Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Prepare for your exams
Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points to download
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Community
Ask the community for help and clear up your study doubts
Discover the best universities in your country according to Docsity users
Free resources
Download our free guides on studying techniques, anxiety management strategies, and thesis advice from Docsity tutors
The aim of this work was to study students´ opinions about oral communication during. English lessons at Senior High School. In the communicative society we ...
Typology: Study notes
1 / 27
This page cannot be seen from the preview
Don't miss anything!
2004:
Luleå tekniska universitet Lärarutbildning Allmänt utbildningsområde C-nivå Institutionen för Utbildningsvetenskap
2004:049 - ISSN: 1652-5299 - ISRN: LTU-LÄR-EX--04/049--SE
The aim of this work was to study students´ opinions about oral communication during English lessons at Senior High School. In the communicative society we live in today it is important that people have the ability to communicate orally in English. The curriculum clearly states that Senior High School should develop the oral communication and social competence of the students. It has been shown that this is not always the case. Research shows that the typical communication in a classroom is a one-way communication where the teacher talks and the students are given the opportunity to say a few words. This study has focused on investigating how students in three practical classes and three theoretical classes in their final year of Senior High School feel when they have to communicate orally in English at school. It has also discussed their opinions about oral communication in general and if they think it is an equal distribution between oral communication and written exercises during their English lessons.
English is the second language for many people in the world today. It has become the international language of business and commerce, science and technology, and international relations and diplomacy. To be able to communicate orally in English gives advantages in many different situations. English is among other things used in business and higher education, during vacation in foreign countries and among friends. In the communicative society we live in today it is taken for granted that people can speak and understand English (Rubin, 1994:12-13).
People today can easily travel abroad, communicate via satellite and explore almost every corner of the world via the Internet (Axtell, 1995:3). Almost everywhere you go in the world there are English signs, English speaking people, songs and English expressions (Bryson, 1990:173-179). Today it is important to master languages and above all oral communication. It is our democratic right and duty to dare to speak in front of other people (Ekström, 2001:35).
It becomes more common for students after Senior High School or College to work in other countries or work for Swedish companies with business contacts abroad. A society with a living democracy needs people who dare to express their opinions and stand up for their rights. This competence is needed in order to enable people to live a good life where they have the opportunity to express emotions, thoughts and needs (Ostrowski, 2001:3). Languages and communication make it possible for us to meet other people and socialize. It is an ongoing process of words, intonation and body language (Nilsson, 1990:7-12).
Body language is a non-verbal language which interacts with the verbal language. Consciously or unconsciously people send out signals during a conversation or speech (Allwood, 1986:72-76). During conversations or speeches it is important that the verbal language and the body language do not contradict each other. When this is the case people tend to rely more on the body language than on what is said. If a person stutters nervously when speaking and is in a cold sweat while explaining that he/she is very confident people do not believe it (Linell, 1992:19-21).
Communicative apprehension is something research discusses and it means that people avoid communicative situations (Ekström, 2001:9-17). Many people in Sweden suffer from anxiety of speech and in every class there are students who have difficulties when speaking in front of the class (Ostrowski, 2001:119). Insecurity and anxiety often result in some people avoiding communicative situations. Students, who among friends are talkative, might become mute in situations where they have to speak in front of the class. Many adults react in the same way when they have to give a speech in front of a group of people (Linell, 1992:43-45).
Oral communication during lessons at school is often a problem because of the size of the class. Shy students often remain quiet while talkative students take the opportunity to speak when they can (Allwood, 1986:132-146). The goal of the curriculum is to prepare students for further studies or work after graduation and also strengthen their confidence (Lärarförbundet, 2002:41-45). Despite the fact that the curriculum says that Senior High School should increase the communicative and social competence of a student this is not always the case.
The aim of this work is to study students´ opinions about oral communication during English lessons at Senior High School. It seems as if a lot of students feel insecure when it comes to using the English language orally even though they have good grades in English and can express themselves in writing. One might wonder if the English education at school has anything to do with this.
The study was made among students in three theoretical classes and three practical classes in their last year at a Senior High School in the northern part of Sweden. The theoretical classes in this study consist of 25 students on the Natural Sciences program, 24 students on the Technology program and 28 students study social sciences. In the practical classes 9 students are part of the Electricity program, 11 students are on the Vehicle program and 15 students
As a general background to this study information on communication, the English language, body language, anxiety of speech, conversation/speech, the classroom situation and the national curriculum will precede the analysis.
The word communication comes from the Latin word communicare which means ‘that something becomes common’ (Nilsson, 1990:7). No matter what people are going to do when they meet, whether it is to dine, play or work, they communicate by means of signals, gestures, looks, intonation and words. It is an unavoidable process. Communication includes many things such as sharing information, feelings, thoughts and influences (Nilsson, 1990:7). It is an important social process and functions as a tool for contact, transfer of ideas, influences and development. Every opportunity to communicate offers a chance of personal development (Dahlkwist, 1994:5). One of the most fascinating characteristics of humans is their ability to communicate, create social relations and complex societies (Nilsson, 1990:9).
Today’s society is going through a communicative revolution with the Internet, cell phones, satellites and digital TV. The world has in a sense become smaller and more accessible (Ostrowski, 2001:98). Our society is a communicative society with different ways of spreading information. This gives us great opportunities and enriches our lives, at the same time as it forces us to communicate in new ways. The new ways of communicating make it more important than earlier to communicate not only in our native language but also in English because of its role as an international language (Dahlkwist, 1994:15). Communication is not only a matter of giving out information or receiving information. It is a two-way interaction in which practice is needed for both speaking and listening (Skolverket, 2001:86- 88). In order to become good at communicating experience is needed since it is important to feel secure in communicative situations (Nilsson, 1990:34-36).
Today the English language is one of the major languages of the world. English is the most widely spoken language in the world and has a large number of both native and second language speakers (Svartvik, 1999:1-5).
It is the main language of the world’s books, newspapers, and advertising. It is the official international language of airports and air traffic control. It is the chief maritime language. It is the language of international business and academic conferences, of diplomacy, of sport. Over two thirds of the world’s scientists write in English. Three quarters of the world’s mail is written in English. Eighty per cent of all information stored in the electronic retrieval systems of the world is stored in English (Crystal, 1990:7).
Without exaggeration it can be claimed that people today live in a world of communication and many people are not content knowing only their native tongue but instead choose to learn a second or perhaps even a third language. There are many different reasons for learning a second language. It might have to do with a person’s profession, the wish to identify closely with the culture and people of the target language and it is also often required to learn a second language at school. A lot of personal benefits can be gained from the study of second languages; individuals who study second languages and cultures improve their abilities to communicate internationally and interculturally. They expose themselves to a global perspective, and enhance their career potential in the ever-growing area of international trade and cross cultural professional exchange (Rubin, 1994:12-13).
Humans communicate not only verbally, but with their entire body. 75% of all communication takes place with non verbal expressions such as intonation, body language and facial expressions (Ostrowski, 2001:27). This phenomenon often occurs unconsciously and the body never lies. Body language confirms and gives more meaning to the words. It has a dominant influence on communication (Backlund, 1997:61). Body language and spoken language are dependent of each other. A message cannot be sent out without the interaction of both (Fast, 1981:101).
In every meeting between people where communication takes place, there is an interaction between verbal language and body language. How the voice is used and what signals our body sends out matter to the whole context (Fast, 1992:9-11). The first impression of a person
in English is very important since it is used in everyday life after Senior High School. Feeling confident when speaking English is also important since our body language never lies (Ostrowski, 2001:119). Humans have the ability to read signals which another human sends out and in order to convey confidence when communicating in English the speaker needs to feel secure. In the classroom it is important for the teacher to create a safe atmosphere in the class. It is also important to practice oral communication on a regular basis in order to avoid that anxiety of speech haunts the students their entire lives (Strömquist, 1998:53).
There is a significant difference between conversation and speech. In everyday life there are plenty of opportunities for conversation. Conversations teach us to speak, listen, comment and cooperate with other people. Most people do not feel uncomfortable when they talk spontaneously with other people. It feels like a natural situation which most people are used to and have had plenty of experience of.
Making a speech on the other hand is a completely different situation mainly because it is a one-way communication. The speaker is separated from the group and is the center of attention. In general, people are more used to being part of the audience than being the speaker (Rogers, 1989:19-22). The step from conversation to speech generally involves problems. A lot of people have difficulties when they have to speak in front of other people. A person’s language and communicative development begin at home and continue at school. In order to make students good at communicating it is important to make oral communication a natural element in language studies. The school is responsible for supporting the communicative ability of the students (Strömquist, 1998:14-15).
Pedagogical research has investigated what the average communication in a classroom at Senior High School looks like and the results have shown that it is mostly a one-way communication performed by the teacher. During a 40-minute lesson approximately 200 utterances have been made and the teacher is responsible for 150 of them. This means that 20- 30 students have to fight for the remaining 50 (Ostrowski, 2001:119). How successfully
students can participate in the communication in classrooms depends on how easily they can adjust to the conditions at school and how much time they have to practice oral communication at school.
Further research in this field shows that the classroom situation looks the same no matter what the subject is. The teacher is responsible for 70% of the utterances during a lesson. 50% of that time the teacher asks questions and 20% of those questions are open for any of the students to answer (Allwood, 1986:135). The traditional school situation, where the teacher speaks and the students get the opportunity to utter a few words, has to change if the students are to be fully prepared for life after Senior High School which might include work or further studies in other countries.
Oral communication in school should be a natural part of the education in every subject. In that way students would become more confident in the position as speaker at the same time as they extend their knowledge (Strömquist, 1998:66). Oral communication during English lessons needs to be a natural part of the class. English should be used in the same way as Swedish is used in class. Apart from putting the focus on increasing the oral exercises, it is also important to emphasize that English should be spoken both by students and teachers during entire English classes. A teacher who only speaks English during lessons can create a safe environment in the classroom where students are motivated to speak English and do not feel insecure (Eriksson, 2001:53-56).
According to the national curriculum the school is supposed to develop a student’s communicative and social competence (Lärarförbundet, 2002:39). Senior High School should, among other things, improve the knowledge of the students and prepare them for a professional career and further studies at universities (Lärarförbundet, 2002:41). According to the national curriculum students should aim at the following goals:
How does it feel when you hear that you are going to speak Swedish in front of the class? Practical classes
(^100) 2030
4050
6070
8090
100
Fun OK Nervous Panic
%
ElVe Mu
Theoretical classes
(^100) 2030
4050
6070
8090
100
Fun OK Nervous Panic
%
NaTe So
Figure 1.
When the students are asked how they feel when they hear that they are going to speak Swedish in front of the class a major part of the students in both practical and theoretical classes mention that they have nothing against it (Figure 1). A large part of the Electricity class are in the category ‘OK’ while the rest of the class is equally divided between the categories ‘nervous’ and ‘panic’. The Vehicle class differs from the rest of the classes in that most students feel nervous when they have to speak Swedish in front of the class. The rest of the class is mainly in the categories ‘OK’ and ‘panic’ but a minority also in the category ‘fun’. A large part of the Music class are of the opinion that it is ‘OK’ while a majority of the remaining students are in the category ‘fun’ and only a few in ‘nervous’.
A majority of students in theoretical classes have nothing against speaking Swedish in front of the class. Students in the Natural Sciences class are mainly in the category ‘OK’ while the rest of the class is divided between the categories ‘fun’ and ‘nervous’. In the Technology class there is an almost equal percentage of students in the categories ‘OK’ and ‘nervous’ and only a few in the category ‘fun’. Finally, in the Social Sciences class the major part of the students are of the opinion that it is ‘OK’ to give a speech in Swedish while the rest of the class are of the opinion ‘fun’ or ‘nervous’.
How does it feel when you hear that you are going to speak English in front of the class? Practical classes
(^100) 2030
4050
6070
8090
100
Fun OK Nervous Panic
%
ElVe Mu
Theoretical classes
(^100) 2030
4050
6070
8090
100
Fun OK Nervous Panic
%
NaTe Sa
Figure 2.
Students were also asked how they feel when they hear that they are going to speak English in front of the class (Figure 2). In general, there are more students who feel uncomfortable when they are asked to give a speech in English rather than in Swedish. However, a majority of the students in the Electricity class have a positive attitude. A majority of the class have nothing against it but there are also students divided between the categories ‘fun’ and ‘nervous’. The major part of the Vehicle class on the other hand is not as positive and is in the category ‘panic’. A few students think it is ‘fun’ to speak English and the rest of the class is divided between the categories ‘OK’ and ‘nervous’. In the Music class a few students think it is ‘fun’, while the rest of the class is divided between the categories ‘OK’, ‘nervous’ and ‘panic’.
Most students in Natural Sciences and Social Sciences have nothing against speaking English in front of other people while most technology students are in the category ‘nervous’. The remaining part of the Natural Sciences class is found in the category ‘nervous’ and only a few in ‘fun’. In the Social Sciences class most of the remaining students react with ‘panic’ while the rest are equally divided between the categories ‘fun’ and ‘nervous’. In the Technology class the remaining students are divided between the categories ‘OK’ and ‘panic’. No Technology students are in the category ‘fun’.
In the Electricity class some students stood out from the rest of the classes since they are in the category ‘fun’ when asked how they feel when they hear they are going to give a speech in English, but not when it comes to Swedish. The Electricity class also differed from the other classes in that some students feel nervous when they hear that they have to speak in their native language in front of the class (Figure 1) but not when they are going to speak English (Figure 2). This is interesting and might have to do with the fact that Swedish is their mother
In which way do you think it will be useful to you to be able to communicate orally in English? Practical classes
(^100) 2030
4050
6070
8090
100
Professionally
TravelNot at all Further studies
Friends
%
ElVe Mu
Theoretical classes
(^100) 2030
4050
6070
8090
100
Professionally
TravelNot at all Further studies
Friends
%
NaTe So
Figure 3.
Students were moreover asked in which way they thought it might be useful to be able to communicate orally in English (Figure 3). In both practical and theoretical classes students agreed that it is useful to be able to speak English when they travel but also for professional purposes. The only students who were of the opinion that it is not useful to be able to communicate orally in English were a few students in the Electricity and the Vehicle classes. Many students in the theoretical classes and the Music class and a few students in the Electricity and the Vehicle classes believed that English will be useful in further studies. All classes thought that it can be useful to be able to communicate orally in English among friends. In both practical and theoretical classes there are obviously students who know when it can be useful to be able to communicate orally in English. When students are aware of why it is good to learn a subject it is easier for them to be motivated and to learn more.
Do you think that you personally get enough opportunities to communicate orally during the English lessons at school? Practical classes
10% 0% 20%30%
40%50%
60%70%
80%90%
100%
El Ve Mu
% NoYes
Theoretical classes
10% 0% 20%30%
40%50%
60%70%
80%90%
100%
Na Te So
% NoYes
Figure 4.
When asked if the students thought that they get enough opportunities to communicate orally in English during the English lessons at school the major part of both practical and theoretical classes agreed they do (Figure 4). Practical classes were all more certain of this than theoretical classes. Among theoretical classes there were more students who disagreed.
Comments from students in the Music class were: “The entire English lesson is in English even the communication between teacher-student and student-student,” and “”We try to speak English, during the entire English lesson.” Even though students in the Music class make comments like the ones above, a large part of the students in this class are in the categories ‘nervous’ and ‘panic’ (Figure 2). There might be different reasons for this. Perhaps the students expect more of themselves since they seem to practice oral communication a lot during the English lessons. On the other hand, their pronunciation might have been corrected too many times and therefore they do not feel confident when they speak English. This study does not show the grades of the students, but maybe these students have good grades in English and therefore expect more of themselves. The atmosphere in the class has also an influence on whether students feel comfortable or not in front of the class.
Among the theoretical classes students in the Social Sciences class made comments like: “We hardly ever speak English” and “If you don’t speak English you never learn how. We need to learn more pronunciation.” A large number of students in this class feel nervous when they give a speech in English in front of people (Figure 2). Despite this, a majority of the students in the Social Sciences class believe they get enough occasions for oral communication in English during the English lessons (Figure 4). Still, a majority of the students would like to have more occasions for oral communication in English (see Figure 5 below). Perhaps students who are nervous when they hear that they are going to speak English in front of the class do not get enough occasions for oral communication in English since students who already feel confident speak more during class. One student in the Social Sciences class wrote: “There are opportunities to speak English during the lessons, you just have to take them.” In this case it is possible that the students who feel insecure when speaking English do not take the chance to do so because they feel uncomfortable.
Do you think it is important to be able to communicate orally in English? Practical classes
10% 0% 20%30%
40%50%
60%70%
80%90%
100%
El Ve Mu
% NoYes
Theoretical classes
10% 0% 20%30%
40%50%
60%70%
80%90%
100%
Na Te So
% NoYes
Figure 6.
In all classes a majority of the students thought it is important to be able to communicate orally in English (Figure 6). The Music class, Natural Sciences class and Social Sciences class were all a hundred percent certain of this.
Most students feel that it is important to be able to communicate orally in English. A student in the Social Sciences class wrote: “Oral communication is the most important thing in the English language.” A majority of the students find it important to be able to speak English when they travel to other countries. Moreover, they believe that it can be useful to know how to speak English for professional purposes and further studies (Figure 3). These students have grown up with TV, the Internet, cell phones and the English language is a part of their lives. On the radio English songs are played, TV shows English speaking programs and a lot of information on the Internet is in English. These days, it is also easy for people to travel to other countries where they can practice to speak English.
Do you feel confident when communicating orally in English? Practical classes
10% 0% 20%30%
40%50%
60%70%
80%90%
100%
El Ve Mu
% NoYes
Theoretical classes
10% 0% 20%30%
40%50%
60%70%
80%90%
100%
Na Te So
% NoYes
Figure 7. Among practical classes, the Electricity class is the only one where there is a majority of students who feel confident in communicating orally in English while the other practical classes had a small majority who did not (Figure 7). Students in theoretical classes felt confident when communicating orally in English although there is only a slight majority.
A majority of the students in the Music class do not feel confident when communicating orally in English even though they believe that they get enough opportunities for oral communication during the English lessons at school (Figure 4). In the Vehicle class many students panic when they hear that they are going to speak Swedish and English in front of the class (Figures 1 & 2). The major part of the class does not feel confident in speaking English (Figure 7). A majority of the students think it is important to be able to speak English (Figure 6). Despite this they still think that they have enough opportunities for oral communication in English during the lessons (Figure 4). Moreover, a majority of the students are not interested in getting more occasions for oral communication in English (Figure 5). The panic some students in the Vehicle class feel when they are going to speak in front of the class both in Swedish and English might have to do with anxiety of speech in general. Exercises in oral communication might help these students get a more positive feeling when communicating orally. Another reason for the feeling of panic might be due to lack of interest in the English language since some students believe that they will not have any use at all of English (Figure 3).
A student in the Social Sciences class explained that she felt comfortable communicating in English by stating: “We grow up with the English language on TV and computers and that way we become better at pronunciation and vocabulary”. Another student in the same class wrote: “I feel insecure and nervous of getting things wrong when I speak English in front of
