CLASSROOM RESEARCH

Professor: Dr.Hadi Salehi

Presented by: Imaneh Amini

What is Classroom Research?

The formal study of teaching and learning. It attempts to answer two fundamental questions: • how well are students learning ?• how effectively are teachers teaching? Through close observation, the collection of feedback on student learning and the careful design of experiments, classroom teachers can learn more about:• how students learn• how students respond to particular teaching

approaches.

Classroom research

Laboratory based researchV.S.

Allows the researcher to:• tightly control the

experimental variables.

• Randomly assign subjects to treatment groups.

• Employ control groups.

Approaches in researching Second language learning

No control

Combined approaches to classroom research

Studies must be carried out in different contexts and a range of different

approaches must be used to gain a deeper understanding of the complexity of

second language learning.

Observations• Observational data are common in second language

research.

• Useful for gathering in-depth information about some

phenomena occurring in L2/FL classrooms.

Types of language

Activities

Interactions

Instructions

Events

Observations• Can allow the study of a behavior at close range with many

important contextual variables present.

Contextual variables are environmental factors

e.g.Location of the school

Size of school/ classroom

Concerns and points to consider in classroom observations :

1. Obtrusive observer.

2. The Hawthorne effect.

3. Objectivity and subjectivity

4. Obtaining permission & requesting the

instructor’s help.

5. Debriefing the instructor.

!

1.Obtrusive ObserversThe presence of obtrusive observer may be felt in the classroom to the extent that the events observed cannot be said to fully represent the class in its typical behavior.

The observation data will be of limited validity.

1.Obtrusive ObserversYoung learners get distracted by observers.

Prevent instructors from delivering the lesson to the best of their ability.

+Prevent students from learning to the best of theirs.

Compromise the quality of the lesson.

2.Hawthorne EffectBetween 1924 and 1932, the Hawthorne Works Company near Chicago commissioned Elton Mayo to determine if the level of light within their building affected the productivity of the workers.

Mayo found that the level of light made no difference in the productivity, as the workers increased output whenever the amount of light was switched from a low level to a high level, or vice versa.

They increased productivity, simply because they were happy to receive attention from researchers.

2.Hawthorne Effect

Accordingly,• In observational research it may be

difficult to be sure that the observed classes are the same without observation.

• In controlled research it may be difficult to separate the Hawthorne effects from experimental variables.

2.Hawthorne Effect

May reduce the Hawthorne

effect

students and teachers begin to

feel more comfortable and

natural about being observed

Suggested solutionMellow,1996

3.Objectivity & Subjectivity

• Instructors often observe each others classes for

professional development / may carry out

observations of their own classes.

• The level of objectivity and subjectivity may be

questionable.

• Therefore it is necessary for researchers to strive for

objectivity and be aware of the subjective elements in

that effort.

4. Obtaining permission to observe and enlisting the help of the instructor:

It is important to obtain the permission of the instructor in advance of the scheduled observation(s)

Why?Professional courtesy

Seating arrangement

Arrival time

Help the instructor lessen any impact of observation on lesson planning and implementation

Introduce researcher Previsits

Feedback

5. Debriefing the Instructor

• Debrief the instructor about the research findings or the content of the observation notes of scheme.

Establish a more trusting and cooperative relationship with instructors.

5. Debriefing the Instructor

• Clearly express appreciation to the instructor, students and administration. By:

• Thanks• Acknowledgements• Sending copies

For fostering good relationship between instructors and future researchers.

Observation Proceduresand Coding Schemes

Consider the goals of the research and the observation

Prevent duplication of effort by adapting existing codes or schemes

Existing schemes vary in complexity and organization

In most observation schemes, the observer marks the frequency of an observed behavior or event at regular time interval. E.g.

The Target Language Observation Scheme (TALOS)

Part 1

Real time, low inference checklist for describing:• Live classroom

activities• Linguistic content• Skill focus• Teaching behaviors• Student actions

Part 2

High inference rating scale to be completed after

the observation A 5-point scale for categories such as:• Enthusiasm• Humor

• Negative/Positive reinforcement

High inference categories require judgement, such as the function or meaning of the observed event.

Low inference categories Observers reach high levels of agreement and reliability in real-time coding situation.

V.S.

Classroom Observation Tally Sheet From Nunan (1989)

The Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching (COLT)

• Developed in the 1980s to describe differences in communicative language teaching.

• Focuses on pedagogical and verbal behavior.

Part A

For real-time coding. More than 40 categories

are provided for:• Participant

organization• Activities• Topic type• Content• Control

Part B

For post-observational analysis of tape-recordings

Common elements in observation coding schemes:

Many schemes include categories for:

• Participants identity and groupings

• Content or topic of the lesson

• Types of activities and material used.

• Language employed

• The targeted skill

Advantages to using or modifying preexisting schemes:Relative ease of use.Comparability with other studiesSimplified analysis of complicated and rich classroom

data.Possibility of measuring change over different time

periods.More reliable focus on facets related to the research

problem.Different classroom contexts can be compared

CAVEAT TO USING OR MODIFYING EXISTING OBSERVATION SCHEMES Determine if the scheme is appropriate for the

research goals.To be valid the finding must be the result of

appropriate and applicable schemes. Consider the type of findings that are likely to emerge

from an observation scheme. With most coding schemes only one rater observes

the data. The use of predetermined categories limit and restrict

the observer’s perceptions, important patterns could be missed.

Introspective methods

Data elicitation techniques that encourage learners to communicate their internal processing and perspectives about language learning experience which cannot be detected by observation approaches.

Definition

Methods1. Uptake Sheets2. Stimulated Recalls3. Diary Research

1. Uptake Sheets

Uptake: Whatever is that the learners get

from all the language learning

opportunities provided by

language lessons.

• Allow researchers to investigate learners’ perceptions about what they are learning.

• Often distributed at the beginning of the lesson.

• Learners are asked to mark or note things on which the researcher or teacher is focusing.

• Helps creating a more detailed picture of classroom events in the process.

Who said it? (check as many as you want)

Was this new to you?

What are you noticing about…..

Teacher

Class-mate

Me Book Yes, new

No, heard of it

No, knew it

Pronunciation....Vocabulary....Grammar....

2. Stimulated Recall

• The observer makes an audio or video recording and plays it to the participant, stopping to ask what they think in a particular point.

• Provide researcher with access to the learners’ interpretations of the events that were observed.

• A valuable source of information for researchers interested in viewing a finely detailed picture of the classroom.

3. Diary Research

• A first person account of a language learning or a teaching experience.

• Documented through regular candid entries in a personal journal and then analyzed for recurrent patterns and salient events. (Bailey, 1990)De

finiti

on

THANK YOU