Sts' Preference in EFL Learning

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What do the Students Want?: An Investigation of Student

Preferences in their EFL Learning

Marietta Rossetto, Flinders University, South Australia, AustraliaYuan Jiali, Hebei University of Science and Technology, China

Xin Qi, Hebei University of Science and Technology, China

Abstract: This study investigated students preferences in their EFL learning at the School of Foreign

Languages, at a University in China. The study was the rst of its kind conducted at this univeristy,

with previous evaluations having always been exclusively informed by teacher evaluation and input.

One of the main objectives of the inquiry was to gather the views of 99 EFL students, with the aim of

incorporating their evaluation comments in any future planning conducted in relation to the creation

of more effective learning environments. This was a deliberate attempt to increase student participation

in the process of improving academic outcomes ( Hayes, Mills, Christie, Lingaard, 2006). The studentresponses have provided important information with respect to their views on the importance of

learning English, their reections on course content and their comments on the modes of delivery of

the essential macroskills in large classes as well as other perceived methodological issues. This study

of the student voice on EFL study-related matters was deemed an essential endeavour in the pursuit

of the goal of implementing effective pedagogies for teaching in oversized classrooms in Hebei Uni-

versity, China. The data analysis has uncovered many implications for Chinese education through the

suggestions for future pathways offered by the respondents. In addition, the outcomes have also greatly

assisted in identifying where further research is needed.

Keywords: Learning Needs, Learning Preferences, Effective Pedagogies, EFL Studies, Student Voice

Background Information

COLLEGE ENGLISH CURRICULUM Requirements (2004) were drawn up by

the Ministry of Education, in China, providing colleges and universities with the

guidelines for English teaching instruction to non-English major students. The new

curriculum for College English has set a new standard in course requirements for

student learning in the future.

The College English Curriculum aims to develop sound communication skills in all EFL

(English as a Foreign Language) students, with a particular emphasis on their listening and

speaking prociency. The latter emphasis is part of a vocational training goal that will enable

students to engage effectively in oral and written social exchanges, with others, in their futurework places. Additional aims of the curriculum lie in the enhancement of metacognitive

skills evident in autonomous study outcomes and the development of competent communic-

ative competence, a valuedability in successful cross cultural and intercultural communication

(Ministry of Education, China, 2004 ).

Since 1987 China has observed the national examinations for non-English majors, also

known as the College English Tests, 4 and 6 ( CET 4 and CET 6). In the rst few years there

The International Journal of the Humanities

Volume 7, Number 1, 2009, http://www.Humanities-Journal.com, ISSN 1447-9508

Common Ground, Marietta Rossetto, Yuan Jiali, Xin Qi, All Rights Reserved, Permissions:[email protected]


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were only 100.000 students who took part in the CET 4 and 6 examinations, but in recent

years there have been more than 5 or 6 million students who have taken part in CET 4 and

CET 6, every six months.

The examinations are held twice yearly, in June and December, and China now has more

than 2000 universities participating, with students in the combined universities numbering

20 million. Many universitieshave linked these CETexaminationswith thestudentsdiplomas

and many employers now insist on CET qualications (Yuan & Rossetto, 2008).

In 2004, in line with the aforementioned New Curriculum Requirements for College

English, English Studies was made a compulsory subject for all students in primary and

secondary schools. Furthermore, students entering university studies were required to under-

take English Studies for an additional two years.

A Focus on One Universitys Vision

Because institutions of higher learning differ from each other in terms of teaching resources,

students levels of English upon entering college, and the social needs of students initialising

tertiary studies, colleges and universitiesneed to formulate policies that meet the requirements

of their context specic circumstances when developing their College English Curriculum.

The University selected as the research site, for this investigation, has developed such a

modied College English Course (2006), drawing on the New College English Curriculum

Requirements but in a context specic format. The courses aim to help students to develop

a solid prociency in the language, experience improved second language methodologies,

strengthen their independent study skills and enhance their intercultural communicative

competence. All aims embrace the goal of improved vocational training.

EFL in Crisis

With the study of English at the forefront of University study, debates on the quality of

learning and teaching English are rigorous and widespread.

Some experts have provided positive feedback as noted in the Zhuaglin College evalu-

ationEnglish teaching and learning as a foreign language in our country has achieved

great success and the examination results are much better than those of any other Asian

countries (Hu, Zhuanglin, College English 2003, page 2). But other teachers and researchers

offer less optimistic appraisals of the success of English teaching and learning in China.

They cite the burgeoning class sizes, since 1999, as a serious obstacle to successful learning

in the tertiary EFL classrooms. Indeed, 2005 enrolment gures situated tertiary enrolments

in excess of 20 million candidates. Furthermore, the number of qualied teachers has been

unable to keep pace with this enrolment increase and, as a consequence, class sizes now

exceed a ratio of one teacher to one hundred and thirty student (1 : 130), in some instances.

There is widespread concern for the damaging effects large class sizes are having on the

quality of the pedagogy. The crisis situation is a far cry from an ideal class size of fteen

students, with no solution in sight in the near future, given that demand is outstripping supply

(Lu, Guxun College English, 2003).

Furthermore, research conducted by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education,

reports that a number of key universities have been unable to meet the standards for quality

teaching and learning specied by the Ministry of Education (Mao, 2007, on Chinese

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THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THE HUMANITIES


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Higher Education). Some governance review is needed if tertiary institutions are to address

the current problems successfully (Cheng, Fangping, 2006).

The Study

Rationale for the Research Site

The chosen university research site, located due south of Beijing, China, accepts more than

5000 enrolments each year, with only 50 qualied teachers available to run the compulsory

College English courses. This situation results in an ever expanding problem of class size,

with classes that exceed one hundred students.

Effective pedagogical practice is restricted, with teachers having scant opportunities for

implementing innovative interaction. In addition, the courses offer a modern curriculum in

which students learning goals and content are pre-set outside of the classroom, and the

learning methods themselves are determined by space and time availability. It was deemedtime for a review of the situation.

Student Voice

This study has chosen a qualitative investigative approach that provides a vehicle perhaps

more suited to achieving a focus on student voice :

The inconclusiveness of research on learner factors indicates that the qualitative invest-

igative approach may add a vital dimension to the understanding of the complexities

of language learning experiences and effects ( Gan, Humphreys, Hamp-Lyons, 2004 :

231).

Setting up the Study

It was decided to conduct an inquiry, using a qualitative investigative approach, to investigate

the students views on current issues in EFL learning and teaching. The Director of College

English Studies, in the School of Foreign Languages, at the chosen research site, was keen

to undertake such an investigation. It was felt that a study of student reactions and views

might indeed provide an effective way of approaching the issues identied. The Director,

herself, recently returned from studies in South Australia, was motivated to nd a way to

implement aspects of the productive pedagogical practices she had participated in, during

her time in Australia :

I attended some classes at universities in Adelaide. From my observations I felt that

there were some similarities in these classes. For example, students were very relaxed

in class and whenever they had an idea that was different from their teachers, they

would speak out. They seemed eager to share their opinions with others. The presenta-

tions students gave were very vivid and quite varied. I met with some of the lecturers

to discuss their pedagogical practice and learnt that, for the most part, they built on

students pre and prior knowledge when beginning new learning areas. I noted that the

assignments the lecturers gave were quite different from what we would normally give

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MARIETTA ROSSETTO, YUAN JIALI, XIN QI


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our students. I was reminded of the wisdom of Lixin Luo, 2007 when she wrote that

such freedom is found in the postmodernist curriculum, in which diversity and multiple

intelligences are celebrated. Students are encouraged to explore alternatives, to inquire,

to interpret. Educational goals are not pre-set and external to students ( Lixin Luo,

2007).

(Yuan & Rossetto, 2008)

With such inspired leadership support it was decided to invite the ninety-nine students from

the Directors class to be the participants. It was decided to invite the students to complete

a questionnaire. This means of gathering data was more or less determined by the limiting

delimitation of a very restrictive academic time frame. The students were free to answer in

a bilingual format, when English did not sufce as an adequate means of expression. They

were assured that they were free to not participate or to withdraw at any stage and they were

guaranteed anonymity. The participants were invited to comment on the methodologies, the

assessment requirements, the modes of delivery in large classes and the four macroskill areasof listening, speaking, reading and writing as they pertained to their current course content.

Research Objectives

1. To identify student perceptions in relation to learning English in large classes.

2. To identify student perceptions of barriers to learning English.

3. To gather student views on ways to enhance the range and quality of the teaching

methodologies

4. To collate student suggestions on ways to improve the delivery of the learning of English

to non English major students of Chinese background at tertiary level.

Significance of the Research

To date, there has been no research, at this particular university site, with a focus on students

views. In this study students were invited to give their perceptions on the effectiveness of

the methodologies used and the extent to which their learning needs were being met through

current teaching approaches.

The outcomes of this research should provide an important initial inroad towards the es-

tablishing of a clearer understanding of the learners perceptions and this information will

be used in an endeavour to focus on effective ways forward in the provision of quality

teaching and learning in EFL in China.

The Participants

At the time of this qualitative study the 99 students who were invited to participate had just

completed their rst year of EFL study at tertiary level. They were invited to reect on their

year of study in the College English class by completing a questionnaire. All 99 students

accepted the invitation to participate.Students were assured that the information they provided

would remain condential and that the data would only be used for research purposes. To

this end, respondents were asked not to provide their names, but rather just to state their

gender and age. There were 84 male and 13 female participants, with 2 respondents giving

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no response to the request for gender. Ages, in the cohort, ranged from 19-24 years, with 5

non responses relating to the age item. For all of the respondents 2008 had been their rst

year of University study, Chinese ( Mandarin) was their rst language and none had travelled

overseas. It was also their rst experience with learning English in a large class of 99 students.

These participant, demographic data are summarised in Table (i).

Table (i): The Participants: Demographic Data

Total Responses 97Gender No Resp. 2Female 13Male 84

Total Responses 94Age 3621 yrs124 yrs

3020 yrs123 yrs

719 yrs1922 yrs

5No Response

Total Responses 97Years of English Study 277 yrs111 yrs

16.5 yrs810 yrs

15 yrs99 yrs

2No response508 yrs

Total Responses 99ChineseFirst Language

Total Responses 99First YearYear of Tertiary Study

Total Responses 99No Overseas Travel as yetOverseas Travel

Student Views on Large Class Sizes

In this paper a large class size is dened as a class in which the number of students ranges

from 60 150 ( Xu Zhichang, 2001). The literature has rendered mixed opinions on the

signicance of class size in effective learning. Kickbush (2000) in Xu Zhichang (2001), for

example, argues that even in a class with less than 20 students, if there are no improved

methodologies employed, there is no guarantee of improved academic achievement. Hayes

(1997) in Xu Zhichang (2001), on the other hand, viewed large classes as fraught withproblems. He identied several obstacles. These included the discomfort caused when large

numbers of students are seated in inadequate spatial dimensions. Similarly, discipline provides

a constant challenge as too, the lack of attention possible for individual students. Teachers

deal with enormous marking loads and they areoften perplexed with thechallenge of keeping

track of each students progress and wellbeing. So what thoughts and responses did the 99

student participants have on the subject ?

The participants were given the opportunity to respond to the class size issue in Questions

13 and 14. Question 13 of the questionnaire invited the students to comment on the question :

Do you prefer learning in smaller classes ? and in Question 13 they were invited to elaborate

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on their response : If so, why ? The results were varied and interesting : 9 were not in favour

of smaller classes ; 13 favoured smaller classes but provided no justication for their choices ;

77 students opted in favour of smaller classes and provided statements to support their choice.

Some of the reasons the 77 students gave included being hopeful that there would be :

More attention from the teacher in smaller classes ( 29 responses) e.g.:

in a smaller class I will be paid more attention ; its hard for the teacher to take care

of everyone in a large class

Increased opportunities to speak more in class and interact with the teacher ( 23 responses)

e.g. :

in a smaller class everyone has more chances to communicate with the teacher.

An ambiance that would be conducive to more effective learning ( 22 responses ) e.g. :

the less students, the more we learn.

Minimal noise levels ( 2 responses) e.g.

a smaller class is quiet ; large classes are too noisy. Less temptation to be absent (1 response ) e.g. :

In a smaller class, there is no chance to run away.

These ndings do not support the outcomes identied by Xu Zhichang (2001) whose ques-

tionnaire based qualitative investigative research found that 71.1% of students felt that the

differences of learning English in large and small classes are not signicantin a word, the

atmosphere in a large class is like a symphony, and that in the small class is like a serenadeif

a person really likes English, place and time will all be no problem (2001 :4).

Students Views on Other Aspects of Learning College English

Student Perceptions of Barriers Experienced when Learning English

Students perception of barriers to successful learning seemed to rest in three main areas,

namely, course content, assessment requirements, and the level of teacher support. With re-

spect to course content 23% of respondents felt that the course should be improved and

40% recorded that the course did not full (their) expectations. In terms of assessment,

42% did not understand what was required in the assessment, 3% understood a little and

16% offered no comment. Only just over a third, 38% were condent in saying that they

had understood the requirements for assessment. The nal category regarding the level of

teacher support, produced a 49% response. Nearly half of the student group felt that they

had learnt without much teacher support, doing exercises, only by myself. The challenge

for course coordinators, inherent in this student feedback, lies in how to overcome barriers

that are clearly exacerbated by the oversized classrooms.

Student Views on Ways to Improve the Quality of the Teaching

Methodologies

Students provided some innovative ideas for improvement including multimodal variations

and opportunities for immersion experiences. 33% of the students revealed that they used

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multimodal variations to assist their learning, reading books, listening to the radio, watching

TV. 45% felt that the presence of more foreign teachers would improve the courses.

The multimodal approach favoured by the students would bring multiple pathways to

popular culture and the aesthetic dimension of music ( radio ) into language learning; it

would enhance visual learning, introducing visual clues to assist understanding ( watching

TV) ; and it would provide opportunities to explore the literary world ( reading books) that

would extend beyond the readings in the course booklet. The request for more foreign

teachers would help satisfy student curiousity ( none of the students has been abroad) and

their motivation for authentic, experiential learning (real life experiences with speakers of

English as a rst language).

Student Suggestions on Ways to Improve the Mode of Delivery

Suggestions by students for improved modes of delivery of course content were equally illu-

minating. 45% recommended role plays in class ; 32% thought it would be an improvementto have study opportunities to go abroad ; and the same 32% felt that an improvement in

delivery mode could be achieved through letting students have a voice : for example, in the

students opinion, increased participation in course delivery could be achieved if students

had a choice in whether they studied English let some students learn English, not all students

do it.

The students insightful suggestions advocated a more interactive approach to learning

(role plays in class), and experiential opportunities to immerse themselves in the target lan-

guage culture ( go abroad) ; they likewise identied motivation as important and promoted

the option of student choice as a way to improve course delivery, with an engaged, interactive

learning community as a desirable outcome.

This same student feedback is presented in a summarised format in Table (ii) below :

Students Views and Perceptions

Table (ii): Questionnaire Responses

Total No.

Responses

No.of Respond-

ents

Focused CodingQuestions

99

What did you learn? 50Culture and communication,

words and knowledge

18 Vocabulary and Grammar 31 Speaking, listening and new

things

99

How did you learn? 17Following teachersand oneself

books, listening to the radio,

watching TV

33

49 Doing exercises, only by my-

self

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85

Did you enjoy the lecture

series in your College

English studies?

66I enjoyed the lecture series

I did not enjoy the lecture

series

19

14 No comment

83

Did you understand the

assessment tasks?

38I understood the assessment

tasks 42 I did not understand what was

required in the assessment

tasks 3

16 I understood a little

No comment

70

Would you recommend

this course? Why?

52Yes, because it was useful, in-

teresting, benet, broaden

knowledge 18

29 No, it was not useful

No Comment

99

Did the course full your

expectations?

36Yes it did full my expecta-

tions 40 No it did not full my expecta-

tions 23 The course should be im-

proved

77

Are there any course im-

provements you would

recommend?

45Yes, more foreign teachers,

role plays in class teaching,

more exercises. 32

Go abroad, let some students

learn English, not all students

do it.

22

No Comment

Concluding Comments

Oversized classrooms do increase learning difculties as the students comments and their

views on course content, assessment requirements and the level of teacher support, have

demonstrated. However, student views on how to improve the situation have provided some

engaging paths to possible ways in which to improve methodologies and modes of delivery.

Future research might rest with the Director of College English at the chosen university site,

who taught this group of respondents. Research might be based on evaluating attempts to

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incorporate student suggestions, more fully, in the second year of their College English

Course.

An initial response, by the reader, might be to see the student suggestions as incompatible

with ever burgeoning class sizes and, as such, denitely not a viable way forward. Yet one

is left with the very persuasive knowledge that many of the student suggestions are already

in place, having been implemented by the resourceful students themselves (e.g. studentvoice,

multimodal learning and wider reading), oversized classrooms notwithstanding. Students

have demonstrated that many of their solutions are explained, explainable and replicable

(Analytrics Conference, 2008).

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Sts' Preference in EFL Learning