Assessing Group Work Implementation And

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Assessing Group Work Implementation and the

Difficulties Faced by Chilean Teachers of English

as a Foreign Language with Young Learners in

Large Classes

School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics

MA in Applied Linguistics with TESOL

Module ELL6600: Dissertation

María Jesús Inostroza Araos

100136331



Assessing Group Work Implementation and the Difficulties Faced by Chilean Teachers of English as

a Foreign Language with Young Learners in Large Classes

2

MA in Applied Linguistics with TESOL 2011 Dissertation

María Jesús Inostroza Araos 100136331

ABSTRACT

In this globalised world, learning English has become of great importance for some

developing countries. Some have implemented strategies to enhance the teaching and

learning of English as a foreign language (EFL) from an early age. The teaching

environment, however, is often characterized by language classrooms with limited

resources, large classes, and unqualified teachers among other features. This is the case

in Chile, according to the OECD (2004).

The Chilean government through the Ministry of Education has developed a

programme to improve the EFL teaching-learning process in primary and secondary

education. It has also modified its National Curriculum for EFL in order improve

linguistics skills. Despite these efforts, research about the EFL teaching strategies

implemented in primary and secondary education is still limited in Chile.

This small-scale research study assesses the implementation of group work and the

difficulties faced by Chilean EFL teachers of young learners in large classes. Using a

sample of 30 Chilean teachers, this study is based on teachers’ perspectives. It uses a

mixed methods approach, including questionnaires (quantitative approach) and follow

up semi-structured interviews (qualitative approach). The findings suggest some

similarities with previous studies on large classes (e.g. Coleman 1989c) in difficulties

on giving the students the opportunity to express themselves in English and accounting

for individual learning styles. Similarly, they spark a discussion on some unexplored

issues in the Chilean EFL context of young learners in large classes such as positive

teachers’ attitude towards group work, classroom management, number of hours of EFL

lessons and demanding syllabus.





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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am sincerely grateful to my supervisor, Dr. Oksana Afitska, for her support and

guidance throughout the research process and this dissertation writing. I would like to

thank the English Opens Doors programme, the Pontifical Catholic University of

Valparaíso and the University Alberto Hurtado for contributing in the data collection

process. Besides, I owe sincere thanks to the teachers who took part of this study for

their time and commitment with it.

It is a great pleasure to thank everyone who helped me write my dissertation

successfully: my sister, my friends Fredy Valdovinos, Rosa Escanes, and my mentor

and friend Hector Madrid. I would also like to thank Tess Lanning for her suggestions

on the format and style.

Finally, this dissertation would not have been possible without the constant comfort

and support of my husband who boosted me morally and provided me with great

insights.





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TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables ......................................................................................................................... 7

1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 8

1.1. Overview ........................................................................................................... 8

1.2. Structure of the Dissertation .............................................................................. 9

1.3. Aims of the Study ............................................................................................ 10

1.4. Research Setting and Scope of the Study ........................................................ 11

2. Literature Review ....................................................................................................... 13

2.1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 13

2.2. Definition of English as a Foreign Language .................................................. 13

2.3. Definition of Young Language Learners ......................................................... 14

2.4. Research on Large Classes .............................................................................. 15

2.5. Research on Group work ................................................................................. 19

2.5.1. Drawbacks of Group Work.................................................................. 20

2.5.2. Benefits of Group Work ...................................................................... 21

2.6. Methodological Considerations ....................................................................... 23

2.7. Implications for the present study ................................................................... 29

2.8. Summary .......................................................................................................... 30

3. The Research study .................................................................................................... 31

3.1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 31

3.2. The Research Questions .................................................................................. 31

3.3. The Context and Focus of the Study ............................................................... 33

3.3.1. Strengths of the Study ......................................................................... 34

3.3.2. Limitations of the Study ...................................................................... 34

3.4. Research Instruments and Data Collection Procedures ................................... 35

3.4.1. Questionnaire ....................................................................................... 36

3.4.2. Interview .............................................................................................. 38





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3.5. Methodological Approach ............................................................................... 38

3.5.1. Categories and Codes .......................................................................... 38

3.6. Validity and Reliability ................................................................................... 45

3.6.1. Validity ................................................................................................ 45

3.6.2. Reliability ............................................................................................ 46

3.7. Ethical Issues ................................................................................................... 47

3.8. Summary .......................................................................................................... 47

4. Analysis and Findings ................................................................................................ 48

4.1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 48

4.2. Data Analysis ................................................................................................... 48

4.3. Research Question 1: In literature there are many examples of

difficulties found in concern to teaching large classes. What are the

difficulties in teaching young learners specific to the Chilean setting? ..................... 52

4.4. Research Question 2: How often are different “group-teaching

strategies” used in the teaching of young Chilean learners within large

classes? ....................................................................................................................... 55

4.5. Research Question 3: What are teachers’ attitudes towards

group work? ............................................................................................................... 56

4.6. Research Question 4: How do the difficulties found in large

classes and the attitudes towards group work relate to the use of group

work? 58

4.7. Summary .......................................................................................................... 61

5. Discussion and Conclusion ........................................................................................ 62

5.1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 62

5.2. Difficulties in Large Classes: Discussion of the Findings ............................... 62

5.2.1. Opportunities to Express in English .................................................... 63

5.2.2. Different Learning Styles and Needs................................................... 66

5.2.3. Classroom Management ...................................................................... 69

5.3. Use of and Attitudes towards Group Work ..................................................... 72

5.4. Implementation of Group Work in TEYL Large Classes ............................... 73





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5.5. Implications for Further Studies ...................................................................... 75

5.6. Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 76

References ........................................................................................................................... 78

Appendices .......................................................................................................................... 84





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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Challenges of Language Teaching in Large Classes in Literature ........................ 17

Table 2. Summary of Studies about Large Classes and Group Work ................................. 24

Table 3. Summary of Categories, Subcategories and Codes of Analysis............................ 39

Table 4. Summary of Categories, Subcategories and Codes of Analysis............................ 49

Table 5. TEYL Difficulties in Chilean Large Classes: frequency by

difficulty .............................................................................................................................. 53

Table 6. “Grouping-teaching strategies” descriptive statistics ............................................ 56

Table 7. Teachers’ Attitude towards Group Work: descriptive statistics by

statement .............................................................................................................................. 57

Table 8. Group Work implementation and Difficulties in TEYL Large

Classes: Pearson Correlation Coefficient ............................................................................ 59

Table 9. Group Work implementation and the Teachers’ Attitude towards it:

Pearson Correlation Coefficient .......................................................................................... 59





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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. OVERVIEW

In this globalised world, speaking English has become extremely important. As the

most spoken language in the world (Brutt-Griffler 2002; Graddol 1997; McKay 2003),

English has become an international language.

Due to this, and in order to improve international presence, some developing

countries have focused on enhancing the teaching and learning of English as a foreign

language (EFL) from an early age. The teaching environment in these countries,

however, is often characterized by limited resources, large classes, and unqualified

teachers. This is the case in Chile (OECD 2004; Cronister 2007 in Dowling 2007).

The Chilean government through the Ministry of Education has developed a

programme to improve the EFL teaching-learning process in primary and secondary

education. In addition, it has modified its National Curriculum for EFL in order to fulfil

the demand for better linguistics skills. Despite these efforts, there is still limited

research in Chile on the EFL teaching strategies used in primary and secondary

education.

This small-scale research study assesses the use of group work and the difficulties

faced by Chilean teachers of EFL of young learners in large classes. The study is based

on the experiences of a sample of 30 Chilean teachers. This dissertation follows a mixed

methods approach, including the application of questionnaires (quantitative approach)

and a follow up semi-structured interview (qualitative approach).





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1.2. STRUCTURE OF THE DISSERTATION

This dissertation has been divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the topic

and the aims of the study. Chapter 2 reviews the literature. Firstly, it examines the

definitions of key concepts—EFL and Young Language Learners. Secondly, it reviews

the evidence on the impact of large classes and the use of group work, its drawbacks

and its benefits. It summarises the previous studies taken into account for this small-

scale research project. Finally, it presents the implications of the current study.

Chapter 3 describes the methodology. Firstly, it presents the rationale for the

research questions. Secondly, it describes the context and focus of the study; followed

by its strengths and limitations. Thirdly, this chapter examines the research instruments

and data collection procedures, describing in detail the questionnaire and the interview

sampling and process. Then, the supporting arguments for the methodological approach

will be presented as well as the definition of the categories and codes used in the data

analysis. Finally, validity and reliability will be discussed, followed by the ethical

issues.

Chapter 4 presents the research analysis and findings. The first section illustrates the

data analysis process. The findings are described according to each of the research

questions. Finally, Chapter 5 presents a discussion of the findings. It discusses the

difficulties in large classes based on three main issues—opportunities for students to

express themselves in English, different learning styles and needs and classroom

management. I then analyse the findings on the use of and attitudes towards group work

in the light of previous studies. I also make suggestions regarding the use of group work

when teaching English to young learners in large classes. Finally, I examine the

implications for further research; followed by the conclusion.





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1.3. AIMS OF THE STUDY

A considerable amount of literature has been published on large classes (Allwright

1989; Coleman 1989c; LoCastro 1989; Ur 1996; Pasigna 1997; Hess 2001; Jimakorn

and Singhasiri 2006; O’Sullivan 2006; Benbow, J and others 2007; Shamim, F and

others 2007; Goretti, M and others 2008). These studies have identified a series of

difficulties such as managing class, keeping students interested, monitoring students’

progress, and providing feedback, among others.

So far, however, there has been little discussion about how large class sizes impact

on young students learning English as a foreign language (EFL). Similarly, the research

regarding the use of group work has been restricted to secondary or tertiary education.

In addition, most studies on large classes and group work have focussed on African and

Asian countries.

This dissertation seeks to assess the use of group work and the difficulties that

teachers face teaching EFL to young learners in large classes. In particular, this

dissertation will examine four main research questions:

a) What are the difficulties in teaching young learners in large classes specific to

the Chilean setting?

b) How often are different “group-teaching strategies” used in the teaching of

young Chilean learners within large classes?

c) What are the teachers’ attitudes towards group work?

d) How do the difficulties observed in large classes and the teachers’ attitudes

towards group work, relate to the implementation of group work?





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1.4. RESEARCH SETTING AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This small-scale research project has been developed in the context of language

teaching in large classes of young learners in Chile. Many state-run and subsidised

primary schools1 in Chile are characterised by large class sizes (MINEDUC 2010). The

average class size is over 36 students in Chilean primary schools (OECD 2004).

Chile, as in many other developing countries in the Americas, has developed

programmes of language teaching in primary and secondary education. Since 2004, EFL

has been taught 1.5 hrs a week as part of the compulsory curriculum starting in Year 6

(5to básico, around 10 years old). Even when schools have the right to create their own

syllabi, the National Syllabus for each year from primary to secondary is developed by

the Chilean Ministry of Education (MINEDUC). The MINEDUC sets the overarching

objectives that should be covered during the year, which are mainly oriented to

developing communication skills. The main purpose of the syllabus is “to develop the

skills needed to use English as a tool that allows [students] to access information, solve

simple communication problems in different oral and written scenarios” (MINEDUC

2009: 1). The syllabus is consistent with the international standard of the Common

European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) due to the “nature, breadth

and magnitude of [this framework’s] descriptions, it makes a flexible referent of the

language teaching and learning of foreign languages” (MINEDUC 2009: 5).

The MINEDUC together with some publishing houses develops textbooks and

audio material for the different levels in primary and secondary education based on the

National Syllabus of EFL. This material is provided to each student attending state-run

and some subsidised primary / secondary schools.

1 Established after 1980, subsidised schools are privately run and are recognised for "their cooperation

with the State's role in education". They are primarily funded by the State and secondarily by thepossibility of making charges to families (Almonacid 2004:168).





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In addition, to encourage English learning and teaching in the state-run and

subsidised system, in 2003 the MINEDUC created the programme English Opens

Doors. Among other things, this programme supports primary / secondary school

teachers through training to improve their language skills as well as teaching

methodologies and strategies.

There are no national evaluations for primary schools’ EFL skills. However the

skills of secondary students are likely to reflect the effectiveness of the language

strategies in early years. In 2010 all Year 12 students (3er año medio, around 16 years

old) in the country, including state-run, subsidised and private school, were assessed

through TOEIC Bridge, a standardised test that measured only receptive skills. Out of a

maximum of 189 points, the average score was 99 points. This exam provided a

certificate for those who scored over 134 points. Only 11 % of the students received this

certification. Of those only 12% studied in state-run or subsidised schools (MINEDUC

2011), where the average number of students per classes is over 35 students (OECD

2004: 263).

Even though the Chilean government is implementing and developing different

ways to improve the language skills of their primary and secondary students, little

research has been done in this field. This study attempts to understand the challenges

that English teachers encounter when teaching young learners in large classes. It

examines and assesses the use of group work as a teaching strategy to deal with this

context.





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2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. INTRODUCTION

This chapter reviews the current literature on large class sizes and the use of group

work as potential solution to teaching EFL effectively in large classes. In particular,

Hess (2001), Lo Castro (2001) Jaimakorn and Singhasiri (2006) and Shamim, F, and

others (2007) are useful in identifying the difficulties encountered by EFL teachers

when teaching large classes. Likewise, Long and Porter (1985), Bejarano (1987),

Davidheiser (1996), Davis (1997), Brown, H.D (2001), Ramirez (2005), and Fushimo

(2010) discuss the benefits of using group work as a possible solution to dealing with

teaching English as a foreign language in large classes.

2.2. DEFINITION OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

In today’s highly globalised world, English has been clearly established as a lingua

franca in relevant contexts, such as international organizations and economic affairs

(Graddol 1997; Brutt-Griffler 2002; McKay 2003). Thus, the improvement of English

as a foreign language (EFL) learning represents an important factor in a nation’s

development.

In this dissertation, it is understood that EFL entails a situation or context in which

English is taught as a school subject, outside an English-spoken environment, and where

English is rarely found outside the classroom (Cameron 2003; McKay, P 2006; Pinter

2006; Bailey 2008; Láng 2009).





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2.3. DEFINITION OF YOUNG LANGUAGE LEARNERS

In the last few decades, the number of developing countries that have incorporated

EFL as part of their Primary Education compulsory curriculum has steadily increased

(Cameron 2003; British Council 2004). The Worldwide Survey of Primary English

Language Teaching (British Council 2004) notes the “very widespread public faith in

the 'Younger = Better' equation”. It states that “faith, rather than experience, seems to be

a strong factor in the decision in many countries to lower the age at which English or

another foreign language is taught” (British Council 2004: 1). For this survey the British

Council contacted institutions worldwide and collected the data through questionnaires.

According to this, by 1999, most of the countries in Latin America had introduced

English to Young Learners as part of their official curriculum. For example, according

to this survey Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador have an average

starting age of 8 years old for English instruction.

The main assumption of this strategy is that teaching English to young learners

(TEYL), who in this study will be understood as those from 6 to 11 years old,

encourages motivation, expands intercultural experiences, enhances the usage of the

language in action and promotes long term learning (Cameron 2003; Moon 2005; Láng

2009).

This assertion is supported by the characteristics of young learners’ cognitive and

social development. Firstly, children possess the ability to construct meaning from the

context even when they do not understand each word individually. According to

Halliwell (1992), Cameron (2001, 2003), Moon (2005) and Láng (2009) young learners

bring this ability with them from their acquisition of their mother tongue. Secondly,

children’s learning of a foreign language will depend on their opportunities to





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experience the language. For example Cameron (2001, 2003) and Pinter (2006) both

argue that children’s learning of a foreign language benefits from interaction, where

they are involved in the language use, and where learning is implicit. Similarly, McKay,

P (2006: 27) argues that “the meanings that children exchange involve children

creatively using the language they have learned to fit the purpose of the interaction (e.g.

to answer questions about a task) and to suit the context (e.g. when they are talking to

the teacher at school)”. Thus, the more opportunities children have to be exposed to the

language, as well as to use it for a specific purpose, the more effective the learning

process will be. However, the number of students in a classroom may restrict these

opportunities.

2.4. RESEARCH ON LARGE CLASSES

The issue of class size has been approached in literature from different

perspectives. Some scholars (e.g. Pedder 2006) claim that researchers have failed to

establish a clear relationship between class size and its effect on learning. While, others

(e.g. Wilson 2002; O’Sullivan 2006; Benbow, J and others 2007) have shown that as the

Pupils per Teacher Ratio (PTR) decreases learning results increase.

In developing countries the teaching-learning process is characterized by large

classes. This is characterised as classes of more than 35 students, and where teachers are

overloaded, constantly concerned about the lack of resources and classroom

management issues, and have difficulty establishing an effective rapport with students

(Watson-Todd 2006; Benbow, J and others 2007; Shamim, F and others, 2007).

Scholars have identified some of the most common challenges that teachers

encounter in large classes (e.g. LoCastro 2001). The book Maximizing Learning in

Large Classes by Shamim, F and others (2007) is of particular relevance for this field.





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This piece of work is based on the Hornby School in 2006, in Ethiopia, where EFL

teachers from different countries in Africa reflected on the challenges of language

teaching in large classes. Interestingly most of the issues presented agreed with earlier

studies such as those by Allwright (1989) Coleman (1989a, 1989c), and LoCastro

(1989) from the Study of Large Classes, Lancaster-Leeds Language Learning in Large

Classes Research Project. In general, the literature is consistent on the issues faced in

language teaching in this context. It concerns four main themes: insufficient student

involvement/learning, poor classroom and time management, difficulty assessing

learning and providing feedback, and limited resources for teaching. A summary of

these challenges can be found in Table 1.2

2

Adapted from Inostroza, M.J. 2011. ‘Language Teaching in Difficult Context’, final essay Module ELL6417:Classroom Processes: Research and Practice, MA in Applied Linguistics with TESOL, University of Sheffield.





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Table 1. Challenges of Language Teaching in Large Classes in LiteratureThemes Challenges Authors

Studentinvolvement/learning

Difficulties using student-centredapproach.

Shamim, F and others 2007

Difficulty ensuring all studentsparticipate in activities.

LoCastro 1989

Ur 1996Hess 2001

Jimakorn and Singhasiri 2006Shamim, F and others 2007

Limited opportunities for learners to

express themselves in English.

Jimakorn and Singhasiri 2006


Difficulty keeping students interested.LoCastro 1989Ur 1996

Classroom and timemanagement

Time spent giving instructions.O’Sullivan 2006

Benbow, J and others 2007

Difficulty managing discipline, noise

and controlling the class.

Coleman 1989dLoCastro 1989

Ur 1996Hess 2001

Jimakorn and Singhasiri 2006.

Benbow, J and others 2007Shamim, F and others 2007

Goretti, M and others 2008

Assessing learning andproviding feedback

Difficulty identifying learners’problems

Coleman 1989dShamim, F and others 2007

Difficulties to know learners’progress.

Shamim, F and others 2007Ur 1996LoCastro 1989

Jimakorn and Singhasiri 2006

Inability to assess learnersindividually, provide feedback andremedial actions.

LoCastro 1989Jimakorn and Singhasiri 2006

Shamim, F and others 2007Goretti, M and others 2008

Inability to address individual needsand learning styles.

Coleman 1989c

Hess 2001

Goretti, M and others 2008

Teaching resources

Lack of adequate material to

distribute to each student.

Coleman 1989c


Materials available are rigid to onetype of learner so they are difficult to

adapt for a heterogeneous class

Ur 1996

Lack of resources such as textbooks,

furniture, etc.Goretti, M and others 2008

Difficulty adapting the classroomarrangement.

One of the recurrent concerns registered in the literature (Ur 1996; Ives 2000; Hess

2001; Shamim, F and others 2007) is the difficulty teachers have ensuring that all

students participate in the class. This has implications for students’ opportunities to use

language in the lesson. For example Li (1998) found that teachers of English in South







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and providing the necessary feedback. These problems may have a direct influence in

learning as they represent an essential element in the teaching-learning process.

According to Brown, H.D (2004) “all these observations feed into the way the teacher

provides instruction to each student”. Likewise, McKay, P (2006: 19) argues that

“effective assessment gives educators feedback in the teaching and learning process,

informing the next teaching decision”. Consequently, it can be argued that as not all the

students receive this individual attention, the achievement of the established objectives

would vary considerably from student to student.

Finally, the quality and quantity of the resources available for teaching a large

number of students seems to be a common problem in developing countries (Benbow, J

and others 2007; Shamim, F and others 2007). These resources may include teachers’

tools and strategies to deal with particular class characteristics. Therefore, it can be

argued that teachers prepared or instructed in how to teach large classes effectively

should be in a better position to make the most of the resources and materials available.

O’Sullivan (2006) emphasizes that teachers should be taught effective teaching

strategies for managing large classes during their training.

2.5. RESEARCH ON GROUP WORK

Group work has been identified as a useful strategy to overcome some of the

challenges associated with teaching large classes. Group work is understood here as a

generic term covering a multiplicity of activities in which three or more students are

assigned a task that involves collaboration and self-initiated language. It implies groups

of up to six students (adapted from Brown, H.D 2001: 177).

This study examines the literature on the drawbacks and benefits of group work in

order to understand how group work could facilitate teaching in large classes. A key





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issue identified is some teachers’ reluctance to use group work. Therefore, the attitude

towards group work is relevant. Attitude will be defined as the “positive or negative

feelings, beliefs [and] behaviours” towards group work, influencing teachers’ actions

(adapted from Moon 2005: 182).

2.5.1. DRAWBACKS OF GROUP WORK

Scholars (Davis 1997; Ives 2000; Brown, H.D 2001; Hess 2001; Alley 2005;

Ramirez 2005; Shamim, F and others 2007) have identified some of the reasons teachers

say they avoid using group work in their classes. Some teachers are concerned that most

students will not participate during group work, will go ‘off-task’, or that students will

communicate in their native language (e.g. Peacock 1998; Brown, H.D 2001).

Despite what some teachers believe, it could be argued that the use of the mother

tongue in the EFL class could become a tool to understand and use the target language

more accurately (Storch and Aldosary 2010). Alley (2005) found that the use of first

language was necessary to carry out some tasks in the lesson. In his study about

students’ discourse during group work, he reported that most of this talk was on-task

and responded to negotiation of meaning, turn taking and confirmation checks (Alley

2005: 255).

The reason most commonly cited by teachers why they do not use group work is

classroom management. For example Davis (1997), Brown, H.D (2001), Alley (2005),

and Ramirez (2005) reported that teachers have difficulty controlling class discipline

during group work. This could be related to a lack of instruction or preparation of the

strategy. For some teachers group work means putting students together without

planning or developing a rationale to use group work for that activity or task. For

example Davis (1997) and Brown, H.D (2001) point out that teachers may implement





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group work superficially, and that many of them do it without a thorough understanding

of the underlying purposes for the technique. As a result, the outcomes tend to be

limited due to a poor design.

Similarly, group work represents a more student-centred approach which

particularly in large classes has been difficult to implement as explained above. Davis

(1997: 267) argues that, for some teachers, group work challenges the “traditional

teacher-centred classroom” and that “allowing learners to work without teacher

supervision tends to disrupt the notion of teachers as “knowers” who impart their

knowledge to students, who are simply receptacles”. He argues that this perception is

particularly common in teachers with little experience. In practice, however, Ramirez

(2005: 4) emphasises that during group work “the teacher is still the director and

manager of the class and needs to make students aware of this”. Nevertheless, the

perception that group work challenges the “traditional teacher-centred classroom” could

result in a negative attitude towards group work.

In order to deal with the discipline issues during group work, various studies

suggest clear instructions, teacher training covering group work strategies, careful

planning, justified use of group work for the activity, and giving roles to the group

members (Pasigna 1997; Brown, H.D 2001; Hess 2001; Shamim, F and others 2007).

2.5.2.

BENEFITS OF GROUP WORK

Despite teachers’ concerns about group work, its use, as noted above, could

facilitate teaching in large classes. This is due to the benefits of learning through social

interaction.

Firstly, group work can increase students’ involvement in the lesson. Bejarano

(1987) and Fushimo (2010) highlight that group work provides students with the





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opportunity to be actively involved in a communicational interaction in the target

language, developing linguistic competence. This involvement could be oriented to

develop cooperative learning, in which “the learning task is based on interaction and

reciprocal interdependence among the members of the group and requires mutual help”

(Bejarano 1987: 485).

Secondly, some studies have suggested that group work promotes a positive

affective climate in the classroom, reducing anxiety especially through interaction

among students (Long and Porter 1985; Davidheiser 1996; Davis 1997; Brown, H.D

2001; Hess 2001). Consequently, group work could provide opportunities to use the

target language in a safe environment, allowing students to support each other. Fushimo

(2010) found that the “Communication Confidence in the L2 [second language] Group

Work was a strong predictor of the WTC (willingness to communicate) in the L2 Group

Work” (Fushimo 2010: 715). This means that the more confident students feel in their

group the more willing they are to communicate in the target language during group

work.

It is important to note that none of the studies cited above where carried out in

primary education. Most of the participants in these studies were university or

secondary students. As such, understanding of the benefits of group work or teachers’

attitudes towards deploying group work with young learners is limited.





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2.6. METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The following is a summary of the studies on large classes and group work that form

the basis for the current study. It is important to mention that in the latter none of these

concerns to primary education. Similarly, they have been mostly carried out in tertiary

education.

Table 2 below compiles investigations regarding large classes and the

implementation of group work.





Assessing Group Work Implementation and the Difficulties Faced by Chilean Teachers of English as a Foreign Language

25



• discipline problems more

Affective

• difficulties in learning stud

• impossibility of establishin

• concerns for weaker stude

•

crowd phenomenon• students' not listening to te

• problems in assessing stud

4. Li, D 1998. ‘“It’s Always More

Difficult than you plan and

imagine”: Teachers’ PerceivedDifficulties in Introducing theCommunicative Approach in

South Korea’

A study of a group of South Koreansecondary school English teachers’ perceived

difficulties in adopting CLT reveals that thedifficulties have their source in thedifferences between the underlying

educational theories of South Korea and thoseof Western countries.

Difficulties to implemenother factors. It is necessary

when implementing a foreign

5. Jimakorn, P and Singhasiri, W.

2006. ‘Teachers' BeliefsConcerning Large-Class English

Teaching at the University Level’,

The aim of the study was to investigate

teachers’ beliefs toward teaching English inlarge classes. A questionnaire to survey 75

tertiary-level lecturers in Thailand was carried

out. All participants had more than one year'steaching experience.

Tertiary-level teachers th

classes may possible but maconsideration.

The majority of the partic

possible with different condparticipating teachers thoug

teaching and learning inevitaeffective. Reason:

• Not appropriate for teachi

• Students do not wish to pa

• Technological aids are a m

• Teaching management of

class such as tutorial sessiothers

Students do not receive en




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6. Shamim, F, and others. 2007.

Maximizing Learning in LargeClasses: Issues and Options

Produced following a Hornby School on

teaching large classes in Ethiopia in 2006. Thebook was put together by the workshop tutors,

drawing on the reflections, materials andactivities generated by the workshop trainers

and participants.

Horby school participant tea

presented by large classes:

Insufficient student involvem

• Inability to use students-cent

• Limited opportunity for learn

•

Difficulty in ensuring everyb• Many students are off-task p

Managing large classes

• Class management

• Class control

• Issues of discipline and noise

• Managing group work

Assessing learning and prov

• Evaluating the work of stude

• Inability to identify problem

• Inability to know the progres

•

Inability to assess students in• Inability to provide a reme

assessment

Limited resources for teachi

• Lack of adequate materials t

7. Goretti, M and others 2008.

‘Large Class in Resource-

Constrained Contexts: Lessonsfrom Reflective Research in

Uganda Primary Schools’

Study of large classes (more than 70

learners) in Uganda. The study was undertaken

in two phases. First, it was the baseline surveyin 20 schools among 35 teachers. Second, there

was the reflective action phase involving ten

teachers in 5 schools in order to developfurther the strategies they had identified as

having greater potential to facilitate teachingand learning in their large classes.

Teaching and learning were con






28



11. Fushino, K. 2010. ‘Causal

Relationships BetweenCommunication Confidence,

Beliefs About Group Work,and Willingness to

Communicate in Foreign

Language’

A questionnaire was administered to 729

first-year university students in Japan. A modelthat reflected the hypothesis that WTC in L2

group work would be influenced by Beliefs inL2 Group Work strengthened by

Communication Confidence was constructed

and tested. Data were randomly split in two,with one-half used for model specification andthe other half for confirmation.

The causal relationships betw

(L2) group work settings: commin one’s ability to communica

willingness to communicate modelling confirmed the hypothe

WTC in L2 group work differe

toward identifying the causal reWTC in L2 group work.

12. Storch, N and Aldosary, A.

2010. ‘Learners’ use of First

Language (Arabic) in PairWork in an EFL class’

This study investigated the effect of learnerproficiency pairing and task type on the

amount of L1 used by learners of EFL in pairwork and the functions that the L1 served.

Learners in this study (n = 15 pairs) formed

three proficiency groupings based on theteacher’s assessment of their second language

proficiency: high–high (H–H), high–low (H–

L), and low–low (L–L). All pairs completedthree tasks – jigsaw, composition and text-editing – and their talk was audio-recorded.The transcribed pair talk was analysed for the

quantity of L1 used (L1 words and L1 turns),

and the functions the L1 served.

Overall, there was a modest that task type had a greater imp

proficiency pairing. L1 was mmanagement and to facilitate dused for task management, L

relationship the learners formdeliberations, L1 was used not o

but also for private speech.





29



2.7. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PRESENT STUDY

One of the aims of this study is to identify the difficulties that teachers of young

learners in large classes have in the Chilean context, as a representation of other

developing countries. The typical setting is characterised by classrooms with more than

35 students, limited resources and teachers under a lot of stress (OECD 2004). Within

this context, this study contributes to the current literature by providing empirical

research in an area which has not been properly studied. According to O’Sullivan

(2006), Shamim (2009) and Smith (2010) little research regarding large classes has been

conducted, particularly with focus on young learners.

This study has implications for issues such as skills development and teacher

education. Firstly, as argued above, managing EFL is a fundamental factor for the

advancement of academic and working opportunities in many developing countries.

Therefore, by identifying the difficulties of the generalised teaching-learning setting,

this study aims to suggest areas of possible solutions. These could not only be provided

by research but by teachers themselves. Furthermore, teachers themselves may be

motivated to use the results of this piece of research to carry on action research and

develop a better understanding of their own teaching context.

Secondly, the information provided in this study could generate discussion with

regards to teacher education. It may help to trigger the analysis and questioning of

English pedagogy programmes in Chile and in other developing countries. For example

Pedder (2006), O’Sullivan (2006), Benbow, J and others (2007), Shamim, F and others

(2007), and Goretti, M and others (2008), agree that for teachers to work effectively in

this context appropriate strategies should be given to them, and that further research is

needed.





30



Finally, this exploratory research project provides data regarding aspects that need to

be studied in depth such as teachers’ attitudes towards group work and the factors

influencing the use of group work. This could provide a basis for further research in the

field.

2.8. SUMMARY

Teaching English to young learners has been proposed as an effective strategy to

improve English proficiency in developing countries. However, in these countries (for

example, Chile) large classes are a major problem as they can undermine the teaching-

learning process with limitations on involving students’, managing discipline and

monitoring students’ progress.

Taking into account all the challenges identified in the literature regarding large

classes, some of the widely accepted methodologies and activities for language teaching

to young learners, such as visual, aural and kinaesthetic stimulus (Scott and Ytreberg

1990; Ur 1996; Cameron, 2001), may be difficult to carry out. Moreover, little research

regarding this has been conducted (e.g. Smith 2010), particularly with focus on young

learners. Recently, it has been suggested that introducing group work in large classes

should help to tackle this issue as it promotes a positive climate in the classroom

enhancing the use of the target language. There are, however, few relevant studies in

this area. Thus, the objectives of this study are assessing the implementation of group

and the difficulties that teachers face when teaching young learners in large classes.

Indeed, investigating about the difficulties created by large classes could be a

starting point to comprehend and develop potential strategies for dealing with this issue.





31



3. THE RESEARCH STUDY

3.1. INTRODUCTION

Having reviewed the relevant literature for this research, this chapter will deal with

the planning of the current study. The first section presents the research questions. The

second section briefly examines the context for this study as well as its strengths and

limitations. The third section explains the data collection procedures describing the

sampling and research instruments. The methodological approach and the definitions of

the categories and codes of analysis are presented in the fourth section. The fifth section

illustrates how validity and reliability were ensured. The final section addresses ethical

concerns relating to the research.

3.2. THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS

RReesseeaarrcchh QQuueessttiioonn 11

In the literature there are many examples of difficulties found in concern toteaching large classes. What are the difficulties teaching young learners in large

classes specific to the Chilean setting?

While the issue of large classes has been identified in earlier studies (e.g. Coleman

1989a), it has also been approached by more current studies (e.g. Shamim, F and others

2007). There is agreement among scholars regarding the kind of challenges or

difficulties that teachers face in this context.

Most of the research about large classes has been carried out in Asian and African

developing countries. Chile, as a developing country in South America, could be

expected to have similar issues; however, very little is known in this regard.





32




How often are different “grouping-teaching strategies” used to teach young

Chilean learners in large classes?

Some scholars (e.g. Hess 2001) suggest that the variety of strategies and teaching

approaches are of prime importance to teach language effectively in large classes.

Furthermore, some authors (e.g. O’Sullivan 2006) argue that different grouping

strategies in large classes could be crucial in this context. Therefore, finding out about

the frequency of the various “group-teaching strategies” that teachers implement in

large classes of young learners in Chile could help to understand this context and other

issues related to group work in particular.


What are teachers’ attitudes towards group work?

The drawbacks and benefits of group work been examined in literature (Davis

1997; Pasigna 1997; Brown, H.D 2001; Hess 2001; Alley 2005; Ramirez 2005;

Shamim, F and others 2007). Little is known, however, in regards to the attitudes

teachers have towards its implementation. Therefore, identifying their attitude towards

group work could be beneficial to understanding related elements such as the frequency

and the factors motivating or limiting its use. It is also necessary to determine the

relationship between these elements.





33




How do the difficulties observed in large classes and the attitudes towards

group work relate to the use of group work?

A high number of difficulties from the ones already identified in literature are

expected to be found in the Chilean context. In order to deal with large classes, group

work is a helpful strategy, according to some scholars (e.g. Jimakorn and Singhasiri

2006, Ives 2000). Similarly, it emerges as a solution for dealing with difficulties such as

discipline and monitoring learners’ work (e.g. Pasigna 1997). Understanding the

relationship between teachers’ attitudes towards group work, its use and the difficulties

in large classes is still limited.

What factors influence teachers’ choice in using group work in the classroom?

In view of the questionnaire preliminary results, it was necessary to include this

question in the follow-up interview. Although some reasons for and against group work

can be found in the literature (e.g. Brown, H.D 2001), little research has been conducted

about teacher’s decision-making behind using group work in the context of TEYL in

large classes in Chile.

3.3. THE CONTEXT AND FOCUS OF THE STUDY

This study has been conducted on Chilean teachers of TEYL in large classes, in

state-run and subsidised primary schools. English is taught compulsorily in these

schools mostly from Year 6 (5to año de Enseñanza Básica, around 10 years old),

therefore this study has been based on this level.

This context in general has not been sufficiently addressed by the literature. For

example, according to Smith (2010) and Shamim (2009), little research has been





34



conducted in large classes. Similarly, not enough investigation has been done on TEYL

in this setting.

Particular attention in this study has been focused on the difficulties that large

classes represent for TEYL. Likewise, the implementation and attitude towards group

work as a “group-teaching strategy” has been examined.

3.3.1. STRENGTHS OF THE STUDY

This research attempts to provide understanding of an under-studied context—

young learners in large classes. In Chile, great efforts and resources have been invested

by the Chilean Government, however little research on language teaching in general has

been conducted. Thus, the results from this research will increase the knowledge about

this field and give some insights on the understanding of the group work

implementation as a possible strategy to cope with large classes.

3.3.2. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This is an exploratory study based on teachers’ perceptions and as such the

conclusions cannot be generalised. In further studies a more complete perspective

should be provided by including students’ viewpoints as well as class observation.

However, the limited time and scope of this project did not allow for this.

Secondly, due to time and geographical limitations, only 30 teachers provided the

raw data for this study. Consequently, these results should not be generalised to all

contexts in the country, and it is advisable to develop studies with a larger sample in

order to confirm these findings.

Thirdly, as telephone interviews were used, important information could not be

gathered from paralinguistic elements, such as body language and eye-contact.





35



Fourthly, due to time and resource limitations it was not possible to find a second

coder; thus, the analysis and codification of the qualitative data was done by one coder

only. This situation could have some consequences in the codes generated, as well as in

the interpretation of the data.

The limited scope of this exploratory research project is due to time and

geographical constraints. In spite of these restrictions, however, this study provides

useful insights in the field of language teaching in large classes and group work

implementation in the Chilean context of TEYL.

3.4. RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS AND DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES

In the last years a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches has been

common as a way to enrich the comprehension of an issue. According to Dörnyei

(2007: 45) mixed methods research could “increase the strengths while eliminating the

weaknesses [of each qualitative and quantitative method]”, allowing a “multilevel

analysis of complex issues”, and “improving validity through corroboration of

findings”. Therefore, it could be argued that mixing methods could be useful because it

complements various viewpoints.

In this particular study, a predominantly quantitative method (i.e. questionnaire) is

used, supported by a qualitative one (i.e. interview). In this case, the questionnaire

determined the statistical relationships among the variables (Dörnyei 2007); while the

interview provided detailed information which was not possible to obtain by means of

the questionnaire alone. Each of them is described in the following section.





36



3.4.1. QUESTIONNAIRE

In order to gather the primary data for answering the research questions (See Section

3.2 above) a method that could be accomplished in short time was needed.

Questionnaires responded to this issue by providing an easy way to deliver and obtain

results. According to some scholars (McDonough 1997; Brown, J.D 2001; Dörnyei

2003,) questionnaires are straightforward to construct and distribute, as well as efficient

for data gathering.

The questionnaire was developed according to different sources in the fields of

interest. In regards to large classes, the main works were the previous research of

Coleman (1989a, 1989b, 1989c) LoCastro (1989), Jimakorn and Singhasiri (2006), and

Shamim, F and others (2007). Regarding group work, studies as well as the work of

Long and Porter (1985), Davidheiser (1996), Davis (1997), Brown, H.D (2001), were

the most relevant ones.

The sample for the questionnaire was 30 Chilean Year 6 teachers of EFL in large

classes. In this sample 22 of the teachers were females and 8 males, and the average

number of students they had in their classes was 38 (SD = 4.3). In terms of teaching

experience, almost half of the teachers (N=13) had from 3 to 7 years of experience,

whereas a third (N=10) had taught for 9 to 25 years, and only a fifth (N=6) 27 years or

more. In addition, almost 84% (N=25) of teachers reported having an English teaching

qualification. The participants were contacted by email through governmental

institutions such as English Opens Doors Programme MINEDUC, and non-

governmental ones like the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso and Alberto

Hurtado University. The email contained a greeting message, a brief explanation about





37



the research, and a link, which directed them to an Internet-based survey, hosted and

prepared in Google Docs website.

The questionnaire (See Appendix 1) of this study was composed of four parts with

open-ended questions, close-ended questions, and rating scales ( Likert and semantic

differential scales (Dörnyei 2003)). Below, its structure is presented:

Part I Yes-no items asking about teaching Year 6 and open-ended

questions regarding the number of students in the class.

Part II Semantic differential scale asking to rate the degree of difficulties of

a set of situations about their young learners large class.

Part III An open ended-question asking any other situation regarding the

difficulties they encounter in this context.

Part IV Semantic differential scale asking about the display frequency of

grouping strategies.

Part V & VI Likert scale asking the degree of agreement regarding statements of

enablers and disablers situations of group work implementation in

TEYL in large classes.

Part VII Open ended-question asking any other situation regarding the group

work in this context they would like to mention.

Part VIII Open-ended questions asking for the participant’s personal details:

age, gender, teaching experience and qualifications.

Final Part A yes-no item asking about their willingness to participate in a

follow-up interview.





38



3.4.2. INTERVIEW

Interviews, as mentioned above, could provide supporting data for the findings as

well as a different kind of information accessible only through one-to-one interaction. In

this regard, McDonough (1997), Brown, J.D (2001) and McKay, S.L (2006) agree that

interviews provide some level of connection with the interviewee. This level of trust

could allow the researcher to find out more about the participants’ opinions, attitude and

reported behaviours (McKay, S.L 2006: 51). In this study, seven from the total sample

(N=30) of Chilean teachers of EFL were interviewed by phone. The interview (See

Appendix 2) was semi-structured, and constructed in accordance with the information

provided in the questionnaire, with particular focus on large classes and group work.

This guided interview covered the topics of interest in this research, and allowed

flexibility for more follow-up answers (McDonough 1997: 183; Cohen, Manion and

Morrison 2007: 353).

3.5.

METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH

This section will describe the methodological approach used in this study. In order

to analyse the data and construct the research instruments, a set of categories and codes

have been created.

3.5.1. CATEGORIES AND CODES

This study will analyse the data according to four categories, which are divided into

subcategories and several codes. These have been developed based on the main works

in the field of large classes and group work (e.g. Coleman 1989c; Long and Porter 1985;

Brown, H.D 2001; Shamim, F and others 2007). Table 3 shows a summary of the

categories, subcategories and codes of analysis in this study.3

3 The definition and example for each code can be found in Appendix 4.





39



Table 3. Summary of Categories, Subcategories and Codes of Analysis

Categories Sub-categories Codes

Difficulties

Student involvement

Student’s Interest

Students Participation

Opportunity to Speak in English

Monitor learning

Identification of Students’ Difficulties

Account for Individual Learning Styles

Monitor Learners’ Progress

Individual Learner Assessment

Provide Feedback.

Provide Remedial Actions.

Classroom managementManage Discipline

Manage Lessons Time.

Students’ characteristics*

Develop habits and social norms

Manage students’ age development

Involve parents support

Teaching resources

Manage Classroom Setting.

Availability of audio or visual aids

Availability of supporting teaching material*

Hours of EFL lessons a week

Group-Teaching Strategies

Whole-Class Teaching

Group Work

Pair Work

Individual Work

Attitudes towards Group

Work

Positive Attitude

Active Communication Involvement.

Meaningful Language Learning

Positive Climate in the Classroom.

Foreign Language Practice Opportunities.

Students Learn from One Another.

Students’ Learning Responsibility.

Negative Attitude

Class Control.

Reinforcement of Students’ Errors.

Group Work Monitoring.

Factors influencing the implementation of Group Work* Time for planning

Syllabus priority

Discipline Control

Hours of EFL a week

Note: The symbol (*) refers to the codes that emerged from the qualitative data analysis.

DDiif f f f iiccuullttiieess iinn LLaarrggee ccllaasssseess

Difficulties will be understood as any situation that causes problems and challenges

the teaching skill. This definition has been constructed based on the teachers’ opinions

presented mainly in the studies of Shamim, F and others (2007) and Jimakorn and

Singhasiri (2006).





40



This category responds to the different findings in workshops and exploratory studies

in some developing countries in Africa and Asia (Coleman 1989c; LoCastro 1989; Ur

1996; Hess 2001; Jimakorn and Singhasiri 2006; Benbow, J and others 2007; Shamim,

F, and others 2007; Goretti, M and others 2008).

The main relevance of these works for this particular study is that there is little

variation throughout the years in the opinions provided by teachers regarding their

difficulties in large classes. Likewise, these studies were carried out in developing

countries, just like Chile; therefore, they may respond to a similar setting.

The five sub-categories were taken from the studies mentioned above, particularly

from the work of Shamim, F, and others (2007). The first subcategory, Student

Involvement refers to the student engagement with the lesson, by action and

participation. For example4:

“Como te digo, cuando tú tienes cuarenta, hablemos de cuarenta alumnas como un

average, ok, ya cuarenta alumnas en clases; claro hay treinta que están totalmente

enganchadas contigo o veinticinco enganchadas con la clase... Pero eso, el restolas quince o diez restante no lo están. Entonces ahí se produce el problema a veces

de, no voy a decir mala conducta, pero sí de desinterés.” [RSP006-30/07/2011]

“As I was telling you, if you have forty, let’s say, forty students as an average, ok?

forty students in a class, there are thirty who are totally involved with the lesson or

twenty-five who are involved with the lesson...But the rest, the ten or fifteen left, are

not. So the problem sometimes arises of, not bad behaviour, but lack of interest.”

[RSP006-30/07/2011]

This sub-category is divided into three codes: Student’s interest, Students’

Participation, and Opportunity to Speak English.

As a second sub-category, Monitoring Learning refers to the teachers’ role of

monitoring the students’ learning by collecting information in the classroom to provide

feedback, guide their students to improve their language skills, restructure their teaching

or report others about students’ progress (adapted from McKay 2006). For instance:

4

All the codes’ examples are taken from the qualitative data from this study





41



“Y ritmos también de aprendizajes distintos, y como a mi por lo menos me ha

pasado, que como tengo algunos niños que tienen dificultades de aprendizaje, tengo

que atender a esos niños para que no queden atrás, pero también sucede que

quedan, los niños que aprenden más rápido quedan algunas veces, ahí terminan en

un rato sus tareas y se aburren.” [MJS002-24/07/2011]

“And the pace of learning is also different, and as it has happened to me, I have

some kids who have learning difficulties, I have to assist them so that they do not

fall behind, but then you have those kids that learn faster; they finish their work

quickly and they get bored” [MJS002-24/07/2011]

There are six codes in this sub-category: Identification of Students’ Difficulties,

Account for Individual Learning Styles, Monitor Learners’ Progress, Individual

Learner Assessment Providing Feedback , and Provide Remedial Action.

The third sub-category is Classroom Management. This complex term has been used

as a synonym for “discipline”. Nevertheless in this study it will be understood as the

teachers’ ability to establish the timing, the behavioural rules and the objectives for a

lesson or particular activity (adapted from Doyle 1990; Marzano, Marzano and

Pickering 2003). An example could be:

“en general, por la cantidad de alumnos se da mucho que mientras que están

algunos callados el resto está hablando, luego que uno logra hacer callar a los que

están hablando, empieza a hablar el resto de los alumnos, y si uno continua la clase

y se pone a dar las instrucciones mientras parte del curso está hablando, después la

mitad del curso no sabe qué es lo que tiene.” [SAB007-30/07/2011]

“in general, because of the number of students, it is very common that while some of

the students are quiet the rest of them are talking, then when you have finally

controlled them, the other students start talking, and if you keep on with the lesson

and give the instructions while part of the class is talking, then the other half doesn’t

know what they have to do” [SAB007-30/07/2011]

This sub-category encounters two codes: Manage Discipline and Manage Lesson.

The fourth category is Students’ characteristics which describes the environmental

and personal features of the learners in the class. For example:







43



GGrroouuppiinngg--TTeeaacchhiinngg SSttrraatteeggiieess

This category responds to the language teaching methodology literature and the

different forms of grouping strategies. In Ur (1996), Harmer (1998, 2001) and Brown,

H.D (2001) whole class, group work, pair work, and individual work are presented as

the strategies to organize and manage language lessons. For example:

“Porque yo hago trabajo bastante individual, mucho en pareja, y lo menos que hago

es grupo, porque a veces es un poco complejo” [FFP003-26/07/2011]

“Because I do a lot of individual work, a lot of pair work and the least thing I do is

group work, because sometimes it is a bit complex” [FFP003-26/07/2011]

There are four codes in this category: Whole-class, Individual Work, Pair Work , and

Group Work .

AAttttiittuuddee ttoowwaarrddss GGrroouupp WWoorrkk

The categories of Positive and Negative attitudes towards Group Work were

developed according to findings in the works of Bejarano (1987), Peacock (1998), Alley

(2005), Fushino (2010), and Storch and Aldosary (2010). The works of Long and Porter

(1985), Davidheiser (1996), Davis (1997) and Brown, H.D (2001) were also taken into

account to create these categories. Similarly, there are some codes which emerged from

the qualitative data collected in the questionnaire and interview.

Positive Attitudes

This sub-category refers to the way teachers think and feel positively about using or

implementing group work in the classroom. An example of these can be found in the

following extract:





44



“hay niñas que tienen diferentes niveles, que llegan algunas muy bien preparadas

con hartos conocimientos previos ... y otras niñas que llegan de otros colegios pero

nada, sabiendo nada de, ni siquiera saludarse, vienen como muy en blanco,

entonces estos trabajo, yo intento de que se mezclen las niñas, que hagan amigas,

que alumnas que tengan habilidad, que les vaya bien, y que tengan hartos

conocimiento previos que no les cueste tanto, con otras niñas que tengan, como lacondición opuesta, entonces se van ayudando. Si no sabe las palabras la otras se

ayudan, entonces, también se crea una interacción en donde ellas se alimentan

mutuamente. Yo lo hago con ese motivo.” [FFP003-26/07/2011]

“There are girls that have different levels, girls that come really prepared with good

background knowledge... and there are others that come from other schools but

nothing, knowing nothing, not even how to greet, they come like in a blank

ignorance, so with this tasks I try that the girls mingle, that they become friends, that

the students with skills, with good grades, and with a lot of previous knowledge

mingle with other girls that have like the opposite condition, so they help each other.

If one doesn’t know the words the others help each other so that an interaction iscreated where they give feedback to one another.” [FFP003-26/07/2011]

It consists of six codes: Active Communication Involvement , Meaningful Language

Learning Positive Climate in the Classroom, Foreign Language Practice Opportunities,

Learning from One Another and Students’ Learning Responsibility.

Negative Attitude

The negative way of thinking and feeling that may influence the teachers to avoid

using group work in the classroom defines this category. This extract shows an example

of this category:

[En respuesta al uso del trabajo en grupo] “Ehm, no mucho, porque encuentro que

como que no aprenden mucho los niños. Porque también lo que me cuesta manejar

en el trabajo en grupo la parte como de la disciplina.” [MJS002-24/07/2011]

[Answering about the implementation of group work] “Ehm, not much, I think that

children don’t learn much. Because what it is difficult for me it’s to managediscipline during group work” [MJS002-24/07/2011]

There are three codes in this sub-category: Class control, Reinforcement of Students’

Error and Group Work Monitoring.





45



FFaaccttoorrss IInnf f lluueenncciinngg tthhee IImmpplleemmeennttaattiioonn oof f GGrroouupp wwoorrkk

The factors or elements in the teaching experience that influence teachers’ decisions

to use group work in the classroom will define this category. This extract shows an

example of this category:

“depende de la cantidad de horas que uno tenga a la semana. En quinto básico, yo

tengo dos clases por semana. Entonces yo te podría decir que, más o menos, cada

dos clases yo puedo hacer un trabajo grupal, porque si no, no alcanzo a pasar todos

loc contenidos que necesito pasar.” ARP001-22/07/2011

“it depends on the number of hours you have a week. In the Year 6, I have two

lessons a week. So, I could say, more or less, every two lessons I could do some

group work, because otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to cover all the syllabus contents

that I need to” ARP001-22/07/2011

There are four codes in this category: Time for planning, Syllabus Priority,

Discipline Control and Hours of EFL a week.

The findings provided by the codes as part of each category will assist the

understanding of the third research question regarding the attitudes towards group work

in Chilean large classes of young learners.

3.6. VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY

This section introduces the validity and reliability of this study. It also describes the

process through which they were ensured.

3.6.1. VALIDITY

The concept of validity refers to the “demonstration that a particular instrument in

fact measures what it purports to measure” (Cohen, Manion and Morrison 2007: 133).

This definition, however, may be flexible depending on the type of the approach used.

In this particular study, the mixed method approach facilitates the understanding of this

validation process by complementing both instruments validity.





46



The questionnaire and interview content address the concepts and issues presented in

the literature (See Section 3.5). In order to validate their content, they were back

translated. That means that first both instruments were written in English and then

translated into Spanish by the researcher. Then, they were back translated from Spanish

to English by another person. These versions were compared in order to find any

discrepancies between the original in English and the back translation in English. This

process responds to the type of procedure described by Brislin (1970: 188), called

“original English open to revision”. This step was necessary so as to avoid any language

barriers that the use of English could cause to the Chilean teachers. Finally both

instruments were piloted, the questionnaire with three participants, and the interview

with one. They gave comments on them, but did not express any difficulties in the

completion or answering of the questions. This would also fulfil the face validity—

“where, superficially, the [instrument] appears to test what it is designed to test (Cohen,

Manion and Morrison 2007: 163).

Finally among the total number of participants (30), eighteen were willing to be

interviewed; however, a sample of seven teachers was taken to actually take part of this

stage of the study, as they provided the necessary information to carry out the interview

(e.g. phone number).

3.6.2.

RELIABILITY Reliability will be described differently depending on the instruments. According to

Brown, H.D (2001: 171), “if you have both quantitative and qualitative questions...you

should be concerned about the reliability of both types of questions [instruments]”.

Firstly, the questionnaire’s reliability has been ensured through internal-consistency

based on the average of two of the items: Difficulties α=0.87 and Positive Attitude





47



towards Group Work α=0.83. Secondly, the interview data coding was ensured through

an intra-coder agreement coefficient with 86.6% (Appendix 5), which “indicates the

degree to which one coder’s codes on two different occasions agree with each other in

terms of assessing categories” (Brown, J.D 2001: 235).

3.7. ETHICAL ISSUES

This exploratory research project was granted with the Ethics Approval by the

School of English Language and Linguistics of the University of Sheffield. Similarly, a

consent form (Appendix 3) was signed by all the participants who were interviewed.

Those who participated answering the questionnaires also expressed their consent for

the use of the data in this study.

3.8. SUMMARY

This chapter presented the study organisation and methodological approach. The

research questions responds to limited research areas in Chile. Therefore, its main

strength is the contribution its findings provide to the field of TEFL in large classes.

The mixed methods approach guides the creation of the research instruments in the

data collection in order to be able to complement the information obtained form them.

Similarly, the categories and codes of analysis found in this study are supported by

example from the questionnaire and interview.





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4. ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS

4.1. INTRODUCTION

This Chapter explains how data from the questionnaires and interviews were

analysed and presents the findings.

The data analysis is described in detail. The different stages involved in this process

are illustrated in this section, proving the rationale behind each procedure. As this study

follows a mixed method approach, the main focus of the analysis is on integrating the

qualitative and quantitative data.

The findings of this exploratory research study are then presented according to each

of the research questions. In addition, some relevant data about the difficulties when

teaching TEYL in large classes as well as the reasons behind teachers’ decisions to

implement group work are identified and described in general terms. These themes will

be further discussed in Chapter 5.

4.2. DATA ANALYSIS

Data analysis for this study took place in four distinct phases, as shown in Table 4.

The data analysis was developed following the format of Pamela Wesely’s (2010) study

“Language Learning Motivation in Early Adolescents: Using Mixed Methods Research

to Explore Contradiction”. This format organised the analysis into stages which

responded to the data source as well as to each of the research questions. Similarly, this

step by step process of data analysis represented a clear example of a mixed methods

research, in which the data was merged and complemented to the very end of analysis in

order to pay attention to the contradiction and consistency between the qualitative and

quantitative data.





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Table 4. Summary of Categories, Subcategories and Codes of Analysis

Research Question Analysis Procedure and Phases Data Source

RQ1: What are the difficulties inteaching young learners in large classes

specific to the Chilean setting?

Quantitative: Statistical analysis (P1)Questionnaire

Qualitative: code analysis of interviews(P2, P3)

Interviews

Mixed Methods: Exploration of

integrated findings (P4)

Questionnaire

Interviews

RQ2: How often are the different

“grouping-teaching strategies” used in

the teaching of young Chilean learners

within large classes?

Quantitative: Statistical analysis (P1) Questionnaire

RQ3: What are teachers’ attitudes

toward group work?Quantitative: Statistical analysis (P1) Questionnaire

RQ4: How do the difficulties found in

large classes and the attitudes toward

group work relate to the use of group

work?

Quantitative: Statistical analysis (P1) Questionnaire

What factors influence teachers’ choice

in using group work in the classroom?

Qualitative: code analysis of Interviews

(P2, P3)Interviews

(Based on Pamela Wesely’s (2010) study “Language Learning Motivation in Early Adolescents: Using

Mixed Methods Research to Explore Contradiction”)

Phase 1 (P1) Initial Quantitative Analysis: Statistical Analyses

The quantitative analysis involved several statistical calculations, which were

processed in PASW Statistic 18, based on the results from the questionnaire.

Questions regarding the perceptions of difficulties in large classes were based on 5-

point Likert scales and were converted into 3-variable scale, in order to better

manipulate the data from the responses. Variable 1 comprised ‘‘very easy” and “easy”

responses; variable 2, ‘‘neutral” responses; and, variable 3, ‘‘difficult’’ and “very

difficult” responses.

Similarly, questions about group-teaching strategies, also based on 5-point Likert

scales, were converted: 1 for ‘‘never” and “rarely” responses, 2 for ‘‘sometimes”

response, and 3 for ‘‘regularly’’ and “always” responses.





50



Finally, the 5-point Likert-scale responses about the attitudes towards group work

were transformed: 1 for “strongly disagree” and “disagree” responses, 2 for ‘‘neither

agree nor disagree” response, and 3 for ‘‘agree” and “strongly agree” responses.

The items regarding “Difficulties in Large Classes” were grouped into three main

categories: Students’ Involvement, Monitor Learning and Classroom Management. A

reliability test, measured with Cronbach’s alpha (Cohen, Manion, and Morrison 2008:

506) was conducted for these factors. The results indicated acceptable reliability for

student involvement (α= .84), monitor learning (α= .86), classroom management (α=

.73). The frequency percentage was calculated for each difficulty.

The same procedure was applied for attitudinal items toward group work, all of

which were grouped in a single factor showing acceptable reliability (α= .83).

Finally, three factors were computed in order to observe the nature of the relationship

between the difficulties perceived in large classes, the attitudes towards group work and

the implementation of group work.

Phase 2 (P2) Initial Qualitative Analysis: Transcriptions and Initial Coding

This data processing was done secondly because there was an intention of keeping

the qualitative and quantitative methods separate; bearing in mind, however, that the

interviews where a product of the primary results of the questionnaire.

The analysis of the qualitative data began by transcribing the 7 interviews. In order

to work with this data the computer software Transana 2.12 was used. As the interviews

were transcribed, some “new codes”, different from the ones taken from the literature,

were identified and noted down aside. Once all the 7 interviews were transcribed, a

master list of the deductive codes presented in the literature was entered in the program.

The initial list of codes were based on the difficulties of large classes identified by





51



Coleman (1989a), LoCastro (1989) and Shamim, F and others (2007), and the group

work benefits mentioned by Long and Porter (1985), Bejarano (1987), Davidheiser

(1996), Davis (1997), Brown, H.D (2001), and Fushimo (2010). Nevertheless, some of

these codes were not found or not clearly identified in this analysis stage, which led to a

second analysis of the transcriptions.

Phase 3 (P3): Revision of the Qualitative Code Analysis

After completing the first analysis, the interview transcripts and codes were

reviewed. The initial codes were verified and new codes were created. Dividing the

qualitative code analysis in these two stages provided some temporal distance from the

interview data and facilitated the code confirmation. This revision served the purpose of

confirming the existing codes and the “new codes” noted before. Thus, some of the

codes were modified, redefined, combined and eliminated in order to accurately reflect

the transcript.

Once all the codes were identified, the qualitative data from the questionnaire was

analysed according to the final coding process. This decision was taken because the data

sample based on what the participants wrote on the open ended questions (only two)

was smaller.

Finally, the intra-coder agreement coefficient was calculated (86%). This calculation

was done in order to support the agreement on the codes assigned by the same coder on

two occasions (Brown, J.D 2001: 236).

Phase 4 (P4) Exploration of Integrated Findings

The integration of the qualitative and quantitative findings was the final stage in this

data analysis. Even though the interview (qualitative data) was constructed according to

the findings from the questionnaire (quantitative data), it was in this instance that the





52



results from both sources were contrasted. This process suggested consistent findings;

thus, the statistical results from the questionnaire were complemented by the codes

found in the qualitative data.

This approach involving quantitative and qualitative data provided more integral

answers to the research questions and it was the first step in comprehending the issue of

classes and group work in the Chilean TEYL context. Finally these findings were

contrasted with previous studies in the area of large classes and group work.

4.3. RESEARCH QUESTION 1: IN LITERATURE THERE ARE MANY EXAMPLES OF

DIFFICULTIES FOUND IN CONCERN TO TEACHING LARGE CLASSES. WHAT ARE

THE DIFFICULTIES IN TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS SPECIFIC TO THE CHILEAN

SETTING?

This section illustrates the findings according to each research question, integrating

the findings from the qualitative and quantitative data. The results from the

questionnaire regarding TEYL difficulties in large classes are presented by difficulty

(Table 5). In the questionnaire, this section asked about the degree of difficulty for

carrying out various activities, where 3 refers to “very difficult” and “difficult” and 1 to

“very easy” and “easy”.





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Table 5. TEYL Difficulties in Chilean Large Classes: frequency by difficulty

Difficulty EasyNeither Easyor Difficult

Difficult

Students’Involvement

Keep students interested. 23.3% 40% 36.7%

Make all students participate in the activities. 16.7% 40% 43.3%

Give learners the opportunity to express themselves in English. 16.7% 23.3% 60%

Monitoring

Learning

Identifying learners’ difficulties. 20% 50% 30%

Accounting for different individual learning styles 13.3% 16.7% 70%

Monitoring learners’ progress. 26.7% 33.3% 40%

Assessing learners individually 10% 6.7% 83.3%

Providing feedback. 20% 30% 50%

Providing remedial actions to learners 10% 40% 50%

Classroom

Management

Managing discipline 33.3% 40% 26.7%

Managing time effectively in the lessons. 30% 50% 20%

Interestingly within Students’ Involvement category, only one situation has been

predominantly referred to as difficult, which is “providing students the opportunity to

speak English in the lesson” with a 60% (N=18). In contrast, the item “make all students

participate in the activities” is perceived as moderately difficult.

Similarly, in the Monitoring Learning category, the item “accounting for various

learning styles” and “individual assessment” are the most complicated activities in

TEYL of large classes, with a 70% (N=21) and a, 83.3% (N=25) respectively. This

issue is reinforced by the qualitative data from the questionnaire and interview where

teachers expressed that their classes are heterogeneous groups of students with different

learning needs, which can hardly be fulfilled within this setting. An example of that can

be found in the following extract:





54



“a mi me parece relevante, en términos de la cantidad de alumnos en un curso es

también el asunto de poder enfocarse en los distintos, en las distintas formas de

aprendizaje y en los distintos ritmos de avance que tiene los alumnos, porque es un

hecho que ehm un curso va a haber ritmos de avance dispares, va a haber alumnos

que llegan al curso ya sabiendo más que otros, alumnos que tienen más facilidad,

otros que no. Y obviamente es mucho más difícil poder atender a las necesidades decada alumno en específico cuando el curso es más numeroso.” [SAB007-

30/07/2011]

“I think it is relevant, regarding the number of students in a class, the issue of being

able to focus on the different, on the different ways of learning and the different pace

of learning, because it is a fact that in a class there will be disparate learning paces,

there will be students who know more than others, students for whom it is easier than

for others. And obviously, it is much more difficult to assist those individual needs in

particular when the class is large.” [SAB007-30/07/2011]

The items “monitoring learners’ progress” and “providing remedial actions to

learners” are of moderate difficulty with the majority of the responses between “neither

difficult nor easy” and “difficult”.

Surprisingly, the category of Classroom Management seems to be of neutral

difficulty for these teachers, with almost half of the answers concentrated in the centre.

This revealing finding, opposite to the majority of the previous studies in the area of

large classes, will be addressed in the discussion chapter.

Despite the finding provided by the questionnaire quantitative data, some other

difficulties were recurrently mentioned, which were only captured by the qualitative

data. According to the teachers, the lack of teaching resources, such as appropriate size

of the classrooms and little access to supporting materials were referred to as a difficulty

in this context. For example:

“Falta disponer de los materiales adecuados (libros, flashcards, juegos, puzles, etc)

para hacer las clases más motivadoras y entretenidas. El docente necesita

confeccionar material y apoyarse en los alumn@s para disponer de algunos

elementos en las clases.” [questionnaire qualitative data]

“appropriate material (books, flashcards, games, puzzles, etc) are not available to

make the lesson more motivating and fun. The teacher needs to create the material

and ask the students to provide some of the materials for the lesson” [questionnaire

qualitative data]





55



“Es extremadamente difícil trabajar con grupos heterogéneos, como los de las

escuelas publicas donde trabajo. Tenemos estudiantes en diferentes niveles, ¿cómo

trabajo por niveles en una sala en la que casi no puedo transitar, con estudiantes

que se ubican dentro del rango aventajados, y aquellos que tienen necesidades

educativas especiales? [questionnaire qualitative data]

“It is extremely difficult to work with heterogeneous groups, like the ones on state-

run schools, where I work. We have students from different levels. How do I work in

levels in a classroom where I can barely move around, and with advance and

especial learning needs students?” [questionnaire qualitative data]

Another recurrent issue presented in the interviews and questionnaire deals with

students’ characteristics. This theme was of particular relevance for these teachers, as

they emphasised lack of parents’ involvement, a vulnerable social background and weak

self-motivation. The following extract illustrates this issue:

“Una dificultad es el nivel socio cultural del entorno donde se desarrollan mis

estudiantes, en donde el inglés es ajeno y el apoyo de la familia al proceso de

enseñanza aprendizaje es escaso.” [questionnaire qualitative data]

“One of the difficulties is the socio-cultural environment where my students grow,

in which English is not relevant and family support in the teaching-learning process

is limited” [questionnaire qualitative data]

In sum, it is concluded from this research question that, regarding the difficulties

identified in literature on large classes, there are three major issues in the Chilean TEYL

context, namely the problems “giving learners the opportunity to express themselves in

English,” “accounting for different individual learning styles” and “assessing learners

individually”.

4.4.

RESEARCH QUESTION 2: HOW OFTEN ARE DIFFERENT “GROUP-TEACHING

STRATEGIES” USED IN THE TEACHING OF YOUNG CHILEAN LEARNERS WITHIN

LARGE CLASSES?

As mentioned in the data analysis section, this research question was answered

according to the questionnaire data, calculating how often each strategy is implemented

in general.





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Table 6 shows the summary of the results of usage of the different “group-teaching

strategies”.

Table 6. “Grouping-teaching strategies” descriptive statistics

Grouping-teaching strategiesNever or

RarelySometimes

Regularly

or Always

Whole-class 0 6.7% 93.3%

Group work (3 to 6 students) 26.7% 40% 33.3%

Pair work 6.7% 30% 63.3%

Individual work 10% 10% 80%

In the questionnaire, this section asked about the frequency of implementation of the

different “grouping-teaching strategies”, where 5 refers to “always” and 1 to “never”.

The strategy of “whole-class” was the most commonly used grouping strategy, with

93.3% (N=28), followed by “individual work” and “pair work” with 80% (N=24) and

63.3% (N=19) respectively. The least implemented strategy according to these 30

teachers is “group work.” While almost half of the teachers (N=12) affirmed to

implement it only sometimes, a third of them (N=10) declared to use it regularly. Thus,

further analysis regarding the choice behind the implementation of “group work” will be

carried out in Section 5.3.

4.5. RESEARCH QUESTION 3: WHAT ARE TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS GROUP

WORK?

This section asked about the degree of agreement with a series of statements

regarding the attitude towards group work, where 3 refers to “strongly agree” and

“agree” and 1 to “strongly disagree” and “disagree”. The teachers’ attitudes towards

group work were collected through the questionnaire and interview data with consistent

results. Table 7 illustrates the questionnaire results for each statement.





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Table 7. Teachers’ Attitude towards Group Work: descriptive statistics by statement

Attitudes DisagreeNeither Agreenor Disagree

Agree

When students work in groups, they are actively involved in

real communication contexts.26.7% 33.3% 40%

When working in groups language learning is much more

meaningful.13.3% 26.7% 60%

Group work creates a positive climate in the classroom. 26.7% 23.3% 50%

Group work increases the opportunities to practice English. 26.7% 50% 23.3%

Group work enables students to learn from one another. 16.7% 20% 63.3%

Group work promotes students’ responsibility for learning.20% 33.3% 46.7%

According to this table, there is a trend on positive attitude from the teachers’

perspective towards group work. Teachers agreed that in group work leaning is more

meaningful (60%, N=18), promotes a positive climate in the classroom (50%, N=15)

and helps students learn from each other (63.3%, N=19). However, half of these

teachers neither agree nor disagree on these group teaching strategies to increase foreign

language practice opportunities.

Regarding the qualitative evidence on this attitude, teachers had a similar

perspective, as it can be seen in the following extract:





58



“Porque tiene [el trabajo en grupo] mejores resultados, definitivamente. Primero en

el monitoreo; o sea, cuando están trabajando en grupos, tengo la facilidad de ir

chequeando el trabajo propiamente tal de producción de cada uno de los niños

dentro del grupo. Y al pasearme en la sala… se me hace más expedito, porque en un

grupo controlo a cuatro o cinco niños de una vez, en vez de tener que controlar de a

uno por uno a los cuarenta y cinco, cuarenta y cuatro niños en una sala. Ahora, encuanto a resultados, eh juego mucho con esto de la competencia con nombre de

grupo, que se abanderen con un trabajo, y eso hace que hasta con juegos de roles

dentro del grupo, hasta los chicos que menos expresión tienen, eh menos opinión,

por así decirlo, son más tímidos, participan igual. Cuando digo este juego de roles,

me refiero que dentro del grupo hay el que dirige las preguntas, está el que expone,

está el que lleva materiales, o sea toda la división que se hace en un grupo.”

[GJG005-29/07/2011]

“Because group work has definitely better results. First, in the monitoring, I mean,

when they’re working in groups I can easily check the oral production of each

student in the group. When going around the classroom, it’s easier for me, becausein a group I can control four or five students at a time, instead of controlling one by

one the forty or forty-five students in the class. Now regarding results, ehm I play

with the contest theme, this thing where they put a name to their group and they feel

part of it, and that makes that even with role plays within the group, even the kids

with less expression, the ones with less opinion, the shiest participate. By role play I

mean that within the group there is one that organises the questions, one that speaks,

one that brings the material, I mean all the divisions within the group”. [GJG005-

29/07/2011]

4.6. RESEARCH QUESTION 4: HOW DO THE DIFFICULTIES FOUND IN LARGE

CLASSES AND THE ATTITUDES TOWARDS GROUP WORK RELATE TO THE USE OF

GROUP WORK?

Table 8 and table 9 show the results of the correlational analyses for testing the

direction and strength of the relationships between group work implementation,

difficulties perceived in large classes and attitudes toward group work by teachers.





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Table 8. Group Work implementation and Difficulties in TEYL Large Classes: PearsonCorrelation Coefficient

Group work (3 to 6 students) Difficulties

Group work (3 to 6 students) Pearson Correlation 1 -.279

Sig. (2-tailed) .135

N 30 30

Difficulties Pearson Correlation -.279 1


N 30 30

Table 9. Group Work implementation and the Teachers’ Attitude towards it: Pearson CorrelationCoefficient

Attitude towards Group

Work

Group work (3 to 6

students)

Attitude towards Group Work Pearson Correlation 1 .351Sig. (2-tailed) .057

N 30 30

Group work (3 to 6 students) Pearson Correlation .351 1


N 30 30

Results indicate that there is no significant relationship between perceived

difficulties and implementation of group work (r = –.28, p = .14). Similarly, the

relationship between teachers’ attitudes toward group work and its implementation is

not significant (r = .35, p = .06). Nevertheless, the latter results are very close to the

level of significance (p = 0.05) and because the direction of this relationship is positive

(more positive attitude is related to more group work implementation) and its strength is

slightly moderated (r = .35), these results should be interpreted carefully. This may be

analysed in terms of the following question: what factors influence teachers’ choice in

implementing group work in the classroom? This issue was tackled based on the data

gathered in the follow-up interview.

The factors influencing teachers’ choice in implementing group work can be divided

into two categories: motivating and demotivating factors. In the first category, it is

possible to find factors such as “easier monitoring of large classes,” “students learning





60



from each other,” “classroom management” and “opportunity for practicing English,”

for example:

“Uso el trabajo en grupo porque algunas veces ellos se pueden corregir entre ellos

y no sentirse avergonzados, o hay personas que aprenden muy rápido y potencian alos otros y otras veces, además eso deben presentarlo frente a los compañeros, en un

ambiente que ellos se sientan cómodos y familiarizados; por lo tanto, los demás

compañeros van aprendiendo la forma de pronunciar o de actuar de los

compañeros, se van como potenciando entre ellos.” [NJP004-26/07/2011]

“I use group work because sometimes they can correct each other without feeling

ashamed, or there are some people that learn very fast and support others, and other

times, they also have to present that in front of their classmates, in an environment

they feel comfortable and familiarised; therefore, the other classmates learn from

their classmates’ way to pronounce or act, and they are encouraging among

themselves.” [NJP004-26/07/2011]

In the second category, the factors inhibiting the use of group work are few hours to

cover the syllabus, time for planning, discipline control, as well as classroom setting, for

instance:

“muy rara vez he usado trabajo en grupo… por un tema de, que también como estoy

teniendo poco tiempo para preparar las clases y el trabajo en grupo requiere una

planificación mucho más cuidadosa para asegurarse que el trabajo funcione. Y por

otro lado también de, eh tomando cuenta la conducta que tiene ese curso quedificulta más también realizar un trabajo en grupo.” [SAB007- 30/07/2011]

“I have rarely used group work... because, the thing is, as I am having little time for

preparing the lessons and group work requires an accurate planning to ensure that

the task works. And on the other hand also, eh taking into account that class

behaviour makes more difficult to implement group work” [SAB007-30/07/2011]

All these factors will be further analysed in chapter 5 of discussion and conclusion.





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4.7. SUMMARY

This study found that Chilean teachers teaching EFL to young learners in large

classes face similar challenges to those identified in the literature on older learners in

other countries. In particular, accounting for individual learning styles and providing

opportunities to express in English are a problem. The study also identified new factors

which help to understand issues such as classroom management and teachers’ attitudes

towards group work. Likewise, new aspects about the use of group work have arisen in

this study. The factors limiting teachers’ decisions to use group work do not correspond

with the reasons indicated in the literature (See Section 2.5.1). The following chapter

discusses these findings and draws out implications for further research.





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5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

5.1. INTRODUCTION

This chapter discusses the implications of the difficulties present in YL large

classes in Chile. It focuses on three limitations: lack of opportunities for students to

speak in English, difficulty identifying students’ individual learning styles and needs,

and classroom management as a surprising result in relation to the literature. The

chapter then discusses the results about group work and teachers’ attitude towards its

use. Suggestions and predictions are then made for the inclusion of “group-teaching

strategies” in the daily routine of TEYL large classes. Finally, this chapter provides

some implications for further research on large classes and group work.

5.2. DIFFICULTIES IN LARGE CLASSES: DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS

Learning can be constrained by the issues associated with large classes. For

example, it has been found that factors such as less student’s attention, superficial

syllabus coverage and lack of diversity on the evaluation techniques can affect students’

learning and achievement (e.g. Coleman 1989c, O’Sullivan 2006). Therefore, it is

crucial for EFL teachers to identify the difficulties when teaching in large classes.

This study showed that three of the difficulties identified in literature are actually

present in the Chilean context: assessing learners individually, accounting for different

individual learning styles and give learners the opportunities to express themselves in

English. Therefore, this discussion of findings will focus on the way these results could

enlighten solutions for improving EFL skills in Chilean YL classes.





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5.2.1. OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPRESS IN ENGLISH

One of the difficulties observed or identified in large classes is the fact that students

lack opportunities to express themselves in English in the lesson. Previous studies in

teachers’ perceptions found that these opportunities tend to be limited in large classes.

Of particular relevance for this study results is the research carried on in Thailand

tertiary education by Jaimakorn and Singhasiri (2006). Through questionnaires teachers

expressed that in large classes learning and teaching were more difficult, identifying as

one of the reasons that large classes were “not appropriate for developing productive

skills” as a teacher-centred approach was much more adequate in this context

(Jaimakorn and Singhasiri 2006: 16).

The current study showed that 60% of these Chilean teachers of YL found it difficult

to provide students the opportunities to express themselves in English when teaching

large classes. These findings are consistent with Jaimakorn and Singhasiri’s (2006)

work. The qualitative data supported these findings, yet teachers did not explicitly

referred to the reasons for this difficulty.

Nevertheless, some factors that may be related to this difficulty could be inferred

from the data, which include few hours of EFL lessons a week and problems on

covering the wide and demanding syllabus. In regards to the first issue, teachers clearly

expressed that having only 1.5 to 3 hours a week limited their teaching. An example of

that can be seen in the following extract:





64



“La poca cantidad de horas de inglés dadas por el Ministerio de Educación (solo 3

a la semana) lo que impide que se profundice o se dedique más tiempo a cada

alumno para el desarrollo de todas las habilidades lingüísticas, todo esto

relacionado a la cantidad de alumnos por clase.” [questionnaire qualitative data]

“There are few hours of English lessons given by the Ministry of Education (only 3a week) [meaning 3 periods of 45 minute class each]. Spending more time with

each student and improving all his linguistic skills is not possible, specially

considering the number of students per class”. [questionnaire qualitative data]

The EFL syllabus for Year 6 could also be related to the limited opportunities

students have to express themselves in English. Teachers expressed that they had to

cover the demanding syllabus but the number of hours sometimes was not enough for

doing so; thus, they focus more on “language content” and receptive over productive

skills. Therefore, they scarcely provide opportunities to develop students’ productive

skills, particularly speaking. In addition, one of them expressed that developing oral

skills was not the main focus of the syllabus in state-run schools. The following extracts

are examples of this idea:

“ Ahora en el área pública, si tú lees los objetivos de la enseñanza del idioma

obviamente del área básica dice que el alumno deberá… escuchar

comprensivamente y leer comprensivamente. O sea el objetivo no está centrado, no

va dirigido a que la alumna pueda comunicarse.” [RSP006-30/07/2011]

“ Now, in the state-run area, if you read the objectives of EFL in primary level, it

states that the student should… listen comprehensibly and read comprehensibly.

That means, the objective is not making students communicate.” [RSP006-

30/07/2011]





65



“… que son muy pocas las horas de inglés. Dos horas a la semana y ... el programa

es muy amplio. Entonces no se alcanzan a ver todos los contenidos... Dos horas

pedagógicas, cuarenta y cinco minutos cada una. Los niños enganchan bien con el

inglés, ya vamos bien haciendo los ejercicios, pero después durante la semana ellos

se les olvida, prácticamente..., y después uno vuelve, en la próxima clase, hay muy

pocos niños que recuerdan la materia que se vio, cachai? Entonces, eso tambiénalgunas veces, es como un retroceso para ellos y para mi también porque hay que

estar continuamente activando los conocimientos previos.” [MJS002-24/07/2011]

“... there are few hours of English lessons. Two hours a week and... the syllabus is

too broad. Then it is not possible to cover all the topics... Two teaching periods,

forty-five minutes each one. The children get involved with the language. We work

fine doing the exercises, but then during the week they forget practically everything,

... and then when you go back, in the following lesson, there are very few of them

who remember the topic covered, you know? So, that sometimes it’s like a backward

step for them, because you have to continuously activate their previous knowledge.”

[MJS002-24/07/2011]These two issues—few hours of EFL lessons a week and a demanding syllabus—

could explain why teachers have difficulties when giving students opportunities to

communicate in English.

If the reasons limiting learning are understood, solutions can be sought; however,

they challenge the Ministry measures to improve Chilean EFL skills. The usage of

English to communicate orally is not promoted by the National evaluation. As presented

above (See Section 1.3) the national test developed to measure the EFL skills of Year 12

students does not take into account productive skill. Still, its results showed that the

students with more hours of EFL lessons a week had better results (MINEDUC 2011).

Thereby, the solution to this difficulty could be inferred as increasing the number of

hours of EFL lessons a week as it could facilitate covering the wide syllabus of Year 6.

Nonetheless, this is not the most relevant difficulty for these Chilean teachers in large

classes.





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5.2.2. DIFFERENT LEARNING STYLES AND NEEDS

Homogenous groups of students with various learning styles, needs and paces can

be understood as a common situation in a class. In a large class, however, teachers say

they find it difficult to identify these individual features (Coleman 1989c; Hess 2001;

Shamim, F and others 2007; Goretti, M and others 2008). In a study carried out in

Uganda with 279 teachers of English and Mathematics of primary school, Goretti, M

and others (2008: 91) found that the third most important constraint experienced in large

classes was the “difficulty to cater for individual needs and interest”. Similarly, in an

early study in Nigerian tertiary education, Coleman (1989c: 19) found that almost 70%

of the teachers had difficulties for “paying attention to individual in large classes”.

These are consistent with the findings of this current research, which showed that 70%

of the teachers found it difficult to account for the different individual learning styles.

Furthermore, the issue of special learning needs was a recurrent topic in the interview

and questionnaire data. Many of the teachers interviewed pointed out that to deal with

students with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and other learning

needs was extremely challenging. Similarly, some of them expressed that sometimes

focusing on those students was limiting attention to advanced students. Some examples

of these opinions are as follows:





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“también depende del tipo de niño. Porque en algunos cursos hay niños que tienen,

hay muchos niños que tienen problemas de hiperactividad o de déficit atencional y

eso también afecta, porque de acuerdo de eso, un niño que tiene déficit atencional,

vale por tres, ya? [...] Es que un niño con déficit atencional, suele eh, interferir con

la atención del resto de los compañeros. Entonces a la larga, el trabajo se te hace

mucho más difícil, en el sentido de que tienes que lograr la atención de todo elgrupo grande, pero además tienes que lograr la atención de este chiquitito para que

no moleste al resto” [ARP001-22/01/2011]

“It also depends on the type of child. Because in some classes there are many

children that have problems of hyperactivity or attention deficit. That also is a

problem, because a child that suffers from ADHD disorder is like three kids, isn’t

he? […] A child that suffers from ADHD usually interferes with the rest of the class

attention. So in the long term, your work is much more difficult, because you have to

get the whole large class attention, but also you have to get the attention of that little

one so that he does not disturb the rest of the class” [ARP001-22/01/2011]

“ Le puedo decir que al haber cursos numerosos, ehm hay totalmente distintos tipos

de niños, todos tienen distintos tipos de estilos de aprendizaje y ritmos también de

aprendizajes distintos, y como a mi por lo menos me ha pasado, que como tengo

algunos niños que tienen dificultades de aprendizaje, tengo que atender a esos niños

para que no queden atrás, pero también sucede que quedan, los niños que aprenden

más rápido quedan algunas veces, ahí terminan en un rato sus tareas y se aburren”

[MJS002-24/07/2011]

“I can say that in large classes, there are totally different kinds of children, all of

them with different learning styles and the pace of learning is also different, and as it

has happened to me, I have some kids who have learning difficulties, I have to assistthem so that they do not fall behind, but then you have those kids that learn faster;

they finish their work quickly and they get bored” [MJS002-24/07/2011]

According to this, students with certain needs, such as ADHD, demand special

attention that cannot be provided by teachers in large classes. It should be noted that this

attention does not only involve the lesson teaching, but also its design, planning and

evaluation. Likewise, it seems that advanced students’ development is limited as

teachers are not able to encourage and challenge them in this setting of so many

different needs and levels. These teachers are concerned about assisting their students’

learning process, but feel limited due to the high number of students. Thus, as the level

of attention differs from student to student, but is not focused on personal monitoring,

the learning outcome tends to be poor, as the National Test showed in 2010.





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Other issues that teachers had expressed as part of their students needs are the ones

related to their socio-economical background. Some of them argued that their students

are vulnerable to violence and situations that affect their self-esteem and motivation.

For example:

“ El background socio-afectivo de los alumnos es en muchos casos una gran barrera

para lograr mantener la motivación por aprender ” [questionnaire qualitative data]

“The students’ socio-affective background is, in many cases, a huge barrier to

achieve and keep the motivation for learning” [questionnaire qualitative data]

“Una gran cantidad de estos alumnos tiene algún tipo de problema al interior de

sus familias.” [questionnaire qualitative data]

“ A high number of these students have some type of problem within their families”

[questionnaire qualitative data]

“Falta de interés por aprender cosas nuevas, bajas expectativas de futuro

personal, pues siempre responden: ‘para que me sirve si no voy a viajar al

extranjero’.” [questionnaire qualitative data]

“There is a lack of interest for learning new things, low personal expectations for

the future so they always say: ‘what for, if I’m not going to travel abroad’.”


“Una dificultad es el nivel socio cultural del entorno donde se desarrollan mis

estudiantes, en donde el inglés es ajeno y el apoyo de la familia al proceso de

enseñanza aprendizaje es escaso” [questionnaire qualitative data]

““One of the difficulties is the socio-cultural environment where my students

grow, in which English is not relevant and family support in the teaching-learning

process is limited” [questionnaire qualitative data]

These perspectives again lead to reflect on the types of schools that have large

classes in Chile. As presented on section 3.3 about the context of the study, the schools

with more students per class are the state-run and subsidised schools (OECD 2004:

263). In this regard, it is possible to argue that constraints on identifying student’s

individual needs could affect the learning and teaching process. This argument is

supported by the results in the Chilean National Evaluation of EFL, SIMCE, where only

12% of the students who passed it belonged to state-run or subsided schools





69



(MINEDUC 2011), and which represent the 93% of students in the country (MINEDUC

2010).

In this regard, a National Evaluation in English and restructuring of the National

Curriculum are not enough to improve the EFL skills in these state-run and subsided

schools. The MINEDUC needs to pay attention and develop research about the

circumstances in which teachers do their job. Similarly, this has also implications for

teachers educational programmes, which should take into account this complex context

in order to provide appropriate strategies in advanced. In that way real solutions could

be found.

In general terms, the findings presented and discussed so far are consistent with

previous studies in the areas of large classes (Coleman 1989c; Hess 2001; Jaimakorn

and Singhasiri’s 2006; Shamim, F and others 2007; Goretti, M and others 2008).

However, there are some results which are interesting to be discussed as they differ

from earlier studies.

5.2.3. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

The issue of classroom management particularly related to the control of discipline

and noise has been repeatedly mentioned in previous studies in the area of large classes

(Coleman 1989c; LoCastro1989; Hess 2001; Jaimakorn and Singhasiri’s 2006; Benbow,

J and others 2007; Shamim, F and others 2007; Goretti, M and others 2008).

Surprisingly, the findings of this research showed a different perspective.

In this group of Chilean EFL teachers of YL only 26.7 % (N=8) perceived

managing discipline as difficult, while 33.3 % (N=10) thought it was easy and 40%

(N=12) found it of neutral difficulty. The qualitative data from the interview and the





70



questionnaire supported these results. Most of the teachers also expressed that they did

not have any problems when managing discipline.

These results suggest a further analysis is needed about the reasons for the

discrepancy between this particular study of large classes and studies mentioned in the

literature. In this regard, and taking into account the Chilean context from which the

sample was taken, two possible reasons could be suggested. Firstly, the years of

teaching experience of the participants (see Section 3.4.1). According to studies carried

out in Chile regarding teachers’ practice and identity (Avalos and Aylwin 2007; Avalos

2010), teachers learn to deal with discipline problems through teaching. Of particular

relevance for these results is the work of Avalos (2010), who aimed to understand

primary and secondary teachers’ perceptions about their profession in Chile. She found

that “over two thirds of teachers pointed to experience as their main source for

developing the capacity to interact with colleagues, manage big classes, classroom

routines and discipline problems” (Avalos 2010: 9). In the current study sample, 14.8 yr

(SD = 10.9) is the average time teaching, in which the least experienced teacher has

taught for 3 years. Consequently, it could be argued that it was their experience that has

helped these 30 Chilean YL teachers of EFL in large classes to implement appropriate

strategies to deal with classroom management.

Secondly, the perceived self-efficacy of this sample of teachers could also be

related to their expressed effortless control of discipline. This concept will be

understood as “the beliefs in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of

action required to produce given attainments” (Bandura 1997: 3 in Brouwers and Tomic

2000: 240). Brouwers and Tomic (2000) studied secondary teachers’ self-efficacy and

burnout in classroom management. They found that “when teachers have little

confidence in their ability to maintain classroom order, they will likely give up easily in





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the face of continuous disruptive student behaviour. As a consequence they feel

themselves ineffective in their attempts to maintain classroom order (2000:249).” In the

case of this group of Chilean teachers the situation is totally opposite. Most of the

participants of this study were involved with governmental ( English Opens Doors

programme) and non governmental educational institutions (Pontifical Catholic

University of Valparaiso and Alberto Hurtado University as mentor teachers); therefore,

it is possible to infer that they are engaged in making their teaching more effective.

Thus, their perceived self-efficacy was high, being able then to manage student

behaviour in their large classes effectively. The data from the questionnaire supports

this, as well as the interview data, as it can be seen in the following extract:

“Yo creo que eso depende mucho del manejo de grupo que tenga el profesor, y eso

también depende de la experiencia que tenga el profesor. En el caso mío, yo no

tengo mayor problema en hacerle clases a niños de quinto básico en cursos grandes,

porque tengo buen manejo y tengo experiencia.” [ARP001-22/07/2011]

“ I think, it depends a lot on the teacher’s class management, and that also depends

on the teacher’s experience. In my case, I don’t have any problems teaching Year 6

students in large classes because I have a good management and experience”[ARP001-22/07/2011]

“Quisiera expresar primero que no es una complicación. Depende mucho de las

técnicas que usa un profesor en la sala de clases.” [GJG005-29/07/2011]

“First, I would like to express that it is not a complication. It depends a lot on the

techniques that the teacher uses in the classroom” [GJG005-29/07/2011]

In conclusion, the characteristics of the study participants, years of teaching

experience and high perceived self-efficacy could be the reasons that these teachers

indicated that managing discipline in large classes is not difficult. These deductions,

however, should be contrasted with studies on a large sample of teachers.

The following section discusses the issue of group work implementation suggesting

some of the factors that could be affecting the teachers’ decision on its implementation.





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5.3. USE OF AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS GROUP WORK

The literature about group work refers in detail about the benefits of its

implementation not only for the EFL context but also for the management of large

classes (Long and Porter 1985; Davidheiser 1996; Davis 1997; Ives 2000; Brown, H.D

2001; Hess 2001). Its drawbacks, however, have been described as “excuses” given by

teachers for avoiding its implementation (Brown H.D 2001: 179). Among others, ideas

has been posited such as being no longer in control of the class, students’ use of native

language, errors’ reinforcement among students, difficulty to monitor the groups and

students preference to work alone (Brown, H.D 2001: 180).

According to the findings in this study, these negative attitudes were scarcely found

in the sample; on the contrary, generally speaking, this group of teachers had a positive

attitude towards group work and its use (see section 4.5). Nevertheless, these results

also showed that this “group-teaching strategy” was the least frequently used as shown

in section 4.4. Furthermore, when the correlation between these two elements was

calculated, it was found that it was moderately positive, but slightly relevant.

Consequently the question was: what factors influence teachers’ choice in using

group work in the classroom? Unanticipated findings were related to the factors limiting

the use of group work; they were not, however, connected to “excuses for avoiding

group work” (Brown, H.D 2001: 179) or “novice teachers who due to inexperience or

other factors have not had much success with the technique” (Davis 1997: 265). While

the most commonly mentioned factor was few hours of EFL lessons per week to cover

the demanding syllabus, little time for planning group work activities and inappropriate

classroom setting were also addressed as elements influencing these teachers’ decision

of implementing group work. Hence, it could be argued that the low frequency of group

work use could be due to factors that are not under teachers’ control. In other words,





73



even when this group of teachers expressed their positive attitude towards group work,

and supported its implementation as an effective way to deal with large classes, the

context in which they teach constrains its implementation. This has implications for the

MINEDUC policy as the number of hours established are not consistent with the

demanding syllabus designed for Year 6, limiting the achievements expected.

5.4. IMPLEMENTATION OF GROUP WORK IN TEYL LARGE CLASSES

The benefits of using group work have been early and widely identified in the

literature (Long and Porter 1985; Bejarano 1987; Davidheiser 1996; Davis 1997;

Brown, H.D 2001; Ramirez 2005; Fushimo 2010). Furthermore these advantages have

been emphasised as facilitators to teach in large classes (Pasigna 1997; Ives 2000; Hess

2001). The present study produced results that are consistent with those of other studies

and suggests that group work could be a solution for some of the difficulties found in

these YL large classes. Particularly in the case of providing opportunities to speak in

English in the lesson, assessing students individually and accounting for students’

individual learning styles and pace. This section presents suggestions to improve the use

of group work in TEYL in the context of large class sizes.

Firstly, the results of this study showed that in general teachers use group work in

research project activities, which involves six lessons or more to be completed. This

type of activity is used sparingly. Taking account the low number of hours of EFL they

have a week, it could be related to the low frequency on its implementation. This

situation suggests that it is not part of the daily “group-teaching strategies”.

Including the use of group work as part of the daily teaching routine could aid the

learning-teaching process, because it facilitates the monitoring of individual needs.

Heterogeneous classes could be organised according to their styles or pace and different





74



tasks should be planned for the different groups (Brown, H.D 2001: 179). Similarly, it

could encourage a cooperative learning environment in which “interdependence,

accountability, group formation, social skills, and structure are all communicated to the

students in multiple ways” in order to guide the language skills development (Oxford

1997: 446). Consequently, using group work not only in some sparingly used activities,

but in the daily teaching routine could facilitate dealing with these large classes

difficulties.

Secondly, the present study illustrated that some of the factors limiting the use of

group work are not controlled by teachers themselves, such as the number of hours EFL

is taught per week and the large syllabus teachers have to cover in limited time. As

these elements are managed by the MINEDUC National Curriculum, and they are

known in advance as features of the Chilean educational system; therefore, they could

be dealt with during teachers’ education. According to O’Sullivan (2006:35) “student

teachers need more effective preparation for teaching large classes, specifically the

development of their skills in using strategies which are effective, [...] feasible in the

classrooms in which they will be working.” Novice teachers need to be educated taking

into account these constraints. Furthermore, they need to be prepared to use strategies

such as group work and to develop cooperative learning (see section 2.5.2) so that they

could have better tools to face their future teaching context. Thus, prepared and

educated teachers to work in large classes could be more effective in their teaching.

Finally, the TEYL context implies certain methodology, strategies and activities

appropriate for this age group. Among these playful and meaning oriented activities,

there are the well known “listen and do” activities in which children develop their

language skills by showing comprehension and production in a game context (Scott and

Ytreberg 1990; Halliwell, 1992; Ur 1996; Delamain and Spring 2003).





75



These kinds of activities could facilitate the implementation of group work as part

of the lesson routine, as they involve students in the use of the English through the

game. In groups, students could carry out the tasks independently, cooperating and

supporting one another. This would allow the teacher to monitor students work as well

as encouraging the students themselves to take responsibility for accomplishing the task

objective.

In sum, the implementation of group work could benefit these YL large classes if it

is used more frequently, teachers are better instructed on it and appropriate activities are

used.

5.5. IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDIES

This exploratory research project focused on the difficulties in the YL large classes

in Chile and the role of group work in this context. This kind of study had not been

carried out in Chile in the EFL area before. Thus, this study could be taken as a pilot

research in which the findings presented could be the subject of further studies.

Further studies should be implemented with a large representative sample of teachers

from the different geographical regions in the country. Thereby, results could be

generalised to a wider level developing a country diagnosis on EFL large classes,

including the extent to which group work is used and teachers’ attitudes towards group

work. Similarly, including students’ perspective and classroom observation, as diversity

on the sources of information, could help to obtain a better understanding of the issue of

large classes. Further research could also examine the availability and quality of

teaching resources, textbooks and materials.

Further studies are also required to measure the benefits of group work use in dealing

with large classes of young learners. So far this study suggests it could be a facilitator.





76



The impact of such strategies on improving students’ linguistic skills, however, has not

been tested.

More broadly, the problem of improving EFL skills in Chilean education is far from

over. Consequently, the MINEDUC National Curriculum should take into account the

limitations of the educational system and develop more research in order to improve

EFL skills. Measuring the students’ skills should be accompanied by other steps to

support the learning-teaching process such as more hours of EFL lessons per week and

changes to teacher education and the curriculum to reflect and manage the context of

large class sizes.

5.6. CONCLUSION

This dissertation project has investigated large classes in Chile, particularly TEYL.

In this investigation, the aim was to assess the group work implementation and the

difficulties faced by teachers in this context.

Returning to the questions posed at the beginning of this study, it is now possible to

state that the Chilean EFL context of large classes differ in some areas from the African

or Asian context. Firstly, the difficulties faced by Chilean teachers deal with accounting

for individual learning needs and styles, evaluating students individually, give students

the opportunities to speak English in the class, and small classrooms. Secondly, the

most frequently used teaching-grouping strategy is whole-class approach and the least

implemented is group work. Thirdly, these teachers have a positive attitude towards

group work implementation, which it is not related to its use or the existing difficulties.

Finally, the factors limiting group work implementation seems to be beyond the

teachers’ control and respond to the Chilean educational system characteristics such as

hours of EFL lessons a week and syllabus. One of the more significant findings to





77



emerge from this study is that Chilean teachers do not have classroom management

difficulties, and that the challenges in large classes for them are more related to

developing linguistics skills.

The current findings contribute to a growing body of literature on large classes, EFL

and young language learners. In fact, this area of large classes is still weakly developed.

Hence, the focus should be on finding possible solutions to teach more efficiently with

the resources available. As one of the interviewed teacher said: “... you don’t have to

think about the problems you will face in large classes, but you have to think about the

solution you need for that problem, without the children realising that it’s a problem

that they are so many” [GJG005-29/07/2011]





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Peacock, M. 1998. ‘A Useful and Popular Lesson? Comparing Students Working in

Pairs and Threes in the ESL Classroom’, RELC Journal, 29:27-49

Pedder, D. 2006. ‘Are Small Classes Better? Understanding Relationships between

Size, Classroom Processes and Pupil’s Learning’ , Oxford Review of Education,

32:213-234

Pinter, A. 2006. Teaching Young Language Learners (Oxford: Oxford University

Press)

Ramírez, M. 2005.’Grouping Techniques in an EFL Classroom’, Current Research

on Education [Actualidades Investigativas en Educación], 5: 1-14. Electronic

magazine, http://revista.inie.ucr.ac.cr/

Scott, W and Ytreberg, L. 1990. Teaching English to Children (London: Longman)





83



Shamim, F, and others. 2007. Maximizing Learning in Large Classes: Issues and

Options (Addis Ababa: British Council)

Shamim, Fauzia, ‘Teaching and Researching English in Large Classes’ (Cardiff

Online, 43rd IATEFL Conference, 31 March- 4 April 2009)

Smith, R. 2010. ‘Teaching English in Difficult Circumstances: a New Research

Agenda’, in Pattison, T. (ed.). Forthcoming (2011). IATEFL 2010 Conference

Selections (Canterbury, Kent: IATEFL)

Storch, N and Aldosary, A. 2010. ‘Learners’ Use of First Language (Arabic) in Pair

Work in an EFL Class’, Language Teaching Research, 14:355-375

Ur, P. 1996. A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and Theory (Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press)

Watson-Todd, R. 2006. ‘Why to investigate Large Classes?’, Reflections KMUTT

Journal of Language Education, 9:1-12

Wesley, M. 2010. ‘Language Learning Motivation in Early Adolescents: Using

Mixed Methods Research to Explore Contradiction’, Journal of Mixed Methods

Research, 4:295-312

Wilson, V. 2002. ‘ Does Small Really Make a Difference? A Review of the Literature

on the Effects of Class Size on Teaching Practice and Pupils’ Behaviour and

Attainment’ (The Scottish Council for Research in Education. Research Report

No 107).





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APPENDICES





85



LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Research instrument: questionnaire ........................................................... 86

Appendix 1.1: Questionnaire English version ................................................................ 87

Appendix 1.2: Questionnaire Spanish version. .............................................................. 92

Appendix 2: Research instrument: Interview ................................................................. 97

Appendix 2.1: Interview English version. ...................................................................... 98

Appendix 2.2: Interview Spanish version..................................................................... 100

Appendix 3: Research instrument Consent Form Interview ........................................ 102

Appendix 3.1: Interview Consent form English version .............................................. 103

Appendix 3.2: Interview Consent form Spanish version .............................................. 104

Appendix 4: Codes definitions and examples. ............................................................. 105

Appendix 5: Intra-coder Agreement calculation .......................................................... 117





86



APPENDIX 1: RESEARCH INSTRUMENT: QUESTIONNAIRE





87



APPENDIX 1.1: QUESTIONNAIRE ENGLISH VERSION

CHILEAN TEACHERS OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE WITH YOUNG

LEARNERS

QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear Colleague,

I am conducting a small-scale piece of research into issues faced by Chilean teachers

of English as a foreign language with young learners in large classes. The topic is very

much under-researched in our country, and that is why I intend to explore this area.

The following questionnaire forms part of my investigation. I invite you to spend

short time in its completion as you have most experience in this particular field.

If you are willing to be involved, please complete the questionnaire in the followinglink by the 17

th July.

The questionnaire will take around 20 minutes to complete. You do not need to write

your name, unless you want to be interviewed by me at a later stage of my research.

Confidentiality and anonymity are assured. There is no right or wrong answers;

therefore, the success of this study depends on that your answers are as truthful as

possible regarding teaching English as a foreign language with young learners in large

classes.

If you wish to discuss any aspects of the study then please do not hesitate on contactme.

I will appreciate your participation a lot. May I thank you, in advance, for your

valuable contribution.

Yours sincerely,

Maria Jesus Inostroza Araos

MA Student, Applied Linguistics with TESOL

University of Sheffield

[email protected]

The following data will be used for Maria Jesus Inostroza Araos MA Dissertation in

Applied Linguistics with TESOL.

If you agree, please tick the box





88



I. Answer the following questions.

• Do you teach Year 6 students? Yes / No

•

How many students are there in the Year 6 class where you teach? ____

II. Please tick one answer for each option. Taking into account your teaching

practice with young learners of Year 6, indicate the degree of difficulty to

achieve the following:

Very

EasyEasy Neutral Difficult

Very

Difficult

1. Keep students interested. 1 2 3 4 5

2.

Make all students to participate in theactivities.

1 2 3 4 5

3. Give learners the opportunity to express

themselves in English.1 2 3 4 5

4. Identifying learners’ difficulties. 1 2 3 4 5

5. Accounting for different individual

learning styles.1 2 3 4 5

6. Monitoring learners’ progress. 1 2 3 4 5

7.

Assessing learners individually. 1 2 3 4 58.

Providing feedback. 1 2 3 4 5

9. Providing remedial actions to learners. 1 2 3 4 5

10. Managing discipline. 1 2 3 4 5

11. Managing time effectively in the lessons. 1 2 3 4 5

12. Managing classroom setting (moving

furniture).1 2 3 4 5

III. Would you like to add any difficulty that you face or come across when teaching

young learners of Year 6?





89



IV. Please tick one answer for each option. In your teaching practice with young

learners of Year 6, how often do you use the following activities:

Never Rarely Sometimes Regularly Always

1.

Whole-class teaching 1 2 3 4 5

2. Group work (3 to 6 students) 1 2 3 4 5

3. Pair work 1 2 3 4 5

4. Individual work 1 2 3 4 5

V. Please tick one answer for each statement. Indicate your degree of agreement

or disagreement with the following statements.

Strongly

DisagreeDisagree

Neither

agree nor

disagree

Agree

Strongly

Agree

1. Using group work makes me feel

no longer in control of the class.1 2 3 4 5

2. Group work encourages the use of

Spanish.1 2 3 4 5

3. In group work students’ errors are

reinforced.1 2 3 4 5

4. It is difficult to monitor group work

in the classroom.1 2 3 4 5





90



I. Please tick one answer for each statement. Indicate your degree of agreement

or disagreement with the following statements.

Strongly

Disagree Disagree

Neither

agree nor

disagree

Agree

Strongly

Agree

1. When students work in groups,

they are actively involved in real

communication contexts.

1 2 3 4 5

2. When working in groups

language learning is much more

meaningful.

1 2 3 4 5

3. Group work creates a positive

climate in the classroom.1 2 3 4 5

4. Group work increases the

opportunities to practice English.1 2 3 4 5

5. Group work enables students to

learn from one another.1 2 3 4 5

6. Group work promotes students’

responsibility for learning.

1 2 3 4 5

II. Is there any other situation that has not been mentioned in this questionnaire but

you think it is relevant?





91



III. Please, complete the following personal details:

Other relevant qualifications:

Would you like to be interviewed? Yes / No

If your answer is YES, please complete the following personal information:

Name

Email address

Thank you for your cooperation!

1. Age: 2. Female / Male:

3.

English Teaching Qualification: Yes / No 4.

Time teaching English





92



APPENDIX 1.2: QUESTIONNAIRE SPANISH VERSION.

PROFESORES DE INGLÉS COMO LENGUA EXTRANJERA DE NIÑOS EN CURSOS

NUMEROSOS

CUESTIONARIO

Estimado/a Colega,

Me encuentro realizando una investigación a pequeña escala acerca de las

problemáticas que enfrentan los profesores chilenos de inglés como lengua extranjera

con niños pequeños en cursos numerosos. Decidí estudiar este tema debido a que existe

muy poca investigación en nuestro país sobre esta área.

El siguiente cuestionario forma parte de mi investigación. Por favor le solicito que

dedique algunos minutos completando la siguiente encuesta, en vista de su vastaexperiencia en este campo en particular.

Si desea participar, por favor conteste el cuestionario que le hará mi asistente en

Chile.

El cuestionario debiera tomar alrededor de 20 minutos para ser completado. La

presente encuesta es anónima, por lo que no necesita dar su nombre, a menos que desee

participar de una entrevista personal en la segunda etapa de este estudio. Se asegura laconfidencialidad y el anonimato. No existen respuestas ni buenas ni malas; por lo

tanto el éxito de este estudio depende que sus respuestas lo más ajustadas a la realidad

posible, en el tema de la enseñanza de inglés como lengua extranjera a niños en cursosnumerosos.

Si usted tiene alguna consulta acerca del estudio o alguna dificultad para contestar la

encuesta, por favor no dude en contactarme.

Le solicito encarecidamente su participación y permítame agradecerle de antemano

por tan valiosa contribución. Se despide cordialmente,

Maria Jesus Inostroza AraosEstudiante de MA en Lingüística Aplicada con Enseñanza del inglés a hablantes de

otros idiomas (TESOL)

Universidad de Sheffield

[email protected]

Los siguientes datos serán utilizados por María Jesús Inostroza Araos en su Tesis de

Grado en Lingüística Aplicada con Enseñanza del inglés a hablantes de otros idiomas.

Si está de acuerdo, por favor marque el recuadro





93



I. Responda las siguientes preguntas.

• ¿Es usted profesor/a de inglés de estudiantes de 5to básico? Si / No

•

¿En los cursos de 5to básico, donde usted enseña, cuántos alumnos tiene en

aula? ____

II. Por favor marque solo una respuesta por cada opción. Considerando su

práctica docente diaria con niños de 5to básico en cursos numerosos, indique el

grado de facilidad o dificultad para conseguir lo siguiente en la clase:

Muy

FácilFácil Neutral Difícil

Muy

Difícil

1. Mantener a los estudiantes interesados. 1 2 3 4 5

2.

Hacer que todos los estudiantesparticipen en las actividades.

1 2 3 4 5

3. Dar oportunidades a los estudiantes

para que se expresen en inglés.1 2 3 4 5

4. Identificar las dificultades de los

estudiantes.1 2 3 4 5

5. Tomar en cuenta los estilos de

aprendizaje de cada estudiante.1 2 3 4 5

6. Monitorear el progreso de los

estudiantes.1 2 3 4 5

7.

Evaluar a los estudiantesindividualmente.

1 2 3 4 5

8. Hacer comentarios sobre su desempeño. 1 2 3 4 5

9. Proporcionar orientación en acciones

para alcanzar los objetivos esperados.1 2 3 4 5

10. Controlar la disciplina. 1 2 3 4 5

11. Manejar efectivamente el tiempo en las

clases.1 2 3 4 5

12. Manejar la distribución de la sala de

clases (mover el mobiliario).1 2 3 4 5

III. ¿Le gustaría señalar alguna otra dificultad que tenga que enfrentar (o que le haya

tocado vivir) en su práctica pedagógica diaria con niños de 5to básico?





94



IV. Por favor marque solo una respuesta por cada opción. En su práctica docente

diaria con niños de 5to básico en cursos numerosos, con qué regularidad utiliza

las siguientes actividades?:

Nunca Pocas veces A veces Regularmente Siempre

1. Enseñar frente a todo al

curso1 2 3 4 5

2. Trabajo grupal (de 3 a 6

niños)1 2 3 4 5

3. Trabajo de a dos 1 2 3 4 5

4. Trabajo individual 1 2 3 4 5

V. Por favor marque solo una respuesta por cada aseveración. Indique su grado

de acuerdo o desacuerdo con las siguientes aseveraciones.

Estoy

completamente

en desacuerdo

Estoy en

desacuerdo

No estoy de

acuerdo ni en

desacuerdo

Estoy de

acuerdo

Estoy

completamente

de acuerdo

1. Al hacer trabajo en grupo,

siento que pierdo el control

del curso.

1 2 3 4 5

2.

El trabajo en grupo

incentiva el uso del

español.

1 2 3 4 5

3. Al trabajar en grupo, se

refuerzan los errores de

los estudiantes.

1 2 3 4 5

4. Es muy difícil monitorear

el trabajo en grupo en la

sala de clases.

1 2 3 4 5





95



VI. Por favor marque solo una respuesta por cada aseveración. Indique su grado

de acuerdo o desacuerdo con las siguientes aseveraciones.

Estoy

completamente

en desacuerdo

Estoy en

desacuerdo

No estoy de

acuerdo ni en

desacuerdo

Estoy de

acuerdo

Estoy

completamente

de acuerdo

1. Cuando los estudiantes

trabajan en grupos participan

activamente en contextos de

comunicación real.

1 2 3 4 5

2. Cuando trabajan en grupo, el

aprendizaje del idioma se torna

más significativo.

1 2 3 4 5

3. El trabajo en grupo promueve

el clima positivo en la sala de

clases.

1 2 3 4 5

4. El trabajo en grupo aumenta

las oportunidades de practicar

inglés.

1 2 3 4 5

5. El trabajo en grupo permite a

los estudiantes aprender de sus

pares.

1 2 3 4 5

6.

El trabajo en grupo promueve

la responsabilidad de los

estudiantes respecto de su

aprendizaje.

1 2 3 4 5

VII. ¿Hay alguna otra situación que usted crea que es relevante, pero no haya sido

mencionada con anterioridad?





96



VIII. Por favor, complete la siguiente información personal:

Otros certificados relevantes:

¿Estaría de acuerdo en participar de una entrevista? Si / No

Si su respuesta es SI, por favor llene la siguiente información personal:

Nombre

Correo electrónico

¡Muchas gracias por su cooperación!

5. Edad: 6. Sexo:

7.

Título de profesor/a de inglés: Si / No 8.

Tiempo que lleva enseñando inglés:







98



APPENDIX 2.1: INTERVIEW ENGLISH VERSION.


LEARNERS

INTERVIEW SCRIPT

At any time during your participation, you have the right to withdraw from the

interview, without having to give a reason. All the recordings will be stored and

organized by code with no access to your personal information. Thus, confidentiality

and anonymity are assured. There is no right or wrong answers; therefore, the success

of this study depends on that your answers are as truthful as possible regarding teachingEnglish as a foreign language with young learners in large classes

LARGE CLASSES

1. How would you describe teaching English to Year 6 students in large classes?

2. What is the most difficult situation that you have to face when teaching in this

context?

3. How do you deal with it?

GROUP WORK

4. Do you use group work?

5. Why do you use or not use group work?

6. How often do you use group work?

7. In your own words, what is the purpose of using group work in general?

8. What does it make you choose to use group work for a specific activity?

9. Could you describe a typical lesson in which group work has been implemented?

What happens? What do the children do? How do they behave? Do they use

their native language? What do you do?





99



SUBJECT PERSONAL DATA

1. How old are you?

2. How long have you been teaching English?

3. Female / Male

4. Do you have an English Teaching of Qualification?

5 How many students are there in your Year 6 classes?

CONCLUDING THE INTERVIEW

• Would you like to discuss any other issue that you think would be relevant for me?

• Would you like to read any transcripts made? Yes? No? If yes, where should it be

sent?

• Check opportunity for follow-up questions

• Thank you for time





100



APPENDIX 2.2: INTERVIEW SPANISH VERSION.

PROFESORES CHILENOS DE INGLÉS COMO LENGUA EXTRANJERA CON NIÑOS

ENTREVISTA

Usted se reserva el derecho de dejar la entrevista en cualquier momento durante

su participación, sin necesidad de dar un motivo. Esta grabación hecha será almacenada

y organizada con un código, por lo que su información personal no podrá ser

identificada. De este modo, se asegura la confidencialidad y el anonimato. No existen

respuestas correctas o equivocadas; por lo que, el éxito de este estudio depende de que

sus respuestas sean lo más ajustadas a la realidad posible, en el tema de la enseñanza del

inglés como lengua extranjera con niños en cursos numerosos.

CURSOS NUMEROSOS

1. ¿En sus palabras cómo describiría el hacerle clases de inglés a niños de 5to

básico en cursos numerosos?

2. ¿Cuál es la situación más difícil que tiene que enfrentar al enseñar en este

contexto?

3.

¿Cómo lo resuelve?

TRABAJO EN GRUPO

4. ¿Utiliza el trabajo en grupo?

5. ¿Por qué utiliza, o no utiliza, el trabajo en grupo?

6. ¿Con qué frecuencia utiliza trabajo en grupo en clases?

7. ¿Cuál es el objetivo de utilizar trabajo en grupo?

8. ¿Qué le hace preferir el trabajo en grupo para una actividad en específico?

9. ¿Podría describir una jornada típica en que se ha implementado el trabajo en

grupo? ¿Qué sucede? ¿Qué hacen los niños? ¿Cuál es el comportamiento de los

niños? ¿Usan su lengua materna? ¿Qué hace usted?





101



DATOS PERSONALES DEL PARTICIPANTE

1. ¿Qué edad tiene?

2. ¿Cuánto tiempo lleva enseñando inglés?

3. Sexo:

4. ¿Posee un título de profesor de inglés?

5 ¿Cuántos estudiantes tienen en su curso de 5to básico?

CONCLUSIÓN DE LA ENTREVISTA

• ¿Hay algún tema que le gustaría tratar que crea que sería de mi interés?

• ¿Desea leer cualquier transcripción que se haya hecho? ¿Sí? ¿No? Si su

respuesta es sí, ¿dónde se debe enviar?

• Verificar la oportunidad de preguntas de seguimiento.

• Gracias por su tiempo.





102



APPENDIX 3: RESEARCH INSTRUMENT CONSENT FORM

INTERVIEW





103



APPENDIX 3.1: INTERVIEW CONSENT FORM ENGLISHVERSION


LEARNERS

CONSENT FORM

Dear Colleague,

This small-scale study researches into issues faced by Chilean teachers of English as

a foreign language with young learners in large classes. The following interview form

part of my investigation. I invite you answer some questions as you have most

experience in this particular field.

The interview will take around 15 to 45 minutes to complete. At any time duringyour participation, you have the right to withdraw from the interview, without

having to give a reason. All the recordings will be stored and organized by code with no

access to your personal information. Thus, confidentiality and anonymity areassured. There is no right or wrong answers; therefore, the success of this study

depends on that your answers are as truthful as possible regarding teaching English as a

foreign language with young learners in large classes.

Yours sincerely,


MA Student, Applied Linguistics with TESOL

University of Sheffield

[email protected]

Please complete the following form and if you agree with any of the statements, please

tick the box

I consent to be interviewed

I consent to be recorded

I consent this data to be used for this project only

I am aware that I have the right to withdraw from the interview at any stage

Date

Signature

Thank you for your cooperation!





104



APPENDIX 3.2: INTERVIEW CONSENT FORM SPANISHVERSION

PROFESORES CHILENOS DE INGLÉS COMO LENGUA EXTRANJERA CON NIÑOS

FORMULARIO DE CONSENTIMIENTO

Estimado colega,

Este estudio a pequeña escala investiga acerca de las problemáticas que enfrentan los

profesores chilenos de inglés como lengua extranjera con niños en cursos numerosos.

La siguiente entrevista forma parte de mi investigación.

Completar la entrevista debiera tomar entre 15 y 45 minutos. Usted se reserva elderecho de dejar la entrevista en cualquier momento durante su participación, sin

necesidad de dar un motivo. Toda grabación hecha será almacenada y organizada con

un código, por lo que su información personal no podrá ser identificada. De este modo,se asegura la confidencialidad y el anonimato. No existen respuestas correctas o

equivocadas; por lo que, el éxito de este estudio depende de que sus respuestas sean lo

más ajustadas a la realidad posible, en el tema de la enseñanza del inglés como lengua

extranjera con niños en cursos numerosos.

Se despide cordialmente,


Estudiante de MA en Lingüística Aplicada con Enseñanza de Inglés como LenguaExtranjera

Universidad de Sheffield

[email protected]

Por favor complete el siguiente formulario y si está de acuerdo con cualquiera de los

enunciados, por favor haga una marca en el recuadro.

Acepto participar en la entrevista

Acepto que se grabe el audio de mi entrevista

Acepto que estos datos sean utilizados solamente para este proyecto

Estoy en conocimiento de que tengo el derecho de no continuar con

esta entrevista en cualquier momento

Nombre

Firma Fecha

¡Gracias por su cooperación!





105



APPENDIX 4: CODES DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLES.

DIFFICULTIES IN LARGE CLASSES SSttuuddeenntt’’ss IInnvvoollvveemmeenntt refers to the student engagement with the lesson, taking

actively part by action and participation. There are three codes in this subcategory,

which are defined as follows.

Student’s interest understood as the students showing the desire to learn by listening.

For example:

“Como te digo, cuando tú tienes cuarenta, hablemos de cuarenta

alumnas como un average, ok, ya cuarenta alumnas en clases; claro hay

treinta que están totalmente enganchadas contigo o veinticinco

enganchadas con la clase... Pero eso, el resto las quince o diez restante

no lo están. Entonces ahí se produce el problema a veces de, no voy a

decir mala conducta, pero sí de desinterés.” [RSP006-30/07/2011]

“As I was telling you, if you have forty, let’s say, forty students as an

average, ok? forty students in a class, there are thirty who are totally

involved with the lesson or twenty-five who are involved with the

lesson...But the rest, the ten or fifteen left, are not. So the problemsometimes arises of, not bad behaviour, but lack of interest.” [RSP006-

30/07/2011]

Students’ participation, when students take part in the lesson giving opinions, answering

questions, etc. For example:

“Alumnos que no se atreven a hablar inglés en la sala y que reclaman si

la clase es mayoritariamente en inglés” [questionnaire qualitative data]

“There are students who are too shy to speak in English in front of the

class and who complain if the lesson is mostly in English” [questionnaire

qualitative data]

Opportunity to Speak English, teachers provide the time and situation or instance for

students to speak English. For instance:

“Pero interacción en que ellos tengan que hacer diálogos, conversaciones

por el estilo, he hecho poquísimas en realidad en ese curso, por el mismotema de la indisciplina.” [SAB007-30/07/2011]





106



“... interaction activities in which they have to do some dialogues,

conversations and things like that, I have done very few with that class,

due to the discipline issue.” [SAB007-30/07/2011]

CCllaassssrroooomm MMaannaaggeemmeenntt: the teachers’ ability to establish the timing, the

behavioural rules and the objectives for a lesson or particular activity. In this sub-

category we can find two codes.

Manage Discipline, which is defined as the control over the students’ behaviour. For

example:

“en general, por la cantidad de alumnos se da mucho que mientras queestán algunos callados el resto está hablando, luego que uno logra hacer

callar a los que están hablando, empieza a hablar el resto de los alumnos,

y si uno continua la clase y se pone a dar las instrucciones mientras parte

del curso está hablando, después la mitad del curso no sabe qué es lo que

tiene.” [SAB007-30/07/2011]

“in general, because of the number of students, it is very common that

while some of the students are quiet the rest of them are talking, then when

you have finally controlled them, the other students start talking, and if you

keep on with the lesson and give the instructions while part of the class is

talking, then the other half doesn’t know what they have to do” [SAB007-30/07/2011]

Manage Lesson time, which is defined as the teachers’ ability to organise time

effectively for the instruction, activities, tasks or project for a particular lesson plan,

establish and control the timing of the lesson. An example could be:

“El problema es que no siempre alcanzan por el tiempo, se demoran un

poco o se distraen con, qué se yo, buscando imágenes y después el restodel trabajo lo hacen en la casa y ahí donde viene el problema.” [FFP003-

26/07/2011]

“The problem is that students not always finish on time because the lesson

is short, they take too long or get distracted, for example, looking for

images and then the rest of the task is finished at home and there is when

the problem starts.” [FFP003-26/07/2011]

MMoonniittoorriinngg LLeeaarrnniinngg refers to the teachers’ role of monitoring the students learning

through collecting information in the classroom to provide feedback, guide their





107



students to improve their language skills, restructure their teaching or report others

about students’ progress (adapted from McKay 2006). There are six codes in this sub-

category.

Identification of Students’ Difficulties, defined as when teachers are able to spot the

situations or contents that cause problems to each student. For instance:

“[Dificultades en cursos numerosos] Atender las necesidades de los

alumnos con problemas de aprendizaje no sólo al momento de realizar

las actividades sino también al evaluarlos.” [questionnaire qualitative

data]

“[Difficulties in large classes] Assisting the needs of those students’ with

learning difficulties not only when doing the activities but also when

evaluating them” [questionnaire qualitative data]

Account for Individual Learning Styles refers to the identification of each student’s

individual learning styles. Such as:

“lo que a mi me parece relevante, en términos de la cantidad de alumnos

en un curso es también el asunto de poder enfocarse en los distintos, en

las distintas formas de aprendizaje y en los distintos ritmos de avance

que tiene los alumnos.” [SAB007-30/07/2011]

“Regarding the number of students in a class, it is relevant to be able to

focus on the different learning styles and the different learning pace,

because it is a fact that in a class there will be disparate learning pace.”

[SAB007-30/07/2011]

Monitor Learners’ Progress is understood as the continued checking of the learners’

development in learning, so that you can make any necessary changes. As it can seen in

this extract:

“Y ritmos también de aprendizajes distintos, y como a mi por lo menos

me ha pasado, que como tengo algunos niños que tienen dificultades de

aprendizaje, tengo que atender a esos niños para que no queden atrás,

pero también sucede que quedan, los niños que aprenden más rápido

quedan algunas veces, ahí terminan en un rato sus tareas y se aburren.”

[MJS002-24/07/2011]

“And the pace of learning is also different. And as it has happened to me,

I have some kids who have learning difficulties. I have to assist them so





108



that they do not fall behind, but then you have those kids that learn

faster; they finish their work quickly and they get bored” [MJS002-

24/07/2011]

Individual Learner Assessment deals with the times and ways in which the learners are

evaluated one by one. For instance:

“las excepciones son los niños que por, personalidad o algún problema,

que yo ya los ubico, no son capaces de hablar frente al grupo, a esos

niños yo les permito que hagan una parte aparte, que me lo presenten en

la sala de profesores o en un gimnasio en un lugar, en la hora de

almuerzo para mi no más.” [NJP004-26/07/2011]

“the exceptions are the kids that because of their personality or some

problem are not able to speak in front of the class. I know who they are,

so I allow those kids to do it separately, in the teachers lounge or in a place at the gymnasium at lunch time, only for me” [NJP004-

26/07/2011]

Providing Feedback, understood as the information given to students or parents about

learners’ process on learning and/or specific activity outcome.

Provide Remedial Action, defined as the set of steps or actions to follow in order to

achieve certain language skills objectives.

SSttuuddeennttss’’ CChhaarraacctteerriissttiiccss which describes the environmental and personal features

of the learners in the class. There are is three codes in this sub-category:

Develop students’ habits and social norms defined as to make students take turns,

respect each other and use good manners when interacting with other students or the

teacher. For example:

“Generalmente lo padres están muy ausentes, por lo tantos ellos se

hacen así mismos, con las leyes que ellos se consideran que son

correctas. Es decir, cero educación en modales y en respetarse uno a

otros.” [NJP004-26/07/2011]

“It is common that the parents are not present in their lives; therefore,

they [children] grow by their own, with their own ideas of what is

correct. That means null education in good manners and mutual respect”

[NJP004-26/07/2011]





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Manage students’ age development refers to account for all the changes students

suffer because of their age, in which they kinds who start becoming adolescents. As can

be seen in this extract:

“A esa edad los niños entran en una etapa pre adolescente, por lo que

cuesta un poco manejarlos, ya que se ponen medios rebeldes. Además en

esta etapa comienzan a ser mucho más críticos con el profesor y la

enseñanza, por lo mismo es complicado mantenerlos atentos y contentos

en la sala de clases.” [questionnaire qualitative data]

“At that age the children begin a stage of pre-adolescence; therefore, it

is difficult to manage them because they become a bit of a rebel. In

addition in this stage they start to be much more critic with the teachers

and the teaching, because of that it is complicated to keep them attentive

and content in the class.” [questionnaire qualitative data]

Involve parents’ support the need teachers identify to involve parents in their

children learning process as a support element in their development. For instance:

“A esta edad los niños que están chiquititos, tienen diez años, están en

una etapa de cambio, pero lo papás los tratan como chicos o los tratan

como grandes. Entonces lamentablemente para ellos, ellos todavía

necesitan el apoyo para poder estudiar para una prueba.” [ARP001-

22/07/2011]

“At this children’s age they are still very young. They are ten years old,

and they are in at a stage of change, but parents treat them either as kids

or as grown ups. So unfortunately for them, they still need support to

study for a test.” [ARP001-22/07/2011]

TTeeaacchhiinngg RReessoouurrcceess. All the resources that aid the teaching process such as

textbooks, audio devices, classroom furniture (desks and chairs), blackboard, etc. In this

sub-category there are four codes:

Manage Classroom Setting, which refers to the possibility of moving furniture

according to the lesson needs. Such as:

“… el hecho que se reúnan las condiciones de grupo numeroso, con

mobiliario deficiente, con un piso que suena, que cruje y que la acústica

es malísima. ... eso dificulta las clases igual. Porque las niñas están

como hacinadas también, apenas se pueden mover, .... ya el mover la

organización del mobiliario es casi imposible, yo casi no puedo hacer





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eso, porque atenta contra la seguridad también. Tenemos casi justo en el

pasillo para poder evacuar en el caso de y sería, porque es muy chico el

espacio, son muchas niñas y además la sala no invita tampoco, no es

muy agradable porque esas salas son las más viejas del colegio”.

[FFP003-26/07/2011]

“… the fact that there are large classes, deficient classroom furniture, a

creaking floor and bad acoustics in the classroom... that makes teaching

more difficult. Because girls are like crowded into the classroom, they

can barely move... then to move the furniture and rearrange the

classroom setting is almost impossible. The aisle is just big enough to

evacuate if it is necessary and that’s it, because the space is too small,

there are too many girls and apart from that the classroom is not really

appealing, it is not very nice because those classrooms are the oldest in

the school.” [FFP003-26/07/2011]

Availability of Audio or Visual Aids, understood as CD, cassette or any audio

recordings format and equipment to support the English lesson. An example of that is:

“La sala no cuenta con medios audiovisuales, no tiene enchufes

adecuados para usar la radio con CD” [questionnaire qualitative data]

“In the classroom there aren’t audiovisual means available, there isn’t

any power point to use a CD player” [questionnaire qualitative data]

Availability of Supporting Materials, refers to any material that could help or aid

teaching such as flashcards, photocopies, resource books, etc. For example:

“La falta de material tanto didáctico (fotocopias, etc) como tecnológico

(desarrollo de comprensión auditiva, etc)” [questionnaire qualitative

data]

“There is a lack not only of didactic material (photocopies, etc) but also

of technological material (to develop listening comprehension, etc)


Hours of EFL Lessons a Week, can be defined as the number of pedagogic hours, 45

minutes periods, of English lessons that students have a week

“La poca cantidad de horas de inglés dadas por el Ministerio de

Educación (solo 3 a la semana) lo que impide que se profundice o

se dedique más tiempo a cada alumno para el desarrollo de todas

las habilidades lingüísticas, todo esto relacionado a la cantidad

de alumnos por clase.” [questionnaire qualitative data]





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“There are few hours of English lessons given by the Ministry of

Education (only 3 a week) [meaning 3 periods of 45 minute class

each]. Spending more time with each student and improving all

his linguistic skills is not possible, especially considering the

number of students per class” [questionnaire qualitative data]

GROUP-TEACHING STRATEGIES

These strategies are used to organize and manage language lessons.

Whole-class, where the teacher provides oral input, learners repeat and / or then copy

facts into their books or notebooks (O’Sullivan 2006: 32). Such as:

“Lo primero, por ejemplo, yo explico la materia en general y después yovoy, como yo ya los conozco a los niños, voy en forma puntual. A ver, yo

sé cuando un niño no entiende por que ponen una ca..en el rostro se

nota, o empiezan por ejemplo a jugar con los lápices,…” [MJS002-

24/07/2011]

“Firstly, I explain the content in general and then I monitor, as I know

the kids, individually. I know when a kid doesn’t understand because in

his face it is clear, or he starts playing with the pencils.” [MJS002-

24/07/2011]

Individual Work , in which learners work isolated from the group focused on their own

task. For instance:

“Porque yo hago trabajo bastante individual, mucho en pareja, y lo

menos que hago es grupo, porque a veces es un poco complejo”

[FFP003-26/07/2011]

“Because I do a lot of individual work, a lot of pair work and the least

thing I do is group work, because sometimes it is a bit complex”

[FFP003-26/07/2011]

Pair Work, in which learners carry out an activity or task together with a partner. It

could also involve comparing, and correcting answer. The following extract illustrates

it:

“Trabajo en pares no más, para que se revisen, por ejemplo, las tareas o

revisen la actividad, pero no he usado, este año no he usado en ningún

curso trabajo en grupo” [MJS02-24/07/2011]





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“I have implemented pair work only, so that students check each other’s

homework, for example, or check a specific activity, but this year I

haven’t used in any class group work.” [MJS02-24/07/2011]

Group Work, understood as the task or activity developed by a group of 3 or more

learners, who collaborate to fulfil a common objective. For example:

“(¿Usted usa el trabajo en grupo?) Sí, bastante, bastante. No solamente en la

clase misma, sino que también trabajos tipo proyecto de investigación. Por

ejemplo: van a hacer algún poster y ese poster lo van a explicar frente al curso,

lo va a exponer, utilizo mucho el que se junten en grupo, no grupos muy grande...

Y al pasearme en la sala y tener ocho o siete grupos formados, tal vez nueve

grupos formados, se me hace más expedito, porque en un grupo controlo a

cuatro o cinco niños de una vez, en vez de tener que controlar de a uno por uno a

los cuarenta y cinco, cuarenta y cuatro niños en una sala.” [GJG005-29/07/2011]

“(Do you use group work?) Yes, a lot, not only during the lesson, but also in

tasks like research projects. For example: they are going to do a poster and they

are going to explain that poster in front of the class, they are going to present it.

I use a lot of group work, not big groups...So when I walk around the classroom

and have eight or seven groups, maybe nine groups, it facilitates teaching

because in a group I control four or five kids at once, instead of controlling one

by one the fort-five children in the class.” [GJG005-29/07/2011]

ATTITUDE TOWARDS GROUP WORK

PPoossiittiivvee AAttttiittuuddee

This category refers to the positive elements that may influence teachers to use or

implement group work in the classroom.

Active Communication Involvement, understood as willingness of students in using or

attempting to use English to communicate in or off-task. Such as the following:

“la actividad que hice el primer semestre que recién pasó, fue una: ellas se

juntaron en grupos de a cuatro para hacerse una mini interview, donde se tenían

que preguntar: eh su nombre, su apellido, como se deletrean ambas cosas, la

ciudad donde vivían y ... le preguntaba what's your favourite room of the house?

Entonces ahí trabajaban esa entrevista. .... porque la actividad final era que

ellas pudiesen entrevistarse entre ellas.” [RSP003-30/27/2011]

“an example was the activity I did in the first semester: they got together in

groups of four to carry out a mini interview, in which they had to ask their name,





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family name, how to spell both things, the city where they lived and...they asked

‘what's your favourite room of the house?’ So they worked in the interview...

because the final task was that they were able to interview one another.”

[RSP003-30/27/2011]

Meaningful Language Learning deals with proper connection between the learners’ own

world and the English learning context. For instance:

“han investigado, por ejemplo, de artístas, deportitas, gente famosa

que está allá, un poco conectando con lo que ellas ven en las

películas en programas de televisión, entonces acercando un poco eh

cosas de la realidad que ellas ven, o de la publicidad” [FFP003-

26/07/2011]

“they have researched, for example, about artists, famous sports people, celebrities from there [English speaking countries] in a way

connected to what they see on films, on TV shows, making closer the

things they see in their daily reality or the ads.” [FFP003-

26/07/2011]

Positive Climate in the Classroom describes a learning environment where students can

express themselves freely and in which teacher and students work collaboratively. As it

can be seen in the following extract:

“Pero en esos momentos, digamos, gritaban "Don Francisco, no, no és

Don Francisco" y utilizaban mucho lenguaje en castellano y eso producía

un poco de toletole en que todos los diferentes grupos querían mostrar

que ellos eran los que sabían el personaje que se describía.” [GJG005-

29/07/2011]

“But in those moments, let say, they yelled “Don Francisco, no, it’s not

Don Francisco” and used a lot of words in Spanish and that made a bit of

a mess in which the different groups wanted to show they knew the name

of the person that had been described.” [GJG005-29/07/2011]

Foreign Language Practice Opportunities is defined as any situation in which the learner

has the chance to use English. For example:

“Si nosotros estamos hablando de dar direcciones, a mi no me sirve que ellos

memoricen las direcciones, a mi me interesa que ellos lo lleven a una situación

donde ellos me presenten "vamos a salir con un grupo de amigos y nos perdemos

¿cómo llegamos al cine?" Entonces ellos tienen que empezar a preguntar y todos

hacen un personaje; por lo tanto, ahí, aquí lo que yo enseñé, que ellos

memorizaron, al mismo a tiempo ahora lo rescatamos y lo ponemos en un





114



contexto de una situación real. Entonces ahí veo si ellos aprendieron, utilizan

bien o no dar indicación” [NJP004-26/07/2011]

“ If we are talking about giving directions, for me it is does not matter that they

memorise statements. I want them to think themselves in a situation they can

present: ‘we are going out with a group of friends and we got lost, how do we getto the cinema?’ So they have to start asking and all perform a character;

therefore, in this case, what I have taught them and they memorised is put now it

into practice in a real situation. There I can see if they learnt, using correctly or

not the expressions to give directions.” [NJP004-26/07/2011]

Learning from One Another understood as any situation in which learners support each

other or one another in the development of their language skills. This extract

exemplified this point:

“hay niñas que tienen diferentes niveles, que llegan algunas muy bien

preparadas con hartos conocimientos previos ... y otras niñas que llegan

de otros colegios pero nada, sabiendo nada de, ni siquiera saludarse,

vienen como muy en blanco, entonces estos trabajo, yo intento de que se

mezclen las niñas, que hagan amigas, que las alumnas que tengan

habilidad, que les vaya bien, y que tengan hartos conocimiento previos

que no les cueste tanto, con otras niñas que tengan, como la condición

opuesta, entonces se van ayudando. Si no sabe las palabras la otras se

ayudan, entonces, también se crea una interacción en donde ellas se

alimentan mutuamente. Yo lo hago con ese motivo.” [FFP003-26/07/2011]

“There are girls that have different levels, girls that come really prepared

with a lot background knowledge... and there are others that come from

other schools but knowing nothing, not even how to greet. They come like

in a blank ignorance, so with this tasks I try that the girls mingle, that they

become friends, that the students with skills, with good grades, and with a

lot of previous knowledge mingle with other girls that have like the

opposite condition, so they help each other. If one doesn’t know the words

the others help each other so that creates an interaction where they give

feedback from one another.” [FFP003-26/07/2011]

Students’ Learning Responsibility refers to any action or attitude which reflects the

learners’ willingness to learn on their own. As we can see here:

“ellas tienen que hacer como un bosquejo, un mini proyecto, de cómo les

gustaría hacerlo, también eligen una secretaria, la cual me tiene que

entregar a mí los datos principales, a lo mejor el nombre del proyecto

que quieren hacer, las integrantes, el tema que van a trabajar, como los

lineamientos generales, como el esqueleto del, de su proyecto, de su

trabajo, y en la primera etapa ellas lo organizan: quien va hacer tales





115



cosas, como lo van a organizar, quien se va a preocupar, si hay que

tener imágenes, quien va a ver las imágenes, quien va a ver el tema eh de

completar los textos” [FFP003-26/07/2011]

“They have to do like a draft, a mini project, of how they would like to

carry it out. They also choose a secretary, who has to give me the maininformation like the name of the project, the name of the members of the

group, the topics they are going to deal with and the general structure of

the project, of their work. And in the first stage they organise each other:

who is going to do what, how they are going to organise it, who is going

to be in charge of the images, if they are needed, who is going to be in

charge of completing the texts.” [FFP003-26/07/2011]

NNeeggaattiivvee AAttttiittuuddee

The negative elements or feeling that may influence the teachers to avoid

implementing group work in the classroom will be the definition for this category.

Class control deals with any expression of necessity of control everything and

everybody in the class. Such as:

“lo que me cuesta manejar en el trabajo en grupo la parte como de la

disciplina.” [MJS002-24/07/2011]

“what is more difficult to manage during group work is the part of thediscipline.” [MJS002-24/07/2011]

Reinforcement of Students’ Error deals with any action where students produce an error

in English (grammar, vocabulary, preposition, etc) and other learners in the group repeat

it, assuming it as the correct form.

Group Work Monitoring understood as the teacher opportunity to watch and check the

development of the activity or task in each group.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF GROUP WORK

The factors or elements in the teaching experience that teachers influence their

decision of implementing group work in the classroom will be the definition for this

category. There are four code in this category.





116



Time for Planning deals with the time teachers have for organising and plan lessons and

activities within them. Such as:

“Muy rara vez, al menos en ese curso, muy rara vez he usado trabajo en

grupo. Ehm por un tema de, que también como estoy teniendo poco

tiempo para preparar las clases y el trabajo en grupo requiere una

planificación mucho más cuidadosa para asegurarse que el trabajo

funcione” [SAB007-30/07/2011]

“At least in this class, I have rarely used group work. Because I am

having little time for preparing the lessons and group work requires an

accurate planning to ensure that the task works”. [SAB007-30/07/2011]

Syllabus Priority understood as the teacher opportunity to watch and check the

development of the activity or task in each group.

Hours of EFL a week can be defined as the number of pedagogic hours, 45 minute

periods, of English lessons that students have a week.

An example of these two codes can be found in the following extract:

“depende de la cantidad de horas que uno tenga a la semana. En quinto

básico, yo tengo dos clases por semana. Entonces yo te podría decir que,más o menos, cada dos clases yo puedo hacer un trabajo grupal, porque

si no, no alcanzo a pasar todos los contenidos que necesito pasar.”

ARP001-22/07/2011

“it depends on the number of hours you have a week. In Year 6, I have

two lessons a week. So, I could say, more or less, every two lessons I can

do some group work, because otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to cover all

the syllabus that I need to” ARP001-22/07/2011

Discipline Control deals with the ability of the teacher to make students to do what they

have to in a certain activity or task. For example:

“pero el tema de disciplina en ese curso tiene que ver con que cuando hago ese

tipo de actividades es difícil hacer que todos estén haciendo lo que tienen que

hacer, en vez de otra cosa” [SAB007-30/07/2011]

“but the issue of discipline in that class is that when I do that kind of activity it is

difficult to make everybody do what they have to, instead of other things.”

[SAB007-30/07/2011]





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APPENDIX 5: INTRA-CODER AGREEMENT CALCULATION

Episode Time 1 Time 2 Agreement

1. En mi palabras, eh bueno, no es una tarea

fácil la verdad porque, eh hay muchasnecesidades, muchas opiniones, eh mucho

estilos con que también, con los cuales hay

que trabajar en cuanto al aprendizaje¤

• Account for

individuallearning styles

• Identification

of studentsdifficulties

• Account for

individuallearning styles

• Identification

of studentsdifficulties

Yes

2. no es algo fácil, porque al ser también un

curso de puras niñas, ellas tienden a coversar

mucho

Manage

Discipline

Students’

Interest

No

3. ¤Y es en la etapa también en la cual todavía

se consideran como niñas, entonces les gusta

el juego, derrepente tienen sus juguetitos y

se distraen fácilmente

Students’ age

development

Students’ age

development

Yes

4.

En realidad no tiene que ver mucho con laenseñanza del inglés, tiene que ver con los

hábitos. Este año, especialmente me pasó

que las niñas que llegaron a quinto básico,

carecían un poco de la madurez que se

necesita para clases de mayor

dificultad…Entonces tiene que estar másconcentrada y hacer más trabajo, entre

comillas ... y el hecho de la normalización

que se le llama también, en cuanto a respetar

los turnos, hablar cuando la otra ya terminó,

el hecho de levantar la mano, y todas estasinstrucciones que nosotros igualmente

damos al inicio de las clases…Eh quizás noestaban tan incorporadas, y tan

concientizadas de los cursos anteriores,

entonces he tenido que rehacer el tema de la,

del respeto al turno del otro, al saberescuchar, la escucha atenta, eso es lo que

más ha costado, sobretodo este año.

Students’ habitsand social norms

Students’ habitsand social

norms

Yes

5. [¿usted usa el trabajo en grupo en sus

clases?] Sí, si lo uso, pero esporádico, no es

parte de por ejemplo, no se hace

regularmente, es una evaluación o dos al

máximo dentro de las evaluaciones que hay.

Group work Group work Yes

6.

Porque yo hago trabajo bastante individual,mucho en pareja, y lo menos que hago es

grupo, porque a veces es un poco complejo

• Group work

•

Individual

work

• Pair work

• Group work

•

Individual

work

• Pair work

Yes

7. Derrepente es complejo, porque si no está

bien guiado, si no hay mucha directriz o

mucha dirección en cuanto a lasinstrucciones, a qué es lo que se espera que

hagan…

Class control Class control Yes

8. siendo que se le da el trabajo en grupos para

hacerlos durante las clases las niñas

necesitan más tiempo

Few hours a week Few hours a

week

Yes

9. entonces ahí es donde la guía, como no estoy • Class control • Class control Yes





118



yo ahi para para un poco ordenar el cuento y

como ellas son chicas, derrepente se

conflictuan entre ellas mismas y más pelean

y después llegan a la clase y exponen a toda

esta serie de problemas

• Few hours a

week• Few hours a

week

10. lo hago también por un tema de mediación,

… hay niñas que tienen diferentes niveles,

que llegan algunas muy bien preparadas con

hartos conocimientos previos, desde kinder o

desde pre kinder que en colegio tenemos

inglés, y otras niñas que llegan de otroscolegios pero nada, sabiendo nada de,

nisiquiera saludarse. Vienen como muy en

blanco, entonces estos trabajo, yo intento de

que se mezclen las niñas, que hagan amigas,

que alunmas que tengan habilidad, que les

vaya bien, y que tengan hartos conocimientoprevios que no les cueste tanto con otras

niñas que tengan, como la condición

opuesta, entonces se van ayudando, si no

sabe las palabras la otras se ayudan,

entonces, también se crea una interacción endonde ellas se retroalimentan mutuamente.

Yo lo hago con ese motivo.

• Group work

•

Students’learning from

each other

• Group work

•

Students’learning from

each other

Yes

11. Y también porque para ellas es más

entretenido, es como un modo de motivarlas

también con trabajos prácticos, con temas de

su interés. Ellas estaban muy motivadas

haciendo ese trabajo por ejemplo de los

países porque han inventigado, por ejemplo,

de artístas, deportitas, gente famosa que está

allá, un poco conectando con lo que ellasven en las películas en programas de

televisión, entonces acercando un poco eh

cosas de la realidad que ellas ven, o de la

publicidad y haciendo conexión con el

idioma

• Group work

• Meaningful

language learning

• Group work

• Meaningful

language

learning

Yes

12. La primera etapa es de organización.

Entonces ellas, yo les ayudo un poco con el

tema de hacer los grupos, y ellas tienen que

hacer como un bosquejo, un mini proyecto,de cómo les gustaría hacerlo, también eligen

un a secretaria, la cual me tiene que entregar

a mi los datos principales, a lo mejor el

nombre del proyecto que quieren hacer, lasintegrantes, el tema que van a trabajar, como

los lineamientos generales, como elesqueleto de su proyecto, de su trabajo, y en

la primera etapa ellas lo organizan: quien va

hacer tales cosas, como lo van a organizar,

quien se va a preocupar, si hay que tener

imágenes, quien va ver las imágenes, quien

va a ver el tema eh de completar los textos

• Group work

• Students

learning

responsibility

• Group work

• Students

learning

responsibility

Yes

13. Después viene otra clase, en la cual se lespide los materiales, ya empieza, cuando ya

traen la información o ya la sacaron del

laboratorio empezar a armar en el cuaderno,el diseño, como lo van a hacer, eh cuanto se

Foreign languageopportunities

Studentslearning

responsibility

No





van a demorar ya un poco ejecutar. Llevan

sus materiales, su paleógrafo, lo hacen ahí.

Ya después cuando, para eso pueden ser una

o dos clases. Y la última ya sería de la

exposición. En la cual por ejemplo, viene

otra rúbrica donde yo les digo lo que se va a

evaluar en la presentación oral. La fluidez, lapronunciación, el uso del inglés, dominio de

tema, aspectos formales

14. O sea ciertamente las condiciones en las

cuales las niñas hacen las clases, a lo mejorno tiene que ver con el tema propiamente

inglés, pero en mi colegio, el problema que

tenemos o algo que dificulta las clases en

general, es la calidad por ejemplo, en los dos

quintos de este año resulta que el mobiliario

es muy malo. O sea las salas, ayer nopudimos hacer clases, el día lunes, porque

estaba inundada la sala. Tuvimos que

cambiar de sala. Entonces donde están, el

hecho que se reúnan las condiciones de

grupo numeroso, con mobiliario deficiente,con un piso que suena, que cruje y que la

acústica es malísima… eso dificulta las

clases igual. Porque las niñas están como

hacinadas también, apenas se pueden mover,

que ya el mover la organización del

mobiliario es casi imposible, yo casi nopuedo hacer eso, porque atenta contra la

seguridad también. Tenemos casi justo en el

pasillo para poder evacuar en el caso de y

sería, porque es muy chico el espacio, sonmuchas niñas y además la sala no invita

tampoco, no es muy agradable porque esassalas son las más viejas del colegio.

Entonces, la sala del quinto A está como la

entrada inundada y hay como un puente y

en la otra no se podía pasar porque además

se llueve.

Manage

classroom settings

Manage

classroomsettings

Yes

Date post:	06-Jul-2018
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