Andrew Lian
SURANAREE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, School of Foreign Language, Faculty Member
- Languages and Linguistics, Teaching English as a Second Language, Teaching and Learning, Critical applied linguistics, Listening Comprehension (Psychology of Language), Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), and 21 moreMetacognitive Strategies in Listening, Technology-enhanced language learning, Critical Technology Enhanced Language Learning, English, Technology Enhanced Language Learning, Academic Writing, Learner Autonomy, Intercultural Education, Learning Styles, Motivation, Research methods in applied linguistics, Vocabulary, Study skills, Project-Based Learning, Teacher Education, Higher Education, Critical Pedagogy, Research Methodology, Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, and Sociolinguisticsedit
- Andrew Hello Everyone. Although I do have a few articles uploaded here, I am basically inactive on this site - but ... moreAndrew
Hello Everyone. Although I do have a few articles uploaded here, I am basically inactive on this site - but you can see more information about me at http://gocultures.com/apl and also at http://researchgate.netedit
Dear AsiaCALLers, It is a delight to welcome you to the 19th International Conference of the Asia Association of Computer-Assisted Language Learning. It is really wonderful to note that after 19 conferences and despite the proliferation... more
Dear AsiaCALLers, It is a delight to welcome you to the 19th International Conference of the Asia Association of Computer-Assisted Language Learning. It is really wonderful to note that after 19 conferences and despite the proliferation of journals and conferences that has occurred in recent years, AsiaCALL continues to be a leader in the field and attracts large numbers of participants from all over the world. This is a clear message of continuing interest and confidence in the association which has always done its best to be accessible to and supportive of scholars from everywhere. Your presence here today, either virtually or in person, attests to the success of our policy – Thank You! I hope that you will enjoy your time here and that you will benefit academically and socially and that, at the conclusion of the conference you will be reinvigorated and return to your homes with many new ideas and a greater willingness to undertake new research or try out something novel in your t...
This is a short reflective piece consisting of two parts. The first relates to the connection between society, technology and language learning and the second highlights a stereotype of the language teaching profession which is hidden and... more
This is a short reflective piece consisting of two parts. The first relates to the connection between society, technology and language learning and the second highlights a stereotype of the language teaching profession which is hidden and somewhat problematic especially in the context of technology use in language teaching.
Corrective feedback is crucial for pronunciation teaching. However, in current pronunciation teaching practice, the corrective feedback provided usually fails to locate pronunciation problems and inform learners of the differences between... more
Corrective feedback is crucial for pronunciation teaching. However, in current pronunciation teaching practice, the corrective feedback provided usually fails to locate pronunciation problems and inform learners of the differences between their mispronunciations and the correct form. Based on the motor theory, this study attempted to explore a new way of corrective feedback for pronunciation teaching. Specifically, the learners’ speech output was modified and then was played back to them as an input model for learning. In this way, the learners can imitate the pronunciation model of their own voices, achieving self-imitation. This study included two experiments. The first explored the viability of obtaining one’s self-perceived voice through delayed feedback paradigm. The second experiment examined the effectiveness of self-imitation for English intonation learning. Results showed that imitating the pronunciation model of one’s own voice can reduce the learners’ phonological memory ...
Research Interests:
In the expectation of investigating the nature of corrective optimals of the sounds of English for Chinese EFL learners, a small selection of problematic English vowel sounds (i.e. /ɪ/, /i:/, /e/, /æ/, /ʊ/ and /u:/) was explored. The... more
In the expectation of investigating the nature of corrective optimals of the sounds of English for Chinese EFL learners, a small selection of problematic English vowel sounds (i.e. /ɪ/, /i:/, /e/, /æ/, /ʊ/ and /u:/) was explored. The present study investigated the corrective optimals for these sounds. To this end, an experiment was conducted. Thirty-seven first-year non-English major university EFL learners participated. Each student went through two diagnostic steps. First, each student’s preferred center frequency (fcenter) was determined for a particular vowel sound, beginning with exposure to the fcenter of the traditional native-speaker optimal. Second, a combination of frequency bands that together form corrective optimals for each of the six vowels was determined for each individual student. Rather than consisting of single continuous 1-octave bands, corrective optimals for Chinese university EFL learners were found to be discontinuous multiple frequency bands that are both n...
This is the first Presidential Keynote Address delivered at an AsiaCALL international conference. It will not be the last one. The Presidential Keynote Address series was initiated in order to give voice to the leader of the organisation... more
This is the first Presidential Keynote Address delivered at an AsiaCALL international conference. It will not be the last one. The Presidential Keynote Address series was initiated in order to give voice to the leader of the organisation and to the leadership team. Typically, keynote speakers and other featured speakers who address the conference in plenary session are external to the organisation and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the leadership of AsiaCALL. The AsiaCALL Presidential Keynote Address will remedy this situation, and I now cordially invite you to join me for the first AsiaCALL Presidential Keynote Address. Like other presentations in this conference, I will talk about the future and will focus on certain key issues. Let me begin with some more or less self-evident assertions about the 21st Century.
Among the four language skills, speaking was identified as the poorest skill for Chinese primary EFL learners. Although many teaching approaches from the mainstream have been adopted to redress the problem, teaching and learning outcomes... more
Among the four language skills, speaking was identified as the poorest skill for Chinese primary EFL learners. Although many teaching approaches from the mainstream have been adopted to redress the problem, teaching and learning outcomes for speaking are still disappointing. The verbotonal approach, developed initially as a therapy for people with hearing difficulties, has also been shown to be effective in the learning of foreign languages. However, in the Chinese context, it has never been used to teach speaking skills to primary school students and it is commonly used to teach pronunciation rather than speaking. To bridge the gap, the present study devised a verbotonal-based approach for improving the speaking skills of Chinese primary EFL learners. Eighty Grade 3 students from a rural primary school in China participated in the study. The experimental group undertook the intervention while the control group followed the traditional way of learning to speak English. Time on task was the same for both groups. After a period of 18 weeks, the experimental group improved significantly in both overall speaking proficiency and individual tests: word-reading, sentence-reading, singing and oral interview, as well as five subskills: vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency and comprehensibility. Additionally, the experimental group outperformed the control group in all aspects tested. Finally, the experimental group topped the district examinations whereas the control group obtained an average score. These findings suggest that the verbotonal approach was of considerable benefit to the learning of English speaking skills in the participating group.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Theoretical models for language learning based on postmodern thinking are currently under development. These models argue for the development of learning systems which identify the process of (language) learning as a process of... more
Theoretical models for language learning based on postmodern thinking are currently under development. These models argue for the development of learning systems which identify the process of (language) learning as a process of personal/individual meaning-making. This chapter describes progress achieved so far in one such model. This in turn forms the intellectual framework for an experimental technology-based environment designed to enable language learners to develop their meaning-making mechanisms by providing opportunities to confront, contrast and contest their understandings with examples of the foreign language at work. It intends to achieve this objective, in part, through the provision of support and help systems based on an infrastructure consisting of potentially large remote networked databases of multimedia materials showing language at work in realistic settings. The databases are complemented by systems designed to defeat the learners' perceptual systems. A proof ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The article begins with developments in the ASEAN region. In particular, it focuses on demands generated by the goal to build an ASEAN Community characterized by great diversity amongst member countries. The demands created by this... more
The article begins with developments in the ASEAN region. In particular, it focuses on demands generated by the goal to build an ASEAN Community characterized by great diversity amongst member countries. The demands created by this diversity are exacerbated by the immense changes taking place in the 21st century, such as unprecedented richness of information and communication systems, unprecedented mobility and the technological empowerment of ordinary people to create or find their own personal solutions in a just in time, just enough and just for me fashion. This leads to the conclusion that learning needs will be vastly different, individual and largely unpredicted and unpredictable. This realisation implies the necessity to develop adaptable, flexible, yet intellectually coherent learning frameworks which will provide the necessary guidance for creating appropriate learning environments. The article proceeds to construct such a framework on the basis of a five-point analysis of ...
The adoption of English as the working language of Asia and the ASEAN region, together with an increase in the mobility of people and information, are creating new and significant pressures on language and culture education in English, as... more
The adoption of English as the working language of Asia and the ASEAN region, together with an increase in the mobility of people and information, are creating new and significant pressures on language and culture education in English, as well as other languages, in the region. It is also bringing about an enormously expanded use of English between speakers for whom English is not a first language, and this expansion includes communication in English between people of different cultural backgrounds. The surge in the use of English highlights a number of current challenges. English language proficiency levels vary widely across Asia. Communicative competence in English as a second language is at least equally problematic. The matter is further complicated by the growth of the Internet and other technological progress, which has resulted in the creation of a self-managing, often Do-it-Yourself society engaged in “just-in-time” rather than “just-in-case” activity, as in the past. These...
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This case study explores the optimal auditory input for ESL learners in an attempt to understand how foreign languages are processed by the brain. It adopts an Event-Related Potential (ERP) approach using dichotic stimuli. Low-pass... more
This case study explores the optimal auditory input for ESL learners in an attempt to understand how foreign languages are processed by the brain. It adopts an Event-Related Potential (ERP) approach using dichotic stimuli. Low-pass filtered (< 320 Hz) and unfiltered spoken language was variously presented to the left and right ears of the participant. Three configurations of stimuli were presented in the Oddball paradigm: filtered stimuli in the left ear and unfiltered stimuli in the right ear (FL-R), unfiltered stimuli in the left ear and filtered stimuli in the right ear (L-FR), and filtered stimuli in both ears (FL-FR) were performed as target deviant stimuli. In addition, unfiltered stimuli (NL-NR) were sent to both ears and designed to act as standard stimulation, while environmental sounds such as trains and birds, were considered as novel stimulation. The language-related ERP components N400 and P600 that correlate with semantic and syntactic manipulations respectively wer...
Theoretical models for language learning based on postmodern thinking are currently under development. These models argue for the development of learning systems which identify the process of (language) learning as a process of... more
Theoretical models for language learning based on postmodern thinking are currently under development. These models argue for the development of learning systems which identify the process of (language) learning as a process of personal/individual meaning-making. This chapter describes progress achieved so far in one such model. This in turn forms the intellectual framework for an experimental technology-based environment designed to enable language learners to develop their meaning-making mechanisms by providing opportunities to confront, contrast and contest their understandings with examples of the foreign language at work. It intends to achieve this objective, in part, through the provision of support and help systems based on an infrastructure consisting of potentially large remote networked databases of multimedia materials showing language at work in realistic settings. The databases are complemented by systems designed to defeat the learners’ perceptual systems. A proof of c...
Research Interests:
The quality of the physical language signals to which learners are exposed and which result in neurobiological activity leading to perception constitutes a variable that is rarely, if ever, considered in the context of language learning.... more
The quality of the physical language signals to which learners are exposed and which result in neurobiological activity leading to perception constitutes a variable that is rarely, if ever, considered in the context of language learning. It deserves some attention. The current study identifies an optimal audio language input signal for Chinese EFL/ESL learners generated by modifying the physical features of language-bearing audio signals. This is achieved by applying the principles of verbotonalism in a dichotic listening context. Low-pass filtered (320 Hz cut-off) and unfiltered speech signals were dichotically and diotically directed to each hemisphere of the brain through the contralateral ear. Temporal and spatial neural signatures for the processing of the signals were detected in a combined event-related potential (ERP) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment. Results showed that the filtered stimuli in the left ear and unfiltered in the right ear (FL-R) co...
This paper focuses on a description of an innovative approach to the teaching of foreign languages. It is constructed on the notion that learning is a highly individualized process that depends essentially on each person's life... more
This paper focuses on a description of an innovative approach to the teaching of foreign languages. It is constructed on the notion that learning is a highly individualized process that depends essentially on each person's life experience: his or her history. As a consequence, and in order to best meet the needs of students, any learning structure needs to be highly individualized. In turn, such individualization requires personalized feedback/information for the problems encountered by students. This paper describes a solution to the above issues which consists of (a) an operational learning space constructed around a "macrosimulation": a long-term learner-managed simulation designed to engage each participant's personal history thus eliciting each person's learning needs and (b) a support structure based on the postmodern notion of "rhizome" which meets learners' needs by providing a model for sequencing learning activities based not on traversing a predetermined network of knowledge representation nodes, but rather on the creation by the learner of a dynamic, unpredicted and unpredictable sequencing of events. On the basis of the above principles, the paper details a possible implementation of a macrosimulation-based, rhizomatically-constructed, course/set of activities focusing on the teaching of business French for university students in the United States.
ABSTRACT This reflective article considers the issue of innovation in language learning from the perspective of doctoral programmes. It argues that, in this information-rich era, major paradigm shifts can be achieved through creative and... more
ABSTRACT This reflective article considers the issue of innovation in language learning from the perspective of doctoral programmes. It argues that, in this information-rich era, major paradigm shifts can be achieved through creative and divergent thinking rather than by seeking to achieve progress by continually tweaking what is already there. It also argues that innovation can be held back by education, administrative constraints and unexpected negative reactions to innovation itself. Doctoral students, too, are subject to these influences. As a solution, the article describes a course on innovation developed by the authors of this article and actually taught within a language education doctoral programme in a Thai university. The course focuses on expunging negative influences by replacing them with challenging innovation-building activities. The article provides examples of such activities as well as instances of innovation developed in the context of the course which have led to the implementation of significant research projects. A brief review of findings from an anonymous online survey on the course identifies a highly positive overall attitude by students to both course objectives and course outcomes and suggests that the sought-after objectives were successfully met. The article concludes by pointing out that while the course was developed originally in a Thai context, its processes and content are portable and can be implemented in international contexts.
ABSTRACT With the development of Information Technology, increasing attention has been paid to Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Meanwhile, increasing enthusiasm is seen for English learning and teaching in China. Yet, few... more
ABSTRACT With the development of Information Technology, increasing attention has been paid to Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Meanwhile, increasing enthusiasm is seen for English learning and teaching in China. Yet, few research studies have focused on the normalization of CALL in ethnically diverse areas. In response to this research gap, this study aims to identify major factors affecting the normalization of CALL in Chinese senior high schools in the Qian Xi’nan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (QBMP). A questionnaire was administered to 340 English teachers and a semi-structured oral interview was conducted as a follow-up. The study produced the following four findings: (a) most teachers were in favor of using computers in English teaching although they had to be cautious in guiding students; (b) institutional support was seen as instrumental; (c) teachers’ computer competency and relevant training were considered to be important; and (d) teaching methodology and learner factors were identified as crucial.
Research Interests:
This paper focuses on a description of an innovative approach to the teaching of foreign languages. It is constructed on the notion that learning is a highly individualized process that depends essentially on each person's life... more
This paper focuses on a description of an innovative approach to the teaching of foreign languages. It is constructed on the notion that learning is a highly individualized process that depends essentially on each person's life experience: his or her history. As a consequence, and in order to best meet the needs of students, any learning structure needs to be highly individualized. In turn, such individualization requires personalized feedback/information for the problems encountered by students. This paper describes a solution to the above issues which consists of (a) an operational learning space constructed around a ―macrosimulation‖: a long-term learner-managed simulation designed to engage each participant's personal history thus eliciting each person's learning needs and (b) a support structure based on the postmodern notion of ―rhizome‖ which meets learners' needs by providing a model for sequencing learning activities based not on traversing a predetermined n...
This paper takes a future-oriented glance at the possible development of learning/teaching needs and practices resulting from the recent exponential growth of technology. In particular, it overviews such emergent areas as freedom of... more
This paper takes a future-oriented glance at the possible development of learning/teaching needs and practices resulting from the recent exponential growth of technology. In particular, it overviews such emergent areas as freedom of thought, information and action, the instability of "knowledge", the so-called "Google effect", “just-in-time” learning, “Do-It-Yourself” learning, community intelligence and distributed research laboratories as well as the need for, and obstacles to, creativity and innovation. In so doing, it draws on a theory of learning based on an analysis of the human condition and provides examples of possible developments based on the impending rollout in 2015 of the ASEAN Economic Community.
This paper is in two parts. In the fist part a theoretical structure for learning and teaching foreign/second languages is described in some detail. It argues that knowledge is not transmitted to students but that it is an internal... more
This paper is in two parts. In the fist part a theoretical structure for learning and teaching foreign/second languages is described in some detail. It argues that knowledge is not transmitted to students but that it is an internal construction which depends heavily on each person’s history. In its second part, the paper goes on to describe a ComputerEnhanced Language-Learning Support System (CELLSS) based on the theoretical framework developed. One of its major features is to enable students to generate, ondemand, lessons which focus on their specifi learning needs and thus meet these needs more effectively and effiiently. One of the important consequences of this development is that students have signifiantly more freedom to engage in asynchronous learning activities responsive to their needs at any time of day or night and in any order. Taken together, these developments undermine some of the classical notions of teaching where an entire class does more or less the same thing at ...
The article begins with developments in the ASEAN region. In particular, it focuses on demands generated by the goal to build an ASEAN Community characterized by great diversity amongst member countries. The demands created by this... more
The article begins with developments in the ASEAN region. In particular, it focuses on demands generated by the goal to build an ASEAN Community characterized by great diversity amongst member countries. The demands created by this diversity are exacerbated by the immense changes taking place in the 21 st century, such as unprecedented richness of information and communication systems, unprecedented mobility and the technological empowerment of ordinary people to create or find their own personal solutions in a just in time, just enough and just for me fashion. This leads to the conclusion that learning needs will be vastly different, individual and largely unpredicted and unpredictable. This realization implies the necessity to develop adaptable, flexible, yet intellectually coherent learning frameworks which will provide the necessary guidance for creating appropriate learning environments. The article proceeds to construct such a framework on the basis of a five-point analysis of...
Language learning, like other forms of learning, is coming to the realisation that learning is highly individualised and that, potentially, no two paths to the construction of (personal) operational knowledge will be the same. This is... more
Language learning, like other forms of learning, is coming to the realisation that learning is highly individualised and that, potentially, no two paths to the construction of (personal) operational knowledge will be the same. This is based on the realisation that objective reality does not exist and that each of us functions in his/her own reality which, in turn, is based on our personal operational histories (Lian, 2004, Lian 2011). Consequently, the ways in which we construct our individual knowledge will necessarily depend on our operational histories. In order to facilitate the meeting of individual needs, modern technology can provide us with tools. This paper will describe such a tool for learning pronunciation which is based on the following principles: (a) the ability for students to quicky and effectively confront, contrast and contest (Lian 2000) their perceptions (the language they hear) and productions (the language they record) in an autonomous way, (b) load-lightening...
The aim of this paper is to examine the strategies of students who attempt to solve prOblems of understanding authentic spoken French in the context of a computer-aided listening comprehension development program currently implemented at... more
The aim of this paper is to examine the strategies of students who attempt to solve prOblems of understanding authentic spoken French in the context of a computer-aided listening comprehension development program currently implemented at the University of Queensland. The paper includes~ a general description of the listening program; a description of the an~wer-evaluation routines and their constraints; conclusions as to: (i) p~eferred student strategies; (iL) the relationship between those strategies and the available student control; (iii) the nature of changes to be made for increased effectiveness e.g. modifications to lesson design and the provision of an extended range of answer-evdluation procedures. INTRODUCTION
English pronunciation remains a major problem for Chinese EFL learners despite a methodological challenge in design and transdisciplinarity (Levy, Hubbard, Stockwell, & Colpaert, 2015). The present paper describes an innovative approach... more
English pronunciation remains a major problem for Chinese EFL learners despite a methodological challenge in design and transdisciplinarity (Levy, Hubbard, Stockwell, & Colpaert, 2015). The present paper describes an innovative approach to pronunciation learning combining a CALL-based autonomous structure with the verbotonal system (Guberina,1972; Lian, 1980) of corrective phonetics. It is based on the identification of tasks optimally designed for enhancing perception (and therefore production) through a combination of digital signal manipulation and gesture/body movement, facilitated by a simple self-managed computer-assisted support structure. The verbotonal system is a perception-based theory of pronunciation. The verbotonal system sees language-learning as a holistic, whole-body, phenomenon relying heavily on self-synchrony (Condon & Ogston,1966) to integrate language into the learner’s cognitive system. Low-pass filtering was used to make the melody of the language and makes i...
The exponential growth of the Internet has had a considerable impact on language teaching and learning. Language teachers have increasingly harnessed its power for language pedagogy. This study aimed to investigate the use of online... more
The exponential growth of the Internet has had a considerable impact on language teaching and learning. Language teachers have increasingly harnessed its power for language pedagogy. This study aimed to investigate the use of online resources and applications by language teachers and the purposes for which they used them for language teaching. The data were gathered from 70 Thai EFL language teachers in northeastern Thailand by means of a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data, whereas the qualitative data obtained from open-ended items and semi-structured interviews were inductively analyzed to create categories and to develop themes. Results showed that Google, YouTube, and Facebook were the top three resources and applications used by language teachers. These systems were used to support teaching, encourage autonomous learning, and enhance communication. Based upon the findings, professional development on ...
The demand for language learning, in particular English, is greater today than at any time in the history of humanity. Millions of people throughout the world are in need of language not only through formal institutional education but... more
The demand for language learning, in particular English, is greater today than at any time in the history of humanity. Millions of people throughout the world are in need of language not only through formal institutional education but through self-managed, do-it-yourself systems. It is therefore important to develop effective and efficient solutions for dealing with a mass market of language learners. In the context of Ho Chi Minh City, the activation of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 means that time has run out. This presentation argues that for the development of solutions able to respond to world needs for languages it is necessary to focus on language pedagogy rather than on language, to take more risks, to be more creative, to be more innovative and to change one’s view of the nature of TESOL. In particular, it seems necessary to transform TESOL into a truly interdisciplinary area of research capable of connecting a multitude of different fields so as to optimize the lang...
... and (3) ways in which the teacher can begin to make a foreign language program more ... and (4) the need to re-examine attitudes toward students and language teaching. ... communicativecompetence in the classroom include the use of... more
... and (3) ways in which the teacher can begin to make a foreign language program more ... and (4) the need to re-examine attitudes toward students and language teaching. ... communicativecompetence in the classroom include the use of spontaneous role-playing, discussions ...
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT With the development of Information Technology, increasing attention has been paid to Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Meanwhile, increasing enthusiasm is seen for English learning and teaching in China. Yet, few... more
ABSTRACT With the development of Information Technology, increasing attention has been paid to Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Meanwhile, increasing enthusiasm is seen for English learning and teaching in China. Yet, few research studies have focused on the normalization of CALL in ethnically diverse areas. In response to this research gap, this study aims to identify major factors affecting the normalization of CALL in Chinese senior high schools in the Qian Xi’nan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (QBMP). A questionnaire was administered to 340 English teachers and a semi-structured oral interview was conducted as a follow-up. The study produced the following four findings: (a) most teachers were in favor of using computers in English teaching although they had to be cautious in guiding students; (b) institutional support was seen as instrumental; (c) teachers’ computer competency and relevant training were considered to be important; and (d) teaching methodology and learner factors were identified as crucial.
Research Interests:
Originally an invited paper read to the FIPLV/Eurocentres seminar on: The use, application and limitations of new computer-based technology in foreign language learning, Goldsmiths College, University of London, London, September 1988.... more
Originally an invited paper read to the FIPLV/Eurocentres seminar on: The use, application and limitations of new computer-based technology in foreign language learning, Goldsmiths College, University of London, London, September 1988. Subsequently read as a ...
EJ363594 - Computer-Based Technology in Language Learning: Beyond the Walls of the Traditional Classroom.
Introduction The study of Languages Other than English (LOTEs) is currently enjoying a period of considerable growth. To a large extent, this is due to the development of national and state policies which recognise... more
Introduction The study of Languages Other than English (LOTEs) is currently enjoying a period of considerable growth. To a large extent, this is due to the development of national and state policies which recognise Australia&amp;#x27;s multicultural population and the need for Australians ...