18.

In the list of sources the student mentions all the websites, software, books,
journals, newspapers, etc. he/she mentioned in the literature review.

19. Sources used are updated

Chapter 3: Research Design

3.1​ ​Introduction

This document outlines the reasons why this research is relevant to provide students

with the necessary tools to enhance fluency. As a result, this study proposes the use of

self-monitoring strategies to give students the opportunity to think about their learning

process progress (Richards & Lockhart, 1996. pp. 64) and Imaginative Activities in order to

generate a creative and motivating environment to encourage learners’ engagement in

activities which demand the use of English through imagination. With this regard, the

proposal presented an initial and final speaking activity, a questionnaire, Short Imaginative

Sketches and used audio and video recordings, a student’s learning log, a post-performance

checklist, and a teacher’s observation protocol to track the results of the different stages of

the piloting and implementation process.

3.2​ ​Type of study

The present research study follows the features of a small-scale qualitative action

research, understood as a process in which participants examine their own educational

practice systematically and carefully, using the techniques of research (Ferrance 2000);

Action research is also considered as a continuous quest with the purpose of improving and
understanding the world once changes are made and their effects are analysed; besides action

research is a powerful tool for changing and improving at the local level that can be used in

any setting where a problem needs to be solved.(Cohen, Manion and Morrison, 2000; 2007 p.

298).

One of the main advantages of doing Action Research is that, being teachers, we become

“investigators” or “explorers” of our own teaching contexts, where we identify and

investigate a ​problematic a​ nd ​particular ​situation. Another big advantage is the feature of

being ​participatory since this study has been carried out in two different state schools in

Bogota, by two teachers who have shared the same research interest. The expected changes

were based on the data collected through a dynamic and complementary process that this kind

of research implies: ​planning, action, observation and reflection (Burns, 2010; Kemmis &

McTaggart, 1988). This study was developed with two distinct groups in two particular

contexts where students showed difficulties regarding fluency. The researchers selected the

implementation of self-monitoring and imaginative activities as techniques to help

participants overcome this difficulty.

3.3​ ​Context

This research proposal was developed in two state schools of Bogotá, Colombia in

which there are three shifts: morning, afternoon and night, this last one being in charge of

adult education.

Colegio Aquileo Parra IED (Institución Educativa Distrital) located in the zone 1

(Usaquén) in a neighborhood called Verbenal. The school promotes education under the

slogan: "We educate through the example, to build a happy life as a community". There are

about 1600 students combining the three shifts.

 Miguel Antonio Caro School IED located in zone 10 (Engativá), in Quirigua

neighborhood. The name of the school’s PEI (Proyecto Educativo Institucional) is “Building

life quality through human rights, natural sciences and environmental education”. There are

about 1700 students joining the three shifts.

Both schools divide students from preschool to eleventh grade in what for Colombian

education has been called cycles. ​Cycle 1, (preschool, first and second grades), ​cycle 2 (third

and fourth grades), ​cycle 3 (fifth, sixth and seventh grades), ​cycle 4 (eighth and ninth grades)

and ​cycle 5 (tenth and eleventh grades). One of the main reasons for this structure is to

develop learning environments in concordance with today’s world learning needs, cognitive

development level and ages of students in each of the cycles. These learning environments

aim at easing the development of essential learnings of Colombian children and promote in

them the interest of building their life project. These schools promote the Teaching for

Understanding Approach as a methodological proposal to help students develop critical

thinking, act responsibly and apply their knowledge to problem solving (Darling-Hammond,

2008; Perkins, 1993). The schools offer between three and four hours of English classes per

week which does not favor a continuous process to deepen their English learning. The

syllabus in both schools are product of agreement among the English staff of each school

who take into account the profile of each learning cycle and under the standards and

supervision of the SED (Secretaría de Educación de Bogotá). The syllabi at the two state

schools have taken into account the development of competences that involve communicative

situations, tackled meaningfully, with the aim of transforming their own and social reality.

​3.3.1 Participants
 The investigation was developed with students of eighth grade (Cycle 4) afternoon

shift of schools Miguel Antonio Caro: course 802 with 31 students (15 female/16 male)

ranging between 13-17 and Aquileo Parra School: 30 students of grade 802 (16 male/14

female) ranging between 11 and 16 years of age. The groups were selected for several

reasons: at the moment they were part of the academic assignment of both members of this

research team; the number of students was appropriate to provide them with a closer

guidance; they had been part of a previous learning process in the subject with the same

teachers.

These students were regarded as having little acquisition of the English language and,

therefore, low, almost none, oral performance in this language. This fact was confirmed by

using a designed speaking diagnosis activity in which they produced some English speech.

However, in spite of their enthusiasm and their eagerness to communicate their ideas, they

were unable to produce fluent, complete and understandable sentences due to the lack of

vocabulary, uncertainty when pronouncing words and the inability to use grammar structures

in the right way.

Most of the students belonged to dysfunctional families who were part of zero, one and two

socio-economic status and a few to the 3 one. These families were composed mainly of only

one parent who worked all day and so, this became the main reason why they remained alone

at home most of the time. They were very dynamic and their interests were related to music,

dancing, chatting with friends and playing with computer or cell phone games; some of them

had to face responsibilities such as taking care of their siblings and even cook. During

classes, most of the students sometimes displayed lack of attention and lack of time

management for developing activities in a proper way.

 Taking into account the use of English they evinced in class, their language level

corresponded to A1 according to the Common European Framework since they could use

very basic phrases and solved simple tasks in any of the four skills (Reading, writing,

listening and speaking). As a result, they needed to be provided with tools that allowed them

to show some progress in the development of the four skills.

3.3.1 Researchers' Role

The role of the researchers in this study was that one of teacher-researchers, as

“investigators” or “explorers” of their own teaching contexts (Burns, 2010. p. 13). We

became part of the participants as well when we analyzed the changes when making use of

the data collection instruments in our classes. The fact that we assumed this role in our own

teaching context allowed us record the changes, analyze and register the relevant data

regarding the research question and objectives of this proposal, especially because we as

teacher-researchers were part of the learning communities of the two schools involved in this

study.

3.3.2 Ethical considerations

For the purpose of complying with the moral and responsible ways to investigate (Burns,

2010; Whitehead and McNiff 2006) two types of consent letters were used to obtain the

authorization from parents and students to become part of this study (See Appendix E), they

also were informed through these letters about the objectives, the relevance, and the benefits

of the study. A letter was also used to obtain the consent of the principals of the two state

schools involved in the research.

3.4​ ​Data collection instruments

 The data collection instruments were selected and designed with the purpose of

gathering information on the participants’ oral performance and their perceptions when

implementing self-monitoring and imaginative activities.

3.4.1 Description and justification

3.4.1.1​ ​Non-observational techniques

We selected some non-observational techniques such as questionnaires, students’

learning logs and teachers’ observation protocol that were useful to encourage participants to

"self-report" their perspectives, attitudes and beliefs on the topic under investigation (Burns,

1999).

3.4.1.1.1 Questionnaires

Questionnaires involve predetermined questions in written form, have the advantage

of being easier and less time-consuming to administer and can gather plenty of informants.

The researcher does not need to use supplementary techniques. Questionnaires can give three

types of information: ​Factual or demographic ​(participants’ profile, their background and

experiences), ​behavioral (what participants do or did), ​attitudinal (attitudes, beliefs, opinions,

interests and values), (Dörnyei, 2001). Planning and designing questionnaires require a

careful thought, avoid ambiguous or multiple questions, be cautious about knowledge,

language level, and literacy level. It is recommendable to pilot the questionnaire before using

it (Burns, 2010). This research used a questionnaire to gather information from participants

during the diagnosis stage. Here, it is presented in English but it was applied in a Spanish

version to facilitate students understanding of questions.

3.4.1.1.2 Learning logs

Logs are common in Action Research; they are useful as a way of registering

significant reflections and events (Burns, 2010). Logs offer evidence of your learning and

skills development through a critical point of view. Learning Logs can include details of what

you did, how you did something, your thoughts, your feelings, how well (or badly) it went,

what you learnt, what you will do differently next time. In this study, students’ learning logs

were included to have evidence of students’ reflections upon their learning process and the

use of self-monitoring strategies.

3.4.1.1.3 Teachers’ observation protocol

Protocols are currently used to track the development of a strategy in teaching

practices. They are of various types depending on the specific purpose: ​open-ended in which

observers typically attend class, make notes, and respond to such statements as: “Comment

on student involvement and interaction with the instructor ” (Millis, 1992); ​structured

protocols ​which provide a common set of statements or codes to which the observers

respond. Often, these protocols ask observers to make judgments about how well the teaching

conforms to a specific standard. Examples of such protocols include the ​Inside the

Classroom: Observation and Analytic Protocol​ (Weiss ​et al.,​ 2003).

More recently, new observation protocols have been developed to describe what

happens in a classroom while a strategy is being applied to a teaching practice; its objective is

not to study the concordance between teaching practices and specific pedagogic strategies.

These observation protocols use a series of codes to characterize instructor and/or student

behaviors in the classroom; observers indicate how often each behavior occurs during a class

period (Hora ​et al.,​ 2013; West ​et al.,​ 2013).

 This research project had in mind different features of these protocols, and as a result,

the researchers designed an adapted version of a teacher observation protocol (​see Annex F​)

to record the events, reflections, ideas and insights about the strategy proposed to solve the

identified problem.

3.4.1.1.3 Checklists

Checklists can be useful improving qualitative research methods, ​they have acquired

importance since they confer respectability on qualitative research and in convincing

potential sceptics of its thoroughness; they can strengthen the rigour of qualitative research

only if they are used appropriately by the researcher, otherwise they might be

counterproductive (Barbour, 2001)​. In this study, the use of a ​post-performance checklist has

been included ​with the main aim of developing a process of stimulated recall​, and as a

complement to the process of self-monitoring that learners register in their learning logs. We

decided to provide students with the use of a checklist, once they watched the video

recordings resulting from the different sketches they performed, to help them analyse their

performance and identify the aspects of language, pronunciation, construction of sentences,

vocabulary, hesitation, and even creativity they needed to improve during the next sketch.

The checklist was significant for us as researchers to corroborate data regarding the

self-monitoring process, the use of creativity and the improvement in their spoken fluency.

3.4.1.2​ ​Observational techniques

Observation is the basis of action research, through observation researchers document

and reflect systematically on classroom interactions and events as they happen (Burns, 1999).

The audio and video-recording transcription format, and the checklist that were selected for
this study became a complement to register the observational process of the planned

activities.

3.4.1.2.1 Audio and video recording

Audio and video recording are techniques for capturing in detail naturalistic

interactions and verbatim utterances. It is a valuable source of accurate information about oral

interactions exactly as they were said (Burns, 1999, 2010). The use of video-recordings

require to be careful in the sense that participants may become distracted by the recording

equipment that could interfere with their normal behavior, to avoid this, participants must be

familiarized with it (Burns, 2010). In this study, the use of audio and video recordings was

useful to secure members oral interactions to monitor their fluency. (Cohen, Manion, &

Morrison, 2007) defined the use of audio recordings as an excellent way to revisit the

contents of the class and collect the appropriate and adequate data.

3.4.2 Data Collection Procedures

The data collection was divided into two stages. The primary data collection was

developed through a questionnaire and a diagnosis activity which yielded the initial results

for this proposal. The secondary data collection was developed through the use of the

different data collection instruments selected as part of the planning and during the project

development, which was divided into three stages as follows:

Conceptualizing​: the purpose of this first stage was to train students to understand the concept

of learning strategies, metacognitive and self-monitoring strategies and to identify them.

Besides guiding students on the use of sketches and imaginative activities.

Training​: during this stage the aim was to allow students to practice and get used to using

self-monitoring strategies, they also had the opportunity to rehearse the assemblage of a

sketch.
Application:​ this stage was focused on the set of lesson plans designed to allow students to

apply the strategies on their own through the development of the Short Imaginative Sketches

(SIS).

Data was collected by the researchers after every lesson during the application stage

and was documented in the students’ learning log, the teacher’s observation protocol, the

after-performance checklist and the video-recording transcription format.

​3.4.3​ ​Validation and piloting

Validity is an essential criterion for evaluating the quality and acceptability of

research ​(Burns, 1999) reason why this proposal initially obtained the revision and perception

of peers (Hitchcock and Hughes, 1995; Whitehead and McNiff, 2006; ), who gave us their

insights, considerations, and advice about instruments design. Likewise, an experienced

researcher assessed the instruments and suggested some adjustments to strengthen content

and validation process.

Another important aspect to take into account throughout the process of validation

​ hich is one of the most commonly

and piloting is the use of the technique ​Triangulation w

used and best known ways of checking for validity. The aim of triangulation is to gather

multiple perspectives on the situation being studied (Burns, 1999 p.163). Therefore,

reliability and validity were also achieved by using data, methodological and in time /

location triangulation (Freeman, 1998), having in mind the type of data obtained from

different perspectives gathered through the different instruments.

3.5​ ​Conclusion

This chapter explained the reasons for a qualitative action research to be applied to the

context and participants involved in the identified problematic situation. The data collection

instruments were selected and designed to define learners' needs and to gather information on
students’ performance during the implementation process. The insights the implementation

process revealed, provided researchers with innovative proposals to improve their

pedagogical practice, fostered student’s spoken ​fluency in class and created a more effective

learning environment for students, as it is going to be demonstrated in chapter 4.

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