Applying the Activity Theory Framework to Raise EFL Learners’ Ecological Critical Language Awareness

Subject Areas :

Ghazaleh Cheraghpour Samvati ¹ , Parviz Maftoon ² , Mojgan Rashtchi ³

1 - Department of English, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Department of English, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
3 - TEFL Department, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2024-05-25 Accepted : 2024-06-27 Published : 2024-06-23

Keywords: Activity theory, Ecolinguistics, Ecological critical language awareness, Environmental studies, Second language acquisition ,

Abstract :

Our planet faces major environmental issues that must be addressed through ecological initiatives, education, and awareness raising. In language education, ecolinguistics has grown substantially during the last decade and has taken a cognitive step toward fostering and improving people’s ecological awareness; however, there was no mention of pedagogical practices of ecolinguistics rooted in theories of second language teaching and learning. Thus, the present study sought to apply a framework of English teaching based on the Activity Theory to raise EFL learners’ ecological critical language awareness. The researchers of the current quasi-experimental study employed a non-equivalent pretest and posttest control-group design to assess the effectiveness of using an AT-based framework in EFL classes to foster learners’ critical language awareness of ecological issues. An experimental group (n=45) and a control group (n=45) with intermediate-level members selected through convenience sampling took part in the study. The experimental group was taught with the AT-based framework, while the control group was not. The result of the independent samples t-test indicated that the ECLA of the experimental group had risen significantly compared to the control group. Also, the results of a series of paired samples t-tests comparing the pretest and posttest of the experimental group’s score on each domain of the ECLA showed that the learners’ awareness of all six domains had significantly improved. The study suggests that implementing the AT-based framework to teach ecolinguistics in language classes can be a promising way to raise learners’ ECLA.

References:

Alexander, R., & Stibbe, A. (2014). From the analysis of ecological discourse to the ecological analysis of discourse. Language Sciences, 41, 104-110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2013.08.011
Ardoin, N. M., Biedenweg, K., & O’Connor, K. (2015). Evaluation in residential environmental education: An applied literature review of intermediary outcomes. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 14(1), 43-56. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2015.1013225
Ardoin, N. M., Bowers, A. W., & Gaillard, E. (2020). Environmental education outcomes for conservation: A systematic review. Biological Conservation, 241, 108224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108224
Aryanjam, L., Rashtchi, M., & Maftoon, P. (2021). Boosting reading achievement by employing learner autonomy curriculum: Effects of strategy instruction. Iranian Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 10(3), 51-70. https://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.24763187.2021.10.3.4.2
Benson, A., Lawler, C., & Whitworth, A. (2008). Rules, roles and tools: Activity theory and the comparative study of e‐learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(3), 456-467. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2008.00838.x
Bi, J., Zhang, Y., & Zhang, B. (2010). Public perception of environmental issues across socioeconomic characteristics: A survey study in Wujin, China. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering in China, 4(3), 361-372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-010-0017-4
Bolghari, M., Birjandi, P., & Maftoon, P. (2019). An activity theory perspective on the role of cooperative assessment in the reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. Issues in Language Teaching, 8(1), 129-163. https://doi.org/10.22054/ilt.2019.39946.375
Cheraghpour Samvati, G., Maftoon, P., & Rashtchi, M. (2023). Shedding light on ecological critical language awareness construct: A questionnaire development and validation study in the Iranian EFL context. Research in English Language Pedagogy, 11(3), 444-468. https://doi.org/10.30486/RELP.2023.1973610.1417
Cowan, P., & Butler, R. (2013). Using activity theory to problematize the role of the teacher during mobile learning. SAGE Open, 3(4), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013516155
Dakers, J. (2011). Activity theory as a pedagogical framework for the delivery of technology education. In M. Barak & M. Hacker (Eds.), Fostering human development through engineering and technology education (ETE) (pp. 19-34). Rotterdam. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6091-549-9_2
Damico, J. S., Baildon, M., & Panos, A. (2020). Climate justice literacy: Stories‐we‐live‐by, ecolinguistics, and classroom practice. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 63(6), 683-691. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1051
Engeström, Y. (1987). Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. Orienta-Konsultit.
Engeström, Y. (2001). Expansive learning at work: Toward an activity-theoretical conceptualization. Journal of Education and Work, 14, 133-156. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080020028747
Fairclough, N. (2013). Language and power (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315838250
Haig, E. (2003). How green was my textbook? Towards an ecological critical language awareness pedagogy. Studies in Language and Culture (Nagoya University, Faculty of Language and Culture), 24(2), 189-222.
Hajimaghsoodi, A., & Maftoon, P. (2020). The effect of activity theory-based computer-assisted language learning on EFL learners’ writing achievement. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, 16, 1-21.
Halliday, M.A.K. (1992). New ways of analyzing meaning: The challenge to applied linguistics. In M. Pütz (Ed.), Thirty years of linguistic evolution (pp.59-95). John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/z.61.09hal
Harvey, F. (2022, April 3). Dire warning on climate change ‘is being ignored’ amid war and economic turmoil. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/03/dire-warning-on-climate-change-is-being-ignored-amid-war-and-economic-turmoil
Heo, J., & Muralidharan, S. (2019). What triggers young Millennials to purchase eco-friendly products?: The interrelationships among knowledge, perceived consumer effectiveness, and environmental concern. Journal of Marketing Communications, 25(4), 421-437. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2017.1303623
Jonassen, D. H., & Rohrer-Murphy, L. (1999). Activity theory as a framework for designing constructivist learning environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 47(1), 61-79. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02299477
Kachaner, N., Nielsen, J., Portafaix, A., & Rodzko, F. (2020, July 14). The pandemic is heightening environmental awareness. BCG. https://www.bcg.com/publications/2020/pandemic-is-heightening-environmental-awareness
Kaptelinin, V., Nardi, B., & Macaulay, C. (1999). The activity checklist: A tool for representing the space of context. Interactions, 6(4), 27-39. Retrieved from http://interactions.acm.org
Lantolf, J. P., & Appel, G. (1994). Theoretical framework: An introduction to Vygotskian perspectives on second language research. In J. P. Lantolf & G. Appel (Eds.), Vygotskian approaches to second language research (pp. 1-32). Ablex.
Mansoor, M., & Wijaksana, T. I. (2021). Predictors of pro-environmental behavior: Moderating role of knowledge sharing and mediatory role of perceived environmental responsibility. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2021.2016380
Murphy, E., & Manzanares, M. A. R. (2008). Contradictions between the virtual and physical high school classroom: A third‐generation activity theory perspective. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(6), 1061-1072. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2007.00776.x
Pallant, J. (2013). SPSS survival manual: A step-by-step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Schmidt, M., & Tawfik, A. A. (2022). Activity theory as a lens for developing and applying personas and scenarios in learning experience design. The Journal of Applied Instructional Design, 11(1), 55-73. https://doi.org/10.59668/354.5904
Stern, M. J., Powell, R. B., & Hill, D. (2014). Environmental education program evaluation in the new millennium: What do we measure and what have we learned? Environmental Education Research, 20(5), 581-611. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2013.838749
Stevenson, J. (2004). Developing technological knowledge. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 14(1), 5-19. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ITDE.0000007361.62177.07
Stibbe, A. (2014). An ecolinguistic approach to critical discourse studies. Critical Discourse Studies, 11(1), 117-128. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405904.2013.845789
Stibbe, A. (2015). Ecolinguistics: Language, ecology and the stories we live by. Routledge.
Su, F., & Zou, D. (2022). Technology-enhanced collaborative language learning: Theoretical foundations, technologies, and implications. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(8), 1754–1788. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1831545
Tsai, I. C., Galyen, K., Xie, X., & Laffey, J. (2010). Using activity theory to examine social interaction of online learning. In J. Herrington & C. Montgomerie (Eds.), Proceedings of ED-MEDIA 2010 World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications (pp. 1202-1211). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/34785
Vandebrouck, F., Chiappini, G., Jaworski, B., Lagrange, J. B., Monaghan, J., & Psycharis, G. (2012). Activity theoretical approaches to mathematics classroom practices with the use of technology. International Journal for Technology in Mathematics Education, 19(4), 127-134.
Wang, Y. H., & Liao, H. C. (2017). Learning performance enhancement using computer-assisted language learning by collaborative learning groups. Symmetry, 9(8), 141. https://doi.org/10.3390/sym9080141
Zhao, C. Y., & Liu, C. Y. (2020). Ecological study of language and two turns in ecolinguistics. Journal of Northeastern University (Social Science), 22(2), 112-119. http:// doi.org/10.15936/j.cnki.1008-3758.2020.02.015