This presentation report on a qualitative case study on an EFL teacher use of cell phones for language teaching and learning purposes in a Dominican classroom.

1. Teacher appropriation of cell phones
for language learning activities in a Dominican
classroom: A case study
Gisela Martiz
Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences
27th Annual
Ethnographic & Qualitative Research
Conference
Las Vegas, NV
February 9–10, 2015

2. Introduction- Map of the Caribbean
Image source: Google
Image labeled for reuse
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3. Background and Need Statement
 Learning the English language is important for young adult professional
development in the Dominican Republic (DR) (Universia, 2008).
 Proper integration of technology in the English as a foreign language (EFL)
classroom facilitates the teaching-learning process (Levy, 2008).
 Access to technology is limited in many educational institutions in the DR,
and cell phones are an option to address this limitation (Kukulska-Hulme, 2009).
 Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) refers to the use mobile devices
for language learning purposes (Kukulska-Hulme, 2013).
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4. Background and Need Statement (cont’d)
 Cell phones are widely used by young
adults in the DR (Priestley, 2012).
 With a population of over ten million
people, an estimate of 8,021,924 cell
phones are in operation in the DR (Indotel,
2014).
 Mobile learning research is limited in
developing Latin American countries like
the DR (UNESCO, 2012).
 It is necessary to explore the possible
educational uses of cell phones for EFL
instruction in a Dominican classroom.
Pre-paid
plan
79%
Post paid
plan
21%
Active MobileTelephonyin
the Dom. Rep.
(Indotel, 2014)
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5. Purpose of Study
Investigate how a Dominican English language teacher appropriated
cell phones for language learning purposes inside and outside the
classroom.
Identify which cell phone features enabled this teacher to
appropriate these mobile devices for the implementation of different
language learning activities in a Dominican context.
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6. Research Questions
1.How does a Dominican English language teacher
appropriate cell phones inside and outside the classroom?
2. What cell phone features enable this appropriation for
language learning activities in a Dominican context?
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7. MCHI Theoretical Perspective
interaction
appropriation
appropriation
students teacher
Learning activities
Appropriation:
Exploration, adaptation
and adoption of an
artifact, going beyond its
intended regular use
Physical: Classroom (or other
learning environment)
location, instructional
resources, lighting, noise levels
and temperature
Social: People we interact
with, background, habits and
daily practices, rules and
norms inside and outside the
classroom
(Botha et al, 2010; Cook & Pachler, 2011, Traxler, 2011)
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8. Stages of Mobile Appropriation
Exploration: finding out the potential of the devices to
meet a learning need
Adaptation accommodation, & assimilation:
incorporation of the devices into the life of user’s (social)
practices
Change: modifications to personal and social practices
based on potential uses of this technology.
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9. Methods
Qualitative Case Study
•Provides a detailed description of the topic or issue under
investigation related to a particular unit of analysis within its real-life
context (Yin, 2014).
•Interprets the events from the participants’ point of view (Creswell,
2008; Maxwell, 1996).
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10. Methods
• Teacher Participant
Selected through purposeful sampling:
• Had experience teaching with a young adult population
• Had experience integrating technology in language instruction
• Worked for the Intensive English Program (IEP) sponsored by the
government
Setting
• English language center located at a local university
• Classroom resources: radios (CD players), additional technology
supplied by teacher (e.g. personal laptop, speakers, and projector)
• Data collected for 8 weeks in summer 2014
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11. Data Collection and Analysis
Primary Data Sources
• 2 Semi-structured Interviews
(pre-post-)
• Informal Conversations
• 5 Classroom Observations
• Researcher’s journal
Data Analysis (Saldaña, 2012)
• Stage One:
In Vivo Coding
Initial/open coding
Analytic Memos
• Stage Two:
Focused Coding
Axial Coding
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12. Findings
Teacher Appropriation of Cell Phones
Pedagogical Use
Function/feature Appropriated as Sample Code(s)
Hotspot Connectivity tool No Wi-Fi in classroom
Smartphone with unlimited
data
Share hotspots with students
Audio-recording
Audio playback
Assessment facilitation
tool
Listen to their own mistakes
Provide feedback on
pronunciation mistakes
Audio playback
Music Player
YouTube App
Content delivery tool play CD content on phone
plug speakers on phone
Play exercises directly from
cell phone
Dictionary App
Web Browser
Research & Reference tool Teacher doesn’t know
everything
Use dictionary to check-up
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13. Connectivity tool
• Some of them (students) did have internet connection, but
they didn’t want to spend it in class, because that was their money.
So I would share my hotspot with them. I would group them and would
share it because there would always be at least one willing to do it.
Content-Delivery tool
• We have a problem here with radios, we don’t have enough. So, I
would upload to the Dropbox folder the audio files for the book we
are working with, and play them directly from my cell phone with a
little boom box (speakers).
Examples of Teacher Appropriation of Cell
Phones (Post-interview)
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14. Assessment Facilitation tool
• Another thing we did was recording themselves reading a particular
activity…. It was impossible for me to target each and every one of them
(in the classroom). Some of them were not able to upload (the recordings
to Dropbox), so they just brought me their cell phones, and I would listen
to them during break.
I could check on their individual work at different times. I could have
them listen to their own mistakes as it was recorded. If I wouldn’t have had
the recording, then I would have lost the moment of correcting them.
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15. interaction
appropriation
students teacher
Learning activities
Cell phone as content delivery
tool
Need: listening
comprehension
improvement
Appropriated as
Content-delivery tool
Audio Playback feature
Lack of radios
Power-cuts
Explored needs,
opportunities & limitations,
features
Features enabling rich
media playback
adapted to learning
purposes
Pop music familiar
to students
Teacher cell phone appropriation within a
Dominican classroom context
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16. Conclusion
• For this teacher, appropriating cell phones for instruction:
• Facilitated her goal
• Provided ideas for more real-world application activities
• Depended on the teacher’s classroom management
• Was challenging
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17. Questions?
Comments?