An Anlysis of features of negotiation for meaning and form in synchronous computer-mediated communication of Khon Kaen University students

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to 1) analyze the negotiation features for meaning and form in synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) and 2) study the opinions of students after using SCMC in practicing English. A total of 32 students who were enrolled in the remedial English course at Khon Kaen University took part in the investigation. Participants were asked to perform six tasks, three information gap tasks and three collaborative tasks via SCME. Each task was performed once a week with an 80-minute time allocation. After finishing the final task, they were asked to complete a questionnaire. Results from the analysis of participants' transcripts revealed a high frequency of signal, trigger and response as negotiation features for meaning with the majority focusing on lexical items. As all participants' shared the same first language (L1), a high frequency of response was made in L1. Information gap tasks were able to draw a high frequency of features of negotiation for meaning in contrast to collaborative tasks, which drew a low frequency. Both tasks, however, were unsuccessful in drawing features of negotiation for form. Findings from the questionnaire revealed mainly positive opinions towards using SCMC in practicing English and that it should be continued; however, the areas that could be improved were the delay of messages, more time allocation, and more interesting topics