Foreign Language Exposure in Knowledge-Building Forums Using English as a Foreign Language

Marni Manegre

doi:10.21432/cjlt27887

Authors

Marni Manegre Universitat Rovira i Virgili http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6021-521X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21432/cjlt27887

Keywords:

knowledge building forums, second language acquision, collaborative learning, intercultural competence, culture exposure, knowledge building, online collaborative learning

Abstract

This study examines whether the students with higher levels of language and cultural awareness relating to the L2 share this knowledge with their peers in collaborative writing tasks when participating in the Knowledge Building International Project (KBIP). The study was conducted in two Spanish classrooms, where the participants were bilingual in both Catalan and Spanish. A pre-questionnaire was used to determine the level of exposure to English language and English culture and the students were scored on their responses and then divided into three groups: low-, medium-, and high-level exposure to English. A one-way ANOVA was used to determine whether exposure to English language and culture outside of the classroom would influence pre-test scores. There is an interaction effect between language and cultural exposure and the pre-test scores (F = 5.17). Upon the conclusion of the collaborative writing task, a one-way ANOVA was used to determine whether there was an interaction effect between language and cultural exposure and the post-test scores (F = 4.47). The student scores increased at the same rate across the groups. This indicates that the students did not share their knowledge of the English language and culture with their peers in this online writing task.

Author Biography

Marni Manegre, Universitat Rovira i Virgili

Marni Manegre is an online language educator, instructor, and doctoral candidate in Computer Assisted Language Learning, Education & Technology at the Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Tarragona, Spain. She completed both her Master of Science and Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. She has previous research experience with the Linguistics Department and Psychology Department of the University of Alberta and with the Psychology Department of Athabasca University. Ms. Manegre has over a decade of digital media experience and has previously held positions as a Senior Sales Manager and Digital Media Consultant with major media brands in Canada, such as eBay Canada and Yellow Pages Group Ltd.

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