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Enhancing Oral Communication Skills through Pairwork Strategies

Enhancing Oral Communication Skills through Pairwork Strategies Moaza Aziz Ahmad Abdulla

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Moaza Aziz Ahmad Abdulla

Moaza Aziz Ahmad Abdulla graduated from the B.Ed program at Dubai Women’s College in June 2006. She teaches at Al Uma Girls’ Preparatory School in Dubai, and has already acted as a mentor for two of the college’s student teachers during her first year of teaching

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Introduction The focus of this study is to investigate how pair work tasks can enhance oral communication in the language classroom. My interest in this topic arose from my experience in UAE schools, both as a former student and as a current student teacher. When I was a student, my teachers used a traditional way of teaching. Classes were mostly teacher-centered, and teachers did not use pair work tasks in their lessons, but tended to make the students work as a whole class or individually. The teaching methods were, and for the most still are, based on the grammar translation and audiolingual methods. A lot of drilling took place in the English classroom, as supposed speaking activities. That means that teachers did not encourage students to communicate meaningfully in pair work situations. My research examines ways to improve oral communication not only for classroom use, but also outside the classroom, for young Emirati students who are learning English as a foreign language. The intent here was to create and foster confidence in speaking for the students. This study was carried out in a government primary school for girls, in the United Arab Emirates. The participants in this investigation were Grade Five students. It is my firm belief that effective language learning takes place through interacting with peers in communicative contexts. This situation allows students to use the target language in a natural context, and it gradually helps them to become better target language users. The following questions guide this study: o o o o

Can oral communication skills be enhanced by using pair work in the EFL classroom in the UAE? What are some advantages and the disadvantages of using pair work strategies? What effect does the use of oral tasks during pair work have on students’ interest and attitude? What are some effective instructional strategies that promote pair work activities?

Literature Review As the topic of this research is about exploring the advantages and disadvantages of implementing oral communicative pair work strategies, the literature review is divided into the following three themes: communicative language teaching, pair work, and instructional strategies.

Communicative Language Teaching First, with regard to oral communication, Richards and Rogers (1986) quoting La Forge (1983), declare that oral communication “is more than just a message being transmitted from a speaker to a listener; the speaker is at the same time both subject and object of his own message” (p. 91). The goal of this skill is to have the ability to understand the spoken language, and to provide a meaningful reply in the target language. In terms of teaching language in a communicative context, Richards and Rogers (1986) believe that communicative language teaching encourages the learners to communicate using

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the taught language. Furthermore, Curtain and Dahlberg (2004) assert that in a communicative perspective, the meaning is more important that the form. Secondly, since oral communication tasks are important in learning a language, the significance of the communicative approach should be considered. Richard and Rodgers (1986) declare that “the communicative approach in language teaching starts from a theory of language as communication” (p. 159). The aim of this approach is to communicate and interact through the language.

Pair work Pair work is an important component of the communicative approach, and is also a form of collaborative learning. Moon (2000) defines pair work as a strategy “to organize them (students) in ways that will maximize opportunities for learning” (p.53). Pair work means that students collaborate with their pairs to accomplish tasks and reach its aim. Lightbown and Spada (1999) state that in an interactive environment, children are able to advance to a higher level of knowledge and performance than they would be capable of independently. Working in pairs could help to promote meaningful interaction between the learners and as a result that will increase their interest. This view is echoed by Lightbown and Spada (1999) when they state that “positive attitudes and motivation are related to success in second language learning” (p. 56). Hence, introducing pair work is an effective strategy that could lead to success in language learning because it helps to increase students’ interest in term of the oral tasks. Pair work is therefore a valuable method to implement in EFL classrooms, and it has many advantages. Another advantage of pair work is that it gives learners more opportunities to use the language. It is “valuable in providing more opportunities for children to get more language exposure”, according to Moon (2000, p.54). Hence, students in pairs get the chance to interact frequently with the language and to express their ideas. Nunan (2003) states that “pair work....... activities can be used to increase the amount of time that learners get to speak in the target language during lessons” (p. 55). However, there are some possible problems in the use of pair work tasks. The first disadvantage is, as Harmer (2001) suggests, that “students in pairs can often veer away from the point of an exercise, talking about something else completely” (p.116). In addition, Moon (2000) suggests that pair work could lead to misbehavior and may distract students from effective learning. This issue could be avoided through implementing tasks that engage students fully, and that make the activity meaningful for them. Another possible disadvantage, as mentioned by Harmer (2001), is that working in pairs can be problematic when some students interact with peers who are linguistically weaker than them. However, I believe that teachers can organize the pairs in a balanced way so each student will get the benefit, and through monitoring, this situation could be avoided.

Instructional Strategies The final aspect of the literature under discussion here is the instructional strategies that foster pair work. The language teachers’ role is an essential factor that affects learning, and therefore it is important to define it clearly. According to Harmer (2001), the language teacher is a facilitator, a resource and a promoter for the students when they 20


are involved in communicative tasks. Similarly, Richards and Rodgers believe that the “teacher must move around the class helping students … giving feedback, encouraging the group to solve its own problems” (1986, p.199). So, the teacher is viewed as the one who motivates and scaffolds the students in the different stages of their learning. Additionally, Richards and Rodgers (1986), suggest that the language teacher’s role is to impose less disciplinary control, and to provide lessons for students to work cooperatively in. Furthermore, Harmer (2001) explains that teachers need to encourage students “to solve their own problems on their own or in pairs” (p. 57). This shows that teachers should take the role of observer and a participant as well because that will help them to give individual feedback that assists learners’ progress by being closely involved in their learning.

Methodology This is a small-scale, classroom-based action research project which focuses on investigating a classroom situation and trying to improve it by engaging in a continuous action-reflection-action cycle. Richards (2003) states that “Action research has two essential elements: to improve and to involve” (p.42). Teachers as researchers need to reflect on their teaching. According to Zeichner and Liston (1996), “Viewing teachers as reflective practitioners assumes that teachers can both pose and solve problems related to their educational practice” (p. 5). So, throughout this study, I was engaged in a continuous action-reflection-action cycle; therefore, I re-evaluated my teaching and was able to critically reflect upon the actions that required changing. The participants in this study are four female students in a Grade Five classroom. It was difficult during my school internship to collect accurate data from all the students in the class, as I was also simultaneously learning to teach as a student teacher; and therefore I chose to focus on a small mixed ability group of four students, according to their English language levels. To find out the effects on these four students of using pairwork, I used three different forms of data collection: observations, surveys, and interviews. Two types of observation were used, participant observer and non-participant observer. As a participant observer, I was engaged in various activities with my participants, and at other times, I was just a non-participant observer. A survey was used once before implementing pairwork for the first time to find out students’ opinions about speaking English and working in pairs, and again after implementing the pairwork activities. The surveys were also written in Arabic. Using surveys helped me understand students’ attitudes towards pair work activities. The participants were interviewed to find out mainly about their interest in oral tasks, and about the advantages and the disadvantages of working in pairs. This interview was conducted once and it took place during students’ free time. Each student was interviewed separately and the interviews were taped. Arabic was used in the interview to help students understand the questions well.

Data Analysis Examining the data, I concluded from my observation notes that most of the students were highly engaged, and they enjoyed working in pairs. The following observation 21


excerpt from my research notebook illustrates their interest (the activity was a discussion about a story in pairs): Student A and C seemed confident and focused while discussing the points with their pair. They are using the language in an appropriate way and speaking well using the target language. Student B and D were trying to cover all the points and they were interested in saying and listening to each other. Student A and C asked for extra points to discuss about the story when they finished the task. (13/3/2006) This indicates that these students are interested in, and motivated by, working with their friends. In addition, this suggests the importance of using communicative activities. During the interviews, I found that students were able to use the taught language outside of the classroom, and they were aware of putting into practice what they had learned. This was apparent in the following excerpt: Teacher:

Do you think that doing speaking tasks in the classroom helps you to speak English outside the classroom? (Give examples)

Student A:

Yes, I try to use some sentences to talk with my Filipino friend. For example, I use “What will you do in the weekend?” and “I would like to order beef burger.”

Student B:

Yes, I always talk with my maid in English and I use what I learn in the class, like “Can you......?”

Student C:

When I go a place that I need to speak English in it, for example, in the restaurants or markets I say “How much does it cost?” (2/4/2006)

This suggests that working on communicative tasks with a peer made students aware of the meaning of the taught language and more confident in using the language for outside conversations. While three of the students reported that they enjoyed pair work activities, one student, Student D, answered that “It does not help me”. Concerning the disadvantages of pair work tasks, it was found that the language proficiency level of the student could negatively affect her partner’s learning. A student may learn the incorrect answers from her peers. This was evident in the following excerpt from an interview: Teacher:

Do you prefer working with a weaker or a stronger student? Why?

Student A:

Yes, I prefer to work with good student. Weak students always use Arabic and say the questions in wrong way.

Student B:

When I work with some one weak, I get confuse between right and wrong sentences.

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Student C:

Yes, when I worked with (student D), I learnt from her wrong phrases.....I think if I was working with (student A). I will learn the right form.

Student D:

No, I like working with any one who is communicating well with me. (2/4/2006)

It is clear that student B, C, and A had the same feeling about interaction with a student who has a weaker level of proficiency in English. This seems to suggest that their feeling resulted from their fear of using the language incorrectly or getting confused about how to use it. A further disadvantage I found is that pair work takes a long time to organise and establish. This situation is shown clearly in the following excerpt from the researcher’s reflective notes on the role play lesson: The lesson went well at the beginning. Students A and D worked together to create a role-play, and they managed to present it. However, students B and C did not find time to present their play-role. They took too much time in writing their role-play and they were de-motivated because of that. For the next lesson, I need to give students more time in the first stage and to delay the next stage of the lesson. (25/3/2006) More time needs to be allocated for the pair work tasks in order to provide time for students to complete their work on time. In addition, during observations a few students were using the pair work time to chat to their friends, and that impacted on other students’ ability to concentrate. This is shown in the following excerpt from my observation notes: Student A and D are working together, saying the language correctly and concentrating well on the task. Student B was focusing while the teacher explained the task and seemed interested. However, when she started to work with student C, student C started to talk about her family and student B listened to her. Student A got annoyed with B and C’s loud voices. (20/3/2006) That shows that student C’s lack of focus affected her friend and prevented her from focusing the task and interacting with the language during the task. In addition, her negative attitude affected the students near her too. In this study, another theme which emerged from the data collected was the importance of clear teacher instructions. It was found that students needed to be clear about what they needed to do while working in pairs. Some students misunderstood the idea of working in pairs, and they thought of the activity as independent work. As I observed in the reflective notes that I wrote when the students were completing an oral survey in pairs: When student C and A were working on the pair task, student C was listening carefully to student A and giving her complete answers. However, student A did

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not pay attention to her friend when it was her turn and get busy with her paper. Therefore, as a next step, I will try to present the meaning of pair work again this week and the point of respecting and listening to each other carefully. (13/2/2006) It is the teacher’s role to present the concept of working in pairs clearly for the learners and to make sure they get it before starting the tasks. In addition, the observation notes indicate that when the students were clear about what to do, they were more focused on the tasks. This could be seen clearly from the observation notes that were taken by my mentor school teacher when students were doing a role-play: Students A and D are working on acting out their role-play and they are helping each other to produce the language in appropriate way. Student B is not listening to her friend (student C) and they seemed not to be talking to each other. Therefore, they did not present their play. Student A and D acted well in the role play. (26/2/2005) This evidence shows that when students were not cooperating with each other, the quality of their work was lower than that of the students who were working together. This had a negative effect on their use of the language and their learning time as well. In such instances, the teacher needs to take action during the lesson to improve the situation. A further finding that resulted from the student survey was that students needed their teacher as a resource during the oral tasks. This is what students stated in their survey in answer to the question: Question:

During working in pairs, do you think that you need your teacher’s interference sometimes?

Student A:

To tell us the wrong and the right about the language when speaking

Student B:

To ask her about things I do not know how to say it.

Student C:

I think that I can do the task alone.

Student D:

To help me in saying things.

Research Findings This research has investigated ways of enhancing oral communication skills by using pair work activities with young learners in an English language classroom in the UAE. By conducting this study, the researcher found that using these tasks is an effective strategy to follow in the EFL classroom, and it provides chances for students to learn the language in a meaningful way. The data shows that there are several advantages in using pairwork to enhance young learners’ oral communication skills. First, I found that students said that they were able 24


to use some of the language they had used during pairwork in the classroom for meaningful communication outside school in their daily lives. This might be a result of exposing them to the language in communicative situations. Furthermore, the students got the chance to learn from each other’s experience and knowledge about the language as they interacted meaningfully through the language. In terms of disadvantages, I found that some students disturbed their friends, by talking about other topics or by making noise. Mixed ability groupings also contributed to some problems, such as when some students were using incorrect forms of the language with their peers. As a result, some students sometimes learned the incorrect language when they worked with weaker students. Regarding the role of the teacher when conducting oral pairwork activities, I found that the teacher needs to present the idea of working in pairs clearly before starting the tasks. Otherwise, students can misunderstand the requirements of the task. Secondly, the teacher needs to be a facilitator and to observe and monitor the students closely during the lesson and to intervene to resolve any situation that hinders students from accomplishing the tasks. In additions, it was found that students needed to use their teacher as a resource, as she supported their learning with her knowledge.

Conclusion This research has been important because the development of students’ oral language skills is a neglected situation in UAE government schools. Action was taken to discover the effect of using oral pairwork tasks during my teaching practice placement. Action research is a powerful way for teachers to highlight and investigate any educational problems that appear in their classroom. This is because teachers can implement strategies to overcome the situation and collect data to analyse and understand the results of their actions. After conducting this study, I highly recommend English language teachers to use pair work to develop their young students’ oral skills. It helps students to use the language in meaningful contexts. Teachers also must remember the importance of giving clear input for their students before asking them to work in pairs. I enjoyed conducting this research and it helped me to discover the advantages, as well as some disadvantages, of using pairwork activities in a UAE school classroom.

References Curtain, H. & Dahlberg, C. A. (2004). Language and children: Making the match. N e w York: Pearson Education. Harmer, J. (2001). The practice of English language teaching. London: Longman. Lightbown, P., & Spada, N. (1999). How language are learned. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Moon, J. (2000). Children learning English. Oxford: Macmillan Heinemann Publishers. 25


Nunan, D. (2003). Practical English language teaching. New York: McGraw-Hill. Richards, J. & Rodgers, T. (1986). Approaches and methods in language teaching: A description and analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Richards, J. (2003). Understanding communication in second language classrooms. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Zeichner, K., & Liston, D. (1996). Reflective teaching: An introduction. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

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