post graduate studies-second cycle · 2020. 11. 2. · studim rasti me klasat e 9-ta të dy...

Post Graduate Studies-Second Cycle

Mentor: Prof. dr. Brikena Xhaferi Candidate: Egzona Salihu

June, 2020

“TEACHER-INITIATED TALK AND STUDENT ORAL

DISCOURSE IN A SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSROOM - A CASE

STUDY WITH THE 9TH GRADERS IN TWO PRIMARY SCHOOLS

IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SKENDERAJ”.

Teacher initiated talk and students oral discourse in a second language classroom

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Declaration of authorship

I hereby certify that this thesis has been composed by me and is based on my work, unless stated

otherwise. No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in this thesis.

All references and verbatim extracts have been quoted, and all sources of information, including

graphs, and data sets, have been specifically acknowledged.

Date: May, 2020 Signature: Egzona Salihu


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Acknowledgments

First, I would like to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude to my mentor and advisor

Prof. Dr. Brikena Xhaferi for all her guidance throughout the work of this thesis. I sincerely

thank her for her continuous support and patience. Without her motivation and persistent help

this dissertation would not have been possible. Also, I would like to thank all the committee

members for participating in my thesis dissertation.

Then, my deepest gratitude goes for my beloved family, I sincerely thank my parents, two sisters

and brother for their encouragement, moral support and care. Specifically, I dedicate this thesis

to my father since he always has been there for me when needed. Thank you for supporting me

in all my pursuits and inspiring me to follow my dreams and thank you for teaching me to learn,

to be happy and to understand myself; only then I could understand others.

Moreover, I must thank all the English professors who participated in the interviews, they each

have given their time and expertise to achieve the objectives of this study.

Finally, I express my profound gratitude to the love of my life, Albert Rexhepi, for providing me

with unfailing support while working on my thesis, your optimism helped me a lot!


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Abstract

The development of teaching has passed different stages in inventing methods and techniques to

improve the process of teaching and learning at the same time. However, when it comes to

classroom discussions in a second language (L2), educational experts failed to utilize these

methods and techniques, especially in the schools of Kosova. Years ago, talking and discussions

in L2 were difficult due to different elements, like: no relevant English teachers, lack of adequate

books and most importantly no appropriate methods and techniques to expand the students’

critical thinking and enhancement in a classroom discussion. The main reason for language is a

tool to transmit ideas. Yet, in the early periods of education, teachers had the main role within a

L2 classroom whereas students were mostly quiet and had to complete the tasks required by their

teachers. This thesis will investigate the use of the modern techniques and methods that teachers

provide for the students of the 9th grade and if these methods are beneficial to teach English as

second language. To measure the objectives mentioned above, qualitive and quantitative

methods will be applied. The research is conducted among the 9th graders of two primary

schools in Skenderaj, ‘Ahmet Delia’ and ‘Shaban Jashari,’ as well as the English teachers of

these schools. Four teachers participated in this study. Their teaching experience varies from five

to twenty years. The number of participating students is 150 and they will be randomly selected

from these schools. The period of the study was four weeks and the sessions were conducted

three days a week. Moreover, students filled out a questionnaire that is focused on their opinion

about their engagement in classroom discussion and their interaction with their instructor. Also,

teachers were interviewed about how they have influenced students to participate in classroom

discussion and what kind of approach they use to extend an interactive discourse.

All these findings will be compared and analysed to transform the methods of the English

teachers and students of Kosova and also to improve the ways they interact and communicate in

a Second Language Learning.

Key words: classroom discussion, oral discourse, teachers, students, second language learning


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Abstrakti

Zhvillimi i mësimdhënies ka kaluar në faza të ndryshme duke shpikur metoda dhe teknika për të

lehtësuar procesin e mësimdhënies dhe të mësuarit në të njëjtën kohë. Megjithatë, kur bëhet fjalë

për diskutimet në klasët ku flitet gjuha e dytë, ekspertët arsimor kanë dështuar në këtë çështje,

veçanërisht në shkollat e Kosovës. Vitet më parë, diskutimet në klasët ku flitet gjuha e dytë ishin

të vështira për shkak të faktorëve të ndryshëm, si për shembull: nuk kishte mësimdhënës

adekuatë për gjuhë të huaj, mungesa e librave të përshtatshëm dhe më e rëndësishmja nuk kishte

metoda dhe teknika të përshtatshme për të zhvilluar mendimin kritik tek nxënësit dhe për të

arritur një diskutim në klasë.Gjuha është një mjet për të transmetuar idetë, kjo është edhe arsyeja

pse përdoret, por në periudhat e hershme të arsimit, mësuesit kishin rolin kryesor tek ato lëndë ku

flitet gjuha e huaj ndërsa studentët më të shumtën e kohës ishin të qetë dhe duhej të plotësonin

detyrat e kërkuara nga mësuesit e tyre. Për këtë arsye, kjo tezë do të përpunojë përdorimin e

teknikave dhe metodave moderne që mësuesit përdorin me nxënësit e klasës së 9-të dhe nëse

këto metoda janë të dobishme për të mësuar gjuhën angleze si gjuhë të dytë. Për të matur

objektivat e përmendura më sipër, do të zbatohen metoda kualitative dhe sasiore. Hulumtimi do

të bëhet në mesin e klasave të nënta të dy shkollave fillore në Skenderaj, “Ahmet Delia” dhe

“Shaban Jashari”, si dhe mësuesit ku mësohet gjuha angleze si gjuhë e huaj. Katër mësues të

këtyre shkollave do të marrin pjesë në këtë studim. Përvoja e tyre mësimore sillet nga pesë deri

në njëzet vjet. Numri i studentëve pjesëmarrës do të jetë 150. Ata do të zgjidhen rastësisht nga

këto shkolla. Periudha e hulumtimit do të zgjasë katër javë dhe sesionet do të zhvillohen tri ditë

në javë. Për më tepër, studentët do të plotësojnë një pyetësor i cili synon të nxjerr mendimin e

tyre në lidhje me angazhimin e tyre në diskutimet në klasë dhe ndërveprimin e tyre me

mësimdhënësin. Gjithashtu, mësuesit do të intervistohen rreth asaj se si ata ndikojnë tek

studentët për të marrë pjesë në diskutimet në klasë dhe çfarë lloj lehtësish përdorin për të zgjatur

një diskurs për ndërveprimin në komunikim.

Të gjitha këto të dhëna do të krahasohen dhe analizohen pasi ato supozohen të kontribuojnë në

arritjet e mësuesve dhe studentëve të Kosovës në gjuhën angleze dhe gjithashtu të përmirësojnë

mënyrat se si ndërveprojnë dhe komunikojnë në një Mësim të Gjuhës së Dytë.

Fjalët kyçe: diskutime në klasë, diskurs oral, mësues, nxënës, mësimi i gjuhës së dytë


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Working title of the thesis:

“Teacher- initiated talk and student oral discourse in a second language classroom - A case

study with the 9th graders in two primary schools in municipality of Skenderaj.”

Translation of the working title in albanian

“Bisedat dhe diskutimet e iniciuara nga mesimdhensit në klaset ku flitet gjuha e huaj- Një

studim rasti me klasat e 9-ta të dy shkollave fillore në komunën e Skenderajit.”

Translation of the working title in macedonian

"Зборување иницирано од наставниот и усниот дискурсна студентите при изучување на странскиот јазик-

Студија на случај со деветоделенци во две основниучилишта во Општина Скендерај.

”


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Contents

Declaration of Authorship……………………………………………………………………i

Acknowledgments...................................................................................................................... ii

Abstract .................................................................................................................................... iii

Abstrakti .................................................................................................................................... iv

Working title of the thesis .......................................................................................................... v

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1

1.1 Background of the study .................................................................................................. 2

1.2. Significance and purpose of the thesis ............................................................................ 3

1.3. Structure of the study…………………………………………………………………..4

1.4. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY .................................................................................... 5

1.4.1. General objectives ........................................................................................................ 5

1.4.2. Specific objectives........................................................................................................ 5

Summary .................................................................................................................................... 5

CHAPTER II:LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………………….….6

2.1 INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………….6

2.2. The impact of motivation in a classroom discourse……………………………………....7

2.3. The impact of the second language in producing classroom communication………….....9

2.4. Why Classroom Discourse?..............................................................................................11

2.5. Teacher-Initiated Talk…………………………………………………………………...12

2.6. The role of technological tools to an effective classroom dialogue………………….....14

2.7.Students' Dialogue in classroom discussion..…………………………………………….15


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3.1. THE IMPACT OF CLASSROOM DIALOGUE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SECOND

LANGUAGE………………………………………………………………………………….17

3.1.1. Interaction as a tool in developing the classroom discussion…………………………...17

3.1.2.Teacher-Student Interaction……………………………………………………………..18

3.1.3.Student-Student Interaction……………………………………………………………..19

3.1.4. Student-Content Interaction…………………………………………………………….21

3.1.5.The impact of classroom dialogue and discourse in L2 development……..……………22

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY…………………………..26

3.1. Introduction of the research methodology………………………………………….……..26

3.2. Design of the study………………………………………………………………………..26

3.3.Research Questions and Hypotheses…………………………………………………........27

3.4. Population and Sample……………………………………………………………………28

3.5.Data Collection and Instrument……………………………………………………..…….29

CHAPTER IV: STUDY RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS………………………………....30

4.1. The results from the observation method……………………………………………........30

4.2.The results and discussion from students' questionnaires…………………………………37

Teachers' interview results and discussion………………………………………….………...45

CHAPTER V:Conculsion, Limitation and Recommendation…………………………….......51

5.1. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………...51

5.2. Limitations of the study……………………………………………………………….….53

5.3. Recommendations………………………………………………………………………...54

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………...55

Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………....61


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List of Figures

Figure.1. Structured Student Interaction(Anderson, T, 2003a)……………………..…..........20

Figure.2.Modes of Interaction(Anderson &Garrison, 1998)………………………..……..…21

Figure.3. A typology of learner strategies(Mclaughin, 1987, 145)………………..…............22

Figure .4. Labeling of exchanges and moves (Sinclair &Brazil, 1982. p.49)………………..24

Figure.5. The process of discussion based on students' needs…………………………….....39

Figure.6.The use of literary texts in classroom……………………………………..…….......40

Figure.7. Students' results about expressing themselves during the lesson…………..……….41

Figure.8.The importance of classroom discussions on developing the second language…….42

Figure.9. Students' engagement into the learning process………………………………….....43

Figure.10. The students' perspective about classroom discussion…………………………….44

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CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

“Communication works for those who work at it” - John Powell

Teaching and learning a second language require a lot of engagement and effort to be able to

proficiently speak. There are many elements that affect communication in a second language,

especially with students because of the complexity of language and the influence of their first

language (L1). As Brown stated, learning a second language is a long and complex process.

(Brown, 2000). Part of this process is the oral classroom discussion that is intertwined between

teachers and students. “A language-rich classroom includes knowledge of where students are in

their English language development” (Flore, M, E., 2011, pg, 67). Based on this need of

understanding, teachers are required to explore the potential of their learners in order to create a

classroom discourse. Nowadays, there are many methods and techniques that can be used to

increase students’ interest and motivation in learning a new language.

The strategies used by teachers should be appropriate for learners and based on their learning

needs; Therefore Cazden(1998) claims that the classroom is a context of situated language use,

which has distinctive patterns of speech stemming from the role and functions of the teacher and

learner. Moreover, in order to direct students’ attention to high levels of language usage for

communication, teachers should use particular forms and language functions.In addition to this

Byrnes claims that many second language (L2) instructors, devote little time to providing

opportunities for learners to develop their budding language skills (Byrnes, 2001). Due to these

facts, exploring a second language especially with communication levels is a challenge for

elementary schools in Kosova, in particular for the 9th graders since their high school required

level of speaking vocabulary is challenging. The main focus of this thesis is to investigate the

methods and techniques teachers use for students to participate in classroom discussion and how

to lengthen their oral interactive discourse.

The following chapter deals with the background of the thesis; its significance, purpose and

structure.


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1.1 Background of the study

Classroom interaction between teachers and students plays an important role in teaching and

learning a second language especially the English language since it enables a variety of

discussions and helps students to be sociable and communicate in the daily life; Therefore,

scholars and teachers have always tried to find the best methods and techniques to facilitate

students’ path in acquiring a new language. Talking about the teaching process in Kosova, it can

be said that years ago, teachers’ focus was mainly in grammar rather than other language skills.

Moreover, students were obliged to write what teachers dictated and memorized facts instead of

discussing things properly to enhance their critical thinking. Based on this, Nunan (1987)

mentions that the focus of teachers’ and learners’should be oral use of (L1) and (L2) in

classroom contexts. Many educators find silence is a serious problem in their classroom. Cullen

suggests “the communicativeness of classroom discourse should be judged in accordance with

what constitutes ‘communicative’ in that context as opposed to what is communicative in other

social contexts” (Cullen, 1998, p. 182). Additionally, discourse plays a key role in a classroom

since a second language enables a variety of topics to be discussed; To this extent students

improve their vocabulary and communication simultaneously, whereas teachers can build up an

ambient of discussion where students express their ideas and perceive things properly. There are

many obstacles in teaching and learning a second language. An important key of this study, is to

find out if the sources used by teachers are beneficial for students to acquire the language and

develop critical thinking and speaking skills. Puffer claims “the main challenge is to find ways

of getting ‘an outside view’ of classroom discourse which is principled, explicit, and capable of

showing significant patterns and regularities” (Puffer, C., 2007, pg, 15). Teachers should create

an interesting and creative atmosphere for students, in order to make the lesson more

understandable and feel free to talk about different topics. As Thornbury claims, teachers can be

sensitized to make their classrooms more communicative through a more appropriate use of

language and interactional resources (Thornbury, S, 2004).

Seeing the need to discuss such a complex topic, this investigative research will emphasize

different strategies teachers implement to enrich the students’ vocabulary but also the use of this

vocabulary in classroom discussion.


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1.2. Significance and purpose of the thesis

The development of communication is part of our daily life therefore when talking about

communication in a second language it becomes more important especially in the process of

teaching and learning.Teacher initiated-talk and classroom discussion is inclined to be quite a

complex topic to discuss but crucial also. This research will investigate different approaches

(methods and techniques) teachers use to facilitate the learning process for students. During my

teaching experience, I have noticed little time is devoted to participation of students in classroom

discussion. Teachers played the main role; even though spoken interaction between teachers and

students is crucial for learning a second language. According to this fact, Johnson(1995);

claimed that teachers and learners have unequal roles; teachers control both the content and

classroom communication.

The lack of this interaction impedes students to participate in the learning process and

developing their communication skills. In addition, Kumaravadivelu emphasizes the importance

of learners being actively involved in the interaction and giving them enough space and freedom

to initiate the discussion, not just reacting or responding to what the teacher says

(Kumaravadivelu, 1993:14). Previously, the education system in Kosova has gone through

different stages without appropriate methods or approaches to involve students in the teaching-

learning process. Moreover, learning a second language faced many obstacles due to different

factors, especially with classroom discussions in L2. Things have ben changing lately with the

rapid development of technology and new methods of teaching-learning. Additionally,

educational trainings have crucial role in this process since they advance and help teachers to be

more prepared in their profession and how to interact with students. Nowadays, students are

urged to learn new things and discuss them but teachers should still focus on how to make the

lesson attractive for students and arouse their interest about the topics; The combination from the

teachers’ and students’ effort will enable them to cooperate with each other, sharing ideas and

seeing things from different points of view. Furthermore, it is important for teachers to set

classroom management in order to enhance students’ attention in the learning process. Cullen

suggests that “good teacher’s talk means little teachers talk, in this way the focus is on quality

rather than quantity of language use” (Cullen, 1998:179). As mentioned earlier, classroom

discussion tends to be quite a complex topic to be discussed but it is very important while


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learning a second language. This research will investigate different approaches teachers use to

incorporate students in classroom discussions and the role of discourse on these discussions.

Hopefully, the findings of this study will provide English teachers with valuable data regarding

the students’ preferences and views about classroom discussions and different types of

techniques and methods that are currently used. To my knowledge, no one has investigated this

topic, therefore I remain hopeful that this topic will help English teachers transform their

strategies and implement them in their second learning classrooms.

1.3. Structure of the study

This MA Thesis consists of five chapters divided into introduction, literature review,

methodology, findings and discussion and conclusion.

The first chapter is an introduction to an overall analysis about the role of discourse in a second

language learning and the ways which the teacher and students intertwine their speaking as one.

The background of the study based on the research previously made in this field; and the

significance and purpose of the thesis then follow, proceeded by general and specific objectives

of the study.

The second chapter is related to literature review which deals with the role of teachers in a

second language classroom; the approach used by teachers to initiate a classroom discussion;

students’ reaction toward these strategies; the relation between the discourse and discussion

within a second language teaching-learning process; the benefits of using communication; the

limitations set by teachers while discussing; and the factors that affect a classroom discussion.

The third chapter is an overview of the study procedures and methodology. Moreover, it presents

the design of the study, population and samples, data collection and hypotheses, and research

questions and methodology.

In the fourth chapter all the data results are discussed and analyzed from the observation of

controlled classrooms and the students’ questionnaires and teachers’ interviews. At the end of the


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fourth chapter, limitations, recommendations and the bibliography conclude the paper with all

the sources and appendices used during this research.

1.4. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1.4.1. General objectives

The aim of this study is to find out the methods instructors use to develop classroom discussions

and how this classroom language is used by teachers and students simultaneously. Moreover, it

highlights the patterns used by teachers to initiate a discussion in the contexts of second language

learning. Therefore, this master (MA) thesis research reveals whether these patterns are helpful

for students and if the teachers’ methods and techniques are sufficient to develop an oral

classroom discussion for the 9th graders of the two main schools in Skenderaj.

1.4.2.Specific Objectives

• To find out patterns of teacher and learner speech used in classroom discussion

• To discover if these patterns develop students’ vocabulary

• To investigate the strategies used by teachers to develop classroom discussion

• To analyze the correlation between discourse and discussion in a second language

classroom

Summary

One of the main issues of this chapter is to define the impact of classroom discussion and

discourse while learning a second language and the cooperation between teachers and

students based on communication skills; and highlights the general and specific objectives of

the study.


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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. INTRODUCTION OF LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter synthesizes the reviews of researchers about the role of the classroom discussion,

specifically in regards to communicative language teaching and drawing attention to oral

communication in the classroom; between teachers and students.

First, a main insight will be given to classroom dialogues; and how teachers are able to initiate a

discussion in the classroom , it will be summarized by opinions of different researchers toward

this issue. Then, I will introduce some perspectives about discourse previously studied by

researchers and a short summary of various factors that indicate the role of the teachers and their

tasks to incorporate students in classroom discussion. The third section highlights development

of a second language in the use of classroom discussion and how these two are intertwined with

each other.

As previously mentioned, classroom discussion is undoubtedly the main issue that affects

students learning a second language and teachers play a significant role regarding this issue;

Therefore, it is considered a complex topic to be discussed. Taking this into account, this issue

has been a major interest of scholars and researchers for a long time. Numerous studies

conducted regarding classroom dialogue also mentioned teachers who are willing to play the

most influential role to help students engage in these discussions and persist in the process of

second language acquisition. “Teachers must be the initiators, facilitators, motivators, mentors,

consultants and mental supporters of students” (Al Kaboody M., 2013). Additionally, Littlewood

claims that a lot of teachers’ effort goes into thinking up, designing and creating of tasks or

activities which requires learners to use the target language for genuine communicative purposes

(Littlewood, 1981). Furthermore, Mitchel et (al 1994) mention the difference between the

language of L1 and L2 classrooms, where the focus is mainly on grammar and morphology at the

word and sentence level, in comparison with L1 classroom where teaching is centred around the

reading texts and discussion around the texts. Based on these facts it can be said classroom

discussion is dependent on various factors which indicate the process of communication between

teachers and students and their interaction at the same time. Some scholars have made


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investigations toward this problem and have included issues such as: anxiety (Frantzen &

Magan, 2005; Young, 1992), perception of students about recasts (Morris and Tarone, 2003;

Takahashi, 2007), symmetry and equality in dialogues (Van Lier, 1998), motivation of students

(Clement, Dornyei, & Noels, 1994), pedagogical concerns(Anton, 1999), theoretical perspectives

(Kern, 2003; Mantero, 2006) and assessment techniques (Anton, 2003; Poehner, 2005; Poehner

& Lantolf, 2005). Regarding classroom discussion, there are some perspectives to be considered

about the classroom situation where the focus is on how the teachers initiate a discussion, which

is obviously influenced by many factors with the language class. Therefore, it is a clear fact that

the teacher, the class atmosphere, the course content, materials and facilities, and the personal

characteristics of a student influence the individual’s classroom learning motivation. “Motivation

involves four main aspects: a goal, effortful behavior, a desire to attain the goal and favorable

attitudes toward the activity in question, which aspects are not one-dimensional but rather they

turn in group themselves into two conceptually distinct categories” (Gardner R. 1985, p.10).

2.2. The impact of motivation in a classroom discourse

According to one of the most acclaimed scholars dealing with the issue of motivation, Dörnyei

(2012), defining motivation is complex, most researchers agree that motivation is responsible for

why people decide to do something, how long they are willing to sustain the activity, and how

hard they are going to pursue it (Dörnyei Z., 2012). Although there are problems conceptualizing

motivation because of its relation to other elements such as: cognition and emotion; and this term

has a wide use in a great number of fields; motivation plays a key role when talking about the

acquisition of a second language by students and the strategies teachers use to motivate L2

learners. This strategy among others includes increasing students’ interest and involvement in the

tasks, developing their self-confidence, promoting their contact with L2 native speakers, and

discussing with students the choice of teaching materials; The teacher’s – specific motivational

components include being empathic, congruent, and accepting; using motivation feedback; using

cooperative learning techniques; and of course introducing tasks in such a way as to stimulate

intrinsic motivation and help internalize existing motivation (Dörnyei Z., 1994).

Oxford (2003) considers language learning styles and strategies to be main factors which help

determine how – and how well – students learn a second language. According to her, second

language is a language studied in an environment where it is not the primary vehicle for daily


8

interaction and where input in that language is restricted. Regarding strategies which teachers’

use to motivate students, she considers a given strategy is neither good nor bad; It is rather

neutral and is useful if it presents conditions such as: it relates well to the L2 task at hand, it fits

the particular student’s learning style preferences to one degree and another; student employs the

strategy effectively and links it with other relevant ones. Strategies that fulfill these conditions

make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self – directed, more effective, and more

transferable to new situations. They can also enable students to become more independent,

autonomous and life – long learners (Oxford, E., 2003).

However, how the teachers interact with students has a major impact on the process of initiating

a classroom dialogue. Cazden (1986) suggested teachers should choose the topic of discussion,

and decides who speaks to whom and when (Mehan, 1979). Additionally, Cazden mentioned,

teachers usually control the interaction so they are also the ones who initiate the exchanges

(ibid). This fact leads to the process of delivering an opportunity for dialogue to all students and

engaging all of them in classroom discussion. Therefore, coping with this issue can be difficult

for teachers because many factors affect this process, such as: school curriculum, students’ age,

language level, number of students per class, etc. Moreover, students’ hesitation to participate in

discussion is one of the challenges teachers face most of the time. These types of students tend to

be silent and will respond “I don’t know” toward questions asked by the teachers. Some of the

studies have emphasized this issue as very problematic. Kurzon analyzed this lack of ability to

speak by dividing it into two possibilities: the lack of knowledge on the one hand and an

impediment, such as shyness and anxiety on the other (Kurzon, 1998, p.38). Furthermore, he

employed a following illustration about the students’ silence in order to uncover their reason for

not speaking:

The silent addressee may know or not know the answer to the question/s he is being

asked. If s/he knows, then there are two possible responses –verbal response as the

cooperative way of responding to a question, or silence. Which is uncooperative, to say

least. If, on the other hand, the addressee does not know the answer, s/he has also the

possibility of two ways of responding –by saying “I don’t know,” or by keeping silent. I

have claimed that since people are often embarrassed when they have to reveal their


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ignorance, they can hide this ignorance behind a wall of silence in situations where they

are not forced to speak. A pupil sitting at the back of the class often plays this game.

(Kurzon, 1998, p, 38).

2.3. The impact of the second language in producing classroom

communication

The focus of researchers on the dialogue in classroom contexts has given different variables that

simultaneously influence the interaction and format of discussion between teachers and students.

As is known, language is the main and essential way of producing communication; therefore,

Swain claims that in the formal context of the L2 classroom, language is both the mode by which

instructors and students interact as well as the goal of learning activity –acquiring the L2(Swain,

1997).

Furthermore, discussion and communication in the classroom lead to miscellaneous factors that

directly influence the interaction between students and instructors; one of these factors is

discourse. Many researchers have given different points of view regarding the meaning of

discourse, but the term was firstly introduced by Zellig Harris in 1952, where he briefly gave the

following observation:

“Discourse occurs within a particular situation, whether of a person speaking, or of a

conversation, or of someone sitting down occasionally over the period of months to write

a particular kind of book in a particular literary or scientific tradition.” (Harris, 1952,

p.3)

Contrary to Harris, Hicks states discourse consists of a dialectical relationship between linguistic

form and social communicative practices; and not the underlying linguistic forms of language

properties (Hicks, 1995). Likewise, discourse can be explained as the way of all kinds of

dialogues that occur within a classroom setting or another educational aspect. Previously, while

discussing interactions between teachers and students, the role of interaction was mainly

emphasized as a method to create a classroom culture in order to socialize and familiarize the


10

students in classroom discourses so they can freely communicate about different topics and

analyze them from their own perspectives.; This type of interaction could be an appropriate

approach to include all students in discussion. Some of the researchers have concluded that oral

discourse is basically improved through reading texts or literature parts in L2. Donato and

Brooks have claimed that during a course of whole-discussions, an instructor did not permit the

students to talk or to express their views, in this way many of student turns resulted in a single

sentence length (Donato & Brooks, 2004).

Therefore, they suggested monitoring students’ language use during discussion would

enable them to develop levels of oral proficiency in upper classes, especially in L2

literature classes, and instructors should be aware when to allow students participate in

whole class discussions and also making clear to students speaking expectations (p.183).

Moreover, when it comes to the use of texts or other materials teachers should be aware to adapt

the use of language in accordance with the level of students by choosing appropriate materials.

As previously stated, language exists as a way of communication, likewise, Thornbury claims:

Language classrooms are language classrooms, and for the teacher to monopolize control

of the discourse-through, for example, asking only display questions-while possibly

appropriate to the culture of geography or math classes, would seem to deny language

learners access to what they most need –opportunities for real language use. (Thornbury,

2000 as cited in Walsh, p.3).

Based on this fact discourse can be considered as social contexts since interaction is developed

appropriately and helps teachers to facilitate the process of teaching and learning at the same

time. However, in order to create a classroom atmosphere and arouse students’ interest in these

kinds of discourses, teachers need to be aware about reorienting their class. This can be done by

applying some methods and techniques such as; creating peer or group work, organizing a big


11

circle of chairs and teacher in the middle as the initiator of a conversation, sitting students -face

to- face or setting up role play scenarios. I have personally used personally during my teaching

experience and they have helped me a lot to engage students in classroom discussion. Adding to

this, Jeyasala (2014) claims teacher should encourage students’ communicative competence all

the time: And despite their limitations to use the language fluently and accurately, teachers

should provide them with spaces to interact with others or immerse them in speaking activities

that enhance their abilities to use the target language.

2.4. Why Classroom Discourse?

As mentioned above, classroom discourse is treated as a language that instructors and students

use to communicate or discuss in the classroom. Therefore, what teachers choose to discuss is

fundamental in the communication process. Cazden advised that; discourse behavior should be

explicitly taught in the classrooms. This way a more inclusive classroom can be offered and

students who are excluded from success because of issues of mismatched linguistics practices

would be allowed to participate fully in the classrooms (Cazden, 2001). Also, discourse can be

considered as a social mode of thinking since it enables the development of language to be used

effectively as a psychological and cultural tool. This is main reason why discourse is considered

as a language in use. Therefore, Cassirer describes the role of language as follows:

Language does not flow along tranquilly in a ready-bed made; at every turn it must dig

out its channel- anew and it is this living flow which at every step produces new and

more highly developed forms. Herein lies its true and fundamental strength, but from the

standpoint of the concept and of conceptual thought also its weakness. For the concept in

the strict sense tends to set a goal for this surge and flow; it demands stability and

unambiguousness. In its being it seeks to transcends and negate everything that language

must tolerate in its becoming (Cassirer, 1957, p.336 as cited in Valsiner, J.p,301).


12

Regarding the role of discourse as a way of interaction in classroom contexts, Walsh (2006:5)

stated that; an assessment of classroom interaction; is highly context specific to a specific

moment in the discourse and not only to a particular class. Additionally, he examined four

classroom modes:

(1) Managerial mode

Main focus: the management of learning and setting up activities.

(2) Materials mode

Main focus: the use of a text, audio-recording, video or other materials.

(3) Skills and systems mode

Main focus: particular language items, vocabulary or specific skills.

(4) Classroom context mode

Main focus: eliciting opinions or ideas from learners

(Walsh, 2006, p.166)

So, these modes play a significant role to initiate a discussion but also to include discourse as a

way of interaction and communication.

In summary, language and discourse are tightly intertwined with each other and should be used

for different purposes especially while talking about classroom context.

2.5. Teacher-Initiated Talk

As mentioned previously instructors have a main impact in their classrooms, especially when it

comes to initiating a talk or a discussion with their students. In order to achieve these

discussions, they must be aware of using proper methods and techniques. Hidalgo and Munoz

give a brief explanation of what is to be a teacher of a foreign language.


13

Being a teacher of English Language is a difficult task, not only because of the language

itself but also, due to the lack of exposure to the language. Hence, teachers must draw on

other sources at the moment of performing their work by using as many available

possibilities as they can to enrich their labour (Munoz and Hidalgo, 2013, p.19)

Likewise, a fully interactive classroom needs to be engaged in the process of classroom dialogue,

instructors need to be aware to introduce topics based on students’ needs and language level.

Cathart discovered that when learners had control of the talk they used a variety of speech acts

and syntactic structures, whereas when the teacher controlled the talk learners produced single

word utterances, short phrases and formulaic chunks (Cathart, 1986). Therefore, familiarizing

students with a classroom culture can highly arouse their interest in communication and

discussion.

One benefit of a clear and consistent event structure is that allows participants to attend to

content rather than procedure… to the extent that a lesson structure is consistently

enacted by the teacher (with flexibility for improvisations…) and learnable by her

particular students, it can be become sufficiently familiar and predictable to offer clear

cues to shifting contexts, and to the talk that is appropriate within them (Cazden, 1998,

pp., 47-48).

Both instructors and students create a learning context based on their knowledge, but the main

goal of teachers is to bring out that knowledge into practice, and this can be done through

communication but also based on teachers’ questions about specific topics. Moreover, Hall and

Verplaetse (2000) pointed out the importance of questions made by teachers, and they concluded

these questions needed to be embedded within a context which allows students to engage in oral

interactions which will help students to produce language that will ultimately aid in their L2

learning. Teachers should not be asking the kinds of questions that elicit a translation of

vocabulary. Additionally, Cazden claims “lessons are social events accomplished by the

cooperative work of more than two people, metaphorically the term “ school” is a performance


14

that must be constituted through the participation of a group of actors” (Cazden, 1988., p.44).

Teaching a second language especially the English language requires a lot of effort because

students need to elaborate their ideas and at the same time to produce them through language;

sometimes this can be difficult since students often tend to speak in their mother tongue.;

Likewise teachers need to manage this problem appropriately and help students to express

themselves freely.

Teachers of English Language are in a constant search of what may help learners increase

their level of language proficiency. “As a matter of fact, the frequent use of the foreign

language in class should be conducted through good techniques and procedures.

Therefore, the learner’s mastery of the four skills especially language fluency depends to

a great extent on the teacher’s use of the most appropriate methods and of teaching the

speaking skills” (Farhi, 2013, p.15).

Based on this fact, what teachers use in their classroom to initiate a discussion is the most

important part of their language teaching. Baring this in mind, Bastias et al (2011) claimed that,

helping students to develop fluency, the most useful tool is asking them to speak and presenting

to them different and interesting topics or communicational situations so they can express

themselves as many times as possible (Bastias et al., 2011, p.33). Nowadays, there are plenty of

new techniques and methods to be used for teaching purposes, one of them is technology. The

rapid development of technology has brought a system where almost all people are dependent on

it, moreover it can be said that technology has pros and cons. If using technology as a tool in the

process of teaching and learning and if it is managed in an appropriate way, then it can bring a

new way of interaction between teachers and students. It can be said that the use of technology

can be a great aid for students to develop their language skills, particularly speaking and

communication skills. What needs to be considered is the process of using these technological

methods adequately since students can benefit a lot and enrich their vocabulary, while discussing

topics introduced by their teachers. One of the factors that can affect this process is the misuse of

technology, therefore teachers must set some rules to teach successfully. However, this topic it

will be discussed further in the next paragraph and a main insight will be given to the use of


15

technology and other strategies that can contribute in developing communication and speaking

skills.

2.6. The role of technological tools in an effective classroom dialogue

Technology has a major impact in almost all fields of life nowadays, particularly in the education

system. The accessibility of technological tools offers teachers many opportunities in the

teaching-learning process especially to those who teach the subject of English language. It is

important to embed technology appropriately and try not to avoid it, in this way teachers can

control their class but also develop students’ learning outcomes. Januszewski and Molenda

(2013) define educational technology as the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning,

assuming the essential and primary purpose of educational technology is helping people to learn.

Therefore, it can be said that using technology as a tool in the teaching process can be very

effective since it enables students to enrich their vocabulary and use it for communication and

speaking skills.

Games which are made on the principle of ‘gap information’ are designed to provoke

communication between students in classroom. Whereas, one student has to talk to his

classmate in order to solve a puzzle, draw a picture, put things in the right order, or find

similarities and differences between pictures. Discussion is one of the most speaking

activities used by teachers in the classrooms (Meriem, 2015, p.29).

Additionally, Meriem claims “there are times when students get lost and find difficulties to talk

or could not think what to say next, hence is the teacher’s duty to give adequate suggestions and

prompts to help them speak” (Meriem, 2015, p. 31). However, Geist (2011) affirms the

seemingly distracted students could easily become engaged in class discussions without

demonstrating detachment from the learning segment. Likewise, using authentic materials and

combining them with technology can lead to great progress in second language learning.


16

Teachers focus should be on how to incorporate these techniques among the students and if their

objectives can be achieved as they planned. Setting a range of communication strategies for

students by using technology facilitates a lot of the teacher’s work, as for instance: online

discussion forums, presentations and videos, which can be very interesting tools if they are

combined appropriately. Furthermore, these activities are perfect for students of higher levels,

but teachers should consider managing this part very carefully since technology can easily be

misused, while also considering that the ages of students sometimes can be problematic,

especially with teenagers or adolescents.

The integration of the audio-visual aids such as videos and films provides exposure to the

spoken language such as: dialogues, plays, stories, interviews, as well as, they are very

important since they give students the opportunity to see and to hear the foreign language

in its real use. So, to develop students’ speaking proficiency, teachers should have the

right choices of such materials (Meriem, 2015, p.17).

2.7. Students’ dialogue in classroom discussions

Getting students to participate in classroom discussion requires a lot of effort from the teacher’s

side, so finding the appropriate strategies in prompting students to talk enlivens a classroom

discussion. First, students should express themselves freely and give their ideas about the topics.

Palmer (2007), suggested hospitality as one of the foundations for good dialogue where people

are invited to participate. Whereas, Brookfield & Preskill suggested to introduce students to a

number of exercises designed to equalize participation and to teach students that listening,

appreciating and synthesizing are crucial to good discussion as is making brilliant original

contributions (Brookfield &Preskill, 2005). However, a communicative classroom requires more

students’ discussion without putting aside the teacher’s role, especially when it comes in his/her

instructions. Providing students with different opportunities to learn the target language and also

being able to communicate it is one of the primary objectives of teachers.


17

Within a communicative methodology, the role of a learner as a negotiator-between the

self, the learning process, and the object of learning-emerges and interacts with the role

of joint negotiator within the group and within the classroom procedures and activities

which the group undertakes. The implication for the learner is that he should contribute

as much as he gains, and thereby learn in an interdependent way (Hall & Hewkings.,

2001, p.19).

Moreover, Nunan (1991) introduces five important components that are fundamental in a

communicative approach but also shows how these components affect classroom discussion:

1. An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language

2. The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation

3. The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language, but also on the

learning process itself

4. An enhancement of the learner’s own personal experiences as important contributing

elements to classroom learning

5. An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activation outside the

classroom (Nunan, 1991, p.279).

However, teachers play an important role in the process of learning since they help students in

problem solving especially in organizing and managing the discussions’ part. So, cooperation is

a key to a successful communication and an interactive class.

3.1.THE IMPACT OF CLASSROOM DIALOGUE IN

DEVELOPING A SECOND LANGUAGE

3.1.1. Interaction as a tool in developing the classroom discussion


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Teaching a second language leads to many factors that directly affect the process of students’

participation in classroom discussion. One of these factors is interaction. As a matter of fact,

Brown states “in the era of communicative language teaching, interaction is, in fact, the heart of

communication; it is what communication is all about (Brown, H.D. 1994)”. Through interaction

students learn to communicate, moreover, interaction and communication are tightly intertwined

with each other. Adding to this, Rivers (1987) claims that through interaction, students can

increase their language store as they: listen and read ‘authentic linguistic material’ and the output

of their fellow students in discussions; joint- problem solve tasks, or record dialogue journals.

Likewise, teachers’ focus should be in creating an interactive environment in order to

accommodate students with adequate knowledge of classroom discussion. Also, the teacher’s

role should always be as a facilitator and as an initiator of specific themes. In this way, students

can adapt easily in the process of discussion about specific topics based on the curriculum.

However, teachers need to be aware to regulate the curriculum based on students’ needs and their

level of language understanding, so it will be easier for them to participate in classroom

discussion. Through participation, students can better learn the process of communication.

“Learning to use language means coming to understand when particular choices are appropriate

and implicitly learning and accepting rules and values about language choices that originate in

the larger community of speakers” (Chavez & Clare, 1996, as cited by Hall & Verplaetse, 2000,

p.517).

3.1.2. Teacher-Student Interaction

As previously mentioned, teachers and students should have an interactive environment so

discussion can function appropriately and create the patterns of classroom communication

needed for non-native speakers where English language is being taught as a second language.

Mentioning non-native (NN’s) speakers, Long (1981); introduced the following techniques in

order “to sustain conversation and to lighten other aspects of the NN’s interactional burden”

(p.264):


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1.NNs engage in cooperative dialogue by supplying information to the NNs utterances to

help the latter express an idea.

2.NNs answer their own questions and ask rhetorical questions

3.NNs frequently use an interrogative style, thereby requiring answers and, hence,

sustaining the conversation

4.NNs use many and frequent clarification devices to avoid conversation problems and to

repair miscommunications (Long, 1981 as cited by: Hall & Verplaetse, 2000, p.3).

Furthermore, teachers should be aware some students may not want to interact verbally, likewise

they should deliver the lesson as easily as possible or find appropriate techniques to prompt

students’ participation in classroom discussion. “Teacher-student relationships and patterns of

classroom interaction are required that are radically different from the pattern of teacher

elicitation, students’ responses, and teacher feedback that is typical of classroom discourse (Pica,

Young & Doughty, 1987, p.754)”. Moreover, Sinclair & Coulthard (1975) claimed that almost

half of the teacher-student interactions in the non- native speakers (NNs) classrooms consists of a

three part exchange which make up the teaching cycle that consists of: teacher’s question,

students’ answers and teachers’ feedback. It may be stated that interaction is the fundamental

part of a successful communicative classroom and the contribution should be put by both sides,

from the teachers as well as from the students.

3.1.3. Student-Student Interaction

In the section above a main insight was given to the importance of teacher-student interaction,

whereas in this section a discussion will rely on interaction between students and how this

interaction can contribute to the use of language on the basis of communication. In order to have

productive communication in learning a second language, there should be a sustainable,

cooperative learning among students which promotes a good collaboration leading to a higher-


20

level of thinking and maximizing the chances for better language learning. First, let us gain a

clear opinion about cooperative learning, according to Johnson et al (2014) “cooperative learning

is one of the best- researched approaches in education.” Therefore using cooperative learning as

a technique helps with the raising of interaction among students and also structuring competition

between team-based groups in classrooms.

Figure.1.1. Structured Student Interaction Model (Anderson, T., 2003a)

However, teachers should maintain a small amount of control over the structure of students’

interaction depending on the course content or by monitoring their behavior. Dividing students

into peer groups contributes to the development of interaction, plays an important role in

socialization of students and reinforces them to be actively involved in the process of teaching

and learning at the same time. Moreover, finding the appropriate content or materials for the

course and demonstrating through various techniques are some of the challenges for teachers

since they should be adapting based on students’ competencies. Therefore, role -play, questions

about specific themes, summarizing different literature or story parts and combining them with

digital tools are the best methods to enrich students’ vocabulary while also developing their

communication skills. Additionally, teachers can monitor their students and encourage them to

willingly participate in the discussion, debates, and collaborative group activities. Students can

learn equally even though they may not be constantly interacting with the teacher.


21

Wagner (1994) claimed that “Interactions occur when two objects or events mutually influence

each other” (p.8). Regarding this, the following picture gives a clearer insight of how this

interaction functions:

Figure.2. Modes of Interaction (Anderson & Garrison, 1998)

3.1.4. Student-Content Interaction

Providing students with appropriate course content helps them to gain necessary competencies

and contributes to successful language learning. Holmberg (1986) refers to this term as “internal

didactic conversation.” It is when learners talk to themselves about the information encountered

in the learning materials. Adding to this, it can be assumed that by having sufficient and

appropriate materials students can analyze and reflect on them; and in this way see things from a

different point of view. Technology is one of the techniques that can be used for student-content

interaction. Students can listen to a recording or watch a video and then give their opinion about

it, so using this method is highly recommended since it facilitates the learning process and also is


22

the best way to develop language skills, especially communication skills because students enrich

their vocabulary and then they are able to use it during classroom discussion. In regard to this

fact, McLaughlin (1987) categorized some language learner styles as follows:

Type of Strategy

Learning Strategy

Production Strategies

Communication Strategies

Examples

Simplification

Overgeneralization

Transfer

Inferencing

Intralingual

Extralingual

Hypothesis-testing strategies

Practice

Planning Strategies

Semantic simplification

Linguistic simplification

Correcting Strategies

Reduction strategies

Formal

Functional

Achievement Strategies

Compensatory

Retrieval

Figure.3. A typology of learner strategies(McLaughlin, 1987, 145)


23

Likewise, in order to develop the communication skills, students have to pass through each of the

different type of strategy stages. The First strategy, the learning strategies, involves simplifying

the content and practicing it. Students, then have to go through the production strategy where

they simplify the vocabulary from more difficult parts of language and then use what they have

learnt for various purposes. The end of part of the production strategy is directly related with the

communication strategy since it enables the students the opportunity of using the language for

different purposes and engaging them in problem-solving situations.

3.1.5. The impact of classroom dialogue and discourse in L2 development

Throughout this paper the importance of classroom dialogues and discourse for L2 development

especially on the basis of communication were discussed. Due to this issue Martin claimed the

following:

A good conversation is neither a fight nor a contest. Circular in form, cooperative in

manner and constructive in intent, it is an interchange of ideas by those who see

themselves not as adversaries but as human beings come to talk and listen and learn from

each other (1985:3 as cited in Walsh, 2013., p.10).

Henceforth, it may be stated that participation leads to successful communication or classroom

discussion based on the teacher’s effort to initiate a discussion and students’ willingness to

participate in these discussions. Given its complexity and the focus on the teaching-learning

process, teachers and students should interact in order to use the language since this could be

called by the most appropriate terms of discourse and of communication. Additionally, Sinclair

and Coulthard (1992) explained that using acts in order to initiate a discourse activity or

responding previously to it is important for a classroom discussion. Moreover, Sinclair and

Coulthard claimed that:


24

“A typical exchange in the classroom consists of an initiation by the teacher, followed by a

response from the pupil, followed by a feedback, to the pupil’s response from the teacher” (1992,

p.3).

The following table will give a main view of how this discourse functions:

Move Exchange 1 Exchange 2 Exchange 3

Initiation A:What time is it? A: Tim’s coming tomorrow A: Here, hold this

Response B:Six-thiry B: Oh, yeah B: (takes the box)

Follow up A: Thanks. A: Yes A: Thanks

Figure.4. Labeling of exchanges and moves (Sinclair & Brazil, 1982, p.49)

So, in these exchanges the effect of each move in the functional units can be seen. Initially, it

begins with the exchange part, and is followed by the student’s response. The follow up

exchange can be considered as a sign of politeness. Basically, this table shows the perfect

example of a simple classroom discussion where it may find its use for all levels of students

especially for those who are hesitant to participate. Examining the discourse from this point of

view it can be concluded that it is highly beneficial for communication purposes if teachers use

this form, particularly in terms of understanding the division of roles. Analyzing the different

roles through discourse can also be seen in the interaction between teachers and students who

will be more aware of how to use and organize the language in the classroom.

Furthermore, L2 requires a set of strategies in order to enhance the process of learning and also

to facilitate teachers’ work. These strategies contribute directly to the development of the

language especially in the language used by teachers and students during the discussion. Books

are not the only sources to enliven a debate within a classroom but there are plenty of materials

teachers can use and incorporate to initiate a discussion.


25

Language learning strategies–specific actions, steps, or techniques that students (often

intentionally) use to improve their progress in developing L2 skills. These strategies can

facilitate the internalization, storage, retrieval, or the use of the new language. Strategies

are tools for the self-directed involvement necessary for developing communicative

ability (Oxford, 1992/1993, p.18).

Providing students with these strategies might adapt to their ways of using the language.

Everything that can be simple and natural will help students to gain enough knowledge and use it

during discussion. Based on this problem, Oxford(1990b) claimed that “social strategies are a

great facilitator of interaction with others, particularly in a discourse situation. Moreover, she

noted three types of language learning strategies: asking questions, cooperating with others, and

empathizing with others” (Oxford, 1990a, p.21). So the focus of teachers should be in creating a

warm environment and help students understand the importance of discussion to the

development of language.


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CHAPTER III: RESEARCH DESIGN AND

METHODOLOGY

3.1. Introduction of the research design and methodology

This chapter shows the experimental research regarding classroom discussions, how teachers

initiate discussion and how students make a discourse through these discussions in learning a

second language. All the gathered data deal with finding teachers’ strategies and their obstacles

in classroom discussions and if these strategies are effective enough to arouse students’

participation in classroom discourse. Also, this data will show the impact of the discussion in

developing a second language. Moreover, the overall design of the study, the description of the

observed classroom during the study, population and sample, data collection instrument,

procedure and findings are broadly described.

3.2. Design of the study

In order to define the importance of classroom discussions and teachers’ strategies toward this

issue, a quantitative method study was created. The study occurred in two primary schools in

Skenderaj, “Ahmet Delija” and “Shaban Jashari,” and the participants who were chosen for this

study were the 9th graders. The number of students from “Ahmet Delija” varied for each class

observed, while there was almost the same number of students per class at “Shaban Jashari. In

order to find out the teaching and learning strategies toward classroom discussion and discourse,

the observation method was used in both schools. During the observation, I could notice different

approaches and techniques used by teachers to enhance students’ interest in discussion and the

ways they mixed those tools to make discussion more interesting. Likewise, students were able

to express their ideas and I noticed different points of view in their answers regarding the topics.

The main data points of this research are: teachers’ interviews which explore the teachers’ views

and practices in regard to discussion in learning a second language, students’ questionnaires that

have a main insight about classroom discussions; and classroom observations of the types of


27

strategies teachers use and how students developed their language abilities through these

discussions.

3.3. Research Questions and Hypothesis

This study investigates the methods that instructors use to develop oral classroom discussion and

how this classroom language is used by teachers and students simultaneously. Moreover, it

attains to highlight the patterns used by teachers to initiate a discussion in the contexts of second

language learning. In answering the following research questions, this paper; is going to reveal

that these patterns are helpful for students and that the teachers’ methods and techniques are

sufficient to develop an oral classroom discussion.

Research Questions

1. What strategies teachers use to initiate a classroom discussion?

2. What are the teachers’ expectations concerning the participation of students in whole-

class discussion?

3. How do teachers and students perceive these discussions and do they use the vocabulary

fluently?

4. How do teachers and students interact in a whole class-discourse and does the classroom

discourse impact language development?

5. What other skills do students evolve during classroom discussion?


28

The hypotheses of this study are below:

H.1. Modern teaching methods are more appropriate, attractive and interesting rather than

traditional methods for an effective second language learning environment.

H.2. These methods tend to be very helpful for students to develop their oral vocabulary and use

it freely in classroom discussion.

H.3. Through classroom discourse students are able to think more critically, give abundant

information about the topics and interact with the instructor at the same time.

3.4. Sample and Population

The research was conducted among the teachers and students of the primary schools where

English is taught as a foreign language. No special criteria were adopted while selecting schools

for data collection. Four teachers from these primary schools participated in the study. Their

teaching experience varied from five to twenty years. The number of participating students in the

research was 150. They were randomly selected from two schools, “Shaban Jashari” and “Ahmet

Delija.” The average age of the selected students was 14-15 and their first language was

Albanian, whereas their level of English language considered to be elementary. The number of

students per class varied from 18-25 and there were three classes in each of the schools.

The schools were well orgainsed and classess started from 8:00 in the morning until 12:45 in the

afternoon. Both schools had the same schedule, and classes met for forty-five minutes and

English language classes were taught three times a week.


29

3.5. Data Collection and Instrument

The overall structure of the experiment was as follows:

While teaching a second language, teachers face many obstacles. One of these obstacles is

creating class discussions. There are many factors that cause this issue, therefore the purpose of

this research is to reveal the strategies teachers use and how students respond to these strategies.

The main reason why I chose to study the “Shaban Jashari” and “Ahmet Delija” schools was to

make a comparison between the sources and strategies that these two schools use for the

students’ benefit.

My main data collection was composed of interviews, questionnaires and classroom

observations. I began with the classroom observations, to observe the types of strategies the

teachers used and students’ reactions toward these strategies. Twelve classes were observed and

my observations were captured by detailed note-taking. Next, I interviewed teachers to explore

their views and practices in regard to discussions in a second language learning classroom.

Interview data was captured via audio recording and then transcribed. Finally, the questionnaires

were distributed to students of the two primary schools. There were different questions to

explore their preferences for classroom discussions. The experiment lasted four weeks, two

weeks with the “Shaban Jashari” school and the other two weeks with the “Ahmet Delija”

school..

All the data was collected, compared and analyzed in order to find out how teachers’ methods

influenced a classroom discussion and how students perceived these discussions.


30

CHAPTER IV: STUDY RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

This chapter gives a main insight about the observation method that was used to explore in detail

the techniques used by teachers in order to enhance discussion among students through an oral

discursive context. Also the data analysis of interviews from the qualitative aspect and

questionnaires quantitative aspect will be analyzed and discussed throughout this chapter.

First, I will discuss the classroom observations held for four weeks in two schools and provide a

comparison between the two schools, thus showing the similarities, differences and also the

obstacles teachers faced with students. Furthermore, a detailed analysis will be given about

teachers’ interviews presented as quantitative data and students’ questionnaires as qualitative

data and will be shown through charts to make a clearer comparison of the schools mentioned

above.

4.1. The results from the observation method

Procedure I- Week 1

Day 1.

The first school I started observating was “Ahmet Delija.” The lessons were developed through

the same content in the three parallels. Each class had English classes three times a week. The

teachers and students welcomed me and were told about the reason why I would be with them

during these weeks.The first parallel was taught by a teacher who had been teaching English for

13 years and the main source of the lessons was from the book “Live Beat 4”(Appendix 1) by

Pearson Education. The teacher mainly used the traditional approach where students were

obliged to read or translate the paragraphs from the book rather than discuss them. Moreover


31

these paragraphs covered some questions which are related to them but the teacher only worked

with students who were good in English and did not include those who had problems with the

language. The topic in the lesson plan for that day was: “If you were invisible for a day”

(Appendix 2 ). This topic contained a magazine article in which some opinions of students from

all around the world were gathered. First, students had to read and then translate this article and

then answer the questions from the reading comprehension skill. After they finished these

questions, the professor asked the students what would they do if they were invisible for a day.

Some of the answers were:

Student 1 :“ I would like to be a Superman and save the people from catastrophic disasters or

wars.”

Student 2 : “ I would like to be a girl and use my sister’s things and make her angry.”

Student 3 : “ I would like to steal the banks where the money of politicians are kept and gave

them to the poor people.”

Student 4 : “I would like to meet Cristiano Ronaldo and have dinner with him.”

Student 5: “ I would like to be a lion and have control all the other animals.”

There were other opinions but I only picked those which seemed interesting. Also, there were

students that hesitated to speak and the teacher did not use the appropriate methods to incoporate

them into the discussion. Before the lesson ended the teacher engaged students with some

homework from the workbook.

Day 2

The next day, the students of all the parallels read the assignments that were given by the teacher

in the Workbook. Grammar was the focus of the assignments, primarly the use of the second

conditional. Some of the students read the sentences and some of them did not. After they

finished reading, the teacher gave further information about second conditionals and the students

listened, then they wrote some examples and read them afterwards. As with the previous lesson,

also in this lesson the teacher did not bring something new but used the same method of teaching

which was a teacher-centered classroom.


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Day 3

On the third day of the first parallell the next topic was about Glaciers (Appendix 3). The teacher

used the same method, and those students who were fluent in English read and translated the

paragraph whereas the other students were not focused in the learning process and talked among

themselves. Then they all did the comprehension reading and answered the questions about it.

Day 4

During this day students had a reading comprehension test. The teacher distributed the

worksheets to students and they started to fill them out.

Day 5

On this day, the teacher asked students to open the books to page 49 where students were obliged

to listen a lecture about the sinking of Titanic (Appendix 4) and answer the questions about it.

After they finished, they had to write an article about icebergs by using the information in the

book and afterwards the students read those articles aloud.

Day 6

On the last day, I distributed the questionnaires to the students and conducted the interviews with

teachers. Further information will be given in the next paragraphs.


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Procedure II- Week 2

Day 1

At the “ Shaban Jashari” school the situation was different in comparison with the other school,

since the students were taught by a teacher who had five years of work experience and she had

more innovative ideas on engaging students to take part in discussion. First, she divided the

students into four or five groups depending on the number of students in the three parallels.

Then, the topic she chose to discuss was an extract from English Literature, “ The Time

Machine” by H.G.Wells, this topic was on the book but the teacher used another method of

teaching by mixing technology and the reading excerpt in order to promote the topic as best as

possible and also to foster students’ focus on the learning process. Firstly, to warm the students

and get them started, she asked them some questions like: ‘what sort of books do you like

reading?’ or ‘what have you read recently and did you really enjoy it?’ It could be said that most

of the students from both parallels were immediately engaged and gave the answers. Some of

them were: “I like reading mystery books and the last book that I have read and really enjoyed

was ‘Sherlock Holmes;’ another answer was ‘I like all the Shakespeare’s books and the last one I

have read was ‘The Merchant of Venice.’ Other students’ answers included Homer’s “Iliad” and

“Odessey” and, the fantasy series of “Harry Potter.” Then, the teacher proceeded with an

explanation about the topic they were going to develop. First, she showed the students a four

minute film about “The Time Machine” after it was finished, she distributed some worksheets to

the students about the excerpts from the book which they were required to read carefully. After

the students read the exerpts they had to discuss them. There were two groups with one group

having the answers of the excerpt (Appendix 5) and the other group asking the questions, which

are as follows:

1. H.G.Wells—Who wrote The Time Machine?

2. 1894-----When was it written?

3. A science fiction book-----What sort of book is it?

4. In a time machine----How does the Time Traveler travel through the time?

5. In the year 802, 701-----When does he arrive in the future?


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6. They live in the underground----Where do the Morlocks live?

The groups also had another excerpt with questions (Appendix 6) The first group was asked

these questions:

1. What does the Time Traveler notice about the strength, size and intelligence of the Eloi?

2. What happens to the time machine?

3. How are the Morlock different from the Eloi?

4. How does the Time Traveler get his time machine back?

Some of the possible answers were these:

1.The time traveller discovers that the people of Eloi are physically smaller, less intelligent and

weaker than people in the present day.

2. The Morlocks steal and hide the time machine.

3.The Morlocks are workers and live underground and they are strong, evil and violent creatures.

4.By fighting the Morlocks he achieves to find the Time Machine.

The last group had these questions:

1. What does the Time Traveller notice about the natural world?

2. How healthy were the people?

3. What social change did he find surprising?

4. In what ways can difiiculties in life be good?

And the answers were:

1. The time traveler could notice that the air was free of unpleasant insects and the earth was

free of weeds. Also there are fruits, flowers and insects everywhere.

2. The people were very healthy, there were not any diseases.

3. He

post graduate studies-second cycle · 2020. 11. 2. · studim rasti me klasat e 9-ta të dy...

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