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Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT 1
Action Research Project
Carole A. Hanna
The University of Southern Mississippi
ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT 2
Abstract
The lack of effort in using the L2 in the classroom is always a problem and is a problem
in the classroom and naturally it is discouraging. The fact that normally outgoing students retreat
from making even the least amount of effort when pressed is a problem which is recurrent. I
asked students directly about this reaction and wanted to address it concretely.
An interview was conducted and 10 individuals were questioned as to what might make
this an easier transition and help the students to overcome this fear. Data was collected through
written responses, a questionnaire, interviews, and video-recording. The feedback from these
responses was implemented over a two week period and the results were helpful. Each student
responded in a similar fashion saying they were more comfortable working with a partner or very
small group to speak in the L2. Also the implementation of games and role playing was the most
popular suggestion.
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Study
Step 1: Problem
What I wanted to look at during these two weeks was a way to better facilitate
speaking in the L2. Despite the comfort level and familiarity of the students with one another,
the problem remains entrenched and they seem to withdraw when pressed to speak. It is apparent
that the idea of speaking in French is an overwhelming, intimidating idea and the students go to
great lengths to avoid speaking in more than one or two word outbursts. If I call on them
individually, they will respond but not beyond the actual question asked and in the fewest words
possible. Even the more outgoing students are reticent when confronted with the idea of speaking
spontaneously. So I set about trying to ascertain what the problem was and how best to
implement a way to overcome it.
Step 2: Question formation
The goal I would like to achieve in my class is to have more spoken spontaneous
discourse in the L2. I wanted to ask how I can implement a plan to resolve this issue. It is a
source of irritation to me that the students are timid in the approach of anything that pushes them
out of their comfort zone and when something is presented, I still hear pockets of English being
spoken and very little French is carrying the conversation. The class I chose to work with is
comprised of ten students and the size of the class really plays in my favor to be able to force
these students to use more of the L2 in authentic second language discourse. The students are
able to understand a great deal of conversation in the L2 and are quite capable of responding to
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questions with one or two word answers. However, it is difficult to get them to attempt to
actually converse with one another without resorting to almost English only scenario. As it is a
small group of only ten students and I have a good working relationship with them and a history
of almost three years of teaching, I am confident that I will have a response which is honest and
concrete.
Since the students I have in this class are generally cooperative and willing to
complete almost anything I give them, I decided this was definitely the class to approach with
some solid ideas. I devised a series of questions and put them into a questionnaire and asked
them to complete it for a quiz grade. I explained to them that the only requirement was that they
complete all the questions and that they were honest. If they did answer the questionnaire
honestly they would receive a 100% for the completion grade. I explained to them that I was not
at all interested in them being nice or reporting to me what they thought I might want to hear. I
only wanted their honest input for my own understanding. They met this idea with openness and
were willing to respond. They took the questionnaire home as I had asked that they give it some
reflection time before answering the more difficult questions. I have included the questionnaire
in the appendix.
I observed the students are afraid to speak without the control they have with the
L1 and they expressed the idea that they may look stupid or not be in control when they speak
and they find it very intimidating. Also the idea that they will fail because they lack the
vocabulary or the ability to speak prevents them from speaking or even attempting to speak
spontaneously.
The class I had chosen to look carefully at is interesting because I had taught
them already for the past two years. I am very aware of their strengths and weaknesses. I have
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always used the L1 in the classroom for explanations and to help the students to be able to look
at differences and commonalities between the two languages. With the emphasis on
Communicative Language Teaching made, I wanted to take another look at the idea of
integrating the L1 in the classroom. The concept of using the mother tongue as a resource or as a
way to implement teaching to further encourage the TL is supported (Halasa, 2012). Alternating
languages to improve the student’s language skills and attempt to create a stronger base in the L2
is also important (Halasa 2012). Support from literature indeed justifies the use of the L1 to
explain concepts but after a concept is clarified, the use of the L2 should be more cohesive for
the student. Often students get caught up with something they do not understand and the L1
should be a tool to unblock the student to be more confident in the use of the L2. It is apparently
common for language students to shy away from using the TL in the classroom setting but since
others have encountered this difficulty, I was anxious to find remedies that have been tried by
others to overcome the problem. Without a strong guided exercise, it is noted that students will
avoid using structures of speech patterns which they do not feel they have mastered (Hubert,
2011). After discovering this idea, I decided to create an exercise which was controlled in scope
with a guided direction that the students would be able to elaborate on but still have a marked
framework to follow.
Another aspect that I considered for addressing the issue of authentic speech was
my own proficiency in the language. One reason I sought to take the MATL was to ameliorate
my own ability in the language, along with sound pedagogical study to be able to implement
actual use of the L2. I have always tried to either speak the TL or read the TL as much as
possible to maintain an ease and comfort level with the language. Armengual-Pizarro
emphasizes the need for the teacher in the language classroom to strive in achieving higher levels
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of proficiency in the L2 and this in turn increases the facilitation of the L2 in the classroom and
also causes the teacher to exhibit confidence and by default promotes stronger teaching
(Armengual-Pizarro, 2007). This makes sense because the more comfortable I am in the target
language, the more relaxed the atmosphere becomes for my students. If indeed the students have
anxiety in attempting spontaneous discourse, the more at ease I am the more at ease the
ambiance for the student will become. Being immersed in the target language pushes the student
to be exposed to more vocabulary and a natural assimilation of new understanding. As the
student hears more of the L2, the language is more familiar and even if the response in speech is
delayed, the comprehension is augmented.
Step 3: Data Gathering
I set out to gather data to find out some ways to resolve the issues by
interviewing the students within the ten student class. The students responded with almost the
same answers. They were intimidated to speak with the entire group present and found it much
easier to speak with one or two others in a small group or paired setting. The idea of having a
specific task or assignment where there was role playing or acting out of a scenario was what
they thought was the best way to not fall back on English conversation. This was supported by
the study by Mikulec and Miller in using Project-Based Instruction. The use of communication
in meaningful tasks engages the students to use situations which serve a purpose and when they
work in pairs assist the learners to attain communicative competence (Mikulec, 2011). Seven out
of the ten students said they would do better in small groups where they had specific role play
activities to practice communication. If the activities were one on one, or small group settings
they were more comfortable. All ten of the students liked the idea of game playing because they
get very involved. Since the idea of communicative language teaching emphasizes the
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development of communicative competence, developing a curriculum or choosing a curriculum
which allows the student to experience the L2 is the best way to accomplish what I want to
achieve (Savignon, 1987). Letting the students interact in a role playing scenario or a play acting
situation is not only a natural extension of normal activities carried out in childhood but also a
way to engage second language acquisition. These activities can engage the student
intellectually but also by using physical responses, the learning process is heightened (Savignon,
1987). Since the students seemed to be in agreement with controlled play acting scenarios, I
decided to attempt to implement this by giving the students small roles to play based on the
curriculum but allowing them to expand on the characters and make them their own. By using
the information gained already in the curriculum and personalizing it, the students would be able
to apply the knowledge gained and implement it into real life scenarios which will be more
readily accessible in non -scripted situations (Chiu-Yin, 2012). The other aspect the students
expressed was that they compared themselves to each other and to me and were acting under the
assumption that they were never going to be good enough or as good as the others around them
and this was a great intimidating factor. All of the students liked the immersion aspect of the
class because they expressed that it did help them with retention and they found the class became
easier over time. Once they got over the fear factor of not understanding everything immediately,
and understood that this is a natural way to learn language, they tried to develop what they did
know. The specific curriculum which is being used in class has a strong video component which
they like because it exposes them to other people who speak French and not just me or their
peers. . The exposure is also in a natural, controlled setting. Each lesson is a small slice of life
which they can easily apply to their own lives and thus the vocabulary should easily lend itself to
natural conversation. I need to develop an extension to the lesson which implements dialogue
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and takes into account the lesson objectives without omitting the communication aspect I see as
necessary to really retain the information. They hear the video, they hear me and they need to
hear each other. The idea that they listen to many people speaking the target language is
important and aids a confidence in speaking and comprehension (Roy, 2012). I asked how much
they thought they actually spoke in the target language and the results were divided into three
camps. Four of the students who are generally shy shared similar responses for this answer.
(Group A) They said they spoke little, Responded that they actually avoided speaking in the
target language and that they were least comfortable speaking French when they thought anyone
could hear them. The middle group (Group B) which felt they didn’t avoid speaking the language
expressed that they were uncomfortable because they felt they simply were just not good enough
in the target language to make themselves understood, or couldn’t “dumb down” their thoughts
to the level of their French. The last three students (Group C) really liked to try and speak
because it was very helpful for them to learn how to express themselves. These three students
were generally the more outgoing, stronger students. All the students liked being asked questions
and they truly want to be able to speak in the target language.
Step 4: Plan
I decided to distribute a questionnaire to my students asking them what
they felt the best way to speak French more would be and when they felt the most comfortable or
the least comfortable speaking French. I also inquired as to how much they perceived they spoke
the target language and if they avoided speaking. Finally I asked if they would like to speak
more. I individually polled them to clarify a few responses and then watched a video of them
interacting in class. Prior to implementing a series of lessons to make them more interactive, I
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noted each student’s oral contribution to the class. This was noted over 4 days. I also noted the
spontaneous interaction in the class to see the changes in interaction with the implementation of
the lesson plans.
Having looked at the results of the questionnaire, it was evident that my students
desire to speak the target language and in spite of some fears and discomfort, are willing to try.
For a week prior to implementing several lesson plans which expanded on the curriculum to
emphasize speech. I kept a record of how many times during the class the students spoke out in
the target language during the class. The results fell into the three camps. The students who were
in Group A were reluctant to speak and always made an attempt to answer me in the target
language if I asked them a direct question. None of them spoke out in a discussion spontaneously
during a discussion of the story or in response to anything unless they were directly questioned.
Group B offered a few spontaneous responses but also were willing to answer direct questioning.
Each offered a few spontaneous response per class period but only one word answers and very
hesitantly. The third group (C) was quick to answer oral questioning and offered short little
responses spontaneously.
The first few days of the lesson plans we had finished learning how to describe
each other and I implemented a game where the students had to draw a name out of a hat and
describe the person they chose in four to five short sentences so the others could guess who they
were describing. Each student had to do this spontaneously and the response was excellent. The
sentences varied in complexity based on the students ability but each student was involved and
seem to forget they were worried about the French and were more involved in the game. Each
student had no difficulty in expressing themselves and there was a lot of laughter and they
enjoyed the game. Afterwards they were pleased with their French and commented to each other
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how much fun it was and asked to do it again. Over the next several days the assignment was
expanded to include anyone in the school which would be guessable to the other students. They
were excited to play again and seemed to forget it was in French. This time the students even
asked a few questions in French to clarify some points that were not clear. They offered
assistance in the form of correction and corrected each other with certain agreement issues and I
didn’t need to say anything. Although the sentences were simple in nature, they were able to
communicate spontaneously after learning the vocabulary and sentence structures given within
the story direction. The fact that they were able to apply the information to the situation of the
game was exciting. They were not ready to leave when the bell rang. It is obvious that the game
environment is a successful way to get their minds off the aspects of speaking that leave them
nervous and allow them to focus on the play at hand. The students who normally only respond
when spoken to or when asked a direct question responded. They volunteered to try to stump
their classmates. It was a joy to watch them come alive in the target language.
The following few days, an assignment was given to have the students pull a
question in the hat which concerned the story line. They had to answer the question for their
peers. They were to use 3-5 sent4ences and were able to also act out whatever necessary using a
charade type response. The students had to come up with the question which their peer gave the
answer to. Again the response was surprising. This was a bit more challenging but after several
questions, the students seemed to do better and again were assisting one another and having fun.
The interaction was truly spontaneous and the role play/game scenario seemed to take the
emphasis off the anxiety which was exhibited by the students, particularly Group A. Although it
took longer for them to be more comfortable in the role play, they too were able to participate
and communicate. I started the more gregarious students first so the more shy students could see
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how the interaction took place and this also seemed to alleviate some anxiety as well. This game
required the students to use the vocabulary but also to apply what they had learned to a different
situation. By being able to guess what the question is to the answers provided, the students
became more comfortable in speaking out and also forming sentences in general. I was easily
able to see after several sessions that the sentence formation and the comfort level in producing
the L2 was coming quicker and with fewer mistakes. Since they were able to help one another, I
saw less discomfort in being corrected. Also noted was the fact that they self-corrected. There
was a moment when I noted several students who having heard themselves speak, they paused
and rephrased the sentence, correcting the previous grammatical mistake. The students really
were visibly pleased with the progress they made in speaking and have asked for more situations
where they can interact in the target language.
Step 5: Analysis and Reflection
At first the scenarios were more or less finite in nature; the results were more or
less stilted and had very little creativity in going past the boundaries set by the assignment. The
assignment was repeated several times and each time we expanded assignment and changed it
slightly to permit more spontaneity and involve different students. Finally with different
promptings on my part to expand on what they just said or by asking specific questions to have
them elaborate more, the students started to branch off of the initial scenario and make it more
realistic in nature and conversation started to take place. It was not very sophisticated but was
somewhat spontaneous and still went beyond the given assignment (Kahn, 2012). After having
the students describe scenes that came from the story line in their curriculum, the other students
were asked to find the question the other students were giving the answer to, the students
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continued to apply the lesson to a more real life scenario and became more comfortable applying
the target language and their speed in speaking was more spontaneous as well.
By adding carefully open-ended questions into the dialogue, I was able to prompt
the students to continue without taking part in the role-play. I attempted to really exhibit more
positive reactions to their responses and affirming them as much as possible (Roy, 2012) this in
the hopes of changing a disparaging view of second language failure image. I feel the
intervention made a big difference. The students affirmed they were afraid to speak in the
questionnaire and when the situation of a game was presented, they were able to become so
involved with the game that their competitive natures overshadowed the fear to speak and within
a short amount of time the atmosphere of the class was different. It was not completely gone but
it was enough to note the ease in which the students were interacting. I believe the more
situations presented, the easier it will become for the students. Perhaps the fact these students
love to compete for grades and in sporting events assisted the outcome of the game in class. I
was generally surprised at the willingness of the more reticent students to want to participate.
What I learned most is that each class is unique and has its own flavor. I managed to tap in to the
interests of the students here by taking the time to ask what their likes and dislikes are so I was
able to tailor lessons to their particular interests within the context of the curriculum. I believe
that I will implement the use of a questionnaire with classes in the future because I see how
much more involved the students have become when they feel they have a say in the way they
can interact. Also the other question I wish to investigate is: Are there other areas of French
language learning they would like to explore? At first I was hesitant to do this in the classroom
because I thought I knew my class and the results from this project have shown me that I need to
be open to new ideas and be teachable like I expect my students to be teachable. It is also easy to
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forget how difficult it is in the early stages of language acquisition to be overwhelmed and even
paralyzed when it is necessary to speak without any assistance.
Any area that can alleviate some of the stress and create an atmosphere of safety and security is
essential. These projects made the students feel as though they had a guideline and a well-
defined topic which gave them time to prep and review what they thought to be necessary for
their own comfort. The fact that they went beyond the defined borders of the assignment was a
plus and also helped me as well as the students to see what they were capable of.
Pre-Investigative Observation Data
Amount of spontaneous speech used in class prior to implementation of game/role play
scenarios. I have divided the students in this class into three groups which are described as
follows. I have done this so I could observe the changes based on what I already knew of the
students in the class. I felt this would delineate the changes and mark the differences in terms of
slight to dramatic if this was to be the case.
Students in Group A are generally more reticent and reserved and are not very
talkative in English. This group is very self-conscious and fears failure. On their questionnaires,
they all wished to speak more French, admitted avoiding any attempts to speak the language
unless spoken to, and thought they spoke little in the classroom. Their grades are on the average
in the B-B+ range.
The students I have marked in the Group B are the strongest grade-wise but are
not bold in attempting to speak out. They are high achievers on paper and have a grasp of the
information but are afraid of making mistakes orally. Grades are important and they are
somewhat of perfectionists. They thought they spoke an average amount in class, also admitted
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to avoiding spontaneous speech for fear of making a mistake and looking “stupid”. But, each
stated that they desired to be able to speak more.
Group C is the boldest orally and academically they range from high to low.
They like to try to speak out and are less self-conscious. One student is top of the class and one is
at the bottom. They felt they spoke out a great deal, did not avoid speaking the language and
wanted to speak more. I recorded their oral participation over a 4 day period prior to
implementing a series of games. Each attempt at oral participation is marked with a slash.
Maria-Bllll
Brennan-Clllll lllll lllll lll
Lauryn-Alllll l
Antoine-Clllll lllll ll
Pete-Clllll lllll lllll llll
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Post-Investigative Observation Data
This is the number of times spontaneous speech was observed when the lesson plans were
implemented and the role play/games occurred. This was during a six day period.
Suzanna-Alll
Megan-All
Pat -Clllll lllll lllll ll
Hailey-Blllll l
Kirsten-Bll
Maria-Blllll lllll ll
Brennan-Clllll lllll lllll lllll
lllll lll
Lauryn-Alllll lllll lllll l
Antoine-Clllll lllll lllll llll
Pete-Clllll lllll lllll lllll
lllll lllll llll
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In comparing the spontaneous attempts of conversation I saw a marked increase
with the Group A, and a rise in Group B. Group C was improved but since I don’t have the issue
of being fearful or really intimidated by the others, I didn’t expect as dramatic a rise. After
looking at the increase with groups A & B, I feel the implementation of the new lesson plans was
successful.
Suzanna-Alllll lllll l
Megan-Alllll lllll lll
Pat -Clllll lllll lllll llll
lllll lllll ll
Hailey-Blllll lllll lllll
Kirsten-Blllll lllll llll
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References
Amengual-Pizarro, M. (2007). How to respond to the demands set by the communicative
approach? New challenges second-language (L2) teachers face in the classroom.
European Journal of Teacher Education, 30(1), 63-73. doi:10.1080/02619760601120007
Brown, H.D. (2007). Principles of language learning and teaching. White Plains, NY: Pearson
Education.
Chiu-Yin, W. (2012). A Case Study of College Level Second Language Teachers' Perceptions
and Implementations of Communicative Language Teaching. Professional Educator,
36(2), 18-34.
Halasa, N., & Al-Manaseer, M. (2012). The use of the first language in second language learning
reconsidered. College Student Journal, 46(1), 71-81.
Hubert, M. D. (2011). Foreign language production and avoidance in US university Spanish-
language education. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 21(2), 222-243.
doi:10.1111/j.1473-4192.2010.00276.x
Kahn, G. (2012). Open–ended tasks and the qualitative investigation of second language
classroom discourse. Journal of Ethnographic & Qualitative Research, 6(2), 90-107.
Mikulec, E., & Miller, P. (2011). Using Project-Based Instruction to Meet Foreign Language
Standards. Clearing House, 84(3), 81-86. doi:10.1080/00098655.2010.516779
Roy, S. (2012). Qui décide du meilleur français? Représentations des variétés linguistiques
du français en immersion. (French). Canadian Journal Of Applied Linguistics, 15(1),1-19.
Savignon, S. J. (1987). Communicative Language Teaching. Theory Into Practice, 26(4), 235.
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Questionnaire Nom____________________________________________
1. How much do you think you speak French in the classroom?
2. Would you like to speak more French?
3. Do you avoid speaking French in the classroom?
4. Do you try to speak French in the classroom? When?
5. When do you feel most comfortable speaking French? (context)
6. When do you feel least comfortable speaking French? (context)
7. What activities would make you speak French more?