Socio-cultural Factors Challenging Classroom Interaction in Multilingual EFL Classrooms and Instructional Strategies for Overcoming the Challenges

by Open Science Repository Language and Linguistics
(September 2013)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the socio-cultural factors challenging classroom interaction in multilingual English classroom and to suggest possible instructional strategies for overcoming those challenges. The subjects used for the study were all (16) EFL teachers and 93 (20%) of their English students (from 1st to 3rd year) selected by stratified random sampling from Awassa and Hossana Colleges of Teachers’ Education, SNNPR. The descriptive research design was used to conduct this study using both the quantitative and qualitative research techniques. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaire which was administered to both students and teachers, reflection checklist which was administered only to teachers and by using direct classroom observation checklist. On the other hand, the qualitative data were collected through face-to-face interview to teachers and with the qualitative parts of the questionnaire. The result indicated that there were socio-cultural factors challenging EFL classroom interaction in multilingual English classroom that emanate from the social, cultural and linguistic diversity of students. These challenge include students’ incapability to use English for delivering conversation, asking questions, making presentation…in English and their EFL teachers’ ineffectiveness to overcome the challenges. The challenges exert negative impacts on English language teaching/learning process in those classrooms such as students’ lack of communicative English competence, lower academic achievement and impediment in cooperative learning that call for appropriate instructional strategies. Based on the findings, therefore, effective instructional strategies such as using the content familiar to diverse students’ backgrounds, creating situations and motivating students to use English, assigning students in groups from heterogeneous backgrounds (for cooperative learning), using visuals and multiple mode of assessment were recommended as solutions to overcome the challenges.

Keywords: socio-cultural factors, EFL, multilingual classroom setting, instructional strategies.

Full text

Socio-cultural Factors Challenging Classroom Interaction in Multilingual EFL Classrooms and Instructional Strategies for Overcoming the Challenges