Title: I think, therefore I talk : assessing the efficacy of teaching group facilitation skills as a means of improving L2 students' (exploratory) talk and decreasing anxiety
Abstract: While teachers recognize the pedagogical effectiveness of group work, its practical efficacy is often limited. Although theory suggests that collaborative learning in the second language classroom effectively constructs a positive learning environment, motivates learners, promotes critical thinking,improves the quality of students’talk and provides opportunities for multiplying talk in the English foreign language classroom, it also suggests that implementing collaborative learning can be problematic. Students often value consensus over careful consideration of the topic at hand and dominant students can control discussions, while others do not participate. Further, students often revert to their shared common language in order to complete tasks more quickly. For these reasons, group work is often side tracked in the second language classroom and more emphasis is given to the teaching and practice of receptive skills. This research was developed as a response to the above-‐mentioned complications. It sought to examine a more effective approach to collaborative work. This pre-‐experimental quantitative research measured the effect of teaching group facilitation skills on secondary school students’ spoken English and their anxiety levels when participating in collaborative decision-‐making tasks. The results of this research suggest that teaching students group facilitation skills creates a more effective environment for collaborative work in the English foreign language classroom.
Publication Year: 2015
Publication Date: 2015-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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