English Project
Action Research Project: Pedro Justo Berrío
Description of the context
Action Research Project: Pedro Justo Berrío
Description of the context
The setting where this project takes place is the Institución Educativa Pedro Justo Berrío which is a private academic high school in Medellín, Colombia, recognized by a high quality education based on the famous Don Bosco’s principles applied to education, and the technical programs the institution offer to its students. This institution, as any other institution in this country aims to be recognized as one of the exemplar private institutions in the city due to high quality education given in it in accordance with the changing conditions and needs of the country, in which the roll of the second language promotion and learning is highlighted.
The target population of this research will be the whole population of the students the institution has, which means this project will be concentrated on the different motivation levels the different graders in the institution may have towards their English classes why does these levels occur, and how to improve their motivation.
This research will be carried out by the English Teachers group the institution has, and it will have, first, as a previous goal to improve motivation, and second, as a further to modify English institution curriculum to a more student centered curriculum.
The target population of this research will be the whole population of the students the institution has, which means this project will be concentrated on the different motivation levels the different graders in the institution may have towards their English classes why does these levels occur, and how to improve their motivation.
This research will be carried out by the English Teachers group the institution has, and it will have, first, as a previous goal to improve motivation, and second, as a further to modify English institution curriculum to a more student centered curriculum.
STATEMENT AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM
Few years ago many English teachers have been concerned about the way they are teaching their English and the way students tend to see the methodology they use, and therefore they have wondered about how do students perceive the learning of English in the institution or have they or have they not a good motivation towards learning this foreign language. In this way, this project began to appear as an option for teachers, not only to evaluate, check, validate or invalidate some of the behavior they perceive, but also as a way of criticizing the methodology they have been carrying everyday to their PJB English classes
Research Question
Theoretical Background
This section includes a summary of some of the different theories that support our idea about what could be the factors that are affecting the motivation in the Institution. In the following paragraphs the reader will see what oral interaction is, since it is important to establish that this project was born, taking into account a value PJB English teachers have done on the interaction they have seen in the classrooms, the different kinds of personality factors that inhibit students to participate orally in classes, how do they work, and the solutions some authors propose.
In the process of learning a language, the place of oral interaction and its importance is a significant concern when developing language skills. First, Tudini (2002), considers oral interaction as: “a multidimensional activity imbued with a multiplicity of elements that provide meaning” (p. 41). This definition can be too general when considering oral skills but it adds to what Ellis (1999, p.1) makes explicit when he stated that oral interaction is the social performance that takes place when one person talks to another.
There is no doubt about the role oral interaction has in language classrooms where the target language is a foreign one. Interaction fosters the construction of conditions in which oral production and comprehension takes place. As Pastor (2003) states, directly or indirectly, the conditions created during interaction allow students, not only, to gather formal information of the language they are learning since it allows them to improve their oral skills by permanently using the target language (p.268).
However, when students are learning a foreign language, the conditions for the development of oral skills are mediated by the effects that many social and personal factors have on interaction. Brown (2004) considers factors in the social domain influencing interaction:
1. The stereotype or overgeneralization factor which is the assignment of group characteristics to people based on their cultural membership.
2. The attitude factor which refers to the stereotyped position people take on with regard to the target language they are learning.
3. The cultural shock factor developed during the process of acquiring a new identity (acculturation) refers to the alternation of self-pity and resentment to others due to the cross-cultural experiences.
4. The cultural distance factor which is the range of similarity between two cultures and that allows individuals to perceive language closer or distant from their own.
5. The policy factor which deals with the influence language status and its relation to power and economic gain has on the considerations people might have to learn a language.
Also, according to Brown (2004), these are the factors involved in the personal domain:
1. The affective factor which deals with emotions or feelings. The matter here is how students feel, respond, believe and value themselves and others.
2. The Self-esteem factor which in some way deals with how capable students feel for an activity but directly linked to student’s self-confidence, knowledge of himself and belief in his own capabilities.
3. The inhibition factor which is the set of defenses the students have created to protect their egos.
4. The risk-taking factor which is the willingness the students have to guess and to take the risk of being wrong.
5. The anxiety factor which is directly linked to the three previous factors and as cited from Scovel: “It is associated with feelings of uneasiness, frustration, self-doubt, apprehension or worry”.
6. The empathy factor which refers to comprehending the affective experience of others by considering one’s own.
7. The extroversion and introversion factor which deals with the extent a person needs to receive ego enhancement, self-esteem or sense of wholeness from other people, or on the contrary, has a sense wholeness and fulfillment apart from others.
8. The motivation factor which has to be with the fulfillment of needs through rewards. These needs can be internally rewarded with feelings of competence or self-determination (Intrinsic motivation) or may pursue a goal to receive a reward from someone else (extrinsic motivation). (p.161)
1. The stereotype or overgeneralization factor which is the assignment of group characteristics to people based on their cultural membership.
2. The attitude factor which refers to the stereotyped position people take on with regard to the target language they are learning.
3. The cultural shock factor developed during the process of acquiring a new identity (acculturation) refers to the alternation of self-pity and resentment to others due to the cross-cultural experiences.
4. The cultural distance factor which is the range of similarity between two cultures and that allows individuals to perceive language closer or distant from their own.
5. The policy factor which deals with the influence language status and its relation to power and economic gain has on the considerations people might have to learn a language.
Also, according to Brown (2004), these are the factors involved in the personal domain:
1. The affective factor which deals with emotions or feelings. The matter here is how students feel, respond, believe and value themselves and others.
2. The Self-esteem factor which in some way deals with how capable students feel for an activity but directly linked to student’s self-confidence, knowledge of himself and belief in his own capabilities.
3. The inhibition factor which is the set of defenses the students have created to protect their egos.
4. The risk-taking factor which is the willingness the students have to guess and to take the risk of being wrong.
5. The anxiety factor which is directly linked to the three previous factors and as cited from Scovel: “It is associated with feelings of uneasiness, frustration, self-doubt, apprehension or worry”.
6. The empathy factor which refers to comprehending the affective experience of others by considering one’s own.
7. The extroversion and introversion factor which deals with the extent a person needs to receive ego enhancement, self-esteem or sense of wholeness from other people, or on the contrary, has a sense wholeness and fulfillment apart from others.
8. The motivation factor which has to be with the fulfillment of needs through rewards. These needs can be internally rewarded with feelings of competence or self-determination (Intrinsic motivation) or may pursue a goal to receive a reward from someone else (extrinsic motivation). (p.161)
Furthermore, as Arnaiz & Peñate (2004) declares, students have to face two contexts, one in which due to the learning context, they have to learn and develop and intra-linguistic and inter-linguistic system and another one, in which the social context influences their acting and behaviors. “Sensaciones como la de la vergüenza y el ridículo no se dejan afuera del aula fácilmente” (p. 47).
To improve oral interaction, Kumpulainen and Wray (2002) state that learners views and perceptions must be evoked inviting and encouraging them to ask questions as well as to share and negotiate opinions in the classroom community, not only to allow them to express freely and legitimate the freedom of choice but also, to promote students’ intrinsic motivation for active participation. The teacher may initiate a discussion by asking questions of a given topic and then give to students feed-back on what they responded. The teacher can also read with the students while naming, clarifying, predicting, and summarizing to attempt comprehension. More, in order to enhance oral interaction Brown (2004) suggests activities such as readings, films, simulation games, culture assimilators and culture capsules to assist learners to participate and says that “role-play promotes the process of cross-cultural dialog while providing opportunities for oral communication” (P.189).
Finally, Consolo (2006) declares that negotiation of meaning in oral interactions is a way to contribute to the generation of positive input and to help learners to notice relevant features in the input, which involves different types of processing operations for learners to acquire the negotiated input.
Finally, Consolo (2006) declares that negotiation of meaning in oral interactions is a way to contribute to the generation of positive input and to help learners to notice relevant features in the input, which involves different types of processing operations for learners to acquire the negotiated input.
