The value of interactive polling and intrinsic motivation when using English as a medium of instruction

초록

Understanding how technology is used to foster active learning and why it is effective is important in advancing educational practices. The purpose of this study was to test adopting in-class interactive polling to engage college students' learning in their non-native language. After adopting interactive polling activities for six weeks, non-native speakers of English enrolled in a content-based class taught in English were invited to participate in a survey measuring the outcomes of the intervention. The results showed that students found it more comfortable responding to polls using their smartphones rather than verbally responding to questions in the classroom. Guided by self-determination theory, the results demonstrate that students who report high intrinsic motivation to participate in in-class polling exercises exhibit a more favorable attitude, find the class more engaging, feel they perform better on tests because of the polling exercise, and show higher level of perceived learning than those who reported low intrinsic motivation. The importance of facilitating sustainable student learning by using interactive technology to improve the quality of content-based learning and minimize the potential downside of using English as a medium of instruction is discussed. © 2020 by the authors.

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