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Videoconferencing and the networked provision of language programs in regional and rural schools

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 September 2018

Yvette Slaughter Open the ORCID record for Yvette Slaughter [Opens in a new window] ,
Wally Smith Open the ORCID record for Wally Smith [Opens in a new window]  and
John Hajek Open the ORCID record for John Hajek [Opens in a new window]
Yvette Slaughter
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne, Australia (ymslau@unimelb.edu.au)
Wally Smith
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne, Australia (wsmith@unimelb.edu.au)
John Hajek
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne, Australia (j.hajek@unimelb.edu.au)
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Abstract

The use of videoconferencing technology to support the delivery of language programs shows great potential in regional and rural settings where a lack of access to specialist teachers limits equitable access to education. In this article, we investigate the establishment of two regional and rural primary school networks in Australia for videoconferenced language learning. Adopting a perspective taken from the discipline of information systems called structuration theory, we examine how the technology they use both changes and is changed by its use in language learning, and how schools and teachers take control of technology and adapt their educational approaches. Case studies were carried out on the two networks using multiple data sources, including interviews and observation of language classes. The findings reveal that even with the same conceptual foundations and aims, divergent models of practice emerge as sustainable adaptations to localised factors. These differences are shaped by, among other things, an interplay between the quality of infrastructure, prior knowledge, and the “material properties” of the technology, including its functions, limits, and deployment in physical space. A closer look at these practices illustrates limitations and possibilities specifically for language education, but also more broadly illustrates how the success of these videoconferencing initiatives are influenced by a nuanced combination of social, educational, and technological factors.

Keywords

videoconferencingsecond language learningstructuration theorydistance educationlanguage teaching methodology
Type
Regular papers
Information
ReCALL , Volume 31 , Issue 2 , May 2019 , pp. 204 - 217
Copyright
© European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning 2018 

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