+Week 6_Observations in Applied linguistics.pptx

+Week 6_Observations in Applied linguistics.pptx

1. Observation Aigerim Kazhigaliyeva MA in Multilingual Ed. PhD c.

2. Features of Observation Happens in the context where the central phenomenon takes place A source of first-hand , not secondhand information (with limitations) Important for triangulating information on teacher beliefs and practices, self-reports of language practices, and other contexts where self-report alone is insufficient According to Dörnyei (2007), does not capture nonobservable aspects of applied linguistics/second language learning

3. Features of Observation Has one or more clear foci; you ”pay special attention to a few things which others ordinarily give only passing attention to” (Wolcott, 1992, in Merriam & Tisdell, 2016, p. 138). Varies from very open notes (especially at the beginning) to very closed notes (a checklist of behavior) Varies in the degree of participation and observation (complete observer to complete participant, or collaborative); usually some degree of both Your presence already impacts/does not impact/does not impact after the first few observations what you observe First time observation might have an “observer effect”

4. Observation Procedures--Unstructured Gain access to the site Note and/or diagram the physical surroundings and location of people being observed Write down/type out activity sequence (with a time-stamp if helpful), quotes, personal reflections, or a combination Negotiate your role in the classroom as needed during observations (see Goodman, 2013)

5. Post-Observation Procedures WRITE FIELD NOTES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER OBSERVATION Narrate the events observed according to the timeline and your focus Use thick description based on notes and memory Add/record reflective notes which are pre-analysis; mark them as separate from the observation notes For long-term fieldwork, consider a reflective journal (Karabassova, 2018) If time, consider doing a member check- - “sharing data or tentative interpretations with participants and revising them accordingly” (Preissle and Grant, 2004, p. 174).

6. Observation Procedures--Structured Choose an existing protocol that matches your study goals/purpose/research questions Develop a protocol that is built around a theoretical framework (e.g. COLT) The COLT - Communicative. Orientation of Language Teaching Observation. Scheme (Part B) analysis focuses on the verbal. output and interactions of teacher and students. (Gaynor, Dunn & Terdal, 1997). Tick the boxes for how often different activities are observed Tabulate within and between class observations May require multiple observations of multiple classes

7. Observations—other considerations Audio/video recording Get explicit consent Consider impact of audio/video on students Consider positions and limitations of both audio and video; take notes also

8. Homework Your Turn Watch the video and write open notes on what you observe, using Merriam & Tisdell’s guide on p. 141 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NWw-ocUMtU Use any language(s) you wish for your notes Find one publication (one study involved observation of classes) in groups of 4-5