3-2-1 on Air: Participating in radio show to foster speaking confidence in ELT classroom

14th National ELT Conference

3 – 2 – 1 On Air: Participating in Radio Show to Foster Speaking Confidence in ELT Classroom Nubia Consuelo Lemos Tello

CONTEXT • IED LA CHUCUA SCHOOL• Population: 8th GRADERS • Timeline: Aug. 2009 - March. 2010

RESEARCH QUESTION To what extent can cooperative learning-based activities— participating in an online radio show—foster speaking confidence in 8th graders from La Chucua School?

OBJECTIVES •

GENERAL – To determine the effect of the interpersonal and small-group skills strategy in the enhancement of English speaking confidence in a group of eighth graders through an online radio show.

•

SPECIFIC – To identify the reasons why students do not feel confident when speaking in the target language.

– To create a strategy fundamented on cooperative learning principles to promote team and individual decision making interventions.

–

To use students’ knowledge about radio language to develop English speaking confidence.

– To identify the influence of students’ self and peer assessment practices in the development of speaking confidence.

RESEARCH DESIGN TYPE

Individual teacher research (Ferrance, 2000)

Setting

IED LA CHUCUA SCHOOL

Participants

8th GRADERS (12 students)

Data Collection Instruments

Teachers’ Journals Audio – Video Recordings (field notes) Surveys

Resources

Technological: ShoutcastTM , Windows recorder, AudacityTM , WinampTM. Physical Virtual Room

Data Analysis Techniques

Trend analysis (Sagor, 2005), Inductive Analysis (Quinn, 2002), Grounded Theory (Corbin & Strauss, 1990)

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK CONFIDENCE IN SPEAKING •

Brown (2007):Foreign Language Anxiety Components: – Communication Aprehension.

– Negative social evaluation.

– Test anxiety.

•

Oxford (2002): Effects of Language Anxiety: – Harmful Anxiety.

– Helpful Anxiety.

•

Hughes (2002): Language and Social Interaction.

– Safe Environment

SCHOOL RADIO •

•

•

Montoya & Villa (2006): Advantages of using radio at school.

– Overcoming fears Radio Language – Music, blanks, words, effects.

Children Radio (n.d.): Advantages of using radio with academic purposes: – Foster Oral skills – Promote content based learning.

– Contextualization.

– Integration of disciplines.

SCHOOL RADIO •

Youth Radio (2008): Steps – Pre-production, production, post-production, distribution.

•

Kozamernik and Mullane (2009): Impact of webcasting.

•

Compaine and Smith (2001): Online radio to promote the diversity.

COOPERATIVE LEARNING •

Díaz-Barriga & Hernández (2002): Cooperative Learning to reinforce socio-affective relationship.

•

Johnson, Johnson & Holubec (1999): Base groups

•

Gillies (2007): Interpersonal / small group skills: – Actively listening to each other.

– Stating ideas freely.

– Accepting responsibilities.

– Providing constructive criticism.

– Taking turns.

– Sharing tasks.

– Making decisions democratically.

– Clarifying differences.

DATA INSTRUMENTS SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE

CONSTRUCT

1

Confidence in Speaking

2

INSTRUMENT

STAGE

Initial Survey

Pre- Implementation

Teacher’s journals

Implementation

Teacher’s journals

Implementation

Final Survey

Post- Implementation

Initial Survey

Pre-Implementation

Audio-recording

Implementation

Final Survey

Post-Implementation

Speaking Confidence

Teacher ‘s Journals Audio Recordings

Implementation

Cooperative Learning

Video Recordings Final Survey

Post-Implementation

Cooperative Learning

School Radio

3

4

SAMPLES OF INSTRUMENTS

Audio –Recording form / Field Notes

AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING FORMS / Field Notes

TEACHER’S JOURNAL

FINAL SURVEY http://www.encuestafacil.com/RespWeb/Qn.a spx?EID=553353

DATA ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES GROUNDED THEORY

INDUCTIVE ANALYSIS Quinn, M. (2002)

(Foundation)

TREND ANALYSIS Sagor, R. (2005)

(Procedure)

FINDINGS

Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. (1990)

(Coding techniques)

TREND ANALYSIS Sagor (2005) 1. What did we do?

Changes

Factors

Generic ACR Questions: Action Change Relationship

2. What changes occured regarding the achievement targets?

3. What was the relationship between the actions taken and any changes in performance on the targets?

INDUCTIVE ANALYSIS Quinn (2002) All the elements identified (patterns, categories and themes of analysis) emerge from the data, instead of imposing before data collection.

CODING TECHNIQUES Strauss & Corbin (1990)

Open Coding Process of breaking down, examining, comparing, conceptualizing and categorizing data.

Axial Coding

Process of identifying connections among the categories.

Selective Coding Process of selecting the core category (ies), validating its relationships with the other categories.

ANSWERING ARC QUESTIONS ACR Question 1: What did I do?

1) Allocating time PLANNED TME

REAL TIME

Implementation: 2160 hours August – November 2009 2 weekly sessions: 80 min.

August: 8 sessions September: 8 sessions October: 7 sessions November: 4 sessions

Implementation: 1920 hours August 2009; February – March 10th, 2010 2 weekly sessions, 80 each (Three lessons): August: 8 sessions September: 8 sessions February: 6 sessions March: 2 sessions

30% Giving input (576 hours) 40% Planning shows (768 hours) 10% Recording (192 hours) 20% Editing shows (384 hours)

ACR Question 1: What did I do?

2) Looking for patterns SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE

1

INSTRUMENTS

Initial Survey

STAGE

Pr.

FINDINGS

40% students do not like interacting in the target language, 55% because of classmates reactions (laughing), 25% because the other people do not understand (pronunciation), 15% teacher corrects pronunciation, 5% others.

Reasons of students fears 80% students feel that their pronunciation is not good.

20% They feel they do not have enough vocabulary and do not have opportunities to practice.

ACR Question 1: What did I do?

2) Looking for patterns – Emerging categories.

ACR Question 2: What changes occured regarding the achievement targets?

CATEG.

P R O N U N C I A T I O N

INITIAL SURVEY

Reason lack of confidence 68%)

LESSON 1

Not relevant in all the groups.

(Just doing the activity)

LESSON 2

Questions of the teacher about pronunc.

LESSON 3

More confident pronun. in daily speech (greeting, opening and closing the show).

FINAL SURVEY

Helped to improve Speaking confidence (42%): The way to listen to the others changed.

Feelings of being helped Learning pron. by repeating.

ACR Question 2: What changes occured regarding the achievement targets?

CATEG.

P R A C T I C E

INITIAL SURVEY

Students’ reactions when listening: Reason for no interaction (55%)

LESSON 1

Video Recording: Need to review the lines. More practice required.

LESSON 2

T. Journal: Small chunks allow repetition

Groups ask for doing the show before recording

LESSON 3

T. Journal Instead of laughing, peer correcting Practice without recording, recordinglistening to, new recording

FINAL SURVEY

33% Feel more confident: Opportunity of practice

Motivation to practice more in group.

Fears reduction

ACR Question 3: What was the relationship between actions taken and any changes in performance on the targets? - PARADIGM MODEL in AXIAL CODING (Strauss & Corbin, 1990) PRONUNCIATION

ACR Question 3: What was the relationship between actions taken and any changes in performance on the targets? - PARADIGM MODEL in AXIAL CODING (Strauss & Corbin, 1990) PRACTICE

ACR Question 3: What was the relationship between actions taken and any changes in performance on the targets? SELECTIVE CODING (Strauss & Corbin, 1990) Pronunciation Concerns Listening to each other

Pronunciation Awareness

Helping each other Expansion of vocabulary

Categories

Need of Practice Opportuniy of Practice

Practice Awareness

Practicing together Learning Together

FINDINGS To what extent can cooperative learning-based activities—participating in an online radio show—foster speaking confidence in 8th graders from La Chucua School?

Cooperative learning-based activities: 1.

Allowed students to identify a. Reasons that explain lack of speaking confidence b. Needs required to increase it.

(Anxiety: Brown, 2007; Oxford, 2002)

2.

Helped participants to change their attitudes and assist each other (Interpersonal and Small-Group skills: Gillies, 2007)

FINDINGS To what extent can cooperative learning-based activities—participating in an online radio show—foster speaking confidence in 8th graders from La Chucua School?

The Radio show:

a. Was an appealing opportunity to use students knowledge and language to develop English speaking confidence b. Allowed participants to work on their pronunciation needs, derived from their explicit concerns related to speaking confidence at earlier stages of the project (Overcoming fears: Montoya & Villa, 2006; Advantages of radio: Children Radio)

CONCLUSIONS 1.

Students’ awareness and reflections: Reasons of lack confidence and solutions.

2.

Cooperative learning: strategy to promote learner autonomy (decision making and identification of strengths).

3.

Application of students’ previous knowledge of radio for academic purposes and relationship (attitudes for listening)

4.

Positive influence of Self and peer assessment: Interaction, changing their attitudes from intimidating to one more constructive levels

CONCLUSIONS LIMITATIONS - Time - Change of the groups - Technical

FURTHER RESEARCH - Target group - Multilevel group - Focusing on oral skills - CLIL project : Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) * Language * Content: Radio Language

CONTACT INFORMATION Email colechao74@gmail.com

Radio station main platform: http://consuelolemosandkids.listen2mymusic.co m

Research blog (and radiostation) http://consulemos.blogspot.com

REFERENCES •

Burns, A. (2003). Getting started. Collaborative action research for English language teachers. UK: Cambridge University Press, 70.

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Johnson, B. & Christensen, L. (2008). Data Analysis in Qualitative and mixed research. Educational Research.

U.S.A: SAGE, 531, 552-556.

•

Mills, G. (2007). Data collection techniques. Action research.

A guide for the teacher researcher. New Yersey: Pearson, 57.

•

Norton, L. (2009). Action research in teaching and learning.

Great Britain: Routledge, 115-154.

REFERENCES •

Brown, D. (2007). Principles of language learning and teaching. U.S.A: Pearson.

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Children and Radio (n.d.) Radio in schools. Children and radio. [web page]. Retrieved April 26, 2009, from: http://www.childrenandradio.org.uk/radioinschools.htm

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Chou, Y. (2004). Promoting learners’ speaking ability by socio affective strategies. The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. X No. 9. Retrieved April 26, 2009, from: http://iteslj.org/Articles/Chou-Socioaffective.html

•

Diaz-Barriga, F. and Hernandez, G. (2007)..

Estrategias docentes para un aprendizaje significativo. Mexico: McGraw Hill.

REFERENCES •

Educational Broadcasting Corporation (2004). Cooperative and collaborative learning. [web page]. Retrieved May 9, 2009, from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/coopcollab/in dex.html

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Hughes, R. (2002). The Problem of real speech. Teaching and Researching: Speaking. U.K.: Pearson, 50.

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Montoya, A. & Villa, L. (2006). Radio Escolar. Bogotá: Paulinas: Centro de Comunicación Social.

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Oxford, R. (2002). Anxiety and the Language Learner.

In: Arnold, J. (2002). Affect in Language Learning. U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 59.

.

Quinn, M. (2002). Conceptual Issues in qualitative inquiry.

Qualitative research and evaluation methods. U.K: SAGE, 55

REFERENCES •

Sagor, R. (2005). Analyzing the data. The Action Research guidebook. U.K: SAGE, 109 - 128

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Smith, B. & Mc Gregor, J. (1992). What is Collaborative Learning? [pdf document]. Retrieved May 9, 2009, from http://learningcommons.evergreen.edu/pdf/collab.pdf

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Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. (1990). Coding procedures. Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded theory, procedures and techniques. London: Sage Publications.

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Youth Radio (2008). Media Production Technique. Teach Youth Radio [Online Magazine]. Retrieved April 26, 2009, from: http://www.youthradio.org/oldsite/fourthr/productiontechniques.sht ml

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Zubiría, M. (2005). Aprendizaje significativo: La psicología educativa aplicada en el salón de clases. Enfoques pedagógicos y didácticas contemporáneas. Colombia: FIPC – Alberto Merani, 144.