As experiências com as tics no uso do inglês como L2: um estudo com base em frequências lexicais e análise de conteúdo

Abstract

This research investigates the mediation technologies related to English and the way they are perceived by users, undergraduate students, survey participants to use and the perception ofEnglish learning (L2). In this research, concepts and ideas about The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), affordances, and English learning (L2), are highlighted in the literature review. Data were collected through an online survey available on Surveygizmo web-based software. In order to carry out data analyses, corpus techniques areused for language exploration as a methodology, through a written corpus, identifying lexical items related to ICT, their frequency and affordance evidences in the participants narratives.Some key results are: (1) the frequency list results show the impact of mediation technologies in informal learning contexts related to English language contact evidenced in the participants lexical items choice. The media influence revealed in lexical items such as FILMS, SERIES, SUBTILTES, MUSIC, INTERNET AND GAMES, and its role to fosterlinguistic contact opportunities in English language, confirms convergence axis between ICT and English (L2). (2) Mediation Technologies use related to English revealed by participantssuggests media environments, such as TV and Internet as environments with potential to language learning and acquisition, because they afford a rich and natural learning context, without putting aside recreational values. Besides, these environments foster affordances thatdevelop language skills with real life association contexts, and language contact in interaction situations outside the school borders. Therefore, activities such as virtual games, surfing the Internet, films, series, and music in the light of an ecological view of learning, foster linguisticand social affordances to use and learn L2. This research data confirms the tendency already detected in Silva (2012), suggesting that the media influence programs/series/films and music in English, online games, as technological tools used by learners as means of having contactwith English Language outside the school environment. However, it is worth mentioning that the data in the current study are evidences of learning perception, but they do not confirm if learning actually happened.