Professional Documents
Culture Documents
their E F L course?
Alun Davies
Introduction
Despite the best of intentions, it seems that teacher intuition (Tarone and
Yule 1989, cited in West 1994) often plays a greater role in planning and
teaching decisions than informed assessment of learners actual needs
and wishes. The resulting divergence of teacher and learner beliefs and
expectations can spell trouble for language courses as the teacherlearner
gap widens and becomes increasingly difficult to close as the course
progresses. Over a period of time, it became apparent that my university
classes were suffering from this problem. This article discusses one way
that helped me greatly to improve my teaching situation, based on
the idea of using short, teacher-designed, class-specific questionnaire
surveys to obtain course evaluation data from learners for use in
ongoing course planning.
Why class-specific?
The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved.
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The literature suggests that teachers may rely more often on intuition when
making course planning decisions than on informed assessment of learners
needs (Barkhuizen 1998; Spratt 1999). This article proposes a more principled
alternative to the intuitive approach, based on the use of teacher-designed
class-specific questionnaires intended to obtain context-relevant data from
learners as an aid to better course provision. The focus is firmly on the local
level, on individual teachers and their classes, rather than on institution-wide
surveys, since this is where success or failure of courses is ultimately
determined, and where plans for action derived from questionnaire data will
be acted upon. The article describes four important benefits of course-specific
questionnaires: more cohesive long-term course development; increased
learner-centredness; more effective materials selection and design; and teacher
self-development. The rationale behind the use of class-specific questionnaire
surveys is discussed with reference to university-level learners in Japan.
Rationale
Course
development
Better materials
design and selection
Alun Davies
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Teacher selfdevelopment
Questionnaire
design and
procedure
Keeping it short
and simple
Questionnaire items
selection criteria
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More learnercentredness
When to administer
the survey
The first (and perhaps the most important) step after survey data have
been compiled is to ensure that learners have the opportunity to receive
summarized copies of the results. Results are converted into percentage
points representing learners positive responses to an item, and then
comments are grouped into categories. The next step is to act on the
information by synthesizing the main points for action and identifying
possible constraints (Long 1997) and how these might be circumvented.
Finally, learners need to be informed of any proposed changes to the
course resulting from the feedback and comments they have provided.
Alun Davies
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Interpretation of
item meanings
This will be done during the course if data relate to that particular group
of learners, or at the start of the next course, where data from one group
inform changes that will affect subsequent courses.
Examples of changes introduced to my teaching situation as a result of
survey data are categorized below as outcomes (Tables 14) linked to the
four benefits of course-specific questionnaires referred to earlier, and
then discussed in terms of learners responses and teacher action taken.
Outcomes
Action taken
More listening and vocabulary practice Include more listening and vocabularybuilding tasks
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table 1
More cohesive long-term
course development
Learners responses
table 2
Increased learnercentredness
Learners responses
Action taken
More choice
table 3
More effective task/
materials selection
and design
Learners responses
Action taken
Teacher-made tasks/materials
are preferred
Teacher-designed tasks/materials as
primary input
Alun Davies
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table 4
Teacher selfdevelopment
Learners responses
Action taken
Problems
Class-specific
questionnaire
surveys in other
teaching contexts
Referring to textbook selection and use, ONeill points out that however
unique learners may be, almost always suitable core content can be
found somewhere in the immense variety of text-books to draw upon
(1982: 106). ONeills reference to matching textbook core language to
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Conclusion
References
Barkhuizen, G. P. 1998. Discovering learners
perceptions of E S L . Classroom teaching/learning
activities in a South African context. T E S O L
Quarterly 32/1: 85108.
Block, D. 1991. Some thoughts on D I Y materials
design. ELT Journal 45/3: 21117.
10
Alun Davies
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Appendix: Sample
questionnaire
A The course
Please circle one of the numbers or words in the boxes on the right side.
1 = very negative / 5 = very positive
A1
A2
Classroom atmosphere
A4
What did you like best about this English course? (English or
Japanese OK)
11
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A6
How can the teacher make this English class better for
future students?
Please give some advice. (English or Japanese OK)
B Content and
materials
B2
B3
B4
OK
Good
Too difficult
B5
B6
Chunks:
Learning about chunks was interesting
I understand chunks
1 2
C Self-evaluation
12
3 4 5
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
C1
C2
C3
1 2
Alun Davies
3 4 5
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B1