VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES PHAN THÙY LINH USING DIFFERENT CLASSROOM SEATING ARRANGEMENTS TO INCREASE STUDENTS’ ON-TASK BEHAVIORS IN COOPERATIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES (Thay đổi mô hình sắp xếp chỗ ngồi của sinh viên để thúc đẩy sự tham gia vào những hoạt động trong các giờ học theo phương pháp dạy học hợp tác.A MINOR THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01 HÀ NỘI, 2019 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES PHAN THÙY LINH USING DIFFERENT CLASSROOM SEATING ARRANGEMENTS TO INCREASE STUDENTS’ ON-TASK BEHAVIORS IN COOPERATIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES (Thay đổi mô hình sắp xếp chỗ ngồi của sinh viên để thúc đẩy sự tham gia vào những hoạt động trong các giờ học theo phương pháp dạy học hợp tác.A MINOR THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231. Hoàng Văn Vân HÀ NỘI, 2019 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I certify that I myself write this thesis entitled “Using Different Classroom Seating Arrangements to Increase Students’ On-Task Behaviors In Cooperative Learning Activities”. It is not a plagiarism or made by others. Anything related to others‟ works is written in quotation, the sources of which are listed on the list of references.
If then the pronouncement proves wrong, I am ready to accept any academic punishment, including the withdrawal or cancellation of my academic degree. Signature i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I have to thank my research supervisor, Prof. Hoang Van Van. Without his assistance and dedicated involvement in every step throughout the process, this study would have never been accomplished.
I would like to thank him very much for his support and understanding. I am grateful to all of those with whom I have had the pleasure to work during this and other related projects. Thanks to their passionate participation and input, the validation survey could not have been successfully conducted. Nobody has been more important to me in the pursuit of this project than the members of my family.
I would like to thank my parents, whose love and guidance are with me in whatever I pursue. Once again, to my wonderful parents and my friends, thank you for supporting and believing in me. Love you! ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT Research has shown that student participation is affected by a number of factors that include students‟ gender, personality differences as well as class environment. This class environment includes classroom seating arrangements which are believed to play an important role in fostering students‟ on-task behavior.
However, how a seating arrangement can encourage on-task or off-task behavior is found to depend on how far this seating arrangement agrees with the activity being done and the interaction pattern aimed at in class. The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) if classroom seating arrangements affect student on-task/off-task participation in CL activities, (2) in what ways seating arrangements affected student participation (3) students‟ preferences of different classroom seating arrangements, namely rows and columns and circles. The study was mainly exploratory and qualitative using a convenience sample of two EFL classes, of a total of 43 students. Data were collected through students‟ responses to a questionnaire and a reflective paper.
In addition, video recordings of class sessions were also used to collect data about student on-task/off-task participation in both seating arrangements. Analysis of data shows seating arrangement is a priority to foster student on-task participation in class since the videos show that students in one class were keen to create their semi-circle shaped when seated in the rows and columns in order to work on group activities while students in the other were subversive to the rows and columns seating arrangement where two of the group members left their places and sat facing the group. iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. iii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES.
iv PART 1: INTRODUCTION. Aims of the study and research questions. Scope of the study. Methods of the study.
Design of the study. 5 Chapter 1: Literature review. Cooperative Learning (CL): Definition and benefits. Basic classroom seating arrangements.
Classroom seating arrangement and students‟ on-task behavior. Students‟ and teacher‟s role and classroom arrangement. Setting and Participants .16 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.18 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Ten minutes paper.
Suggestions for further research. I APPENDIX A: Free form Questionnaire. I APPENDIX B: Ten-minute paper. II APPENDIX C: List of Codes.
III APPENDIX D: Students’ responses to Questions 2 and 3 on the questionnaire. IV v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. VI APPENDIX E: Students’ responses to Question 1 on the reflection pape .XII APPENDIX F: Students’ preferences in both the questionnaire and the 10-minute paper. XVI vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Figures Content Page Figure 1 Row seating 7 Figure 2 Cluster seating 8 Figure 3 U-shape/horseshoe and circle seating 9 Figure 4 Students' responses to Question 1 about talkativeness (Class 1) 22 Figure 5 Students' responses to Question 1 about talkativeness (Class 2) 22 Figure 6 Students' responses to Question 2 about seating arrangement 23 preferences in questionnaire and 10-minute paper Figure 7 Number of turns and comments for each student 27 Figure 8 Number of comments made by students in Class 1 in each 29 category (in number) Figure 9 Number of Turns (Class 1) 30 Figure 10 Number of turns, comments for each student (Class 2: circles) 33 Figure 11 Number of comments made by students in Class 2 in each 33 category Figure 12 Students' seating arrangement preferences in questionnaire and 38 10-minute paper (in %) Tables Content Page Table 1 Reasons for choosing both seating arrangement (both classes) 24 Table 2 Number of comments in each video 28 Table 3 Reasons for students' preferences for seating arrangements in 40 the 10-minute paper vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1.
Rationale According to Cornell (2003:1), for a long time, the term “classroom” was characterized as a rectangular room where the focus was directed to the front where the instructor exercised complete control of the pace, content, and sequence of activities by using a blackboard and an overhead projector. However, the traditional style of instruction, where the teacher delivers the information and students sit silently taking notes, is slowly being replaced with student-centered learning (Nair, 2000). This implies that the traditional type of seating arrangement (desk rows) should be substituted by more flexible ones, such as U-shape, modular or circular to foster interaction among students themselves, support communication with teachers, and motivate individual students to learn. Halpern (1994) share the same thoughts with Nair (2000) that effective learning rarely occurs passively.
Therefore, educators have come to realize that effective instruction focuses on active involvement of students in their own learning, with opportunities for teacher and peer interactions that engage students‟ natural curiosity (Halpern, 1994:11). McCorskey & McVetta (1978) claim that classroom seating arrangements are the most important part of establishing the physical classroom environment. A good classroom seating arrangement will set the overall atmosphere, or mood and further the stage for teacher student relationships. When considering that classroom seating arrangements are organized by teachers into logical, methodical design structures that best facilitate student learning and make use of the teacher‟s individual teaching style, problems can arise when teachers do not choose their seating arrangements carefully and meaningfully (O‟Hare, 1998).
However, it may be hard for teachers to choose a certain seating arrangement, the problem that frequently surfaces is this: what classroom seating arrangement is the most effective. Undoubtedly, this works under the proposition that there are some seating arrangements that are more effective than others (McCorskey & McVetta, 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. In other words, there are seating arrangements that do more harm than good for a teacher wishing to establish rules, standards, and regulations on the first day that last through the remaining time he/she has with a given set of students. If these most basic needs are not met – that is, establishing boundaries for students based on the schematic structure of the classroom‟s seating – then it presents challenges for the teacher‟s effectiveness (Becker, Sommer, Bee, & Oxley, 1973).
From my point of view, the most important thing here to consider is that the effectiveness of classroom seating arrangement is a measurable, observable phenomenon, since there are underlying factors that allow certain arrangements to work better than others (Cooperative Research Program, 1965). In a way, to consider “effectiveness” means to think about correlation: comparing several possible seating arrangements with respect to the common data inherent in each. Though “effectiveness” is always relative to the teacher‟s teaching style, the size of the class, and other elements of the physical classroom that no teacher nor any one seating arrangement can control (i. where the door or windows are located, where the teacher might situate their desk, if there are any built-in bookshelves or free-standing ones, and the placement and size of chalkboard/white board in the wall), the purpose of this study is to show, through the appropriation of measurable student-specific and observable teacher-related data, that there are, indeed, certain classroom seating arrangements that are theoretically more effective.
Aims of the study and research questions The aim of this study is to explore two elements in relation to classroom seating arrangements. The first element is students‟ preferences for different seating arrangements and the reasons for their choices. The second one is students‟ on- task/off-task participation in two different seating arrangements, the rows and columns and the circles. To achieve the above overarching aim, the study raises three questions for exploration: Question 1: Does classroom seating arrangement affect students‟ on-task/off-task 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com participation in cooperative learning activities? Question 2: If so, in what ways do classroom seating arrangements affect students‟ on- task/off-task behavior? Question 3: What preferences do students have for different classroom seating arrangements? And why? 3.
Scope of the study Although there are various seating arrangements for lecture halls, classrooms and laboratories, this study focuses on four basic types of classroom seating arrangements. They are: desk rows, U-shape, modular and circular. The study is conducted within the investigation and the application of classroom seating arrangements in academic setting at Vietnam National University of Agriculture in Hanoi with English classes as sample. Finally, it is ideal to apply other universities, where different seating arrangements are available.
Due to time constraint, geographical distance, financial difficulty and the scope of a minor thesis, the data used in this study are collected only by conducting survey questionnaires and based on the author‟s observation and experience. Therefore, the thesis should only be regarded as a preliminary study with tentative conclusions. Methods of the study The theoretical background presents a critical review of different publications. The source of relevant information comes from books and the Internet.
The method used for the study is largely quantitative with illustration of tables. The discussions of research findings are based mainly on the statistics of the survey questionnaires. Comments on the statistics come from consultation with the supervisor, discussion with colleagues and the author‟s personal observation as well as her own experience. Design of the study 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com The study consists of three main parts: Part I: Introduction.
In this part, the rationale, aims and scope of the study are presented along with methodology and design of the study. This gives the reader the basic knowledge and overall structure of the study. Part II: Development - This part includes the following chapters.