Tímarit um menntarannsóknir - 01.01.2009, Page 120

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Tímarit um menntarannsóknir, 6. árgangur 2009
Samúel Lefever
Very similar results were reported in the
survey of grade 10 teachers done by Helga
Sigurjónsdóttir (2006). Just under half of the
teachers (48%) said they used English “very
often” in the classroom while 11% said they
“seldom” spoke English during lessons. Fewer
than 4% of the teachers said they “always”
used English in the classroom.
These results show that English is not widely
used by the teachers and even less by the pupils
during lessons. But the situation seems to be
better in grade 5 where a greater percentage
of pupils reported higher amounts of English
use by the teachers and the pupils. As seen
in Figure 1, three-fourths of grade 5 pupils in
the 2006 study by Lovísa Kristjánsdóttir, et
al. reported that their teachers used English
“always” or “often” during lessons. However,
the reports by the pupils may be overly positive
since they are not supported by teachers’ own
reports regarding English use in the classroom.
In the study by Auður Torfadóttir (2003), just
under half of the grade 5 teachers reported
using English “always” or “often” during
lessons.
Using English in the classroom is clearly
challenging for teachers, especially those who
have not been specially trained as English
teachers, as can be seen in the surveys of
teachers in grades 1-4 and grades 5-7 (Lefever,
2008b). According to their responses, teachers
in grades 5-7 used English more often in the
classroom than the teachers in grades 1-4. Well
over half of the teachers in grades 5-7 (64%)
said they used English from 20% - 60% of the
time during lessons, whereas approximately
half of the teachers in grades 1-4 (51%) said
they used English less than 40% of the time
during lessons (Figure 2).
Assessment methods
The National Curriculum Guide for foreign
languages emphasizes new views towards
assessment that place the learner at the center.
As stated in the curriculum guide, assessment
should assist learners in their learning and
motivate them to excel. It should also provide
information to learners, teachers, parents, and
school authorities about pupil’s learning and
check whether the curriculum objectives are
Figure 2. How much English do teachers speak in the classroom?
Figure 1. English use in the classroom
Figure 2. How much English do teachers speak in the classroom?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Gr s 9
& 10
Grade 5 Grades 9
& 10
Grade 5 Grades 9
& 10
Grade 5
Teacher uses
English
Pupils answer in
English
Pupils speak English
with each other
Always
Often
Sometimes
Seldom
No answer
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
0-20 20-40 40-60 60-80 80-100
Percentage of the lesson
Grades 1-4
Grades 5-7