Assignment - ORLC

SUBJECT RESIT ASSIGNMENT

OBSERVATION & RESEARCH IN THE LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

FPMTFL: Master in Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Subject: Observation & Research in the Language Classroom
Student: Belisma Martínez
Logins: VEFPMTFL1398460
Professor: Dr. Vanessa Anaya
Group: fp_tefl_2013-06
Date: June 28th, 2015

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INDEX

Assignment instructions .............................................................................................3

Introduction....................................................................................................................
4

Adapting the structure of one of the six proposed case studies to fit in with
target group and teaching context
a. Contextualizing the target group…………………………………………...…
5

b. Defining the problem………………………………………………………...….6

c. Identifying group’s needs………………………………………………….….6

d. Data collecting……………………………………………………………….….6

e. Analyzing the data………………………………………………………….......8

Conclusions...................................................................................................................9

References ..................................................................................................................10

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Assignment Instructions:

Vincent, S. (1990) “Motivating the advanced learner in developing writing skills: a

project”. In ELT Journal, 44 /4, pp. 272-278.

(From Wallace 1998: 166-169). Of the case study outlined above, which topic
would be of most interest/relevance for a group of students with which you are
familiar? Think about how you would need to adapt the case study for your
target group's needs by considering the following questions:

1. Clearly outline the population for your adapted case study.

2. How would you adapt the structure of the case study to fit in with your
target group and teaching context?

3. What sort of data would you generate and how would you generate it?

4. How would you analyse the data?

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Intoduction

Within a second language teaching-learning environment, an amazingly wide

range of factors affect the effectiveness of teachers’ and learners’ interactions: input
provided, students’ practice opportunities, motivation levels, strategies applied, either
by teachers and students, and the latter’s cognitive styles, just to name some of the
aspects to be analysed in the classroom context. Due to this very varied scope of
factors, classroom research has increasingly been under the spotlight. Different
teachers’ theories not only come from pedagogic schools, but from their personal
beliefs and values, their experiences as learners, or their experiences in the classroom
(Stern, 1983). Even though, as van Lier (1988) states, classroom research is still a
difficult issue nowadays.
The case study is a reflexion upon a 'bounded system,' emphasising the unity
and wholeness of that system, but confining the attention to those aspects that are
relevant to the research problem at the time. (Stake, 1988: 258)
Given multiple data sources and the 'whole system' approach central to case studies, it
is clear that they offer great potential to explore the work of teachers, in terms of what
teachers actually do in classrooms, but also what they know, think and feel about their
work (Richert, 1991). Dealing with the totality of any issue is impossible, but case
studies allow much of the diversity and complexity of experience to emerge (Stake,
1988).
Adelman, Jenkins and Kemmis (1976:148-150) also proposed several
advantages in selecting the case study approach when dealing with classroom
research. Briefly, these may be summarized as follows:
a. the data are strong in reality;
b. attention is given to the subtlety and complexity of the case;
c. case study recognizes the 'embeddedness' of social truths;
d. case study admits 'subsequent reinterpretation';
e. insights may inform teachers, institutions and policy; and
f. the data are presented in an accessible form.

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This assignment aims to develop a hypothetical case study which provides theoretic
insights, as well as procedures and methodological information on how to apply
teacher’s observation, research techniques, and data analysis, adapting a case study
to a second language target group and identifying their teaching context and needs.

Adapting the structure of one of the six proposed case studies to fit in with
target group and teaching context

a. Contextualizing the target group

The teaching context was made up of twenty-four Venezuelan, teenage 5 th year

students of high school in a private school on Margarita Island, Nueva Esparta
State, during the first term of the school year 2014-2015. Their proficiency level
in English ranged between upper-intermediate and advanced, and their mother
tongue is Spanish. These students have received eight hours of English per
week, since their first grade of elementary school. Their classes were divided in
four blocks of two hours each: two hours of spelling, two hours of reading and
writing, and four separated hours of language arts.

Coming from a wealthy socio-economic status, most of them have been to the
US for holidays, at least once in their lives. Six families, out of the twenty four,
have reported that their children’s English level was higher than the
communicative skills of the parents. Seventeen students (eight girls and nine
boys) have stated that they are likely to go to continue their college studies
abroad.

Even though, their motivational level towards the subject was rather low. Even
when the teachers address them in the target language, they reply in their
mother tongue, implying that they have perfect understanding of the input
received, but with little (or absence of) interest in replying or producing their
output in L2.

In regards to the program approach used at Guayamuri school, Clyne (1986)

specifies two different models for second language education: 'content-based'
or 'language object'. Content-based programs are based on an immersion
model, using the target language to teach new subject content, such as maths,
music or social studies. (…) In 'language object' programs on the other hand,

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no subject matter is usually taught apart from the language itself. Acquisition of
competence in the language is therefore the 'object' of such programs. In our
case, primary English lessons have a Content-based model, but in High school
they are language object.

b. Defining the problem

The school has a paper-free policy for the high school senior students. Thus,
classes are completely computer-based. Instead of using the computer as an
educational tool, some of them used it to download videos or visit prohibited
websites. I taught them reading and writing and the spelling components for
four hours per week.

In occasions, I found myself getting little attention when dealing with academic
English skills development through writing essay-type text. Students felt
competent in their writing skills, though.

My hypothesis was that if the students could find out a topic of general interest
their motivational level would increase.

c. Identifying group’s needs

Discussing with students, they showed interest at talking about show business,
celebrities, and the world of entertainment. Most of them were well informed
about actors and actresses news. After brainstorming, we reached an
agreement. We would establish show business as the center topic of our
learning project.

d. Data collecting

Data sources included semi-structured interviews, teacher’s classroom

observation for one school term (16 weeks), and entries in a teacher journal.
These multiple sources provided insights into strategies, beliefs, thoughts and
feelings, as well as the way these things were tied to particular classrooms
contexts. The analysis of the data centered on established principles of

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qualitative field studies, an analysis grounded in the gathered data itself. This
alone validated the choice of case study as a methodological approach within
the naturalistic paradigm of research.

 Semi structured interviews:

I followed a paper based guide previously written in my notebook that

contained open-ended questions. Even when I made my best efforts to jot
notes while conducting the interview, I have to admit that it was extremely
difficult to perform both tasks at the same time, on the one hand, jotting
notes, and on the other developing rapport and dialogue-like environment
with my interviewee students.

Here are the set of questions I had prepared for my students:

1. What kind of information on show business are you interested in?

2. What is it you want to know about show business?

3. What would you like to know about actors and actresses?

4. What do you already know about show business news?

5. Would you research more about that topic?

6. Is there something specific about that topic area that you are interested
in?

Nine (9) girls and Thirteen (13) boys participated in the discussion. Two
students were absent during the activity. From the male students, six were
evidently inclined to get to know about soccer players news and information
about soccer leagues and sports related topics, such as who were the
girlfriends of some players, or how much money had they been offered or
gotten in their last contracts. The others were open towards the selections
made by girls, who leaned on getting information about TV series such as
‘Game of Thrones’, or sitcoms.

 Diary entries:

Even though these were clearly anecdotal and subjective, they provided me
very important clues about my students’ feelings.

- Thursday September 25th, 2014:

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“Jorge, Enrique, Pedro and Roberto are watching movies during the class”.

“Victoria and Nicolás bother around and did not work”.

- Friday September 26th, 2014:

“Daniel refuses to turn on his computer and do the Edmodo test on

Transitional words. He claims, it’s a waste of time”.

- Thursday October 2nd, 2014:

“Mary Ann says that every year they see the same classes. She wants to
skip high school and go straight to the university”.

Nicolás asked for permission to go to the restroom and didn’t come back”.

e. Analyzing Data
After contrasting some of the data gathered, I could realize that the frequency of
situations with students that showed a lack of interest, or refused doing their work in
class reduced considerably once we established the project based on students’
interests. In short, the qualitative data analysis technique used during my case study
was the result of a deductive procedure, rather than an inductive one.
The classroom environment shifted from tense to having a closer rapport with most of
the students in the class. Although the texts produced were not the common academic-
like type of texts, subjective essays also helped them improve their persuasion abilities
in L2, and usage of coherence and cohesive skills used in text styles usually found at
university levels. Moreover, during classes, they pointed out some expressions and
compound verb structures they had not been familiar with before.
The subject mode, or average grade, at the end of the term, was eighteen (18) points;
and the median was sixteen (16) points out of twenty (20) according to the Venezuelan
gradim system, from zero-one (01) to twenty (20).

To finish, here are some extracts of the students’ work written on November 17th, 2014.
For this piece of writing they had to research about a polemic, or important figure of the
sports or the show business and develop a subjective essay or editorial article, after
cooperative correction of the articles, they were to be included in a digital magazine
with all the written articles the center topic of the edition would be: To what extent are
we all affected by mass media and show business figures?

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Isabella Rodríguez (17 years old):

“Robin Williams’ death took by surprise the whole world that sad morning of August,
when we all stood frozen in front of our T.V. sets. A public figure we all grew up with,
that made us see the best of the human race qualities, should have thought twice his
decision making beforehand. I didn’t know him in person, but he was part of me, my
human-race family. I grew up watching Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, or Good will hunting.
We were all left with a feeling of loneliness and disappointment unimaginable. His
daughter Zelda was totally right. She couldn’t state it better: “the world is forever a little
darker, less colorful and less full of laughter in his absence".”

Jonathan Hoffbann (16 years old):

“The fact of having Luis Suárez banned for nine international games, ruling him out of
the Soccer World cup, was an extremely excessive decision from the Fifa disciplinary
comitte. It was by far the biggest ban in the World cup We saw more aggressive
situations that did not receive a similar punishment, as the kick Colombian player
Cuadrado gave to Brazilian player Neimar Jr.”

Conclusions
In this brief overview of a case study, the aim was to put into practice the theoretical
information provided. As McLaughlin (1993, p. 81) writes, '... teachers discriminate their
sense of personal efficacy on a period-by-period basis, depending on their relationship
with students in each class'. Observation and research in the classroom greatly
contributes to enhance the results of the teaching-learning process by accurately
analyzing every single possible variable from a wide scope of techniques, approaches
and instruments. All of them, aiming to reflect and evaluate, not only our teaching, but
every element participant in the teaching-learning process, taking the classroom as the
center piece of our practice. (Wolcott, 1990) Larsen-Freeman and Long (1991, p. 8)
remind us that the goal of classroom-centred research 'is to describe classroom
processes, not to prescribe instructional techniques'. Case studies are an ideal medium
for doing just that. Albert Einstein himself used to say that insanity is “doing the same
thing, over and over again, in the same way, expecting to have a different outcome”.

References

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Adelman, C., Jenkins, D. & Kemmis, S. (1976).Rethinking case study: Notes from the
second Cambridge conference. Cambridge Journal of Education, 6(3), 139-50.

Clyne, M. (1986). An early start: Second language at primary school. Melbourne: River
Seine Publications.

McLaughlin, M.(1993). What matters most in teachers' workplace context. In J. W. Little

& M. W. McLaughlin, (Eds),Teachers' work (pp. 79-103). New York: Teachers College
Press.

Van Lier, L. (1988). The classroom and the language learner. Longman. London.

Stake, R. (1988). Case study methods in educational research: Seeking sweet water.
In R. Jaeger (Ed.), Complementary methods for research in education (pp. 253-265).
Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.

Vincent, S. (1990) “Motivating the advanced learner in developing writing skills: a

project”. In ELT Journal, 44 /4, pp. 272-278.

Richert, A. E. (1991). Case methods and teacher education: Using cases to teach
teacher reflection. In B. R. Tabachnick & K. Zeichner (Eds), Issues and practices in
inquiry-oriented research (pp. 130-150). London: Falmer Press.

Wallace, M. (1998) Action Research for Language Teachers. Cambridge University

Press.

Wolcott, H. F. (1988). Adequate schools and inadequate education: The life history of a
sneaky kid. In R. Jaeger (Ed.) Complementary methods for research in education (pp.
220-249). Washington DC: American Educational Research Association.

Wolcott, H. F. (1990). Writing up qualitative research. California: Sage Publications.

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