The overarching objective of this project was to determine if there was a significant different on the quality of student essays when discussed in class orally first or whether that discussion took place online in an asynchronous environment. More specifically, does articulating the topic and activating the vocabulary orally have a greater or lesser impact than a written online discussion on the grammar and content of student essays and on student performance in essay interviews?

The overarching objective of this project was to determine if there was a significant different on the quality of student essays when discussed in class orally first or whether that discussion took place online in an asynchronous environment. More specifically, does articulating the topic and activating the vocabulary orally have a greater or lesser impact than a written online discussion on the grammar and content of student essays and on student performance in essay interviews?

Discussion Set-Up and Grading:  In-class discussions were structured so that students were in groups of four (sometimes three) and were given a series of questions through which to interact and articulate the topic under analysis.  Groups had freedom to address questions in any order. Their overall goal was to really feel that they had a discussion in which all contributed and in which the floor was fairly well distributed. 

Online discussions were structured so that students were in groups of four (sometimes three) and were given a series of questions through which to interact and articulate the topic under analysis. In this discussion, however, the order was fixed and deadlines had to be met so that output was individual opinion, respond to peers’ opinions, negotiate differences, and collaborate to put forth “best” answers for the class.

Before the first in-class discussion and before the first online discussion, students were shown the pattern that the discussion would take. In fact, the topic was introduced through a reading with questions and then extended out.  Thus, they were able to prepare vocabulary and ideas for both discussions.  Similarly, before the first oral interview, students were given a set of clear directions and questions to guide them through the process of talking about their essay on a specific topic.

In-class discussions were graded in two ways – by a group of peers and by the instructor.  Essays were graded on structure, content, grammar and language, the latter three being the focus for this research. Online discussions were graded on clarity of expression and ideas. 

Oral interviews were ten-minute interviews in which students had to talk about their essay and their topic. Interviews were graded on qualities similar to those sought in the oral discussions, clarity, pronunciation, and content.

Essay were graded on structure, coherence, unity, content, language and grammar.  Data collection was kept simple.  A spreadsheet of grades for each discussion and essay. 

I intended to record the in-class discussions as well as the oral interviews. However, this was too impractical as the in-class discussions involved 8-9 groups all talking at the same time. The oral interviews were recorded as planned.  As noted on the original amendment, I was the sole grader/assesser for the project.

Originally essays were to be graded on content, grammar, and language. Traditionally, I also grade on structure, coherence, unity as well as the above. I chose to return to the traditional because the oral discussions also demand structure, coherence, and unity and to negate them from the mix seemed unnecessary.

There is debate amongst some as to whether ESL students really can fully benefit from an online learning environment in terms of orally processing information.  I had been using online discussions for a few semesters and wondered if they really could replace face-to-face interaction and processing.

It is to be noted that the difference between the online and the in-class discussion was not just one of physical interaction but also one of time. I did not make the discussion synchronous because this class is not an online class per se and students needed the flexibility that an asynchronous discussion offered.  This difference may be a study in and of itself.  In the online format some students missed deadlines in the discussion process and that led to a reduction in their grade.  This added the element of whether non-discussion participation negatively impacted grades, but I couldn't analyze that in this project. 

Overall, there was no significant difference between those that did well on the discussions and those that did well in the interviews. While there were a few who did poorly on the interview or discussion by pure lack of preparation, those who did well in the discussion also did well in the interview.

The relationship between the discussion and the essays is a more complicated one.  For the oral discussions it is an oral-written relationship whereas for the online discussion it is a written-written relationship.  This might imply that online discussion performance and essay performance are more closely related just as oral discussion and oral interview performance might be more closely related.  However, the students that performed very will in either the online or the oral discussion performed equally well on the essay. Similarly, students that did poorly or inadequately in the discussions paralleled that performance in their essays. 

While I set out to discover whether the oral or the in-class discussion impacted students' performance on other graded parts of the class, namely interviews and essays, I found myself raising more significant questions. Perhaps the most notable observation is that the discussions were graded and required thought and preparation. Students who put in that thought and prepared did well. Is it then just a question of preparation? Are the assignments so structured that preparation in one really does lead to performance in another or is it the students who prepared equally and separately for each assignment?  Would a synchronous discussion yield different results?

Through this research project, I am able to reinforce to my students that preparation is indispensable to performance and, moreover, that both forms of discussion are not only valid but also key steps in developing their writing skills.  Being able to validate these points through a research project is beneficial to myself as the instructor and interesting to my students.  ESL students run the gamut from expert to absolute novice and they need something beyond the teacher’s word that the use of technology is linguistically appropriate.  This project is another way of doing that. In addition, students need a variety of options for learning and as this project shows, one style of discussion did not surpass the other but some students did express a preference for one over the other. This is an important aspect that should not be overlooked.  For online classes, the results validate my belief that online learning is more than an adequate form of learning and that online discussions can and do help students prepare for formal oral interviews and essay writing.

Informed teaching is irreplaceable and it is through projects like this that we become informed and with the new information adapt our teaching.