OBSERVATION AND RESEARCH IN THE CLASSROOM CONTEXT

OBSERVATION AND RESEARCH IN THE CLASSROOM CONTEXT

THE NATURE AND SCOPE OF RESEARCH

APPROACHES TO RESEARCH

CLASSROOM OBSERVATION

What is research?

The Scope of Classroom Research

First ELT Research Studies

Considers

Has

Includes

An activity which

critically evaluate

some problem

Practical research:

Practical utilisation of

theoretical and applied

research it is based on

the premises of these

researchs

Applied research:

Applies the theoretical

models provided by basic

research to different fields

of study

Basic or

theoretical research:

Aims to construct

abstract theoretical

models which explain

SLT and SLL

In order to:

- Get a result

with methods

objectively

- Solve problems,

verify the application

of theories

- Enlighten both,

researcher and

any interested

reader

Undertaking

structured investigation

which hopefully

results in greater

understanding of the

chosen interest area

It is

Research is carried out:

Research types

It is

Centred in the classroom.

Classroom research becomes

and important tool for

examining the relations

between variables that

continually interact

Key topics for classroom research (Van Lier 1988)

Take into consideration

The connection between input received by students and the output they produce is often characterised as a "black box" reflecting the idea that what actually goes on in this process is dark and unknown

Cognitive styles

Efficiency of evaluation techniques

The use of learning strategies

Role of interaction between the teacher and students

The nature and development of the students interlanguage

Systematic research:

New and traditional methods of language teaching were compared by Agard and Dunkel in 1948

A radical change took place in the sixties and research began to influence policy issues and the method debate in second language education

Quantitative Vs Qualitative Approaches

Individual Vs Collaborative Research

Questioning The Scientific Research Paradigm

Experimental Approaches

Eclectic Approaches

Low inference categories include things that can be counted or coded without the observer having to infer very much

High inference categories, demand that the observer makes a judgement that goes well beyond what is immediately visible

Researchers distinguish between

Combines

Experimental and naturalistic measures

Ideally experimental and interpretative research should be convergent rather than parallel or divergent lines of enquire (Van Lier 1988)

There are some stages

(Seliger and Shohamy 1989)

- Formulating the general question or the problem which will be solved

- Feasibility of the research work we aim to carry out to solve the problem

- Deciding on the objectives that will be achieved

- Formulating the research plan and hypothesis to be tested

In synthetic or analytic-deductive research, planning requires the careful development of a plan in which those factors to be controled or manipulated are identified

Research which focuses on variables makes predictions and tests hypothesis is primarily of the deductive type

The dependent variable is the means by which any changes are measured. The independent variable is the factor the researcher manipulates in order to see what effect the changes introduced will have

Heuristic (exploratory) research, approaches the research context from a different perspective, avoiding, preconceptions with the aim of generating hypothesis but not of testing them, using qualitative methods.

Because

Scientific research has failed to answer some of the most pressing questions in language teaching.

It seems to promise solutions to very complex professional dilemmas, but rarely manages to deliver the goods.

Another weakness that is apparent in a scientific research paradigm is that of its lack of grounding in specific classroom practice.

(Ellis 1990) points to two reasons for the growing scepticism with the conventional rational research paradigm: Firstly, the relationship between teaching and learning is extremely complex. It is not linear.

Innovation in the classroom can never be just a question of implementing a recommendation derived from research. It is a process of negotiations, involving the teacher´s overall educational ideology, the learner´s expectations and preferences and local constraints that determine what is feasible.

There is no single pedagogical solution which is applicable to all classrooms (Ellis 1990)

Involve

Individual: only the researcher him/herself whether a professional non-practising researcher or a practising classroom teacher

Collaborative: It will involve a collaboration between the researcher and the teacher whose classroom is observed, while within the naturalistic paradigm, it will involve the teacher collaborating with peers

Advantages: These approaches tend to be more flexible, less professionally risky and mores easily implemented than others (Wallace 1998)

Advantages: With the right kind of co-operation, collaboration can do much to sustain motivation, save time by the allocation of different tasks as appropriate and generate richer input from the combined talents and insights of those involved

A Systematic Approach

Interaction Analysis

Discourse Analysis

Ethnography

Takes into account

Classroom observation has been used with different purposes:

- To compare teaching methods

- To study the most efficient classroom techniques

-To evaluate teachers and materials

Observation is seen as an important tool for studying what actually happens inside the classroom in a systematic way

Researchers explore the procedures and techniques of ethnography as a viable approach to classroom research

(Van Lier 1988) considers ethnographic techniques the most suitable for studying classroom events

(Flanders 1970) Developed a list of categories of teacher and learner behaviour associated with successful teaching and this taxonomy is called FIAC (Flanders´Interaction Analysis Categories)

FIAC is used as follows: To codify the behaviour used during teaching unit the observer marks the different categories

(Fanselow 1977)

Made another important contribution with his FOCUS (Foci for Observing Communication Used in Settings)

(Moskowitz 1976) Called her taxonomy FLINT (Foreign Language Interaction) The most widely used modification of Flander´s model.

Moskowitz´s taxonomy was used as a research tool and as a feedback instrument in teacher training

It was also and observation schedule developed for language teacher training, but it is applicable for classroom research

Fanselow´s model does not have separate categories for teachers and learners

5 characteristics of communication in settings

Who communicates?

What is the pedagogical purpose of communication?

What mediums are used to communicate?

How are the mediums used to communicate areas of content?

What areas of content are communicated?

The emergence of discourse analysis studies as a field of linguistic enquiry led to classroom research models based on the analysis of classroom discourse.

COLT system proposed by (AllenFrolich and Spada 1985)

The COLT model (Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching) was developed to distinguish communicative language teaching classrooms from those which were more form-focused

The pedagogical move consists of various structures, which are realised by acts having a special discourse function

(Craig Chaudron 1988)

Divides discourse into two main types:

(Sinclair and Coulthard 1975)

Their model discourse is comprised of five levels:

-lesson- transaction-exchange- move - act

Structural Units:

Utterance - Turn - T-Unit- Communication unit - Fragment

Functional Units:

Repetition - Expansion

Clarification request

Comprehension check

Confirmation check

Repair - Model

Has its roots in anthropology and sociology

(Nunan) Ethnography involves the study of the culture/characteristics of a group in real world rather than laboratory settings. The researcher makes no attempt to isolate or manipulate the phenomena under investigation.

( Mehan 1979) Constitutive ethnography characteristics:

(Erickson and Shultz´s Stages 1981)

are considered to be useful

2 key ideas:

Context is seen to have an important influence on behaviour. Research needs to always be carried out in a natural context.

The subjective perceptions and belief systems of both, researchers and subjects need to be taken into account in any research

Retrievability of the data

Comprehensive data treatment

Convergence between researcher´s and participant´s perspectives

Interactional level of analysis

Stage 1:

Global viewing

Stage 2:

Choice of specific occasions of interest for more detailed analysis

Stage 3:

Specification of differences in the transitions or junctures

Stage 4:

Detailed description of the participation structures between junctures

Stage 5:

Construction of a model showing the principles of social organization

Stage 6:

Establishing the generalizability of the structures analysed