Within The Context of An Online TBLL Environment, Enhancing the Negotiation of Meaning Through Task Familiarity Through the Utilization of Subtitled Videos

Abstract

Through the utilization of subtitled films, this study investigates the influence that task familiarity has on the process of meaning negotiation within the context of an online task-based language learning (TBLL) environment. The purpose of this research is to investigate the extent to which non-native speakers (NNSs) negotiate meaning in an effort to hasten the process of learning a second language and improve the ability to comprehend input. By utilizing a chat capability in WebCT-Vista and an online TBLL environment that was designed specifically for this research, ten NNS-NNS dyads worked together to complete four communicative tasks. There were five pairs of students who were shown videos with subtitles before they were required to complete the activity. The remaining five pairs of students completed the tasks without watching the videos. The level of meaning negotiation was determined by Smith (2003) by employing a variant of Gass and Varonis's (1985) negotiation of meaning sequences model for online communication. This model was specifically designed for online communication. The information that was collected from the transcripts of the conversations revealed that non-native speakers (NNSs) who had a greater level of familiarity with the tasks engaged in more extensive meaning negotiation in comparison to those who did not have such familiarity about the tasks.