Situated Learning through Social Networking Communities

The Development of Joint Enterprise, Mutual Engagement, and a Shared Repertoire

Authors

  • Nicole Mills

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11139/cj.28.2.345-368

Keywords:

Social Networking, Situated Learning Theory, Identity, Engagement, Community

Abstract

Scholars praise social networking tools for their ability to engage and motivate iGeneration students in meaningful communicative practice, content exchange, and collaboration (Greenhow, Robelia, & Hughes, 2009; Ziegler, 2007). To gain further insight about the nature of student participation, knowledge acquisition, and relationship development within social networking communities, situated learning theory was used as a lens to analyze the joint enterprise, mutual engagement, and shared repertoire experienced within the Facebook community of an intermediate French course. Participating students made connections to course content, developed identities through the enhancement of interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive modes of communication, and developed relationships through their participation in the online francophone community. Students’ interactions, shared postings, and profiles were examined. Student feedback about the types and frequency of their Facebook interactions and their perceived value of this online social networking tool to learn about French language and culture were also explored.

References

Barnes, K., Marateo, R. C., & Ferris, S. P. (2007). Teaching and learning with the net generation. Innovate: Journal of Online Education, 3(4). Retrieved from http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=382

Beauvois, M. H. (1998). Conversations in slow motion: Computer-mediated communication in the foreign language classroom. Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revue Canadienne Des Langues Vivantes, 54, 198-217.

Beer, D., & Burrows, R. (2007). Sociology and, of and in Web 2.0: Some initial considerations. Sociological Research Online, 12(5). Retrieved from http://www.socresonline.org.uk/12/5/17.html

Block, D. (2003). The social turn in second language acquisition. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.

Carlson, S. (2005). The net generation goes to college. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 52(7), A34. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/The-Net-Generation-Goes-to/12307

Coiro, J., Knobel, M., Lankshear, C., & Leu, D. (2008). Central issues in new literacies and new literacies research. In J. Coiro, M. Knobel, C. Lankshear & D. Leu (Eds.), Handbook of research on new literacies (pp. 1-21). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Cortazzi, M., Jin, L., Wall, D., & Cavendish, S. (2001). Sharing learning through narrative communication. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 36(S1), 252-257.

Davies, B., & Harré, R. (1999). Positioning and personhood. In R. Harré & L. van Langenhove (Eds.), Positioning theory: Moral contexts of intentional action (pp. 32-52). Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Doyle, W., & Carter, K. (2003). Narrative and learning to teach: Implications for the teacher-education curriculum. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 35, 129-137.

Eberhardt, D. M. (2007). Facing up to Facebook. About Campus, 12(4), 18-26.

Garrett, P. B. (2008). Researching language socialization. Encyclopedia of Language and Education, 10, 189-201.

Gee, J. P. (2005). Why video games are good for your soul: Pleasure and learning. Melbourne: Common Ground.

Gilbert, D. T., Fiske, S. T., & Lindzey, G. (1998). The handbook of social psychology (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Glenn, J. M. (2000). Teaching the net generation. Business Education Forum, 54(3), 6-14.

Greenhow, C., Robelia, B., & Hughes, J. E. (2009). Learning, teaching, and scholarship in a digital age: Web 2.0 and classroom research: What path should we take now? Educational Researcher, 38, 246-259.

Gutierrez, K. D., Morales, P. Z., & Martinez, D. C. (2009). Re-mediating literacy: Culture, difference, and learning for students from non-dominant communities. Review of Research in Education 2009, 33, 212-245.

Ito, M. (2008). Living and learning with new media: Summary of findings from the digital youth project [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.itofisher.com/mito/weblog/2008/11/living_and_learning_with_new_m.html

Jones, J. G., & Bronack, S. C. (2008). Rethinking cognition, representations, and processes in 3D online social learning environments. In P. C. Rivoltella (Ed.), Digital literacy: Tools and methodologies for information society (pp. 176-205). Hershey, PA: IGI Publishing.

Lam, W. S. (2004). Second language socialization in a bilingual chat room: Global and local considerations. Language, Learning & Technology, 8(3), 44-66. Retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/vol8num3/lam/default.html

Lankshear, C., & Knobel, M. (2007). Researching new literacies: Web 2.0 practices and insider perspectives. E-Learning and Digital Media, 4, 224-240.

Lantolf, J. P., & Thorne, S. L. (2006). Sociocultural theory and the genesis of second language development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Loewen, S. (2005). Incidental focus on form and second language learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 27, 361-386.

Luckin, R., Clark, W., Graber, R., Logan, K., Mee, A., & Oliver, M. (2009). Do web 2.0 tools really open the door to learning? Practices, perceptions and profiles of 11-16-year-old students. Learning, Media and Technology, 34, 87-104.

Magnin, M. C. (1997). The building: An adaptation of Francis Debyser’s writing project. A global simulation to teach language and culture. In G. Walz (Ed.), China-U.S. Conference on Education (pp. 55-62). Greensboro, NC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Student Services. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED425398)

Mayes, T., & de Freitas, S. (2007). Learning and e-learning: The role of theory. In H. Beetham & R. Sharpe (Eds.), Rethinking pedagogy in the digital age (pp. 13-25). London: Routledge.

Mills, N. A., & Péron, M. (2008). Global simulation and writing self-beliefs of intermediate French students. International Journal of Applied Linguistics: Special Issue on Learning and Teaching L2 Writing, 156, 239-273.

Murphy, E., & Loveless, J. (2005). Students’ self-analysis of contributions to online asynchronous discussions. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 21, 155-172.

National Council of Teachers of English. (2007). Multimodal literacies and technology. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/governance/MultimodalLiteracies

Pavlenko, A. (2001). Multilingualism, second language learning, and gender. New York: Walter De Gruyter.

Pempek, T. A., Yermolayeva, Y. A., & Calvert, S. L. (2009). College students’ social networking experiences on Facebook. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30, 227-238.

Rosen, L. D. (2007). Me, Myspace, and I: Parenting the net generation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Rosen, L. D. (2010). Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the way they learn. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Russell, J., & Spada, N. (2006). The effectiveness of corrective feedback for second language acquisition: A meta-analysis of the research. In J. Norris & L. Ortega (Eds.), Synthesizing research on language learning and teaching (pp. 133-164). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Slater, D. (2002). Social relationships and identity online and offline. In L. Lievrouw & S. Livingstone (Eds.), Handbook of new media: Social shaping and consequences of ICTs (pp. 533-546). London: Sage Publications.

Tapscott, D. (1998). Growing up digital: The rise of the net generation. New York: McGraw Hill.

Thorne, S. L. (2008). Mediating technologies and second language learning. In Leu, D., Coiro, J., Lankshear, C., & Knobel, M. (Eds.), Handbook of research on new literacies (pp. 417-449). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Thorne, S. L., & Payne, J. S. (2005). Evolutionary trajectories, internet-mediated expression, and language education. CALICO Journal, 22, 371-397. Retrieved from https://www.calico.org/memberBrowse.php?action=article&id=137

Thorne, S. L., Black, R. W., & Sykes, J. (2009). Second language use, socialization, and learning in internet interest communities and online games. Modern Language Journal, 93, 802-821.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind and society: The development of higher mental processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Wiley, C., & Sisson, M. (2006, November). Ethics, accuracy and assumption: The use of Facebook by students and employers. Paper presented at the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education Special Topics Forum, Dayton, OH.

Ziegler, S. G. (2007). The (mis)education of GenerationM. Learning, Media, and Technology, 32(1), 69-81.

Downloads

Published

2013-01-14

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Mills, N. (2013). Situated Learning through Social Networking Communities: The Development of Joint Enterprise, Mutual Engagement, and a Shared Repertoire. CALICO Journal, 28(2), 345-368. https://doi.org/10.11139/cj.28.2.345-368

Most read articles by the same author(s)