Students' Learning Styles and Learning Effects

This chapter introduces the concept of learning style and Memletics learning style inventory, and uses open-source data mining software WEKA to cluster the students of experiment classes in four high schools according to the values of seven dimensions in the Memletics learning style inventory that are calculated based on the survey result about their learning styles. The clustering result demonstrates that verbal and physical are always positively associated with exam scores, visual dimension usually has negative association with score exams; the association of learning style with exam scores remains almost static, and the high, medium, and low sum of dimension values of learning style corresponds to high schools in developed, developing, and undeveloped area in China, respectively. The findings are analyzed. The implication of learning style for intelligent instruction of English subject as a foreign language is suggested.

The Web-Based Intelligent English Instruction System CSIEC

This chapter presents the architecture of Web-based intelligent English instruction system CSIEC (Computer Simulation in Educational Communication) and illustrates its important components with examples: dialogue simulation functions including multiple roles talk show and user participating roles play, vocabulary exercises including crossword, single choice questions and cloze questions, listening, reading comprehension, grammar exercises, reading aloud, individual learner portfolios, collaborative learning, the teacher's management function, feedback, and so on. The system's function of instant feedback to every student and statistical analysis upon all students' responses to question answers characterizes this system as a learner response system. The Web-based system can be browsed not only by the user through traditional personal computers but also through fashionable tablet computers. Besides the Web-based system, a standalone vocabulary learning and assessment system for Windows OS is developed. Its functions are also introduced.

Theories and Literatures for Technology-Enhanced Language Instruction

This chapter examines the related literatures and theories for technology-enhanced language instruction. Blended learning, as computer-assisted instruction, has a positive effect on students' learning performances. The research on long-term applications of blended learning in language instruction in middle schools and its effects is hard to find. Nevertheless, some defects exist in the few studies. In China there are much fewer empirical studies on the effects of blended learning on language learning represented by examination scores. Vocabulary learning is essential to English learning and requires the mastery of the pronunciation, spelling, and meaning. Computer-assisted vocabulary learning can provide choice and cloze questions regarding the pronunciation, spelling, and meaning, and give the students instant feedback and grading. The literature review suggests that a quasi-experiment for at least one school term or even longer time in different schools located in various areas is valuable to assure the results' reliability.

Information and Communication Technology and Language Education

This chapter introduces the definition of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and its concise history along the development of three generations of computers from 1940s to now. It then summarizes the influence of ICT on language education in general. Standalone computer software facilitates the knowledge and skills acquirement and transformation in language learning, including vocabulary, grammar, reading, writing, listening, and speaking, and boosts motivation and interest. The Internet and mobile technology supply not only unlimited resources and practice opportunities but also authentic communication via text or speech for language learners worldwide. Intelligent computer-assisted language learning programs can analyze the learners' text and speech syntactically and semantically, formulate corresponding responses, and provide comprehensive language resources and support. It is equally important to realize that language learning can improve the learner's information literacy, including the knowledge and skill to acquire and apply ICT in daily life, learning, and work.

Conclusion and Discussion

This chapter summarizes the findings from exam scores, student survey answers, and interview results, and concludes that the blended learning supported by Web-based intelligent system CSIEC has a positive impact on students' learning performances in English exams, as well as on their learning interest and motivation. Then the project's positive impact on teachers' professional development is analyzed. The project's cost-effectiveness ratio and the scholarly values and practical implication of this research are also discussed. The future work, including personalized and individualized learning based on every student's learning style, is suggested. Based on the empirical study of the integration of the intelligent Web-based English instruction into middle schools, some policy orientation for ICT application in education is also proposed at the end, including full use of ICT equipment and software in schools, teaching, learning, and assessing English step by step and paying special attention to the disadvantaged students in undeveloped areas.

The Analysis of Student Survey and Interview Results

This chapter presents the statistical results and analysis of survey answers and the interview results from four participating schools from September 2010 to July 2012. The findings, based on descriptive statistics, T-tests, and qualitative content analysis, demonstrate that the Web-based intelligent English instruction system CSIEC is easy to use, interesting, and motivating, and helps the students with their vocabulary mastery, listening comprehension, and other learned knowledge, and can improve the students' learning efficiency and exam scores. The students hope to continue to use it in future English learning and recommend it to others. The most impressive functions of the blended learning for the students include human-computer interaction, instant feedback, and vocabulary learning. The findings are consistent with the results and findings in a large amount of previous literature related with the students' perception toward computer application in education or blended learning approach, and especially in language education.

The Analysis of Examination Scores

This chapter analyzes the scores of experiment and control students in four middle schools in regular and vocabulary tests from September 2010 to July 2012. Descriptive statistics are calculated and shown in tables and line charts, including means, standard deviations, T-tests, and effect sizes comparing the means of experiment and control class in the same exam. If both vocabulary pretest and posttest with the same test content were conducted, the T-test comparing the means of pretest and posttest and the effect size are also calculated. The statistical findings demonstrate that the blended learning with CSIEC system has more positive effect on students' learning achievement in regular examinations and especially in vocabulary acquisition than the traditional approach. The quasi-experiments verified the positive effect's reliability and validity regarding the equivalence of the treatment and control class, the participants' ages/grades, the teachers' experiences, the learning materials, and the schools' locations and teaching qualities.

Digital Classrooms Equipped with Tablet Computers as the Students' Learning Companions

This chapter briefly reviews the history of tablet computers and other mobile devices and their application in education as electronic textbooks, schoolbags, and learning companions. The tablet computers can be used as students' electronic learning companions because of their intelligence and interactivity. The conventional classroom will become a digital classroom if every student is equipped with a tablet computer and all the students' and the teachers' computers are connected by the wireless network. Supported by the intelligent instruction system CSIEC, all the students can instantly interact with the learning content, other students, and the teacher. The teacher can monitor the learning process of all students and give instant and individual feedback to every student. This chapter introduces the instructional design principles of such a digital classroom for English in junior high schools. The design's pilot application demonstrated that this approach interested and motivated the pupils in the classroom.

The Cost-Effect Analysis of Integration of CSIEC System into English Instruction

This chapter introduces the concept of educational efficiency and its calculating formula to describe the effect, cost, and duration of an educational system composing learners, teachers, and learning content and instructional approaches. Then the formula is used to compare the cost-effectiveness of the blended learning with CSIEC system and that of the traditional teaching and learning approach. Given the fact that the intelligence improvement with CSIEC system is greater than that with the traditional approach and the performance-price ratio of the latest computer and Internet access is increased much, the cost-effectiveness with CSIEC system is much greater than that with the traditional approach. International comparison shows that the effectiveness-cost ratio in the case of blended learning with CSIEC is higher, and the feasibility analysis suggests a cost-effective way to make full use of the investment in education to improve the students' learning performances.

The Design and Implementation of English Instruction in Four High Schools with CSIEC System

It is an important but complicated issue to investigate the long-term effect of the intelligent Web-based English instruction system CSIEC on students' learning performance with satisfying reliability and validity. This chapter introduces three years' process of the design and implementation of English instruction in four diverse high schools with the CSIEC system (i.e. the integration of CSIEC system into English instruction in four high schools: the project team organization, the survey and user needs analysis before the project implementation, system design, programming and test, the process of CSIEC's integration into English classes, and phase meetings). The management issues of the project were thought to guarantee its successful implementation in four different high schools located in distant provinces in China.