Technology Affordances in the Web-Based Learning Environment for SLA: A Case Study of a Chinese English Learner in the Time of COVID-19

Abstract

This paper reports on a case study exploring how technology affordances were perceived and acted on by a Chinese English learner in the time of COVID-19 from an ecological perspective. Qualitative data for the study came from the participant’s learning journals, a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Findings of the study indicated that learning emancipation, anxiety reduction and sociocultural identity construction were three most salient dimensions in the focal student’s perceptions and that the emergence of technology affordances in the interaction between the learner and the learning environment was a complex one, not only mediated by the learner but also sensitive to the specific knowledge area where learning was taking place. The ecological perspective and the notion of affordance adopted in the study have proved to be informative and efficient in exploring students’ perceptions and interaction with their learning environments.