探究智慧型個人助理對第二語言學習之影響以及學習者的看法

Abstract

一直以來，學習者之間的互動被認為是第二語言習得的關鍵要素之一。學習者與他人溝通、協商的過程有助於學習第二語言。智慧型個人助理 (IPAs) 已經被用於語言習得多時，因它們提供了學習者大量的與電腦互動、溝通的機會。相關研究側重於探討第二語言學習者對智慧型個人助理的看法，以及智慧型個人助理是否有能力聽懂學習者所說的話。然而，較少有研究深入分析第二語言學習者能否透過與智慧型個人助理互動，增進其第二語言聽力。本研究旨在調查智慧型個人助理對第二語言學習者之聽力影響，以及學習者對使用智慧型個人助理學習第二語言的看法。台北市某國中的兩班七年級學生參與此研究。一班為實驗組 (N = 28)，另一班則為對照組 (N = 28)。兩組學生一週皆有四節英語課，接受相同的教材及教法，並進行聽力理解之前測。實驗組則在每週的其中一節英語課，與智慧型個人助理Alexa進行互動，並完成多項口說任務及聽力練習。五週過後，兩組受試者皆進行聽力理解之後測，而實驗組需另外完成學習動機量表、問卷及參與半結構化訪談，以了解他們對於使用智慧型個人助理學習第二語言的看法。根據成對樣本t檢定的結果指出，實驗組的聽力前測與後測分數有顯著差異，顯示第二語言學習者在與智慧型個人助理 Alexa 互動五週後(共六節課，總計300分鐘)，聽力技能有顯著之進步。此外，學習者大多對與智慧型個人助理互動的經驗持正向看法，喜歡完成實驗中那些與他們的興趣或校園生活較有關聯的活動，並且有意願在未來繼續使用智慧型個人助理於學習目的。問卷及訪談的結果則顯示，部份學習者有時因自身字彙量不足，較難理解Alexa所表達的意思。另外，學習者亦提供可行之建議，以供日後有意將智慧型個人助理融入外語教學之教師及學習者參考。

Grounded on the Interaction Hypothesis, it has been believed that interaction among learners plays a significant role in second language learning. Intelligent personal assistants (IPAs) have been used to achieve language learning purposes since they were found to offer learners chances of human-computer communication and interaction. Previous studies focused on examining L2 learners’ perceptions toward using IPAs and IPAs’ abilities to understand learners’ accented speech. Nevertheless, few studies explored L2 learners’ possible language skills improvement that might be achieved through interacting with IPAs. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of IPAs on improving L2 learners’ listening skills as well as learners’ perceptions toward using IPAs for L2 learning. 56 seventh-grade students from two classes in a junior high school in Taipei City participated in this study as two intact sampling groups. One class was the experimental group (N = 28) and the other one was the control group (N = 28). The two groups received similar instructions in regular English classes. The experimental group interacted with the IPA, Amazon Alexa, in one of the four regular English class periods each week (50minutes), and they were assigned to complete speaking tasks and listening exercises. A listening comprehension pretest and posttest were adopted to the two groups to evaluate the effects of interacting with Alexa on improving L2 listening skills. The experimental group was invited to complete a learning motivation scale, a perception questionnaire, and join a semi-structured interview to share their perceptions toward using Alexa. The result of the paired sample t-test showed that there was a significant difference between the listening pretest and the posttest within the experimental group, revealing that learners’ L2 listening skills improved significantly after interacting with Alexa for 6 classes (300 minutes). As for L2 learners’ perceptions toward Alexa, they mostly enjoyed interacting with Alexa, especially completing the tasks that were relevant to their interests or school life. Further, learners held positive views about using Alexa for learning purposes in the future. The findings of the questionnaire and interview indicated that sometimes learners had difficulty understanding Alexa because of their limited vocabulary. Suggestions on using Alexa in classes were also pointed out by learners. Lastly, pedagogical implications were provided for those who are considering involving IPAs in learning contexts.