Dick Allwright

Kathleen M. Bailey

Focus on the Language Classroom

Classroom Research: What it is and
why it is important
Chapter Review

Student:
Berari Alexandra Diana
 Outline
1. The development of classroom research
1.1. What is a classroom research
1.2. How is it done?
1.3. Where did classroom research come from?
1.3.1. Interaction Analysis
1.3.2. Flint System
1.3.3. FOCUS
1.3.4. Embryonic Category System
1.3.5. Sinclair and Coulthard’s System
1.3.6. Colt System
2. Why focus on the classroom?
2.1. The classroom is the crucible
2.2. The management of interaction and the management of learning in
the classroom
2.3. Aspects and outcomes of classroom language lessons
1.1. What Is Classroom Research?

Fig.1. Research
 1.2. How Is It Done?

• Speculative and theoretical literature

Expert • Earlier research
opinion

• Direct observation
• Self report-Interviews (questionnaires)
• Open self report- Diary
Data base • Test data
1.3. Where Did Classroom Research Come
from?

Appeared Observation Schedules

• In the 1950s
• Student teachers -feedback
• Flanders’ Interaction Analysis
Categories
• Moscowitz’s “Flint”
• Fanselow’s “Focus”
• Embryonic Category System
• Sinclair and Coulthard’s System
• Colt System
 1.3.1. Interaction Analysis
Teacher Indirect 1. Accepts feelings
Talk influence 2. Praises or encourages
3. Accepts or uses ideas of students
4. Asks questions
Direct influence 5. Lecturing
6. Giving directions
7. Criticizing or justifying authority
8. Student talk-response
9. Student talk-initiation
10. Silence or confusion Table 1. Flander’s Interaction Analysis

Fig.2. Flander’s Matrix

1.3.2. Flint System

Table 2. Flint System

1.3.3. FOCUS

Fig.3.Focus
 1.3.4. Embryonic Category System
Pedagogical Moves Social Skills Rhetorical Acts

P 1. Student initates discussion. S 1.Student competes for R 1.Student predicts.

P 2. S. focuses discussion. the floor. R 2.Student hypothesizes.
P 3. S. summarizes and completes a S 2.S. interrupts. R 3.Student makes an
sequence/ends discussion or section of
discussion.
S 3.S. completes other’s observation.
P 4. S. moves conversation on to a new unfinished utterance. R 4.Student deduces.
topic. S 4.S. contradicts. R 5.Student induces.
P 5. S. qualifes another person’s S 5.S. invites participation R 6.Student states
contribution. by other students. generalization.
P 6. S. implicitly accepts a qualification. S 6.S. explicitly expresses R 7. Student defines.
P 7. S. extends a previous contribution of agreement. R 8.Student negates.
his own or of others.
P 8. S. reformulates own or other’s previous
S 7.S. makes explicit R 9.Student expresses cause and
assertion. reference to other’s effect relationship.
P 9. S. expresses understanding. contribution. R10. Student exemplifies
P10. S. provides an example. S 8.S. encourages other. R11.Student identifies.
P11. S. uses evidence to challenge an S 9.S. explicitly supports R12. Student categorizes.
assertion. other’s assertion with R13. Student classifies.
P12. S. asks for information. evidence. R14. Student concludes.
P13. S. asks for information about the target
language.
S10. S. jokes.
P14. S. gives information on request. S11. S. avoids discussion.
P15. Student gives information about the S12. S. repeats.
target language. S13. S. confirms.
P16. S. asks for clarification.
P17. S. clarifies
1.3.5. Sinclair and Coulthard’s System
1.3.6. Colt System

Table 3. Colt
Part 2.1. The Classroom Is the Crucible

Fig.4. Crucible
 2.2. The Management of Interaction and the
Management of Learning in the Classroom
• The management of interaction in the classroom
1. Who gets to speak?
2. What do they talk about?
3. What does each participant do with various opportunities to speak?
4. What sort of atmosphere is created?
5. What accent, dialect, or language is used?

• The management of learning in the classroom

Ex. Teacher: When’s your birthday, Alvaro?
Alvaro: Fourteen September.
Teacher: The fourteenth of September. Again?
Alvaro: The fourteenth of September.
Teacher: I should hope so. Now when’s your birthday, Miko?
 2.3. Aspects and Outcomes of Classroom
Language Lessons
C
O
P -
L Input P
Syllabus
A R
N O
N D
E Classroom U
D interaction Practice C
Method opportunities E
A D
S
P O
THE LESSON
E U
Atmosphere
C Receptivity T
T C
S O
M
E
S
2.4. Co-production of a classroom conversation

S- 9 students-
numbered from
1 to 9
T-teacher
A-aide
FS-unidentified
female student
xx-unintelligible
speech
 Resources:
• Fig.1. https://sites.google.com/site/teacherresearcherfortuna/
• Fig.2. Dick Allwright, Lancaster University, Kathleen M. Bailey, Monterey Institute of International
Studies, Focus on the Language Classroom: An Introduction to Classroom Research for Language
Teachers, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,1991, page 202.
• Fig.3. Dick Allwright, Lancaster University, Kathleen M. Bailey, Monterey Institute of International
Studies, Focus on the Language Classroom: An Introduction to Classroom Research for Language
Teachers, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,1991, page 204.
• Fig.4. http://www.catholic365.com/article/7932/crucible.html
• Table 1. Flander’s Interaction Analysis, Dick Allwright, Lancaster University, Kathleen M. Bailey,
Monterey Institute of International Studies, Focus on the Language Classroom: An Introduction to
Classroom Research for Language Teachers, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,1991, page
203.
• Table 2. Fig.2. Flander’s MatrixFig.2. Dick Allwright, Lancaster University, Kathleen M. Bailey,
Monterey Institute of International Studies, Focus on the Language Classroom: An Introduction to
Classroom Research for Language Teachers, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,1991, page
202.
• Table 3. Colt, Fig.2. Dick Allwright, Lancaster University, Kathleen M. Bailey, Monterey Institute of
International Studies, Focus on the Language Classroom: An Introduction to Classroom Research
for Language Teachers, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,1991, page 205.