1 University students’ use of and attitudes towards online listening for self-study purposes Kristen Sullivan Shimonoseki City University ~ sullivan/

2 The Project & Underlying Aims Introduce online listening resources Speaking/Listening activity Encourage students to adopt these resources for their own self-study purposes

3 Results from previous study 1. Most students don’t know about online listening 2. The majority of students see benefit in it 3. The majority of students did not adopt online listening into their self-study regime 4. Half of students don’t have access to the Internet at home 5. Issues with student consciousness regarding learning strategies ? 6. Students don’t seem to be familiar with using the Internet for English study

4 What are the differences between students who adopt the technology and those who don’t? Motivation towards English study Access to & possession of technology Familiarity with & attitudes towards technology (general & study purposes) Study strategies/style comfort zones

5 Knowledge about online listening

6 Adoption of online listening for self-study purposes

7 Rate of adoption of online listening into self-study regime

8 Student perception of benefits of online listening Not that interested in English Good study material Want to improve my English Can also use for TOEIC study It was fun Felt that my listening improved Now I know how to use it

9 Reasons for not using online listening for self-study purposes Motivation/ Strategy/ Technophobia Issues? Technology Access Issues

10 Motivation As to be expected, some level of motivation and desire is necessary

11 Access to and Possession of Technology All higher than expected. Lack of internet access at home ≠ hindrance to adopting online listening for self-study purposes (if student is motivated & interested ) Motivated students will find other means (university computer lab, etc)

12 Feeling Accustomed = Feeling Confident, Positive, Satisfied with technology skills all factors considered necessary for engaging with online listening

13 Slightly unexpected 4 possible readings: 1. Unaccustomed = low use 2. Unaccustomed = unsatisfied with skills (=serious) 3. Unaccustomed = don’t consider their contact with English online as “study” (technology for study purposes  normalized) 4. Poor wording in survey

14 Attitudes towards Technology for Study Purposes Internet Students who adopted online listening tend to be more positive towards the Internet

15 So… how are students studying then? Fun, Soft, Entertainment Students who adopted the technology – tried more types of study materials

16 What do students perceive as good study resources? “Extensive study” - confidence, optimism Soft, Entertainment, Fun Think it’s beneficial but don’t take the next step Are study strategies/styles behind this?

17 Characteristics of Adopters Confidence Optimism Curiosity Towards English Towards Study Towards the Internet  Past experiences with technology  Past experiences with study strategies  Past experiences with English

18 Popular Sites Easy to use/understand: Friendly listenings Friendly features Friendly site interface Intuitive site design/flow

19 Necessary Educational Interventions More access to & chances to interact with technology in an educational context  A different approach to the Japanese governments’ more PCs, more broadband, more tech-competent teachers More encouragement to experiment with, be curious about, think positively about technology More encouragement & opportunities to experiment with a variety of study strategies/styles… a chance to re- define comfort levels

20 Specific Suggestions Demonstrations Starting with friendlier sites Starting with more familiar tools (blogs) Start by matching the activity to the student’s comfort level Extensive listening/reading Introduce Internet language Activities to spur general curiosity & experimentation