In and out of the frame of a desktop videoconferencing interaction

Ciara R. Wigham & Nicolas Guichon

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Webconferencing-supported teaching• screen as technological and semiotic interface (Souchier et al.,

2003)

• array of information through different modes

• focus attention during pedagogical interaction – other semiotic resources pushed into the background (Guichon & Cohen, 2014)

• webcam image mediates and organises pedagogical interaction – meaning-making potential

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Different perspectives

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Attention to framing• Framing determined by participants

• Attending to the content of the frame – adjusting camera or sitting more / less close

head & torso shotclose-up

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Importance of framing• offers unique semiotic possibilities allowing users “to be

present to one another and to be aware of the people's presence” (Jones, 2004:23)

• contributes to “impression formation, rapport, and acquaintanceship development” (Manstead, Lea & Goh, 2011:147)

• helps regulate the interaction, for instance by helping define turn-taking and reducing overlaps (Bitti & Garotti, 2011)

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Research questions

• How do trainee-teachers position themselves in front of the webcam?

• To what extent are trainee-teachers aware of how framing could enhance or constrain interaction?

• What are the communicational functions of gestures that are visible / invisible in the frame?

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Context

12 trainee-teachersFrench as a foreign language Master’s programme

Online teaching module

18 undergraduate business students

French for academic purposes (business)CEFR B1.2 exit level

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1. Trainee-teacher pair prepare

pedagogical scenario2. Scenario presented

to classmates and LCU teacher for

feedback.

3. Scenario modified and validated by DCU

teacher.

4. Each trainee-teacher prepares

scenario in Visu for group of two students

5. Online telecollaboration

interactions

6. Reflective feedback session between trainee-teachers

7. Each teacher-trainee re-watches the online session and leaves online feedback for his

students.

Pedagogical scenario

• Seven 40-minute sessions, Autumn 2013

• Visu webconferencing platform

• Thematic sessions, Business French

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Research data• Three sessions:

Video recordings of hors-champ environment

Recordings of webcam image

• Screen shot data at minute 17 of sessions (66)

• Recordings of student post-course interviews

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unframed68%

framed32%

canted55%

balanced45%

lateral29%

frontal71%

Trainee-teachers’ framing choices

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extreme close-up(focus on part of face)

head & torsoshot

Framing continuumclose-up

(face saturates screen)head & shoulders

shot

7.6% 31.8% 43.9% 16.7%

framing choices at minute 17

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Extreme close-up framing• Part of the face is hidden from view• Student forced to focus on the audio (mouth

hidden)• Effect on interaction? - turn-taking? regulators?

‘when you’re learning it’s easier to look at the lips…I found it helpful seeing her’ (s8)

‘I found that she talked to the table more than you know so it was a bit harder when she spoke’ (s8)

‘only focusing on the audio was less personal’ (s9)

‘when she uses words with /r/ I look to see if she’s doing something special with her mouth’ (s2)

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Portrait framing• mimics seen

• gesture space opened

‘it felt more comfortable to see who you were

talking to … we could see what was happening if she

was laughing’ (s8)

‘I said something in Spanish she pouted it was a joke if I hadn’t

seen her I would have thought she was angry’ (s2)

‘she tried to use her hands a lot to explain

things …it’s more attractive… you listen more to what she says’

(s8)

but… some extra-communicative gestures become in view, e.g. thinking gestures

effect on interaction? ‘it was really easy to see when she [the trainee-teacher] was in difficulty

for example when she asked a question and s54 didn’t reply and I was thinking you could see in her face argh what do I do now what do I say when she

made her ‘I-don’t-know-what-to-do face’ I tried to think more quickly’ (s48)

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Visible and invisible gestures

Both hands, circular rotating movement.

“notre thème aujourd’hui”

(our theme today)

Both hands, thumbs up. 

“nickel” (great)

1 2 30

50

100

150

200

250

total hors-champ gestures visible webcam gestures barely visible webcam gestures

Gestures in and out of the frame

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Extra-communicative ‘distracting’ gestures

• Don’t display any semiotic meaning

• Don’t convey any information• Auto-centred gestures

• Forget the presence of the webcam or too focused on their own image?

• Yield some naturalness to the interaction

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Missed opportunities

Left hand index and middle finger extended.

“ces deux dernières semaines t’as fait quoi ?” (what did you do the past two weeks?)

“alors toi tu était salariée parce que tu gagnais de l’argent okay?“so you you were employed because you were earning money okay?

et moi je suis bénévole parce que je travailleand I’m a volunteer because I work

mais je ne gagne pas d’argent”but I don’t earn any money” 

Useful for mutual comprehension

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Conclusions & perspectives• Access to own image increased potential to communicate

effectively (see Yamada & Akahori, 2009)

• Help trainee-teachers develop critical semiotic awareness concerning framing and orchestration of different semiotic modalities (Guichon, 2013)

• Analysis of gestures shows that a certain amount of information is not conveyed at this level. Future study of trainee-teachers’ use of mimics, nods, smiles and in the interaction

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Thanks! Merci beaucoup !

nicolas.guichon@univ-lyon2.frhttp://icar.univ-lyon2.fr/membres/nguichon/

ciara.wigham@univ-lyon2.frhttp://icar.univ-lyon2.fr/membres/cwigham/

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Trainee-teachers’ reflection on framing

‘we give the impression that we’re moving back when we can hear well and that we move closer to the screen when we can’t

hear as well – I need to hear you!’ (tt10)

‘try to communicate an emotion when we move closer

to the screen – there’s a pyschological obstacle we can’t shake his hand so we

move closer’ (tt24)

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communica

tive ac

tion

extra-

communica

tive acti

onbea

t

deictic

emblem ico

nic

metaphoric

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50

100

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200

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Total hors-champ Visible in webcam

Communicative functions of gestures

…framing choices lead to missed opportunities?