14th National ELT Conference

3 – 2 – 1 On Air: Participating in Radio Show to

Foster Speaking Confidence in ELT Classroom

Nubia Consuelo Lemos Tello

• IED LA CHUCUA SCHOOL-

• Population: 8th GRADERS

• Timeline: Aug. 2009 - March. 2010

CONTEXT

RESEARCH QUESTION

To what extent can cooperative learning-based activities—participating in an online

radio show—foster speaking confidence in 8th graders from La Chucua School?

OBJECTIVES • GENERAL

– To determine the effect of the interpersonal and small-group

skills strategy in the enhancement of English speaking

confidence in a group of eighth graders through an online

radio show.

• SPECIFIC

– To identify the reasons why students do not feel confident

when speaking in the target language.

– To create a strategy fundamented on cooperative learning

principles to promote team and individual decision making

interventions.

– To use students’ knowledge about radio language to

develop English speaking confidence.

– To identify the influence of students’ self and peer

assessment practices in the development of speaking

confidence.

RESEARCH DESIGN

TYPE Individual teacher research (Ferrance, 2000)

Setting IED LA CHUCUA SCHOOL

Participants 8th GRADERS (12 students)

Data Collection Instruments

Teachers’ Journals Audio – Video Recordings (field notes)

Surveys

Resources

Technological: ShoutcastTM , Windows recorder, AudacityTM ,

WinampTM.

Physical Virtual Room

Data Analysis Techniques

Trend analysis (Sagor, 2005), Inductive Analysis (Quinn, 2002), Grounded Theory

(Corbin & Strauss, 1990)

THEORETICAL

FRAMEWORK

CONFIDENCE IN SPEAKING

• Brown (2007):Foreign Language Anxiety Components:

– Communication Aprehension.

– Negative social evaluation.

– Test anxiety.

• Oxford (2002): Effects of Language Anxiety:

– Harmful Anxiety.

– Helpful Anxiety.

• Hughes (2002): Language and Social Interaction.

– Safe Environment

SCHOOL RADIO

• Montoya & Villa (2006): Advantages of using radio at

school.

– Overcoming fears

• Radio Language

– Music, blanks, words, effects.

• Children Radio (n.d.): Advantages of using radio with

academic purposes:

– Foster Oral skills

– Promote content based learning.

– Contextualization.

– Integration of disciplines.

SCHOOL RADIO

• Youth Radio (2008): Steps

– Pre-production, production, post-production,

distribution.

• Kozamernik and Mullane (2009): Impact of webcasting.

• Compaine and Smith (2001): Online radio to promote the

diversity.

COOPERATIVE LEARNING

• Díaz-Barriga & Hernández (2002): Cooperative Learning

to reinforce socio-affective relationship.

• Johnson, Johnson & Holubec (1999): Base groups

• Gillies (2007): Interpersonal / small group skills:

– Actively listening to each other.

– Stating ideas freely.

– Accepting responsibilities.

– Providing constructive criticism.

– Taking turns.

– Sharing tasks.

– Making decisions democratically.

– Clarifying differences.

DATA INSTRUMENTS SPECIFIC

OBJECTIVE CONSTRUCT INSTRUMENT STAGE

1

Confidence in Speaking

Initial Survey Pre- Implementation

Teacher’s journals Implementation

2

Cooperative Learning

Teacher’s journals Implementation

Final Survey Post- Implementation

3

School Radio

Initial Survey Pre-Implementation

Audio-recording Implementation

Final Survey Post-Implementation

4

Speaking Confidence

Teacher ‘s Journals Audio Recordings

Implementation

Cooperative Learning

Video Recordings Final Survey

Post-Implementation

SAMPLES OF INSTRUMENTS

Audio –Recording form /

Field Notes

AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING

FORMS / Field Notes

TEACHER’S JOURNAL

FINAL SURVEY

http://www.encuestafacil.com/RespWeb/Qn.aspx?EID=553353

DATA ANALYSIS

TECHNIQUES

FINDINGS

GROUNDED THEORY

Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. (1990)

(Coding techniques)

INDUCTIVE ANALYSIS

Quinn, M. (2002)

(Foundation) TREND

ANALYSIS

Sagor, R. (2005)

(Procedure)

TREND ANALYSIS Sagor (2005)

Changes

Factors

Generic ACR Questions:

Action

Change

Relationship

1. What did we do?

2. What changes

occured

regarding the

achievement

targets?

3. What was the

relationship

between

the actions taken

and

any changes in

performance on

the targets?

INDUCTIVE ANALYSIS Quinn (2002)

All the elements identified (patterns, categories and

themes of analysis) emerge from the data, instead of

imposing before data collection.

CODING TECHNIQUES Strauss & Corbin (1990)

Open Coding

Process of breaking down,

examining, comparing,

conceptualizing and

categorizing data.

Axial Coding

Process of identifying

connections among the categories.

Selective Coding

Process of selecting the

core category (ies), validating

its relationships with the other

categories.

ANSWERING ARC

QUESTIONS

PLANNED TME REAL TIME

Implementation: 2160 hours

August – November 2009

2 weekly sessions: 80 min.

August: 8 sessions

September: 8 sessions

October: 7 sessions

November: 4 sessions

Implementation: 1920 hours

August 2009; February –

March 10th, 2010

2 weekly sessions, 80 each

(Three lessons):

August: 8 sessions

September: 8 sessions

February: 6 sessions

March: 2 sessions

ACR Question 1: What did I do?

1) Allocating time

30% Giving input (576 hours)

40% Planning shows (768 hours)

10% Recording (192 hours)

20% Editing shows (384 hours)

ACR Question 1: What did I do?

2) Looking for patterns

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE

INSTRUMENTS STAGE FINDINGS

1 Initial

Survey

Pr.

40% students do not like interacting in the target language, 55% because of classmates reactions (laughing), 25% because the other people do not understand (pronunciation), 15% teacher corrects pronunciation, 5% others. Reasons of students fears 80% students feel that their pronunciation is not good. 20% They feel they do not have enough vocabulary and do not have opportunities to practice.

ACR Question 1: What did I do?

2) Looking for patterns – Emerging categories.

ACR Question 2: What changes occured

regarding the achievement targets?

CATEG. INITIAL SURVEY

LESSON 1

LESSON 2 LESSON 3 FINAL SURVEY

Reason lack of confidence 68%)

Not

relevant in

all the

groups.

(Just doing

the activity)

Questions of the teacher about pronunc.

More confident pronun. in daily speech (greeting, opening and closing the show).

Helped to improve Speaking confidence (42%): The way to listen to the others changed. Feelings of being helped Learning pron. by repeating.

P

R

O

N

U

N

C

I

A

T

I

O

N

ACR Question 2: What changes occured

regarding the achievement targets?

CATEG. INITIAL SURVEY

LESSON 1

LESSON 2 LESSON 3 FINAL SURVEY

Students’ reactions when listening: Reason for no interaction (55%)

Video

Recording:

Need to

review the

lines. More

practice

required.

T. Journal: Small chunks allow repetition Groups ask for doing the show before recording

T. Journal Instead of laughing, peer correcting Practice without recording, recording-listening to, new recording

33% Feel more confident: Opportunity of practice Motivation to practice more in group. Fears reduction

P

R

A

C

T

I

C

E

ACR Question 3: What was the relationship

between actions taken and any changes in

performance on the targets? - PARADIGM

MODEL in AXIAL CODING (Strauss & Corbin,

1990)

PRONUNCIATION

ACR Question 3: What was the relationship

between actions taken and any changes in

performance on the targets? - PARADIGM

MODEL in AXIAL CODING (Strauss & Corbin,

1990)

PRACTICE

ACR Question 3: What was the relationship between actions taken and any changes in performance on the targets? SELECTIVE CODING (Strauss & Corbin, 1990)

Categories

Pronunciation Awareness

Pronunciation Concerns

Listening to each other

Helping each other

Expansion of vocabulary

Practice Awareness

Need of Practice

Opportuniy of Practice

Practicing together

Learning Together

FINDINGS

To what extent can cooperative learning-based

activities—participating in an online radio show—foster

speaking confidence in 8th graders from La Chucua

School?

Cooperative learning-based activities:

1. Allowed students to identify

a. Reasons that explain lack of

speaking confidence

b. Needs required to increase it.

(Anxiety: Brown, 2007; Oxford, 2002)

2. Helped participants to change their attitudes and assist

each other (Interpersonal and Small-Group skills: Gillies,

2007)

FINDINGS

To what extent can cooperative learning-based

activities—participating in an online radio show—foster

speaking confidence in 8th graders from La Chucua

School?

The Radio show:

a. Was an appealing opportunity to use students knowledge

and language to develop English speaking confidence

b. Allowed participants to work on their pronunciation needs,

derived from their explicit concerns related to speaking

confidence at earlier stages of the project

(Overcoming fears: Montoya & Villa, 2006; Advantages of

radio: Children Radio)

CONCLUSIONS

1. Students’ awareness and reflections: Reasons of lack

confidence and solutions.

2. Cooperative learning: strategy to promote learner

autonomy (decision making and identification of

strengths).

3. Application of students’ previous knowledge of radio for

academic purposes and relationship (attitudes for listening)

4. Positive influence of Self and peer assessment:

Interaction, changing their attitudes from intimidating to

one more constructive levels

CONCLUSIONS

LIMITATIONS

- Time

- Change of the groups

- Technical

FURTHER RESEARCH

- Target group

- Multilevel group

- Focusing on oral skills

- CLIL project : Cognitive Academic Language Learning

Approach (CALLA)

* Language

* Content: Radio Language

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email

colechao74@gmail.com

Radio station main platform:

http://consuelolemosandkids.listen2mymusic.com

Research blog (and radiostation)

http://consulemos.blogspot.com

REFERENCES

• Burns, A. (2003). Getting started. Collaborative action

research for English language teachers. UK: Cambridge

University Press, 70.

• Johnson, B. & Christensen, L. (2008). Data Analysis in

Qualitative and mixed research. Educational Research.

U.S.A: SAGE, 531, 552-556.

• Mills, G. (2007). Data collection techniques. Action research.

A guide for the teacher researcher. New Yersey: Pearson,

57.

• Norton, L. (2009). Action research in teaching and learning.

Great Britain: Routledge, 115-154.

REFERENCES

• Brown, D. (2007). Principles of language learning and

teaching. U.S.A: Pearson.

• Children and Radio (n.d.) Radio in schools. Children

and radio. [web page]. Retrieved April 26, 2009, from:

http://www.childrenandradio.org.uk/radioinschools.htm

• Chou, Y. (2004). Promoting learners’ speaking ability

by socio affective strategies. The Internet TESL

Journal, Vol. X No. 9. Retrieved April 26, 2009, from:

http://iteslj.org/Articles/Chou-Socioaffective.html

• Diaz-Barriga, F. and Hernandez, G. (2007)..

Estrategias docentes para un aprendizaje

significativo. Mexico: McGraw Hill.

REFERENCES

• Educational Broadcasting Corporation (2004). Cooperative

and collaborative learning. [web page]. Retrieved May 9,

2009, from

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/coopcollab/in

dex.html

• Hughes, R. (2002). The Problem of real speech. Teaching

and Researching: Speaking. U.K.: Pearson, 50.

• Montoya, A. & Villa, L. (2006). Radio Escolar. Bogotá:

Paulinas: Centro de Comunicación Social.

• Oxford, R. (2002). Anxiety and the Language Learner.

In: Arnold, J. (2002). Affect in Language Learning. U.K.:

Cambridge University Press, 59.

. Quinn, M. (2002). Conceptual Issues in qualitative inquiry.

Qualitative research and evaluation methods. U.K: SAGE,

55

REFERENCES

• Sagor, R. (2005). Analyzing the data. The Action Research

guidebook. U.K: SAGE, 109 - 128

• Smith, B. & Mc Gregor, J. (1992). What is Collaborative

Learning? [pdf document]. Retrieved May 9, 2009, from

http://learningcommons.evergreen.edu/pdf/collab.pdf

• Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. (1990). Coding procedures. Basics of

Qualitative Research: Grounded theory, procedures and

techniques. London: Sage Publications.

• Youth Radio (2008). Media Production Technique. Teach Youth

Radio [Online Magazine]. Retrieved April 26, 2009, from:

http://www.youthradio.org/oldsite/fourthr/productiontechniques.sht

ml

• Zubiría, M. (2005). Aprendizaje significativo: La psicología

educativa aplicada en el salón de clases. Enfoques pedagógicos

y didácticas contemporáneas. Colombia: FIPC – Alberto Merani,

144.