A Case Study of Chinese Students Learning Thai as a Foreign Language: Flanders Interaction Analysis Category System

Interaction in foreign language classrooms has been regarded as a key factor in enhancing learning outcomes (Allwright, 1984; Ginting, 2017; Hanum, 2016). This study examined interactions in a specific university classroom context in Thailand where 28 Chinese students were learning Thai as a foreign language with a Thai teacher. It employed a mix-method design. Quantitative data were gathered based on a modified Flanders’ model (Flanders Interaction Analysis Category System or FIACS), and the qualitative data were gathered from classroom observations. The analysis of 90-minute video records and field notes from the observations of three classes reveal the domination of teacher’s talk (77.59%), and the minimal students’ talk (6.16%). Besides, silence time occupies 16.25%. Out of the total of 22 categories of interaction, no student talk can be categorized as an initiation of talk, and no teacher talk can be categorized as procedural lectures and assigning homework. Characteristics of the interaction varied according to the quantity and categories of talk. Transcription of verbatim from the videos reveals details of the interaction. Findings suggest that quantity, category, and characteristics of talk are interrelated and must all be improved together to increase the quality of interaction to affect student learning outcomes.

Augmenting Social Science Research with Multimodal Data Collection: The EZ-MMLA Toolkit

While the majority of social scientists still rely on traditional research instruments (e.g., surveys, self-reports, qualitative observations), multimodal sensing is becoming an emerging methodology for capturing human behaviors. Sensing technology has the potential to complement and enrich traditional measures by providing high frequency data on people’s behavior, cognition and affects. However, there is currently no easy-to-use toolkit for recording multimodal data streams. Existing methodologies rely on the use of physical sensors and custom-written code for accessing sensor data. In this paper, we present the EZ-MMLA toolkit. This toolkit was implemented as a website and provides easy access to multimodal data collection algorithms. One can collect a variety of data modalities: data on users’ attention (eye-tracking), physiological states (heart rate), body posture (skeletal data), gestures (from hand motion), emotions (from facial expressions and speech) and lower-level computer vision algorithms (e.g., fiducial/color tracking). This toolkit can run from any browser and does not require dedicated hardware or programming experience. We compare this toolkit with traditional methods and describe a case study where the EZ-MMLA toolkit was used by aspiring educational researchers in a classroom context. We conclude by discussing future work and other applications of this toolkit, potential limitations and implications.

Pragmatic Competence of Iranian EFL Learners in the Light of Refusal Speech Act

In order to communicate accurately and fluently, learners need to know how to produce different speech acts inside and outside the classroom context. Refusal speech act is complicated, and performing refusals successfully needs a higher level of pragmatic competence (Eslami, 2010). This study is done in order to analyze refusal speech act and its responses among Iranian EFL learners. The participants of this study are 120 advanced Iranian EFL learners. These learners are provided with scenarios so that they are exposed to situations where they should both refuse and respond to refusals. The first phase of this paper includes the analysis of refusal strategies. The second phase of the paper deals with refusal responses. It was revealed that female participants are more inclined to use indirect strategies as related to refusals and male participants are more inclined to use direct strategies. For refusal responses, male learners used reinforcing micro functions while female learners used accepting micro functions more frequently. The results of this study contribute to pragmatic instruction in a way to help learners interpret and realize this speech act successfully. I will also investigate possible cross-cultural miscommunication, which its occurrence is also acknowledged in previous research studies (Shishavan & Sharifian, 2016).

Effects of Collaborative Digital Gameplay on Students’ Three Dimensions of Engagement in Mathematics

This study attempts to provide an in-depth understanding of the influence of collaborative digital gameplay on students’ behavioural, emotional and cognitive engagement in mathematics. This mixed-method study used pre- (N = 45) and post-test (N = 43) engagement surveys and photo-elicitation interviews (N = 6) to investigate how a six-day experiment involving collaborative digital gameplay on Wuzzit Trouble affects students’ engagement in mathematics. The quantitative results showed collaborative digital gameplay did not elicit a significant increase in students’ engagement in mathematics from pre-test to post-test. Moreover, the qualitative results of analyzing the measurement of three-dimensional engagement showed four factors – learning achievement, teacher support, peer collaboration and task characteristics – were associated with students’ engagement in a collaborative digital gameplay classroom. The findings suggest the classroom context plays an important role in three-dimensional engagement, which efficiently improve students’ conceptual understanding and arithmetic skills.

Remote University Supervision of Student Teachers

This chapter outlines the shift of a U.S.-based university teacher preparation program from in-person supervision of student teachers to fully remote supervision during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Strengths identified in the shift to remote supervision include elimination of travel to school sites, modest cost savings, improved frequency and scope of feedback provided by university supervisors, increased flexibility in timing and nature of observations, and the use of recorded videos for reflection. Challenges identified include the need for ongoing professional development among all parties, missing school and classroom context, and weaker relationships between university supervisors and K-12 mentor teachers. The chapter makes recommendations for university teacher education programs considering a shift to remote supervision of student teachers, including provision of professional development, implementation of video coaching cycles, and explicit planning for relationship development with K-12 school partners.

The Implementation of Self Evaluation Teacher Talk (SETT) in Teaching English: A Case Study

This study analyzed the implementation of SETT (Self Evaluation Teacher Talk) (Walsh, 2011) by an English teacher in a senior high school in Surabaya. A descriptive analysis was conducted towards the talk used by teacher in delivering the material. As the law, the teacher regulated the students to speak the target language anyhow. On the other hand, the teacher applied a classroom interaction in English. There are four modes available based on the SETT criteria; managerial mode, material mode, skill and system mode, classroom context mode. The result shown that the teacher mostly applied two mode, namely managerial mode and skill and system mode, and was followed by classroom context mode, then material mode.

Exploring ‘Neutrality’ in the Educational Setting: Gender Imbalances in Some Classroom Practices Among Moroccan EFL Students

The aim of the present study is to investigate some biased teaching and learning practices in the classroom context. Special focus geared to the analysis of both male and female classroom interactions along with an examination of teachers’ unconscious bias either in their practices with their students and/or in their choice and use of some teaching materials exploited as topics for class discussion or for evaluation. A three sections’ survey administered to second Baccalaureate students studying EFL in Meknes to serve as a data collection tool for this study. The findings crop up from a quantitative analysis of the data seem to align with prior research in this area substantiating the argument that female language learners are found to be at a great disadvantage. They denied the right to take their learning share of the classroom talk; they not been granted equal time and attention like boys, and they have been excluded far more often from their appealing topics. The paper ends up with a conclusion along with some practical recommendations to help combat this educational mishap. Without any awareness regarding the prevalence and the common overuse of these imbalanced practices, female language learners in particular will continue to be subject to a number of learning barriers, which may hinder them from bringing their potentials into fullness.

Walsh’s Classroom Modes and Interactional Features of Teacher Talk in Science Class at DCS Semarang

This research aims to find out how the realization of classroom modes and interactional features of teacher talk and identify the interactional features that either support or hindrance student's learning in science class elementary level. The descriptive qualitative method is applied in this study. Twelve lessons from 7 teachers were transcribed and analyzed using the Self Evaluation of Teacher Talk (SETT) framework adapted from Walsh (2006) supported by data interview. The findings show that all four classroom modes can be seen in all of the lessons, but classroom context modes were found in a limited portion. The teachers performed all interactional features where the most frequent occurrences are teacher echo, display question, seeking clarification, content feedback, and extended teacher turn. The lesser proportion of the interactional features are scaffolding, extended wait time, referential questions, direct repair, confirmation check, extended learner turn, teacher interruptions, form-focused feedback, and turn completion. From all the interactional features that have been employed, seeking clarification, content feedback, scaffolding, and extended wait time are strategies that potentially support students learning. On the other hand, teacher echo and display questions were found to hindrance students’ learning potentially.