Benjawan Praphantateva. The effectiveness of implementing classroom tasks : a comparative case study of the effect of informing or not informing mathayom suksa one learners of the objectives of the task. Master's Degree(Applied Linguistics). Mahidol University. Mahidol University Library and Knowledge Center. : Mahidol University, 2009.
The effectiveness of implementing classroom tasks : a comparative case study of the effect of informing or not informing mathayom suksa one learners of the objectives of the task
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of implementing
classroom tasks in a comparative case study concerning the practice of informing and
not informing learners of the objectives of the task. An experimental study was
conducted to collect quantitative and qualitative data from Mathayom Suksa One
learners at a secondary school in Lopburi, Thailand. Two hundred subjects were
divided into two treatment groups, the experimental group (n = 100) and the control
group (n = 100), and the groups were given two different treatments: a) the
experimental group was informed of the objectives of the task; and b) the control
group was not informed of the objectives of the task. Subjects of both groups took a
pre-test and a post-test to assess their progress in English. During the study, classes
were observed to see if and how the teacher informed learners of the objectives of the
task. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were then conducted to collect the
data about the learners attitudes toward implementing the tasks. The K-R 20 of the
pre-test and post-test was 0.85, and the Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient of the
questionnaires was 0.87. Data were analyzed by mean, standard deviation, and t test.
The results of this research were as follows. First of all, both groups improved
significantly on their post-tests, as compared to their pre-tests. Secondly, the
improvement in the post-test scores of the experimental group (M = 2.46, SD = 3.05)
was higher than the improvement in the post-test scores of the control group (M =
2.06, SD = 3.05). Lastly, the experimental group had a more positive attitude toward
implementing classroom tasks, although they faced many problems when they were
trying to complete their tasks.