Jacet Kansai J. 12 (2010), 128‑138. c
ISSN 1880‑2281 Printed in Japan

How

Kansai Chapter, JACET

2010

does interaction activate participation in my EFL
Kahorireading classes?1

Kobayashi

Ritsumeikan University

ABSTRACTThis is action research about myteaching methodology

in English as a foreign language (EFL)

reading classes in a Japanese university.The theme of my research is "HowParticipation in My
and documented

EFL

Reading

Classes." In this paper, I present how

Interaction Activates

I modified my instruction

the effects of each intervention. At the end of each semester, I gave students aquestionnaire, asking their preference of the activities.In the response by 278 out of 321 students,
I found that interactivegroup activitiesnot only motivated the students to become

moreinvolved

in interpreting the readings, but also decreased their anxiety and unwillingness to engage
speed‑readings that were typical in our course. As a result,manyand seemed

to read more. Basedon myin theof the students enjoyed reading

findings, I present implications for helping prepare

students to enjoy reading and identify positive effects on their reading practices and also the
problemsKey

to overcome

Words:

for the active participation.

interaction,learning community,
languagecollaborative learning, motivation,acquisition

I. INTRODUCTION
I. Rationale"How

can I improveenjoy reading more?"

the reading practices of my students?" "How

These questions formed

at a Japanese university. I wasfound myself wonderingmyEFLpart of my ongoingreading classes, many

students wereconcentration in the entire class period

when

I needed

to modify

toclassesreading classes and often

these questions before and after the classes.In

not motivatedenoughor could not keep

the individual speed‑readings

activities.The skillsof the speed‑readings such as skimming
useful. However,action research in EFL

one of the English teachers for EFL

what I can do to answer

can I motivate them

were

their

the mainand scanning are very practical andthe instruction to activate the students' motivation

andparticipation.

2. Research Question
The theme of my research is "HowInteractionActivatesParticipation
in My

128

EFL ReadingHow

does interaction activate participation in my EFL

Classes." As I mentioned

in the rationale, I was wondering

activate their participation in the reading classes. Haleyreading classes?

how

to motivate my

and Austin (2004) states classroom

interaction with content in a collaborative setting creates a good
students can feel more
According

comfortable

and helps them

students andlearning community

to handle more

complexlanguagewhere(p. 8).

to this theory, interaction seems to be a key factor to activate students' participationand motivation. In my classes, I modified my instruction,adopting activitieswith different modes
of interaction,and investigated howinteraction worked

At the end

students a questionnaire, asking their preference of theof each semester, I gave

activitiesand why

they enjoyedinteraction worked

in the classes. The

activities.Students seemthem. The

to becometo activate myreasons for their preference gave

preference helped me to assume

more

me

the idea how

students' attitude toward

positive in their learning and value it more

what they are doing. If students do not like what

if they likethey are doing, teachers can improvesituation to shift their preference so that they will value it more. Whenthey are doing, the methodology

students' participation.

thestudents do not like what

would not work as effective as it is supposed

to be. Therefore, it

is very useful to ascertain students' preference toward activitiesfor the effective teaching. Basedon my findings, I present implications for helping prepare students to enjoy reading and identify
positive effects on their reading practices andalso the problems

to overcomerole in language

classroom?

for the active

participation.

3. Background
3.1 Interaction and language acquisition
Why

does

interaction play an importantlearning activities with content can generate a meaningful
says, "Weacquire language by understanding

acquired competence"learning shouldbe meaningful

input that is a littlebeyond

our current level ofbe meaningful

input (i+1)

for learners. If learners carry out

interest,they acquire language (Lems, 1995). Language

input

to foster language acquisition.For example, an activitylike discussion can bevery effective in creating meaningful(Ngeow,

situation in the classroom. Krashen

learning activitiesin an effective manner, they can get interested in the content. Whenlearners are motivated by their own
mustinteraction(Krashen & Terrell,1983, p.32). The theory of comprehensible

points out that language
meaningfulPeerinteraction andpromotingunderstanding

for students

2003).

3.2 Interaction and a learning community
Meaningfulinteraction plays a crucial role not only to acquire the language

establish a learning community.
where

A

learning community

students learn together. Cummins

trusted in their class to express
involvement

is the learning environment(1994) suggests that students needthemselves.

The

they have into the social environment

129

more

but also toin the class

to be accepted andinteraction learners have, the more

(Peirce, 1995). A Goodlearning community

Kahori Kobayashi

can be very helpful in lowering the affective filter(anxiety or fear learners have). Krashen
Terrell (1983) state that it is important to lower learners' affective filterwhich
influence on their learning. When

students have less anxiety, they are moreand

has a negative

relaxed in the classand more eager to participatein activities.
Peirce (1995) also mentions that language learners are not simply learning the language, butthey try to becomea memberof the class which has the social context. This is a common

about second language learners. However,it maylearners are in the friendly learning environment

theoryalso apply to foreign language learners. Whenand are accepted as a memberof the class, theycan establish their social identity and develop self‑esteem. The stronger social identity and higher
self‑esteem will also help to lower the affective filterand to generate active participation.

3.3 Interaction in collaborative learning
DonaldFreeman(1992) defines collaborative learning is the learning style in which students

interact and help each other for shared understandings. Oxford
learning is an effective way
community

to encourage

students to become(1997) states that collaborative

part of the culture of the learning

through interaction in the social context. In collaborative learning, it is important toestablish a good social relationship in the community
and Smith (2001) notes that when

students workof learners.The study by Johnson, Johnson,

together and interactin the collaborative settings,

it brings the stronger tiesin the learning community

and they become

more

supportive each other.

The supportive situation motivates students to learn more.

3.4 Cooperative learning for collaborative learning
Cooperative
meaningfulsmall group activitiesare an example

interaction.Long

communicativeof working

collaboratively and generate

and Porter (1985) suggest that group activitiesfoster each learner's

ability and promote

active participation in the class. For the successful group

activitiesin the class, cooperative learning is very effective.Olsen and Kagan
cooperative learning is the learning style whichinteraction learning activities for the higher

promotesacademic

students' participation in peer

performance.

cooperative learning provide the structured and well‑organized classroom
properly in the small groups. Without
waste their time. The

these elements, the class may

followings are some

2. Encouraging

The

key

elementsofto have students work

fall apart and students justof the key elements for the successful cooperative

learning activitieswhich teachers should know
1. Creating activitiesto emphasize(1992) explain thatby Olsen and Kagan(1992) and Met (1992).

individual accountability

positive interdependence

3. Providing the necessary social skills
4. Giving rewards valued by students to approve each learner's contribution and groupperformance
5. Playing a role as a facilitator,
a supervisor, and an advisor

130

How

In thedoes interaction activate participation in myfollowing,

I set out

to seehow

the theory

collaborative/cooperative learning supports to build a goodmy

EFL

students' participation in the reading practices in EFL

reading classes?

ofclassroom

interaction inlearning community

and to activate

reading courses.

II. METHOD
1. Students
The

research was

done

in 10 EFL

reading classes for business and economics

major

students I taught at a Japanese university during the 2003 ‑2004 academic years. There were about
30 students in each class. In total,321 students registered in the reading courses. There were 4
ChineseThere

students amongwere

8 freshman

Japanese. 70 percent of them were maleand 30 percent wereclasses andstudents were

2 sophomore

classes. The

proficiency levels according to their scores in a university‑made placement
pre‑intermediate (TOEIC

score: about 400 or below), intermediate (TOEIC

upper‑intermediate (TOEIC

score: about 500‑600), and advanced(TOEIC

female.

divided into 4

test.Thelevels werescore: about 400‑500),
score: about

600 orabove). The majority of the students were not used to a student‑centered interactive class. Rather,
they were

more

modified. They
becamemore

2. CourseThefamiliar with the teacher‑oriented learning style before the instruction was
were very shy and quiet at the beginning. However,as the semester went by, they

active in class participation.

description & Textbooks
reading

courses weremandatory

as the liberal arts in business andeconomics

departments. The students had to take one reading course per semester until the end of theirthirdsemester before the summer

break in their sophomore

year. I taught two pre‑intermediate, twointermediate, two upper‑intermediate, and four advanced
two sophomore

classes. We met once a week

90 minutes long. The
exposureclasses. They

were eight freshmanfor 15 times in each semester. Eachandclass period was

reading courses were content‑based and designed to prepare students forto diverse cultures and global issues as well as to teach reading skills and vocabulary.

The

textbooks were designed for students in English as a second language classes in the US andUK

or modified for Japanese/Asianbusiness, computers,
languages, andsomarriage,

students. The

books

dealt with a variety of topics such as

sports athletes, tourism, poverty, environment,

on. Different textbooks

were

assigned

according

proficiency levels.

3. In‑class activity procedure
SampleWeek

Lesson Structure:
1 (45 min.: the second half of the 90 min. long class)(1) Pre‑reading(2) Speed‑readings

activity (brainstorming a topic of the text in class)(skimmingand scanning the text individually)131

endangered

to students' reading

Kahori Kobayashi(3) Exercises(working on comprehension

and vocabulary questions individually)

Homework(4) Writing

assignments (individual response to the text or on‑line research about

the topic)
Week

2 (45 min.: the firsthalf of the 90 min. long class)(5) Group

As
spent

discussions about writings

a rule, one

2 weeks,

unit wasclass, group,

the issues fromclass period

assignment.

also talked

about

information.

Theskimmingclass. As

homework,

Alternatively,

and

The

class period. However,newmaterials

withchanceto reviewpeers. Whentime wasallowed,of the group

opinionansweredquestions.
very

facilitator, asmall groups,

interdependence.

aso that theyelements

I gave

each

and

a

they remain

encouraged

activities, they cannot
other

and

workedasked

to their proficiency

levels.

Eitherassignment

132

was

class.
on thebefore sharing, they

had atheir idea

better to thegrouppresented

the summaryin the grouppresented

etc.

when

to

answered

their opinions

instructing

to work

group

countson

theirautonomously.
some

In the student‑centeredan advisorapositive

effectively. I introduced

and

and

the group:emphasizeaccountability

in harmony.

a role of a facilitator, a supervisor,

on task.

in a whole

explainstudents
work

the

were

learning

student's

activities. I

class and ensure

turns and

individual

group

I, as a teacher, tookeachmaker,

in cooperative

each

could

to

on

their idea or informationquestion(1992),

respected

andstudent a role of responsibility within

to Metsocial skills so that they

took

them

workedin the followingof cooperative

Accordingto group

theyclass and the rest of the members
groupof theclass. They

topic. They

assigned.

sharedas a reporter from

Eachreporter,if they are not usedaccordingthe topic weretofor the importantin a group(four to five per group). Right

one student

the key

Third,

the answers

words

class period, they

their writing

half

and assigned

to lookrelated to the reading

50‑100about

scanning

in order to share their thoughts

their classmates.

note‑taker,

questionspent

they read after class as their

I kept time

individually.

later checkedin about

in front of the wholecareful about

activities. In forming

done

in a small groupsummarize

by

were

of the following

and

asked

scanning

assignments

preparedclassmatesquestions

it again,to the question

for the students to have
In the first half

read

and

in the second

a topic of the text in a wholeidea. Theya controversial

on‑line researchreading

brainstormed

weactivities had different levels

first half of the single class wasclass. I introduced

individually

I gaveto write their responseclassroom,

90 minutethe related issues on the topic briefly. Second,in the textbook

However,

individual.

First, the students

exercisesachievement

andthe previous

the text to get the mainI wasin eachso that the students had time to digest and reflect on what

homework

skim

to be coveredor parts of two classes, to finish one entire unit. Classof interaction: wholediscuss

supposed

to lead a wholeHow

does interaction activate participation in my EFL

reading classes?

4. Assessment
The30%

assessment criteriawere as follows: 40%

homework.

class participation,30%

vocabulary quizzes,

The students were asked to participatein class actively and assessed by theteacher's careful observation. It was on‑going assessment through the whole semester. In addition,
there were quizzes on vocabulary and reading comprehension

questions after finishing each unit.

Writing assignments or on‑line research was assigned as homework
Even

for most of the readings.

though there were a lot of group activitiesin the classes, the students wereindividually to promote

their accountability. Eachstudent's performanceassessedin the groupwas

carefully observed. Also, I gave the individual evaluation on their writings for the group activities.
Scores on the quizzes were gained individually too. If they wanted

to get the higher scores on

quizzes andneededthemselves

describe their idea precisely in their writings, theyrather than trying to comprehend

Individual assessment

hard bythe reading while sharing the opinions about it.

Students should be aware of getting the credit by their own
performance.

to work

enables themeffort,but not someone

to take more

else'sresponsibilitiesregarding their

participation (Met, 1992).

5. Questionnaire
At the end of each semester, I gave the students one questionnaire, asking them
which

activitiesthey enjoyed and why

they enjoyed them. They

to indicate

did not have to write their names.

There were 7 items: 1. pre‑reading activity,2. speed‑readings, 3. exercises, 4. writing assignments,
5. group discussions, 6. watching
they enjoyed as many
comments

as possible, whichallowed themwere able to select the activities

to give multiple answers. Theyon the activitiesthey selected.

‑Questionnaire‑ (Multiple
Whichvideos, and 7. listening. They

answers are allowed.)

kind of classroom or homework

activitiesdid you enjoy the most?

Please write the numberof your choice and the reason briefly.

You

as you want. Thankmayselect as many

you for your cooperation.

1. Pre‑reading activity(brainstorming: discussion about the topic
2. Speed‑ readings (skimmingand scanning)

3. Exercises (vocabulary, main idea, questions about the story)
4. Writing assignments (opinion writings, on‑line research)
5. Group discussions about writings
6. Watching

videos

7. ListeningYour

choice&Reason:133

also gave

Kahori Kobayashi

A. Overall

Activities(Interaction mode)

result1. Pre‑reading

80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

2. Speed‑nreadings (individual)

3. Exercises
4. Writing

n n
1 2

3

5. Group

4
5
6
Activities

7

activity(whole class)(individual)
assignments (individual)

discussions (group)

6. Watching

video (individual)

7. Listening(individual)

Figure 1. All students (n=278)

B. Results by

c 2
& "J3
0￡ ‑g
C9

Levels

80

S 80

60

I J 6040"S
R .S 40‑I
3 5 20
≪≪

SS t>
*

20

s‑
≪
0N

0

o ̲ D D
12 3

1

4 5 6 7
Activities

Figure 2. Advanced(n= 117)

3 4
Activities

Figure 3. Upper‑intermediate(n = 46)

I 80

80

I

V.￡ 60# 60

c ￡* .40 ^≫
W)
03 > 20
fi

40
20
0

1

12

3 4 5
Activities

Figure 4. Intermediate (n = 58)

2 3
4
5
Activities

Figure 5. Pre‑intermediate (n = 57)

134

How

does interaction activate participation in myEFLreading classes?

III. RESULTS
The
The

figures show

the types of activitiesand percentage of selected activitiesby the students

numbers, 1 through 7 stand for each activitytype: 1. pre‑reading activity,2. speed‑readings, 3

exercises, 4. writing assignments

5. group

discussions, 6. watching

Activities varied in content and length according
providedlearning materials werevideos, andto the classes because

a littledifferent fromthrough No. 5 were done in all the classes.However,

the textbooks

class to class. The

No. 6, watching videos was done only in theand the upper‑intermediate classes. Actually, No. 7, listening wasadvancedclasses.

modes

is shown

andactivities of No. 1

advanced

The interaction mode

7. listening.

done

only in thein parenthesis, as wholeclass, group, or individual. The

specify the kinds of interaction each activity has. We

can find out students' preference

toward activitiesand interaction modes.
Ofthe 321 students, 278 answered

the questionnaire. They

were 117 students in 4 advanced

classes, 46 students in 2 upper‑intermediate classes, 58 students in 2 intermediate classes, and 57
students in pre‑intermediate classes.Figure 1 shows

the resultsfor all students. Figures 2‑5 show

the resultsfor the students at different proficiency levels.
As Figure 1 shows,in the result for all students, the most popular activitywas

discussions chosen by about 45%
chose this (multiple answers
classmates moreof the students. The students responded

were

and we became

allowed): 42 said, "It was

my

view

23%

"I got to knowmyby listening to different

opinion to others", "Wevery meaningful." Someable to use English in the authentic situation", and "It was

activities."Abouttheyfun" and"It is important to be able to express myable to help one another", and "I found homework"I waswith reasons why

closer.";34 answered, "It was a precious experience to listen toother people's opinions."; 15 students, "I was able to expand
opinions."; 8 commented,

No.5, group

much

were

students commented,
better than passiveof the students chose No. 2, speed‑readings. Twenty‑nine

commented,"I

gained the reading skills."Nineteen said, "I was able to read faster."Thirteen said, "It was usefuland practical."Six students answered, "I felta sense of achievement."
As shown

in Figures 2‑5, the resultsappear very similar among

the students at the different

proficiency levels.

IV. DISCUSSIONHow

did mystudents like the group activitiesor interactive classroom?

students had a positive attitude toward

group activities.AmongThe

all students, nearly half of thestudents chose No. 5, group discussions as their preferable activity,and the main
because "It was very enjoyable to get to know
Freemanand Freeman

myclassmates and to become(1994) agree with Krashen'smajority ofreason wascloser each other."theory of affective filter and state that if

students are not comfortable in the classroom, they would

not understand what is going on; theanxiety blocks input, and they also say that the anxiety may

hinder students from speaking out or135

Kahori Kobayashi

makingpossible production; the anxiety blocks output (p.93). According

learning environment

is very important, and building a good

students with the comfortablestudents commented,"Weclassroomwhich

promoteslearning community

their language

can provide

learning. Also, thewere able to help one another." In the supportive environment,

slow learners wereable to be relaxed and learn better.I can assume

filterwas

by the supportive environment. How

loweredto their theory, thecan wethat the students' affective

interpret students' comments,

saying, "It was the precious experience to listen to other people's opinion" and "I was
expandmyview

communication

by listening to different opinions"? The

commented,

students acquired someskills,listening to speakers' opinions carefully, showing

each other's opinions eventhoughthey weredifferent from

"It is important to be able to express myvaluable feeling which inspires students to learn. They

own

even

able toimportantrespect, and accepting

their own.

Also, somestudents

opinion to others." This is such a

tried to communicate

and understand eachother rather than just to be passive listeners.This is indispensable in actual communication,interaction through group activitiescan foster these kinds of communication

skills.They

and

can also

heighten their self‑esteem and lower the affective filter.
This will confer great motivational power
for students to be more
Languageconfident in their language learning.

learners learn what is necessary for them in each situation.Therefore, language

class should meet students' needs and be meaningful for them. Interaction through group activities
expands

students' view, activates their criticalthinking mind, and helps to connect their learningwith actual life situations as well as making

languagelearning moremeaningful

to them. A

positive attitudefrom classmates gives them confidence and motivates them to participate in classmore

actively.
How

about speed‑readings? It was the second

individual speed‑readings were
was modified, many

students seemedclass. Did interaction among
Haley

and

the maincollaborative setting created a good
comfortable and helped thembored and had a hard time to keep their concentration in thelearning community
complexlearning community.

interaction with content in awhere students werelanguage. I assume
It enabledmyable to feel moreinteraction throughstudents to challenge

they did not feel comfortable with or even to enjoy the activitiesthemselves. Actually,

I was able to observe that the classes became
and they showed

more active engagement

Interaction seems
develops good
problems

their will to gain reading skills?As the theory byin the rationale, classroom

to handle moregroup activities fostered a goodsomethingactivitiesof my reading classes before the instruction

students promote

Austin (2004) mentioned

in popularity after group activities.When

to promote

friendlierand more attached through group activities,

in other activitiestoo.

students' active participation in language

relationships in the language

learning community.

However,

to carry out interactive group activities?It is time consuming.

finish each reading material, whichhave to work

learning, which
are there any

It takes morein turn might hinder finishing a whole

textbook. Teachers

hard to prepare for activities,carefully plan the structures, and136

time topromotetheHowdoes interaction activate participation in mynecessary skills for students to keep on task. As

someactivitiesas their preferable activity,not everybody
may

EFL

reading classes?

students who

did not choose the groupagrees with the interactive learning style.It

take some time to convince students how effective the activitiesare if they are not used to thestudent‑centered classroom
worth

and do not have enoughskills for the activities.However,trying because through interactiveactivities,students have a chance to become

it is stillmore

activein the class and show a positive attitude toward reading.

V. CONCLUSION
This research focused on interaction in reading classes taught me how
a student driven class. Interactive groupimportant it is to haveto help to build a goodlearning

community

and activate students' participation in the class. Students enjoy working

with theirpeers and

improve

their self‑esteem. Learninginteractive activities mademotivated them

activities seemlanguageshould be effective andlearning moremeaningful

for myfun. It is clear thatstudents, definitely

to learn, and fostered a positive attitude toward their reading practices. All theseenabled the students to get the reading competence

for the real lifesituation.However,to carry out the interactive group activitiesall the time. Teachers need to work
students' interaction,but many
activitiesmay

hard to increaseof them are just too busy to finish the course. Furthermore, some

not fitto the interactive learning style.I would

for the more

effective and flexible way

developmentof students' performance.

like to continue to research on thisto include the interactive activitiesin the class to gauge

1 This paper is a modified version of a classroom activityreport presented at KELES
University, Imadegawa

it is hardon May29, 2005.

^3yyy,R.T,^

at Doshisha

REFERENCES:v^a^yv,D.W.,^,K.A.,(2001) M(D‑!&￨rKJ
Cummins,

3 ￡JI￨^C#i±HSp￨5

J. (1994). Knowledge,

Genesee,power, and identity in teaching English as a second language. In

F. (Ed.), Educating

secondcurriculum, the whole community
Freeman,Freeman,language(pp.33‑58). Cambridge:

In Nunan, D. (Ed.), Collaborative Language

York: Cambridge

Y. S., & Freeman, D. E. (1994). Between

interactive approach. Boston, MA:
S., &

whole

Cambridge

child, the whole

University Press
in a Second

Language

Learning and Teaching (pp.56‑79).

University Press
Worlds. Portsmouth,

Haley, M. H., & Austin, T. Y. (2004). Content‑based

Krashen,children: The

D. (1992). Collaboration: Constructing Shared Understandings

Classroom.
New±

N.H.: Heinemann.

second language teaching and learning: An

Pearson Education, Inc.

Terrell,T. (1983). The natural approach: Language

137

acquisition in the classroom.

Kahori Kobayashi

Hay
Lems,

ward, CA: Alemany

K. (1995). Whole
Service No. ED

Long,

Press.

languageand the ESL/EFL

Met, M.

(1992). Using

work, interlanguage talk,and second language acquisition.

WA:

cooperative learning to strengthen your foreign language

instruction.

Institutefor Educational Development.

K. Y. (2003). Learningreflective learning. ERIC
Communication,
Olsen, R., &Reproduction

Quarterly. 19, 207‑227.

Medina,Ngeow,

Document

384 210)

M., & Porter, P. (1985). GroupTESOL

classroom. (ERIC

through discussion: Designingtasks for criticalinquiry andDigest.

on

Bloomington,

IN. (ERIC

Kagan, S. (1992). Cooperative

Kessler, C. (Ed.), About

ERIC

Cooperative

Clearinghouse
Digest. No. ED

Reading,

EnglishandAll 611)

Language

Learning: A

Teacher's Resource

Learning(pp. 1‑30).Englewood

Book. In

Cliffs, NJ: PrenticeHall.
Oxford, R. L. (1997).
communicative

Cooperative

learning, collaborative learning, andstandards in the language

classroom.

Moderninteraction: Three

Language

Journal, 81,

Learning, TESOL

Quarterly, 29,

443‑456.
Peirce, B. N. (1995). Social Identity,Investment, and Language
9‑31.

138