A descriptive study on the implementation of the communicative approach's learner-centered learning in speaking, writing, and reading classrooms at De La Salle University Manila's Center for Language Learning (CELL)

• Main Authors: Paredes, Ana Blanca, Salomon, Patrick Oliver
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2004
• Subjects: Student-centered learning > Philippines; Language and Literacy Education
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/4899
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study is a descriptive research on the implementation of learner-centered learning in speaking, writing, and reading classes at De La Salle University (DLSU) - Manila's Center for Language Learning (CELL);"The study consists of an observation of the learner-centeredness of the following areas: classroom atmosphere, content and materials, classroom objectives, learners' roles, and teachers' roles in several classes at CELL. A total of 11 classes were observed, including 6 speaking classes, 3 writing classes, and 2 reading classes. The participants of the process were composed of the several teachers and students in the participating classes at CELL. The following research questions were investigated: What is the extent of learner-centered learning at CELL in terms of (a) classroom atmosphere, (b) content and materials, (c) classroom objectives, (d) learners' roles, and (d) teacher's roles, be described within the DLSU CELL context? The results for this research question showed that a great majority of the learner-centered characteristics investigated in the areas above were dominantly present in the classes observed, where they were dominantly present 85.96% of all characteristics in speaking classes, 79.05% of all writing classes, and 56.57% of all speaking classes. This illustrates the extent of the learner-centered characteristics distinguished in the classes at CELL. What learner-centered activities do teachers use? For this research question, it was determined that the following activities are those used by teachers at CELL: Free-talk, conversing with one another about a topic given by the teacher, conversing with one another in different social contexts, pronouncing newly learnt words and phrases in the correct manner, and pronouncing different expressions so as to portray particular emotions for speaking classes. For writing classes, the activities include writing about personal feelings, beliefs, or people and things in one's life, writing about how one uses one's interpretation when writing about something, completing grammar exercises on different grammar rules and structures, and checking the answers of the grammar exercises with one another within the classroom. Reading a particular text to enhance reading skills, discussing the text in order to share one's understanding of it with the fellow classmates, and recognizing new words and finding out their meaning were the activities in the reading classes. What perceived advantages and limitations do teachers observe in relation to the implementing of learner-centered learning at CELL? Through this research question, it was found out that the perceived advantages of learner-centeredness in all classes were that the learner-centered classroom provided the students a venue to practice and develop their skills in the language the students sometimes had a chance to decide what they wanted to learn in their classes and that the teachers always made sure that the students' well-being and needs came first. The teachers always treated their students as respected friends, thus lessening any apprehension the students may have learning at CELL. The several perceived limitations for the teachers in these classes included the frequently mischievous behavior of several students in the kind of less-structured, free-flowing classrooms and the fact that the teachers were given limited freedom to decide the different activities in their curriculum that they would like to tackle with their set of students. Based on the results of the study, the documentation of learner-centeredness at CELL brought about many positive findings of learner-centered learning at the center and for language, and 'English as a Foreign Language' (EFL) learners. Learner-centered learning at CELL, therefore, confirmed that learner-centered learning truly puts students' needs before all else in the language classroom."