2003 JALT Pan-SIG Conference Proceedings

Testing Communicative Competence Using Mobile Phone Digital Photos
by Steven E. Quasha

Appendix 1: English Communication Class Survey


Survey Results
* 10 of the 13 respondents reported traveling to an English speaking country.

* The average stay was 9 days.

* 6 of the respondents have participated in a homestay program.

* The average homestay among participants was 11 days.

* 5 of the home stay participants expressed anxiety while overseas when having to speak about themselves and their lives in Japan. They felt unprepared to accomplish this task and wanted to learn skills that would enable to better communicate.

* 9 of the respondents expressed an interest in participating in a homestay program in the future.

* 10 of the respondents indicated that they have part time jobs (either during the school year or vacations).

  1. Have you ever been to an English speaking country?    Yes    No


  2. If yes, where did you visit and for how long? ______________________________


  3. Have you ever participated in a homestay program?    Yes    No


  4. If yes, where did you visit and for how long? ______________________________


  5. Please describe your homestay experience. Is there anything you would like to learn in this class that may have helped you during your homestay?
    ________________________________________________________________________


    ________________________________________________________________________


  6. Would you like to participate in a homestay program in the future?    Yes    No


  7. Do you have a part-time job now?    Yes    No


  8. Do you plan to work part-time during the university vacation?

Appendix 2: Photo Learning Journal


Topics and Themes

(Here students write down questions they may have before the class begins.)
Who are these questions for - the teacher or the language partner? (This should be more explicit.)
 My Questions

Who does the word "my" refer to: the teacher or the language partner? (This should be more explicit.)
(This space is for information regarding their photos their language partner.)
Any rules about how this information should be written? Is Japanese OK? When should this be written? (More detail needed)

1.


2.


3.
1.


2.


3.

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PVN : Personal Vocabulary Notes

(The goal here is to promote fluency, risk taking and negotiation of meaning.
Target vocabulary should be done for homework.)













Graphic Organizer

(Students select one photo and make a graphic organizer that can help explain the picture. In the middle is the person or situation. Next, words, emotions and feelings are used as extensions of the main photo.)
An actual sample would make this much easier to understand. Can you get permission from some student to use an actual sample, changing names as needed to protect their anonymity?













Draw one of your partner's photos.

(Without looking at your partner's photo, listen to them explain it and then try to draw a picture from what you heard. Don't worry about your art ability!.)
An actual sample would make this much easier to understand. Can you get permission from some student to use an actual sample, changing names as needed to protect their anonymity?












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Appendix 3: Exit Feedback Questionnaire


Survey Results
Question 1 MEAN = ___ S.D. = ___
Question 2 MEAN = ___ S.D. = ___
Question 3 MEAN = 1.53 S.D. = ___
Question 4 MEAN = 1.92 S.D. = ___

Instructions: Please circle one   (1= highest and 5=lowest)


  1. How did this class compare to other English communication courses you have taken at this university?

    1 2 3 4 5
  2. How would you rate your performance in this class (compared to other English classes)?

    1 2 3 4 5
  3. Did you think using sha-mail in class was a useful activity for your English communication development?

    1 2 3 4 5
  4. Did the sha-mail activities help develop your communication skills better than using the textbook?

    1 2 3 4 5


Author Index Main Index Page Index Title Index Topic Index

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