CC BY
1ENGAGING HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS INTO CLASSROOM DISCUSSION
ALMAGUL NURGALIYEVA
English teacher, Astana, Kazakhstan
Annotation. In the modern educational process, much attention is paid to methods aimed at reducing anxiety, increasing student engagement and confidence, and improving their academic performance. Despite the relevance of the topic, no comprehensive studies have previously been conducted to assess the effectiveness of such methods in the context of high school in Kazakhstan. This study was aimed at filling this gap and determining the effectiveness of reflective writing, dialogic interaction, and collaborative learning among 11th-grade students.
The study was conducted during the second quarter of the school year and included 39 students who participated in an online survey and were observed during class. The results showed that all three methods contributed to a significant decrease in anxiety, student engagement, and students ' academic performance increased significantly.
Thus, the results of the study confirm that reflective writing, dialogic interaction, and collaborative learning have a positive impact on students' educational outcomes. These methods can be recommended for wider use in school practice to improve the effectiveness of learning and create a supportive learning environment.
Keywords: classroom discussion, reflective writing, dialogic interaction, collaborative learning
1. Introduction
This study examines the impact of reflective writing, dialogic interaction, and collaborative learning on students' anxiety levels and their participation in classroom discussions. The problem addressed in the study is that many students experience significant anxiety when learning a foreign language, which negatively affects their academic performance and desire to actively participate in the learning process. The topic is relevant because reducing anxiety and increasing student engagement is one of the priority tasks of modern education. The results of this study might be useful for teachers, foreign language instructors, and educational psychologists, as they will provide specific recommendations for reducing anxiety and improving students' academic achievement.
2. Literature Review
A variety of sources on reducing student anxiety, using reflective writing, dialogic interaction, and collaborative learning have been analysed. The following themes are addressed in this section: reducing anxiety through creating a supportive environment, using reflective writing to increase engagement, dialogic interaction as a way to improve student achievement, and collaborative learning to increase student confidence.
2.1. Reducing Anxiety by Creating a Supportive Environment
The problem of anxiety in foreign language classrooms is one of the most significant in pedagogy. Kaneko (2016) in her work emphasizes that high anxiety in students can significantly reduce their ability to learn a new language. The author notes that one of the key factors in reducing anxiety is creating a supportive learning environment, which includes the use of positive feedback and reducing the pressure on students during the learning process (p. 202). Similar conclusions are made by Reid (n.d.). She notes that providing time for reflection before discussion helps students reduce stress and prepare for active participation in discussions, which also reduces their anxiety levels (para. 2). Both studies confirm the importance of creating conditions that contribute to reducing anxiety as a key aspect of successful learning.
2.2. Using Reflective Writing to Increase Engagement
Reflective writing is becoming an increasingly popular tool for increasing student engagement in the classroom. Gallagher (2018) in her article "Using Reflective Writing as a Learner Tool in Discussion Class" analyses in detail how reflective writing helps students think
more thoughtfully about the topics they are learning. The author emphasizes that this method promotes a deeper understanding of the material and allows students to express their thoughts in a more structured way, which ultimately leads to their more active participation in discussions (p. 99). Kaneko (2016) also points to the usefulness of reflective writing, noting that it helps reduce student anxiety by allowing students to work through their thoughts and ideas before sharing them with the class (p. 199). These findings indicate that reflective writing can play a key role in reducing anxiety and increasing student engagement.
2.3. Dialogic interaction as a way to improve learning achievement
Dialogic interaction between teacher and students is considered an important tool for improving learning quality. Juuti, Loukomies and Lavonen (2020) found that dialogic teaching methods, in which the teacher actively involves students in the discussion process, contribute to increasing their interest in the subject matter and improving learning achievement (p. 1539). According to the study, students show greater interest and participate more actively in situations where they are given the opportunity to speak up and ask questions. This approach, according to Juuti et al., creates conditions for a deeper understanding of the material and increases student motivation.
2.4. Collaborative Learning to Boost Student Confidence
Mundlesee and Jurkowski (2021) analysed the impact of collaborative learning on students' participation in class discussions. They found that the think-pair-share method enables students better articulate their thoughts, which increases their confidence in participating in whole-class discussions (p. 9). The study also shows that working in pairs before a group discussion allows students to feel more comfortable and confident as they have the opportunity to discuss their ideas with a partner before presenting them to the class (p. 8). This supports Kaneko's (2016) findings that reducing anxiety increases student engagement in the learning process. 3. Methodology
This study used a combined survey and observation methodology to examine the impact of different teaching methods on grade 11 students. The study was conducted during the second quarter of the academic year and involved 39 students who completed an online survey and were observed as part of their regular classes.
The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of methods to reduce anxiety, increase engagement, confidence and interest among senior school students. To achieve this, several key teaching methods were selected, such as reflective writing, dialogic interaction and collaborative learning, which have previously been shown to be effective in the literature.
The target group of the study was a total of 39 grade 11 students. Convenience sampling was used because of the ease access of the participants (Creswell, 2012). All participants were volunteers and gave their consent to participate in the study. The students represented different levels of achievement, which allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of the selected methods on different groups of students.
Observation: During the second quarter of the school year, the researcher conducted systematic observations of the participants during lessons where the study teaching methods were used. The observations were aimed at identifying changes in the students' anxiety, engagement, confidence, and interest. Changes were assessed based on observed behaviors such as active participation in discussions, expression of ideas, and willingness to interact with classmates.
Survey: At the end of the second quarter, an online survey was administered to all study participants. The survey included questions aimed at assessing students' perceptions of th e chosen teaching methods and their impact on personal learning achievement. The survey questions were designed to allow students to express their opinions on each of the aspects: decreased anxiety, increased engagement, confidence, and interest. Examples of questions included: "How do you rate your anxiety level in lessons after using reflective writing?" and "Do you feel more confident in participating in discussions after working in pairs?"
Data Analysis: The results of the observations and surveys were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. For each of the studied aspects, the average change rates were determined and the data were compared with the results presented in the literature. The obtained data allowed us to draw conclusions about which methods are most effective in achieving the set goals.
The Google Forms platform was used to conduct the online survey, which made it possible to conveniently collect and analyse student responses. Observations were conducted using standardised observation protocols, which included criteria for assessing student behavior in the classroom.
All study participants were informed about the goals and objectives of the study, as well as the confidentiality of the data obtained. Participation was voluntary, and students could refuse to participate at any time without any consequences for their learning process.
The methodology used allowed to obtain reliable data on the impact of reflective writing, dialogic interaction and collaborative learning on reducing anxiety, increasing engagement, confidence and interest of students. The results of the study were compared with the findings presented in the literature, which allowed us to draw reasonable conclusions about the high effectiveness of the selected teaching methods. 4. Results and Discussion
This section presents the results of a study conducted on the use of reflective writing, dialogic interaction and collaborative learning in classrooms. The study included a survey of students, observations of their behavior in the classroom and an analysis of the level of anxiety, engagement and academic achievement. The data obtained are compared with the results presented in the literature to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
The study was conducted among high school students studying foreign languages. It involved 39 students in three groups. Each group studied a foreign language using one of the methods:
Group 1: Using reflective writing.
Group 2: Dialogic interaction.
Group 3: Collaborative learning.
The following characteristics were measured:
• The level of anxiety before and after the lesson.
• The level of student engagement (based on the number of active participants and their involvement in discussions).
• Academic achievement (based on the results of tests) (Table 1).
Table 1: The effectiveness of methods
Methods Reduction in Anxiety (%) Increase in Engagement (%) Improved academic performance (%)
Reflective writing 30 15 20
Dialogic interaction 20 25 12
Collaborative 25 20 15
learning
1. Reduction in Anxiety
At the beginning of the study, the anxiety levels of the students in each group were measured before and after the use of the respective methods. Graph 1 shows that all three groups showed a significant reduction in anxiety levels after the use of the methods. The greatest reduction was recorded in the reflective writing group, where the anxiety level decreased by 30%. This is in line with the findings of Kaneko (2016), who emphasized the effectiveness of reflective writing in reducing students' anxiety.
2. Increase in Engagement
The second aspect that was assessed was the engagement of students in the learning process. The number of students actively participating in discussions and their quality of participation were assessed. Graph 2 shows that all three methods contributed to an increase in student engagement. However, the most significant increase in engagement was observed in the group using dialogic interaction (+25% active participants). This confirms the findings of the study by Juuti et al. (2020), where dialogue methods were highly effective in increasing student interest and engagement. 3. Improved academic performance
The third aspect is academic performance. Students' test scores were assessed before and after the methods were applied. Graph 3 shows that the application of all three methods resulted in improved performance. The group using collaborative learning demonstrated the greatest increase in test scores (+15%). These findings are consistent with the findings of Mundlesee and Jurkowski (2021), who highlighted the positive impact of collaborative learning on students' confidence and performance.
5. Limitations and recommendation for future research
One of the limitations of the study is the small sample size (39 students), which may limit the generalizability of the results to a wider population of students. Moreover, the study was conducted during one academic term, which may not reflect the long-term effects of the teaching methods used. Therefore, future work is necessary to establish these limitations.
6. Conclusion
The study showed that reflective writing, dialogic interaction, and collaborative learning have a significant positive impact on students' anxiety, engagement, and academic performance. These methods have proven effective as stand-alone tools, but the best results can be achieved when they are used in combination. Future work should consider integrating these methods into everyday teaching practices to create a more supportive and effective learning environment.
1. Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
2. Gallagher, N. (2018). Using Reflective Writing as a Learner Tool in Discussion Class. New Directions in Teaching and Learning English Discussion, 6, 94-101.
3. Juuti, K., Loukomies, A., & Lavonen, J. (2020). Interest in Dialogic and Non-Dialogic Teacher Talk Situations in Middle School Science Classroom. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 181, 1531-1546. DOI:10.1007/s10763-019-10031-2
4. Kaneko, A. (2016). An Attempt to Reduce Students' Language Anxiety in Foreign Language Classrooms. Education, Linguistics, 197-205.
5. Mundelsee, L., & Jurkowski, S. (2021). Think and pair before share: Effects of collaboration on students' in-class participation. Learning and Individual Differences, 88, 1-11. DOI: 10.1016/j .lindif.2021.102015
6. Reid, E.S. (n.d.). Engaging Students in Discussion. George Mason University. https://stearnscenter.gmu.edu/knowledge-center/student-engagement-classroom-managment/engaging-students-in-discussion/
REFERENCES
