classroom research

CLASSROOM RESEARCH

Research in Second Language Acquisition PBGS 6113 Med TESL University of Malaya Semester 1 2011/2012 Dr. Jessie Grace U. Rubrico, Facilitator

GROUP 2 MEMBERS –

TITLE: CLASSROOM RESEARCH – PART 2

PUSHPA KANDASAMY

PGP110002

LEE HUAN YIK PGP110012

SHARILA CHRISTIE PGP110003

CLASSROOM RESEARCH : INTERACTION ANALYSIS

1. DESIGNING YOUR OWN

CLASSROOM RESEARCH

2. INTERPRETING

CLASSROOM RESEARCH

3. SIGNIFICANCE

OF CLASSROOM

RESEARCH

4. REFLECTING ON

CLASSROOM RESEARCH

5. SUMMARY

1. DESIGNING YOUR OWN CLASSROOM RESEARCH

CLARIFYING YOUR BELIEFS, PICKING YOUR TENETS

PICKING A TOPIC

PICKING A TECHNIQUE

beliefs about good teaching beliefs about effective learning Views are shared and many axioms are built Eg: Axiom – saying / statement learners learn more effectively when given positive

feedback (praise, approval) than negative feedback (criticism, disapproval).

Research reports……. Positive evidence (Rosenshine and Frust, 1973) Negative evidence (Long, 1983)

- clarify tenets (theories/ beliefs) - how such tenets could shape the research *useful, relevant, effective, applicable…..

Picking a topic…… Teacher- focused topics -beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, methodologies, approaches, techniques, classroom management etc… learner-focused topics -Learning styles, motivation, academic performance ,etc Topic – based on the problem encountered/observed Suggestions / ideas – future / further studies Limitations of the study

1. Topic- L1 use during L2 writing

2. Findings –all the participants used their L1

while writing argumentative essays in their L2 to some extent.

3. Limitation – only included tasks in a single genre (argumentative) – impossible to generalize

the finding across genres.

4. Future research – including a few genres – (persuasive, expository,

narrative etc)

Article Example 1:

1. Topic-value of written corrective feedback (WCF) to improve writing performance

2. Samples – intermediate level

3. Findings –WCF helped students to improve their accuracy in the use of two

functional uses of the English article system (a, the).

4. Future research – WCF might apply to students from

other proficiency levels – advanced, elementary, pre-

intermediate

Article Example 2:

Classroom observations – instrument (1960’s & 1970’s) Challenging, time consuming,

However, Allwright 1988, Day 1990 & Nunan 1989 had positive overviews – L2 research

Others:- interviews, questionnaires, action research, case studies, stimulated recall, etc

2. Interpreting Classroom Research

1. Classroom interactions 2. Researcher’s observations 3. Recorded as Data 4. Selected for Analysis 5. Extracts for reporting 6. Features for focus 7. Features as Evidence for interpretation

CAUTION

Initiation-Response-

Feedback (IRF) Model

Observational Instrument

Observational Instrument The I-R-F model is the most common. Initiation-Response-Feedback

Types of Questions

Wait time

Response Feedback In-class instances

3. Significance of Classroom Research

Areas of Major Influence on Discussions of Language Pedagogy

a) Teacher-student interaction b) Student-student interaction c) Student-text interaction (reader engaged in

interactive dialogue between author and reader)

Teacher-student Interactions

Teacher controls discourse (grammatically-correct & socially-

appropriate forms) to foster L2 learning/acquisition.

• Student-student interaction

• Cooperative learning • language acquisition • -adjust to appropriate level of listeners • -Vygotsky’s ZPD’-developmentally appropriate’ • Eg. In small group discussions,learners develop

from short term comprehension to long-term acquisition

4. Reflecting On Classroom Research Possible reasons for classroom interaction research :

1.Universal Experience

2. Importance Of Educational Improvement

3. Unsettling Findings

4. Uniqueness Of Second Language Classes

5. Further Professionalization Of Teaching

Reflecting On Classroom Research 6. Bridging The Theory- Practice Gap

7.The Durability Of Classroom Patterns

8.Classrooms As Ideal Environments For The Study Of Talk

9. Homegrown Nature Of Classroom Research

10. Context For Many Current Controversies

Reflecting On Classroom Research

Veteran observer – spent many years as classroom learner An expert about a topic and interesting to know deeper.

1. Universal Experience


Occupies the biggest budgets of most governmental agencies regardless of schooling location & subject of instruction.

Therefore, there is always movements to improve delivery of education to make classroom interaction more efficient, effective & inspiring.

2. Importance Of Educational Improvement


Teacher talk took up most of the interactional time. Teacher ask questions to which answers already

known.

3. Unsettling Findings


Research in second language classrooms shares many same interest and techniques of inquiry with research in other subject area classrooms.

Unique- both medium and content of instruction provides special challenges and the opportunity.

4.Uniqueness Of Second Language Classes

Example 1 Tan, B. T. (2011) suggests that for learners’ language to

develop in complexity, conditions need to be set, requiring them to access the L2 directly to construct new ideas and that opportunities are needed for both L2 forms and meaning to co-evolve. Here the conditions set are considered unique.

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Tan, B. T. (2011). Language creativity and co-emergence of form and meaning in creative writing task. Applied Linguistics, 32(2), 215-235


growing interest – involvement of classroom teacher in the process of research.

This trends include school based curriculum development, field based teacher preparation and professional self-evaluation projects.

5.Further Professionalization Of Teaching


Goals to narrow the gap between theory and practice, allowing teachers to become enthusiastic producers & consumers of educational research.

6. Bridging The Theory- Practice Gap

Example 2 Gilmore, A. (2009) explains that

participants were able to improve their writing after 90-minutes training session using online corpora and it was beneficial. Hence, online resources are tools that can be used to bridge the theory-practice gap to improve or develop writing skills.


Classroom looked same for last 1,000 years. Despite changes in content, technologies, methods, educational

priorities & professionalization of teaching, school classroom & activities in classroom not much change but the role and orientation of teacher and learners have maintained.

7.The Durability Of Classroom patterns


Classroom feature- attractive environment for the study of talk. Ethographers examine how talk systematically patterned in ways that

reveal, or define & how speakers perceive their relationships and situations.

Classrooms represent a strongly marked local social system, allowing researcher intimate looks at language which marks relationships & situations

8.Classrooms As Ideal Environments For The Study Of Talk

Example 3 Frazier, S. (2007) describes the sequential

structures of a kind of talk typical to group work. The study analyzes video data of naturally occurring interactions between students in writing classes, draws its theoretical basis from conversation-analytic literature on ‘second stories’ and on analytic approaches to the way talk, gesture, and other forms of embodiment produce action in the course of interaction.


Many techniques comes from outside the field of applied linguistics. Studies of classroom talk, educational researchers acknowledge that initial

impetus in investigations of classrooms talk come not from educational researchers but applied linguistics like Hymes, Gumperz, Sinclair and Coulthhard.

Critical study of classroom interaction can be said home-grown.

9.Homegrown Nature Of Classroom Research

Example 4 Firkins, Forey and Sengupta, (2007) explains

about a genre-based literacy pedagogy which can be used with English language learners. The method use is involved a combination of two explicit teaching methodologies, a genre-based and activity based pedagogical approach. The pedagogy was introduced in an English Club at a local Hong Kong school. It was found that a genre-based is suitable for educational context to low proficiency EFL learners. Here the genre-based is a home-grown tool in explicit teaching methodology.


Educational psychologist, second language specialist, social anthropologist, linguist..etc all assert a multiplicity of views on how classroom interaction research should be carried out both within their own areas of specialization and wider context of teaching and learning generally.

10.Context For Many Current Controversies

PUSHPA KANDASAMY

References

Bitchener, J., & Knoch, U. (2008). The value of written corrective feedback for migrant and international students. Language Teaching Research, 12(3), 409-431. Retrieved 07 October 2011, from http://ltr.sagepub.com/content/12/3/409

Brown, J. D., & Rodgers, T. S. (2009). Doing Second Language

Research. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. Firkins, A., Forey, G. & Sima Sengupta, (2007). Teaching writing

to low proficiency EFL students. English Language Teaching Journal, 61(4), 341-352.

http://ltr.sagepub.com/content/12/3/409

Ford, M., & Opitz, M.. (2011). Looking Back to Move Forward with Guided

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Frazier, S. (2007). Telling of rememberances ‘Touch off’ by student reports in group work in undergraduate writing classes. Applied Linguistics, 28(2), 189-210.

Gilmore, A. (2009). Using online corpora to develop students’ writing skills.

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