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Essay / Technology and Language Development: Perceptions and Experimental Findings
This report reviews three research articles analyzing the effects of technology on language development as well as student and teacher perspectives on the technology and the process language learning. The following articles include research in these areas: (1) "Effects of Computer Use at Home and School on School Readiness and Cognitive Development in Head Start Children: A pilot randomized controlled trial” studies the impact of computer use on school readiness and psychomotor skills (Li, Atkins, & Stanton, 2006); (2) “How does technology affect the language learning process at an early age?” » examines teachers' and students' perspectives on the use of technology during the language learning process (Itler, 2015); and (3) “How does the use of modern communication technologies influence language and literacy development?” A Review” examines current research on the skills required to communicate via computer technology, as well as the projected effects of communication technologies on children's language and literacy development (Watt, 2010). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayPopulationsEach article analyzed different populations. Li and colleagues (2006) studied 122 preschool children (57 boys and 65 girls) aged 38 to 61 months, enrolled in a Head Start program in Monongalia County and from a socioeconomically disadvantaged family . Itler's study (2015) focused on 12 language teacher candidates and 10 4th grade students (2015). Watt (2010) conducted a literature review of current research on communication technologies and language and literacy development. Methods and procedures Li et al. (2006) randomly divided participants into a control group (CG) and an experimental group (EG). The control group received only the standard Head Start program. The experimental group received daily computer access in addition to the standard Head Start program. The children selected developmentally appropriate computer software and had access to it for 15 to 20 minutes per day. Computer use was measured at baseline and post-baseline using teacher and parent reports. Children's weekly computer use was averaged, and then children were categorized as “infrequent users,” “weekly users,” or “daily users.” "In order to measure differences between CG and EG, four standardized tests were administered at baseline and at the follow-up assessment 6 months later. The tests assessed academic readiness, visual motor skills, gross motor skills and the participant's overall cognitive abilities. Standardized tests included: The Boehm Test of Basic Concepts - 3rd Preschool Edition (Boehm-3 Preschool) to assess children's understanding of basic concepts. for children to assess visual motor skills, with the Test of Gross Motor Development – 2nd Edition (TGMD-2) to assess gross motor skills and a short form of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Intelligence Scale-Revised to measure development; Children's pre- and post-test scores were compared between EG and CG using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and baseline equivalence of family demographics and data. of experiencehome computing between EG and CG was assessed using chi-square. test. Unlike Li et al. (2006), Itler (2015) conducted qualitative research using a structured questionnaire and found volunteer participants, while Li et al. (2006) recruited participants. The questionnaire was designed to explore the views of students and language teacher candidates on language awareness and technology. Each questionnaire included six questions related to technology and language learning. Teacher candidates were asked how they could increase student motivation in the classroom, whether technology could be a way to improve language awareness, whether a student could learn better with technology, as well as their use of technology in the classroom and what types of technologies could impact language learning and help develop language skills outside of the classroom. Students were asked what type of technology they use, whether they use the device(s) while learning languages, how technology affects their language learning, what they do on the Internet to improve their language, whether it is a good idea to use technology in their English lessons and finally if they would prefer to do their homework via the computer. The results of the questionnaires were reviewed by two experts in the field of language teaching. Watt's (2010) literature review examined current research on technology and language development. Watt (2010) began by discussing the nature of “electronic discourse” which can be either synchronous, occurring in real time, or asynchronous, occurring with some delay. Electronic speech is highly dependent on the type of service used and the recipient of the information shared. Language acquisition models highlight usage-based theories of language learning, where language depends on sociocultural uses and language skills are developed through its use. These models suggest that environmental influences, such as communication technologies, play a role in language acquisition and the subsequent development of language and literacy skills. Watt (2010) discusses research supporting both positive and negative effects of technology use on language development. Technology could displace other activities of greater development value, so its use must be monitored. If a child spends a lot of time using technology, their lack of adult-child interaction can impact early learning by inhibiting the use of spoken language early. However, Watt (2010) found a wealth of research highlighting the positive effects of computer use, supporting Li and researchers' (2006) study of computer use and literacy. Watt (2010) also found that computer use boosts self-esteem and motivation, while sharpening thinking and problem-solving skills. Among adolescents, a common concern is that communication technologies encourage social isolation, as lack of face-to-face contact has been shown to lead to a loss of contextual and nonverbal linguistic cues, which can have a negative impact on language skills. Research is conflicting in this area, as communication technologies have also been shown to enrich pragmatic skills, with users needing to be aware of the need to provide.