Ditoro, Timothy Paul (2020-05). Use of Synchronous Video to Deliver a Learner-centered Course at a Distance: A Mixed Methods Approach. Doctoral Dissertation.
Thesis
Foreign language courses that are delivered at a distance using synchronous video tend to be more instructor centered than learner centered. Based on literature indicating that foreign language learning occurs when learners are actively engaged, an instructor delivered an online college Spanish course with synchronous video sessions and flipped classroom methods. The same instructor also implemented flipped classroom methods for learners in a face-to-face class environment. A content analysis of weekly reflections by learners and the instructor revealed that both groups experienced qualities of learner-centered classes. The online group experienced more technical problems and the face-to-face group had more time to speak Spanish with classmates and the instructor. Learners also performed spoken Spanish language tasks before and after the treatment period, and face-to-face learners scored significantly higher on post-treatment scores compared to pre-treatment scores for the outcome of content, purpose, and organization. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in gain scores from pre-assessment to post-assessment. Online learners gave higher ratings for the scale of student autonomy on the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey, the only statistically significant difference from the survey results. Overall, the data support the use of flipped classroom methods to engage online learners and an orientation to online learning to reduce learners' problems with technology. Conducting online foreign language courses in a hybrid format would promote learners' regular participation in synchronous video sessions. Instructors might improve the quality of classes delivered by synchronous video by reading about best practices for learner-centered teaching, by embracing target values for synchronous video sessions, and by reflecting regularly on how well they fostered those qualities in their teaching.
