Facilitating second language acquisition (SLA) in a computer mediated communication (CMC) learning environment

Abstract

To meet the challenges of fast-paced globalization and a more demanding high-tech environment of the future, it is imperative that students of the university are equipped with relevant skills and competencies especially in on-line literacy and communication skills. This paper reports on a study which explored the application of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) in an English for Civil Engineering (ECE) learning environment. The aim of the study was to examine how the use of CMC can help to create a conducive environment that will be facilitative of second language learning and acquisition. For this purpose, the interactional opportunities present in the CMC environment were examined for evidence of conditions deemed facilitative of second language acquisition (SLA) based on the tenets prescribed by the Interactionist Theory of language acquisition. Studies on the use of CMC have reported that this medium can promote meaningful interaction that can foster interlanguage development through meaning negotiation and focus-an-form. The task employed for this study was based on one of the requirements of the ECE program, specifically for the students to engage in a discussion forum on current and relevant social, economic and environmental issues related to the civil engineering field and profession.