"The analysis of the methodological approaches of Polish EFL secondary school teachers".

Author(s):

Monika Badecka-Kozikowska

Conference:

ECER 2008

Network:

21. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

PRE_F2, Preconference; Paper Session F2

Paper Session

Time:

2008-09-09

08:30-10:00

Room:

C E33

Chair:

Jonas Emanuelsson

Discussant:

to see how different components and variables interplay and form a whole The aim is to understand a bounded context in depth

Contribution

Despite a variety of methods and techniques accepted under a common label of eclecticism in TEFL, Communicative Language Teaching together with elements of the cognitive method and the humanistic approach, being at the same time the components of the learner-centered approach, are recommended in the teaching of English in Polish secondary schools. The urge for the communicative-cognitive-humanistic methodology results from the guidelines for the Polish national curriculum and Common European Framework of Reference for Languages which laid foundations for the reform of the schooling system in Poland. The reform brought about the introduction of external examinations, among them matura, a final secondary school examination, whose English part tests candidates’ communicative language abilities. In view of the above specified guidelines and requirements a study examining how EFL secondary school teachers teach and what factors affect their teaching was carried out in the schools of Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot. The study was based on quantitative research in which 498 secondary school students filled in a questionnaire of 22 questions referring to 25 elements, also called tools, of their teachers’ methodological workshop. The most important elements which stand for the term are as follows: contextualized and inductive presentation of new language (new vocabulary and structures); meaningful structured communicative practice of the newly presented language, free communicative language practice, use of pair and group work for genuine language use; teaching techniques and activities such as information gap, problem solving, debate and discussion, role-play, mini-drama, project work, simulation — for inspiring genuine communication, and creating opportunities for students’ individual and social growth; adequate procedures for improving students’ receptive skills; organizing and teaching genre writing in accordance with the final examination requirements, designing and administering doable achievement tests. It was assumed that in order for a teacher to employ fully the tools of the purely methodological nature he or she needs to fulfill conditions such as: having communicative competence of English which has currency in real life outside the classroom; using the English language in class most of the time; creating opportunities for students’ growth; establishing good rapport with them and inspiring them to ask questions and notify the teacher of their learning difficulties; planning interesting lessons which ensure variety and arouse students’ interest, and guaranteeing a balance of the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The research that was implemented for a period of 15 months, from September 2004 to November 2006, resulted in an analysis from which somewhat pessimistic conclusions were drawn.

Method

Quantative research based on a questionnaire administered at Polish secondary schools. 489 students answered 22 questions about 25 elements of their teachers' approach to teaching EFL.

Expected Outcomes

1. The Polish EFL teachers of secondary schools : — insufficiently employ the communicative techniques; — tend to overuse traditional techniques such as: deductive language presentations deprived of context and carried out in Polish; translation; reading aloud, and manipulative grammar exercises in teacher-fronted classes; — do not encourage students to tell them about difficulties they have in learning; — are well liked by their students, and their teaching techniques are regarded as interesting despite their traditional character. 2. Factors such as: — the teachers’ education/qualifications; — the type of school the teachers work in; — the length of teaching experience; only to some extent contribute to the quality of teaching. The differences in the teachers’ use of the elements of the established model of the methodological workshop are greatest between those teachers who graduated from a university English philology department or a teacher training college, and those who after graduating from a different university department were only briefly retrained to be able to teach English in a secondary school. Generally, English philology graduates, teachers with the longest teaching experience and those working in secondary comprehensive schools (called liceum ogólnokształcące) methodologically slightly exceed graduates of teacher training colleges, teachers who have shorter teaching experience and those who work in vocational schools (called technikum). This means that the latter group’s methodological approach is less integrated in the use of the communicative teaching techniques. However, less experienced teachers more often employ particular communicative techniques but their methodological approach lacks consistency and integration. The category of teachers who became EFL teachers after being briefly retrained for the profession, as compared with the other categories of teachers, is characterized by much lower teaching standards and the use of more traditional teaching techniques.

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Author Information

Monika Badecka-Kozikowska

University of Gdansk

Gdansk

170

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