Perceptions Of Classroom Activities Research Articles

Classroom Activities and Student Motivation in Learning an English Subject: A Case Study at a Public Secondary School in Cambodia

This study sought to investigate students’ perceptions of classroom activities and their motivation levels in learning an English subject. The study also examined the affiliation between classroom activities and student motivation. The survey questionnaires were employed to collect the data from 120 upper secondary graders studying at a public secondary school in Cambodia. Social Science Version 16.0 (SPSS 16.0) was utilized to analyze. Descriptive statistics and Pear Product Moment Correlation were performed. The results revealed that EFL teachers frequently employed ‘Mechanics’ and ‘Exclusive Use of Language’ in their teaching. The results apropos of student motivation indicated that students had a higher level of motivation in ‘Confidence’, and ‘Motivation about Language’ and the lowest level in ‘Motivation about Class’. The result also revealed that ‘Fun’ positively correlates with ‘Confidence’ and ‘Motivation about Class’. Conversely, ‘Mechanics’ is negatively correlated with ‘Motivation about Class’. Therefore, the study argued that the teachers less frequently employed ‘Fun’ activities that could boost student motivation. In contrast, ‘The teachers commonly practiced mechanics’ activities that could decrease student motivation. In this sense, the study suggested that teachers maximize ‘Fun’ activities and minimize ‘Mechanics’ activities. However, because of the weak and moderate correlation between classroom activities and students’ motivation, the level of student motivation was not mostly determined by classroom activities. Thus, scrutiny of other factors enhancing the level of student motivation could be a topic for future study.

The Effect of Empathy-enhancing Techniques on EFL Learners’ Empathy, Language Proficiency, and Perception of Classroom Activities

Introduction: Learning English as a foreign language has been affected by new teaching approaches in the field of teaching. There is a keen in shift from studying teachers’ teaching to learners’ learning and learners' psychological and social factors. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the impact of empathy- enhancing techniques on EFL learners’ language proficiency, perception of classroom activities, and empathy.
 Methodology: To do so, three main variables were measured among 60 participants, devided into two groups of control and experimental. The Empathy Formative Questionnaire, Students' Perceptions of Classroom Activities' Scale, and Nelson English Language Test were utilized in order to evaluate students’ level of empathy, perceptions of classroom activities (interest, challenge, joy, and choice), and measure learners’ proficiency in both experimental and control groups, respectively. Unlike the control group, the experimental group were subjected to emphathy-based tasks and activities.
 Results: The obtained result indicated that empathy-enhancing techniques had a positive and significant effect on learners' empathy and language achievement, but not on perception.
 Conclusion: It can be concluded that enhancing empathy in learners and concentration on emotion positively affects language learning and diminishes recklessness.

Developing English teaching through perceptions of classroom activities: a case study

Une gamme d’activités a été suggérée pour le processus de développements des enseignants. Elles donnent à ces derniers des outils destinés à améliorer leur enseignement et à s’épanouir professionnellement. Cependant, l’initiative personnelle de l’enseignant, facteur crucial pour la nécessité de ce développement, reste sous-étudiée. Cet article étudie la différence de perception entre une enseignante d’anglais langue étrangère et ses étudiants au niveau de l’apprentissage et des activités réalisées en classe ; l’objectif étant de déterminer quel effet cette différence peut avoir sur une perspective d’évolution de son enseignement. Il montre en outre que, à la suite de la prise de conscience d’une telle différence de perception, l’enseignante met en place un plan systématique visant à la réduire et à évaluer sa nouvelle performance. La comparaison entre les évaluations de l’enseignante et celles des étudiants d’une classe après application de ce plan révèle de facto une diminution des différences de perception. De sorte que ce résultat est de nature à encourager l’initiative personnelle de l’enseignante quant à son développement professionnel.

Assertive Classroom Management: How Does it Mould Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Activities and Goal Orientations?

Assertive Classroom Management: How Does it Mould Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Activities and Goal Orientations?

The feeling classroom: diversity of feelings in instructed l2 learning

ABSTRACTIn the field of second language (L2) research, there is a growing recognition of the vital need to explore the diversity of emotional experiences of learning. The current paper describes part of action research with two classes of Japanese first-grade university students (n = 47) in compulsory English as a foreign language (EFL) lessons. Participants wrote introspective journals, collected weekly over a semester of study. Initial analysis revealed that participants frequently wrote about their feelings in lessons. This development prompted the researcher to re-examine data from a more emotional angle. Reanalysis uncovered that 94 per cent of the total collected responses referred to feelings in some way. Seven positively-valenced feelings and three negatively-valenced feelings emerged from analysis. These feelings fluctuated connected with perceptions of classroom activities, other students, L2 identity, transportable identities, the teacher, and impressions of a lesson as a whole. Through the use of an innovative representational tool – multiple threading [Davis, B., and D. Sumara. 2006. Complexity and Education: Inquiries into Learning, Teaching, and Research. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates] – the findings allow insights to the diverse and frequently contrasting nature of L2 feelings during study. The article builds on existing research into learner feelings by also adding qualitative detail to this fundamental aspect of the experience of classroom L2 learning.

The effect of illustrations and simulations in English course books in a Kazakhstani context on primary school students English language achievement

Course books are the most important teaching and learning materials. In English language course books for primary school students, simulation and illustrations should occupy a prominent place in teaching and learning processes. This qualitative study aims to investigate the effect of illustrations and simulation in English Course Books in a Kazakhstani context on primary school students' English language achievement by means of self-developed teaching aids (“Dictionary in pictures for primary school”, “Grammar in pictures for primary school”, “Alphabet and spelling in pictures for primary school”). The literature review showed that simulation and illustrations play a role in primary school students’ perceptions of classroom activities (i.e., motivation, interest, challenge and joy). It was also hypothesized that simulation and illustrations affect English language achievement. To do so, the study utilized an experimental design consisting of 116 participants (58 students in the control group and 58 students in the experimental group). The results demonstrated the positive role of simulation and illustrations in students’ language achievement. An interview was also held with a number of English language teachers to investigate their attitude towards self- developed teaching aids.

Psychometric Indicators of the “Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Activities Questionnaire”

The present study aims to investigate the factorial validity and reliability of a “students’ perceptions of classroom activities questionnaire” made by Gentry, Gable and Rizza (2002). In this regard, the students’ perceptions of classroom activities questionnaire was carried out on 360 students (252 girls and 108 boys) who were selected through stratified sampling method from among the students of the Faculty of Humanities at Islamic Azad University of Quchan. In order to assess the questionnaire reliability, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used, and to determine the factorial validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was applied. In line with the results obtained by Gentry, Gable and Rizza (2002) and Karshky, et al. (2009, 2011), the present study showed that this questionnaire has acceptable internal consistency and Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the test is 0.901 and for the subtests, it is between 0.662 and 0.91. Also, the results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis indicate that the questionnaire structure has acceptable fit to the data and all the goodness of fit indices confirm the model (AGFI= 0.85, GFI= 0.90, RMSEA= 0.056, RMR= 0.07, CFI= 0.91). So, this questionnaire can be a useful tool for assessing students’ perceptions of classroom activities. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n2s2p148

Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Activities Commonly Used in English Speaking Classes

Classroom activities, such as English dubs, role-play, brainstorming etc can be very useful for the teaching of oral English. In recent years, although considerable attention has been paid to the use of classroom activities in English speaking classes, the perceptions of teachers and students about such activities have been ignored. Therefore, this study aims to investigate students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the use of classroom activities in English speaking classes. Classroom observations were carried out as a preparatory work for a questionnaire survey which was conducted to examine the attitudes of English-major students and teachers towards 21 classroom activities. Data were analyzed and the results of the research showed that there were both similarities and differences between students’ and teachers’ perceptions about these activities and that the perceptions of freshmen and sophomores were not completely matched. The findings of this research can help teachers take students’ perceptions into consideration while designing classroom activities for English speaking classes in the future.

An exploration of EFL learners' perceptions of classroom activities and their achievement goal orientations

The present paper delved into EFL students' perceptions of their classroom activities. To do so, a two-phase study was designed. The first phase included an array of different steps to validate the Persian version of the 'Students Perceptions of Classroom Activities' scale among 'English as a foreign language' (EFL) students. The scale measures four perceptions: interest, challenge, choice, and joy. In the second phase, we utilized the validated questionnaire along with an achievement-associated instrument to explore the relationship between EFL students' perceptions of their classroom activities and their achievement goal-orientations. The latter scale measures three achievement goals, namely, mastery, performance, and avoidance. The results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and reliability estimates demonstrated the acceptable validity and reliability indices. The findings of the second phase attested to the hypothesized association between students' perceptions of classroom activities and their goal-orientations. The highest correlation was obtained between mastery goal and interest; the lowest correlation was observed between avoidance goal and joy.

Relations among Perceptions of Classroom Activities and Self-Regulating Learning

Problem Statementself-regulating learning is important in education, work and life situations. So it necessary that researches investigate origins of self-regulating and factors that related to it. One factors that effect on self-regulating is perceptions of class and university activities. Purpose of StudyThe aim of this research is studying the relations among classroom perceptions, and self-regulating and predicting self-regulating by perceptions of class activities components. Research MethodsTo do the study, a multi-stage cluster sampling method was used and a sample of 600 students from Iranian students, were selected, Students’ The motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990), and Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Activities (Gentry, Gable, & Rizza, 2002), were administrated to students as a group. Questionnaires validity and reliability were verified. FindingsThe results of Pearson correlation showed that the mutual correlations between all components of classroom perceptions, (interest, joint, challenge and choice), with self-regulating were positive and significant statistically (p<0.01). Results of regression analysis show that self-regulating learning was predicted by perceptions of class activities (F (4,487) =13/23, p<0/001). ConclusionsFor incrasing self-regulating learning is essential to considering perceptions of class and university activities.

SELF-REGULATED LEARNING: THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERCEPTIONS AND MOTIVATIONAL BELIEFS1

To examine the correlations among environmental perceptions, motivational beliefs, and self-regulated learning of Tehran third-year high school boys based on a proposed model, multistage cluster-sampling method gave a sample of 685 students. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990), Students' Achievement Goal Orientations (Midgley, Kaplan, Middleton, Maehr, Urdan, Anderman, et al., 1998), Students' Perceptions of Classroom Activities (Gentry, Gable, & Rizza, 2002), and Perceptions of Parents Scales (Grolnick, Deci, & Ryan, 1997) were administered. Analysis showed relations among components of self-regulated learning, family environmental perceptions, perceptions of classroom activities, and motivational beliefs. Structural equation modeling indicated the proposed model had an acceptable fit to the data. All paths or structural coefficients of the proposed model were statistically significant.

Self-Regulated Learning: The Role of Environmental Perceptions and Motivational Beliefs

To examine the correlations among environmental perceptions, motivational beliefs, and self-regulated learning of Tehran third-year high school boys based on a proposed model, multistage cluster-sampling method gave a sample of 685 students. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990), Students' Achievement Goal Orientations (Midgley, Kaplan, Middleton, Maehr, Urdan, Anderman, et al., 1998), Students' Perceptions of Classroom Activities (Gentry, Gable, & Rizza, 2002), and Perceptions of Parents Scales (Grolnick, Deci, & Ryan, 1997) were administered. Analysis showed relations among components of self-regulated learning, family environmental perceptions, perceptions of classroom activities, and motivational beliefs. Structural equation modeling indicated the proposed model had an acceptable fit to the data. All paths or structural coefficients of the proposed model were statistically significant.

Environmental perceptions, motivational beliefs and self-regulating learning by Iranian high school students

To examine the correlations among environmental perceptions, motivational beliefs, and self-regulating learning of Tehran high school third-year boys, a causal model was used and 685 students were selected by multistage cluster-sampling method. The motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990), Students’ Achievement Goal Orientations (Midgley, Kaplan, Middleton, Maehr, Urdan, Anderman, et al., 1998), Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Activities (Gentry, Gable, & Rizza, 2002), and Perceptions of Parents Scales (Grolnick, Deci, & Ryan, 1997) were administered. Analysis showed relations among components of self-regulating learning, family environmental perceptions, perceptions of classroom activities, and motivational beliefs. Structural equating modelling indicated the proposed model was acceptable and the fit index was not significant statistically (χ2 = 123.98, GFI = .97, RSMEA = .044). All paths or structural coefficients of proposed model were significant statistically (P< .01).

Theoretical Views Underlying the Selection of Classroom Activities: Paying Attention to the Classroom of English Literature in EFL Context

This essay reviews literature on the theoretical views underlying the selection of activities for classrooms of English literature teaching in EFL context. The review include: 1) literary criticisms, 2) constructivism, and 3) research on students' perceptions of classroom activities. One literary criticism, reader-response, is beheld to pose a similar spirit to that of the constructivist mode of teaching. Both reader-response and constructivist teaching perspectives require the teaching of English literature to focus on the students. This requires giving attention to the students' ideology, horizon of expectation, and (background knowledge) in order to situate the students to actively generate their own meanings, understanding, or knowledge of given literary works offered as class materials. Since the students' personal ideology, horizon of expectation, and ma'lumat sabiqoh are influenced or the socio-culture undergirding every student, the teaching of English literature needs to take into account such socio-cultural properties. Another point reviewed is the students' perceptions of classroom activities. Consideration of combining the top-down mode of thinking, as offered by the reader-response and constructivism, and bottom-up mode of thinking, as offered by research on students' perceptions of classroom activities, constitute the ending part of this essay.

Examining Perceptions of Challenge and Choice in Classrooms: The Relationship Between Teachers and Their Students and Comparisons Between Gifted Students and Other Students

In this study we investigated the relationship between what teachers report they do in their classrooms and their students' perceptions of classroom activities with respect to the dimensions of challenge and choice. Students and teachers in elementary school classrooms 91 classrooms) were analyzed separately front those in middle schools classrooms (n = 64 classrooms). No relationship existed between what teachers reported they do and what students perceived is done at the elementary or middle school levels concerning the dimension of challenge. Further, concerning choice, a slight positive correlation existed for elementary students and their teachers, whereas. no such relationship existed at the middle school level. These findings suggest that what teachers report may not be what students actually experience in the classroom. Additionally, differences among perceptions of challenge and choice of gifted students in magnet schools, gifted students in regular schools, and other students in regular schools were investigated. Regardmig challenge, magnet school gifted students reported significantly more challenge than their gifted and other peers at the middle school level, whereas no such differences existed at the elementary level. No meaningful difference existed among the groups on the dimension of choice at either the elementary or middle school levels.

Students' perceptions of classroom activities: Are there grade-level and gender differences?

Students' perceptions of classroom activities: Are there grade-level and gender differences?

Students' perceptions of classroom activities: Are there grade-level and gender differences?

The authors investigated whether differences existed in perceptions of class activities for students in Grades 3-8 and between genders. Specifically, the frequency that students perceived opportunities for interest, challenge, choice, and enjoyment in their classrooms was assessed using the affective instrument, My Class Activities (M. Gentry & R. K. Gable, 2001). Significant main effects existed for grade level and gender, with no interaction of the 2 variables. In general, middle school students found their classroom activities less frequently interesting and enjoyable, with fewer opportunities for choice, than did elementary students. These variables declined steadily from lower to upper grades. Girls indicated that their class activities were more frequently interesting and enjoyable than did boys, which contributed to the significant gender differences.

Open-Ended Activities: Differentiation Through Learner Responses

This article explores the meaning of curricular differentiation for identified gifted students by examining learner responses to open-ended activities. Very little research supports or describes how open-ended activities—which have been advocated as a strategy to allow students to work in their own interest areas, in their own learning styles, and at their own ability level—serve to differentiate the curriculum. This paper sets curriculum differentiation in an historical perspective, reviews a comprehensive investigation into the nature of open-ended activities, and focuses on how and in what ways the responses to open-ended activities of children identified as gifted differed from responses of children who were not identified as gifted in a third-grade and a fourth-grade heterogeneously grouped classroom. The study also focuses on teacher perceptions of classroom activities and learner responses. Data sources included observations over the course of one academic year, interviews with teachers and students, learning style and interest assessment instruments, and documents related to over 33 open-ended activities. Based on the findings reported here, the author proposes a reexamination of the meaning of curricular differentiation with a renewed emphasis on determining how an instructional strategy, for example, providing open-ended activities, maximizes student's capabilities.

Play is not the work of the child: Young children's perceptions of work and play

Using qualitative methods of participant observation and in-depth interviewing, this research explored kindergarten and first and second grade children's perceptions of classroom activities. Young children perceived classroom activities in terms of what they considered to be work and what they considered to be play. Children identified many messages they received from the classroom context, their peers, and their teachers that contributed to their distinctions. Distinguishing elements included the obligatory nature of activities, the cognitive and physical effort required, the involvement and evaluation of the teacher, and the fun children experienced while engaged in activities. Children saw some activities as “in-between” work and play. A work-play continuum is presented that incorporates children's characterizations.