TY - JOUR
T1 - How teachers promote young language learners' engagement Lesson form and lesson quality
AU - Oga-Baldwin, W. L.Quint
AU - Nakata, Yoshiyuki
N1 - Funding Information:
Observers were two language teacher trainees, selected based on their training as English specialists. They applied to be research assistants for this project funded by a JSPS research grant, and were trained in qualitative observation. Observations were conducted using a paradigm of naturalistic inquiry (Cozby & Bates, 2012; Creswell, 2009), where the observers were allowed to make observations about a natural setting without a priori expectations. Observers made these observations a ? er completing ratings for students’ collective engagement, reviewing each of the 16 classes and nearly 50 hours of video multiple times to observe patterns and code the practices according to the principles of autonomy support and structure. Observers were paid for their time. The design for qualitative observation and coding is presented in Figure 1.
Funding Information:
The student subjects for this study came from seven suburban schools in south-western Japan. A total of 515 students in 16 classes agreed to participate in the study. Cooperation for this research was provided by the principals and teachers at each school, with the support of the local board of education. All studies were granted approval by the [University] Ethics Review Board. Local boards of education provided permission for the research, coordinating with school principals and teachers. All participating students’ parents, teachers, and principals were informed of the scope and aims of the study before agreeing to sign permission forms. Principals communicated with parents and obtained permission to gather student data.
Publisher Copyright:
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
PY - 2020/3/2
Y1 - 2020/3/2
N2 - Teachers of young learners often seek guidance on how best to engage and motivate their students. In this study, we aimed to document engaging teacher practices in the context of foreign language classes in Japanese elementary schools. We surveyed 16 public elementary school foreign language classes in western Japan using quantitative (questionnaire; external rating) and qualitative (naturalistic observation) tools grounded in self-determination theory. Classes were sorted into three groups of high, middle, and low teacher support based on student surveys, and observed for practices that influenced student engagement in each tercile. Results indicate that students are most responsive in classrooms involving teacher warmth and strictness, homeroom teacher involvement, appropriate pacing, instructional clarity, and a balance of activities. We offer descriptions of how these practices were employed, with implications for classroom practice and teacher training.
AB - Teachers of young learners often seek guidance on how best to engage and motivate their students. In this study, we aimed to document engaging teacher practices in the context of foreign language classes in Japanese elementary schools. We surveyed 16 public elementary school foreign language classes in western Japan using quantitative (questionnaire; external rating) and qualitative (naturalistic observation) tools grounded in self-determination theory. Classes were sorted into three groups of high, middle, and low teacher support based on student surveys, and observed for practices that influenced student engagement in each tercile. Results indicate that students are most responsive in classrooms involving teacher warmth and strictness, homeroom teacher involvement, appropriate pacing, instructional clarity, and a balance of activities. We offer descriptions of how these practices were employed, with implications for classroom practice and teacher training.
KW - classroom practice
KW - engagement
KW - foreign language
KW - mixed-methods
KW - motivation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85103285168&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85103285168&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1075/ltyl.19009.oga
DO - 10.1075/ltyl.19009.oga
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85103285168
SN - 2589-2053
VL - 2
SP - 101
EP - 130
JO - Language Teaching for Young Learners
JF - Language Teaching for Young Learners
IS - 1
ER -