Research Project (PM600)

Research Presentation
Don Trubshaw
Group A
T298274
2020/2021
RESEARCH INTRODUCTION
Research Title:
Effectiveness of Eclectic Approach in teaching EFL/ESL
Beginners.
Rational:
The rationale behind writing this paper is the little emphasis
given to the drawbacks and the challenges that the teacher or
the student may encounter while implementing Eclectic
approach. This is despite the approach being widely used in
modern philosophy of education.
Aim of the research:
The long-term goal of this study is to delve into the
effectiveness of Eclectic approach In teaching EFL/ESL
beginners.
Research Questions:
1. How EFL/ESL beginners interact with
communication-oriented activities in classroom?
2. What are the challenges that teachers face when
using Eclectic approach?
Hypothesis:
The validity and reliability of the research
objectives will be tested through the null
hypothesis below:
Implementing communicative oriented activities
would have negative impact upon ESL/EFL
beginners’ interaction in classroom.
METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLING
• Approach: In order to satisfy the objectives of
the research, a mixture of qualitative and
quantitative research are used. Also known for the
concept of triangulation, it provides researchers
with the opportunity to present multiple findings
about a single phenomenon by deploying various
elements of quantitative and qualitative
approaches in one search (Haq; 2014, p. 11).
• Research Design: This study is conducted under
primary research design. This design would use a
combination of both qualitative as well as
quantitative methods and techniques during data
collection and analysis to develop the validity and
reliability of the research results.   method for collecting data from multiple
• Research Methods: questionnaires are the
two research instruments used in this
research.
• Qualitatively, the study will go for open-
ended questions addressed to EFL/ESL
teachers to cover more abstract aspects of
the study.
• Quantitatively, the study will opt for
administrating questionnaires to beginner
EFL/ESL students, as well as EFL/ESL
teachers because they are reliable and quick
respondents.
DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS

• To answer the research questions, two questionnaires have been carefully designed. Each one of them
intended to answer a specific question. While the first one was designed to see the impact of
communicative activities on ESL/EFL beginners, the second intended to identify challenges that
EFL/ESL teachers encounter in Eclectic Classrooms. The questionnaires include three form of questions:
• Likert questions: How would you rate your English proficiency compared to your classmates?
Good Fair Poor
• Dichotomous questions: Do you like when the teacher put you into small groups and ask you to discuss a
specific topic with your classmates?
Yes No
• Open-ended questions.
FINDINGS [QUESTIONNAIRE N*1]
• 64 respondents participated in answering the online questionnaire, most of them face the same challenges during
communicative activities.
More than three quarters of subjects face
challenges in keeping up with the English
language in group discussions; therefore they use
their mother tongue to continue. Nevertheless,
the aim of the speaking activity is to put students
in situations where they can use as much English
as they can; Brown (1994) claims that the target
language system is learned through the process
of struggling to communicate. Hence, we can
assume that the goal of speaking activities are
often unreached.

Figure 1: Overuse of Native Language

FINDINGS [QUESTIONNAIRE N*1]

81,3% of learners expressed anxiety about performing

certain communicative activities, such as role-plays and
presentations. This explains why more than two fifths of
respondents dislike role-plays. In fact, Von Worde
(2003) listed oral classroom activities among the major
causes behind language learners’ anxiety, especially
EFL students who study English as an academic subject
only and not for everyday use. This tension creates a
negative learning atmosphere that hinders students’
language acquisition.

Figure 2: Students’ Anxiety Towards Perfoming Communicative Activities

DISCUSSION (QUESTIONNAIRE N*1]

• After analysing data, it was concluded that English learners face many challenges in the
communicative activities that may affect negatively their learning process and interaction in
classroom; specifically those who lack fluency in the target language. Hence, we can assume
that this type of activities are not fully adequate for EFL/ESL beginner learners. Although they
provide students with opportunities to practice their English, they do not always offer a safe
learning environment that promote students’ autonomy.
FINDINGS (QUESTIONNAIRE N*2]
• 30 participants took part in filling in the questionnaire designed for EFL/ESL teachers.
• . The common problems categorized were student’s lack of fluency in the language, behaviour management, as well as
lack of time and teaching materials.

• 96.4% of teachers claimed that student’s lack of fluency in English hindered

1. Students’ Lack their participation in communicative activities. Moreover, 92,9% of them
complained about students overuse of the native language.
of Fluency: • “Majority of students tend to speak native language than English.”

2. Lack of time • Eclecticism involves the use of different activities within one lesson (See Li
2012). Yet, 89,3% reported that’s it’s difficult to both explain and conduct
several tasks in one lesson.
and teaching • Other teachers complained about the lack of teaching aids: “The lack of

materials: materials to explain some points that need to be seen or listened to by the
learners.”

3. Students’ • A teacher reported, “It’s hard to manage time and students behaviour when
Behaviour conducting communicative activities. Sometimes students does not take
activities seriously.”
management:
FINDINGS (QUESTIONNAIRE N*2]

• The study divulges other challenges faced in Eclectic Classrooms:

1. Eclectic syllabus may lack organization and linearity. Since many teachers find it difficult to
summarize the missed eclectic lessons for absent students.
2. It is not adequate to slow learners.
3. Eclectic approach may not be feasible for all types of classroom. It is true that this method
respect individual differences but it is difficult to adopt it for larger classes.
 CONCLUSION
• From the resolutions above, we can claim that Eclectic method is not fully effective in teaching EFL/ESL beginners. Since
it is a time consuming method that lacks guidance, and does not provide a safe learning environment for learners. It has to
be adopted carefully
• The finding of this research may help English teachers to develop their teaching methods “appropriate to their learners,
their colleagues and their societies (Edge, 1996, p. 18). Besides, it may enrich the current literature on the Eclectic
approach and motivate other researchers to do further studies at various levels.

Limitations
• Although this study aimed at focusing specifically on ESL/EFL Beginners, they represented only 10% of the whole sample
• Some questions are not considered such as “Can teachers identify learners’ difficulties when using Eclectic approach?”.
Because it may orient the research to another direction than it’s purpose.
REFERENCES

Atkinson, D. (1987). The mother tongue in the classroom: A neglected resource? ELT Journal, 41(4), 241-247.
Horwitz et al., 1986E.K. Horwitz, M.B. Horwitz, J.A. Cope. Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety. The Modern
Language Journal, 70 (2) (1986), pp. 125-132
Kumar, C,P.(2013). The Eclectic Method-Theory and its Applications to the learning of English. International
Journal Of Scientific and Research Publication,3(6)
Mawanza, D,S. (2017). The Eclectic Approach to Language Teaching: Its Conceptialisation and
Misconceptions. International Journal Of Humanities, Social Sciences And Education, 4(2), 67.
Mwanza, D, S. (2021). Teachers’ Understanding and Attitudes towards the Eclectic Method to Language Teaching in
Zambia. J. Educ. Manage. Stud., 7(1): 01-15.;.
Rao, Z. (2002). Chinese students' perceptions of communicative and non-communicative activities in EFL
classroom. System, 30(1), 85-105.
Thank Youu!