The Impact of Student-Centered Instruction on EFL Learners’ Affect and Achievement

Abstract

This study explored the relative effect of student- and teacher-centered instruction on EFL freshmen’s affect (anxiety, motivation, attitude, autonomy, self-efficacy and beliefs about English and its learning) and achievement. Two classes of English department freshmen at Shaqra University, KSA participated in the study. Students in the two classes completed a questionnaire probing the target affective variables. An independent t-test proved that the two classes were homogenous in affective variables before the treatment. The treatment class was taught according to student-centered instruction for an academic year. The control class was taught the same courses according to the conventional teacher-centered instruction. The students completed the questionnaire probing their affect. A composite mark of final exam marks of three courses was used as an index of achievement. Analyses of independent sample t-test proved that the treatment class outperformed the control class in all affective variables (except for instrumental motivation) and achievement.

Teachers’ perspectives on promoting learner autonomy for vocabulary development: A case study

“…The findings from Dr. Khlood's autonomous learning classroom indicate that learner autonomy opens up great opportunities for student engagement in learning because it is a developmental process that requires effort from both the students and the teacher. It is also evident from Dr. Khlood's classroom observation that she had created a student-centered atmosphere, where she encouraged students' inventiveness, contribution, and self-evaluation, which increases student engagement in learning (e.g., Hargreaves, 2014;Kassem, 2019;Kristmanson et al, 2013;Li, 2015;Yeung, 2016). Dr. Khlood fostered autonomy approaches that prepared her students to do a critical reflection of given texts and independent learning choices, which assisted them in "transferring what they have learned to other contexts of learning" (Pichugova et al, 2016, p. 2).…”

University Students’ Perceptions of Motivation, Attitude, and Self-Efficacy in Online English Language Learning

“…Likewise, Cocca and Cocca (2019) discovered the positive association of students' achievement with their motivational intensity, attitude towards English, desire to learn it, opinion of English native speakers, and the quality of the English course. However, realising the cultural difference and, often, boundaries in ESL classes, Cocca and Cocca (2019) called for more culturally enriching, studentcentred classes to further enhance students' proficiency, which echoed Kassem's (2018) assertion that student-centred tasks directly affected learners' English performance, motivation, attitude, level of anxiety, autonomy, self-efficacy and beliefs. It is due to these cultural differences that, at times, there was no clear, direct relationship between the factors in online learning motivation, such as observed by Rafiee and Abbasian-Naghneh (2019), who reported complex relationships between the perceived usefulness and ease of use, e-learning motivation, online communication selfefficacy, and acceptance and readiness of e-learning.…”

Exploring the Impact of Ineffective Formal Communication between Teachers and Students: A Case Study of Mustaqbal University and Jubail University College, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

“…As one participant stated, "As a teacher, I focus on the use of both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication; sometimes, I utilize blackboards and JUC emails for announcements and online practices." Teachers, therefore, should focus on implementing non-verbal forms of communication, on reaching out to students who may have issues with verbal communication (Albaiz, 2016;Kassem, 2019;Alrabai, 2017b). Thus, the implementation of non-verbal communication such as gestures maintains eye contact; facial expressions would be effective in improving the communication process.…”