Improving Classroom Interaction in Reading Classes for Students at Hanoi University of Home Affairs: An Action Research

Luu Thi Kim Que, M.A

doi:10.47191/ijsshr/v4-i6-31

Abstract

Classroom interaction is obviously of crucial significance to English language teaching and learning. Many language teachers and researchers have made great efforts to find out ways to create interactive classroom environment that involve both teachers and learners’ contributions during the whole process of teaching and learning. The study was conducted to explore classroom interaction in an English foreign language class. Questionnaire and classroom observation were used for data collecting. The results showed that the students participated more actively in reading lessons. Moreover, they developed a positive attitude towards classroom interaction and classroom interaction strategies. The findings demonstrated that increasing students’ motivation, designing interactive reading tasks, and applying appropriate techniques for classroom interaction facilitated and improved classroom interaction.

Highlights

Classroom interaction is an essential part of language teaching and learning
From the data analysis, it was found that the implementation of classroom interaction strategies had positive effects on students’ participation
The interactions were more diverse; different types of classroom interaction existed in the reading class

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Classroom interaction is an essential part of language teaching and learning. It refers to mutual reaction repeatedly occurring between teacher and students or among students themselves in any classes. Ford (1991: 45) outlines the theoretical advantages of cooperative learning in the following way: Cooperative learning provides students with greater opportunities to: interact with each other, negotiate for meaning, work in a variety of projects that are of interest to them, participate in real-world communicative activities more frequently than in traditional teacher-fronted classrooms. They found that cooperative learning improved vocabulary and reading comprehension; and attitudes of poor readers toward reading Another major advantage of cooperative learning is that it frees the teacher from the usual role of instructor-corrector-controller, and allows him/her to wander freely around the class and assess the performance of individual students by noting language mistakes for future remedial work and devote more time to slower learners, in other words, to play the role of a facilitator

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

Whole class discussion

CONCLUSION