Findings

As the graph at the right shows, by the end of

Phase Two, only five of the eight at risk
students had attended the extra Azar
grammar sessions. Of those five, three
attended all seven sessions. The other two
attended five tutoring classes. Do, Kwang,
and Hong were never able to find the time to
come in for individual counseling.
Regrettably we learned that Kwang was
dropping the course due to outside conflicts.
Mir, one of the more fluent English speakers,
made the announcement of No Pain, No Gain at the concluding meeting before finals week. The others
quickly disavowed that the tutoring sessions were painful but we all understood that a sacrifice of time was
made in order to achieve their goal.
After administering the Grammar Final, five of the tutoring students earned higher grades than the original
grammar review. The blue graph below demonstrates the variance between the students first grammar review
and their final grammar exam.









Melite showed no change in her scores and she was the student who was experienced technological issues with
Azar and used it for under 2 hours. It is important to note that while Hong was unable to attend any extra
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Danial
Do
Hong
Maryam
Mehrsa
Melite
Mirwais
FINAL GRAMMAR SCORE
5.27.14
ORIGINAL GRAMMAR
REVIEW SCORE 2.4.14
Grammar Score
Comparison
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Mir
Maryam
Mehrsa
Kwang
Danial
Melite
Do
Hong
sessions, she increased her grammar score by ten points. I feel that is due to the fact that she logged in the
highest number of hours on Azar than anyone in this group, over 35.
The final graph below indicates the amount of time spent on Azar and the results of the struggling students
final grade in ESOL 30. Sadly, four students did not earn 70 percent and failed the course.








However, the results do seem to indicate that there is a correlation between higher grades and more time spent
on Azar. Mir, Maryam, and Hong all demonstrated increased grammar comprehension and application. These
three students also logged an average of 29 hours on Azar. Melite is the exception to the rule since she scored
a 78%, the highest of the struggling students yet spent less than 2 hours on Azar.
A Paradigm Shift Emerged
An unexpected finding in Phase 2 was the emergence of the gradual release model from the work of Doug
Fisher and Nancy Frey (2007). I recognized that I was already scaffolding instruction and started moving more
quickly from teacher centered delivery to student-focused collaboration and independent practice. The idea of
I do it, we do it, you do it includes demonstration, prompt and practice and the previously held two-way
interaction between myself and the students soon progressed to a more student processed activity. The students
who attended these sessions related that they felt that they were relying more on themselves than on me. This
was a goal that I had not anticipated but which made the effort very worthwhile. I was very pleased to see a
greater student ownership of the Azar grammar program and its use.
Although the students were making headway on their grammar implementation, many continued to express
anxiety over both the grammar final and appropriately using grammar in their writing final. We concentrated
on the more difficult aspects of verb tenses and looked back to Azar for practice exercises and quizzes. I took
Hours logged into Azar
Overall Class Grade
Can the use of Azar
help improve grades?
5.4
0
35.8
29
12
1.5
25.2
3.5
68
65
73
73
66
78
73
44
0 20 40 60 80 100
Danial
Do
Hong
Maryam
Mehrsa
Melite
Mirwais
Kwang
this opportunity to physically move outside of the group but within sight and earshot. This made it more
essential for the students to attempt answers on their own and to use each others knowledge before looking to
me for confirmation. Again this was accomplished by giving more moral support than answers and I observed
a more confident group at work. This pedagogy employs Hellermanns theories of a Community Language
Learning Approach to teaching English because students are conversing without the framework of teacher led
instruction (2008).
Evolution of Question
The results of Phase Two have shown me that there is value to using an online grammar program. I believe
that given the opportunity to continue my research and practice I would incorporate an online grammar
component as part of my teaching practice. I can see how there are students who will greatly benefit from the
added practice and will use it as a supplement to their in-class learning. Faced with the challenges of balancing
school, work and family obligations, I feel that having the opportunity to get extra practice at home at their
convenience is a very valuable asset. It is important to keep in mind that one of the more constructive aspects
of Azar Interactive is the speaking and listening portions of the site. Many of the students in ESOL 30 only
speak and listen to English during the 6 hours a week that they are in class. When they leave, they return to a
sheltered environment that does not include English. They revert to using their home language which does not
encourage articulacy. Azar provides the potential to hear and repeat English phrases and can lead to
understanding of correct grammar usage in addition to stronger fluency and accent reduction.