A Study On The Challenges And Opportunities Of Using Group Work In EFL Classes With Reference To Grade 9: Dire Dawa Comprehensive Secondary School In Focus
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Date
2007-07
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The underlying objective of this study was to investigate how EFL teachers handle selected key problems of group and plan activities in stages in order to maximize learning outcomes with reference to grade 9 students of Dire Dawa Comprehensive Secondary School. To this end, three tools i.e. questionnaire, interview and classroom observation were used to collect data from 200 participants: 196 students and 4 English teachers. That is, 196 grade 9 students who were present in 4 randomly selected sections, during data collection, filled in and returned the questionnaire. Out of them, six students who were selected by the English department head and 4 English teachers of the selected sections were interviewed. The students were selected on the basis of academic ability (using their first semester English results as index), sex, social class and ethnic identity to achieve heterogeneity in line with the goal of group work where as the teachers were chosen because their classes were selected for the study. Four group lessons presented by the four teachers were observed twice and video recorded at last in an effort to search for evidence on how teachers handle problems and plan group activities in stages.. The findings of the study indicate status difference among students mainly academic status, learners’ English language inadequacy, low task quality, non participation and domination as major challenges in using group work at the secondary school level and teachers are less sensitive to them. From the results, it was also found out that most teachers do not plan group work in stages contrary to its principles. Simply putting students in groups by seats, they give topics and request them to discuss without providing content knowledge of task and other resources such as clear task instructions, roles and discussion skills. Besides, they inefficiently monitor performance progress and at the end disregard giving principled feedback in whole-class context. Consequently, discussions were dominated by few high academic status members and as a result interest as well as learning out comes were low. Thus, efforts should be made, by the concerned bodies, to have competent motivated professional teachers who can better implement group work at the secondary level through special training.
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Challenges And Opportunities