abstract - web viewit is generally believed that the teaching assistants (tas) play an important...
Post on 03-Feb-2018
213 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
The Native Speaker Assistant as a resource
for enhancing students’ proficiency with the
Spanish language: a case study
Jorge Granados Trujillo
Education Studies
May 2012
Presented as part of the requirement for an award within the Undergraduate
Modular Scheme at the University of Gloucestershire
Abstract
It is generally believed that the Teaching Assistants (TAs) play an important
role in supporting both teachers and students, helping schools to raise their
academic standards. However, beyond this general belief, there is little
evidence of how TAs actually contribute to students’ achievement. This is
due to the fact that the role remains little understood and poorly researched,
with some important gaps in knowledge still existing in this field. Given the
increasing pedagogical role of TAs, it is very important to address this
situation. As an example of TAs developing a pedagogical role, this research
focused on the work of the Native Teaching Assistant (NTA) in secondary
schools supporting students’ learning of a foreign language. Its purpose was
to offer an insight into the NTA role, in order to determine the effectiveness of
the NTA’s support in improving students’ proficiency in the target language,
and how this varies depending on the way that the NTA is deployed by the
teacher. For this purpose, a case study was conducted in a secondary
school, looking at a Spanish NTA. A mixed approach was employed for the
collection of data, involving the analysis of students’ GCSE and A-level
Spanish speaking test results; questionnaires given to Spanish teachers,
NTA and students and non-participant classroom observations. The findings
indicated that the NTA’s support had an impact on the improvement of
students’ Spanish language skills, in particular on the development of their
oral, pronunciation and vocabulary skills. Spanish teachers were also found
to make better use of the NTA’s pedagogical abilities when she was
deployed outside the classroom to support small groups of students. The
study concluded that further research was needed in order to gain a better
understanding of the effectiveness of the NTA role. A wider range of contexts
and larger samples would have to be analysed than those which were
available for use in this study.
Contents
i
Declaration....................................................................................................... i
Declaration...................................................................................................... ii
Abstract........................................................................................................... iii
Contents......................................................................................................... iv
Table of figures................................................................................................v
Introduction.....................................................................................................1
Literature Review............................................................................................5
Methodology..................................................................................................13
Analysis and findings....................................................................................20
Students’ GCSE and A-level Spanish speaking test results from 2004 to
2010...........................................................................................................20
Questionnaires..........................................................................................23
Classroom observations............................................................................28
Discussion.....................................................................................................31
Conclusions...................................................................................................36
References....................................................................................................39
Appendix 1 – Pie charts of Students’ GCSE and A-level Spanish speaking
test results from 2004 to 2010 44
Appendix 2 – Questionnaires 52
Appendix 3 – Classroom observation sheet 57
Table of figures
ii
Graph 1: NTA’s contribution to the development of students' Spanish language skills:
teachers’, students’ and NTA’s perception of the role. Results based on a five point
Liker scale where 1 means totally disagree and 5 strongly agree.............................25
Graph 2: Spanish teachers’, NTA’s and students’ perception of their understanding of
the purpose of the activities. Results based on a five point Liker scale where 1 means
totally disagree and 5 strongly agree........................................................................27
Graph 3: Focus of NTA's support during lessons by year group. Results based on a
five point Liker scale where 1 means totally disagree and 5 strongly agree.............29
Graph 4: Student response during the NTA's lessons. Results based on a five point
Liker scale where 1 means very poor and 5 excellent................................................31
iii
Introduction
The figure of the Teaching Assistant (TA) has become much more common
in Primary and Secondary school classrooms over recent years. A crucial
factor in the proliferation of the TA in both primary and secondary schools is
the document Raising Standards and Tackling Workload: a National
Agreement, better known as the National Agreement. It was signed in
January 2003 between the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), the
Welsh Assembly Government, local authority employers and the majority of
school workforce unions and represented “a consensus on principles relating
to tackling teacher workload, developing support staff roles, and raising
standards in schools (Blatchford et al., 2006, p. 6). Information from the DfES
shows that, from 2005 to November 2011, there was a 90%increase in
support staff in English primary schools schools and a 65% in secondary.
(DfES & ONS, 2011)
1
The TA role is subject to constant analysis and development in an effort to
define its main duties and responsibilities. Its impact on students’ learning
and value for raising academic standards is widely recognised. The
government has played an important part in supporting and consolidating the
presence of TAs in UK schools, trying to establish common practice inside
and outside the classroom. For this reason, the government published the
Good practice guide (DfES 2000a); a consultation document (DfES 2002)
and two sets of induction training material for newly appointed TAs in primary
and secondary schools (DfES 2000b, 2001). In addition, they supported the
work of the Local Government National Training Organisation (LGNTO)
which has devised a set of occupational standards for TAs (LGNTO 2001).
Such documents recognise the increasingly valuable support role that TAs
can have in mainstream schools (Farrell et al., 2010, p. 436).
These initiatives were in response to demands from the education research
community for more training and preparation and better definition of the TA
role. As (Webster et al., 2011, p. 9) observe, “given the growth of TAs and
their high visibility in classrooms, it might be expected that training to help
teachers to work with TAs would form part of pre-service and/or Inset
training”. This idea is supported by (Tulane and Beckert, 2011, p. 44) citing
Golish (1999), who claim that “TAs are given little or no preparation for their
varied responsibilities”.
2
All the institutions and personnel involved in improving TAs preparation and
participation in the classroom (schools, teaching staff, families, policy
makers, the research community and Government) intend for the presence of
the TA to have an impact on pupils’ academic achievement; however, very
little research has been conducted to determine how TAs could or actually do
achieve this goal. According to (Devecchi and Rouse, 2010, p. 92), “TAs
play a fundamental, although still misunderstood and poorly researched, role
in supporting the school, the children, the teachers and the curriculum”.
Indeed, without the necessary research, it is difficult to evaluate the
effectiveness of the work undertaken by TAs inside and outside the
classroom and how this could be improved, if needed. As (Rubie-Davies et
al., 2010, p. 429) state, “little is known about the practice and effectiveness of
TAs working in classrooms and the extent to which TAs interact similarly to
teachers”. They argue that “given the growing presence of TAs in classrooms
and their increasingly instructional, pedagogical role, it seems vital to address
the nature and possible educational effectiveness of TAs with pupils and to
describe their interactions in terms of what we might expect from effective
teachers” (Rubie-Davies et al., 2010, p. 432).
3
It seems that, over the years, the TA role has evolved from a support figure,
focused on pupils with special education needs and on reducing teachers’
workload, to an instructor figure (Cremin, Thomas, and Vincett, 2003;
Clayton, 1993), complementing and/or expanding the learning process of
every student. The TA’s role in relation to pupils can be seen from two
different perspectives: one direct, in the sense of interacting directly with
pupils and the other indirect, in the sense of aiding the teacher. As Blatchford
et al. (2004) found in their study of the effect and role of Teaching Assistants
in English Primary schools (Years 4 to 6), “the TA’s role was predominantly a
direct one and in this sense their role was predominantly pedagogical”. This
shift towards the teachers’ recognition of the instructional and pedagogical
value of the TA both inside and outside the classroom is not exclusive to
primary schools but it is also being adopted by secondary schools.
As example of this, we could mention the High-level Teaching Assistant,
Cover Supervisor and Learning Mentor. However, this paper focuses on
analysing the important contribution to the development of pupils’ foreign
language skills made by Native Teaching Assistants (NTAs) in secondary
schools. NTAs’ participation inside and outside the classroom demonstrates
the duality discussed above. They not only support teachers and students in
everyday tasks, but they are responsible for improving students’ proficiency
in the target language through the delivery of planed individual or group
lessons.
4
If the effectiveness of the TA role is not entirely understood, that of the NTA
is even less so. As is the case with the benefits brought about by the
presence of a TA in primary and secondary schools, it is widely accepted that
interaction with a native speaker of the target language is beneficial for
improving students’ foreign language skills. However, little is known about
how effective the NTA can be in producing this improvement or whether they
produce any at all, due to a lack of research about the topic. This study aims
to offer an insight into NTA practice to determine whether it has an impact on
students’ proficiency and attainment and whether this impact is significant. It
presents an overview of what the existing literature on the topic considers to
be the main skills that NTA instruction and interaction helps to develop:
conversation, grammar, listening, reading, writing and cultural understanding
of the countries in which the target language is spoken. It discusses general
issues related with their deployment and function, student and teacher
attitudes towards NTAs, NTA-teacher collaboration, how effective NTAs are
in enhancing students’ language proficiency and how their services could be
better utilised.
5
Once the theoretical considerations about NTAs’ effectiveness in the
classroom environment have been discussed, this study goes on to compare
these considerations with what is actually happening in the context of an
English secondary school that has a Spanish NTA, through a case study. It
collects, presents and analyses various data through different methods, in an
effort to guarantee a wide range of opinions that add validity to the study. A
discussion of the findings follows, where some recommendations for
improvement are given accordingly. Finally, the conclusion of the study
reflects on the whole process, it repercussions, relevancy and value, with
special attention to its limitations and future recommendations.
Literature Review
6
The TA role has been traditionally associated with supporting students with
special needs in schools especially designed for this purpose. Even today,
when their presence is well established in mainstream schools and
increasing year after year, the TA is still thought to be the person responsible
for meeting students’ Special Education Needs (Alborz, Pearson, Farrell, and
Howes, 2009). This association of TAs with Special Education Needs (SEN)
was reinforced by the publication of the Green Paper, Excellence for All
Children: Meeting Special Educational Needs (DfES, 1997), which
anticipated an increased number of TAs in mainstream schools due to the
necessity of supporting the children with special needs statements that are
receiving their education in mainstream settings. However, the subsequent
publication, Green Paper, Teachers Meeting the Challenge of Change (DfES,
1998), contemplated the expansion of the TA’s functions towards providing
general support, not only to students with SEN.
As a result, a new range of supporting staff roles has been developed to help
teachers tackle workload and raise academic standards. In Blatchford et al.’s
(2006) report titled The deployment and impact of support staff in schools,
they differentiated seven different groups within these new roles.
The seven groups were:
1. TA Equivalent (TA, LSA (SEN pupils), nursery nurse, therapist).
2. Pupil Welfare (Connexions personal advisor, education welfare officer, home-school
liaison officer, learning mentor, nurse and welfare assistant).
3. Technical and Specialist Staff (ICT network manager, ICT technician, librarian, science
technician and technology technician).
7
4. Other Pupil Support Staff (bilingual support officer, cover supervisor, escort, exam
invigilator, language assistant, midday assistant and midday supervisor).
5. Facilities Staff (cleaner, cook, and other catering staff).
6. Administrative Staff (administrator/clerk, bursar, finance officer, office manager, secretary,
attendance officer, data manager, examination officer, and PA to the headteacher).
7. Site Staff (caretaker and premises manager).
Blatchford et al. (2008) also agree that “TA rapid growth in numbers in
primary and secondary schools is an effort to raise standards for all pupils”.
In their study they indicate that the number of TAs then exceeded 100,000
(DfES, 2002) an increase of over 50% since 1997. In addition, over the next
six years there was a continued expansion in the numbers of TAs, with
figures indicating that there were 176,900 support staff in schools by 2008,
the vast majority of whom were TAs. In November 2010, this figure reached
201,800 in secondary schools only, 64,600 of them TAs (DfES & ONS,
2011). These measures were intended to help schools improve teaching and
learning conditions. However, as Farrell et al. (2010, p. 437) state, “despite
the rapid increase in the number of TAs now working in schools, which has
broadly been welcomed, there remains continuing uncertainty about their
impact in relation to raising academic standards”.
8
The literature available offers different points of view about the reasons
behind this uncertainty. Some academics claim that there is very little or
poorly conducted research about the effectiveness of TA work inside and
outside the classroom (Devecchi and Rouse, 2010). The insufficient amount
of research means that, as Blatchford et al. (2006, p. 6) observe, "there are
currently significant gaps in knowledge about many aspects of support staff –
their levels of training and qualifications, their recruitment and retention, and
on their deployment”. Therefore, while some studies have highlighted the
benefits of the work done by TAs for both teachers and students (Tucker,
2009; Lee, 2003; Ofsted 2002; Neil, 2002, Wilson et al. 2002; Schlapp et al.,
2001), there is still some controversy among the research community and
questioning of these positive opinions (Farrell et al., 2010; Alborz, Pearson,
Farrell and Howes 2009; Giangreco 2007; Woolfson and Truswell, 2005;
Goddard and Ryall, 2002; French, 2001). This controversy was particularly
pronounced following the publication of Blatchford’s et al. (2009) report, in
which they discover that there seems to be a negative relationship between
the amount of support a student receives and the progress this student is
able to make in core national curriculum subjects. In essence “the more
support pupils received, the less progress they made” (Blatchford’s et al.
2009, as cited by Farrell et al, 2010, p. 435). This discouraging statement
confirmed Butt and Lance’s (2005, pp. 141-142) views about the need to
introduce some changes in the deployment of TAs in primary and secondary
schools if an improvement in students’ attainment is to be achieved. They
suggest as the main areas for improvement:
9
“The need for more involvement of teaching assistants in lesson planning; greater
collaboration between teaching assistants and teachers to review pupil progress and make
future plans; more training for teaching assistants in their expanding roles; clear role
definition and role specification and more training for teachers in managing other adults with
whom they work”.
This underlines the fact that there does not seem to be a homogeneous use
of TAs by teachers (Woolfson and Truswell, 2005), with no clear directions of
where to deploy them or how to do so. Tulane and Beckert (2011, p. 45)
express the same concern about the lack of understanding of how to deploy
TAs effectively in their study conducted in American universities, stating that
“in order for teaching assistants to provide the most help to students...[they]
must clearly know what the cooperating professor intends the students to
know”.
This uncertainty also extends to the benefits TAs can bring to the teaching
process. Ofsted’s (2002, pp. 8-9) report also pointed out that a better
communication, prior intervention and increased collaboration between
teacher and TA is needed. It stated:
“Teaching assistants support teachers best when they work closely with them and have the
knowledge and skills to carry out the tasks assigned to them. Where teaching assistants are
insufficiently or superficially briefed, or have inadequate subject knowledge, they sometimes
become more concerned with the completion of the task rather than the improvement in
pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding”.
10
Other researchers argue that, although previous studies claim that the work
of TAs has a positive impact on teaching, in particular in relation to
decreasing teacher’s stress levels and workload and increasing their job
satisfaction (Blatchford et al., 2006), they fail to show any evidence of how
this is achieved. In Alborz, Pearson, Farrell and Howes’ (2009, p. 17) review
of some of the literature available about the impact of adult support staff on
pupils and mainstream schools, they report that “although a number of
studies were identified in relation to impacts on teaching, none provided
detailed analysis of the mechanisms involved”. Therefore, in order to
determine good practice, it is important that researchers include in their
studies details of how outcomes were achieved to be able to evaluate and
measure any benefits.
11
Another point of view expressed in the existing literature about TAs’ ability to
make an impact on pupils’ attainment is that TA interactions with students
strongly influence the effectiveness of their work (Rubie-Davies et al., 2010;
Blatchford, Bassett, Brown, Koutsoubou, et al., 2009). In this respect, the
factors considered by these studies are the number of interactions and their
quality. These researchers maintain that students “had very different types of
contact with teachers and TAs”. Students’ interaction with teachers, in
particular when they do not have any learning support needs, occurs in an
environment where the teacher has to concentrate his/her efforts on
providing the greatest amount of support to the whole classroom, with very
little time for individual attention. On the other hand, in students’ interaction
with TAs, they tend to be the focus of attention and have more active and
sustained exchanges. Thus, as students have more contact with TAs, they
have less interaction with teachers. “In practice, therefore, TAs do not
provide additional support but alternative support (Blatchford, Bassett,
Brown, Koutsoubou, et al., 2009, as cited by Rubie-Davies et al., 2010, p.
430).This individual and alternative support offered by TAs can form the
basis for improving student achievement, as long as it is well organised and
orientated according to both the teacher’s direction and the students’
academic needs.
12
This difference in the nature of the interaction and support received from
teacher and TA is especially significant in secondary schools settings, where
“TAs are less likely to deal with whole classes and more likely to deal with
small groups” (UNISON, 2002, p. 12). An example of this is the role played
by the NTA in supporting students’ learning of a foreign language. In contrast
to the work of TAs, supporting primary school students through a wide range
of tasks and activities related to numerous aspects of the National
Curriculum, the NTA function in secondary schools is much narrower,
focused on developing students’ proficiency in the target language. The
NTA’s contribution to the improvement of students’ foreign language skills is
regarded as crucial (In-Jae, 2010;Zyzik, 2008; Morin, 2007; Rolling, 2006).
However, when looking for previously conducted research to establish the
factors that are behind the NTA’s ability to produce this improvement, there is
little to be found, if any. The few papers that discuss the topic do not seem to
agree on either the terminology to use when referring to the role or the
benefits that this role brings to the teaching and learning of a foreign
language.
13
Indeed, the NTA role has a wide range of definitions and terminology
associated with it, according to the background of the study, its purpose and
the researcher’s point of view. Thus, the literature uses terms like Bilingual
Teaching Assistant (Thompson, 1999; Gao and Shum, 2010), Foreign
Language Teaching Assistant (Hunt et al., 2005; Feng, 2009), Assistant
Language Teacher (Ohtani, 2010), International Teaching Assistant
(Gorsuch, 2011; Meyers et al., 2010; Petro, 2006) and Native Speaker
Teacher (Sun Hee, Boi Hoang and Yang, 2010; Hertel and Sunderman,
2009; Galloway, 2008, Mahboob, 2005; Davies, 2003). In this paper the term
Native Teaching Assistant (NTA) is used in an effort to add consistency and
coherence to the definition of the role. In relation to the benefits that NTAs
bring to students’ learning of a foreign language, there is a wide range of
factors considered by the literature, focusing on the development of skills
such as communication (Gao and Shum, 2010; Galloway, 2008),
pronunciation (Gilakjani and Ahmadi, 2011; Lord, 2010; Morin, 2007),
grammar (Zyzik, 2008) , writing (Davies, 2003), listening (In-Jae, 2010;
Ohtani, 2010) and cultural competence (Petro, 2006; Rollin, 2006; Feng,
2009). As a result, a variety of opinions supporting diverse points of view can
be found. For example, Gilakjani and Ahmadi (2011, p. 79) state that “native
speakers who encourage conversation, and are not themselves awkward in
cross cultural communication, are one of the biggest boons a learner can
have” and Sun Hee, Boi Hoang and Yang (2010, p. 252) claim that “in many
cases, the motivation of students is triggered and elevated by the desire to
learn about the people and culture behind the target language”. Therefore, in
countries where English is not the first language, the authenticity of the
14
Native English Speaker (NES) teacher’s background can have a positive
influence on students’ attitudes towards learning. NES teachers, who already
have repertoire of idioms and expressions, have also the capacity to create a
realistic and more colourful learning environment. Being aware of subtle
nuances in speech as native speakers, they can explain the finer details and
differences more confidently (Sun Hee, Boi Hoang and Yang, 2010).
However, as has been discussed above, these claims are very difficult to
prove and the studies analysed do not offer a clear answer about how the
work of NTAs really has an impact on students’ proficiency in the target
language.
Furthermore, most of the literature available only refers to native speakers of
English working abroad teaching English as a second language (In-Jae,
2010; Sun Hee, Boi Hoang and Yang, 2010; Shin, 2008; Galloway, 2008),
both as the main teacher or as part of a collaborative teaching program with
a Non Native English teacher. For the purpose of this study, focused on the
work carried out by a native speaker of Spanish supporting the learning of
the Spanish language at a secondary school, prior literature is almost
inexistent, apart from some examples of little relevance based in American
schools (Lord, 2010; Morin, 2007; Elliott, 1995). Therefore, it has been
necessary to combine both the knowledge from the literature about the
impact of TAs on improving students’ attainment with what are generally
accepted as being the benefits that NTAs bring for students’ learning of a
foreign language, in particular to the development of their communication,
pronunciation, grammar, writing, listening and cultural competence skills.
15
Finally, another aspect that is taken into account in this study is teacher and
student attitudes towards the role of the NTA and their perception about
his/her ability to have an impact on both the teaching and learning of a
foreign language, especially in comparison with having only a non-native
teacher of Spanish. This is supported by the findings of Shin's (2008, p. 58)
study, which refers to teacher and student attitudes towards native English
speakers teachers and non-native speakers. Shin states that:
Native speakers are assumed to be superior in linguistic competence as compared to non-
native speakers and are considered owners of proper, authentic English. On the other hand,
non-native English speaking teachers are credited with more conscious knowledge of
grammar, language learning experience that they can share with learners, serving as good
models and, the ability to empathize with language learners.
This is therefore a factor that needs to be considered in this study, due to the
fact that native and non-native teachers are credited with very different skills
and knowledge about the target language. Therefore, they have the ability to
contribute to students’ proficiency with the language in different ways.
16
From this review of the existing literature on the role of the TA, it can be
concluded that the advantages of having the support of an NTA for the
teaching and learning of a foreign language are manifested in two different
ways. On the one hand, the NTA role shares some of the benefits attributed
to a general TA, i.e. reduction of teachers’ workload and positive impact on
their job satisfaction, and alternative support to students due to their personal
expertise. On the other hand, the role is unique in that this personal expertise
can be directly focused on the development of students’ skills, such as oral
communication, pronunciation, grammar, listening, writing, vocabulary and
cultural understanding of the target language country (Spain) to enhance
their proficiency in the foreign language.
Methodology
17
Most science is believed to usually take place within a paradigm: a set of
beliefs and expectations that guide the research. The paradigm helps
researchers to define what questions are important and make decisions
about the proper ways to go about answering them (Kuhn, T.S., 1962). Two
of the better known and most used paradigms in education research are the
quantitative and the qualitative paradigms. Quantitative researchers are
normally interested in the collection of facts. They try to establish
relationships between one set of facts and another in order to draw
conclusions from these relationships. To be able to do this, they can make
use of numerical data obtained by experimenting on individuals and/or
structured questioning. The findings and conclusions derived from this type of
research are open to be generalised and applied to similar contexts (Bell,
2010). On the other hand, qualitative researchers try to understand and
interpret individuals’ opinions, attitudes and perceptions. These researchers
do not necessary rely on numbers to present their findings, but on people’s
beliefs and experiences, creating a clear picture from within (Sharp, 2009).
They maintain that people make decisions and act in accordance with their
subjective understanding of the situations in which they find themselves
(Littlejohn, S. (2000). They show scepticism about the existence of social
fact, arguing that the quantitative approach is not the most suitable when
dealing with social events and human beings (Bell, 2010), providing the
researcher with the ability to interact with the research subjects in their own
language and on their own terms (Kirk & Miller, 1986) .
18
Both paradigms offer the researcher a series of advantages and
disadvantages. This has caused the research community to be divided over
the years into those who believe that quantitative studies are the only way to
produce relevant and reliable knowledge and those who believe that
qualitative approaches are crucial for obtaining valuable information about
the issues surrounding the process of education and the people that are
active participants in it. However, there are occasions when, due to the
nature of certain studies, “researchers that have taken a quantitative
approach drawn on qualitative techniques and vice versa” (Bell, 2010, p.8).
This paper, in its methodological approach, acknowledges the fact that the
rigour and relevance of any research is determined equally by both the
subject of research and the methodology used to conduct it. Therefore, it is
necessary to take into account the fact that different hypotheses and subjects
of study require different approaches. For the purpose of this study, an
interpretative paradigm approach has been taken, based on the assessment
that this approach is the most suitable for both the subject of study (the NTA)
and the context in which study has been conducted (a secondary school),
with the aim of answering the following questions:
Does the work carried out by the NTA contribute to the improvement
of secondary school students’ proficiency in the target language
(Spanish)
Which foreign language skills benefit the most from the intervention of
the NTA?
Could the NTA’s pedagogical and instructional skills be used more
effectively inside and outside the classroom?
19
To be able to answer these questions, a case study research method was
adopted. The case study is defined, for the purposes of this research, as the
comprehensive examination of a phenomenon that utilizes naturalistic
methods of gathering evidence, in this case documents, non participant
observations and questionnaires, employing triangulation (Gerring, 2007). It
is necessary to note that the subjects under investigation in a case study are
not perfectly representative of the population, or at least this representation is
questionable. Therefore, homogeneity and generalisation across the
population is not assured (Gerring, 2007). However, a case study was
considered to be the most suitable method for this piece of research due to
its small sample (1 NTA, 3 Spanish teachers and over 40 students) and its
aim to present an insight into a topic barely researched in the past. Case
studies are especially useful when “a subject is being encountered for the
first time or is being considered in a fundamentally new way (Gerring, 2007,
p. 40). It is also important to observe that this research only intents to be
representative of the context in which it took place, giving priority to its
internal validity over its external (Burton and Bartlett, 2009, Anderson, 1990).
21
The data for this research have been collected using a mixed method
approach, combining both interpretative data, through non-participant
observations, and positivist data, with the help of questionnaires and school
documents. The study intends to offer a wide range of variables and contrast
between the different research methods, increasing the credibility and validity
of the results through triangulation. According to Guthrie, (2010, p. 46),
“triangulation is a process of bringing multiple types of data to bear on the
one problem, using the different techniques to study the issue from different
angles”.
22
To establish a general overview of the impact of the NTA on students’
proficiency with the target language, school documents related to students’
Spanish GCSE and A-level results from 2004 to 2010 are analysed, in
particular those referring to the speaking test. It is widely believed that native
speaker teachers are superior in linguistic competence and that they could
help to improve students’ communication skills (Shin, 2008). Therefore, it
would be interesting to see if there is any indication of this in the speaking
test results. These results are all taken from a period after the school first
took on a Spanish NTA in 2001. The main reason for examining both GCSE
and A-level exams is that the NTA spends most of her time supporting
students who are preparing for these exams. The resulting data has been
deconstructed and presented using pie charts for easier interpretation, the
representation of patterns and their possible connection with the work of the
NTA over the years under consideration (Please see appendix 1). In order to
identify patterns, the pie charts are divided by the grade boundaries for the
speaking test paper set by the exam board. In this way, we can easily see
the distribution of the grades achieved every year and are able to
differentiate between good and not so good grades. As Newby (2010, p. 560)
states, “it is often easier to draw conclusions from our research if we can
represent our data in a quantitative way”. However, this paper acknowledges
that the conclusions that might be drawn from this data depend on many
different factors, not exclusively the NTA’s support. Therefore, here this
quantitative approach is used only as a reference and starting point for
discussion of the topic. Despite the complexity of searching through the
school’s archives, it has been possible to collect all the necessary
23
information, with the exception of the 2008 Spanish GCSE results, which
remain absent from this study.
24
In order to accurately illustrate the work carried out by the NTA during
lessons, a number of non-participant observations were conducted using an
observation sheet template designed for this purpose (Please see appendix
3). This template was designed to record the different areas on which the
NTA’s support was really focused: oral communication, pronunciation,
grammar, listening and writing skills, development of vocabulary and
understanding of the culture of the country (Spain). To try to minimize as
much as possible the impact that the researcher’s presence in the classroom
could have on both the NTA and the students, a non-participant approach
was taken. According to O’Hara et al. (2011, p. 184), “a non-participant
observer has to try not to influence the behaviour and actions of [the]
participants but instead must remain neutral and unobtrusive,...allowing the
participants to act as naturally as possible”. Over four weeks, a total of 16
lessons were observed from years 10, 11 and 12, with the aim of determining
whether the students were making any progress in the areas described
above from one session to the next and relating this to the support that they
had received. Using an interpretative approach, these observations aimed to
represent the classroom reality objectively. Keiding (2011, p.113) argued that
“there is no such thing as an objective or neutral observation. That something
is designated as an objective fact simply refers to the circumstance that
various observers agree on what is observed”. This view is supported by
O’Hara et al. (2011, p. 180), who state that “observations also carry [the] risk
that their trustworthiness might be undermined by observer subjectivity or
bias”. Therefore, this paper recognises a certain degree of partiality during
the observation process; not because the observer only saw what he wanted
25
to see, but because the observer always had to interpret what he was seeing.
Another of the difficulties of doing this is the short period of time available in
which to evaluate the students’ progress, taking into account that this
progress does not solely depend on NTA support but also on the Spanish
teachers and the students’ independent work.
26
To contrast the observed classroom reality with perceptions of and attitudes
towards the NTA and her ability to enhance students’ proficiency in the
Spanish language, structured questionnaires were designed and distributed
among Spanish teachers, students and to the NTA (Please see appendix 2).
The purpose of these questionnaires was to obtain the opinions of the people
involved in the teaching and learning processes about the benefits of having
the support of a NTA. Once again, an important factor was to determine in
which way they believe the NTA’s support is having an impact on improving
the skills mentioned above. The questionnaires contain a series a statements
to which the respondents had to show their agreement or disagreement using
a Likert scale. This method was adopted as it is easy to understand and
simple to complete, which was important considering the short amount of
time that the respondents had fill it in. As Brace (2004, p. 9) claims,
“respondents want a questionnaire that poses them questions that they can
answer without too much effort, and that maintains their interest, without
taking up too much of their time”. These points were taken into account when
designing these questionnaires. In addition, the responses had to be
analysed carefully to detect any patterns or biases that could affect the
accuracy of the data obtained. As Brace (2004, p. 181) observes, on
occasion “respondents give inaccurate answers both
consciously...and...without any conscious realization...The researcher must
be aware of these inaccuracies [and] try to minimize them”.
27
Finally, during the data collection process, ethical considerations were taken
into account in order to maintain the anonymity of the participants involved in
this study. For this reason, a deontological approach had been taken, i.e.
complying with the ethical guidelines because it is the right thing to do, as
opposed to complying with the ethical guidelines because of the potential
consequences of not doing so (a consequential approach). Another ethical
consideration was that this study required the participants’ informed consent
in order to make them aware of its purpose and assure them that this data
would not be use for any other reason beyond the completion of this study.
Analysis and findings
The findings of this study are divided into three different categories: students’
GCSE and A-level Spanish speaking test results, questionnaires and
classroom observations. Pie charts are included to summarise and illustrate
the data collected. In order to analyse the findings, the results are compared
with the assertions of the literature considered earlier in this paper about
NTAs’ role in improving students’ foreign language proficiency, in particular
their role in improving students’ oral communication, pronunciation, grammar,
listening and writing skills, development of vocabulary and understanding of
the culture of the country.
Students’ GCSE and A-level Spanish speaking test results from 2004 to
2010
28
The data from the school’s Spanish GCSE and A-levels exams from 2004 to
2010 indicates consistently high attainment in the speaking test. Over the
years, we can see that the majority of grades achieved on this part of the
exam is between A* and A at GCSE level and A and B at A-level, with the
only exception being the 2010 GCSE results, when the majority of grades
obtained were B. The reason for this could be that in 2010, the school
changed the GCSE exam board from AQA to Edexcel, suggesting that these
results could correspond to a period of adaptation for both Spanish teachers
and students to the new scheme. However, further results would have been
needed to prove this point.
In 2006 the school achieved a second specialism in languages following
consistently high exam results and its success as a Technology College. This
explains why, from 2006 to 2009, the students only took the higher GCSE
Spanish speaking test, instead of a mixture of foundation and higher. Given
the fact that the study of Spanish is non-compulsory at this school, the
awarding of the specialist status could also have had a negative impact on
the number of students choosing Spanish as a second language for their
GCSE and A-level exams. Following this award, the school increased its
language provision and now provides Chinese as a second language to the
most able Year 7 students, Spanish to KS4 and Russian and Chinese to KS5
students. In addition, at KS4, the most able students are currently being fast-
tracked to sit GCSE French in Y10, so that they can do a second GCSE in
Spanish in Y11.
29
A combination of these factors could explain the fluctuation in the number of
students taking the GCSE and A-level exams over the years. Particularly
significant is the decrease in students taking the A-level Spanish exam since
it reached its highest point in 2007, when 18 students took it. By 2010, this
number fell to only 7 students. As far as the results achieved on the A-levels
exams are concerned, the data shows that over the years the most frequently
achieved grade in the speaking test is A, most striking in 2010, when over
57% of the students who took the exam obtained that grade. As indicated
above, this was the year with the lowest number of students taking the exam,
only 7, suggesting that there could be a relationship between the number of
students that the NTA is supporting during a particular year and the results
that they are able to achieve in their exams. This hypothesis becomes
stronger when referring to the results achieved in 2008, when the number of
students taking the exam was 8. That year, 50% of the students obtained
grade A. However, the next year, 2009, does not follow the same trend, even
though the same number of students took the exam. In 2009, there was an
equal distribution of grades A, B, C and D, two students (25%) achieving
each of these grades. Also, in 2007, the year with the highest number of
students taking the exam, 18, the results were not significantly lower in
comparison with the following years. That year, over 22% of students
achieved a grade A, with a similar proportion of them achieving grade B.
However, it is interesting to note that in 2007 the modal grade was D, at
almost 28%. Therefore, in order to gain a better understanding of this
possible relationship, a deeper and more extensive analysis of both GCSE
and A-level results would be needed.
30
The data generated by the school’s GCSE and A-level results could suggest
that the support of the NTA has a positive impact on the development of
students’ oral skills. However it would have been preferable for the purpose
of this study to have had some of the students’ exams results prior the school
first taking on a Spanish NTA in 2001, which, unfortunately, were not
available. If this had been the case, results from before and after the
installation of the NTA could have been compared and the conclusions
generated would have been, perhaps, less ambiguous.
Nevertheless, the patterns presented in the pie charts do show an increase in
students’ performance over the years.
The question remains as to what part, if any, the NTA played in this
improvement. As this study was designed to focus on the role of the NTA, its
limitations did not allow for thorough consideration of all of the factors that
might improve student attainment, such as alternative ways in which the
teacher might choose to deploy the NTA and a better understanding of the
teaching and learning strategies that could lead to higher results. In an
attempt to clarify to some extent the other factors which might be behind
variations in student attainment, the data gathered from questionnaires and
classroom observations have been analysed in the sections below.
Questionnaires
31
The questionnaires were designed to find out, among other relevant
questions, how Spanish teachers, students and the NTA perceive the role of
the NTA. Spanish teachers were asked to identify which language skills they
believed the NTA’s support should focus on improving. Students, on the
other hand, were asked about which foreign language skills they believed the
NTA’s support was helping them to develop. Finally, these opinions were
compared with the views expressed by the NTA, who was asked what she
understood the focus of her lessons should be. To determine the range of
foreign language skills that were going to be included in the questionnaires, it
was necessary to draw from the points made in the studies quoted in the
literature review, for example Sun Hee, Boi Hoang and Yang (2010); Gao
and Shum (2010); In-Jae (2010); Ohtani (2010); Feng (2009); Galloway
(2008); Shin (2008); Morin (2007); Elliot (2005); Mahboob, (2005) and Davies
(2003). In these studies, the dichotomy of the native speaker teacher and the
non-native speaker teacher is observed from various perspectives, in an
effort to determine which of them is the most suitable to teach any particular
aspect of a language. Through classroom observations, questionnaires and
interviews with native speaker teachers, non-native speaker teachers and
students, these researchers collected data that allowed them to outline the
advantages and disadvantages of the native speaker teacher against the
non-native speaker for teaching a foreign language, in this case, English.
These advantages and disadvantages were related to a native speaker
teacher’s ability to improve students’ proficiency in the areas of oral
communication, pronunciation, grammar, listening, writing, vocabulary and
understanding of the culture of the country. They show that native speaker
32
teachers are credited with better linguistic competence for improving
students’ oral, pronunciation and listening skills, vocabulary and
understanding of the culture of the country (Galloway, 2008). On the other
hand, non-native speaker teachers are generally perceived to have a better
knowledge of the foreign language grammar, therefore they are seen to be
more suitable for enhancing students’ grammar and writing skills. In addition,
they are able to empathise with them through the sharing of their language
learning experience (Shin, 2008). All of these factors were considered in the
design of the questionnaires in an attempt to establish the real impact of the
NTA’s support on improving students’ development in each of the areas
discussed above.
The data presented in graph 1 show that Spanish teachers, students and the
NTA seem to agree on the importance of supporting the development of
students’ foreign language oral skills. It is the only area to which all the
participants in the questionnaire gave a score of 4 or higher, the development
of vocabulary and pronunciation skills scoring just a little less.
33
Oral Sk
ills
Pronuntiati
on
Grammar
skills
Listen
ing skil
ls
Writing s
kills
Vocabular
y
Cultural
aspect
s of th
e country
0
1
2
3
4
5
Spanish teachersNTAStudents
Graph 1: NTA’s contribution to the development of students' Spanish language skills: teachers’, students’ and NTA’s perception of the role. Results based on a five point Liker scale where 1 means totally disagree and 5 strongly agree.
34
These results confirm Gilakjani and Ahmadi’s (20011); Sun Hee, Boi Hoang,
and Yang’s (2010); In-Jae’s (2010); Ohtani’s (2010); Galloway’s (2008) and
Shin’s (2008) views about the advantages of having a native speaker
teachers for teaching a foreign language over a non-native speaker teacher.
The data could also suggest that Spanish teachers’ general approach to
making use of the NTA to enhance students’ Spanish language skills is to
support their oral skills in particular. In addition, during conversations with the
students, it became clear that the NTA might help them to develop their
confidence and self-esteem while using the language in semi-real life
situations. The NTA also serves as a model for the students in terms of the
correct rhythm, intonation and pronunciation of the foreign language,
meanwhile the students are able to consolidate and expand their vocabulary.
A combination of all these factors could explain why overall, oral skills,
pronunciation and vocabulary received the highest score.
35
However, graph 1 also shows that there is a major difference between the
Spanish language skills that the NTA believes she should be focusing on
improving and the skills that students claim they have been able to develop
thanks to the NTA’s support. For instance, the NTA did not rate the
importance of supporting the development of students’ pronunciation skills
highly, scoring it only 3 out of 5. Students, on the other hand, thought that her
support had allowed them to greatly improve their pronunciation skills, giving
this area a score of almost 5. This disagreement is especially significant in
the area of grammar skills, which the NTA gave a score of only 2, while the
students gave it a score of 4. This fact contradicts the findings of Shin (2008),
who questions native speaker teachers’ ability to improve students’ grammar
skills, suggesting that non-native speaker teachers are better prepared to do
so thanks to their superior knowledge of the topic.
36
In other areas the situation is the inverse of the trend described above, where
students perceive benefits that the NTA does not. For example, the NTA
gave a score of 5 to listening skills and vocabulary, whereas the students’
score for both of these was lower than 4. The difference in how NTA and
students perceive the role and its function corroborate Tulane and Beckert's
(2011) and Woolfson and Truswell’s (2005) concerns about the lack of
understanding of how to deploy TAs effectively, when they claim that
teachers should give clearer directions to TAs about what they intend the
students to know. Graph 2 illustrates, therefore, that if teachers’ deployment
of the NTA is not properly adjusted to students’ academic needs, the NTA’s
and students’ efforts will be going in different directions. In this respect, graph
2 illustrates the Spanish teachers’ and NTA’s perception of how well the NTA
understands the purpose of the activities undertaken with the students, and
the students’ perception of how well they understand the purpose of these
activities.
Spanish Teachers NTA Students0
1
2
3
4
5
Graph 2: Spanish teachers’, NTA’s and students’ perception of their understanding of the purpose of the activities. Results based on a five point Liker scale where 1 means totally disagree and 5 strongly agree.
37
Spanish teachers rated the NTA’s understanding of the purpose of the
activities they carry out with just over 3 points out of five. They might be
suggesting that, on occasion, the NTA either does not fully understand what
the Spanish teachers want her to do or she does not know how to do it. On
the other hand, the NTA believed that she understood the purpose of the
lessons most of the time, rating this part of the questionnaire with a 4. In
addition, students thought that they generally understood the purpose of the
activities, giving this a score of over 4 points. This does not explain why, if
both NTA and students seem to fully understand the purpose of the lessons,
there is not a stronger relationship between what the NTA thinks she should
be doing and what the students believe the NTA’s work is helping them to
develop.
Classroom observations
The classroom observations conducted offer a better understanding of the
way in which the NTA’s support is focused to improve the skills that have
been discussed above, i.e. oral communication, pronunciation, grammar,
listening and writing skills, development of vocabulary and understanding of
the culture of the country (Spain). The results of these observations are
illustrated on graph 3.
38
Oral Sk
ills
Pronuntiati
on
Grammar
skills
Listen
ing skil
ls
Writing s
kills
Vocabular
y
Culture
aspect
s of th
e country
0
1
2
3
4
5
Year 10 studentsYear 11 studentsYear 12 studentsYear 13 students
Graph 3: Focus of NTA's support during lessons by year group. Results based on a five point Liker scale where 1 means totally disagree and 5 strongly agree.
39
We can see how, during the lessons observed from the different year groups,
the area that received most of the NTA’s support was the development of
students’ oral skills, followed by grammar and vocabulary, although this
distribution of attention was not homogeneous across the four different year
groups. This could sustain the argument that Spanish teachers make use of
the NTA principally to enhance students’ Spanish communication skills. In
addition, it could also be one of the reasons behind the increase in students’
attainment in the Spanish GCSE and A-level speaking test. The data
collected also show that the NTA’s support was focused differently with year
10 and 11 students to with years 12 and 13. The explanation for this could be
that, during the lessons with year 10 and 11 students, the NTA’s support is
orientated towards helping them gain the necessary skills for the GCSE
exam, giving more attention to areas like pronunciation and listening. It could
be argued that for A-level exams, more attention is required in the areas of
grammar and vocabulary and for this reason the NTA’s support for 12 and 13
students might have a different focus. .
However, the most significant aspect is the little attention that the NTA gave
to the development of students’ understanding of the cultural aspects of the
country. This contradicts the Spanish teachers’, NTA’s and students’ views
expressed in the questionnaires, where this area received an average mark
of over 3 points. It seems that this expectation does not match the classroom
reality.
40
Another important aspect considered while observing the NTA’s lessons was
the level of student participation and their approach and response to the
tasks set by the NTA. As expressed by Rubie-Davies et al. (2010) and
Blatchford, Bassett, Brown, Koutsoubou, et al. (2009), the number and
quality of interactions between TAs and Students could have an influence on
the effectiveness of their work. Therefore, the observation of how the
students participate and interact with the NTA during lessons was considered
useful to establish a relationship between interaction and the improvement of
students’ Spanish skills. Graph 4 illustrates the findings in this respect.
Quality
of work
Engag
emen
t with
the t
ask/ta
sks
Motivation an
d determ
ination
Confidence
using t
he targ
et lan
guag
e012345
Year 10 studentsYear 11 studentsYear 12 studentYear 13 student
Graph 4: Student response during the NTA's lessons. Results based on a five point Liker scale where 1 means very poor and 5 excellent.
41
We can see from the information in Graph 4 that year 11 students do not
seem to reach the same levels of quality of work, engagement and
confidence using the language as year 10, 12 and 13. The reason for this
could be that a large number of the year 11 lessons observed were taught to
large groups, i.e. three or more students, in contrast to small groups in year
10 and one-to-one lessons in year 12 and 13. This could suggest that the
quality of the NTA-Students’ interaction is determined by the size of the
group, due to the fact that the NTA has more time for individual attention
(Rubie-Davies et al., 2010; Blatchford, Bassett, Brown, Koutsoubou, et al.,
2009).
Discussion
After analysing the data from this case study it is still unclear whether student
attainment is related to or even dependent on the NTA’s support. However,
there are some signs that could indicate that when this support is orientated
according to students’ academic needs and when the teacher takes full
advantage of the NTA’s expertise and pedagogical value, it could benefit the
development of some foreign languages skills.
42
From this perspective, according to the students’ exams results, the data
collected suggests that the progressive increase in students’ attainment
could have some relation to the NTA’s support. Questionnaires and
classroom observations corroborate the idea that students spend most of
their time with the NTA during lessons engaged in conversations in semi-real
life situations. Therefore, this prolonged interaction with a native speaker
could be an excellent preparatory stage for students’ to meet the GCSE and
A-level speaking exam requirements more effectively. This would support the
findings of Burns and Joyce’s (1997) research, who indicate that what will
help learners of a foreign language most “is plenty of authentic conversation
practice”.
43
In addition, students’ conversations with a native speaker contribute to the
development of other foreign language skills, in particular pronunciation and
vocabulary. As expressed by, among others, Gilakjani and Ahmadi (20011);
In-Jae (2010); Ohtani (2010); Shin (2008); Galloway (2008), when referring to
the figure of the native speaker, his/her superior linguistic competence makes
him/her “the perfect model for students to imitate”. Native speakers are
arguably “in a better position to judge how close to the native-like
pronunciation a student comes and may be more successful [in comparison
with a non-native speaker] in that branch of language teaching (Sun Hee, Boi
Hoang and Yang, 2010). Therefore, the NTA is able to impart the right
pronunciation with less effort than the non-native Spanish teachers. She is in
a position to correct students’ mistakes using words or sentences more
naturally and to have a quicker and more effective impact on students’
development in this area. Furthermore, students’ vocabulary skills are
enhanced thanks to the NTA’s ability to converse in a colloquial manner,
expanding the range of their vocabulary.
44
These views are sustained by the data gathered through the questionnaires,
which shows that pronunciation and vocabulary are two of the highest rated
areas by both the NTA and the students. The classroom observations data,
on the other hand, does not agree completely with these opinions. Even
though it seems that the NTA dedicated a large part of the lessons to
supporting students’ development of vocabulary, pronunciation is not one of
the areas that received much of the NTA’s attention, especially when
teaching year 12 and 13 students. This fact was previously highlighted on
Morin’s (2007) and Elliot’s (1995; 1997) studies, who observe that the
teaching of the correct pronunciation of a foreign language generally receives
“more attention in the first years of study as it introduces the foreign
language’s alphabet and sound system, but rarely continues this focus past
the introductory level”. Elliot (1995) also maintains that teachers tend to view
pronunciation as “the least useful of the basic language skills”. Therefore,
the NTA might relegate the teaching of pronunciation to a second plane “in
order to spend valuable class time [supporting] other areas of language”.
45
However, the biggest disagreement between the data collected through the
questionnaires and that collected through classroom observations refers to
the teaching of cultural competence. On the one hand, Spanish teachers and
the NTA considered this to be one of the areas in which the NTA plays an
important role. Furthermore, students claimed that, thanks to the NTA’s
support, they have widened their knowledge in this area. On the other hand,
the classroom observations conducted did not show any indication of this
kind of support taking place. This contradicts the opinions of researchers like
Feng (2009), Allen and Davies (2009) and Rollin (2006) about the importance
of teaching cultural competence. Students’ initial motivation when learning a
foreign language is merely communicational, whereas later their motivation
reflects their desire to continue learning about the second language culture
(Gilakjani and Ahmadi, 2011). Therefore, in order to maintain students’ high
levels of engagement and motivation for learning a second language, the
teaching of cultural aspects of the country should be prioritised. In addition, it
is necessary to combine the teaching of the foreign language skills needed to
gain a certain level of proficiency with “personal growth, cultural awareness
and social skills” (Allan and Davies, 2009).
46
At this point, it should be noted once again that students’ attainment could be
related to other factors beyond the NTA’s support. For instance, in 2006 the
school was awarded specialist language status. As a result, its language
provision increased, teaching and learning standards were raised and
students were encouraged to become more involved in the learning of a
foreign language, for instance, year 11 students were offered the opportunity
to do a second GCSE in Spanish. The exam results analysed indicate that
these developments could have changed the school’s approach to language
teaching, showing that since 2006 students went from taking both foundation
and higher speaking tests to only higher, signifying that Spanish teachers
might have greater expectations about students’ capabilities.
47
Another of the key points that has arisen from the analysis of the findings of
this research is the disagreement between the NTA’s and the students’
perception of the NTA role and its function. This could suggest that the NTA
is not used by the different Spanish teachers for the same purpose and that
the level of communication between them and the NTA could also differ. In
this respect, the questionnaires help to clarify these assumptions, showing
that while 2 of the 3 teachers asked believed that the NTA normally
understands the purpose of her lesson in relation to what the teachers want
her to do, the answer of the third teacher disagrees with this opinion. This
confirms that there does seem to be a lack of understanding of how to deploy
the NTA effectively, (Tulane and Beckert, 2011). Therefore, to maximise
teachers’ chances of deploying the NTA more effectively and taking full
advantage of the pedagogical values of the role (Rubie-Davies et al., 2010),
the setting of homogenous standards for practice is needed (Woolfson and
Truswell’s, 2005). The way towards setting these standards could be to
implement training for both Spanish teachers and NTAs (Tulane and Beckert,
2011; Webster et al, 2011; Rubie-Davies et al, 2010; Tucker, 2009; Butt and
Lance, 2005). Hunt et al. (2005) suggest that both parties can benefit from
this training, which should develop “classroom teachers’ subject knowledge
and expertise”; and be orientated to “native speakers and FLAs [Foreign
Language Assistants (NTA)] who do not have the requisite methodological
knowledge”. However, this case study found through the responses to the
questionnaires that neither Spanish teachers nor NTA received much specific
training prior or during their professional relationship. Additionally, not all
Spanish teachers seemed to agree that they would make better use of the
48
NTA for supporting their lessons if they received the right training. This
contradicts the NTA’s opinion, who considered that she would support
students’ learning more effectively if she received the right training.
Finally, the interaction between NTA and students must be considered. It
appears that students who normally interact with the NTA individually or in
small groups (2 students) show higher levels of engagement motivation and
quality of work, in comparison with students whose interaction with the NTA
takes place in larger groups (3 students or more). Therefore, it could be
concluded that the NTA’s support was more effective when she was able to
provide individual attention to the students (Blatchford, Bassett, Brown,
Koutsoubou, et al., 2009, as cited by Rubie-Davies et al., 2010, p. 430). It
also indicates that the Spanish teachers’ deployment of the NTA to support
groups of students outside the classroom in this school might be the right
approach, producing better outcomes that her deployment inside the
classroom to support the whole group. However, this study did not have the
opportunity to verify this hypothesis, as further research would be needed to
do so.
Conclusions
The purpose of this case study research was to offer an insight into the role
of the NTA, and in which way the NTA’s support could have an impact on
students’ proficiency in the target language (Spanish), according to the way
that it is deployed by the Spanish teachers.
49
The objectives set at the beginning of this study have been met, although it is
necessary to acknowledge that the conclusions drawn from its findings only
can only be applied to the context in which the study took place. Therefore, in
this particular school, the NTA’s support does seem to contribute to the
improvement of some of students’ foreign language skills, in particular the
areas of communication, pronunciation and development of vocabulary.
In addition, this study has established a relationship between the type of NTA
interaction with the students and the effectiveness of her support. Thus, in
order to take greater advantage of an NTA’s pedagogical and instructional
skills, teachers’ deployment of the NTA should consider both the environment
and the group size. In this respect, the approach taken by the majority of the
school’s Spanish teachers of making use of the NTA to support small groups
of students outside the classroom appears to be most effective.
The main limitations of this study were the short amount of time available in
which to conduct the classroom observations and the small sample of
students observed, due to timetabling constrains. Therefore, even though the
NTA’s support was generally beneficial for the students observed, a bigger
sample might have shown something different. In addition, the artefacts
collected did not offer sufficient information to reach more definite conclusion.
Data from the period when the school did not have the role of the NTA in
place, i.e. prior to 2001, would have been needed to further test this study’s
hypotheses.
50
In order to resolve the doubts which have arisen in this case study research,
further research is recommended, especially considering that, to date, there
seems to be a big gap in the knowledge of this field. To gain a better
understanding of the effectiveness of the NTA role, a larger range of contexts
and bigger samples would need to be analysed than those which were
available for use in this study. By doing this, the findings of this study could
be validated or contradicted and a firmer base would be established for
taking on the recommendations made.
51
References
Alborz A, Pearson D, Farrell P, Howes A (2009) The impact of adult support staff on pupils and mainstream schools. Technical Report. In: Research Evidence in Education Library. London: EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London.
Allen, F. and Davies, B. (2009) Vocational options: the impact of a vocational context on teaching and learning modern foreign languages at Key Stage 4, Language Learning Journal, 37(1), pp. 51-70.
Anderson, G. (1990) Fundamentals of Education Research. London: The Palmer Press
Bell, J., (2010) Doing Your Research Project: A Guide for First-Time Researchers in Education, Health and Social Science. [online]. Open University Press. Available from:<http://lib.myilibrary.com?ID=302868> 19 April 2012
Blatchford, P.,et al., (2006) The deployment and impact of support staff in schools: report on findings from a national questionnaire survey of schools, support staff and teachers (Strand 1,Wave 1). London: Department for Education and Skills
Blatchford, et al.,(2011) The impact of support staff on pupils positive approaches to learning and their academic progress, British Educational Research Journal, 37(3), pp. 443-464.
Brace, I. (2004) Questionnaire Design : How to Plan, Structure, and Write Survey Material for Effective Market Research. Kogan Page.
Burns, A., and Joyce, H. (1997) Focus on Speaking. Macquarie University: Sydney
Burton, D. and Bartlett, S. (2009) Key issues for education researchers / Diana Burton and Steve Bartlett. Los Angeles : SAGE, 2009.
Butt, G. and Lance, A., (2005) Modernizing the roles of support staff in primary schools: changing focus, changing function, Educational Review, 57(2), pp. 139-149.
Clayton, T. (1993) From domestic helper to assistant teacher - the changing role of the British classroom assistant, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 8(1), p. 32.
Davies, A. (2003) The native speaker in applied linguistics. New York: Blackwell
52
Derwing, T. M. and Rossiter, M. J. (2003) The Effects of Pronunciation Instruction on the Accuracy, Fluency, and Complexity of L2 Accented Speech, Applied Language Lerning, 13, pp. 1-18.
Devecchi, C. and Rouse, M. (2010) An Exploration of the Features of Effective Collaboration between Teachers and Teaching Assistants in Secondary Schools, Support for Learning, 25(2), pp. 91-99.
Elliott, A. R. (1995) Foreign Language Phonology: Field Independence, Attitude, and the Success of Formal Instruction in Spanish Pronunciation, Modern Language Journal, 79(4), pp. 530-542.
Farrell, P., Alborz, A., Howes, A. and Pearson, D. (2010) The Impact of Teaching Assistants on Improving Pupils Academic Achievement in Mainstream Schools: A Review of the Literature, Educational Review, 62(4), pp. 435-448.
Feng, R., (2009) Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants acting as cultural ambassadors on the campus, Sino-US English Teaching, 6(3), pp. 31-35.
Footitt, H. (2005) The National Language Strategy in Higher Education. London: DfES and The Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
French, N. K. (2001) Supervising Paraprofessionals: A Survey of Teacher Practices, Journal of Special Education, 35(1), p. 41.
Galloway, N., (2008) Native Speaking English Teachers in Japan: From the Perspective of an Insider, Journal of English as an International Language, 3, pp. 127-188.
Gao, F. and Shum, M. S. K. (2010) Investigating the Role of Bilingual Teaching Assistants in Hong Kong: An Exploratory Study, Educational Research, 52(4), pp. 445-456.
Gerring, J. (2007) Case study research: principles and practices New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Giangrecco, M. F. and Doyle, M. B. (2007) Teaching assistants in inclusive schools. London: Sage
Giangreco, M. F., Broer, S. M. and Edelman, S. W. (2002) ''That was then, this is now!" Paraprofessional supports for students with disabilities in general education classrooms, Exceptionality, 10(1), pp. 47-64.
Giangreco, M. F. S. J. C. D. M. B. (2010) Paraprofessionals in Inclusive Schools: A Review of Recent Research, Journal of Educational & Psychological Consultation, 20(1), pp. 41-57.
53
Gilakjani, A. P. and Ahmadi, M. R. (2011) Why is Pronunciation So Difficult to Learn?, English Language Teaching, 4(3), pp. 74-83.
Goddard, G. and Ryall, A. (2002) Teaching Assistants: issues for the primary school,Primary Pactice (30), pp. 29-32.
Gorsuch, G. J. (2011) Improving Speaking Fluency for International Teaching Assistants by Increasing Input, TESL-EJ, 14(4).
Guthrie, G. (2010) Basic Research Methods : An Entry to Social Science Research. SAGE Publications.
Hertel, T. J. and Sunderman, G. (2009) Student Attitudes Toward Native and Non-Native Language Instructors, Foreign Language Annals, 42(3), pp. 468-482.
Hmi/OfSted. (2002) Teaching Assistants in Primary Schools: an evaluation of the quality and impactof their work. London: HMI
Hunt, M., et al., (2005) Primary modern foreign languages: an overview of recent research, key issues and challenges for educational policy and practice, Research Papers in Education, 20(4), pp. 371-390.
In-Jae, J. (2010) Exploring the Co-teaching Practice of Native and Non-native English Teachers in Korea, English Teaching, 65(3), pp. 43-67.
Keiding, T (2011), Observing Participating Observation. A re-description Based on Systems Theory, Historical Social Research, 36, 1, pp. 106-123, SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 December 2011.
Kirk, J. and Miller, M. L., (1986) Reliability and validity in qualitative research. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
Kuhn, T.S., (1962) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Littlejohn, S., (2000). Theories of Human Communication. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Lord, G. (2010) The Combined Effects of Immersion and Instruction on Second Language Pronunciation, Foreign Language Annals, 43(3), pp. 488-503.
Mahboob, A. (2005) Beyond the native speaker in TESOL. Abu Dhabi: Center of Excellence for Applied Research and Training & The Military Language Institute
54
Meyers, C. M., Pickering, L., Gorsuch, G. and Griffee, D. T. (2010) English communication for international teaching assistant teacher's manual. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc
Morin, R. (2007) A Neglected Aspect of the Standards: Preparing Foreign Language Spanish Teachers to Teach Pronunciation', Foreign Language Annals, 40(2), pp. 342-360.
Newby, P. (2010) Research methods for education. New York: Pearson Education Limited, c2010.
O'Hara, M., Carter, C., Dewis, P., Key, J. and Wainwright, J., (2011) Successful Dissertations. [online]. Continuum International Publishing Group. Available from:<http://lib.myilibrary.com?ID=301586> Accessed on 18 April 2012
Ohtani, C. (2010) Problems in the Assistant Language Teacher System and English Activity at Japanese Public Elementary Schools, Educational Perspectives, 43(1-2), pp. 38-45.
Petro, A. (2006) Addressing the cultural and linguistic needs of students. Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Others Languages, Inc
Pickett, A. L., Likins, M., and Wallace, T., (2003) The Employment and Preparation of Paraeducators, the State of the Art [online] Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED474398&site=eds-live Accessed on 20 April 2012
Rollin, H. (2006) Intercultural Competence for Students of Spanish: Can we teach it? Can we afford not to teach it?, Language Learning Journal, 34(1), pp. 55-61.
Rubie-Davies, C. M., et al., (2010) Enhancing learning? A comparison of teacher and teaching assistant interactions with pupils, School Effectiveness & School Improvement, 21(4), pp. 429-449.
Sharp, J. (2009) Success with your education research project. Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd.
Schlapp, U., Wilson, V., and Davidson, J., (2001). "An Extra Pair of Hands?" Evaluation of the Classroom Assistants Initiative. Interim Report. SCRE Research Report Series [online]Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED457156&site=eds-live Accessed on 18 April 2012
55
Shin, S. J. (2008) Preparing non-native English-speaking ESL teachers, Teacher Development, 12(1), pp. 57-65.
Sun Hee, J., Boi Hoang, N. and Yang, Y. (2010) Enhancing Pedagogical Roles of ESL/EFL Native and Non-Native Teachers through Team Teaching: How to Make this International Partnership Successful, International Journal of Learning, 17(9), pp. 249-257.
Thompson, A. (1999) Initial teacher training and professional development for bilingual classroom assistants. London: Intercultural Education Partnership
Tucker, S. (2009) Perceptions and reflections on the role of the teaching assistant in the classroom environment, Pastoral Care in Education, 27(4), pp. 291-300.
Tulane, S. and Beckert, T. E. (2011) Perceived utility and knowledge of graduate teaching assistants, Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning, 11(4), pp. 44-55.
Unison. (2002) Teaching assistants. A report on the role, pay and conditions of teaching assistants. London: Labour Research Department, UNISON
Vincett, K., Cremin, H. and Thomas, G. (2005) Teachers and assistants working together / Karen Vincentt, Hilary Cremin and Gary Thomas. Maidenhead : Open University Press, 2005.
Webster, R., et al., (2011) The Wider Pedagogical Role of Teaching Assistants, School Leadership & Management, 31(1), pp. 3-20.
Wilson, V., Schlapp, U., Davidson, J., (2002) More Than "an Extra Pair of Hands"? SCRE Research Report [online] Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED472941&site=eds-live Accesed on 18 April 2012
Woolfson, R. G. and Truswell, E. (2005) Do classroom assistants work?, Educational Research, 47(1), pp. 63-75.
Zyzik, E. (2008) A Novel Format for Teaching Spanish Grammar: Lessons from the Lecture Hall, Foreign Language Annals, 41(3), pp. 434-453.
56
Appendix 1
23.40%
27.65%23.40%
17.02%
6.38%
2004 Spanish GCSE results: Speaking test foundation tier (Max. Score 36)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 19 and 36 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 15 and 18 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose result is between 11 and 14 (Grade E)Percentage of students whose result is between 8 and 10 (Grade F)Percentage of students which result is 7 or lower (Grade G)
Total number of studenst: 47
*The score correspond to the scale set by the AQA exam board for 2004.
6.25
18.75%
18.75%
18.75%
18.75%
18.75%
2004 Spanish GCSE results: Speaking test higher tier (Max. Score 40)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 32 and 40 (Grade A*)Percentage of students whose result is between 27 and 31 (Grade A)Percentage of students whose result is between 23 and 26 (Grade B)Percentage of students whose result is between 20 and 22 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 16 and 19 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose result is 15 or lower (Grade E)
Total number of studenst: 16
*The score correspond to the scale set by the AQA exam board for 2004.
57
33.33%
25%
41.66%
2004 Spanish A-levels results: Speaking test (Max. Score 90)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 72 and 90 (Grade A)Percentage of students whose result is between 63 and 71 (Grade B)Percentage of students whose result is between 54 and 62 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 45 and 53 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose results is 44 or lower (Grade E)
*The score correspond to the maximum uniform mark set by the Edexcel exam board for 2004.
33.33%
22.22%
11.11%
22.22%
2005 Spanish GCSE results: Speaking test foundation tier (Max. Score 36)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 18 and 36 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 14 and 17 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose result is between 10 and 13 (Grade E)Percentage of students whose result is between 7 and 9 (Grade F)Percentage of students which result is 6 or lower (Grade G)
Total number of studenst: 9
*The score correspond to the scale set by the AQA exam board for 2005.
58
Total number of
students: 12
25%
31.81%34.09%
6.81%
11.36%
2.27%
2005 Spanish GCSE results: Speaking test higher tier (Max. Score 40)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 32 and 40 (Grade A*)Percentage of students whose result is between 26 and 31 (Grade A)Percentage of students whose result is between 22 and 25 (Grade B)Percentage of students whose result is between 19 and 21 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 14 and 18 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose result is 13 or lower (Grade E)
Total number of studenst: 44
*The score correspond to the scale set by the AQA exam board for 2005.
46.15%
23.07%
23.07%
7.69%
2005 Spanish A-levels results: Speaking test (Max. Score 90)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 72 and 90 (Grade A)Percentage of students whose result is between 63 and 71 (Grade B)Percentage of students whose result is between 54 and 62 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 45 and 53 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose results is 44 or lower (Grade E)
*The score correspond to the maximum uniform mark set by the Edexcel exam board for 2005.
59
Total number of
students: 13
Total number of
students: 13
56.22%30.43%
8.69%
4.34%
2006 Spanish GCSE results: Speaking test higher tier (Max. Score 40)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 32 and 40 (Grade A*)Percentage of students whose result is between 26 and 31 (Grade A)Percentage of students whose result is between 22 and 25 (Grade B)Percentage of students whose result is between 19 and 21 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 14 and 18 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose result is 13 or lower (Grade E)
Total number of studenst: 46
*The score correspond to the scale set by the AQA exam board for 2006.
33.33%
50%
8.33%
8.33%
2006 Spanish A-levels results: Speaking test (Max. Score 90)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 72 and 90 (Grade A)Percentage of students whose result is between 63 and 71 (Grade B)Percentage of students whose result is between 54 and 62 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 45 and 53 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose results is 44 or lower (Grade E)
*The score correspond to the maximum uniform mark set by the Edexcel exam board for 2006.
60
Total number of
students: 12
14.28%
37.14%25.71%
11.42%
8.57%
2.85%
2007 Spanish GCSE results: Speaking test higher tier (Max. Score 40)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 32 and 40 (Grade A*)Percentage of students whose result is between 26 and 31 (Grade A)Percentage of students whose result is between 22 and 25 (Grade B)Percentage of students whose result is between 19 and 21 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 14 and 18 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose result is 13 or lower (Grade E)
Total number of studenst: 35
*The score correspond to the scale set by the AQA exam board for 2007.
22.22%
22.22%
5.55%
27.77%
16.66%
2007 Spanish A-levels results: Speaking test (Max. Score 90)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 72 and 90 (Grade A)Percentage of students whose result is between 63 and 71 (Grade B)Percentage of students whose result is between 54 and 62 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 45 and 53 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose results is 44 or lower (Grade E)
Total number of students: 18
*The score correspond to the maximum uniform mark set by the Edexcel exam board for 2007.
61
50.00%
25%
25%
2008 Spanish A-levels results: Speaking test (Max. Score 90)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 72 and 90 (Grade A)Percentage of students whose result is between 63 and 71 (Grade B)Percentage of students whose result is between 54 and 62 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 45 and 53 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose results is 44 or lower (Grade E)
Total number of stu-dents: 8
*The score correspond to the maximum uniform mark set by the Edexcel exam board for 2008.
42.22%
17.77%
20%
8.88%
6.66%
4.44%
2009 Spanish GCSE results: Speaking test higher tier (Max. Score 40)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 32 and 40 (Grade A*)Percentage of students whose result is between 26 and 31 (Grade A)Percentage of students whose result is between 22 and 25 (Grade B)Percentage of students whose result is between 19 and 21 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 14 and 18 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose result is 13 or lower (Grade E)
Total number of studenst: 45
*The score correspond to the scale set by the AQA exam board for 2009.
62
25.00%
25%25%
25%
2009 Spanish A-levels results: Speaking test (Max. Score 90)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 72 and 90 (Grade A)Percentage of students whose result is between 63 and 71 (Grade B)Percentage of students whose result is between 54 and 62 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 45 and 53 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose results is 44 or lower (Grade E)
Total number of students: 8
*The score correspond to the maximum uniform mark set by the Edexcel exam board for 2009.
14.28%
28.57%
47.61%
11.90%
4.76% 2.38%
2010 Spanish GCSE results: Speaking Moderated test (Max. Score 90)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 81 and 90 (Grade A*)Percentage of students whose result is between 72 and 80 (Grade A)Percentage of students whose result is between 63 and 71 (Grade B)Percentage of students whose result is between 54 and 62 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 45 and 53 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose result is 44 or lower (Grade E)
Total number of studenst: 42
*The score correspond to the scale set by the Edexcel exam board for 2010.
63
57.14%28.57%
14.28%
2010 Spanish A-levels results: Speaking test (Max. Score 70)*
Percentage of students whose result is between 54 and 70 (Grade A)Percentage of students whose result is between 48 and 53 (Grade B)Percentage of students whose result is between 42 and 47 (Grade C)Percentage of students whose result is between 36 and 41 (Grade D)Percentage of students whose results is 35 or lower (Grade E)
Total number of students: 7
*The score correspond to the maximum uniform mark set by the Edexcel exam board for 2010.
64
Appendix 2
THE NATIVE TEACHING ASSISTANT (NTA) AS A RESOURCE FOR ENHANCING STUDENTS’ PROFICIENCY IN THE SPANISH LANGUAGE
Teaching staff questionnaire(Please show your agreement to the following statements, 1 being totally disagree and 5 strongly agree)
1. NTA’s role and responsibilities - The school provided an appropriate job description
to the NTA. 1 2 3 4 5
- The NTA is provided with an effective school induction
programme. 1 2 3 4 5
- NTAs are given time for preparation, meetings and
other administrative tasks. 1 2 3 4 5
-The school’s staff development plan considers the
NTA’s development needs. 1 2 3 4 5
- The school provides adequate support for teachers in
relation to the management of the NTA. 1 2 3 4 5
- I meet with the NTA regularly to discuss
and improve the quality of our partnership. 1 2 3 4 5
2. Teachers’ use of the NTA for supporting students’ learning progress- My teaching approach and planning take into account
the NTA’s capabilities. 1 2 3 4 5
- I recognise and make use of the NTA’s previous experience
and skills to support students’ learning. 1 2 3 4 5
- The NTA understands the purpose of lessons’
activities. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that NTA’s support should focus on
developing students’ oral communication skills. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that NTA’s support should focus on
developing students’ pronunciation skills. 1 2 3 4 5
65
- I believe that the NTA’s support should focus on
developing students’ grammar skills. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that the NTA’s support should focus on
developing students’ listening skills. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that the NTA’s support should focus on
developing students’ writing skills. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that the NTA’s support should focus on
developing students’ vocabulary. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that the NTA’s support should focus on
developing students’ knowledge about the cultural
aspects of the country. 1 2 3 4 5
3. NTA’s training and training opportunities- The NTA received school-based training prior to and
during the development of her job. 1 2 3 4 5
- The NTA received external training prior and during
the development of her job. 12 3 4 5
- I received school-based training about how to
make use of the NTA to support my lessons. 1 2 3 4 5
- I received external training about how
to make use of the NTA to support my lessons. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that I would make a better use of the
NTA to support my lesson if I received the
right training. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that students’ results would be enhanced
if the NTA received the right training. 1 2 3 4 5
66
In the additional comments box, please feel free to write about anything that hasn’t been covered above.
Thank you for taking the time to give your views.
THE NATIVE TEACHING ASSISTANT (NTA) AS A RESOURCE FOR ENHANCING STUDENTS’ PROFICIENCY IN THE SPANISH LANGUAGE
Native Teaching Assistant questionnaire
(Please show your agreement to the following statements, 1 being totally disagree and 5 strongly agree)
1. NTA’s role and responsibilities
- The school provided me with an appropriate job description
for my role. 1 2 3 4 5
- I received a school induction day prior to starting
my job. 1 2 3 4 5
- I am given time for preparation, meetings and
other administrative tasks. 1 2 3 4 5
-The school’s staff development plan regards my
development needs. 1 2 3 4 5
- I meet with teachers regularly to discuss
and improve the quality of our partnership. 1 2 3 4 5
2. Teachers’ use of the NTA for supporting students’ learning progress
- I am given clear instructions from the teachers about
the purpose of the lessons’ activities. 1 2 3 4 5
- I spend most of my time preparing teaching materials
and lesson activities. 1 2 3 4 5
- I spend most of my time working independently with
groups of students. 1 2 3 4 5
- I spend most of my time working independently with
individual students. 1 2 3 4 5
67
- I believe that I should focus on supporting the
development of students’ oral skills. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that I should focus on supporting the
development of students’ pronunciation skills. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that I should focus on supporting the
development of students’ grammar skills. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that I should focus on supporting the
development of students’ listening skills. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that I should focus on supporting the
development of students’ writing skills. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that I should focus on supporting the
development of students’ vocabulary. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that I should focus on supporting students’
knowledge about the cultural aspects of
the country. 1 2 3 4 5
3. NTA’s training and training opportunities
- I have received effective school-based training prior
to and during my work at the school. 1 2 3 4 5
- I have received external training prior to and
during work at the school. 1 2 3 4 5
- I received school-based training about how to
support students effectively during my lessons. 1 2 3 4 5
- I received external training about how to
support students effectively during my lessons. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that I would be able to support students
more effectively if I received the right training. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that students’ results would be enhanced
if the I received the right training. 1 2 3 4 5
68
In the additional comments box, please feel free to write about anything that hasn’t been covered above.
Thank you for taking the time to give your views.
THE NATIVE TEACHING ASSISTANT (NTA) AS A RESOURCE FOR ENHANCING STUDENTS’ PROFICIENCY IN THE SPANISH LANGUAGE
Students’ questionnaire
(Please show your agreement to the following statements, 1 being totally disagree and 5 strongly agree)
1. Native Teaching Assistant’s impact on my learning process.
- I am regularly given clear instructions from both
the teachers and the NTA about the purpose
of lessons’ activities. 1 2 3 4 5
- I spend most of my time during lessons working
in groups with the NTA. 12 3 4 5
- I spend most of my time during lessons working
individually with the NTA. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that thanks to the NTA I have developed my
oral communication skills. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that thanks to the NTA I have developed my
pronunciation skills. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that thanks to the NTA I have developed my
grammar skills. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that thanks to the NTA I have developed my
listening skills. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that thanks to the NTA I have developed my
writing skills. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that thanks to the NTA I have developed my
vocabulary. 1 2 3 4 5
- I believe that thanks to the NTA I have gained a better
of the culture of Spain. 1 2 3 4 5
69
In the additional comments box, please feel free to write about anything that hasn’t been covered above. Thank you for taking the time to give your views.
Appendix 3
Classroom observation sheet
Year Group: _____ Date: _______________
Topic: ________________________________________
Activity: _______________________________________
Start time: _______________ End time:_______________
1. Lesson structure:
Cooperative: Large group Small group
Individual: One-to-one
How is the lesson introduced? _____________________________________________________________
2. NTA support is focused on:
Oral communication skills 1 2 3 4 5
Pronunciation 1 2 3 4 5
Grammar skills 1 2 3 4 5
Listening skills 1 2 3 4 5
Writing skills 1 2 3 4 5
Development of vocabulary 1 2 3 4 5
Cultural aspects of the language 1 2 3 4 5
3. Student Participation:
Quality of work 1 2 3 4 5
Engagement with the task/tasks 1 2 3 4 5
Motivation and determination 1 2 3 4 5
Confidence using the target language 1 2 3 4 5
70
top related