Background

Early in my TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Masters program I was
assigned to observe an ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) class at a local community college
in Southern California. This experience proved to both affirm my choice to return to school for a M.Ed.
in TESOL as well as to open my eyes to the many wide-ranging teaching methods I could employ in my
own teaching practice. My observations led to an Instructional Aide (IA) position at the college for the
last three semesters. My own class schedule required that I often work as an IA in more than one course
during a semester. Doing so afforded me the opportunity to notice how some teachers used technology
freely and others were more reticent. I was able to differentiate between teaching styles and began to
develop a philosophy and style of my own. This personal style was based in part on the effective and
ineffective practices that I had observed within these different classes.
Needs Assessment
An interesting aspect of my job is monitoring students interaction with online software linked to their
grammar textbook. Students complete homework assignments on this platform. However, not all of the
students chose to do the assigned homework. Consequently, many of the professors decided to stop
using this online grammar software as an essential component of their instruction.
I am now student teaching in a mid-level ESOL Grammar and Writing class at a community college. In
this class the students are required to complete weekly online assignments as part of their curriculum
and grade. My classroom consists of twenty-four adult ESL students, seventeen women and seven men,
ranging from eighteen to sixty-two years of age. The students are from nine different countries, nine
from Iran, seven from Vietnam, two from Mexico, and one each from Ethiopia, China, Korea, Thailand,
Afghanistan and the Philippines. There is a fairly wide range of skills represented in the class. A few
students demonstrate higher English language skills than the majority of the class and perhaps could
have been placed in an upper level course. However there are some students who are facing challenges
with using grammar correctly. These students are at risk of not passing the course.
For my Action Research project I have developed and administered a grammar review to use as a needs
assessment. Following the results of the review I have chosen to focus my research on following the
students academic progress throughout the semester as they navigate the online grammar course. I am
hoping to find a way to help these students learn, understand, and apply their grammar knowledge in
their writing and verbal communication.




0
50
100
Grammar Assesment Review Results
Student scores ranging from 54 99%.


Action Research Question:
In what ways can the use of an interactive online grammar program affect ESL students grammar
comprehension and test scores?
Beyond this larger question I have also noticed how hesitation and anxiety regarding technology can
affect the students willingness to fully embrace the online software component of the course. In
addition since I have observed a number of students who have experienced difficulties accessing and
figuring out the software program while others appear to move seamlessly through the lessons.
Through qualitative surveys I hope to also answer the following subquestions:
How do students reflect on the practice of using online grammar programs?
To what extent do student attitudes about using online software impact performance?
Can the use of this online technology improve students computer skills as needed for academic
success?