Learning english vocabulary collaboratively in a technology-supported classroom

This study was intended to investigate whether computer-assisted collaborative learning is comparable with computer-free and individual learning; in particular, it examined each of their effects on learning English vocabulary, followed by an analysis of their behavior patterns. In a junior high school in northern Taiwan, a normal classroom was first equipped with an interactive whiteboard and seven all-in-one touchscreen desktop computers. All participants from three intact classes, 76 students in total, were asked to finish five review activities of the target English vocabulary and assigned to one of the following groups: the learning for the group of computer-supported collaboration took place in the technology-supported classroom whereas that of computer-free collaboration and that of computer-free non-collaboration in a normal classroom. The results of the vocabulary tests showed no significant differences among the three groups; those learning English vocabulary collaboratively in a technology-enhanced environment outperformed the other two groups in vocabulary retention. In addition, analyses of the group's behaviors before the touchscreen desktop computers echoed and explained their better performances than the other two groups.