Discovering Learners' Perceptions of ESL Classroom Teaching/Learning Activities in a South African Context

Abstract

Every day, ESL teachers make many decisions in their classrooms about language teaching/learning processes. These include decisions about which activities their learners might possibly enjoy, which are most effective, and which would provide learners with skills that they could use for academic and communicative purposes. The learners, however, are seldom involved in this decision‐making process. I argue in this article that they should be. I report on a study that investigated high school ESL learners' perceptions of the language teaching/learning activities they encountered in their classes. Using multimethod, qualitative research procedures, I discovered that the perceptions of these learners often surprised their teachers. I recommend that teachers constantly monitor their learners' perceptions of classroom life. Once they are aware of them, they can, if necessary, plan and implement alternative practices. Finally, I suggest ways in which this can be done.

Designing and Administering a Needs Analysis Survey to Primary School Learners about EFL learning: a Case Study

“…Nunan (1989a) points out that accommodating Ls' needs and preferences is vital in designing a learner-centered curriculum. Such importance given to Ls' feelings is also stressed in Barkhuizen's (1998) study, in which he reports an investigation of high school EFL Ls' perceptions of the language teaching-learning activities presented in their classes. The outcome of the investigation surprised the teachers in that the perceptions of teachers and Ls differed greatly from each other.…”

A Case Study of a Chinese Postgraduate Student's Perceptions of Studying in a New Zealand University

“…The communications ensure the adjustments could be made, encouraging the learners to motivate themselves from the recommendations. It is very important to remember that the learner already critically evaluate what they do [1]. That means that it is not because the student don't work harder, but they don't know what to do or what is expected from them.…”

“…DISCUSSION Pertaining to the research questions, the learner's articulations reveal that his expectation and experience interrelate in complex, sometimes unexpected, ways (Table 4). [1] Batson, Shaw and Oleson [4] claims that it is clear, however, that, without the perceptions "reflected by positive and negative effect", the experiences would be a neutral gray. The ESL learner develops either a negative or a positive attitude towards English language learning.…”

Enhancing the English-Language Oral Skills of International Students through Drama

“…In all likelihood, the majority had eventually found drama enjoyable and had become less inhibited about oral communication via this medium. As Barkhuizen (1998) suggests, enjoyment creates attitudes that result in heightened motivation and receptivity. Having said that, it should be noted that Q's mean-score was only slightly higher than in Time One, suggesting that drama strategies may have played a less meaningful part in his oral communication performance, compared to the rest.…”

“…For example, in Week Eight (Component Three), although the class had reverted to the non-drama format, there was greater oral output during a protracted discussion on the supernatural, the unexplained and religion. When topics create a sense of excitement, there is heightened motivation and receptivity (Barkhuizen, 1998). Where there is motivation, there is productivity (Ryan and Deci, 2000).…”