LIVE SESSION
“Learning to Listen and Speak Mandarin Chinese in a Virtual World through the Cognitive Apprenticeship Model”
Yungwei Hao, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
Date:
March 19, 2010
10:00 am to 10:50 am EST
(see time in other time zones)
Description:
This study was to investigate how players learned to listen and speak Mandarin Chinese in a two-dimension virtual world of massive multi-players online doing role-playing games. A prototype of the virtual world was created with the concepts of situated learning and with the strategies of cognitive apprenticeship for learners who learn Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language. Players need to listen or speak Mandarin Chinese to complete tasks individually or collaboratively. Tasks were designed in the context of different careers. Tutorial, programmed learning materials, and virtual mentors supported players for task completion. Twelve adult learners participated in the present pilot study. Design-based research methods were utilized to improve the learning program. Data were collected through surveys, interviews, and observations, and qualitative and quantitative data analyses were undertaken. The findings of the study are expected to provide a few implications for improvement of future design and development of the virtual world.
About the Presenter:
Yungwei Hao is an assistant professor in the Department of Education, National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan. Hao specializes in instructional design, focusing on foreign language education and teacher education, and in the evaluation of instructional technology products and projects.