The State of the Art of the English Teaching Language in Public Schools from Pereira

Methodology:

Type of study

      The current study will draw on the use of mix methods for the data collection stage; namely, it will make use of qualitative and quantitative procedures. With reference to mix methods, Johnson and Onwuegbuzie (2004) suggest that “they involve collecting, analyzing, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data in a single study or in a series of studies that investigate the same underlying phenomenon” (p. 17). Additionally, the goal of mix methods research is not to replace either of these approaches but rather to draw from strengths and minimize the weaknesses of both in single research studies and across studies (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie 2004). Furthermore, Sechrest and Sidani (1995, p.78) point out that both methodologies “describe their data, construct explanatory arguments from their data, and speculate about why the outcomes they observed happened as they did.”

Consequently, this study intends to cover both methods of research, qualitative, as well as quantitative in order to provide stronger and more reliable results by reducing the limitations a single method may provide. Moreover, the study will also employ a concurrent strategy of inquiry that involves collecting data simultaneously implementing both methods. Firstly, through qualitative method the researchers intend to collect data related to teachers’ beliefs, thoughts about their teaching practice, and also students’ attitudes and behaviors about teachers performance in the classroom. In accordance with Ray (2011), he describes qualitative studies as one of the methods use to observe and record the actions and behaviors of each single person or individual through the course of their daily lives. Therefore, the data collection will be done in natural setting, in other words the classroom to gather information of the realities of English language teachers’ face in the public institutions of Pereira.

    In the same fashion, this study will also be quantitative in view of the fact that the data collection will primarily aim confirming or rejecting existing theory about current teaching methodologies. Moreover, the study will also focus on measuring methodological tendencies implemented by foreign language teachers’ from public school in Pereira. Shuttleworth (2008) asserts that quantitative studies are helpful to analyze and test different results gathered from qualitative research. In other words, the results obtained will also be analyzed and interpreted in forms on words to provide deeper and richer understanding of the events that take place in the classroom. Therefore, even though the data collected will be numerical the analysis and the interpretation will be expressed statements

Context and setting

      .  In a report provided by the Secretaría de Educación de Pereira, this town has 2.870 teachers that belong to the official sector. Thus, it is necessary highlight that in Pereira there are 139 English language teachers. All of whom, are licenciados en la enseñanza del Ingles.

      This research project will be carried out in the selected institutions from the eight educational areas of Pereira. Consequently, twenty six public institutions are going to be involved in this research project.

    Based on the mentioned statistics this research project will mainly concentrate on the English language teachers from the public high schools around Pereira. Therefore, the focus study will be teachers from secondary education within 6^th through 11th grades, school principals, English language coordinators and high school students.

  

PARTICIPANTS

The current study will have four different by equally important participants.    

The first participants for this study are the teachers from secondary education within 6^th through 11th grades from Pereira who are currently working at a public institution in Pereira. Due to the large amount of schools in this town, the study demanded for a sampling. Therefore, two strategies were used to choose the sampling; first, it was the selection of the participants which was done randomly, and secondly, it was the selection of a significant number of public schools (45%) from Pereira equivalent for the eight educational areas that can provide reliable and sufficient data to obtain the trustworthy results.

Moreover, the secondary participants of this study are the school principals who belong to those public institutions and who are also important elements can aid at providing relevant information for this study such as; How English is incorporated in the PEI, the current or future projects the institution is promoting in terms of English language learning and also the methodology the school encouraging English language teachers to implement in their class.

On the other hand, the English language coordinators from the institutions will also contribute to providing data that will support the information collected. These participants will supply information about the methodology implemented in the classrooms, the curriculum and the syllabus teachers follow to design their classes.

The last of the participants are the students who will present the most important information given that they will share about their learning process, their opinions about language learning and teaching and what they evidence in terms of their teachers’ performance in the classroom.

RESEARCHER’S ROLE

      A non participant observation is defined by Diane Larsen-Freeman and Michael H. Long (1991), as the act that implies observing, taking notes and recording activities without taking part of them. This project has 12 active researchers that will act as non participant observers in order to collect first hand data from the public institutions that will be participating on the study. Therefore, the researcher will not interacting with learners not interfere in the class but to observe meticulously.

Data collection

      Due to the fact that this is a qualitative and quantitative (mixed method) study mixed methods both forms of data collection will be implementing to gather the information needed. As mentioned previously, the purpose of this study is collection data related to educator teaching methodologies and the tendencies more implemented by teachers from different public institutions in Pereira. Consequently, to gather the data needed to fulfill both types of research methods the instruments used are: observations, document analysis and questionnaires.

Observation

      According to Merriam (2009) she states that the observation method involves the complete analysis of people´s behavior, perceptions and assimilations to acquire data from the field that is under research (p. 94). On the other hand, Burns, A. & Hood, S. (1995) cited in Freeman (1998) argue that the observation is a closely watching classroom events, happening or interactions, either as a participant in the classroom, or as an observer of another teacher’s classroom. (p. 94).   Furthermore, the observation in this study will be done to all the public schools of Pereira for approximately three months. Each observation will last one hour per class. In this particular case the observations will be done by non participants, who will focus mainly on taking field notes using a structured format to collect data about the classroom and the events that take place in it, teachers’ performance, and students’ attitude and reactions toward the class.

Document analysis

      Furthermore, to accomplish the specific objectives of this study a document analysis will be done in order to become acquainted with the different text, programs that teachers follow to develop their classes. The document analysis for this research will include collection of information that the schools ‘ PEI has about English language learning and teaching, the , the  syllabus used by the teachers and the lesson plans designed by the teachers, curriculum, , and class work. Holsti (1969) argues that document analysis is an umbrella term in order to talk about a huge amount of written, visual, and physical material significant to the study that is carrying out .(p.p112).

Questionnaires

      Finally, questionnaires will be used to collect data for teachers and principals from the institutions about personal information, teacher’s academic background, and methodology and lesson plan design, among other relevant information. Herbert, W. (1989) indicates that “questionnaires are printed forms for data collection which include questions for statement to which the subject is expected to response, of them anonymously. Therefore, the participants involved were be surveyed in order to obtain significant information about the personal and profession experiences in the process of teaching English. This survey will be structured and implemented at the beginning of the study.

      References

Burns, A. & Hood, S. (1995) Teacher voices: exploring course desing in a changing curriculum. Sidney

Johnson, R. B. & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come. Educational Researcher, 33(7), 14-26.

Larsen-Freeman, Diane and Michael Long. 1991. An introduction to second language acquisition research. London: Longman.

Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Sechrest, L., & Sidani, S. (1995). Quantitative and qualitative methods: Is there an alternative?

Secretaria de educación (2012). Información acerca de licenciados en el sector publico en Pereira Risaralda.

Shuttleworth, M., (2008). Design for research. Retrieved on 15-06-2011 from http://www.experiment-resources.com/research-designs.html. Last updated on 2008.