INSTRUCTORS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ACTIVE LEARNING IN LIBYAN … · 2015. 8. 25. ·...

INSTRUCTORS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ACTIVE LEARNING IN LIBYAN

HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

By

SARAH DEBBEK

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of

the requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY Department of Teaching and Learning

AUGUST 2015

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To the Faculty of Washington State University:

The members of the Committee appointed to examine the thesis of SARAH DEBBEK

find it satisfactory and recommend that it be accepted.

Joy Lynn Egbert, Ph. D., Chair

Thomas L. Salsbury, Ph. D.

Olusola O Adesope. Ph. D.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to thank my Mom, who kept me fed and sane, my Dad, who was always

there for when I was in a desperate need for a talk, and Dr. Joy Egbert for her ever dwindling

patience, but also for her support, motivation, and help; for always being there even when it was

geographically impossible; and most importantly for being the one who reminds me that

everything will work out.

I feel the need to also thank my siblings, Zahra, Asma, Mohammed, and Hebba, for the

late nights, the loud laughter, and the many distracting conversations. A thank you to all of the

instructors and students who participated in this research. And my lovely committee members,

Dr. Thomas L. Salsbury and Dr. Olusola O Adesope.

Another big thank you goes to Professor Kelley Puzio for being there from the very first

step. And to all of my friends who were always there.

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INSTRUCTORS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ACTIVE LEARNING IN LIBYAN

HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

by Sarah Debbek, M.A. Washington State University

August 2015

Chair: Joy Lynn Egbert

The purpose of this study was to uncover Libyan university instructors’ and students’

perceptions of active learning, focusing on group projects and student-led discussion as two

strategies of active learning. Twelve college instructors from the English Department at a School

of Liberal Arts in Libya and twenty-four English major undergraduate students from the same

school participated in this exploratory study. Research questions focused on instructor and

student perceptions of active learning. Data sources included instructor and student online-based

surveys and interviews. Findings show that, while students are eager to participate in an active

learning environment, instructors are a bit hesitant due to some contextual limitations.

Key words: active learning, student perceptions, teacher perceptions, higher education, Libya

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENT ................................................................................................................ iii

Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iv

INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1

LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................... 3

LIMITATIONS ............................................................................................................................. 16

FINDINGS AND INTERPRETATIONS ..................................................................................... 17

CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 24

PRACTICAL & FUTURE RESEARCH ...................................................................................... 25

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 26

APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................... 30

INSTRUCTOR SURVEY ......................................................................................................... 31

STUDENT SURVEY ................................................................................................................ 32

STUDENT INTERVIEWS SAMPLE ...................................................................................... 33

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Dedication

To Mata the future doctor, the young writer, my twin, my right arm, and quite possibly my better

half.

Cannot wait for you to read and reread the PhD dissertation!

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SECTION ONE

INTRODUCTION Classroom practices taking place in Libyan higher education institutions have historically

been and are still passive, where students function as listeners and note-takers (Suwaed, 2011).

Students’ achievement is measured only through standardized testing, which according to

Popham (1999) is “the wrong tool” for measuring students’ achievement (p.9). While these tests

have no relevance to students’ lives and are not authentic, the scores students receive determine

their career and post-graduation opportunities. A related issue is that students’ achievement rates

are very low, while dropout rates are very high (Elabbar, 2011). According to the 2006 Higher

Education Report in Libya, higher education institutions need to meet the increased demand for

raising the quality of higher education graduates so they can meet the required abilities desired

by the job market as in communication, negotiation, and facilitation. (2006). For this challenge to

be addressed, higher education institutions need to improve their teaching quality by focusing

less on traditional methods that focus on lecturing in attempt to prepare students for

examinations, to newer methods that prepare students to solve real world problems (Higher

Education Report in Libya, 2006). Because instructors are still putting more focus on preparing

students to pass their final examinations, students are also putting more focus on passing their

examinations without being active members in their learning; even if a student wanted to be an

active participant he or she would not be able to since the classes are very teacher-centered and

students’ roles are limited to simply listening or quietly taking notes (Shihiba, 2011). This

situation is problematic because if students cannot actively make meaning of what they are

doing, they will not learn or remember when they need to put their knowledge into use (Popham,

1999).

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Therefore, engaging students in their learning by creating a classroom context where they can be

active members will enhance their learning process and help them increase achievement and

graduate with skills needed by the market. The study described in this paper addresses this

problem by first exploring the literature on active learning, then collecting qualitative data on

instructors and students’ perception of active learning, and finally analyzing and interpreting this

data.

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SECTION TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

The literature review will provide an overview of education in the Libyan context as well as

an overview of what active learning is and active learning strategies. It will then support how

group projects and student discussions as forms of active learning. The concepts will lead to the

theoretical framework and research questions on which the study was built.

Education in the Libyan Context

As reported by the Libyan General People’s Committee (2008), access to qualified

teachers and the growing demand for quality education are some of the challenges faced by the

Libyan educational system. All levels of education in Libya is influenced heavily by culture and

religion. Learning and teaching have a high value in Islam and the Libyan culture alike.

However, the student-teacher relationship is viewed as a holy one. Students are expected to show

respect and politeness while interacting with teachers. This concept is evident on the walls of

almost every school. On these walls is written the long-lived Ahmed Shawqi’s words: “Stand up

in due respect for your teacher and glorify him, for a teacher’s status is almost as a status of a

prophet” (Ahmed Shawqi, 1991). In addition, students are not expected to call their teachers by

their first names without a title. Moreover, the beliefs and traditions of the Libyan people shape

the role of the teacher as the absolute source of knowledge. For example, the idea that teachers

hold all the accurate information is widely held in the Libyan culture. Therefore, some assume

that the teacher’s role in class is to provide knowledge and explain all the needed information

without engaging the student in the process. In the Libyan context, classroom control is a sign of

‘good teaching.’ Therefore, student discipline and teacher control are of high priority to most

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teachers. As a consequence, teaching is approached from a very teacher-centered perspective

(Suwaid, 2011).

With regard to English language teaching, all the academic departments at Libyan

universities teach English as a subject. In addition, there are English language departments in

which students study English language skills, literature, linguistics, and English teaching. At the

university level, instructors have more authority to design their courses and syllabi for their

students. In addition, there are no national exams at the university level, just final standardized

tests (Elabbar, 2011). Overall, teaching at the university level, including teaching English, is still

very teacher-centered.

What is Active Learning?

The opposite of such teacher-centeredness is when students are given a chance to do

something with new information; as opposed to merely receiving it from teachers, learners are

able to store it in their long-term memory (Schunk, 2012). This is why promoting active learning

and using active learning strategies in the classroom is very important (McKeachie et al, 2012).

The term “active learning” has been used many different ways. Mayer (2008) defines active

learning as paying “attention to relevant information, organizing it into coherent mental

representation, and integrating representation with other knowledge” (p.50). Many researchers

have adopted Bonwell and Eison’s (1991) definition; like the definition above, they argue that in

order for active learning to take place, students must be involved in more than just listening, in

contexts where the goal of teaching is not just transmitting information but rather on developing

students’ skills. This is done by engaging students in activities that promote higher-order

thinking skills such as class debates, discussion, problem-solving and critical thinking activities

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(Redish, 2000). Active learning is important because teaching involves more than covering the

material for the students, but rather uncovering the material with the students (Redish, 2000).

Integrating the definitions above, in this paper, active learning is defined as a learning context

where students are provided with opportunities to interact with each other and with their teacher

and are required to use higher order thinking skills.

Strategies for active learning

Group projects and student discussions are two active learning strategies that have

received broad research support and that this study will focus on. These two forms of active

learning are chosen because they are accessible to both students and instructors. They are

accessible because they do not require any special classroom settings such as computer labs or

any other special materials. Group projects might be useful in reflecting on active learning in

Libyan classrooms because Arab culture is generally a group culture where people have a

tendency to cluster and collaborate together (Albirini, 2006). In addition, people from Arabic

cultures are traditionally very oral and social people (Lim, 2002). Therefore, student-led

discussions may be a way to involve Libyan students in active learning. These two strategies are

discussed below.

Group Projects as a Form of Active Learning

Empirical research demonstrates that active learning supports positive academic outcomes,

reduces absenteeism, and helps students meet lesson objectives (Eison, 2010); including group

projects that encourage students to collaborate in the classroom is important.

For example, in one study American college students who were given a chance to work in

groups during their English literature course were able to understand the books they read as well

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as gain some basic knowledge about the books their group members read, while students who

worked individually did not gain that knowledge or experience, and therefore their projects were

of a lesser quality than those who were members of groups (Roberts, 1998).

Further, according to Johnson et al. (1981), group projects where students teach each other is

one of the most effective ways of teaching. In a pioneering study, results showed that American

students participating in group projects produced positive results in their ability to work with

others as well as better cognitive outcomes (Miller & Groccia, 1997). In addition, in a systematic

review that looked at 99 studies about group learning, Stevens & Slavin (1995) found out that

78% of these studies showed significantly positive results while none showed negative results.

This is due to the fact that students who have a chance to work together and be responsible for

each other’s learning as well as their own are more likely to meet the objective of the activity

(McKeachie & Svinick, 2011). Because students feel responsible for each other’s learning,

working on long term group projects could help decrease absenteeism (O’Donnell, 2006).

Moreover, when working in groups, students have a chance to explain content to each other,

which could be beneficial to their learning process. Furthermore, research has shown that

explaining a topic to someone else during a group project is one of the best methods of deeply

understanding the topic (McKeachie & Svinick, 2011).

In addition, students who take part in group projects are often more motivated and more

likely to stay in school. Studies have shown that students who are engaged in group projects like

the topic more than those who do not engage in group projects (Johnson et al, 1998; Lord 2001).

Working on group projects promotes students to be active participants in the learning process by

caring about the class and being personally engaged in the material (Lord, 2001).

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An important study that focused on retention rates found out that students who were involved in

a group activity had a 65% higher retention rate than those who did not (Treisman, 1985).

Therefore, group projects can promote students to be more motivated to be active participants.

While they have their benefits, group projects could be less effective if not implemented

correctly. In a mixed methods study conducted by Williamson and Rowe (2002), the researchers

found that there was no significant difference in the final scores between students who

participated in group projects and those who did not. However, from the qualitative data,

researchers found that this might be due to the fact that students were initially engaged in the

group projects but as the semester progressed their interest dropped, which might have been

because of the redundancy of the group projects. However, this study also observed that students

who participated in group projects were more willing to ask the instructor questions (in class or

through office visits) than those in traditionally taught sections. Also, looking at student retention

rates shows that 33% of the students in the lecture class dropped out of the course compared to

only 17% of those in the cooperative-learning class (Williamson & Rowe, 2002). In today’s

classrooms, taking part of a group project should be one of any student’s central roles (Slavin,

2010). However, for students to be effective members of any group, they must have experience

leading discussions. It is worth to note that there is no research that has been conducted on active

learning with Libyan instructors and students. The above mentioned studies focused on students

in the American classrooms and showed promising results which could be replicated and studied

in the Arabic or Libyan context after exploring the students’ and instructors’ attitudes towards it.

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Student Discussions as a Form of Active Learning

According to Brookfield and Preskill (2005), classroom discussions have four important

functions. First, by participating in these discussions, students are more likely to deeply

understand the topics introduced in class. Second, discussions help develop students’ self-

efficacy. Third, discussion encourages students to be open-minded by respecting others’ point of

views when holding different sides on a given issue. Fourth, participants can develop

communication and persuasion skills that are very essential in real world scenarios since

discussions offer students a chance to apply what they have learned during academic discourse.

Students’ participation in student-led discussions can also promote their critical thinking skills

(McKeachie & Svinick, 2011). These benefits are based on the tenets of sociocultural theory.

According to this theory, social interaction is a key in promoting a person’s reasoning and

thinking (Schunk, 2012). Likewise, Vygotsky argues that learning is a culturally and socially

mediated process in which discourse plays a key part in the construction of shared meaning

making (Schunk, 2012). A study conducted by Omelicheva & Avdeyeva (2008) investigating the

influence that debates and the time students spend discussing the issue at hand have on students’

critical thinking development found that, in comparison to traditional lecture formats, integrating

discussion in the classroom promoted higher levels of critical thinking.

While research has shown that creating a productive discussion that engages students is

one of the most complex and challenging tasks in teaching, research has also shown that

classroom discussions support learning and content understanding as well as engagement

(Henning, 2005).

Surdents’ active participation during class discussions has been positively linked to learning and

learning outcomes (Johnson & Johnson, 2000; Kember & Gow, 1994; McKeachie & Svinick,

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2011). Classroom discussions strengthen content understanding by enhancing and reinforcing

comprehension while offering students a chance to engage, develop and share ideas (Helterban,

2007). In pioneering experiments, Gruber & Weithman (1962) found that students who

participated in student-led discussions did as well as those who heard the teacher lecture;

however they were superior in curiosity. Another study comparing learning outcomes between

traditional and active teaching formats found that while using discussion might not be as

effective as using lectures when it comes to factual knowledge, students who participated in

classroom discussions scored higher on questions that targeted their application and evaluation

skills (Omelivheva, 2008). This shows that active learning through discussion can enhance

students’ practical knowledge.

Based on the literature review above, it is clear that group projects and student

discussions are two forms of effective active learning strategies. Understandings of active

learning are employed as the framework of this study, with discussion and group projects as the

implementation of this framework. While active learning is proven to be effective in multiple

classroom contexts, there is a gap in the literature since there has not been any research

conducted on active learning with Libyan students and instructors.

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SECTION THREE

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The education literature asserts that it is important for learners to be actively participating in

their learning process; however, it is essential to understand instructors’ and students’

perceptions of active learning before trying to implement active learning strategies, particularly

in contexts where these strategies are uncommon.

Based on the theoretical framework, this study used qualitative exploratory methods to

investigate the following questions:

1. What are instructors’ perceptions of active learning?

2. What are students’ perceptions of active learning?

It is important to answer these questions to understand both students’ and instructors’

perceptions and attitudes towards active learning. This understanding could lead to more

effective implementation of active learning strategies in Libyan higher education institutions in

the future.

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SECTION FOUR

RESEARCH METHODS

The purpose of this study is to help understand instructors’ and students’ perceptions of

group projects and student-led discussions as forms of active learning. Since there is not a lot

written about this population in relation to this topic, a qualitative exploratory study was

conducted, as suggested by Creswell (2009). This section describes the setting, data collection

procedures, and data analysis process of the study.

Description of Setting & Participants

The study took place in an English department in a liberal arts school at a public

university in Libya. There are no documented sources on how many students are in the

department, however, according to the university website, there are 805 male students and 1479

female students enrolled at the college as of the 2013-2014 school years. All of them are Libyan

students for whom Arabic is their first language. These students study English for different

purposes: to be English teachers, to be translators, to be researchers, or to apply for positions at

international companies in the country. While there are a few instructors from different countries

(India, Iraq, Philippines and Thailand), the majority are Libyan instructors who hold either a

master’s or doctoral degree with average teaching experience of 10 years. Only the Libyan

instructors were contacted and asked to participate in this study since they are in charge of

developing the curriculum, while the non-Libyan instructors are just temporary contractors.

Data Collection and Procedure

To ensure trustworthiness and credibility of the data, data were collected using different

sources (Suter, 2012). The use of different data collection sources enabled the researcher to get

a clearer picture of the topic under investigation (Gay, Mills, & Airasian, 2009).Three data

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sources were used for triangulation of data (Suter, 2012). The following is a detailed description

of the three data sources that were used in this study.

Instructor Survey

The first source was an open-ended survey for the teacher participants. The survey had

eight open-ended questions. These questions were based on the theoretical framework that

student discussions and group projects are two forms of active learning to be for more effective

teaching. The survey questions asked instructors to reflect on their current teaching practice,

their perceptions of their roles, their students’ role in the classroom, and their perceptions of

implementing group projects and student-led discussions in their classrooms. (See Appendix 1

for the survey).

First, links to the web-based survey in Arabic and English were sent directly to the instructors

and instructors were personally contacted and requested to fill out the surveys. Twelve responses

were received, which is the total number of full time Libyan professors in the department. All

responses were in English.

Student Survey

Web-based survey links both in Arabic and English were sent out to students at the

beginning of the semester through the department’s communication group. However, because it

was an internet-based survey, it was accessible only to students with computer internet access.

Which according to the Internet World Stat Organization about 16.5% of the population in Libya

have internet access.

Students were asked to answer nine open-ended questions on the current teaching practices in

their classrooms, their perceptions of their own roles as students in the classroom, their

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perceptions of their instructors’ roles, and their perceptions of being involved in group projects

and student-led discussions (see Appendix 2 for the student survey). These questions were based

on the theoretical framework used for this study. Reminders were sent throughout the semester.

Forty-six students completed the survey. While the survey was sent to everyone, the targeted

number was 30, which is the average class number at the university. Thirty-seven participants

responded in English, while 9 participants responded in Arabic. The data that was received in

Arabic was translated by the researcher and then checked by an Arabic-English translator expert.

Instructor and Student Interviews Two instructors and five students were interviewed to gain more depth and

understanding of the survey answers. At the end of the survey, participants were asked if they

would volunteer to be interviewed. The participants, who provided their contact information,

were then contacted. However, after being asked permission to record the interviews, a lot of

participants chose to opt out of the study. All interviews were semi-structured based on the

research questions and answers of the survey questions. All the interviews lasted from 45

minutes to an hour and were either conducted orally or they were synchronous text-based

interviews. Students chose to be interviewed through synchronous text-based applications like

Facebook messenger and Viber because they believe that they can communicate their ideas

thoroughly through writing. All of the interviews were conducted in English. The oral-based

interviews were recorded and then transcribed. Then all interviews were coded and analyzed.

The main focus of the interviews was to collect additional information about both current

classroom practice and perceptions of group projects and student discussions as active learning

techniques. The interview had ten main questions and some sub questions that emerged while

conducting the interview. They included questions such as:

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• Questions for instructors:

o Some instructors said that it’s best to lecture due to the nature of the department

courses; can you explain what “nature” means in this context?

o From the survey, some instructors claimed that students will not be interested in

such activities- In your opinion, what might be the reason behind that?

• Questions for students:

o “Students will not be interested to participate in such activities” – Do you think

that is true? Why/why not?

o Some students explained that it is better to just sit and listen, do you agree?

Why/why not?

All interviews were then transcribed, reviewed, typed and coded for analysis as explained below.

Data Analysis Analysis of data was an ongoing process where data were organized and coded to ensure

greater understanding of the collected information while making the proper interpretation

(Creswell, 2009). An open coding approach was adopted in the data analysis process. According

to Suter (2012), this data analysis approach has a “focus on identifying, labeling, and classifying,

may be combined into one overarching concept” (p.355). Following that, an axial coding

approach was employed. Although axial coding was be used to (1) determine whether the codes

developed through the open coding covered all data or not, (2) check that each piece of the data

has been coded, (3) look through all the pieces assigned the same code, and (4) look for evidence

that supports the chosen codes and sub-codes, the primary purpose of using axial coding is to

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“determine which elements in the research are the dominant ones and which are the less

important ones” (Boeije, 2010, p.109). Once data is coded, themes and categories where

developed to find trends in the data and answer the research questions.

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SECTION FIVE

LIMITATIONS

First, the study is limited in the sense that due to travel and location issues, the

researcher was not able to observe current classroom practices taking place at the university

attended by the participants, so this study relied only on the surveys and interviews. It would

have been more beneficial for this study if the researcher was able to observe the classroom

practices first hand. However, since the main focus of this study was the perception, the surveys

and interviews were good in capturing that. Second, the surveys are web-based, which means

only those with access to the Internet had a chance to fill out the surveys and be potential

interviewees. Because this is an exploratory study, the targeted number of student participants

was 30 since that is the average class number at the university; however 46 students participated

and their responses provided rich data to answer the research questions. There was no way of

contacting the students who do not have access to the Internet since the researcher does not

reside in the same place as them. This could have impacted the outcomes because these students

could have an input that would have been really important to the study. Third, some of the

participants who volunteered to be interviewed opted out when they were asked permission to

record the interview. This was a major challenge since some of these participants had a lot of

useful information to add to the study but they chose not to participate. Fourth, due to the fact

that instructors do not provide students with syllabi or a curriculum plan, there were no available

artefacts for the researcher to explore as a form of data source. Having access would have

contributed to the data pool and helped the researcher to take a closer look at how scores are

contributed and the types of assignments students were asked to do.

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SECTION SIX

FINDINGS AND INTERPRETATIONS The primary purpose of this study was to explore Libyan university instructors’ and students’

perceptions of active learning, focusing on group projects and student discussions as two

strategies of active learning. The results are presented below in order of the research questions

for ease of organization.

What are the instructors’ perceptions of active learning?

Qualitative data collected from the instructors’ surveys and interviews showed that, despite

the fact that most classes are run the traditional teacher-centered way because, as one instructor

put it, “that’s the nature of the content of the classes, they require more lecturing on my behalf,”

almost all of the instructors understand the importance of creating a classroom environment

where students are actively participating in their learning process. From the interviews, it became

clear that there are two types of courses; content-based and skills-based courses. Instructors who

teach content-based classes such as Literature and Linguistics classes, for example, favor

traditional methods, i.e. lecturing, while instructors who teach skills-based classes like Speaking

prefer to use communicative approaches where students are encouraged to participate in

speaking activities like conversations and dialogues. According to the surveys, instructors who

teach content-based classes believe that it is essential that students are “actively taking notes” in

order to understand the material being delivered through the lecture.

The data showed that although all instructors recognized that their roles as mentors,

facilitators, guides, organizers, and/or trainers are very important, above all however, they first

identified themselves as leaders who lead students to learn and succeed. It is important to the

instructors to identify themselves as “leaders” in the classroom because of the common

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understanding that “having a strong grip on your class is a sign of good teaching” as one

instructor stated. Some instructors identified themselves as “facilitators” who, as they put it,

prefer “to guide students and help them learn by themselves” or through “setting up

communicative situations” where students have a chance to actively discuss and interact.

However, they seem to only want to do that if students “want to learn” as one instructor stated.

Data also showed that instructors measure students’ desire to learn by observing that they

are listening carefully to the instructor during class, only talking when given permission, taking

good notes in class and preparing well for class by doing the assigned homework, if any. It

seems that having classroom control is a really important value for the instructors. This control is

manifested when students are quietly listening and taking notes, and only ask questions or

answer them when they are allowed to. Another reason why instructors prefer that students are

listening and taking notes is because they believe that it is the best way for them to prepare for

exams, especially since the midterm is worth 30% of the final grade while the final is worth 60%

of the final grade based on university policy. While research provides evidence that taking notes

and listening quietly does not mean that students are actually learning or gaining knowledge, the

instructors seem to think that this is a good way of transmitting knowledge.

The data collected from working with the instructors showed that there are three main

reasons that play roles in why classroom discussions seem to be such a luxurious option. First,

they noted that there is not enough time to be spent on classroom discussions or in-class group

activities. The instructors have a curriculum they are expected to finish by the end of the

semester, so the main goal is to cover all of the material and for that reason, more focus is

directed towards completing the curriculum and less focus is directed towards creating chances

for discussions and/or activities.

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Second, they stated that class size range from 30 to 40 students on average, which is perceived as

a really huge class number. They believe that facilitating a discussion for a class this size is not

going to be beneficial to the students and it is going to be hard to be controlled. Third, instructors

believe that the only reason students are in class is because they do not want to lose attendance

points and they do not intend to participate. One instructor argued that when students are given

the chance to talk in the class, they only want to ask questions about the format of the exam and

the types of the questions they will be asked on the test; one teacher commented that, “their main

goal is to pass the class and not to actually learn.” There seems to be an issue with teachers’

attitudes, especially when it comes to what they believe students should have discussions about.

It makes sense that students would want to discuss ways that help them achieve better on the

exams since 90% of their final grade comes from how they will perform during exams. Nine out

of the 12 instructors said that they would not mind minimizing lecture time in order to include

more interactive activities and discussions, since they strongly believe that doing that will help

students’ learning experience;, however, they noted that they also believe it might not be a

successful approach since for such an approach to be successful, students must prepare before

class, which is something instructors do not believe that students will actually do.

In conclusion, while 2 teachers who teach the skills-based courses use communicative

approaches and the rest of them said that they are still using the traditional methods, they do

acknowledge the importance of integrating active teaching approaches in general. However,

because of the instructors’ and students’ main goals such as finishing the curriculum and passing

the exams, having class discussion, for example, is perceived as a secondary option. It seems that

the instructors are hesitant to change their teaching method from traditional to active for two

main reasons. First, they are nervous to lose their leadership role in the classroom.

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Second, because the class size is big, they are afraid they will not be able to effectively facilitate

the discussions. Nonetheless, these two challenges could be overcome once instructors are

provided with the proper professional development workshops on how to facilitate class

discussions since it was clear that they are interested in developing their teaching techniques as

long as these new techniques do not interfere with finishing the curriculum and help students do

well in the exams. Which according to the data collected from students (presented below),

having discussions will help them perform better in exams.

What are the students’ perceptions of active learning?

According to the student surveys and interviews, thirty-four perceived active learning to be

the best way of learning. They complained about how the current teaching model in most of their

classes is very traditional, where they listen to the lecture provided by the instructor and try to

write down as much information as possible. The note-taking process is very traditional as well.

Most instructors will just talk without the use of any visual aids or presentation slides; only a few

use data projectors – for that reason, students have to write down as much as they can capture

from listening to the instructor “because you never know what is going to be on the test” as one

student stated. So, while in class, students explained that they try to take as many notes as

possible so they can memorize these notes later on to prepare for the exam. In most of the classes

what instructors mention in the lecture is a fair game in the exam regardless of its importance to

what the students are learning. Instructors do not provide students with study guides. For that

reason students believe if they have a discussion opportunity they could focus on the most

important things that might be on the exam. Two students explained that the fact that not all

students pass an instructor’s course is taken as an indication of good teaching by the

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administration – instructors who have a huge number of their class pass are considered lousy and

“they cover their weakness in teaching by giving easy exams to make everyone pass.”

While all of the students stated that being quiet and taking really good notes is the best way

to get higher scores on the exams, thirty-four wished that their learning experience in class were

more active. They noted that the current model only works for those “who come to class early

and sit in the front row” and for those who already have strong English comprehension skills.

For the rest of the class, however, the experience is a lot different. Instead of note taking all of

the students said that they will be doing one of these “eating,” “checking Facebook,” “chatting

with friends,” “sleeping,” “day dreaming,” or, once attendance has been taken, they just try to

find a way to sneak out once and for all. The five interviewed students argued that if the current

teaching practices were improved a bit, they would be able to achieve more, learn more, and

become better teachers in the future. One student who is studying to be an English teacher stated

that she “would like to see strategies read about in our books actually being practiced in class,”

When asked about what strategies they would like to participate in during class, all students

mentioned discussions. Thirteen students explained that in their seminar class, which is a class

that students take in their final year, they have a class dialogue or discussion. They explained that

they have enjoyed it and it helped them improve their understanding of the material as well as

improving their communication skills. On the other hand, they explained that in some of the

larger classes, instructors try to create discussions; however, students in most cases choose to opt

out and not participate in these discussions because they are afraid of “saying the wrong answer”

and embarrassing themselves in front of the whole class. As a result, if the instructor asks

questions in class for students to talk about it as a class, “it is always the same students who

participate, the excellent students” as one student pointed out. It is important for the instructor to

22

help students overcome this fear by creating a classroom environment where students are

comfortable to try and participate without feeling nervous or afraid of “saying the wrong

answer.”

Instead, the students said that they wanted to be able to voice their opinions and share their

ideas and experiences with their classmates in smaller groups to both learn more about the

content and to practice their English in a less stressful situation. The thirteen students taking the

seminar course explained that if in their large classes they were put into smaller groups, they

would feel comfortable participating in the discussion because they felt comfortable having

dialogue and discussion in their 10 student seminar course. Twenty-six students mentioned

things such as they wished the classes were taught in a more interesting and fun way where

technology is purposefully used to provide other materials like videos and visualizations.

According to the data, all of the students believe if the traditional way of teaching is replaced

with a more interesting way, they will be excited to learn, discuss, work together, and hold

debates, and the classes will be “not boring” as one student put it. All the interviewed students

believe that having discussions with their classmates will help them remember the material

during exams.

When the issue about preparing before class by doing assigned reading ahead of class as

homework was raised during the student interviews, all five of the students interviewed agreed

that it is an effective education method that will help them understand the material better and

participate in discussions in a more meaningful way. At the same time, however, only 2 of them

showed interest in actually doing the reading before class because, as one student pointed out,

“there is no point. The exam questions will come from the teacher’s lecture”. That was not the

only issue that students have; nonetheless, they also were nervous about suddenly shifting from a

23

teacher-centered to a student-centered learning environment. For example, a high achieving

student explained that she has never taken part of a group project since all the required work is

individually based, and the idea of working with a group makes her nervous. “What if I have to

do all the work and my classmates will not help? I do not want to lose points,” she argued.

Another student argued that he feels shy participating in a discussion because he “has an accent”.

Allen and Tanner (2005) explain that “moving out from behind the relative safety of the lecture

podium to adopt the types of active strategies that shift classroom emphasis away from teachers‘

teaching toward students‘ participation and learning is often an unsettling prospect” (p.262),

however, it is not impossible and it could be overcome. For example, the teacher could use

informal small group or pair discussions as a beginning, and then once they move into more

structured discussions and projects, they assign each member of the group to a specific role so

everyone do their assigned part (Froyed and Simpson, 2010).

In conclusion, students seem to be aware that there is another role they could play in the

classroom instead of the passive role they are currently playing. They are excited about taking

part in new classroom strategies and activities; however, their main concern is about the way

these new activities will be structured and how they are going to be graded. They also believe

that participating in such activities will make them better teachers in the future since they will be

able to use similar tasks and activities with their students. Also, it was obvious that the students

who were enrolled in the seminar course enjoyed participating in the discussions with their small

group, so the main reason that students choose to opt out of class discussions in large classes is

because they are afraid, shy, or nervous. This could be solved however; by putting students in

smaller groups and having them do discussions in these groups, which could ease them into

participating.

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SECTION SEVEN

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this exploratory study shed light on instructors’ and students’ perceptions

of active learning, focusing on group activities and discussions. This is important to future

research in implementing active learning strategies and techniques in teacher-centered

classrooms. Instructors and students were asked to fill out surveys and some of them were

interviewed afterwards for deeper understanding. While most instructors favored sticking to the

traditional model due to different reasons like content coverage, large classes, and students’

focus on exam preparation, they acknowledged the importance of active learning strategies and

some showed the desire to implement them if they are able to. Students, on the other hand, seem

not to favor the current model of traditional teaching and they prefer to have active learning

strategies used in their classes if these strategies helped them prepare well for the exam.

However, some of them expressed concern about the shift from a teacher-centered to an active

learning model. So, this study provides insights to the challenges that might be faced when

implementing active learning strategies in Libyan university contexts. It also adds to the small

pool of research conducted with Libyan students and teachers and provides information about the

current teaching practices in Libyan higher education institutions and some of the challenges

faced by instructors and students.

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SECTION EIGHT

PRACTICAL & FUTURE RESEARCH This study was exploratory; therefore, future research could focus on the implementation of

these active learning strategies and measure quantitatively how active learning might influence

students’ achievement. Also, future research could investigate the cultural aspects of students’

and teachers’ roles in college settings and how that might influence the implementation of active

learning methods. Another area to explore is designing teacher development workshops that

introduce them to the active learning model and implementation strategies for different

classroom settings. Student trainings and workshops on leading successful presentations and/or

participating in discussions is another area to be explored to help students ease into the new

model.

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APPENDIX

31

INSTRUCTOR SURVEY 1. Describe your current teaching practice(s)?

2. What is your perception of your role as an instructor?

3. What is your perception of the student’s role in your classroom?

4. Do you think the students' current role in your classroom is the most effective way for them

to learn? Explain.

5. In your opinion, what is the most effective form of teaching you could use during class

(lecture, activities, discussions, other)? Explain.

6. Would you consider minimizing lecture time and providing students with opportunities to

engage in group activities such as discussion?? Why/why not?

7. Do you think students will learn better from discussions or group activities during class than

they do from lecture? Why/why not?

8. If you would agree to be interviewed after this survey, please provide your cell phone

number or your Skype name.

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STUDENT SURVEY

1. Describe what your teacher does during class.

2. Do all of your instructors follow the same teaching practices? Explain the similarities

and/or differences.

3. If you could, what would you change about the way the class is instructed?

4. What do you consider to be the most effective way of learning during class?

5. What do you do during class time?

6. Do you think what you do during class time helps you learn the material as effectively as

possible? Explain.

7. Do you think less instructor lecturing and more class discussion and group activities

would be a more effective way to learn during the class? Why/why not?

8. Would you be engaged if you did the reading before class time and then talked with your

peers and instructor about what’ve you read during class time? Why/why not?

9. Have you ever been in a class where you had a chance to work on group activities and be

part of a class discussion?

1. If yes, explain what you liked and disliked about the experience.

2. If no, would you like to be in one? Why or why not?

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STUDENT INTERVIEWS SAMPLE

34

Student interview 1 Interviewee name: S1 Interviewer name: Sarah D

Place of interview: Computer In: interviewer

Date of interview: 1/2/2015 S1: Student 1

———————————————————————————————————————

IN: So, let me give you a quick introduction ^^ my name is Sarah Debbek and I am a grad student at Washington State University.. I am doing research about teachers’ and students perception of active learning .. Like .. what do they think about active learning, are they interested in trying it , are the teachers already using it active learning strategies and so on Active learning, is the ideas that instead of students sitting in the class while the professor is lecturing, they will be participating in group activities and discussions that promotes higher order thinking skills, problem solving, and interaction – so students are active instead of passive learners Before we start, do you give me permission to record and transcribe this interview? S1: yes, of course (laughing) no problema IN: Active learning is the idea that instead of students being lectured- they will participate during class in projects and discussions instead of just listening and taking notes. Is the idea clear? Or do you have any questions S1: No it is crystal clear IN: great! So, my first question is S1: I'm all ears IN: what year are you in? and what's your major? S1: I am in the fourth year in the English department of X university IN: What classes are you currently taking? subjects I mean S1: This is my seventh and last semester, I am taking Drama II, Language Change, International Testing, French II (an optional subject), Phonetics I (taking it again because I want to level up my overall percentage), Philosophy, Translation III, and Graduation Project IN: Great! Good luck btw can you tell me about the teaching style in these classes ( in details) like what does the instructor do and what the students do during the class S1: Thanks Sarah Umm that is a bit difficult because the semester only started last week, kind of too early to observe . However I can speak non-stop about how similar subjects (that I have already taken) are taught I hope you do not mind that IN: yes yes that would work too S1: Okay Ehem ehem mic check IN: lol .. I can hear you loud and clear xD S1: Now when we talk about this, we should bear in mind, the instructor, the students, the material, and the facilities and equipment available

35

IN: exactly! S1: The methods instructors use differ from one teacher to another IN: What is the most common method? S1: Well the most common is, sadly, the traditional one And it is not active at all A lecturer delivering information to students who are following what the instructor is saying on a book they have This is the most common but not the only method used cannot deny the amazing efforts made by some teachers to develop the methods followed in college As I've said, it differs from on teacher to another There several types of teachers A teacher who uses various methods including task based learning, communicative approach, discussions and seminars While we have teachers who only cares about covering the whole book by the end of the semester For example, in literature, we are taught novels and dramas The teacher reads and explains, then they provide us with summaries from websites and ask us to study them for the exam The exam will always have direct questions and expecting specific answers! And here I mean "memorization" ! We are not asked to come up with our own point of view about the novel or maybe try to write a different ending for it That is concerning literature IN: what other assignments do you do in your lit class? S1: And linguistics, most of the teachers give us endless sheets and ask us to memorize them for the exam! Which is quite awful for people not having good memories We do not have any assignments in lit classes we just read and prepare what we will copy in the exam Now let me talk about active learning classes The first active class I ever had was the "Teaching Methods" class IN: wait wait ^^ let me ask you about the linguistics classes - just exams too? S1: Oh okay In linguistics I had phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics IN: and all of them were traditional lecture-based classes? S1: The details are on the way lol In phonetics, we were asked to memorize how different words are phonetically transcribed Definitions All along the semester, we would have two exams A mid term exam and a final one phonology and morphology were of course traditionally delivered almost similar to phonetics IN: ok .. but what do you do in class? do you practice together on how to make the sounds? do you watch videos? S1: The teacher would read the syllabus or ask someone to read it then he/she would paraphrase what is said already In morphology it was so sickening

36

The teacher didnt even accept examples from us because they were not mentioned in the book in front of him Anyway In pragmatics, there was some fun IN: oh god great! tell me about that S1: We were asked to pragmatically analyze a video A video of a dialogue We would play it on a projector and pause every time to explain This was rather fun because I love presentations and discussions however most students weren't really interested because they were just asking about how many marks will they get for it I want to refer to the students if it's okay Because the will of students is greatly affecting the methodology of teachers A teacher once asked us to translate a text so we will get used to translation and that it will not be marked Only four students out of about 40 did the assignment ! Because it wasnt MARKED! IN: hahahaha the teacher tricked you guys ^^ S1: lol he didnt trick me � IN: hahaha so you did the assignment .. smart move i have a questions about something you've said earlier S1: which is … IN: you said that students only care about the grades or the scores S1: Yeah, most of them IN: ok .. so a teacher might say the reason they dont try discussions and activities in class is because students dont care about learning and only care about the score do you think it is in the students hands that teachers are just sticking to the traditional method S1: It is one reason, but a teacher with a strong will to teach his or her students with the most effective methodology can easily do it This requires a qualified teacher who can clarify his duty to the students to apply the best methods for them But still this doesn't mean that all teachers are aware of those active learning methods I havent told you about the active subjects I had, have I IN: yes, you mentioned research methods can you tell me more about that course S1: Teaching methods As the name suggests, we were exposed to a wide variety of methods of teaching And we had a great teacher She tried her best to apply as much methods as possible It was never a teacher-centered lecture IN: can you give examples of what you do in that class? S1: We prepared every lecture then we had discussions and presentations about teaching methods We learned about classroom managements, qualifications of a good teacher, and organizing lectures and courses

37

Another subject I enjoyed was Creative writing IN: when you say prepared, can you tell me how? do you read before class then discuss in class? S1: I would read about the topic on articles on the internet, take notes, and compare it to our topic IN: is that something you did because you wanted to .. or did the teacher asked you to do that S1: It depends, I normally do it myself because I like to know about the topic and participate if given the chance, however some teachers ask us to prepare to have an idea about what we will have in class IN: in that class, when you have a discussion, did a lot of students participate S1: In the teaching methods classes, we were less than the usual number, we were about 10 students, so technically yeah the majority of us participate IN: oh i see but what about when you are in large classes? how do you do discussions? if you do them ^^ S1: We once had a discussion in Language Skills subjects, we formed groups and for each group, a representative would speak what they have done But this wasnt successful as lazy students depended on the smart ones to do everything IN: I see - do you believe it would be successful if the teacher provided instructions like gave each student in the group a role maybe? S1: Yeah, and when the number is less. I believe the number of students shouldn't exceed 15 students. IN: I see .. but when you were put in groups, you were a small group correct? S1: Not really small. Each group contained 4 to 5 students and we were about 35 students IN: Well, it seems like it is a fair number of students 7 groups 5 in each .. i think if there were clear directions to make sure that everyone participates, maybe it would've worked well what do you think? i know it's late there, so plz let me know when you have to go, and we could finish another time, if you can of course S1: Yeah maybe if every time, a different member of the group would participate lol I was about to ask you if we could finish it tomorrow! IN: I noticed that your answers are getting shorter lol yep, we can finish tomorrow ! thaaaaaank you sooooo much wallahi i really appreciate it S1: You're most welcome ^^ IN: if you can msg me when you have time tomorrow .. so we can pick up from where we left if that's ok S1: Tomorrow afternoon I will send you a message hopefully IN: sounds great! thanks! S1: Okay IN: Salams S1: Night ^^ IN: hey ^^ I was wondering if you have time to finish the interview S1: Hey Sarah I apologize for the delay, the internet wasn't much of help lately, but tomorrow I will contact you

38

IN: No problem! Tomorrow will work too Thanks! and I apologize for taking a lot of your time S1: No don't. It's okay, it feels great to help S1: Hello IN: Hi S1: hello I hope you're available now because I don't have anything until an hour later IN: Yep yep i am ^^ Let's start ^^ S1: okay ^^ IN: Last time we were talking about working in groups during class , S1: yeah IN: I wanted to ask, in your opinion, how can group activities and discussions help students understand the content ? S1: because, in my opinion, in group discussions, all students participate, and, when they do, each student benefits from the other info shared by his/her peers, we get as many points of view as possible and it saves time as we don't go through each student individually but as I have told you the other day, we dont get much of these activities by the way, two days ago I attended and International Testing lecture it was interesting, fun and challenging because, firstly, it is a preparation to IELTS exams, and secondly, the teacher of the subject is amazingly skilled we had both writing and speaking activities IN: That's great! It seems like a good opportunity Can you give me examples of these activities you did S1: yeah of course we started the class with writing activities we were given words randomly and were asked to give a synonym or an explanation for the word and place it in a suitable sentence in a minute that was the first activity and we did it like five or six times IN: Did you work individually or with a partner on this activity S1: individually of course the teacher didn't check our work, she said she wanted to concentrate on our time first because it is the most important in IELTS IN: Oh i see .. You were doing ielts practice What about the speaking activities S1: yeah the course is about preparation for IELTS we did another activity in writing IN: I thought the course is about how test in general and used ielts as an example .. But i

39

understand now K, tell me about it S1: we were given a topic and asked to give 8 headings for them then we wrote a comment for each heading we did this activity three times twice with the same timing (10 mins) and the third time in just 5 mins it was very challenging challenging IN: The ielts test needs a really good time management skills, i tell ya - these activities will sure help once you take it S1: yeah now to the speaking activity we didn't have much time left in the lecture so she chose a group of boys and two groups of girls each group consisting for three to four students she asked us, boys, a question, gave us a minute to think and two minutes to speak we quickly thought, discussed what to say then each one of us spoke individually now there is a subject I want to tell you about it is Creative Writing IN: Okay! i am all ears S1: I took it last semester it was fun, and simply Creative IN: In what ways? S1: the goal to be achieved by the end of the semester is to deliver a short story with a critical analysis a short story we write you we he have taken like three writing subjects previously but this one is fidderent the teacher, a female as well, helped us write our stories step by step we had activities almost every lecture IN: can you give some examples of these activities S1: of course four example she would write words on the board somehow related words and we were supposed to write a one-page story with these words and then we would share our stories with the class, read them IN: did each student write their own story? or did they collaborate? S1: no, each one of us wrote his own and when we were learning about dialogues, the teacher picked two students, one at a time, and she starts a dialogue with them and they had to make it last as much as possible she also taught us how to show, not tell here, she also wrote certain feelings on the board and we had to show them IN: also individually?` S1: yeah,and she checked each one of us, because the number was small and she wanted to know we were all capable of delivering a well-written story

40

IN: I see! do you think students would have prefered to work together (in groups, or with a partener) - to brainstorm ideas together, working on the plot, etc.. ? or not? while writing the one page story i mean S1: yeah it could have been beneficial for them but still we should note that the teacher wanted to awaken the creativity in each one of us because as we have discussed previously, some students may be dependent in group works but when they are working alone, they will push themselves to think and be creative I noticed this during the lectures, she kept asking lazy student to participate even if they have something but chose not to share it because they thought it was stupid she kept saying that no matter what you wrote, it is never stupid and we should be brave enough to share it IN: She seems like a great teacher mA S1: she was so motivational , I love such teachers umm hey I will have to go now for a while, should we continue tomorrow? I still have things to say ^^ IN: that’s alright! You’ve been a great help and I have gained a lot of knowledge from interviewing you. How about I contact you if I have anymore questions!! J I don’t wanna take a lot of your time, I know you have exams and studies to do ^^ S1: don't mention it! ^^ always a pleasure to help Yeah that’s great! Just let me know at anytime Salam ya Sarah IN: Salams ^^

Student interview 2

41

Interviewee name: S1 Interviewer name: Sarah D.

Place of interview: Phone S2: Student 2

Date of interview: 1/2/2015 In: interviewer

——————————————————————————————————————

In: So, let me give you a quick introduction ^^ my name is Sarah Debbek and I am a grad student at Washington State University.. I am doing research about teachers’ and students perception of active learning .. Like .. what do they think about active learning, are they interested in trying it , are the teachers already using it active learning strategies and so on Active learning, is the ideas that instead of students sitting in the class while the professor is lecturing, they will be participating in group activities and discussions that promotes higher order thinking skills, problem solving, and interaction – so students are active instead of passive learners IN: Do you have any questions about the topic? ^^ S2: no i got it IN: Great! Do you give me permission to keep the interview transcript and use it in my research? S2: yes IN: Sweet… Can you first tell me a little about what year are you in and what classes are taking? S2: i am in 7th semester .. we are taking various courses . some dealing with literature . some with linguistics as well as translation IN: Can you tell me about the teaching styles in these classes? S2: Oh don't remind me okay most of them prefer to teach in tradition way , they depend in memorization rather than making us creative , they love to encourage us to cut and paste but some of how motivate us to think and making things easily to handle it IN: LOL . of the classes you've taken, how many were traditional and how many were more engaging it's doesn't have to be an exact number, just an estimation =)) S2: Give me a minute IN: Take your time =)) S2: 37 are externally depend on memorization IN: and how many are more engaging and active? S2: sorry internet maybe 9 IN: yeah .. i know .. it's alright ^^ if you got disconnected at anytime , we can pick up when ever you have time .. also, i forgot to mention this, but if you have to go at any point, just let me know =)) S2: no no it is just at night the internet is slow because of the overuse IN: so, can you give me examples of what you do in the 37 lecture-based classes? S2: most of them standing in the first of the class and explained . then started to discuss with us and sharing opinions

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IN: what type of discussions do you do? like do you do group discussions? or just the instructor asks the question and who ever know, says the answer? S2: its done individually yeah they asked a question and if some one raised his/her hand so he/She may answered its boring really IN: so, it's not really a discussion - it's more like a Q and A session , am i right? S2: yeah absolutely ^^ see how r we suffering <Break> IN: shall we start? S2: yup ^^ IN: last time you've mentioned that few classes were not traditional, can you tell me about them? S2: yeah its classes such as teaching methods , language skills , linguistics and other sub branches of linguistics encourage us to think and give in good way actually we have done different presentations with theses courses there were very interesting and useful we also did show and tell which a new one in our department IN: in your presentations, did students work indivisually or with a group or a partner S2: both but mostly are done individually IN: which way do you think students preferred the most? S2: as far as i know i think many students prefer 2 work alone IN: in your opinion, what might the reason behind that be? S2: they will go on negotiation . in many cases students don't correspond with each other . might one do more effort than da other one so i think its better to do it individually to express more and feel self confident 4 ur job IN: In your opinion, which is better - 1) come to class, listen to the lecture, take notes, ask questions if you have any. Or 2) prepare at home by reading an article or pages from the book assigned by the instructor before you come to class, in class work with your classmates on activities and tasks, do discussions while the professor go around and provide help and support if the students have problem - with no lecture S2: i think 1 is the better IN: Why do you think that? What's the advantages of choice 1 S2: Cuz whenever we go on a discussion we lose the attention but after understanding & getting the requirement knowledge so we can easily organize our information IN: I see! I have no more questions for now. Thank you so much for participating. Do you mind if I contact you if I have any more questions. S2: yes, anytime. IN: thanks again! And good luck in your studies. ****************** INTERVIEW OVER **********


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IN: So, let me give you a quick introduction ^^ my name is Sarah Debbek and I am a grad student at Washington State University.. I am doing research about teachers’ and students perception of active learning .. Like .. what do they think about active learning, are they interested in trying it , are the teachers already using it active learning strategies and so on . Active learning, is the ideas that instead of students sitting in the class while the professor is lecturing, they will be participating in group activities and discussions that promotes higher order thinking skills, problem solving, and interaction – so students are active instead of passive learners S3: Go ahead. IN: Do you have questions about the topic? S3: All things clear so far. IN: Do you give me permission to keep the chat transcript and use the information in my research? Your identity will be kept anonymous. S3: Yes, go ahead. IN: Super! Let me first ask you , what's your major? And are you still a student or a are you a recent graduate? S3: I am a recent graduate & currently a teacher. I studied Eng Lang at college. IN: Alright .. Can you tell me in details about the different teaching styles you were exposed to during your classes S3: U mean as a teachr? Now? IN: Nah, as a student S3: Aright. IN: My focus is on teaching practices during college .. And i wanna hear about your experience as a student S3: Well, (at college) i think that was dependent on the teachers & subjects. But generally the traditional style that a profesor is lecturing & students are recieving with note taking. I'll write in details now. IN: 'Right .. I am all ears S3: All through my college years, we were placed in front of the lecturer with data show "if available" we listen, discuss, set examples, ask & answer. So u can say its like PPP. In the first 2 semesters I remember one teacher who was special abt her teaching style. In phonetics & writing she used sth like worksheets & class activities usually in groups or pairs. TBL i guess. S3: Am i doing it right, Sarah? IN: In the classes where you worked in groups and you had discussions- what was your feelings toward that? Did you enjoy it? Did you think it helped you understand? Yep, you are doing great! S3: Cool.

Although i studied Eng in secondary school too, it was the first time i was exposed to active learning. Only at college.

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S3: I felt that it was too late. Like it would be better if we had that all in secondary school. But never mind. We enjoyed them so very muchly! And the best thing is that u can never forget it. Its like its engraved in ur mem. I keep all those cards and worksheets with me if u need to have a look. Cus they carry a meanig, a special memory with my friends and all the fun we had. S3: It certainly helped me understand & remember what i had learned. IN: That's great! Roughly, how many of your classes were active? S3: Well as far as i remember. First sem i had phonology and most lectures were active. Some lectures of Language skills subject wrre active. Like questionnaires and surveys we did. Most of Writing II classes were active. And as i have noticed they were in the first two sems. IN: What about in-class group activities and discussions, did you have a chance to participate in such activities during class S3: Ermm, we had discussions & workshops. We discuss what the teacher said for example. We can agree with some hypotheses and things like that. I myself loved that and used to tke a part in it. As for workshops, we had them in Translation subjects which were in the last three semester. There i could simply practice what i had learned in class & all the techniques and stuff. IN: I see! Some students said that they don't learn anything from discussions and they prefer to just listen to the prof, in your opinion, what might be the reasons behind that S3: Well i think that discussions are not just for learning more and more abt the topic, sometimes they can just be an eye opener to me, to let me see things differently. We practiced that mainly in the last two years of college. Discussions could be like a recess to us and to reflect abt the topic. It helped me get involved and encouraged. And made me remember what we learnt. In the last two years i was 20 / 21 years old, discussions could attract me much more than those practice activities we had in our first year of college. IN: Makes sense So, are you saying that discussions could help students critically think about the topic but might not help with learning a new material? S3: Erm not exactly We could learn from each other. We as students might make mistakes but as long as the discussion session is under the teachers supervision so... we are like making sure that we understood the input. Or sth like that. IN: I see .. That makes sense S3: Its creepy that u agree with me lol dont u? IN: Before i ask my other question, i wanna tell you that if you have to go at any time, just let me know and we can finish at another time .. I don't wanna hold you if have to go ^^ deal? Hahaha lol nah S3: Its ok. Lets Go on. IN: k ^^ In most of active learning classes, students are asked to prepare before class by reading some assigned pages of the books or articles for example - then when it's class time- the instructor will give the students tasks and activities that help them understand their reading .. Most of the times

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students will work in groups or pairs . While the instructor will walk around, facilitate students learning, talk with them, and help/guide them when that's needed IN: In your opinion, how could this model be implemented in the college classes that you've taken And what might be the challenges with using this model S3: Yes, i remember we did sth similar in Reading Comprehension class. This really needs a cooperative & caring student before the teacher. Cuz it can get boring if the topic is not interesting from the students point of view or the tasks were not various. Above all it needs patience and practice. I think its hard to apply this method at first but by time all can get used to it. IN: I agree ! The type of activities def. matters Do you think students will be willing to prep before class and then be active during class - or do u think they'll prefer to come to class and take notes? S3: I noticed that most students were not willing to prepare beforehand but teachers can do sth abt it. Like asking students individually some questions that only those who have prepared can answer or anything like this. Just as a warmer at first. Students may get used to the idea of getting to prepare lessons. This depends to the student. S3: But in my opinion preparing beforehand is better if u do it correctly. Cuz u expose urself to a new topic and u start to think, answer Q's and solve probs urself. U may get some rigt and others wrong. Then the next day u have it all clear in class. Another prob is that some "lazy" students if i could say that, may think that preparing the lesson is enough and that they do not.have to be active during the lesson inside the class. IN: yeah .. that's a big issue .. bu a lot of teachers avoid it by making the class activities graded . so everyone have to participate in order to receive a score is that something that you think will 1) make students engaged 2) force them to prepare and participate then learn more? or do you think it will just put pressure on them? S3: 2 I guess. Cuz sometimes we have to be forced and the things we dont really like to do. We can get ised to preparing as long as we realize it is beneficial to us. If we r willing to learn IN: I see ^^ in your opinion,, what is the most beneficial learning scenario like if you were in charge of designing a college course, how would you structure it (from your point view as a student) S3: Hard one. Ermmm, I think that depends on the subject, But it would be sth like various methods are being used, in class, out of class. In groups and individually. IN: do you think students will prefer to work in groups or individually on their projects? S3: I think both must be used, or it can be left to the students preference. I myself prefer to work individually. But sometimes in groups hhhh it depends on the people i work with too. So we can mix i guess. IN: yeah, i noticed from the survey that a lot of students prefer to work individually- in your opinion, what might the reason behind that be? S3: Sometimes we dont fit in. Or we dont feel that we are learning anything from our partners. Sometimes we dont coms.to an agreement for individual differences. Sometimes we feel. that others are rewarded for our. effort in Case they didnt work with us.

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IN: that's understandable! how the teacher can help? IN: i mean, what can be done to make group work more benefical for all the students while making sure that every group memeber is taking part? from your point view as a student S3: Ummm, i think this generally comes from the student. The will to learn. I dont know how the teacher can do anything but monitoring the students while working in class. And encouraging them, perhaps. to motivate them and make them willing to. IN: yes! in what ways (if any) can class activities and discussions help you prepare for the exams? S3: And grades as u mentioned. Can be a good motive. Sometimes It can help me in that it can make me remember the answer of wht i am being asked. Cuz i have already been there. Also it doesn’t sound traditional and boring to study. I can re-practice the activities at home alone to prepare for the exam and that will take the stress out of me. exam and that will take the stress out of me. IN: ok ^^ My last question =)) S3: Yes. IN: which would you prefer: 1- a class where you read at home, then come prepared to class.. have discussions, ask questions, and maybe do activities with your classmates that are prepared by the teacher or 2- go to class, lesson to the lecture, take notes, ask questions if you have, then study after class and why? S3: The first one. Having an idea in advance of what iam going to receive is beneficial in that it make md think of the topic more, its probs and solutions. Secondly, its encouraging to go to a class where u r familiar of what u r expecting. And expecting new things tha might have not crossed ur mind whdn u prepared alone. Thirdly, the first way is like learning in phases and each phase adds a layer to ur mind abt the topic. First u prepare then u go to class. After that u do the activities and so on. It will end up accumulating in ur memory. The second style is passive. I feel not but a receiver and i donot like that. I just absorb! No not my cup of tea. IN: " the first way is like learning in phases and each phase adds a layer to ur mind abt the topic" >> i love this sentence - i am gonna quote it in my paper :)) IN: i know i said that this the last question- but i still have one more that i just remembered S3: Yah sure. No prob. IN: some students said that the only graded work they have to prepare to is the exam in your opinion is this the best way to assess students learning process? S3: Not at all, i believe in continuous assessment, and as long as we only have the midtermz.and finals at college it is not a fair game. Definitely its not the best way. IN: so. exams are important but they shouldn't be the only way of assessment? S3: Yes i agree. IN: okie dokie :))) thank you so much for participating in my study i really appreciate

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and my apologies if i took a lot of your time If i have follow up questions, do you mind if I contacte you? S3: U r more than welcome and i wish u all the best of luck. May Allah help u, always. Yes sure. But what do u exactly mean "conyct? IN: sorry contact* thank you so much! best of luck to you too =))) S3: Yes i saw it as contact but fidnt really get it. If u mean my number its ok IN: oh .. here is fine too ^^ i just meant message you but i am trying to use formal language haha S3: Hhh yeah sure. Anytime sarah. Its a pleasure to get to know u. ****************** INTERVIEW OVER **********

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——————————————————————————————————————— S4: hello Sara IN: Hello Mohammed how are you ? S4: fine, thanks what about you? IN: Doing great alhumdulelah .. thanks for checking S4: you are welcome IN: will now be a good time for the interview? S4: yes IN: Perefect! Do you give me permission to use the information from this interview in my study? Personal information will be kept confidential. S4: yes

******* START INTERVIEW ************* IN: So, let me give you a quick introduction ^^ my name is Sarah Debbek and I am a grad student at Washington State University.. I am doing research about teachers’ and students perception of active learning .. Like .. what do they think about active learning, are they interested in trying it , are the teachers already using it active learning strategies and so on Active learning, is the ideas that instead of students sitting in the class while the professor is lecturing, they will be participating in group activities and discussions that promotes higher order thinking skills, problem solving, and interaction – so students are active instead of passive learners S4: I got the idea IN: great! .. first, can you let me know what year are you currently in? S4: I am getting ready to graduate IN: I see .. Congratulations btw S4: thanks IN: I want you to reflect on your experience as a students at the university ... Describe the most common way of teaching in your classes S4: Most of teachers were using very traditional way of teaching, as they explain the lessons and we listen. We participate by answering questions or giving answers. However, in the language skills classes we do participate actively by giving presentations. Some subjects, like Drama, Short Story, Novel and grammar, we just read from the book, or we go to the board to answer grammar tasks. IN: you read from the book ? you mean aloud during class? S4: Last Semester we studied International Testing and it was a great experience, at least to me, because we participated a lot. In the case of Drama, the teacher was just reading to us from the book and we were listening. Short story as well. As though some teachers do not want to give any effort instructing us properly. IN: wait .. are you saying that you just listened to the teacher reading a story during the lecture? did you do anything else? like activities? discussions? Etc.

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S4: we have some discussions, but very very short. IN: more like a question and an answer? if you have the chance, what would you change about the way this course is taught? S4: If I had the chance I would let students to take half time of the class or more. I would ask them to bring story they like and take their suggestions in every lecture we take. I will also motivate to act on stage I would also use Screen to show students how actors act. IN: I see .. so, you think students will enjoy and learn more if it was more engaging do you think students will prefer to work together in groups? or individually? S4: Definitely. That depends on the students who will work and on the task itself. If I like my classmates I would absolutely love to work with them, otherwise not. If my classmates would exert a negative influence on me I would avoid such tasks IN: you've mentioned that in your language skills classes, teaching was active - can you tell me about that S4: We used to speak a lot and improves our fluency in the language. We also used to give some presentations which assists us to overcome stage fright IN: did each student gave their own presentation? give* S4: yes IN: would it have been helpful if you worked on your presentation in pair mabye? S4: If it comes to me i prefer to make my presentations by my own Nevertheless, I conducted my graduation project with a friend and he was really helpful IN: I noticed that most students prefer to work alone on their presentations .. in your opinion, what might be the reasons behind that ? S4: Let me be clear with you in this point, in my case I do not see any reason to get any help from any student, therefore, I do it alone. O n the contrary, my work might be weal if I did with somebody else. IN: Some say that when students ( or co-workers, etc) work together, they are more likely to produce something better than if they worked alone because they will have a chance to collaborate, discuss, and brainstorm, etc. From your experience, do you believe that's true? S4: This theory worked with me in the graduation project, due to the fact my friend is a smart I guess every should look for the best co-worker IN: I see .. you've mentioned a course you've taken international testing i think it was S4: yes IN: how was that course different from the traditional lecture S4: we experienced the co-teaching fro the first time IN: can you tell me about that? S4: the teachers were amazing as they were dividing the time professionally between them we had enough time to speak to listen to write and to present they used Data show project a couple of time by showing us slides of quotes and we reflected on them IN: can you tell me about a specific activity that you felt it helped you a lot during that course S4: The four skills activities were really good as they improved my skills one good is when they gave us a topic and asked us to reflect on and then ask other students

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about it this task helped students to communicate together and develop the critical thinking abilities IN: I agree! thanks for sharing this S4: you are welcome IN: When i asked teachers about why they prefer to stick to the traditional way, they said that most of the students are not interested to be active and they only come because they have to and not to learn - what do you think about this S4: well, generally girls feel shy to participate when boys are around Boys do not care a lot about study, they just want to get money I do not say all males but the vast majority But it is a pretext teachers want to use if they were good teachers, they would creat methods to make their students active IN: I see .. so, in your opinion, if the activities were correctly implemented in the class, students might be interested? S4: FOR SURE Teachers should find the suitable activities and students should take part in choosing them IN: "students should take part in choosing them" > I so agree with that S4: Learning is sharing, not only receiving IN: Do you think the department is headed toward a more student-centered learning that the traditional teacher-centered learning? S4: I do think so. because the teaching staff is almost still the same IN: you do think so or you don't think so ? S4: I do not expect them to make any major changes IN: What about the students? S4: Students need someone to push them Honestly, the country's status quo does not help at all IN: yes, that's very understandable let me ask you something >> In classes where teachers don't lecture much but instead students do a lot of discussions, activities, and other tasks - teachers normally ask students to prepare for the class before they come .. for example, they ask them to read articles, chapters of book , etc .. and when they come to class they have already done that so they start together thinking deeply and critically about what they have read, ask questions etc.. do you think this model of teaching and learning will be accepted at the department? S4: they do like in the department IN: do you think students will be excited about this idea ? and will they actually prepare before class and participate during class ( assuming that there were effective activities etc.) S4: no , i wont count on them many student just want to pass and therefore they read before exams IN: but a lot of them complained about how classes are boring and traditional S4: yes, That is true and teachers are not good enough IN: can you tell me about how assessment is done in most of the classes? like how are the scores distributed? S4: Participation, attendance (ten marks midterm usually 30

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60 for the final exam other do care about attendance IN: what about other activities, homework, etc?? 90% of the grade is based on the exams? are you serious??? S4: yes – just the exams IN: oh wow .. umm I have to go now, but thank you for participating in my study . Do you mind if I contact you if I have any more questions/? S4: yes, any time. IN: thanks so much .. I really appreciate it. S4: Don’t mention it.. salam IN: Salams ****************** INTERVIEW OVER **********

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——————————————————————————————————————— IN: So, let me give you a quick introduction ^^ my name is Sarah Debbek and I am a grad student at Washington State University.. I am doing research about teachers’ and students perception of active learning .. Like .. what do they think about active learning, are they interested in trying it , are the teachers already using it active learning strategies and so on Active learning, is the ideas that instead of students sitting in the class while the professor is lecturing, they will be participating in group activities and discussions that promotes higher order thinking skills, problem solving, and interaction – so students are active instead of passive learners- Do you have any questions about the topic? S5: Aha no IN: Great! S5: let us start IN: The information obtained from this interview will be confidential and personal information will not be used or mentioned in the study! S5: ok IN: Sweet my first question: What year are you currently in? S5: I graduated last semester IN: I see .. Based in your experience as a college student, what are the common used teaching styles? S5: most of the teachers used traditional way which he/ she standing in front of the students and lecturing them IN: How did you feel about this way? In your opinion, was it an effective way of teaching S5: is not useful at all IN: ? S5: no IN: In what ways was it not useful? S5: when u discus the topic with group of the students the topic and the information will be in your mind in contrast with ,,if the teacher just give the information to the students where 90% of the information u 'll forget them IN: When the teacher is lecturing, what does the students do? S5: most of the students don't concentrate with him daydreaming playing in their phones chatting with their friends Although we had few of the teachers they used modern ways IN: Can you tell me about these classes? S5: like Dr. S in teaching methods

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IN: Allah yar7amha How was her class different? S5: all her classes were interesting all the information that we got it during the classroom from our discussion we remembered during the exam we did n't have to memorize from the book since the information already in our minds IN: How did she set up the discussions? S5: sometimes she asked us to prepare the lesson somtimes not she started by giving us few information then we finished everyone gave his opinion ,idea about the topic IN: I see .. When you in class, did you work in groups? Either discussions or activities S5: discussions yes IN: Do you think your classmates enjoyed it? S5: could u explain to me the activities like what? yeah all of them they enjoyed this way IN: Activities like for example she would give you a task ( like questions that you guys brainstorm ideas as answers) then in groups you work together to find the answers either from the book or online S5: just once in IT happened with me IN: Whats IT? S5: international testing class IN: Can you tell me about that experience S5: it was writing class firstly, she wrote some topics on the board then , she asked us to make groups consisted of 4 students each group chose topic to write about it IN: So, you wrote it together? As a group S5: yeah IN: Do you think students would prefer to work in group or individually? S5: in the classroom as groups IN: Both in class and group homework S5: I prefer the homework (individually) IN: For example, would you prefer to work on a project alone or with someone else I see! A lot of students said they prefer individual work Why do you think they prefer it? S5: hi IN: hello ^^ S5: we can continue now IN: great! Last time we were talking about group vs. individual work. From my interviews, I've noticed that a lot of students said they prefer individual work - Why do you think they prefer it? S5: honestly , although I prefer to work individually , I did my project with a partner....I prefer to work individually for many reasons firstly, I would like to be prominent .secondly, I like to put

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and give my own ideas as well as write in my way . in other hand, I don't like to be prominent which I don't give my partner her rights IN: I see S5: and that happened with us IN: what do you mean? S5: one of us didn't take her rights which one of us was prominent and the other not IN: oh I understand what if you were asked to work on an activity in class - the teacher gives you instructions and asks you to complete the task in class and give it to him or her before you leave do you think students will rather work together or individually in this case S5: together because they don't have much time and if they work together they will help each other IN: that makes sense in your opinion, if the teacher gives students the opportunity to choose from the following two models , which one would they choose and why 1) come to class, attend the lecture, take notes, study from the notes to prepare for the exam 2) prepare before class by reading , come to class ask questions, discuss with your classmates, work together on task, while the teacher walks around helps the students explains the stuff they didn't understand ( but no lecture) S5: the second one IN: why do you think students prefer the second one? S5: since it's more effective firstly the already read the lesson before they came to the class u know when u prepare to the lesson and search for the information is very useful then when they came to the class they just ask about the things that they didn't know moreover , when they discussed with their classmates they collect a lot of different information IN: do you believe they will actually prepare before they come to class? S5: of course , not all of them IN: gotcha how students are assessed in their classes? S5: according to their attendance and participating IN: how much of the final grade is based on participation S5: is not that much u know here only 10 marks for participation IN: really! what about the rest? S5: 30 marks for mid term exam 60 marks for final exam IN: I see .. And no scores for the hw or other assignments? S5: sometimes, they divided the 10 marks for ex 3 marks for hw 2 for attendance 5 for participation IN: Oh I see .. That's too much 90% for exams

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S5: hhhhhhh I know, but the college make this syllables even when one of the teachers decided to make assignment instead of the mid term exam the head of the dep refuse two teachers made tha then he told them that is not allowed IN: the teachers have no control over how to divide the grades? Wow S5: yeah IN: Does that mean even when the teacher decides to use a new method of teaching, they have to get permission? Or just if it is related to the exams S5: no is just related to the exams IN: I see Thanks ! For your time i don't have anymore questions for right now - but if i have any more questions coming up, can I message you? S5: of course honey any time IN: Thank you so much S5: if u want volunteers tell me IN: Sounds great! Thx a lot ****************** INTERVIEW OVER **********

INSTRUCTORS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ACTIVE LEARNING IN LIBYAN … · 2015. 8. 25. ·...

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Transcript of INSTRUCTORS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ACTIVE LEARNING IN LIBYAN … · 2015. 8. 25. ·...