Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 70 (2013) 272 – 281
Akdeniz Language Studies Conference 2012
An action research: Using videos for teaching grammar in an ESP class a a
b
, Abdurrahman Kutluayc*
Assistant b MA candidate c MA candidate,
Abstract Teaching grammar is a process, which has been a problem for many language teachers around the world. Considering the results revealed in the previous studies, this problem places itself especially in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classes. The aim of this action research is to search for probable effects of videos to be used to teach grammar explicitly in an ESP grammar class. Since the students do not want to use traditional course books and get bored with the activities that are not related with the context and their aims, the present study deals with the use of technology in an ESP class. © 2012 Authors.by Published Elsevier Ltd. and/or peer-review under responsibility of ALSC 2012 2012The Published ElsevierbyLtd. Selection Selection and peer-review under responsibility of ALSC 2012 Keywords: teaching grammar; ESP students; using videos; adult learners
1. Introduction Teaching grammar is an area that has been frequently investigated. The most frequent problem is that grammar presentation in the textbooks is evaluated as decontextualized. As Nunan (1998) stated authentic context that the communicative value of a grammar item can be appreciated by the learners. Textbook activities also lack the nonverbal elements of the communication like body language, mimes, gestures and emotions. These shortcomings call for the use of audio-visual aids.
* Corresponding author. Tel.:+00 90 505 6024346. E-mail address:
[email protected]
1877-0428 © 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of ALSC 2012 doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.01.065
Gülden İlin et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 70 (2013) 272 – 281
In this respect, a widespread multimedia tool that has both visual and audio content is video. It is possible to state the advantages of videos via using the terms diversity , facilities and creativity . Videos can be useful particularly to create learner curiosity and arouse interest. Zhu (2012) focuses on the diversity feature of videos. Video appeals to different senses via (p. 136) at the same time. This variety is of great significance in terms of addressing different learners and learning styles. Besides image and sound, video also offers facilities (Pujola, 2002, p. 235), which are play controls, transcripts, subtitles and captions. Furthermore, technology brings flexibility and choice to education (Crawford, 2002). Teachers have the freedom to create their own videos using different multimedia tools such as cameras, mobile phones, websites and animation software. That is to say, instead of mechanical Fill in the blanks or Write the past form of the verbs exercises in the coursebooks, an animated video would be more beneficial. Along with these, videos can be of vital help in contextualizing the language items. On the other hand, there are also cautious approaches to multimedia tools. In this context, the issues that attract notice are purpose and selection of videos , and nature of language . As suggested by Zhu (2012, p.135), means of assistance for English teaching but not the whole teaching The video should be used to reach a learning goal (Motteram, 2011; Kervin & Derewianka, 2011), not just to color the lesson. It is not realistic to expect learners to learn language more easily and effectively because of just using technological devices. Similarly, t level, age, interest and background should be considered (Tomlinson, 2011). A material that worked well in a class may not work in another class. Another point that needs to be kept in mind is that languages are spoken in communities. Thus, ; p. 305). Learners need to interact emotionally, cognitively and socially in meaningful and purposeful situations to use language. On the whole, if used carefully and purposefully, and supported with opportunities to use language authentically; videos with their variety, flexibility and productivity have a lot to offer for language learning processes of the learners. In the light of the previous research and the very specific 1. What happens when grammar is taught through videos in an ESP class? 2. Will there be a change between the grammar teacher models of the students after learning grammar through videos? 2. Methodology 2. 1. Method As for the method, action research cycle has been used. Richards & Farrell (2005) points out that study was conducted in line with the cycle adapted from Ferrance (2000). For the present study, collaborative action research cycle has been used. Ferra describes the nature of collaborative action research as follows:
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Action research becomes collaborative when it is done in partnership with colleagues, or with students, or with university faculty, or with parents, or a combination of partners. It engages both first- and second-person research/practice and, in large collaborative action research networks, third-person research/practice. The process emphasizes growth through group dialogue, reflection, and action. Participants may pursue individual studies bound together by a common theme, concern, or problem and then come together to share their work and develop a common set of recommendations for educational improvement. Or participants may form research teams to study one particular issue over time (p. 49). 2. 2. Participants Four adult learners taking English courses for business purposes at a private language school constituted the participants of the study. The students, at the time of the study, were taking an ESP course at A1 level. Derived from their assumption on the best way to learn a foreign language, they displayed a common positive attitude toward particularly studying the form of the language rather than the meaning or use and were insistent on receiving explicit grammar instruction. This attitude inspired the theme of this study. 2. 3. Procedure I Repertory-Grid technique. This technique, originally used for clinical psychology, is a two-way classification of data in which events are interlaced with abstractions in such a way as to express part of a -references between his personal observations or experience of the world, that is elements, and his personal classifications or abstractions of that experience, that is, constructs (Shaw & Gaines, 1987). Similarly, Tan & Hunter (2002, p. 2 effective aid to the studies seeking w repertoryunderstand the ways the respondent construes over the issues that are of interest to the researcher. Second, Repconceptions, and eventually it produces valid and reliable data. Finally, Repertory grid technique also enables us to refine our research and put forward a more objective picture than we could obtain from exploring how our participants would perceive and report to us (Rep-Grid Manual, 1993). Thus, by the use of this technique, the probability of influencing the participants with interview or questionnaire questions were eliminated. For the first step, at the very beginning of the study, repertory grids were given to the participants in order to identify how these students conceptualised an effective grammar teacher. To elaborate, they were invited to think about three grammar teachers, one they deemed as effective, one they deemed as typical and finally an ineffective teacher in their opinion keeping these teachers anonymous, and write down their resembling and contrasting properties. For the second step, video materials in line with the curriculum of (see the References). Screenshots from the video materials used to teach grammar items are illustrated in Appendix A. These video based instructions were applied in the classroom for a month, totally 24 hours. At the end of this one month period, the students were given the repertory grids once again in order to find out, in
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spite of the short time period, whether or not the students went through a process of change in the way they construed over the qualities of an effective grammar teacher. 3. Results and Discussion The results reached after the analysis of the Rep-Grids, we come to the conclusion that each participant went through a change in their way of constructing an effective grammar teacher. The figure below
Fig.1.
focus analysis (a) Time 1 and (b) Time 2
When we look at the focus analysis of associate at 100% level. The four constructs mentioned above form one pair within a cluster with three isolated constructs. This means that St1 has already developed an understanding of an effective teacher on sfactory the basis of these cons
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doe
appear to be isolates together with the qualities. Yet, he seems to
comes to the perception of effective typical and ineffective teachers it appears that he has not fully developed an idea of an effective teacher yet. In the second implementation of repertory grid; at the end of the period through which grammar instruction was offered using technological devices to the ESP class, we see that St1 has gone through some changes in terms of both content and structure: For example; St1 now believes that an effective did not exist in Time 1 Grid, this appears to be an isolate. Although isolation is a sign that the student needs some more time to construe over these co
associated with the three above constructs. Finally, we see the effects of technology use in the classroom her uses computers in his/her lesson. Interestingly enough, when it comes to the quality of teachers, the analysis reveals that he has a better understanding of typical and ineffective teachers but has not yet come to a certain understanding of an effective teacher.
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At the beginning of grammar instruction in Figure 2 (a), St comes to her construction of effective typical and ineffective teachers, we see that St2 associates effective and typical teachers at a bit above 70% level while she leaves ineffective teacher as an isolate. At the end of grammar teaching period, we find out that St2 has made a lot of changes in the way she constructs an effective teacher in Figure 2 (b). She believes t effective te reveal that St2 has been construing over the qualities of an effective teacher and the use of computer in the grammar lessons contributed to her construction. At the end of the period St2 has associated effective and typical teachers a bit below 70% level and leaves ineffective teacher as an isolate.
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Fig. 3.
Time 1 grid of St1 in Figure 3 illustrates a cluster and an isolate. In his cluster, it seems that he has el and the umbrella term. When it comes to the construction of effective, typical and ineffective teachers; it appears that St3 associates typical and ineffective teachers at 80% level and effective teacher stands as an isolate. St3, as seen in his second grid below at the end of the study, made some changes in his ideas about , ; on the other hand, there is another construct that is loosely linked to this pair. Finally, he believes that effective to this cluster below 80% level. In terms of the teachers, the analysis reveals that she associates effective and typical teachers below 80% level while she views ineffective teacher as an isolate.
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shows that the technology use had an impact on the way she perceived St an effective teacher. In her second grid; there is only one pair consi teach , appear to be isolates; still, they are linked to one another above 80%. About the teachers, she conceptualizes effective and typical teachers similarly but below 70%. Effective teacher is an isolate. 4. Conclusion Throughout the study, we observed that the usage of the videos for grammar teaching motivated the students to take part in the lessons. Furthermore, they began to watch the videos through social software asking the teacher to upload new videos for self study purposes. Furthermore, in the interviews, they reported that examples given via computers lead to more permanent learning. As the students are ESP students, and they attend the courses only in the evenings, they cannot spare time to practice English outside the classroom. However, by means of the software, students can reach the materials in their own time. Thus, through their desire to use social software and their willingness to learn grammar via videos, the research achieved to create an environment in which people can share materials to learn grammar items as well. Grammar is a difficult part of the language learning process. DeKeyser (2005) suggests that there are form, complexity of meaning, and , computers can be complexity of the form-meaning relationshi utilised. Language educators now seek not only (or even principally) to teach students the rules of grammar, but rather to help them gain apprenticeship into new discourse communities. This is accomplished through creating opportunities for authentic and meaningful interaction both within and outside the classroom, and providing students the tools for their own social, cultural, and linguistic exploration (Warschauer & Meskill, 2000). The computer is a powerful tool for this process as it allows students access to online environments of international communication. By using new technologies in the language classroom, we can prepare students for the kinds of international cross-cultural interactions which are increasingly required for success in academic, vocational, or personal lives.
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A great majority of ESP students learn the language and its grammar for their vocational purposes. So as to make them attain more success in their academic, vocational and personal life, we can teach grammar in context and with videos (Warschauer & Meskill, 2000). Language needs to be integrated with the units which can lead to success with the context and purpose (Meyer et al., 1990). In that sense, lessons. A study in a similar vein and parallel to our findings, Hall (1998, p. 56 German grammar through computers FL students overcome their
ching elp
To conclude, the present study sheds light onto the possible usage of videos for teaching grammar in ESP classes. The usage of them even has led to a change in the grammar teacher models of the students as illustrated in their repertory grids. Moreover, the videos proved to be effective in terms of saving time and triggering willingness of ESP students. For further studies, the research can be conducted with a bigger population. Acknowledgements and Leyla Bulut for their contributions.
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