STUDENTS AS RESEARCHERS
What makes a lesson
enjoyable to a Year 8?
A report by
Elizabeth (Age 13)
Year 8
6/30/2009
This report shows what Year 8 students enjoy in lessons and how they would like their
lessons to be. The feelings of a wide range of Year 8’s are shown in this report with a large
sum of 81 Year 8’s answering the questionnaire. I wanted to speak to and find out students
views without it having the opinion of the student next to them or the teacher. From my
research I found out lots of students opinions did not back each other up. I found this
research project an interesting subject to look at as it varied from what I thought. I set out to
find out ‘What made a lesson enjoyable to a Year 8?’ I have now finished and found out
three main points.
1
Contents
Page
Number
Title Page
1
Contents
2
Abstract
1
Introduction
3
Method
3
Findings
4
Discussion
12
Conclusion
12
Bibliography
12
Appendices
13
2
Introduction
What do you think makes a lesson fun? - Do you think this is different to what a Year 8
thinks? Everyone must enjoy some lessons but what are these and what do they include? I
have based my research on Yr 8’s and what they think of different activities and subjects. I
used a questionnaires and interviews hoping that the findings from these would then be
backed up in the observations. I wanted to find out whether it would be possible to have
students in a lesson both smiling and learning. This could be in any subject completing any
activity.
I looked for present research done but what I found was for all of KS3 and in History
lessons. The report stated that: ‘Pupils particularly enjoyed ‘interactive’ activities, such as
role play, drama, making presentations, discussion, debate and making things. The most
popular interactive activities were role play, discussion and debate, and group work.’
(Harris, and Haydn, 2006)
Methodology
I wanted to speak and find out students views without it having the opinion of the student
next to them or the teacher. So I decided to plan a questionnaire. They would only have to
take part if the wanted to and there name must not be anywhere on the sheet. These questions
were some of those asked to students:
1. What makes a lesson enjoyable?
2. Why does this make a lesson enjoyable?
3. If the lesson is enjoyable for you do you…(Please circle)
A. Learn more than in an not enjoyable lesson
B. Learn the same as a lesson that is not enjoyable
C. Learn less than if the lesson is not enjoyable
I gave 81 Year 8’s the chance to complete the questionnaire as I did not want them to
complete it if they did not want to. I handed the questionnaire to all 81 Year 8 students as
they all wanted to complete it. For ethical reasons they were told not to write there name on
and the sheets would be destroyed when I have finished the project. They completed it in
class in silence. I collected the completed questionnaire of them as soon as they were
finished. I then took them home and looked at them.
From these I made a structured interview containing 17 questions. These questions were
what I wanted to find out from reading the questionnaires. Vicky and I interviewed 14
random Year 8 students. (To do this I walked along the maths corridor and asked for two
Year 8’s from every tutor group.) Each interview lasted no longer than 5 minutes and was in
tutor time. Then I decided I needed to back this up with what really happens in a lesson.
3
So I planned to do an observation of two Year 8 classes. These were Geography and History.
I asked them to plan there lesson so the first half had an activity students said they like from
the questionnaire and for the second half something students said they didn’t like. This
meant that I could see if what they said was true.
Observation 1:
I went to observe a Year 8 Geography lesson. Instructions were given at the start of the
lesson and sheets were given out. They were told to record information on the sheet from the
video they were about to watch for the first half hour. Then they would work in groups to
answer in the quickest time and with the most detail. 5 minutes before the end I set up five
cups at the front of the classroom with opinions. They put a token in the cup that best
summed up the lesson for them. The cups were: very enjoyable, enjoyable, ok, unenjoyable,
very unenjoyable. (Red token for video and purple token for group work.) There were a total
of 28 students present.
Observation 2:
I went to observe a Year 8 history lesson. Instructions were given at the start of the lesson for
the first five minutes. They were then to get on with their group work. 10 minutes later they
were asked to swap leaders so they could help other groups. Then 5 minutes later they were
moved backed and told to continue with there group work. At the end of the lesson I asked
them to put a red token in the cup which best summed up their thoughts on group work and a
purple one for group work. The cups were: very enjoyable, enjoyable, ok, unenjoyable, very
unenjoyable. There were a total of 23 students present.
Findings:
From my research I found out lots of opinions of students not all of these backed each other
up.
Questionnaire findings part 1
One of the questions in the questionnaire was what makes a lesson enjoyable to you? (A
Year 8)
What make a lesson enjoyable to a yr 8? n=81
0%
7%
Listening to music
25%
Drama
Video
26%
Independent work
Group work
0%
11%
Other
31%
None
Observation cups:
4
I found that
drama and
listening to
music were the
most enjoyable.
When I observed the Geography class that were watching a video I did not think they would
enjoy this very much because not many people said the liked this in the questionnaire but
when they put the tokens in a cup 39% said that the video was very enjoyable and 43% said
it was enjoyable.
Opinions of students on an observed year 8 geography lesson n=28
12
10
8
Amount of students 6
4
2
0
Very
Enjoyable
Enjoyable
Ok
Unenjoyabl
Very
e
Unenjoyabl
Video
11
12
3
0
2
Group Work
9
8
7
2
2
Questionnaire findings part 2
In the questionnaires I also asked
If the lesson is enjoyable for you do you… (Please circle)
A. Learn More than in an not enjoyable lesson
B. Learn the same as a lesson that is not enjoyable
C. Learn less than if the lesson is not enjoyable
62% of Year 8 students said that if the lesson
is enjoyable they learn more.
17% of Year 8 students said they learnt the
same amount.
21% of students said they learn less in an
enjoyable lesson.
Year 8 favourite subjects n=81
Drama
English
1%
History
0%
Questionnaire findings part 3
10%
In the questionnaires I also asked
7%
Science
28%
Maths
Philosophy
1%
Geography
What subject do you find the most
enjoyable & why?
Subject:
Languages
12%
31%
5
1%
5% 1%
2%
0% 1%
P.E.
ADT
Music
Art
Business
None
Reason for choice:
There was a general opinion that Drama and P.E. were the favourite subjects. As Drama had
28% of the vote and P.E had 31% of the vote.
Questionnaire findings part 4
The last question in the questionnaires I chose to analyse was...
On a scale of 1-10(1= not at all & 10 = very) do you think sitting with your friends makes a
lesson enjoyable to
Does sitting with friends for a year eight make the lesson
a Year 8?
enjoyable?(1=not, 10= very)
1%
0% 1%
0%
2%
5%
1%
1
2
19%
3
4
5
50%
6
7
8
9
10
From this I could
tell that 50%
thought a lesson
was very enjoyable
if they sat with their
friends.
1% thought that
sitting with their
friends made a
lesson not
enjoyable.
21%
Observation cups
From observation two, a History lesson, I found out that group work was enjoyed but when
they had to swap leader to help other groups this was not enjoyed.
Chart to show what a yr 8 class thought of a lesson n=23
14
12
10
8
Number of students
6
4
2
Group work
0
Swapping
leader
Very enjoyable
Enjoyable
Ok
Unenjoyable
Opinion of student
6
Very
unenjoyable
Observation set students
In both observations I then focused on four students in more detail with their permission.
Every five minutes I looked at what they were doing at the time and recorded this in a table.
Class One- Geography
Watching Video
Person
5mins
10mins
15mins
20mins
25mins
30mins
Engaged and
taking notes
Engaged
Engaged
1
Engaged
Engaged
Engaged and
taking notes
2
Talking
Engaged
Engaged
Day dreaming
Engaged and taking notes
Talking off task
3
Fiddling
Engaged
Engaged
Engaged and taking notes
4
Engaged
Engaged
Engaged
Engaged
Engaged and
taking notes
Engaged
Looking behind
Engaged and taking
notes
10mins
15mins
20mins
25mins
30mins
On task
Off task- out of
seat
Engaged
Engaged
Silent
Distracting others and
attention seeking
Day dreaming
Distracting others and
attentions seeking
Engaged
On task
Group work
task
Person
1
2
3
4
5mins
Engaged
Talking
on task
Talking
off task
Talking
on task
Observation 2
Minutes into task/
into lesson
Collecting work
Talking off task and
across room
Working out of
seat
Working out of
seat
Looking behind
and silent
Working
Working
Talking on task
Person 1
Chewing pen
Out of seat on
task
Person 2
Person 3
Person 4
First part of group work and instructions
5mins/ 5mins
Silent
Giggling
Leant back silent
Out of seat
10mins/ 10mins
Silent
Silent
Out of seat off task
Daydreaming
15mins/15mins
Silent
Silent
Examining card
Out of seat
Talking off task
Moaning at other
students
Talking off task
across room
Leader swapped to help other groups
5mins/ 20mins
Discussing
Leader back & carrying on with group work
5mins/25mins
Music Lesson
5mins/30mins
5mins/35mins
Music Lesson
Music Lesson
Chewing gum &
Working
talking across class
Working
Working
Working
Doodling
7
Talking of task
Working
Working
5mins/40mins
Music Lesson
5mins/45mins
5mins/50mins
Music Lesson
Return without
distracting
Working whilst
trying to ignore
others
Talking on task
Talking over
teacher
Cutting paper on
task
Off task talking
Working
Working whilst
teacher talking
Off task out of seat
Day dreaming
Observation whole class comments
Whilst in the observations I recorded notes and then put these into subheadings to analyse.
By grouping the data like this you can easily see what happened in the lesson and whether
this is positive or negative.
Observation 1
Part 1 Video
Talking before start
‘Uhh’ when students told to watch a video
Talking as soon as video started
Talking over instructions
Pen clicking
Fiddling
Whole class engaged
Giggling at video 5 minutes in
Silence 10mins in
A bit of whispering
Note taking
Looking at others work
Getting the attention of others
Part 2 Group work
Many students out of seats (For task)
Talking on task
Unsettled
Shouting
Loud talking across tables
Pen chucked
Rocking on chairs
Distracted by me
On task talking
Off task talking
Student told off and answered back
Most students look happy
Smiling
8
Encouragement from peers
Drawing on others Geography books
Chasing
Some not following rules (Stated at start)
More than one person out of seat per table when were not allowed
Pushing
Shoving
Tapping
Shouting
Laughing
All on task
Code Name
Example quotation
Speaking on task
‘Encouragement from peers’
Making noise off task
‘Loud talking across tables’
Off task movement
‘Pushing’
Completing task
‘Whole class engaged’
Happy
‘Laughing’
Actions that are not following the rules
‘Drawing on others Geography books’
Category name
Codes
Example Quotation
Negative
---
Positive
---
‘Drawing on others Geography
books’
‘Encouragement from peers’
Observation 2
First part of group work and instructions…
Count down ignored
Talking over teacher
Distracting others by being out of seat
Nearly all students silent whilst instructions
Discussing
Talking over teacher
All students listening
Talking over each other on task
Leaders trying to get their group focussed
9
Leader swapped to help other groups…
Students don’t look bothered of the change
Arguing
Discussion
Talking off task
Encouragement
Sharing ideas
Talking over teacher
Students trying to get the attention of students the other side of the class by shouting
Leader back & groups carrying on with work…
Smiling
Discussing
Some students not contributing
Off task out off seats
Calling miss
Arguing with teacher
Students working
Gone quiet
‘Alien’ talk
Working hard
Wasting paper
On task talking
Shouting across classroom
Tapping
Banging
Colouring
Chucking rubber
Back table working well
Focused
Rocking on chair
Out of seat off task
Talking about work
Working hard
Showing teacher work
High concentration levels
On task out off seat
Discussing with peers what the should do next
Out of seat off task
Distracting others by pulling faces
Teacher applauding work
Shouting across class
Out of seat of task
10
Not listening to countdown
Talking over teacher
11
Discussion
I am very pleased with my results and my work so far.
I found this research project an interesting subject to look at as it varied from what I thought.
The first part that I was surprised about was in the questionnaire. I thought that students
would like watching videos but only 11% thought this was enjoyable where as 31% thought
drama was the most enjoyable.
When I looked at the results of what lesson is the most enjoyable it was clear that drama and
P.E. was favourite which also surprised me as when we have drama lots of my class mates
just moan.
When I was observing the lesson that was watching the video students did seem to enjoy it. I
think this could have been for two reasons. 1) They could talk quietly and not be noticed
(Which you can see I picked up on in the observation whole class comment); 2). The video
was about destruction.
I found the observations most useful because what I saw was reality (talking, working and
focusing, see whole class comments) where as what students wrote may not be true. They
were also in real time and could have been improved if recorded.
If I had more time I would do the same research with other ages/ years. I would either look at
other years, sixth form, college or primary.
Conclusion
I set out to find out ‘What made a lesson enjoyable to a Year 8?’ I have now finished and
found out three main points.
1. Drama & P.E. are yr 8’s favourite subjects
2. Students do not like swapping their leaders round (Having the leader of their group to go
and help other groups.
3. Yr 8 students like working in groups.
I think teachers should ask their class what they enjoy and learn from and plan lessons
around this.
To take this research further I could look at how the enjoyment is affected by the relationship
with the teacher. “The relationship between the pupils and teacher was also an important
influence on pupils’ enjoyment. Pupils liked teachers who were fun and enthusiastic, but also
considered the way teachers talked to them to be important. This included both teachers’
ability to explain things and the way they addressed pupils.” Harris and Haydn, 2006
Bibliography
Harris, Richard and Haydn, Terry. University of Southampton and University of East
Anglia. The Curriculum Journal, 17(4), 2006 pp.315-333. [Accessed 22nd June 2009]
http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/research/themes/pupil_voice/History/enjoyable?collate=1
335971
12
Appendices:
Questionnaire
This questionnaire information will remain anonymous. Please do not write your name
anywhere on this sheet of paper. It is your choice to take part and you can choose not to.
The information collected goes to help are student research project “What makes a lesson
enjoyable?” Once we have finished the project all records will be destroyed.
Questionnaire –Students as researchers
1. What gender are you? (Please circle one)
Male
Female
2. What makes a lesson enjoyable?
3. Why does this make a lesson enjoyable?
4. If the lesson is enjoyable for you do you…(Please circle)
A. Learn More than in an not enjoyable lesson
B. Learn the same as a lesson that is not enjoyable
C. Learn less than if the lesson is not enjoyable
5. Do you think listening to music has an impact on the lesson?
(Please circle)
Yes / No
(If yes please specify the impact) Impact:
6. What’s the most enjoyable to have in a lesson? (Please circle one only)
Video
Drama
listening to music
Independent work
Group work
Other (Please specify) ____________________
7. What subject do you find the most enjoyable & why?
Subject:
Reason for choice:
8. What dangers are there if a lesson is enjoyable? (Please specify)
Dangers:
9. What do you think makes a lesson not enjoyable?
13
10.On a scale of 1 to 10 (1=Not at all, 10= Very) do you think sitting with your friends
makes a lesson enjoyable? (Please circle)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9
10
11. Why did you choose that certain number in question 10? (Give reason(s))
Reason(s):
Thank you, for taking part.
Interview (Questions):
Interviews SAR
What makes a lesson fun?
What do you think of drama?
Why do you think this?
Which cup?
What do you think of Business enterprise?
Why do you think this?
Which cup?
What do you think of Geography?
Why do you think this?
Which cup?
What do you think of P.E.?
Why do you think this?
Which cup?
What is your favourite subject?
Why?
What is your least favourite subject?
Why?
14
Thank You
Whole class observation sort tables
Code name
Example Quotation
Category name
Person 5mins
Code
10mins
15mins
Example quotation
20mins
15
25mins
30mins