Key concepts in ELT

Classroom research
The idea of teacher-led research developed in secondary education in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The term 'action research' was adopted to describe a small-scale investigation undertaken by a class teacher. Kemmis (1983) describes it as a form of self-reflective enquiry undertaken by participants in social (including educational) situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own social and educational practices, their understanding of those practices, and the situations in which the practices are carried out. Action research is envisaged as conferring two important benefits. Firstly, it encourages teachers to reflect on their practice, and therefore leads to potential change. It plays an important part in reflective teaching, where personal and professional development occur when teachers review their experience in a systematic way (see Wallace 1991: 49 for a model). Secondly, it is said to empower teachers, releasing them from dependence upon precepts handed down by trainers and inspectors. By testing for themselves the methods and materials they use in the classroom, they can establish which are the most effective for them. The term 'action research' has often been used imprecisely, and would-be teacher-researchers have been deterred by suggestions that it has to follow a rigidly defined cycle (plan-actobserve-reflect). Many commentators now prefer to speak of 'classroom research' or 'teacher-led research'. Classroom research in ELT is not a hobby: it is a professional imperative. Only by undertaking discovery projects can we extend our knowledge of the impact of our teaching, and the process of learning which our students experience. Classroom research also enables us to evaluate techniques which are taken for granted but have never been put to the test. It may thus be general in aim, adding to our knowledge of language teaching and learning (in which case, it will be necessary to replicate any findings with a number of different classes); or it may be extremely 192

specific: teachers investigating their teaching, specific classes, or individuals.

own

There are many areas in language teaching which need investigation. They include teacher talk; vocabulary load; processing in L2 reading and writing; learner factors; inductive versus deductive methods of grammar presentation; communication strategies; visual versus auditory memory; attention span; error correction; and group dynamics. Equally various are the methods available. Even a progress test is a simple form of research which can be used not simply to check learning but also to monitor the interlanguage of class members, and to undertake error analysis. Other possible methods include: fieldnotes, in which the teacher keeps a reflective log after each lesson; controlled experiments, where one class is subjected to a change of technique or materials, and then compared to a control group which has not had the treatment; case studies, in which one follows the progress of a targeted student or students; learner diaries; surveys, questionnaires, and/or interviews; introspection, where a learner describes the experience of undertaking a task in L2; observation, where peers are observed in a targeted way; and recording lessons, in order to monitor learners' problems.

For a general account of classroom research, see Hopkins, A Teacher's Guide to Classroom Research (Open University 1993), and for advice on methods see Bell, Doing Your Research Project (Open University 1993). A standard guide on methods is Cohen and Manion, Research Methods in Education (Routledge 1994). On teacher-led research in language teaching, Richards and Lockhart, Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms (Cambridge University Press 1994) provide a basic introduction. For more detailed discussion, see Allwright and Bailey, Focus on the Language Classroom (Cambridge University Press 1994); and for ideas on observation tasks, consult Allwright, Observation in the Language Classroom (Longman 1991) and Wallace (1991, Chapter 5). The IATEFL Research SIG will shortly be publishing a teacher-friendly Handbook of

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ELT Journal Volume 51/2 April 1997 Oxford University Press 1997

Classroom Research (for further details, contact IATEFL, Kingsdown Chambers, Kingsdown Park, Whitstable, Kent CT5 2DJ, UK). References Kemmis, S. 1983: 'Action research', in T. Husen and T. Postlethwaite (eds.) International Encyclopaedia of Education: Research and Studies, Oxford: Pergamon. Wallace, M. J. 1991: Training Foreign Language

Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. The author John Field is currently doing PhD research on listening at the University of Cambridge. He is a materials writer and teacher trainer with experience in Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, and Africa. He is currently co-ordinator of the IATEFL Research SIG.

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Key concepts in ELT

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