A Closer Look at the Strategies that Incite Student Participation at the Secondary Level
Carina Duffy, B.A.
Objectives
·
To gain insight into
the existing scholarship within the field so that I can build off the current
ideas.
·
To determine a variety
of ways in which scholars have found success encouraging student participation.
·
To conduct a
literature review to determine which strategies are proven to entice student
participation and to learn which strategies have been proven unsuccessful.
Dallimore, E. J., Hertenstein, J. H., & Platt, M. B.
(2004). Classroom participation and discussion effectiveness:
student-generated strategies. Communication Education, 53(1),
103-115.
This study sought to identify which instruction behaviors
are associated with quality student participation. The methodology included
using two graduate management accounting courses and an elective MBA course at
the college level which consisted of 68 total participants. On the last day of
the course, students were given questions that asked, “What do professors do or
say that: (a) increases student participation and (b) either increases or
decreases the effectiveness of the discussion” (106). The research results
emphasized the importance of the instructors choices, as the professor within
the study notes, “I have come to realize that one effect of cold calling is
that students prepare better, and well-prepared students make more insightful
contributions, having reflected on the course material and its relationship to
their own experience” (111). The data confirmed that cold calling is an
effective way of generating quality participation, while the study results also
confirmed that, “required and graded participation, and incorporating
instructor and students’ ideas and experiences” (107) are also crucial parts in
effective discourse.
Webb, N. M. (2009). The teacher's role in promoting
collaborative dialogue in the classroom. British Journal Of Educational
Psychology, 79(1), 1-28.
Within this study, Webb outlines the ways that teachers can
positively impact a classroom culture, including participation levels and
helping students prepare to collaborate within small groups. The studies
selected for review included students who were expected to collaborate in student-led
small groups. The data was reported from, “systematic observations of group
work, and linked observational data to teacher practices and student learning
outcomes” (1). The results of this review uncovered, “multiple dimensions
of the teacher’s role in fostering beneficial group dialogue, including
preparing students for collaborative work, forming groups, structuring the
group-work task, and influencing student interaction” (1). In addition, the
results indicated that students should be able to explain their thinking, and
there are several strategies that can promote this, “Research documents the
strong relationship between elaborated discussion and learning outcomes,
especially the power of giving explanations and its connection to achievement
in small groups” (3). Expectations and relationships between peers and teachers
impact participation.
MORGAN, H. (2015). CREATING A CLASS BLOG: A STRATEGY THAT
CAN PROMOTE COLLABORATION, MOTIVATION, AND IMPROVEMENT IN LITERACY. Reading
Improvement, 52(1), 27-31.
This report examines the benefits of using blogs as a
classroom tool to promote collaboration and literacy amongst students. Dr.
Morgan claims that, “Allowing students to blog is a way for teachers to
integrate new literacies into the curriculum, helping them adhere to the
recommendations and standards of important educational organizations” (27).
Although blogging does not include face-to-face interactions, blogging can
still connect students together both inside and outside of the classroom. Dr.
Morgan reports that, “Classroom blogs can provide students with opportunities
to interact with people in other countries” (27). This study explains the steps
required to set up a blog post within a classroom. There are infinite
opportunities that a classroom blog can create, “ Some teachers have designed
blogging projects to promote dialogue, reflection, social networking, and
improvement in reading and writing (McGrail & Davis, 2011).” (28). Blogging
can potential increase a classroom community, which can also lead to in-class
discussions.
Zarrinabadi, N., Ketabi, S., & Abdi, R. (2014).
Facilitating Willingness to Communicate in the Second Language Classroom and
Beyond. Clearing House, 87(5), 213-217.
This study focuses on classroom strategies and techniques
to promote students’ potential and increase their willingness to communicate,
specifically in an ELL classroom.
The data was collected within a language institution in
Western Iran. The participants of the study consisted of 16 male
English-language learners who ranged from 13-17 years of age. Within this
study, “The students received instruction on reading, writing, speaking, and
listening, with the focus on promoting speaking ability” (214). Zarrinadadi,
Ketabi, and Abdi report that data was collected through semi-instructed
interviews after tri-weekly 70 minute language classes. The data of this
research reports that the topic of the discussion greatly impacted students
willingness to participate because, “students felt anxious when talking about a
subject for which they had the least topic knowledge” (214). The researchers
suggest that when possible, topics should be chosen based on students’
interests, “The results of this study concluded that learners become more
willing to communicate and participate more in classroom activities when the
topic was familiar or interesting” (215).
O'CONNOR, K. J. (2013). CLASS PARTICIPATION: PROMOTING
IN-CLASS STUDENT ENGAGEMENT. Education, 133(3), 340-344.
Within this report, Dr. O’Connor (Providence College)
examines the multiple researched strategies that have been proven to be
effective in a classroom. The purpose of this report is to describe the
techniques that present effective traditional and alternative approaches to
increase engagement within an educational setting. This article also examines
the idea of cold calling, “If students know there is a chance they will be
asked to participate during class meetings they may be more inclined to prepare
themselves to do so” (340). Additionally, Dr. O’Connor argues that group
discussions are beneficial in the classroom if conducted correctly, “the
discussion has to be purposeful and all students need to be involved. . .
Professors can also assign roles to group members to create accountability”
(342). Dr. O’Connor’s research concludes that there is much to consider, and
“Professors need to sort out their philosophy of participation and how they
will communicate this with their students and practice their teaching in
accordance” (342).
Galvin, S. M., Dolly, M. R., & Pula, J. J. (2012).
Genderlect and Participation in the College English Classroom. Delta Kappa
Gamma Bulletin, 79(2), 22-30.
The research study focused on how gender affects class
participation and it examines which strategies can help bridge the linguistic
gap between men and women. The researchers observed two English courses at
Frostburg State University, which included 20 students, with only 4 males
enrolled in each class. Data was collected by keeping track of each time a male
and female spoke voluntarily, without their knowledge that they were being
observed. The results of the research concluded that, “the male students,
despite being vastly outnumbered by females, generally participated more” (25).
The results also indicated that males appeared much more confident when
expressing their ideas within the classroom. This is something to keep in mind
as educators, “Awareness of participation variance in a classroom is one
component of understanding classroom discourse” (28). Understanding that gender
can affect a classroom environment can help teachers develop a community, “By
considering students’ patterns of engagement and genderlect, teachers might
better promote involvement in learning and a comfortable classroom environment
for all” (29).
Increasing Student Participation. (2018). The
Teaching Center. Retrieved March 16, 2018, from http://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/resources/teaching-methods/participation/increasing-student-participation
This article examines the ways to increase student
participation within a classroom. As the article states, the goal of increasing
participation is “to create an environment in which all participants have the
opportunity to learn and in which the class explores issues and ideas in depth,
from a variety of viewpoints” (Increasing Student Participation). According to
this report, planning is an important part of discussions, including teaching
guidelines and creating conversation norms. This is something that should be
established in the beginning of the school year, “Students who feel invested
from the beginning in making the discussions successful will be more likely to
work together to increase participation” (Increasing Student Participation).
The article goes on to explain that the emphasis should be placed on students’
ideas and they should be encouraged to share, “encourage students to respond to
one another, rather than merely to you” (Increasing Student Participation). In
closing, shaping the environment, careful planning, and listening and
responding are the strategies required to increase student participation.
Mercer, N. (2008). Classroom dialogue and the teacher's
professional role. Education Review, 21(1), 60-65.
In this research study, Dr. Mercer explains the importance
of social interactions amongst students. Mercer stresses the important of
creating a classroom environment where teachers provide opportunities for
discussions, specifically discourse that gives everyone a chance to speak and
build off of each other’s ideas. The program Thinking Together encourages“Exploratory
talk,” which is first modeled by teachers and then performed within small
groups. Data was collected using video-cameras, “We compared the talk of
children who followed the Thinking Together programme with that of
children of the same age in other, similar schools were teaching and learning
carried on as normal” (61). The results of the study concluded that, “The
children who followed the programme also became better at solving problems
together than the children in the other schools” (63). Mercer encourages
explicit guidance from teachers to help students use discussions as a way to
problem solve, “Teachers can take an active role in guiding their pupils’
understanding of how talk can be used for learning and thinking collectively” (65).
Additionally, teachers should make clear ground roles for discussions and
design activities to help students develop their speaking skills.
References
Dallimore, E. J., Hertenstein, J.
H., & Platt, M. B. (2004). Classroom participation and discussion effectiveness: student-generated
strategies. Communication Education, 53(1),
103-115.
Galvin, S. M., Dolly, M. R.,
& Pula, J. J. (2012). Genderlect and Participation in the College English Classroom. Delta Kappa Gamma
Bulletin, 79(2), 22-30.
Increasing Student Participation.
(2018). The Teaching Center. Retrieved March 16, 2018, from http://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/resources/teaching-methods/participation/increasing student-participation
Mercer, N. (2008). Classroom
dialogue and the teacher's professional role. Education Review, 21(1), 60-65.
MORGAN, H. (2015). CREATING A
CLASS BLOG: A STRATEGY THAT CAN PROMOTE COLLABORATION,
MOTIVATION, AND IMPROVEMENT IN LITERACY. Reading Improvement, 52(1), 27-31.
O'CONNOR, K. J. (2013). CLASS
PARTICIPATION: PROMOTING IN-CLASS STUDENT ENGAGEMENT.
Education, 133(3), 340-344.
Webb, N. M. (2009). The teacher's
role in promoting collaborative dialogue in the classroom. British Journal Of Educational
Psychology, 79(1), 1-28.
Zarrinabadi, N., Ketabi, S.,
& Abdi, R. (2014). Facilitating Willingness to Communicate in the Second Language Classroom and Beyond. Clearing
House, 87(5), 213-217.
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