Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Vol.6. No.4 December 2015 Pp. 261 – 274
Focusing Teacher’s Practices, Learners’ Attitudes and Study Skills Through Action Research
Nadia IDRI
Department of English, Faculty of Arts and Languages
University of Bejaia, Algeria
Abstract:
Teaching English to first year students at university is quite challenging. After nearly a decade of the adoption of the LMD (Licence/Master/Doctorat) in Algeria, teachers have been putting focus on classroom practices and designining appropriate curricula. In this action research, the author focused on the learners’ attitudes towards their teachers and towards their teahers’ practices. To achieve these aims, classroom observations, collaboration with teachers teaching first year students and a set of interviews to cover the various teaching practices teachers adopt during the academic year 2013-2014 were used. The paper relied also on the analysis of the students’ journals, questionnaires and interviews while learning study skills in their Methodology of the University Work’s Subject. Results showed that first year students had positive attitudes towards their teachers and their teachers’ practices. In addition, the majority of learners could develop their study skills’ abilities, but still face difficulties in spakeing, writing and vocabulary. Teachers, on their hand, argued that their students face problems in the productive skills although they have very good interpersonal relationships with first year students. The paper suggests at the end that teachers should use new methods to develop learners’ competences and invlove learners in the decision-making process.
Key words: action research, attitudes, methodology of university work, study skills, teacher’s practices.