This overlaps with the Online Language Learning course. The idea of designing a role-play that utilises a competitive wiki still appeals. It might be a good way of facilitating language learning. It might need to be complemented with synchronous meetings.

I was previously thinking of comparing Japanese learners' participation in such an exercise / project with a face-to-face role-play along similar lines. This faltered because there are just so many variables that it seems impossible to draw any conclusions whatsoever, no matter what the outcome.

Instead, there is now the idea of comparing an online collaborative role-play - like the Loch Ness exercise in OLL course (we have to work together to organise a trip there) - with an online collaborative / competitive one. Thus the research is purely exploratory, and there isn't so much pressure to come up with explanatory data. It might show, if used with several groups, some pattern of participation. Are learners more involved when in competition - particularly if set up as a kind of points-acquiring game?

Data can reasonably simply be drawn from observing the history of changes in the wiki and how many entries are made.

Very important: set-up of the exercise needs to be extremely clear to ensure learners understand the (possibly) motivating factors.

Maybe...

Confusing about explanatory / exploratory... the idea mentioned in the previous post is actually more explanatory than exploratory; there is a definite potential hypothesis.

I have been noticing common themes in the work of Mary Parker Follett (Schilling M 2000, Decades ahead of her time: advancing stakeholder theory through the ideas of Mary Parker Follett, Journal of Management History) and in collaborative learning / knowledge.

Both decentralise authority / power / decision-making away from a few key stakeholders. On a personal level, I like the levelling out, the sort of egalitarianism of all this. For learning, it provides opportunities for increased social learning in e-Learning, and can potentialy be used effectively in role-play.

Good to see from other blogs that I am not alone in struggling with the stats. Reassuring. I have found my reacquaintance with maths and hateful numbers quite demotivating, though, however clear the rationale for its study. As usual, there is no quiet retreat for the part-time student to get to grips with these things; work, family and temptation must be contended with by a systematic and determined effort.

I posted a comment to Christine that I think that once a definite need to use such a quantitative approach materialises in a piece of research, it will seem less abstract. The task on the course is important but (necessarily) still quite arbitrary. If, just for example, I wanted to measure the participation in various types of online course of people of the 4 different blood types (!!), then I might be able to use SPSS to describe various relationships.

One question is: what kind of merit would such a study have? There are so many variables.

Finally settled on a new dissertation topic, give or take some emphasis here and there. A working title is: How effectively does e-Learning cater to the learning needs of the kinesthetic (language) learner?

Questions to be explored en route *might* include:

 - What is a kinesthetic learner? - Does it exist? - Various takes on groupings of learning styles (and which one do we choose to work with?)

Then on e-Learning and how well / badly it provides for kinesthetic learners:

 - The hype around e-learning

 - Does e-Learning naturally or traditionally cater to learners with visual, aural or verbal preference?

- How e-learning can constrain the learner, tying him to his desk, and why this can be a bad thing - not the least in the light of existing theory on use of space in classroom management and physical tasks to aid learning

 - Theory on physical learning / physical language learning – Total Physical Response - Expression in language learning - Body language in language learning

 - How learning in the real world can take place and be supported by the online classroom (this idea inspired by ULOE course assignment, for which we had to learn something new, preferably a motor skill, and discuss this and report on the process of learning)

 - Proportion of e-learning that caters to which learning styles - Responsibility of kinesthetic learners for their *own* learning – rejection of 'classroom osmosis' ; role of teacher in encouraging this - Holistic learning and yoga etc

But: can e-Learning be beneficial for kinesthetic learners, where for example grammar exercises are replaced by more dynamic and interactive online exercises / drills?

Obstacles:

 - more than one style of learning is likely AND they are not mutually exclusive

 - selection of learning style questionnaire is vital; many are poorly designed surveys, with great ambiguity. Could design own questionnaire on learning styles.

Key questions:

 - to what extent does e-Learning benefit from a ‘real-world centred approach’ regardless of learning style

 - Is balance of course design essential - too much of one thing (in e-learning, verbal / social content is prevalent) is tedious?

 - Does e-Learning tend to too easily drop many of the trusted cornerstones of good language teaching – affective, role-setting, purpose-setting, etc – because it is new, because it is different? 

Method:

Initial survey to attain sample. Then interviews with those who have strong kinesthetic preference – garnering their feedback on how comfortable they felt learning this way, and so on.

Potential recommendation, depending on findings (grounded theory) that further research be conducted to compare learning experiences of Kinesthetic Learners learning in routine e-learning and those learning through Total Physical Response-like e-Learning.

 

Beware potential flaws in mis-diagnosing learning styles. The best way might be to pose a problem, then have them reflect on how they resolved it...