MIPRO 2021, September 27 - October 01, 2021, Opatija, Croatia

Using ICT in Generating Motivation for

Foreign Language Learning: from
Traditional to Virtual Classroom
Petra Cuculić*
2021 44th International Convention on Information, Communication and Electronic Technology (MIPRO) | 978-953-233-101-1/21/$31.00 ©202110.23919/MIPRO52101.2021.9596725

*Algebra University College, Zagreb, Croatia

[email protected]

As demonstrated through an overview of the

Abstract - Language teaching and learning today are dynamic development of methodology of English language teaching
processes that are marked with continuous interaction in Thanasoulas, the foreign language teaching tradition
between the participants. Having employed adequate continually evolved through the twentieth century, slowly
teaching methods, the lecturer can create a quality placing more and more emphasis on students, their attitudes
environment for teaching thus enabling students to be
motivated, learn at an adequate pace and achieve the desired
towards the language and consequently, their motivation. In
learning outcomes. Foreign language teaching and learning the so-called Classical Method, the emphasis was on the
have been closely tied to using ICT tools in classrooms for translation methods, rules of grammar, syntax and pure
many years, since using ICT tools generates motivation in rote memorization [2]. Since learners were exposed to the
students. Therefore, teachers usually integrate a wide array foreign language only through the textual analysis, their
of tools into their lessons, ranging from audiovisual tools, knowledge was mostly passive and incomplete.
interactive presentations, whiteboards, mobile applications Communicative Language Teaching, on the other hand,
etc. However, with the change of setting from the physical represented a milestone in the development of language
classroom to the online classroom in 2020, ICT tools have teaching methodology. In this approach, the emphasis was
adopted an even more important role than they had in the
traditional classroom: they have evolved from the means of
placed on the communicative language competence of the
facilitating the teaching and learning into the medium where learner achieved by the use of language in “unrehearsed
teaching and learning take place. The aim of this paper is to contexts” [3], placing thus student in the center of the
explore how motivation and attitudes of students for learning learning process.
foreign languages are shaped in a new synchronous virtual Numerous research articles point out the importance of
medium of teaching. To explore motivation and attitudes another factor in foreign language learning which,
towards foreign language learning in a virtual classroom in according to Krashen in Moeller and Catalano, “occurs
great detail, in-depth interviews were conducted with a when the learner comprehends the language input in a low-
selected number of students who participated in a virtual anxiety, high-motivation situation, and proposed that the
Croatian Language and Culture course.
teacher’s role is to create such a learning environment.”
Key words: language teaching, language learning, ICT tools, Moeller and Catalano further argue that the place where
traditional classroom, virtual classroom, motivation, foreign language acquisition usually happens is the
attitudes, synchronous online teaching classroom, which the teacher, therefore, has to adapt into a
stimulating and stress-free environment [4]. To achieve this
I. INTRODUCTION aim in the classroom, and especially when teaching kids,
Foreign language teaching and learning, according to the teacher can employ various techniques, starting from
Moeller and Catalano are “the teaching or learning of a teaching techniques, interaction patterns, behaviour
nonnative language outside of the environment where it is management and finally, technology to generate motivation
commonly spoken.” [1]. The interrelated processes of in students.
language teaching and learning have greatly evolved since
the start of the twentieth century. The teaching of foreign II. ICT IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING
languages was initially considered a process of the Technology shapes today’s modern world and its
transmission of knowledge from the teacher to the learners. different aspects. Svensson, Zetterqvist and Ingerman argue
The approach was mainly teacher-centered, with students that “We live in a world interwoven with technology, and
as passive recipients who were supposed to develop their life in today’s society presupposes integration with
linguistic skills in the process. As opposed to the technology – physically in terms of objects and the
traditional approach, language learning is nowadays outcomes of technological processes; intellectually in terms
student-centered and it implies an extremely active and of the knowledge needed to make use of technological
engaging process for both the teacher and students. The objects and processes, as well as the knowledge manifest in
teacher’s role is considerably different than it used to be, their development and function” [5].
in fact, the teacher is no longer a transmitter of knowledge,
but rather a mediator in the teaching process where
students actively participate.

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 The interweave of technology into all aspects of our Furthermore, writing on the keyboard has become more
daily lives left a mark in teaching and learning processes important than writing by hand, even to the point that some
as well. The use of ICT in teaching processes is no longer children do not want to be bothered to acquire the skill,
only a tool that facilitates learning, but it has rather become since they mostly write on their computers or smartphones.
the principal medium of the transmission of knowledge Moreover, on various social media we are constantly
that is slowly but surely replacing the traditional bombarded with snippets of information, photos and
techniques or at least adapting them to fit the new videos, and as a result, we are often experiencing a lack of
requirements. The use of technology in teaching process concentration when we have to deal with more complex
has numerous benefits. According to Yuldashevna and tasks that demand our continuous attention, in-depth
Tuhtayevich, “The use of technology in foreign language analysis or perseverance to complete them.
learning and teaching, as some analysis show, contributes All these changes in our surroundings have influenced
in: […] supporting teacher-student collaboration, our behavioural patterns and consequently our ability to
creativity, autonomous learning, as well as the activation learn. Therefore, our teaching and learning techniques
of already acquired knowledge” [6]. must also be adapted to the new digital era. As Negoescu
Vannestal in Yuldashevna and Tuhtayevich describes and Boştină-Bratu argue in their article Teaching and
other advantages of using ICT in teaching a foreign Learning Foreign Languages with ICT, “The textbook is
language. “First of all, ICT helps to create more variation not sufficient anymore, teachers need to bring it alive by
in the classroom, which might lead to increased motivation adapting it and providing supplemental resources […] now
in the students and thus better conditions to learn the target it’s about the way teachers and students access information
language. Internet is full of free, authentic and up-to-date and via technology transform active learning into
materials that language teachers can use in their teaching. interactive learning” [9]. In teaching foreign languages
Internet provides a good opportunity for students from all today, a variety of computer tools is available to teachers
over the world to interact with each other through emails, to deliver more engaging and modern lessons. For
online calls or in a chat room. Despite what means of instance, the mere use of Power Point presentations instead
communication is chosen, ICT is likely to help develop the of writing on the blackboard or whiteboard will add to the
understanding of other culture” [7]. ICT tools indeed give teaching dynamics and provide a medium for participative
students an opportunity to interact with their peers from all learning environment. Presentations can be further
over the world, thus exchanging their ideas and acquiring enriched with audio or video effects and photos that can be
the knowledge of different cultures. Internet has made the integrated into the tool. Moreover, using different games,
whole world a global village, bringing closer different and interactive quizzes highly improves the level of
cultures and enabling their communication in real-time on student motivation, regardless of their age. If the classroom
the social media. Not only do internet and ICT facilitate is equipped with an interactive whiteboard where teachers
learning by offering a range of different learning and can project a game or an activity, this will add a pinch of
teaching tools, as well as the information at anybody’s innovation into the teaching. Interactive whiteboard with
fingertips, but they also offer a possibility of distance its touchscreen enhances collaboration between the
learning. Nowadays, it is not unlikely to see students from participants in the learning process, as well as with the
all over the world learning at the same time in the same teacher. It, moreover, enhances collaboration between the
virtual classroom. students, which helps facilitate pair and group learning.
Finally, there are various online tools that help learners
III. USING ICT IN TRADITIONAL FOREIGN build vocabulary, check their knowledge or compete with
LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS their classmates in games and quizzes designed to assess
One of the significant advantages of using ICT when their language skills. There are also tools for practicing the
teaching foreign languages in physical classrooms is pronunciation skills, grammar skills, and writing skills.
greater student participation and higher motivation. In the Internet itself with various news portals, dictionaries and
article The Effects of ICT on Learning/Teaching in a online encyclopaedias is a rich source of teaching and
Foreign Language Houcine claims that “Teachers learning materials that teachers can use in the classroom.
reported on their learners being engaged, motivated and There are also various learning materials sorted by
attentive […], while the enhancement of linguistic difficulty for learners with different language levels. What
competence combined with motivation and challenge led is more, internet is a gold mine for students with higher-
to more autonomy and initiative (to do research on the level language skills who can enjoy in real, and
Web, to propose links, to use online dictionaries and linguistically unadapted content and thus take advantage
encyclopaedias)” [8]. Surrounded by various digital tools of a unique opportunity to experience language
in our everyday lives, such as, smartphones, tablets, environment of native speakers.
laptops, smart TVs, watches and omnipresent internet,
learners have started processing information differently
than for example, 20 years before.
For instance, rote memorization has become an obsolete
skill in today’s world because we do not need to memorize
trivial details anymore, since we can access any
information on internet in a matter of seconds.

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 V. VIRTUAL CROATIAN
IV. USING ICT IN VIRTUAL LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
FOREIGN LANGUAGE COURSE
CLASSROOMS
The aim of the Croatian Language and Culture course is
Online teaching has made an important breakthrough to equip students with essential language skills and provide
during the time of the pandemic. With the onset of the a general overview of the Croatian culture. The added value
worldwide pandemic and the introduction of lockdown of the course is the strengthening of students’ cultural
measures in numerous countries, the educational competence. All in all, the course aims to prepare students
institutions were faced with unprecedented challenges. for everyday basic communication, as well as introduce
Both students and teachers were unable to physically them to Croatian customs, culture and history. Different
attend or hold lessons and schools and had to organize interaction patterns are used in various activities, so
distance learning or online teaching as soon as possible. students have a chance to work on their own, in pairs and in
Online teaching and learning have marked a significant a team, competing against each other. Having completed
growth in such circumstances, accompanied by the the course, students will acquire basic grammar and
increased usage of online teaching tools and platforms. vocabulary skills, as well as a selected array of
Foreign languages teaching was no different than other conversational functions and thus form a solid basis for
fields. further developing and practicing their language skills.
As Maican and Cocorada argue in their article Online Students will also remember historical, cultural and
Foreign Language Learning in Higher Education and Its geographical facts about Croatia.
Correlates during the COVID-19 Pandemic the rise of
A. Synchronous Online Teaching at
online language courses started long before COVID-19
Croatian Language and Culture course
pandemic. “In line with the progress in other educational
fields, the last decade has seen a significant expansion of The course was moved into an online teaching setting
online language courses, offered by educational due to COVID-19 pandemic and was therefore taught via
institutions or by specialized platforms such as Mondly, Microsoft Teams that was selected as the platform that
Duolingo, Livemocha, Rosetta Stone. […] Offering an would offer the most interactive interface for foreign
overview of the studies conducted between 1981 and 2005 language teaching and learning. Microsoft Teams
on the use of CALL (Computer Assisted Language combines the options of videoconferencing, important for
Learning) in language learning at all education levels, a synchronous language lessons, moreover it has the option
past study highlighted positive effects as regards in […] to share the teacher’s screen and share the presentation.
connection with the students’ involvement in the foreign Interactive whiteboard that is integrated into the tool is a
language class and with their attitude towards ICT use, good option that replaces the traditional classroom
provided the technology stability and support are ensured” blackboard in an online setting. In Microsoft Teams, all
[10]. Online language teaching can be divided into two participants can interact during the course, have their
categories – synchronous and asynchronous. As their cameras turned on during the lesson and raise their hands
names imply, synchronous teaching happens in real time or turn on their microphones when they want to ask a
and requires student interaction, while asynchronous question or when the teacher calls out their name. The chat
teaching provides learning materials for the students who option is also useful for asking questions to which the
can study at their own pace and at their convenience. teacher can later give an answer. Moreover, students can
easily share their completed written tasks either by sharing
When it comes to foreign language online teaching,
their screens or sending the answers in the chat. It is easy
synchronous approach is a much more natural option. The
to project videos from the platform or play audio files and
synchronous approach presupposes teaching in real-time,
it is also easy to integrate various applications, such as
just as teaching in a language classroom does. There is a
Kahoot, Nearpod, Polly etc. in the platform.
wide variety of online platforms that offer a suitable setting
for synchronous online foreign language teaching, such as B. Course Structure and Learners’
Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Classroom, whereby, Backgrounds
Zoom and Microsoft Teams offer the possibility of The course was taught on elementary level since the
videoconferencing apart from the option of sharing files learners had little or no prior Croatian language knowledge.
and doing collaborative work. Zoom as a platform is more Since the students came from different academic, linguistic
specialized for videoconferencing and chatting, while and cultural backgrounds, namely from Mexico, Italy and
Microsoft Teams includes all abovementioned services India, the language of instruction was English. The course
with a few extra possibilities such as the integration of consisted of 23 contact hours and took place on a daily
various applications. Asynchronous online foreign basis. For the completion of the course, the students were
language teaching is a good option for self-study activities awarded with 2 ECTS. The course structure was divided
or as a platform for practicing knowledge and skills into two parts, practical exercises where students practiced
acquired in a language classroom. their language skills, and a lecture aimed at developing the
students’ cultural competence. The teaching platform used
was Microsoft Teams and teaching was synchronous, so as
to bridge the gap between several different time zones.

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 The teacher had the camera and microphone turned on linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
during the whole lesson in order to mimic the real
B. Research Methods and participants
classroom setting and to facilitate learning the language,
for example, when practicing pronunciation skills. Since there were 11 students participating in the
Students decided whether they wanted to turn on the Croatian Language and Culture course, two students were
camera and microphone or not, however, during speaking chosen to participate in the research. One student came
exercises, it was mandatory to have the microphone on. from India and the other from Mexico, they were aged 21
Additional online tools used were You Tube videos (music and 27, respectively and both of them were female. The
and movie excerpts) Power Point presentations (used to aim of the student 1 (aged 27, from Mexico) in taking up
present and explain the topic, provide examples and short the Croatian Language and Culture course was to get a
oral exercises), Kahoot quizzes (used at the end of the general overview of the Croatian language, as well as to
lesson as a revision tool), Nearpod interactive games (used learn simple everyday conversational phrases. The student
as collaborative tools – polls, interactive pinboards). The had no prior linguistic knowledge and had a vague idea
aim of the course was to teach the students to read, write about the culture; the student was poorly motivated at the
and use a selected array of everyday Croatian words and beginning of the course. The student developed interest in
key conversational phrases, to be able to explain the the course early on and was relatively active during
general overview of the Croatian history, geography, lessons. The student 1 passed the course and earned 2
customs, culture, and finally to create positive attitudes ECTS. The aim of the student 2 (aged 21, from India) in
towards the language and culture among students, as well taking up the Croatian Language and Culture course was
as to motivate them to continue learning the language. To to further develop basic linguistic skills the student had
pass the course, students had to pass two learning already acquired and also to improve the general
outcomes by doing a project on their own or in pairs and knowledge about the Croatian culture, history, geography
by presenting it to the whole class. and lifestyle. The student had prior elementary knowledge
about Croatia and the Croatian language because she spent
VI. RESEARCH 5 months living in Croatia during Erasmus+ mobility. The
student was highly active and motivated since the start of
The general research aim of this article is to determine the course and was very eager to learn more and do the
whether synchronous online foreign language teaching of extra tasks. The student passed the course and earned 2
Croatian Language and Culture course using ICT tools can ECTS.
develop students’ motivation and positive attitudes
towards foreign language learning, as using ICT tools The research was conducted using a semi-structured
traditional classrooms can generate motivation in students. in-depth interview with nine questions, out of which six
To fulfill the research aim more easily, the following were open-ended questions and three closed-ended
questions were used by the interviewer: questions. Additional questions at the beginning of the
interview were related to demographics. For some
1. How interesting and useful were the digital tools questions, the participants had to indicate the extent to
used in the Croatian Language and Culture which they agree or disagree with them. The level of
course? (on a scale of 1-10). Please answer the agreement or disagreement was defined using a Likert
question first and then elaborate. scale.
Finally, a qualitative method was used to analyse the
2. Assess the degree of interaction (student – results of the research. For the purpose of this article, the
student, teacher – student) in the CL&C online emphasis is put on the analysis of the 5 selected questions,
lesson (on a scale of 1-10). Please answer the which are listed in the following paragraph.
question first and then elaborate.
C. Research Results – Interpretation
3. Compare the quality of information you would get
The students were asked the following set of questions in
in a traditional physical classroom with the
the semi-structured in-depth interview:
information obtained via the online platform.
4. Can virtual CL&C course encourage further 1. How interesting and useful were the digital tools used
learning of the Croatian language? Why? in the Croatian Language and Culture course? (on a
5. What are the observed shortcomings of the CL&C scale of 1-10). Please answer the question first and then
online course? Is there anything that could be elaborate.
improved and how? Student 1 - 9, because the inevitable glitches that occur
break up the flow of the class. The standard communal
A. Research Sample sense of the classroom that is created when students are
Due to a small number of students in the course (11), playing guessing games using digital tools breaks up
two student volunteers who completed the program were fast if the tool glitches or communication is broken due
chosen to take part in semi-structured in-depth interviews. to poor WIFI.
This research method was selected to get a broader
overview on a smaller representative sample. The prior Student 2 - The meetings arranged through Microsoft
Croatian language and culture knowledge of both students Teams helped in creating an interactive session between
was elementary. The students came from different the students and the teacher. Along with that, the

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 teacher took us on the virtual tour around Croatia the gap between the traditional teaching and online
through Youtube videos which made us feel more teaching. So the quality of information was good. But
intrigued. Kahoot is my personal favourite tool for the if there had been traditional classes then we could have
Croatian language & Culture multiple choice quizzes. tried speaking Croatian at different places and observe
Being apart from each other, sitting in different the speaking skills. We could have seen the Croatian
countries but connected remotely we felt like sitting culture on our own. Now after online learning we can
next to each other in the same classroom. easily manage to travel physically to Croatia and
explore more.
Student 1 finds the digital teaching tools useful but
exemplifies the problems in synchronous online Student 1 thinks that information acquired in a traditional
teaching/learning that can arise due to a slow internet classroom would be of a higher quality and that the level of
connection. Student 2 finds the digital teaching tools student attention is higher when they are attending onsite
interactive and thinks that they helped create class cohesion. lessons. Student 2 thinks that the digital tools used in online
lessons managed to provide a stimulating learning
2. Assess the degree of interaction (student – environment. Student 2 regrets not having the opportunity
student, teacher – student) in the virtual CL&C to physically experience the culture come in contact with the
lesson (on a scale of 1-10). Please answer the native speakers of the language.
question first and then elaborate.
Student 1 - 10, given that the group of students had no 4. Can virtual CL&C course encourage further
interaction previous to attending the online CL&C learning of the Croatian language? Why?
lessons, the sense of togetherness and classroom Student 1 - Absolutely. Primarily because they are well
comraderie that had developed during the course was targeted for the specific audience consisting of young
extraordinary. We first started attending the course people. The historical overview was just enough to
without any particular interest in its subject-matter, intrigue the students but not bore them and the pop
however; we had grown to appreciate the course culture references have been well chosen to appeal to
material and explore the topics covered in more depth an international audience while still representing the
for their final presentations. Croatian mainstream.
Student 2 - The degree of interaction (student – Student 2 - Yes, virtual CL&C course can encourage
student, teacher – student) in the Croatian Language further learning of the Croatian language. The
and Culture online class was 10. We could smoothly materials provided by the teacher helped us in basic
share our views by unmuting or writing in a chat box. understanding of Croatian Language, which will make
The teacher led the discussion and encouraged us to the advanced learning more interesting.
participate in the class. In that way, we got the
opportunity to learn from each other. The teacher Both students agree that virtual Croatian Language and
increased the involvement of learners by organising Culture course can encourage further learning of the
online quizzes, asking questions. It was amazing to ask language.
“Bok! Kako ste?” and greet each other at the end of
the class in Croatian language making classes 5. What are the observed shortcomings of the CL&C
amusing and interactive. online course? Is there anything that could be
improved and how?
Student 1 thinks that the interactivity of the course helped Student 1 - The only shortcoming would be the glitches
create a sense of togetherness and group participation in a that occurred on several occasions during the teacher's
group of students that had not known each other before the presentation. Namely, problems with sound
start of the program. Student 2 thinks that it was easy to reproduction, poor WIFI or issues with audio,
communicate with the teacher and other students during the however; these are mainly beyond the control of the
lesson due to the microphone and chat options. Also, the teacher.
teacher encouraged class interaction.
Student 2 - I am fully satisfied with the performance of
3. Compare the quality of information you would CL&C coursework and I would rate 10 as classes quite
get in a traditional physical classroom lesson with engaging. Starting from basic Croatian language
the information obtained via the online platform. letters to ordering food in restaurants was a fabulous
journey. We get to know about the different Croatian
Student 1 - Information acquired in a classroom cities, foods, festivals, inventions, songs and many
onsite would doubtlessly be of a higher quality as more. It was a wholesome package to explore Croatian
more ground could be covered and more spontaneous Language and Culture.
interactions could develop. I also believe that the level
of student attention is much higher when they are Student 1 exemplifies the technical problems with
facing the teacher in comparison to following the sound reproduction or poor WIFI connection as the
classes via their personal computers. main shortcomings of the online course. Student 2 does
not name any shortcomings and expresses overall
Student 2 – The teacher used modern tools to bridge

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 satisfaction with the course, especially thanks to to review study materials which are easily available, but
engaging classes. does not create class cohesion or a sense of togetherness
among students.
VII. CONCLUSION
However, an undeniably added value of virtual foreign
The results of in-depth interviews carried out language teaching and learning is the possibility of
among the participants of the Croatian Language and simultaneously connecting learners from all around the
Culture course have shown that virtual classrooms provide world via an online platform. In such an environment,
a good platform and a stimulating environment for foreign students can not only learn the foreign language and explore
language teaching and learning. the culture of the nation in question, but also strengthen
Microsoft Teams proved to be a suitable platform for their intercultural competences by interacting with their
online teaching when it comes to the Croatian Language peers from around the globe without having to leave their
and Culture course, because it simulated a real classroom home country or their home.
environment with the options of videoconferencing, REFERENCS
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traditional classroom, the teacher can use ICT tools to
enhance student participation and motivation. Virtual
classrooms offer a good alternative to traditional
classrooms if ICT tools are employed, since they help
bridge the gap between different time zones, students with
different backgrounds, as well as help create class
cohesion and a sense of interaction among students, which,
consequently, help generate motivation. Synchronous
virtual teaching presupposes teaching in real-time, and it is
important in foreign language teaching and learning
because the students can interact among themselves and
with the teacher, as well as practice their listening and
speaking skills in real time. The shortcomings in this
approach are technical difficulties, such as poor WIFI
quality or occasional glitches that can hinder the process
of teaching. Asynchronous online foreign language
teaching, on the other hand, gives students the possibility

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