Literature Review.
Introduction.
Gestures play a significant role in second language acquisition by providing visual cues and context to language learners. Computer-mediated communication is a significant aspect of today’s society because it enables people to communicate effectively worldwide. Therefore, integrating gestures in computer-mediated communication in the classroom when learning a second language is crucial in modern society. This literature review will address the functions played by hand gestures during pedagogical interactions in video conferencing and also analyze how video camera placement affects students’ uptake of SLA. Additionally, it will also analyze how learners effectively utilize gestures to express misunderstanding and comprehension.
In a study by Kelly et al. (2009), gestures play a significant role when integrated with speech during language development and comprehension because learning with words is a challenge, especially in foreign language acquisition. Iconic gestures are a common and integral aspect of spoken language, yet they are distinct from words since they convey information through visual representations of ideas rather than by chance. Embodied information such as iconic gestures ‘grounds’ the meaning of language in the speaker’s internal conceptions of actions and things (Kelly et al., 2009). Researchers have claimed that these co-speech gestures are crucial to acquiring and maintaining language due to their embodied aspects. In general, nonverbal behaviors are excellent resources for helping infants get past the problem of linguistic arbitrariness in the early stages of language development. As early as 16 months, infants employ the eye gaze of a speaker to help them indexically ground the meaning of new words to novel things. In addition to employing hand gestures to assist them in understanding an adult’s meaning, 16-month-olds use pointing and iconic gestures, according to the research (Barsalou, 2008). Adults’ understanding of language still benefits from gestures even after they stop being useful in the context of childhood. Using iconic gestures with speech, such as typing gestures and saying. Iconic gestures aid educators in gauging students’ grasp of abstract concepts, suggesting that humans were meant to communicate primarily through body language. While deciphering the meaning of spoken words, gesture plays a crucial role. As a result, gestures may help with second language acquisition by providing a concrete physical representation of abstract linguistic concepts (Kelly et al., 2009).
Comprehending input is crucial in learning a new language and is a prerequisite for output development. Exo-lingual conversation, which has been described as the interaction between interlocutors who do not share equal linguistic competence in the language being spoken and who consciously make adaptations according to the disparity, is an example of a context in which input modification is more likely to occur (Holt et al., 2015). In order to communicate with non-natives, native speakers often modify and simplify their speech. Exo-lingual competency is likely acquired rather than natural, meaning negotiation is a crucial social skill. Most changes to input occur during meaning negotiation and incomprehension sequences, when speakers attempt to clarify their meaning for the listener. There are more opportunities for negotiating via video conferences than in other forms of internet communication (Azaoui, 2015). None of the tactics for mending broken communication involve using nonverbal cues like hand gestures or facial expressions. Covert body language provides an additional window into the mental processes involved in speech creation. Exo-lingual competency includes using covert gestures and facilitating communication in a second language. Furthermore, the instruction process alters and modifies students’ nonverbal patterns (Hold et al., 2015).
Teaching gestures, which are highly tied to the teacher’s speech, aid in the understanding and retaining of lexical items in a foreign language (Tabenksy, 2014). Both speech and body language undergo adaptations when communicating in a foreign language. Webcam communication presents challenges that can influence how people express themselves verbally and physically (Haviland, 2006). Temporal delay, low audiovisual quality, and accidental disconnections are common technical issues that might hinder synchronous foreign language instruction, and instructors must learn to plan for them. Since making the appearance of direct eye contact necessitates looking off-screen and into the camera, it is impossible to make actual eye contact with another person (Themelis & Sime, 2020). If using a webcam improves or simplifies online interactions. Video’s pedagogical benefits are essential to successful foreign language learning, and participants have expressed their gratitude for the medium. Visual cues made more linguistic, cultural, and pedagogical information available to students. The use of video facilitated conversation by providing additional context for spoken cues. According to the available data, the value of a webcam image lies more in its potential role as a resource in an emergency than in its status as a preferred mode of communication (Themelis & Sime, 2020). Gestures can be used to animate, evaluate, and inform in the classroom when teaching a foreign language (Tellier, 2008). Text chat is an invaluable tool for online language teachers because it can be used to correct oral productions without breaking the flow of the conversation, facilitate comprehension by repeating what is said orally, and allow students to communicate in real-time, modifying input and production, and responding to feedback while focusing on the form and structure of the language (Davis et al., 2021).
According to Compton (2009), the foreign language classroom provides a good laboratory for studying L2 interaction over time since students rarely use their target language outside class. This enables scientists to manipulate interaction quality and quantity as separate variables in controlled experiments. Some SLA research has focused on using synchronous computer-mediated communication tools to facilitate conversation between NNSs and NSs in foreign language contexts to create communicatively authentic conversations (Saito & Akiyama, 2017). The ability for all types of L2 learners to connect with NSs and NNSs anywhere in the world makes online-based telecollaborative contact one of the most essential technologically enhanced activities in contemporary foreign language instruction. Researchers have discovered that L2 students interacting with NSs via video-conferencing systems had similar chances for negotiation of meaning, pushing output, and concentration on form as those students interacting face-to-face. Saito and Akiyama (2017) conducted a study with American students of Spanish in which they met in groups of four to six students and participated in peer interaction activities (such as discussion of cultural texts and video) in the target language in either a face-to-face or text-chat mode over a semester (Saito & Akiyama, 2017). Participants’ speech abilities, as tested by an oral proficiency interview and evaluated according to standards set by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, were found to have increased across the board. Akiyama described the longitudinal focus on form practices in video-based dyadic interaction between NSs and NNSs. In this study, Japanese American students had the opportunity to engage in task-based telecollaborative engagement with their NS partners every other week, focusing on meaning throughout (Compton, 2009).
This type of interaction, which is called “negotiation for comprehensibility,” differs from the more general concept of “negotiation for meaning” in that any feedback move made during this type of interaction is done purely incidentally to fix communication problems and increase mutual understanding (Matsumoto & Dobbs, 2017). Teacher-student interactions typically involve corrective feedback that supports self-repair involving accuracy and precision, not just comprehensibility, and this can be distinguished from our feedback bias toward comprehensibility-related linguistic qualities (Tabenksy, 2014). Many second languages (L2) learners would otherwise remain plateaued, especially after their linguistic performance has become sufficiently comprehensible if feedback providers (teachers) did not give equal attention to all linguistic errors in order to push the recipient (students) to linguistic nativelikeness (Matsumoto & Dobbs, 2017).
According to research by Li (2022), video SCMC can improve online communication by making both parties feel more at ease, increasing metacognition, and making the conversation easier to follow. With the global outbreak and spread of COVID-19, traditional face-to-face teaching has been primarily replaced by online teaching using SCMC technology for millions of online learners in China and around the world. This has contributed to the rapid development of online learning and teaching, with synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) receiving particular attention (Li, 2022). Only some studies directly address whether online professors and students in China should use webcams for video conferencing or stick to audio chat. However, this is one of the most commonly requested questions in the field. Since technology mediates instruction and learning in video-conferencing classrooms, the affordances of various technologies significantly impact students’ ability to interact and acquire a new language in this context (Barley, 2020). Multimodal information such as the interlocutor’s gaze, facial expressions, posture, gestures, and surrounding environment make visual communication through a webcam the most complex of all potential modalities of communication (Stam & Urbanski, 2021). Students’ responses to their classmates, both verbally and through nonverbal clues such as facial expressions and gestures, may be influenced by the screen orientation they are looking at during a video conference. Many fields outside of online communication (language acquisition, psychology, communication studies) have examined the significance of eye contact (Barley, 2020). Face-to-face interactions rely heavily on gaze gestures for various purposes, including but not limited to seeking information and feedback; signaling attitude; maintaining speech synchronization; and managing or avoiding intimacy. However, in video SCMC conversations, the reasons for and results of eye contact might vary significantly from in-person exchanges. The interlocutor’s gaze may be affected by various elements, such as the interlocutor’s cultural background, the interlocutor’s technology tools, the task’s design, and the interlocutor’s physical environment (Loewen et al., 2022). Mutual eye contact is technically impossible in video SCMC with either a built-in or external webcam. While helpful, images captured by a webcam can distract from the information conveyed verbally. Using a camera gives smiles, frowns, and nods new meaning regarding empathy and communication. In learner-learner video SCMC interactions, there are five distinct gaze patterns: continual manipulation, strategic manipulation, complete avoidance of stare, directed gaze, and free gaze (Li, 2022).
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many educational institutions have banned face-to-face classroom instruction, leaving only online classes as an option for teaching a second language. SCMC platforms may be the most viable option since they permit the study of communication competence and conform to the fundamental features of in-person conversations (Junn, 2023). Using principles of communicative competence from a CLT viewpoint as a reference point might clarify whether or not these principles, idealized for formal classrooms, can be applied to SCMC platforms, which can be subjective within a qualitative study and challenging to apply on a macro basis (The, 2021). By highlighting the shared character of communication in its interpretation, expression, and negotiation of meaning, “communicative competence” is a term for both grammatical and pragmatic fluency (Belda-Medina, 2021). Strategic competence is the ability to identify verbal and nonverbal tactics for negotiating meaning in the face of a communication breakdown. Since SCMC shares some of the shared activity inherent to face-to-face interaction, it is in a prime position to give sociocultural context and strategic competency for expression, interpretation, and negotiation of meaning (Li, 2022). Success has been demonstrated in encouraging students to develop self-assurance, negotiate to mean, and construct knowledge through video-conferencing inside SCMC platforms. Due to increased opportunities for communication, identity development, and the application of learners’ IT abilities, effective technology integration can raise student motivation to acquire L2 (Junn, 2023).
The use of video conferencing for various second-language (L2) education applications is on the rise. Its multimedia capabilities facilitate instantaneous user-to-user communication and help users establish a more robust online identity. As Yu (2022) argues, video conferencing benefits second-language learners. Learners’ communication abilities, for instance, can be honed. Based on the transcripts and student comments, when students engaged in interactive activities with native speakers via video-conferencing, their Spanish speaking skills increased. Significant gains in the speaking post-test outcome show that the combination of asynchronous text discussion and synchronous video-conferencing engagement helps develop English-speaking skills and writing abilities for L2 learners of English. Tecedor (2019) found that when Japanese university students engaged in video-based interaction with proficient English users, they significantly improved their spontaneous English production. The study found that students at an American university who studied Korean with video-conferencing partners in Korea improved not only in their spoken but also in their written and oral communication skills. In addition to the apparent improvements in communication skills, vocabulary is another area where L2 students can benefit from video-conferencing activities. Students’ results on examinations of their ability to produce and recognize L2 vocabulary showed considerable improvement after participating in video conferences with native Spanish speakers (Yu, 20220).
Second language (L2) students can benefit from video-conferencing by increasing their self-esteem, motivation to use the target language, and engagement with course material. Motivation to study a second language was boosted when native and non-native speakers worked together in real-time through video conferences (Junn, 2023). Students of varying L2 skill levels may benefit from participating in video conference activities designed to boost linguistic confidence. One of the most heavily researched areas is the use of computer-mediated communication for various Second Language Acquisition (SLA) applications and a variety of educational goals; numerous research has examined the effects of various formats such as asynchronous, synchronous, text-based, voice-based, video-based, and hybrids (Bagheri, 2021). Computer-mediated communication (CMC) allows students to interact with native speakers of their target language more frequently and in more settings than possible without CMC by enabling them to hear and see more examples of the target language and culture through video conferencing (Bagheri, 2021).
Stam and Tellier (2022) found that although the L2 learners in their study could produce grammatically acceptable phrases, their gestures indicated that they were not thinking for speaking in their L2 and instead were thinking in a hybrid of their L1 and L2. Learners’ hand motions revealed their cross-linguistic abilities. Gestures are crucial in learning and teaching because the spoken language is just half of the story. Language shows verbal cognition; thus, it is not always the best way to communicate, especially when there is a competence gap between a learner and a teacher or native speaker. Teachers and students of second languages utilize gestures to communicate. For students, gestures help them produce more fluent speech, while teachers use them to help their students better understand what they hear. Teachers should also consider their students’ gestures because they provide valuable insight into the student’s linguistic competence and knowledge (Bressem, 2014).
According to Leowen et al. (2022), the multimodal capabilities of CMC have been greatly enhanced by the proliferation of digital technology, which allows users to express themselves through various channels. Several commonly used communication channels, like email, social networking sites, and video-conferencing, attest that multimodal CMC has become integral to modern language learning (Leowen et al., 2022). Multimodal computer-mediated communication allows language students to use various resources, including text, voice, images, and emoticons, to convey their meaning better. Text chat during video conferencing facilitates student participation in group discussions without disrupting the presenter (Saito & Akiyama, 2017). Lower-level English learners may find participating in text chat conversations easier if they can access images and emoticons. Beyond the benefits of a single form of communication, the interaction of multimodal communication further enhances learning experiences and makes language production easier. Social networking sites (SNSs), the latest breakthrough in computer-mediated communication (CMC), have quickly become one of the most popular language-learning environments (Compton, 2009). Since multimodal language learning materials and teaching tools are available online, teachers must abandon their monomodal bias to create a more engaging online classroom (Leowen et al., 2022).
Conclusion.
The literature review addressed the functions played by hand gestures during pedagogical interactions in video conferencing and also analyzed how video camera placement affects students’ uptake of SLA. Hand gestures can help teachers stress or define words. A teacher may point to a slide or use hand gestures to demonstrate an object’s size or shape to assist students in understanding the topic. Hand gestures can also show agreement, disagreement, bewilderment, or curiosity, which can help teachers and students bond and make learning more engaging. The video camera’s placement impacts student comprehension by showing the teacher’s facial expressions and hand gestures. Students may miss valuable information if the camera obscures the teacher’s nonverbal cues. The video camera might isolate the teacher from the student, decreasing student interest and willingness to study. If the camera is too distant from the teacher or creates a physical barrier, pupils may not feel as connected to the teacher or lesson. Video conferencing pedagogy relies on hand gestures for emphasis, clarification, cultural meaning, involvement, and feedback. Visibility, engagement, distraction, and technical challenges from video camera positioning can also affect SLA student uptake.
References
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