Identity Construction and E-Learning: The Role of Virtual Teaching in EFL Learners’ Identity
Subject Areas : Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation
آذر باقری مسعودزاده
1
,
ندا فاتحی راد
2
1 - دانشجوی دکترای آموزش زبان انگلیسی، گروه زبان انگلیسی دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد قشم، قشم، ایران
2 - استادیار آموزش زبان انگلیسی، گروه زبان انگلیسی، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد کرمان، کرمان، ایران
Keywords: gender, EFL learners, Identity, Virtual Teaching, E-Learning Context,
Abstract :
The present study considered the role of E-learning in EFL learners’ identity construction. It specifically tried to highlight the extent that different aspects of students’ identity were constructed in the virtual teaching context. It also identified the most/least dominant types of identity construed in the E-learning context and explored the possible difference between male and female learners as far as E-learning identity is concerned. To achieve the objectives, the researcher adopted survey research as a quantitative method with a sample of 80 newcomer students of both genders. The study centered on the Internet via Adobe Connect Application for virtual classes. It is worthy to mention that participants of the study experienced E-learning during a term in the case of virtual education imposed by COVID-19. The data were collected through Aspect Identity Questionnaire (AIQ) and moved to SPSS software to be analyzed and interpreted. Results indicated that a high extent of language learning identity was achieved among the participants, and relational and collective identity types were identified as the most and least dominant ones in them, respectively. Moreover, findings of overall language learning identity presented no difference in both genders (male & female EFL learners).
References
Aboud, F. (2020). The Effect of E: Learning on EFL Teacher Identity.
International Journal of English Research, 6(2), pp. 22-27.
Bagheri Masoudzade, A. & Fatehi Rad, N. / Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation 4(2) (2022), 88–
106
104
Alfarhan, I. (2017). English as a Global Language and the Effects on
Culture and Identity. American Research Journal of English and
Literature, 1(6), pp.69-78.
Al-Hassan, S., & Shukri, N. (2017). The Effect of Blended Learning in
Enhancing Female Students’ Satisfaction in the Saudi Context.
English Language Teaching, 10(6), 190.
Allam, M., & Elyas, T. (2016). Perceptions of Using social media as an
ELT Tool among EFL Teachers Within the Saudi Context.
English Language Teaching, 9(7), 1.
Al-Qahtani, A. A. (2016). Do Saudi EFL Teachers Promote Creativity in
Their Classrooms? English Language Teaching, 9(4), 11.
Arkorful V, Abaidoo N. (2014). The Role of E-learning, the Advantages,
and Disadvantages of its Adoption in Higher Education.
International Journal of Education and Research, 2(11), 397-410.
Brown, H. D. (2007). Principles of language learning and teaching (5th
ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Cheek, J. M., Smith, S. M. and Tropp, L. R. (2002). Relational Identity
Orientation: A Fourth Scale for the AIQ. Paper presented at the
meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology,
Savannah, GA.
Crystal, D. (2012). English as a Global Language. Cambridge University
Press.
Daher, W., & Shahbari, J.A. (2020). Secondary Students’ Identities in the
Virtual Classroom. Sustainability,10,3390/su12114407.
Darvin, R. (2016). Language and Identity in the Digital Age. In S. Preece
(Ed.), The Routledge handbook of language and identity (pp. 523-
539). London: Routledge.
Darvin, R., & Norton, B. (2015). Identity and a Model of Investment in
Applied Linguistics. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 35,
36-56.
Edgar, T., & Manz, D. (2017). Explanatory Study: Research Method for
Cyber Security. Macmillan: London, UK.
Flowerdew, J. and Wang, S. H. (2015). Identity in Academic Discourse.
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 35, 81–99.
García-Pastor, M. (2018). Learner identity in EFL: An analysis of Digital
texts of Identity in Higher Education. Digital Education Review, 2
(3), June 2018.
Bagheri Masoudzade, A. & Fatehi Rad, N. / Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation 4(2) (2022), 88–
106
105
Gilakjani A. (2013). Factors Contributing to Teachers’ Use of Computer
Technology in the Classroom. Universal Journal of Educational
Research, 1(3):262-267.
Goode, J. (2010). The Digital Identity Divides: How Technology
Knowledge Impacts College Students. New Media & Society 12
(3) 497–513.
Hellebrandt, J. (2001). Virtual Collaborations in The Spanish Class: From
E-Mail to Web Design and Cd-Rom Development. Journal of
Educational Computing Research, 20 (1), 59-70.
Iqbal, F., Utari, P., Karsidi, R., & Hastjarjo, S. (2019). Instagram's Users
Behavior and Communication Identity. Advances in Social
Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 339, 1st
Annual International Conference on Social Sciences and
Humanities (AICOSH 2019).
Jones, R. H., & Hafner, C. A. (2012). Understanding Digital Literacies:
A Practical Introduction. London: Routledge.
Jukuri, K. (2013). Identity Projects of Design Professionals - Identity
Construction Using Social Media. Department of Marketing Aalto
University School of Business, Master’s Thesis Kimmo Jukuri.
Klimanova, L., & Dembovskaya, S. (2013). L2 Identity, Discourse, and
Social Networking in Russian. Language Learning & Technology,
17(1), 69–88.
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2002). Making sense of frequency. Studies in
Second Language Acquisition, 24(2), 275–285.
Long, J & Chen, G. (2007). The Impact of Internet Usage on Adolescent
Self-Identity Development. China Media Research, 3(1), 2007.
Munn, P., & Drever, E. (2000). Using Questionnaires in Small-Scale
Research. A Teacher's Guide. Edinburgh: The Scottish Council
for Research in Education.
Mutambik, I. (2018). The Role of E-learning in Studying English as a
Foreign Language in Saudi Arabia: Students’ and Teachers’
Perspectives. English Language Teaching, 11, 5; 2018.
Nach, H. & Lejeune, A. (2014). The Impact of Information Technology on
Identity: Framing the Research Agenda. Electronic copy available
at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1713332.
O’Dowd. R. (2003). Understanding the ‘‘other side’’: Intercultural
learning in a Spanish-English E-mail Exchange. Language
Learning & Technology, 7(2),118-144.
Bagheri Masoudzade, A. & Fatehi Rad, N. / Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation 4(2) (2022), 88–
106
106
Rashidi, N., & Mansourian, M. (2015). The Impact of Identity Aspects on
EFL Learners' Achievement in Iranian Academic Context.
Teaching English Language 9 (2), pp. 75-96.
Ravasi, D., & Canato, A. (2010). We are what we do (and how we do it):
Organizational Technologies and the Construction of
Organizational Identity. Research in the Sociology of
Organizations, 29, 49–79.
Razmjoo, S. A. and Riazi, A. M. (2006). Do High Schools or Private
Institutes Practice Communicative Language Teaching? A Case
Study of Shiraz Teachers in High Schools and Institutes. The
Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal, 6 (3) 342-363.
Shunina, T., & Shunin, Y. (2017). Technology Impact on Developing
Virtual Identity. Research Gate, 4 (2), 22-254.
Silverman, S., Manson, M. (2003). Research on Teaching in Physical
Education Doctoral Dissertations: A Detailed Investigation of
Focus, Method, and Analysis. Journal of Teaching in Physical
Education, 22 (3), 280-297.
Smith, D. (2000). E-Learning in the 21st Century. New York: Routledge.
http://doi.org/10.4324/9780203838761.
Thorne, S. L. (2015). Technologies, Identities, and Expressive Activity.
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 35, 215-233.
Tomei, J., Beaufait, P., Lavin, R., & Anderson, T. (2008). Identity in
Online Education. Identity in Online Education, 6, 461-474.
Warner. C. (2004). It’s just a game, right? Types of Play in Foreign
Language CMC. Language Learning & Technology, 8 (2), 69-87.
Westbrook, M. (2006). Teacher Readiness for Online Learning: Scale
Development and Teacher Perceptions. Journal of Educational
Computing Research, 20 (1), 59-70.
Xiaohong, Z., & Zeegers, M. (2010). Redefining the Role of English as a
Foreign Language in the Curriculum in the Global Context.
Changing English, 17(2), 177–187. doi:10.1080/1358684
1003787324.
Zhang D, Zhao J, Zhou L, Nunamaker J. (2004). Can E-learning Replace
Classroom Learning? Communications of the ACM,45(5):75-79.
Zhou, Y. (2018). Recent Developments in Technology and Language
Learning: A Literature Review and Metanalysis. CALICO
Journal, 21(1), 7-27.