3. 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.
4. Classroom Laboratory based
research V.S. research
Allows the researcher to:
No control • tightly control the
experimental
variables.
• Randomly assign
subjects to treatment
groups.
• Employ control
groups.
5. 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.
6. • 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
7. • 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
8. 1. Obtrusive observer.
2. The Hawthorne effect.
3. Objectivity and subjectivity
4. Obtaining permission & requesting the
instructor’s help.
5. Debriefing the instructor.
9. The 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.
10. Young 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.
11. Between 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.
12. 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.
13. Use of
Mellow,1996
time-
series
designs
students and
teachers begin
to feel more
comfortable May reduce
and natural the
about being Hawthorne
observed effect
14. • 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.
15. It is important to obtain the permission of the
instructor in advance of the scheduled observation(s)
Professional courtesy
Help the instructor lessen any impact of
observation on lesson planning and
implementation
Introduce
Arrival time Previsits
researcher
Seating Feedback
arrangement
16. • 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.
17. • Clearly express appreciation to the
instructor, students and administration.
By:
• Thanks
• Acknowledgements
• Sending copies
For fostering good relationship between
instructors and future researchers.
18. 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.
20. Low inference categories
Observers reach high levels of
agreement and reliability in real-
time coding situation.
High inference categories
require judgement, such as the
function or meaning of the
observed event.
21. Part 2
Part 1
High inference rating scale
Real time, low inference
to be completed after the
checklist for describing:
observation
• Live classroom
A 5-point scale for categories
activities
such as:
• Linguistic content
• Enthusiasm
• Skill focus
• Humor
• Teaching behaviors
• Negative/Positive
• Student actions
reinforcement
22. • 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
Part B
are provided for:
• Participant
For post-observational
organization
analysis of tape-recordings
• Activities
• Topic type
• Content
• Control
23. 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
24. Relative ease of use.
Comparability with other studies
Simplified 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
25. CAVEATS 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.
27. Definition
Data elicitation techniques that encourage learners
to communicate their internal processing and
perspectives about language learning experience
which cannot be detected by observation
approaches.
Methods
1. Uptake Sheets
2. Stimulated Recalls
3. Diary Research
28. • Allow researchers to investigate
learners’ perceptions about what they Uptake:
are learning. Whatever is that
the learners get
• Often distributed at the beginning of from all the
the lesson. language
learning
• Learners are asked to mark or note opportunities
things on which the researcher or provided by
teacher is focusing. language
lessons.
• Helps creating a more detailed picture
of classroom events in the process.
29. Who said it? (check as Was this new to
many as you want) you?
What are you Teach Class- Me Book Yes, No, No,
noticing about….. er mate new heard knew
of it it
Pronunciation
.
.
.
.
Vocabulary
.
.
.
.
Grammar
.
.
.
.
30. • 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.
31. Definition • 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)
