Simultaneously Improving Computational Thinking and Foreign Language Learning: Interdisciplinary Media With Plugged and Unplugged Approaches

2021 ◽  
pp. 073563312199248
Author(s):  
Ting-Chia Hsu ◽  
Yi-Sian Liang
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Board Game ◽  
Innovation Development ◽  
Interdisciplinary Learning ◽  
Learning Anxiety ◽  
Educational Robots

This study proposed plugged and unplugged approaches for young students to simultaneously improve their interdisciplinary learning performance in English and Computational Thinking (CT). The plugged approach involved adopting educational robots to enhance CT and to provide English vocabulary and sentence practice via a board game. The unplugged version of the educational board game involved using a conventional board game without a computer, although it was designed for practicing CT as well as some foreign language vocabulary and conversational sentences. The results show that both approaches were helpful for simultaneously improving the students’ English proficiency of the target vocabulary and sentences, and their CT competence. The students’ foreign language learning anxiety during the English conversation in the plugged game was significantly lower than that of the students playing the unplugged game. On one hand, the cooperation tendency of the CT scale improved significantly for the students playing the unplugged game. On the other hand, the critical thinking of the CT scale improved significantly for those using the plugged approach. This research provides an innovation development and evaluation for plugged and unplugged approaches.

scholarly journals PEMAHAMAN STRUKTUR KALIMAT DIHUBUNGKAN DENGAN KOMPETENSI PEMRODUKSIAN BAHASA INGGRIS

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Kurnia Idawati ◽  
Nurul Fitriani ◽  
Eka Yuniar Ernawati
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
English Department ◽  
Simple Sentence ◽  
Average Production ◽  
Simple Sentences

Learning a foreign language, in this case English, usually means learning to speak in that language while understanding it. Therefore, language learning always involves two elements, namely comprehension and production. Both elements are closely related to the study of language learning performance, especially in foreign language learning. Related to that, a quantitative research was conducted over 33 learners of English in order to find out the extent to which the learners understood the structure of simple English sentences related to their ability to produce English sentences. Research data was obtained through 2 kinds of tests. The data about comprehension was in the form of true or false cloze-test of totaling 50 simple sentences with the argument structures. While the data of production was in the form of written tests of simple sentence constructions based on pictures and instructions about the pictures. Both of the tests used a number of verbs most commonly remembered by the students of English Department, Darma Persada University. The result of the research showed that their comprehension level was 65.64% with a variation in the distribution score between them was 8.79, and their production was 28.36% with a standard deviation of production of 17.37. The gap between the level of comprehension and the level of production was relatively large which means that the average production competency of the subjects was below their comprehension competency.

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