Participation In Classroom Discussion Research Articles

Increasing Inclusion in Classroom Discussion: The Raised Block as a Classroom Response System in International Studies

Abstract Discussion is one of the most frequently used pedagogical techniques in international studies classrooms, but student participation in discussion is not always inclusive and equitable. This exploratory study aims to improve the quality of student participation in classroom discussion by replacing traditional hand raising with the Raised Block. We introduce the Block and assess instructor and student use during seminar discussions in a U.S. Naval War College security studies program. A series of surveys asked students and instructors if using the Blocks increased perceptions of inclusivity during class discussion. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the survey data showed that using the Blocks led to more varied, dynamic, and engaged student participation in seminar discussions for a slight majority of students. This was particularly the case for “quiet” and international students who may find it challenging to enter politically charged discussions common in international and security studies classrooms. By organizing participation, lowering barriers to speaking, creating a persistent signal to participate, and managing dominant students, Blocks can create space in the discussion for students who may otherwise lack access and inclusion.

Exploring Learning Challenges Coping Strategies Among EFL Business English Learners

The present study investigated the nature of learning challenges inherent in studying Readings in Business through the English medium instruction (EMI) and the coping strategies business English learners use to overcome those learning challenges. The study adopted a quantitative approach and collected the data through an online questionnaire. The findings revealed that business English learners face challenges related to the language used in the textbook, and some may find the textbook's language more difficult to comprehend. Further, the findings revealed that business English learners in the context of language proficiency-based challenges face challenges that affect their comprehension of textbook content, ability to answer tests effectively, exam scores, and participation in classroom discussions. Furthermore, the findings revealed that business English learners have mixed perceptions regarding instructor-based challenges. Finally, in terms of coping strategies, the findings revealed that business English learners adopted a variety of coping strategies, such as using Google Translate to translate the paragraphs, using their native language to inquire and ask questions, creating a glossary to memorize new words, using bilingual dictionaries and translation tools, and seeking help from classmates and instructors. The study provides a number of implications and recommendations for further studies.

Participation in Higher Education Classroom Discussions: How Students’ Identities Influence Perspective Taking and Engagement

This study examines the impact of students’ identities on how students participate in classroom discussions in postsecondary courses. Participation in such discussions is known to increase students’ learning, but, despite this, little is known about how students’ identities influence how and whether they choose to participate. Drawn from a larger study on the experiences of postsecondary instructors and students, this article focuses on students’ perspectives and experiences. Survey data were collected from undergraduate students enrolled in an interdisciplinary undergraduate program. Students’ race, religion, gender, and their first- or continuing-generation university status were found to have varying influences on their participation in classroom discussions. Most students with marginalized identities opted out of actively participating in discussions about contentious or sociopolitical topics. This study suggests that inclusive approaches to classroom discussion can be useful in promoting students’ engagement and academic learning.

THE IMPACT OF CODE-SWITCHING IN AFFECTIVE SUPPORT AND LEARNERS’ SUCCESS IN PAKISTANI ESL CLASSROOMS AT UNIVERSITY LEVEL

Background and Purpose: English is an official language of Pakistan and it is not only taught as a subject, but it is also used as a medium of instruction in Pakistan. However, students find English language learning a difficult experience. Their difficulties are compounded by monolingual English language teaching policies and their individual differences which are linked with their motivation, level of anxiety and confidence.  This study aimed at finding out the relationship between code-switching and learners’ affective response and its impacts on attaining success in ESL classrooms.
  
 Methodology: Data for this mixed method study were collected through purposive sampling via questionnaires, interviews, and field notes from the students majoring in English at a private university in Pakistan. Quantitative data is analyzed throughSPSS whereas qualitatively the data is analyzed by using constant comparative technique.
  
 Findings: The findings unveil that code-switching is an effective teaching strategy in ESL classrooms to deal with the learning of vocabulary, comprehension of abstract concepts, the performance of a difficult task, participation in classroom discussions, and the clarity of concepts. Moreover, switching to L1 also gives them satisfaction, fosters attention span, creates enjoyment, and boosts confidence, resultantly their performance improves.
  
 Contribution: The study provides implications for stakeholders including teachers, teacher trainers and policy makers to introduce pedagogical code-switching in ESL classrooms to foster the motivation and self-confidence of the students. The study concludes that though code-switching carries benefits, however, it should be used strategically to improve learners’ performance.
  
 Keywords: Code-switching, affective-response, success, ESL classrooms.
  
 Cite as: Nawaz, N., Atta, A., & Naseem, N. (2023). The impact of code-switching in affective support and learners’ success in Pakistani ESL classrooms at university level. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 8(1), 95-116. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol8iss1pp95-116

Analisis Pengaruh Pembelajaran Berbasis Proyek terhadap Kemampuan Komunikasi Siswa Sekolah

This study investigates the effect of project-based learning on students' communication skills at SDN Wanasalam I. The research methods employed include observation, interviews, and document analysis. The subjects of the study were elementary school students at SDN Wanasalam I, who were involved in project-based learning during the research period. The results of the study indicate a significant improvement in students' communication skills after participating in project-based learning. Observations reveal an increase in student participation in classroom discussions, while interviews confirm an enhanced level of confidence among students in speaking in public. Document analysis shows an improvement in the quality of students' learning products, such as project reports and presentations. The conclusion affirms that project-based learning is effective in enhancing students' communication skills in elementary school. The practical implications of this research underscore the importance of considering communication skills in curriculum design and teaching practices at the elementary school level. Therefore, it is recommended for educational practitioners to integrate project-based learning into elementary school curricula as a comprehensive approach to improving students' communication skills.

Engaging ‘silent’ students in classroom discussions: a micro-analytic view on teachers’ embodied enactments of cold-calling practices

Cold-calling has been proposed as an effective engagement strategy to enhance student participation in whole-class discussions. However, calling on students who did not volunteer can also be understood as a face-threat. The ways in which teachers accomplish cold-calling could prove critical as to how cold-calling is received. The linguistic, interactive, and bodily enactment of cold-calling though has not yet been studied. Drawing on multimodal interaction analysis, this paper aims to examine how actual cold-callings are brought about by teachers and students. Based on a collection of 86 instances of cold-calling recorded in two German middle-schools (grade 5) we analyse the linguistic, interactive, and embodied details of teachers’ cold-calling. We show how these serve to frame verbal participation in classroom discourse in two fundamentally different ways: either as collaborative thinking or as a moral obligation. These different enactments of cold-calling are also distinctive with respect to how they position the non-participating students (as more or less competent). Students’ interactive responses to the cold-calling suggest that the different enactments are not equally successful in engaging students in cognitively and discursively challenging tasks.

Daring to discuss: analyzing engagement and equality in high school discussions

ABSTRACT There is a large body of research around the effectiveness of active participation and in-class discussion as a means to promote students’ critical thinking and communication skills. However, little research exists that investigates the factors that affect the equality of participation in classroom discussions. Therefore, this study analyzes relationships between students’ levels of engagement and the levels of equity of participation during discussion-based classes. This study’s data suggested that: (1) Behavioral Engagement may be a significant positive predictor of a discussion’s equality and (2) Cognitive Engagement may be a significant negative predictor of a discussion’s equality.

Co‐constructing Agency: Weaving Academic Discussion

AbstractAcademic discussion can create space for student voice and active negotiation of text meaning in the classroom. However, teachers hoping to use academic discussion may find it difficult to draw learners into these discussions if students do not feel a sense of agency—a particular concern for multilingual students or those designated as having limited or interrupted formal education, who may have shorter histories of participation in classroom discourse. In this article, we draw on observation, artifact, and interview data to explore an upper‐elementary classroom of newcomer multilingual learners, where reflexive academic discussion serves as a foundational element of exploring and developing students' agency. The authors present instructional approaches reading educators can use to weave together reflexive and text‐focused academic discussion in support of students' developing agency.

Error Culture and Student Participation in Classroom Discourse: Exploring the Role of Migration Background and Self-Concept

Error Culture and Student Participation in Classroom Discourse: Exploring the Role of Migration Background and Self-Concept

Lessons learnt from the field: a qualitative evaluation of adolescent experiences of a universal mental health education program.

teen Mental Health First Aid (teenMHFA) is a school-based mental health program that trains adolescents to support peers who are experiencing mental health problems or crises. The program has been evaluated for adolescents aged 15-18 years as part of a randomized controlled trial, however qualitative feedback from students on their perceptions of the program is yet to be explored. The current study describes the perspectives of students who took part in the trial. Feedback on the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the program was provided by 979 Year 10 students (M = 15.82 years, female = 43.94%, English as a first language = 72.77%) at four government funded public schools in Melbourne, Australia via online surveys. A content and thematic analysis was performed on the data using a six-step process. Students generally found the program relevant and they connected with the visual material, personal stories and interactive activities. Suggestions for improvements included encouraging active student participation in classroom discussion and providing opportunities to practice skills. School-based mental health education can benefit from input from stakeholder perspectives, particularly when designing mental health content for delivery by external trainers.

Understanding Meaningful Exchanges: Mathematics Discourse Analysis and Complexity Thinking

The focus in this paper is on the analysis of student-centered discourse through applying a discourse analysis tool that I developed to analyze data from an elementary mathematics classroom. The purpose of the analysis tool is to understand the impact of the complex learning system on the emerging classroom discourse. The minimum conditions for complexity created an invitational space for students that allowed interactions and meaningful exchanges to flourish through exploration of mathematical concepts and collective participation in classroom discourse. The analytic lens provides the teacher with a tool to understand more clearly the dynamics of meaningful exchanges identified as sharing, building, exploring and blocking.
 Keywords: Classroom discourse; mathematics education; complexity

Beyond Oral Participation: A Typology of Student Engagement in Classroom Discussions

Classroom discussions represent a common learning activity for students in schools. The prevailing discourse has focused on how to encourage as many students as possible to participate actively in classroom discussions with the assumption that only vocal students are engaged learners. The present essay critically challenges this position by drawing attention to how silent students may be similarly, if not more, engaged emotionally and cognitively than vocal students in classroom discussions. It uses the conceptual apparatus of the integrated perspective of student engagement to hypothesize a typology of six student learning patterns in discussions, namely, Silent-Acting, Silent-Feeling, Silent-Cognizing, Vocal-Acting, Vocal-Feeling, and Vocal-Cognizing. The typology is derived from examining interactions between the three dimensions of student engagement (behavioural, emotional, and cognitive engagement) and two types of student participation in classroom discussions (vocal versus silent participation). Implications for building a more inclusive classroom learning environment and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Discussion Method in developing discourse competence of students: the case of teaching Ukrainian in secondary schools

This empirical study focuses on the overall question of how discourse competence, participation in classroom discussion, and language learning are related. The value of discussion method and its application in developing discourse competence of students at the lessons of the Ukrainian language in secondary schools have been substantiated. The author shares the results of development and experimental verification of the strategy enabling the educator to teach schoolchildren to create oral text in discussion replicas in the course of questions and answers. Discussion method has been used to teach schoolchildren to produce oral dialogue according to the rules of grammar and verbal etiquette of the Ukrainian language. At the same time, questions and answers of the schoolchildren reflect their ability to use language for mutual development and expressing opinions. According to the author, language classes are a training platform for the discourse competent speakers who arrange words, phrases and sentences in the oral text being compliant with a topic of the discussion. In this respect, the procedure of assessment of schoolchildren’s questions and answers according to the criteria of discourse competence has been presented in the article. The criteria have been selected in relation to CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and adapted to the specificity of teaching the Ukrainian language at secondary schools.

The relationship between peer status and students’ participation in classroom discourse

ABSTRACT To intensify students learning, it is important to understand why individual students participate in classroom discourse differently. So far, there is no empirical evidence illustrating how student participation is affected by the fact that students achieve certain peer status among their classmates. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between peer status and students’ participation. We analyse data gathered via structured observation of classroom discourse and through a standardised sociometric questionnaire establishing peer status on the bases of its two dimensions: peer likeability and social dominance. The sample consisted of 639 ninth-grade students from 32 Czech classrooms. This study shows that the effects of both dimensions on students’ participation are contrary. The regression model shows that the effect of dominance on participation is stronger and is directly proportional: students who are perceived as more dominant participate more. The interconnectedness of peer status and participation intensifies among students with lower academic achievement.

Teacher Feedback: Its Correlation with Students’ Preferences and Perceptions, and Its Impact on Learning at an International school in Thailand.

Being up-to-date with researched-based teaching practice is essential in providing qualityeducation. To achieve this goal, this quantitative study investigated the effect of teacherfeedback (TF) on student learning in an international high school. It was hypothesized thatteacher feedback affects achievement. A paper-and-pen survey questionnaire adapted fromRowe and Wood (2008) was administered to students in grades 9-12. Data was collectedthrough convenient sampling (N= 78). Descriptive statistics analysis revealed TF methodswere either individual verbal, individual written, group verbal or group written. Studentsvalued TF that specifically revealed what needed to be improved, and what the teachers’expectations were relevant to the purpose of the assignment. They preferred TF on the errorsthey made on their right and wrong answers and through sample answers posted onSchoology. This was indicative of TF on surface learning. The preferred TF on deep learningincluded discussing the subject with the teacher, guidance on how to work out the answers ontheir own and participation in classroom discussion. A multiple regression was calculated topredict CGPA based on teacher feedback. The result shows that there is a weak relationshipbetween TF and student achievement (R2 of .096). For those who are interested in teacherfeedback, the researcher recommends an experimental study on the feedback that leads toself-regulation

교사의 담론적 역량의 개념화를 위한 사례 연구

The purpose of this study is to conceptualize teacher capacity to implement discursive pedagogy in the mathematics classroom. The grounded theory guided our study as we investigated the case of a 7th-grade middle school mathematics master teacher, who had an award winning track record for her effective methods of increasing student participation in the learning of mathematics. Our data included semester-long observations of the teacher’s 44 instructional events. Our analysis revealed that the teacher exercised her discursive capacity in building a classroom community in which students participated in learning, sustained socio-mathematical norms from day one throughout the semester, and introduced new mathematical concepts in conjunction with student ideas from their academic and personal lives. Also, the teacher attended to the 'when' and 'how' of routines suggested by Sfard. In particular, she emphasized the how aspect of problem solving depending on the when. Our findings provide a conceptual framework in tandem with concrete and practical ideas towards developing a mathematical discourse practice and supporting teachers for facilitating student participation in classroom discussions.

Editor's note

We looked up from the busyness of our work and discovered it was the 50th anniversary of Paulo Freire's classic text The Pedagogy of the Oppressed (published in 1968). William Myer had sent us a manuscript – a memoir of sorts – reflecting on the book's impact on his life's work as a minister and educator. We knew we needed to publish some kind of retrospective to mark the anniversary. The book was the first shot across the bow, a 1960s radical dismantling and reimagination of the liberative purposes and processes of education for a just society. The book has aged well. It's the grandparent of critical pedagogies and the lodestar for so many of our Wabash Center workshop participants who got into this business to make a better world. But Freire wrote from his teaching context amongst the peasants and slums of Brazil. His purpose was to empower his students to see and resist the structures of power that oppressed them. For fifty years he has been venerated by faculty working in a very different context: teaching privileged students in wealthy North American institutions of higher education. So we asked three Wabash workshop alumni to write short responses to Myer's essay, to analyze how Freire informs their classroom teaching practices. We publish these manuscripts together as a Forum in this, the January 2019 issue of the journal – as we move now into the 51st anniversary of this text that still lives and challenges us to think again about our deepest purposes as educators and the teaching practice these call us to. Freire could not have imagined the internet and the ways that contemporary media cultures could simultaneously democratize and alienate our social fabric, faster than we can absorb or adjust to. The central question of the second Forum published in this issue is: how can online education form students for ministry (see: “Forum on Seminary Teaching and Formation Online” by Deborah Gin, Barbara Blodgett, and G. Brooke Lester). An article by Kyle Oliver asks: ought not our pedagogies make use of these emerging new media tools in order to better prepare our students as leaders in this emergent media culture? (See: “Networked Religion Meets Digital Geographies: Pedagogical Principles for Exploring New Spaces and Roles in the Seminary Classroom.”) But Freire would have been very familiar with, and sympathetic to, Sarah Jobe's project to bring theological education into a woman's prison. Her article, “How Programs in Prisons are Changing the Who, Where, How, and What of Theological Education,” carefully describes and analyzes her purposes and pedagogies, which she argues are emblematic of the cutting edge of theological education today. We've included four Teaching Tactics: strategies for . . . improving students' participation in classroom discussions (Emily Kahm's “Secret Missions”), getting more out of in-class quizzes (Reid Locklin's “The (Mostly) Unmarked Quiz”), helping students become better readers (Ingie Hovland's “ICE QQ Reading Logs”), and the one that shows how we're all Freirean now – Molleen Dupree-Dominguez's “Social Location Project.” But the article I most want to call your attention to is the magisterial, encyclopedic, overview of pedagogical theory in Deborah Gin and Mark Hearn's article, “Why You Do What You Do: The Power in Knowing and Naming Pedagogies.” This 12,000 word essay takes the active learning teaching strategies that we're all familiar with and grounds them in one or another of the great philosophies of teaching that have emerged over the past century. This is an invaluable resource for understanding “why you do what you do” in the classroom (as the title promises), with lots of bibliography for further reading, and two handy appendices that helpfully organize and summarize the material. And you can bet that Freire figures prominently.

Discourse competence as important part of academic language proficiency in mathematics classrooms: the case of explaining to learn and learning to explain

Language, which plays a special role for the learning of mathematics, is investigated in this article for the specific discourse practice of explaining during whole-class discussions: On the one hand, explaining is a medium for learning since school cannot be thought of without communication. On the other hand, students at the beginning of secondary school are still in the process of language acquisition and are also still learning how to communicate mathematically. Thus, students are learning to explain in mathema-tics classrooms. This empirical study focuses on the overall question of how discourse competence, participation in classroom discourse, and mathematical learning opportunities are related. For that purpose, the approach of Interactional Discourse Analysis is introduced to mathematics education research and coordinated with the Interactional-Epistemic Perspective from mathematics education. The relevance of explaining is shown theoretically and empirically and a description is given of how limited discourse competence and limited epistemic participation proceed across situations.

Is Students’ Speaking Participation Related to Students’ Personality and Gender?

Pedagogically, students will gain more when they engage in a discussion actively rather than as passive observers. Therefore, active participation in class is a prominent aspect of enhancing students’ competencies. Additionally, there are several studies of personality traits and gender differences proven to influence students’ participation, which encourage the author to observe the relationship between students’ speaking participation, personality traits, and gender differences. The author also investigated other factors that influence students’ participation in classroom discussions based on the students’ perspectives. Using mixed methods empirical research, the results of this study reveal that introverted students have a slightly higher participation rate than extroverted students which contradicts findings of some previous research. Meanwhile, investigation of gender shows that the average of male students’ speaking participation is relatively higher than females. Further investigation of factors that possibly influence students’ engagement indicates a strong relationship between English education background and students’ speaking participation. Thesee findings are expected to contribute to the literature for higher education researchers interested in understanding factors influencing students’ participation and as a consideration for higher education practitioners to enhance students’ engagement in class activities.

Is Students’ Speaking Participation Related to Students’ Personality and Gender?

Pedagogically, students will gain more when they engage in a discussion actively rather than as passive observers. Therefore, active participation in class is a prominent aspect of enhancing students’ competencies. Additionally, there are several studies of personality traits and gender differences proven to influence students’ participation, which encourage the author to observe the relationship between students’ speaking participation, personality traits, and gender differences. The author also investigated other factors that influence students’ participation in classroom discussions based on the students’ perspectives. Using mixed methods empirical research, the results of this study reveal that introverted students have a slightly higher participation rate than extroverted students which contradicts findings of some previous research. Meanwhile, investigation of gender shows that the average of male students’ speaking participation is relatively higher than females. Further investigation of factors that possibly influence students’ engagement indicates a strong relationship between English education background and students’ speaking participation. Thesee findings are expected to contribute to the literature for higher education researchers interested in understanding factors influencing students’ participation and as a consideration for higher education practitioners to enhance students’ engagement in class activities.
  
 Key Words: English, speaking, participation, personality, gender, university, Indonesia