Participation Research Paper



Running head: Classroom Participation

Classroom Participation:

Factors affecting student participation in classroom

discussion and why it matters

Cheryl L. Gaines

Eighth Grade

Allen Jay Middle School

RE 5040

Dr. Koppenhaver

Fall 2005

Introduction

It is important for middle school students to share and discuss concepts to gain a broader understanding when analyzing literature. Not only does participation in discussion supply the teacher with information about who gets it or who needs help, but it also increases understanding of the topic among students as they learn from one another (Center for Instructional Development and Research [CIDR], 2000). According to associate professor Martha Maznevski (1996), students who actively participate in class tend to remember the information better, have a clearer picture of the topic, and are able to take what they’ve learned and apply it to new situations better than those who don’t participate. Therefore, classroom participation is crucial to the learning and development of our students. However, many students seem reluctant to participate in discussion no matter how it is presented. Instructors find it difficult to coax these students into sharing their opinions and becoming involved in discussion.

After only a couple of weeks into this school year I noticed a trend of the same hands going up over and over to answer and ask questions, while others remained quiet and uninvolved. In a class of 28 students, only 6 or 7 students participated regularly in class discussions. The ability level of the class didn’t seem to make a difference. I thought the students in my academically gifted class would be eager to participate and show off their intellect. Based on grades and tests scores they obviously had the ability. But, even in this class, only a small group of students became engaged in discussion. Some even acted disinterested as if it was a waste of their time. In a study done by William Wilen (2004), it was found that a key to getting students involved was to present them with a topic they related to or knew something about. This made me wonder if my students were bored or just not interested in the topic. According to Wilen (2004), it is up to teachers to get disinterested students involved in class discussions by pointedly calling on them. Although this can be done, does it really engaged the students in the discussion by “cold calling” on them to periodically give an answer? I have used many different techniques to draw students into a discussion, but I am unconvinced that forcing a response from a student is beneficial in helping them develop into critical thinkers.

Maybe these students weren’t disinterested, but felt insecure or afraid their thoughts were wrong and chose to play it safe by remaining silent. According to Elkin and Sweet (1998), gifted students tend to feed the teacher answers they think are “right” rather than express original thoughts. Could this be the reason some of my students choose not to participate? When they are unsure of the “right” answer, many are too embarrassed, insecure, or afraid of saying the wrong answer in front of others. This would explain their silence. No one, especially a 13 year old, wants to feel embarrassment in front of their peers. What about other students not identified as “gifted?” Does this apply to them as well? I think so.

The trend of minimal participation was noticeable in all of my classes. I began to wonder what other factors besides being disinterested or wrong might be influencing the frequency of their participation in classroom discussion. In their study, Connolly and Smith (2002) found that social interaction outside of class had an impact on students’ classroom behavior, specifically, whether they participated in discussions or not. Many students are afraid of being ridiculed and laughed at during or after their participation in class discussion and, therefore, refrained from expressing their opinions. Even though it is clear that ridicule is inappropriate and unacceptable in my class, I can’t control what happens outside of my classroom. Some students may still feel intimidated by others due to social factors outside of class which affect their feeling of security in the classroom and inhibit them from actively participating.

Other factors influencing participation in classroom discussion may involve gender, race or ethnicity, and student attitude or perception. From my experience, I know middle school girls love to talk! Based on this I would expect high participation from them in class discussions. However, according to a study of college level students by Crombie, Pyke, and Silverthorn (2003), girls are much less likely to participate in classroom discussion than boys. Although it seems very unlikely, this may also be true of middle school girls. If gender is a consideration, then ethnicity or culture may be, also. Cultural background, values, and ethnicity of students may determine how they conduct themselves in classroom discussions. Students may feel more comfortable working with students who share similar backgrounds or ethnicity. However, this has been determined to result in very shallow discussions where only one view point is examined. Educators being aware of this may try to foster more diverse discussions by grouping students from varied backgrounds. This diversity sometimes inhibits the sharing of ideas when any of the students feel inferior or in the minority (Green & Johnson, 2003). This may be a factor which contributes to the lack or increase of participation in my classroom.

Teachers think of classroom discussions as a valuable way to develop critical thinking skills and enhance student understanding by allowing shared opinions and view points. Student perceptions of classroom discussion may vary greatly from teachers. Some students think of class discussions as a vacation from work…a time to sit back and relax while others use up class time talking (CIDR, 2000). These students may enjoy class discussion time, not because they are interested, but because it fills time and prevents them from having to do other work. They do not reap the benefits of the discussion because they tune out and choose not to participate. Other students might feel discussions are a waste of time and focus their attention on something they feel is more productive, such as reading a book, instead of participating in the discussion. How can I be sure all of my students are developing the critical thinking skills they need by actively engaging in literary discussions? Talking to students about the benefits of participating in discussion or how they feel about it may help. When teachers and students are on the same page about class discussions, the participation level increases and students are more inclined to get involved (Inclusive Teaching, 2004).

Why is it that some students still refuse to join in discussion? Are they at least listening and learning from the other students? Is there something I can do to get these students more actively engaged in the discussions? Many educators feel strongly that utilizing small groups for discussion is more productive and positive, whereas whole class instruction is too traditional and negative because fewer students seem to be involved (Green, 2000). Arguments for small group discussions may be valid. Many students feel less inhibited in small groups and tend to participate more often (Tou, 2003). Mark Furr (2003), an instructor of Japanese (English as a Second Language) ESL students says that the blanks stares have disappeared from the faces of his students because of their experience in small group literature circles. Now the students are eager to participate, ask questions and use the text to support comments as they participate in the small group literature circles. But does it work for all students? I am not convinced that even this method engages all students in analyzing literature through discussion. In fact, some studies show that students prefer whole class discussion because they enjoy analyzing literature from the different view points derived from a larger group (Connolly & Smith, 2002). Although I’ve utilized various methods of classroom discussion, I am still not sure that all of my students are being engaged in learning. In my experience, it seems to be the same students who participate in whole class discussion who also excel in small groups. This highly concerns me.

Why does it matter if all students participate? When students actively participate in classroom discussions they learn to develop critical thinking skills. Presenting and defending their opinions to others help students learn to organize their thoughts and present them coherently. They also learn to see things from another person’s point of view (Elkin & Sweet, 1998). By looking at things from a different perspective, students learn from one another. Sharing opinions and receiving peer and teacher feedback is an important part of this process. As the teacher I can easily evaluate their level of understanding and expand on this. Therefore, if students are not responding to discussions, they may not be learning. If this is the case, I want to understand why some students participate but others don’t. Initially, I wanted only to discover what effect whole class discussion vs. small group discussion had on student participation, but as I began to research the topic of participation in classroom discussions, I realized there are many factors which influence this. I can’t cover them all in this study. However, I want to gather enough information to gain a better understanding of what makes my students tick. Understanding this will enable me to begin devising ways which might have a better chance of engaging all my students in more effective discussions. If I can discover why some students aren’t participating, I may be able to develop better instructional methods which will engage them and help them feel more comfortable, even eager to participate.

So why do some students participate in discussion when others never become involved? I hope to discover the answer using the following focus questions: Does the format of discussion groups (whole class vs. small group) affect the frequency of student participation? ...or engage different students in discussion? Does the level of participation really determine the level of understanding students gain from class discussions? And do factors such as gender, race, academic ability, and personality affect which students participate in classroom discussions? These are the questions I will attempt to answer through my action research.

Design

Seventy-five eighth grade language arts students who attend school in a suburban area from middle to economically disadvantaged homes were the participants of my study. Approximately 53% of them are on free or reduced lunch. They are a diverse group including 43% African American, 41 % Caucasian, 12% Asian, and 4% Hispanic. None of the students are categorized as ESL, although 16% are bilingual. The students in my study come from three academic groups: an advanced level, a middle level, and an exception child (EC) inclusion class. Nineteen of 27 students in my advanced class are academically & intellectually gifted (AIG) and 11 out 24 students in my inclusion class are classified as learning disabled (LD) or other handicap impaired (OHI). 60% of the students are males and 40% females.

For the purpose of my study, I recorded notes on all 75 students. Much of my results reflect the whole group. However, some results were calculated using only the students in applicable categories like special education or gender groups. I also used select groups to represent the whole in categories where there was too much information. This will be explained further in the results section of my paper.

My study was conducted over a period of five weeks. For the first several days, I made notes on who participated in whole class discussion as a baseline to see what patterns of participation would emerge. I did this by using seating charts filled in with student names and placing a check by the name of anyone who participated. I only counted contributions to the class discussion which were relevant to the topic. This doesn’t mean all contributions were correct or well stated, only that they were on topic and provided evidence the student was trying. On the first day, I also marked the chart with dots when students spoke out of turn or made off topic remarks. However, after that first day, I realized it would be too difficult to keep up with off topic comments as well as relevant ones and it wasn’t necessary to the study.

After my initial baseline was set, I used the same method of recording participation on seating charts each time students were involved in whole class or small group discussion. These were not done everyday, only when I knew students had at least 15 to 20 minutes to become involved in discussion. During whole group discussions, I took on the role of facilitator, but kept my comments to myself unless there was a need for clarity. During small group discussions, I supplied students with a topic and a goal, but stayed out of the discussion altogether, except for walking around observing or listening to their remarks.

From my observations, I kept notes in a notebook about observed behavior which might affect my study. I recorded student participation during five whole class and five small group discussions using seating charts. After recording 10 sessions of discussion (5 whole class & 5 small group), I used another set of seating charts to tally the totals. These were transferred to a database in which I recorded whole class and small group totals for each student. I then added the two numbers to come up with a total participation number for each student. These numbers were used to determine the frequency of participation in language arts in both large and small group settings which will be explained in the results.

I was interested in seeing if the same students who participated in language arts equally participated in other subjects. If there was a difference, it might prove that interest was a determining factor in classroom participation. I asked the other subject area teachers to mark a roster indicating whether students participated in their class: Frequently (F), Occasionally (O), or Rarely/Never (N). This was subjective, but each teacher had observed the students’ behaviors in their classes for over two months and I feel they were reliable sources to judge the students’ rate of participation in their own classes. Neither teacher saw the other’s list.

Halfway through the study, I gave students a survey on classroom participation (Appendix A). I told them it was for a study I was conducting and wanted their honest opinion, NOT what they thought I wanted them to say. All students participated. The following tables list questions and raw data from the student survey.

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Table 1 – Raw Data from Student Participation Survey Questions

|Questions |Answers |

| |(83%) YES |(17%) NO |

| |~It’s fun* | |

|Do you participate in class discussions? |~I like to express my opinion |~People might pick on me |

|Why or why not? |~Helps me understand topic better* |~Afraid of being wrong* |

| |~Topic is interesting to me |~Other students may not agree |

| |~Helps me get a better grade* | |

|What things make you feel at ease |~If it’s a topic I relate to and understand* |

|participating in class discussions? |~If the topic is interesting |

| |~If I know the answers |

| |~When others encourage me |

| |~I don’t understand or have no experience with the topic |

| |~I’m not interested in the topic* |

|What discourages you from participating? |~If someone laughs or makes fun of me |

| |~I’m afraid of messing up or being wrong* |

| |~If I’m the only one and other don’t participate |

| |~Other students take my answer |

|Do you prefer participating in a whole class | (13%) Whole Class |

|discussion or small group discussion? |(30%) Small Group |

| |(57%) Both Equally |

|Do you prefer to participate by answering | (36%) RIGHT/OR/WRONG |(67%) OPEN-ENDED |

|questions which have a “right or wrong” | | |

|answer /or/ by answering open-ended |~I feel more confident if I know the |~I can’t really be wrong* |

|questions? Why? |right answer* |~I like to share my opinion and personal |

| |~I don’t like to share personal |experiences |

| |thoughts |~They’re easier |

|Is it important to participate in class | (91%) YES (9%) NO |

|discussions? |The overwhelmingly majority feel it is important to participate: |

| |~To help your grade and get more points |

| |~You learn more and understand topic better* |

| |~Helps you develop better communication skills |

| |~You learn from others and they learn from you |

Table 2 – Raw Data from Student Participation Survey Charts

|The following things make me feel: |Comfortable |Uncomfortable |

|The teacher calls on me during a class discussion. |(79%) |(21%) |

|I don’t know the answer to a question. |(42%) |(58%) |

|I’m the only one answering questions. |(62%) |(38%) |

| |Agree |Disagree |

|Even though I don’t speak up, I listen and pay attention during class discussions. |(83%) |(17%) |

|I enjoy classroom discussion whether I actively participate by making comments or | | |

|not. |(85%) |(15%) |

|Sometimes I know the answer and think about sharing, but don’t. | | |

|I think classroom discussion is a waste of time. |(74%) |(26%) |

| | | |

| |(4%) |(96%) |

Not all students answered each question and some answers were unrelated to the questions. For the purpose of this study, I left those out and only recorded relevant answers. The answers for each question were very diverse. However, many answers were repeated often. Those are the answers I have listed in Table 1. The top answers are marked with an asterisk.

In addition to the data collection from classroom participation, other teachers, and the student survey, I also gathered other demographic information on each student such as race, gender, exceptional student classifications, and their first quarter grade from language arts and added these to the database. These will be used along with the other information to discover and identify factors which influence classroom participation.

Results

I found the results interesting as I used the data I had collected to determine how different factors influenced classroom participation. Some of the results surprised me, while others simply confirmed what I already believed.

The first factor I reviewed was the format of classroom discussion. After recording the times each student participated in each setting (whole class or small group), I was able to do some comparisons. To make the numbers more manageable, I sorted the students to find the top 15 and bottom 15 participators in both whole class and small group discussions. Next, I took the weakest 15 participators in both settings and compared them with the first list to see if the rate of participation increased or decreased from whole to small group. Rather than calculate change for all sixty students in these categories, I chose students showing the greatest change as a representation of the effect discussion format has on students. The greatest change was found among the lowest participators of whole class discussion. Six of the fifteen lowest whole group participators jumped into the highest participation category for small group. Chart 1 shows their rate of increase. Only one student, Josh M., fell from a top participator in whole group to a lowest participator in small groups. (See Chart 1)

Chart 1 – Rate of Change Small Groups Had on Participation

[pic]

I was curious to see if I would get the same results among my Gifted (AIG) students and my Inclusion (EC) students. I took each groups rate of participation in whole class and small group settings and compared them. The results are below in Chart 2 and Charts 3.

Chart 2 – AIG Participation Rates Chart 3 – EC Participation Rates

The majority of AIG students showed increased participation in the small group setting. In fact, 4 students’ (Thy, Dallas, Daniel D, & Brittany W) rate of participation went from nonexistent in whole class discussion to a marked improvement with an average increase of 8 times. Only three students (Muhammad, Derrick, & Teanna) showed a drop in participation during small group discussion and this was minimal. All students in the EC group showed equal or marked improvement in the small group setting.

My next area of interest was how class participation affects student understanding of material covered during class discussions. In order to do this, I needed some measure of the students’ understanding with which to compare participation rates. For this I used the students’ first quarter grades in language arts. I combined whole class and small group participation numbers to come up with a total participation number for each student. I sorted all 75 students and chose students who had the top 10 and bottom 10 participation rates. Next, I added the first nine weeks grade for each of the 20 students selected. The results can be seen in Chart 4 below.

Chart 4 – How Participation Affects Grades

Based on the information in Chart 5, students who participated more frequently in class had better overall grades. This implies they understood the material better.

I wondered if this would hold true for each racial group represented in my class. I sorted the original participation totals by race. Next, I added the first nine weeks grade for every student. To make the information relevant, yet not overwhelming, I decided to calculate an average grade and participation rate for each racial group rather than calculate results for all 75 students individually. Once I had participation and grade averages for each racial group, I created a graph showing how the grades of each racial group compared to their participation in class. (See Chart 5) Each group seemed to show a consistent pattern except for Asian students, whose average participation rate showed little correlation to their grade. Caucasian students participated in class an average of 14 times during the course of this study and their average grade was an 85. African American students participated slightly more often and their average grade was an 86. Hispanic students’ participated less and their average grade was lower. However, Asian students participated in discussion the least, yet their average grade was the highest. This chart shows that participation does affect students’ grades in most racial groups, but not every group.

Chart 5 – Average Participation by Race

I now turned my attention to the issue of gender. I was curious to see which gender contributed the most to discussion in a middle school classroom. Since my male students greatly outnumbered my female students, I determined the best way to do this was to compare the rate of participation within each gender, then to plot them on the same chart for comparison. First, I divided each group into categories. Students who participated: frequently (20 times or more), occasionally (10 to 19 times), and rarely or not at all (0 to 9 times). I felt this was a fair assessment since the study included 13 days of observation. Next, I sorted the male students and female students separately into one of the participation categories. Based on the number of students in each group, I came up with a percentage of males and females for each participation category. (See Chart 6) The results surprised me proving that my female students participated in discussion far less than my male students. This could be due to the fact my female students are greatly outnumbered by and less aggressive than my male students.

Chart 6 – Actual Participation by Gender Chart 7 – Perceived Participation by Gender

[pic]

I wondered if the students were aware of this. I thought it would be interesting to find out if students correctly assessed how often they participated in class. In order to do this, I used the student surveys (Appendix A) and tallied the number of male and female students who said they participate frequently (Multiple times a day or Everyday), occasionally (Several times a week), and rarely or not at all (Rarely/Never). The results in Chart 7 show that neither group correctly perceived their rate of participation in classroom discussions. Both male and female students perceive their participation to be much higher than it actually is. In fact, female students’ perception was almost opposite of their actual participation rate.

The final area I chose to explore was whether a student’s personality or interest in a particular subject had greater effect on their participation in class. For this, I depended on the participation charts created by team teachers for their subject area and student surveys. To keep numbers manageable, I chose only the top 10 and bottom 10 participators from my language arts classes. Next, I added participation information from other teachers to create Table 2.

Table 2 – Frequency of Participation by Subject Area Table 3 – Student Personality Chart

|  |  |L.A. |Math |Sci/SS |  |

|  |Ronnie |Frequent |Frequent |Frequent |  |

|  |Ashley B |Frequent |Occasional |Never |  |

|  |Josh M |Frequent |Occasional |Frequent |  |

|  |Joseph P |Frequent |Frequent |Occasional |  |

|  |Cody |Frequent |Frequent |Occasional |  |

|  |Sterling |Occasional |Frequent |Frequent |  |

|  |Warren |Occasional |Occasional |Frequent |  |

|  |Rose |Frequent |Frequent |Occasional |  |

|  |Daniel G |Occasional |Frequent |Occasional |  |

|  |Kris |Occasional |Frequent |Frequent |  |

|  |  |  |  |  |  |

|  |David |Occasional |Never |Never |  |

|  |Marquisia |Never |Occasional |Occasional |  |

|  |Robin |Never |Never |Never |  |

|  |Josh Mi |Never |Never |Never |  |

|  |Katarina |Never |Never |Never |  |

|  |Ashley M |Never |Never |Never |  |

|  |Andy |Never |Occasional |Never |  |

|  |Elijah |Never |Occasional |Never |  |

|  |Josh F |Never |Never |Never |  |

|  |Katie |Never |Never |Never |  |

|  |  |  |  |  |  |

|Personality |

|Outgoing |

|Talkative/Outgoing |

|Talkative |

|Talkative/Outgoing |

|Talkative |

|Quiet/Reserved |

|Outgoing |

|Talkative |

|Talkative |

|Talkative |

|  |

|Quiet/Reserved |

|Talkative |

|Quiet/Reserved |

|Talkative/Outgoing |

|Quiet/Reserved |

|Quiet/Reserved |

|Talkative |

|Quiet/Reserved |

|Quiet/Reserved |

|Quiet/Reserved |

I used student surveys to create a chart (See Table 3) of student personality traits. The traits were chosen by the students themselves from four choices on the student survey: quiet/reserved, talkative, shy, and outgoing. Looking at Table 2, you see that almost all students were consistent in their participation across subject areas. When comparing Table 2 to Table 3 it’s easy to understand why. The majority of students with low participation rates considered their personality to be quiet and reserved, whereas, almost all of the top participators claimed to be talkative or outgoing. Either every student in the top group were equally interested in all subjects and the students in the bottom group had no interest in any subject or personally plays a large role in whether a student chooses to participate in class discussion.

Discussion

Overall, my findings prove that there are many factors which influence student participation in the classroom. The implication or meaning for teachers across grade levels and subject areas is simple. Teachers must get to know the make-up of their individual classes in order to truly meet the needs of all students and get every student involved.

Analyzing student attitudes and feelings about classroom participation along with the data I have collected has given me a better understanding of why some students choose to participate in class discussion and others don’t. Looking at student responses from their surveys, I noticed that 91% of my students felt participation in discussion was important, primarily because they learned more and understood the topic better. An even greater 96% of them agreed that classroom discussion was valuable and not a waste of time. However, only 83% said they participated in discussion. This baffled me. If so many students valued class participation, then why didn’t they all participate? I found answers in several areas of my study.

In my study of whole class vs. small group discussion, I expected to find the same students excelling in both areas. I was not disappointed. What I didn’t expect to find was the amount of increased participation among students who rarely or never participated in whole groups. This was true for students of all academic levels including AIG and EC as indicated in Charts 1, 2, & 3. I found this encouraging since these are the students who needed to be engaged.

Responses from student surveys indicate a reason for this increase. In several questions, a majority of students wrote they didn’t like to participate for fear of being wrong or “messing up” in front of others. This supports a study of Elkin & Sweet (1998) which states gifted students would rather play it safe by not answering than take a chance of being wrong. These students set high standards for themselves and realize others expect excellent work from them. Knowing this, teacher and peer approval is very important and they are afraid of “losing face” by not knowing the right answer. These students would rather remain silent than be wrong. This is true of other students, also. EC students may feel inferior to classmates because of their learning disabilities and refrain from sharing their ideas for fear of being wrong.

The social aspect of fitting in or being different from the crowd is a huge issue in middle school for all students (Connolly & Smith, 2002). This may be another reason students indicated a fear of messing up. Students don’t want their peers to think they are stupid. So they choose not to participate unless they are sure of the answer. This may also be true if a student feels they are in the minority or different due to ethnicity, race or gender as seen in Charts 5 & 6. For these reasons, small group settings are preferred by middle school students. Small group discussions are less risky and provide a more comfortable atmosphere for most students.

This is not to say there is no benefit to whole group discussion. On surveys, many of my students indicated they learn a great deal from other students who share ideas in whole group discussions and provide feedback to their ideas. In fact, according to Green & Johnson (2003) this may actually be a more comfortable setting for students of diverse ethnic backgrounds because they don’t end up being the only representative voice for a whole race or culture as they might in small groups.

Research proves that participation in class discussion is important and beneficial to students. So the ultimate goal resulting from my study is for teachers to help students become as comfortable participating in large group discussions as they are in small groups. During the course of this study I’ve discovered a couple of things which may help accomplish this.

First, many students are concerned with how class participation affects their grades. This was very evident as I walked around my classroom observing student participation in whole and small group discussion. I never told students I was recording their participation rates. However, as students began to notice I was marking seating charts during discussions, they began to ask questions like, “Are we getting graded on participation?” and “Will it affect my grade if I don’t an answer?” I also notice a change in small group behavior when students thought I was recording their response. The days I walked around with a tally sheet in hand, I noticed students would immediately get back on topic as soon I got close to their group if they had strayed off topic. It was actually pretty comical. Sometimes they were in the middle of a “what someone said on the phone last night” story (which I overheard while my back was turned) and the second I turned around they would stop mid sentence and make a statement about the assigned topic as if they were deep into the discussion. I never had to tell anyone to get back on topic. Walking around with a tally sheet, pen in hand was enough. To test this theory, I observed group discussions several times without recording participation. I still walked around observing the groups, but without a tally sheet in hand. On these days, I had to constantly reminding students of their goal and ask them to get back on the assigned topic. This proved my students were motivated by grades. I think this is true of many students.

Based on this observation, an increase in whole class discussion should occur if students are made aware of how participation affects their daily and overall grades. It may also promote better participation if teachers allow students to help them develop a grade rubric for classroom participation (Cooper, 2000). To begin, involve students in dialogue about participation during discussions. Ask how they feel about participation. Find out if it is something they value. This will allow both teacher and students to express their concerns and goals for classroom discussion. Then allow students to help set clear guidelines for what kind of comments and how often responses are expected. Make sure to include rules which will create an atmosphere of respect among students during discussion. When students understand the rules and procedures of participation up front and they feel comfortable with the climate of discussion, they will be more inclined to participate.

In the course of my research, I found the following list of 6 Rules for classroom participation created by the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching from the University of Michigan (2005) which can be used to develop an atmosphere of respect among students during discussion.

______________________________________________________________

1. Respect others’ rights to hold opinions and beliefs that differ from your own. Challenge or criticize the idea, not the person.

2. Listen carefully to what others are saying even when you disagree with what is being said. Comments that you make (asking for clarification, sharing critiques, expanding on a point, etc.) should reflect that you have paid attention to the speaker’s comments.

3. Be courteous. Don’t interrupt or engage in private conversations while others are speaking.

4. Support your statements. Use evidence and provide a rationale for your points.

5. Allow everyone the chance to talk. If you have much to say, try to hold back a bit; if you are hesitant to speak, look for opportunities to contribute to the discussion.

6. If you are offended by something or think someone else might be, speak up and don't leave it for someone else to have to respond to it.

______________________________________________________________

Another strategy for improving participation is for student to keep a simple tally sheet to record their own participation in class. In examining Charts 6 & 7, it is clear that students think they participate more often than they actually do. By allowing them to keep up with their own contributions to class discussions, students may be more motivated to participate. This will not only increase the frequency of student participation, but it will ultimately result in better quality of participation as students become more comfortable sharing in class. Teachers might even ask students to journal about their discussion experiences. Writing about classroom discussion helps students better assimilate the material covered and allows them to freely express their thoughts about the experience.

A final way to involve hesitant students in class discussion is to go about it in a nontraditional way. Discussion doesn’t always mean the teacher acting as facilitator and students expressing opinions one at a time. Students may feel more comfortable participating in nontraditional discussion groups. Several of Kagan’s (1992) cooperative learning strategies work well in whole class discussions. One technique is called THINK-PAIR-SQUARE-SHARE. In this technique students are allowed time to think about their ideas, then try them out on a partner before they share with a small group, and finally the entire class. Other techniques of Kagan (1992) which work well are INSIDE-OUTSIDE CIRCLES where students make two facing circles and rotate sharing with different partners until they’ve gone all the way around the circle and LINE-UPS where students have an in-depth discussion with their partner until the teacher begins randomly calling for students to share with the whole group. The fact students get to move around makes them feel more comfortable because the atmosphere of discussion is more relaxed, yet they will ultimately share with the entire class. A teacher in Seattle, Maria Robinson (2005), has even developed a method for recording participation and getting students interested by throwing KOOSH balls to them when they volunteer to participate. There are many ways to get students participating with out making them feel like they are on the “hot seat.”

In conclusion, classroom participation is one of the most valuable and beneficial methods we have of helping students develop critical thinking skills they need to be successful in life. It is up to teachers to learn their students and work with them to overcome factors which inhibit participation and ultimately their potential for learning.

Future Direction

As a result of this study, I want to try different methods for whole class discussion to determine if I can engage more students in discussion. They appear to already enjoy small groups, but now I feel more equip to draw them into discussion in larger groups using a variety of methods. After introducing various whole class techniques, I would like to do a similar study to see if student participation has increased and if so, how it has affected their grades.

When I started this study, I hoped to examine the participation of students involved in different learning techniques such as literatures circles, cooperative groups, and Paidiea seminars to determine which settings were most beneficial to student learning. I determined this was too much to cover within the time limitation and settled for examining only whole class and small group discussions. However, I would now like to go back and take a look at different teaching techniques, observe student response and determine the effect each technique has on student learning. I would like to do this study over the course of a whole school year to allow variable changes throughout. It will also allow me to track grades for the same group of students an entire school year and determine which technique was the most beneficial.

Finally, there is another topic in which I am very interested in researching that has nothing to do with this study. I have taught eighth grade students for 14 years and don’t understand how some students get all the way to eighth grade and are unable to read coherently or understand simple literary elements of a short story. There’s no way to go back to first grade and start over, so I’m stuck trying to teach eighth grade literature to students who are barely literate. There has to be a way to help these students. They can’t be a lost cause. According to No Child Left Behind, every student, no matter how far behind in their learning MUST be brought up to standard. Teachers are doing everything we feel possible to reach these students and some of them even squeak by. However, the majority of these students continue to travel through school at a deficit. This doesn’t bode well for their future success. I can’t change most factors which may contribute to their situation such as family, socio-economic level, or past history. But I feel there must be something I can do as their eighth grade teacher to help them find a place of understanding in their minds and learn to read. I would like to try different strategies and techniques with these students until I find out what works. This study may become a life-long one. I don’t expect to find an answer overnight. But I hope to discover someway of helping these students “catch up” with their peers and give them an equal opportunity for a successful future.

Appendix A

Student Participation Survey

NAME ______________________________ Class Period________

I. Please answer the questions below by circling or writing in your answer:

1. Do you participate in class discussions? (Circle one.) YES NO

2. Why or why not? Explain.

3. On average how often do you participate? ______ Rarely/Never

______ Several times a week

______ Everyday

______ Multiple times a day

4. What things make you feel at ease participating in class discussions? Name as many as you like.

5. What discourages you from participating?

6. Which of the following words best describe you?

Quiet& Reserved Talkative Shy Outgoing Other ____________

7. Do you prefer participating in a whole class discussion or small group discussion? (Circle one.)

Whole Class Small Group Both equally

8. Why?

9. Do you prefer to participate in class by answering questions which have a definite “right or wrong” answer /or/by answering open-ended questions which have many possible answers and you can share you opinion?

RIGHT/OR/WRONG OPEN-ENDED

10. Why?

11. Is it important to participate in class discussions? YES NO

12. Why or why not?

II. Please answer the following by making a check beside each statement based on how it makes

you feel.

I’m comfortable It makes me

with it uncomfortable

• The teacher calls on me during a class discussion.

• I don’t know the answer to a question.

• I’m the only one answering questions.

Comments_____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

III. Answer the following by checking AGREE or DISAGREE indicating your personal feeling about the statements.

AGREE DISAGREE

• Even though I don’t speak up, I listen and pay attention

to class discussions.

• I enjoy classroom discussion whether I actively

participate by making comments or not.

• Sometimes I know the answer and think about sharing, but don’t.

• I think classroom discussion is a waste of time.

Comments ____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

References

Center for Instructional Development and Research. (2004). Inclusive Teaching. Retrieved on Nov. 9, 2005 from

Center for Instructional Development and Research. (2000). More and Better Class Participation. Retrieved on Nov. 9, 2005 from (1)Participation.html

Center for Research on Learning and Teaching. (2005). Ground Rules for Class Participation. Retrieved Nov. 9, 2005 from

Connolly, Bill and Smith, Michael. (2002). Teachers and Students Talk About Talk: Class Discussion the Way It Should Be. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. V 46 no1, 16-26. Retrieved on Sep. 24, 2005 from WNCLN Education Full Text database.

Cooper, Georgeanne. (2000). More Good Thoughts on Participation. Teaching Effectiveness Program of University of Oregon. Retrieved Nov. 9, 2005 from

. html

Crombie, Gail, Pyke, Sandra, & Silverthorn, Naida. (2003). Students Perceptions of Their Classroom Participation and Instructor as a Function of Gender and Context. The Journal of Higher Education. V74, no1, 51-76. Retrieved Nov. 8, 2005 from WNDLN Education Full Text database.

Elkind, David H. and Sweet, Freddy Ph.D. (1998) Ethical Reasoning and the Art of Classroom Dialogue. The High School Magazine. Jan/Feb. Retrieved Sep.25, 2005 from Education Full Text database.

Elkind, David H. and Sweet, Freddy Ph.D. (1998) Classroom Dialogue Stimulates Respectful Relationships . Schools in the Middle. V8 no2, 38-44. Retrieved Nov.8, 2005 from WNCLN Education Full Text database.

Furr, Mark. (2003). Welcome to EFL Literature Circles. Retrieved Sep. 24, 2005, from

Green, Susan & Johnson, Douglas. (2003). I Ain’t Thinking About No…:The Development of Two Parallel Diversity-Related Case Studies for Higher Education. College Teaching. v51, no4, 148-52. Retrieved Sep. 24, 2005 from WNCLN Education Full Text database.

Green, Timothy D. (2000). Responding and Sharing: Techniques for Energizing Classroom Discussions. The Clearing House Journal. July/Aug. v73 no6 p.331-4. Retrieved Sep.24, 2005 from WNCLN Education Full Text database.

Kagan, S. (1992). Cooperative Learning. San Juan Capistrano, CA

Maznevski, Martha. (1996). Grading Class Participation. Teaching Concerns. Spring. Retrieved Nov.9, 2005 from ...

Robinson, Maria K. (2005). Koosh! Enhancing Class Participation. MAA Online. Retrieved on Nov 9, 2005 from _l/koosh.html

Tou, Ng Hwee. (2003). Increasing Student Participation: A Classroom Experiment. Centre for the Development of Teaching and Learning, CDTL Brief. Retrieved Nov. 9, 2005 from

Wilen, William. (2004). Refuting Misconceptions about Classroom Discussions. The Social Studies Journal. V95 no, 1, 33-9. Retrieved Sep.24, 2005 from WNCLN Education Full Text database.

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[pic] Whl Class

[pic] Sm Group

58%

43%

42%

50%

0%

7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Frequent

Participation

Occasional

Participation

Rare/No

Participation

Students' Perceived

Participation by Gender

Male

Female

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