables above, we did not find that sex or age or the
their major differences influenced the task authentic interaction within EFL language online
learning because they were randomly chosen from the major differences background and the
gender was chosen quite balanced and the age of course was representing the Chinese
postgraduate students, who were mostly from 21-30.
2.
In our investigation, we tried to discover the factors from human perspective that may
influence the task authentic interaction.
In order to trace the task authentic interaction happened in online learning
environment , the questions of who provide(s) the most assistance for the students
when they are doing online learning and who do they think influence(s) them within
online learning environment were asked.
Table 4: learning provider
Frequency
Valid
language
teacher
oneself
classmates
Total
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
13
43.3
43.3
43.3
13
43.3
43.3
86.7
4
13.3
13.3
100.0
30
100.0
100.0
From Tables 4, most of them thought language teacher and themselves provided
most learning assistance for them to do online language, which demonstrated that the
task authentic interaction that their online language learning was most based upon
language teachers and themselves, not among the students.
Table 5: who pushes the student to contact others?
Frequency
Valid
teachers
other students
Missing
Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Percent
3
10.0
13.0
13.0
6
20.0
26.1
39.1
just myself
14
46.7
60.9
100.0
Total
23
76.7
100.0
99.00
7
23.3
30
100.0
Total
From the table 5 above, we found that only 39.1% of the students agreed that it was
the teachers who actually pushed them to do the contact, which was the major issue
of task authentic interaction. In our literature review, we have already discussed that
task authenticity was the bridge between the material authenticity and the learner
authenticity. We discovered that the material authenticity, which relatively
represented the role of teachers and other students, of course, was playing an
important role in influencing the task authentic interaction. Teachers and other
students set the material authenticity environment for the students.
However, in the literature review, we have also discovered that the learner
authenticity must engage the interests of the learners by relating to their interests,
background knowledge and experience and stimulate genuine communication
through these. Our research also found that the learner authenticity played more
important role for pushing the interactive communication. In table 5, 60.9% of the
students found that they themselves who pushed them to contact others.
3.
Fondness of the postgraduate students’ language learning between the Internet
environment and the traditional classroom has been investigated to describe about
the postgraduate students’ attitude towards online language learning environment,
which could be the factors that influence the students’ task authentic interaction in
online language learning environment.
Table 6: Fond of online language learning environment
Frequency
Valid
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
very satifacted
2
satisfied
2
ok
9
dissatisfied
6
20.0
28.6
90.5
very dissatisfied
2
6.7
9.5
100.0
21
70.0
100.0
Total
Missing
Percent
99.00
Total
6.7
9.5
9.5
6.7
9.5
19.0
30.0
42.9
61.9
9
30.0
30
100.0
Table 7: fond of traditional classroom learning
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
very dissatisfied
1
3.3
3.3
3.3
dissatisfied
2
6.7
6.7
10.0
ok
2
6.7
6.7
16.7
satisfied
9
30.0
30.0
46.7
very satisfied
6
20.0
20.0
66.7
10
33.3
33.3
100.0
99.00
Total
30
100.0
100.0
The successful Task authentic interaction must be conducted with the positive attitude
from the learners. That’s why we mentioned in our literature review that the learners
have to have the chance to interact naturally to achieve a particular communicative goal.
Twenty of them demonstrated their opinion of their fondness of traditional classroom
learning, while 50 % was satisfied with the traditional classroom language learning as
shown in Table 7.
From the Table 6 above, 21 out of 30 subjects demonstrated their views towards online
language learning environment. Although nine of them were very satisfied and satisfied
with the internet environment, only four of them showed their satisfaction to the online
learning, not mentioning nine of them did not show any opinion about online learning,
which could be the factor that barrier themselves from good methods of task authentic
interaction.
Conclusions and future research directions
This study focused on the investigation of possible factors that may influence the task authentic
interaction for postgraduate students in China within on-line EFL language learning environment.
As in the literature we reviewed, the task authenticity is an important stage between material
authenticity and learner authenticity. Moreover, because the task authenticity involves most
the different kinds of interactions, the present study focused on the task authentic interaction.
In our research, we demonstrated that the task authenticity was the bridge between material
authenticity and learner authenticity, while we also demonstrated that the learner
authenticity played more important role in influencing the task authentic interaction.
From the research, the interaction between students and teachers has been illustrated to be
the most important interaction for the postgraduate students in China to carry out the online
language learning, while the interactions among the students has implicitly been
demonstrated to be a potential factor which could influence the other interactions.
Other factors such as the online educational software or the online learning materials will be
investigated in the future research, in which the relationship between material authenticity
and task authenticity could be displayed among the online language postgraduate learners in
China.
As far the research methods as concerned, although the questionnaires can tell the difference,
applied quantitative research study such as experiment and learning testing will be better to
tell the quality of online language learning. In the future study, the subjects of language
learners can be divided into two groups of two different environments: online environment
and real classroom environment.
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