Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language
environments beyond the classroom
Descriptive research at Van der Capellen Zwolle
Master of Education: U-TEAch programme
Supervision: prof. dr. Rick de Graaff
Marjolein. Haagsman, Rosalinde Muller, Simone Wassink
12-07-2013
Abstract
This research focuses on efficient methods that improve the motivation of pupils for getting in
contact with English language environments beyond the classroom. Being involved in these
environments stimulates the language acquisition process, and thus the content comprehension
of subjects taught in English. This research aims to indicate how teachers can actively be
involved in these environments. A pilot-interview was conducted with language teachers to find
possible methods in getting pupils involved in English environments beyond the classroom. These
results were incorporated in questionnaires for both bilingual teachers and learners to rate the
current use and effectiveness of these methods. This research reveals a discrepancy in the use of
English media between teachers and students at van der Capellen. We suggest that teachers
should connect more often to the learners’ use of English media to motivate them in English
language acquisition beyond the classroom. Furthermore, teachers could guide pupils in using
new (more productive) English media.
Problem Statement
Van der Capellen Zwolle is one of the 120 TTO schools, coordinated by the European Platform
(EP), that offer English as a second language (L2). Van der Capellen offers school subjects
through English. The advantage is that pupils find themselves submerged in the English
language and learn English in an authentic context. Verspoor, de Bot and van Rein (2010)
demonstrate that this improves the pupils’ language capacities; in this case the English
language.
An important aspect of TTO education is that the content comprehension is partly dependent
on the comprehension of the English language. This suggests that a higher level of English
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
might also contribute to a higher understanding of the subject content. Therefore, Van der
Capellen wants to support the development of English language level of their pupils.
English language skills can both be acquired inside and beyond the classroom. Research by
Naber and Lowie (2012), conducted at Primary schools, shows that the amount of interaction
with English media outside school has a higher influence on the English language level than
the number of lesson hours within the school. Furthermore, the amount of contact with
English media has a long-term influence on the English language level of pupils (Verspoor, de
Bot and Van Rein, 2010). This suggests that English language skills can be further developed
by using more media and by having more interaction in English beyond the classroom.
Teachers could play a role in this process by motivating pupils to spend more time on English
media, stimulate interaction in English beyond the classroom and by making use of out of
school exposure in classroom activities.
However, little is known about the relation between pupils’ English language exposure and
the teachers’ method of motivating pupils to actively get in contact with English beyond the
classroom. That is why this research focuses on two main aspects. The first section aims to
investigate which media are currently used by pupils and teachers inside and beyond the
school. The second section aims to investigate how teachers at Van der Capellen currently
motivate pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the
classroom. By comparing the pupils’ interest and the current use of media by teachers, it will
become clear if the teachers respond to the pupils’ interest. By comparing the data from
teachers and pupils about possible motivational methods deployed by teachers, it will become
clear if there is a discrepancy in ways to motivate pupils.
Theoretical Framework
Language acquisition beyond the classroom
Research shows that pupils can get more out of bilingual education when the teacher shows
effective behaviour regarding the language acquisition of the pupils. The original idea that just
immersion is enough changed to the idea of a more integrated approach of subject content
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
and language acquisition. As such the term bilingual is limited and the term Content and
language Integrated learning (CLIL) is a more suitable term (Marsh, 1994).
The popularity of bilingual education is parallel to the exposure to English in the society.
Dutch pupils often get daily in contact with English on television, soap operas, drama series,
movies and music videos (Gerritsen & Nickerson, 2004). Young people also use English
language a lot in social media and online gaming. Besides, English language is also
increasingly used in advertisements for young people and children (Gerritsen, Korzilius, van
Meurs & Gijsbers, 2000).
The acquisition of oral second language (L2) skills appears to be largely affected by the use of
L2 in informal settings (Carhill, Paéz & Suárez-Orozco, 2008). Several studies show that
especially these informal, beyond the classroom situations are very beneficial for the L2
language acquisition (Verspoor et al. 2010; Naber & Lowie, 2012; Berns, Bot & Hasebrink,
2007). Naber and Lowie (2012) have revealed that interaction with English media outside
school has higher influence on the English language level than the number of lesson hours
within the school. Especially watching English television series and doing English (computer)
games appeared to have high influence on the English language level of ‘groep 8’ pupils (11
year olds, Dutch educational system).
It should be mentioned that there is probably a positive interaction between language level
and use of English media beyond the classroom (Verspoor et al. 2010). For example, it would
be easier to understand English (computer) games and television series for pupils that
already have a higher English language level. This suggests that both English language level
and the amount of time spent on English beyond the classroom might positively influence
each other when teachers motivate their pupils in class in getting in contact with English
language beyond the school context.
Motivation in language acquisition
Individual differences in motivation are very closely related to L2 achievement (Gardner &
Lamber, 1974; Masgoret & Gardner, 2003). These studies suggest that pupils can also improve
their L2 skills when they are motivated to learn languages in authentic informal settings.
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
Dörnyei (2008) states that motivation is a term frequently used by teachers and students to
explain the cause of a certain failure or success: “Indeed, motivation provides the primary
impetus to initiate second/foreign (L2) learning and later the driving force to sustain the long
and often tedious learning process.” (p. 95). In his conclusion he states that enthusiasm,
commitment and persistence are “key determinants of success or failure”. Everyone with
sufficient motivation can learn a foreign language and even the smartest persons will have
difficulties to achieve a working knowledge of an L2 without motivation. Motivation is
therefore a key concept in learning any second language.
The relationship between motivation and second language achievement has been investigated
in multiple studies, of which many different measurements for motivation are used (Bernaus
& Gardner, 2008). Many of these studies follow Gardners definition of motivation: “the extent
to which an individual works or strives to learn a language because of a desire to do so and
the satisfaction experienced in this activity” (Gardner, 1985). In this research the same
definition for motivation will be used. The motivation can be both intrinsic and extrinsic,
wherein the intrinsic motivation refers to factors that enhance language learning because of
interest and pleasure. The extrinsic motivation refers to instrumental factors that enhance
language learning such as rewards, grades and career opportunities (Ryan & Deci, 2000). This
research focuses on both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
The link between the level of L2 acquisition and motivation seems logical: the most motivated
pupils have higher grades. For example, pupils can improve their L2 skills when they are
motivated to learn languages in authentic informal settings” (Dörnyei & Csizér 1998). This
leads us to the following question: How can bilingual subject teachers motivate their pupils to
get in contact with authentic informal settings?
Teacher methods in enhancing pupils’ L2 acquisition
There are different methods of language use in informal settings and those can have different
effects on motivation for learning and consequently on L2 achievement. For example, digital
games in a foreign language can help improve L2 achievement (Reinders & Wattana 2010).
However, the L2 acquisition in gaming also appears to be dependent on the planning of the
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
activity and instructions of teachers (Reinders & Wattana, 2010; Dixon & Zhao, 2012). This
suggests that the teacher has an important role in motivating their pupils to acquire language
beyond the classroom.
Motivational strategies
To start the investigation on how teachers can motivate pupils to get in contact with beyond
the classroom English language environments, it is pertinent to look at motivational strategies
in class at first. Dörnyei formulated 35 strategies that can be divided in four categories:
Creating the basic motivational conditions, Generating initial motivation, Maintaining and
protecting motivation and Encouraging positive retrospective self-evaluation (Dörnyei, 2008).
Especially the first category is interesting; it suggests that some conditions should be met
before the initial motivation can be generated in pupils. In the Ten Commandments for
Motivating Language Learners Dörnyei and Csizér (1998) highlight the 10 (out of 35) most
important potential strategies. Although these strategies are directed to the reality of L2
acquisition in the classroom, they are extendable to L2 acquisition beyond the classroom:
Table 1. Ten Commandments for Motivating Language Learners and their relevance of practice in
motivating L2 acquisition beyond the classroom. Adapted from Dörnyei and Csizér (1998).
Motivational Strategy
1. Set a personal example
with your own
behaviour.
2. Create a pleasant,
relaxed atmosphere in
the classroom.
3. Present the tasks
properly.
Relevance beyond the classroom (our addition)
When a teacher speaks in an enthusiastic, engaged manner about sources he
consults in daily life, he can inspire pupils to take on the same attitude.
Pupils’ positive experiences in the classroom influence how they look at
language and as such influence their motivation to get in contact with English
language beyond the classroom.
There are no tasks set beyond the classroom. Teachers could set some tasks
beyond the classroom and the presentation of those tasks might influence the
motivation of the pupils.
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
4. Develop a good
relationship with the
learners.
5. Increase the learners’
linguistic self-confidence.
6. Make the language
classes interesting.
7. Promote learner
autonomy.
8. Personalise the learning
process.
9. Increase the learners’
goal oriented-ness.
The relationship can influence the amount of time spent on L2 environments
beyond the classroom or the type of environments contacted, since pupils take
more effort for what the teacher suggests when they like their teacher.
If a pupil has more confidence in using L2 beyond or inside the classroom, he
will be more tempted to use it.
An interesting language class (that introduces media that can be used at
home) can encourage pupils to continue using L2 beyond the classroom.
Pupils should be taught to function autonomously, since the teacher won’t be
at the pupil’s side beyond the classroom.
It depends completely on the learner’s interests what he does in his spare
time.
There are no pre-set goals or assessment criteria that have to be met beyond
the classroom. However, teacher could add such criteria in order to increase
the learners’ goal oriented-ness.
10. Familiarise learners with
the target language
culture.
The L2 culture is an important source of authentic materials in and beyond the
classroom. Pupils have to be familiarized with media from the L2 culture to
become autonomous users.
Research Question
The function of this research is to get insight in possible methods that improve the motivation
of pupils to get in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom. This
research is of descriptive nature; it is an exploratory research to get to know the actual
situation of L2 contact beyond the classroom on one hand, and how teachers can motivate
pupils to get in contact with these environments on the other hand. There is no literature
available describing the link between motivational teaching techniques and exposure of
pupils to L2 environments beyond the classroom. In the future the data of this research could
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
be used to develop efficient methods for teachers to motivate pupils to get in contact with
beyond the classroom environments.
As demonstrated in the theoretical framework, being involved in these environments
stimulates the language acquisition process. Thus, pupils who invest more time and effort in
those external environments may increase their English proficiency level. Developing efficient
methods to motivate pupils to get in contact with English language environments beyond the
classroom, would logically increase the time pupils spend on these environments and thus has
a positive effect on their English proficiency level. A higher English proficiency level will
augment the pupils’ understanding of the content of the subjects taught in English. The
question that will be addressed in this research is therefore: How can bilingual subject
teachers at Van der Capellen increase the motivation of pupils to get in contact with English
environments beyond the classroom?
The following sub-questions need to be addressed to answer this question:
1. Which English media do bilingual subject teachers at Van der Capellen currently use in
the classroom?
This sub-question focuses on the type and amount of English media that bilingual subject
teachers at Van der Capellen use inside the classroom to provide an overview of the current
use. These data is relevant, because the type and amount of English media used inside of the
classroom might contribute in motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language
beyond the classroom.
Van der Capellen being a school with a bi-lingual stream for more than 15 years, it is expected
that the teachers have developed a number of possible methods to transfer the content of
their subject through English: in specific it is expected that the make use of visual audio
materials (like films, series, YouTube). Other media used that lie in the line of our
expectations are music, newspapers, the news and activating subject related websites.
2. Which methods do bilingual subject teachers at Van der Capellen currently use to
motivate pupils for getting in contact with English language beyond the classroom?
This sub-question focuses on the possible methods bilingual subject teachers at Van der
Capellen use inside of the classroom to motivate their pupils to get in contact with English
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
language environments beyond the classroom. This information is required to improve the
methods of those teachers and give recommendations. The possible motivation strategies are
acquired from literature, our own knowledge and intuition, and interviews with MFL teachers.
The teachers may stimulate pupils’ motivation by having an enthusiastic attitude and by
referring to the possibilities of using English beyond the classroom, possibly by first referring
to a film, book etc. It is also expected that they underline the importance of practising English
in daily life.
3. What English media do pupils currently use to get in contact with English language
environments beyond the classroom?
This sub-question lists the possible media pupils at Van der Capellen currently use in English
language environments beyond the classroom. These results can be compared with the
current media bilingual language teachers use inside of the classroom (sub-question 1). This
might indicate what type of English media in the classroom could be used less or more often
at Van der Capellen based on the pupils’ own interests. The questionnaire is based on
literature study, our own knowledge and intuitions, and interviews with MFL teachers.
Pupils may be expected to use, in English, audio visual materials; literature, magazines and
newspapers; text books; social media (Facebook, Twitter, email, video conferences). The
pupils who play games will probably do this quite often.
4. What do pupils think are motivating teaching methods to get in contact with English
language beyond the classroom?
This sub-question investigates which methods used by teachers motivate pupils for getting in
contact with English language environments beyond the classroom. This data is used to
compare the answers teachers give on a similar question (sub-question 2). The results of this
sub-question are also compared with the answers that pupils give on sub-question 3. As such,
English media used by pupils outside class are compared with teacher methods that pupils
find effective in language acquisition beyond the classroom. These effective methods are
investigated through a questionnaire for pupils. The questionnaire is based on literature
study, our own knowledge and intuitions, and interviews with MFL teachers.
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
Pupils may find it motivating when teachers have an enthusiastic attitude themselves and
show the pupils examples of situations in which the teacher uses English himself in daily life.
It can be expected that pupils find it motivating to look up materials used during the lesson
when teachers show a fragment of a movie/series or work with other media like Twitter,
magazines or forums. They may find it motivating to go an excursions or participate in
exchange programs.
Practical Relevance
Doing this research is of added value for Van der Capellen Zwolle and other bilingual schools,
because it will give the school two insights: first of all they will have a clearer understanding
of what motivates pupils to use a language beyond the classroom and secondly, they will
know how teachers can stimulate the use of language beyond the classroom. The MFL
(Modern Foreign Languages) and bilingual department are especially interested in these
insights, since their objective is to support their pupils in the second language acquisition
process. They want to use these insights to improve their education and to get pupils more
motivated to learn a language by linking the use of foreign languages to more authentic
contexts in daily life. Similarly, investigations on language acquisition are also of added value
for other bilingual and international student teachers.
Scientific Relevance
The theoretical framework revealed how language acquisition is largely affected by informal
beyond the classroom situations (Verspoor et al. 2010; Naber & Lowie, 2012; Berns, Bot &
Hasebrink, 2007). This research will indicate how often pupils are exposed to those informal
L2 settings. Furthermore, the research will reveal how teachers currently stimulate pupils’
use of these informal L2 settings at a regular TTO school in the Netherlands. Knowledge on
the current use of L2 beyond the classroom might stimulate investigations of how pupils can
be directed to use the most efficient methods in language acquisition outside school.
Furthermore, Dörnyei and Csizér (1998) have described many motivational strategies for
teachers. However, these strategies do not indicate what pupils find effective in language
acquisition beyond the classroom. This study will reveal what teaching methods pupils
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
believe are most effective in motivating pupils to use language beyond the classroom. Thus,
this research might give new insights in the most effective teaching methods to motivate
pupils in language acquisition beyond the classroom.
Variables
For each sub questions we used the following variables:
1. Which English media do bilingual subject teachers at Van der Capellen currently use in
the classroom?
-
English media: with English media we mean the main types of English mass
communication.
-
Frequency of use in the classroom: we used a six points scale to address the
‘frequency of use’ using the following stages: never; less than once a month; 1-3
times a month; once a week; more than once a week but not every lesson; every
lesson.
2. Which methods do bilingual subject teachers at Van der Capellen currently use to
motivate pupils for getting in contact with English language beyond the classroom.
-
Motivational methods for getting in contact with English language: We used the
definition of Gardner for motivation: “the extent to which an individual works
or strives to learn a language because of a desire to do so and the satisfaction
experienced in this activity” (Gardner, 1985). With methods we mean different
kinds of behaviour of the teachers, such as: having an enthusiastic attitude
towards the use of English beyond the classroom, giving examples of
applicability of the English language etc.
-
Frequency of use: we used a six points scale to address the ‘frequency of use’
using the following stages: never; less than once a month; 1-3 times a month;
once a week; more than once a week but not every lesson; every lesson.
3. Which English media do pupils currently use to get in contact with English language
beyond the classroom?
-
English media: with English media we mean the main types of English mass
communication.
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
-
Frequency of use: for this question we used a four points scale to address the
‘frequency of use’ using the following stages: never; less than one hour; 1-2
hours; more than two hours.
4. What do pupils think are motivating teaching methods to get in contact with English
language beyond the classroom?
-
Motivating external environments: for this question we used the “Egnlish
media” and “motivational methods for getting in contact with English language”,
both defined above
-
Pupils’ belief of effectiveness in motivation: for this question we used a five
points scale to address the ‘frequency of use’ using the following stages:
(almost) never; sometimes; regularly; often; (almost) always.
Method
Selection of respondents
In order to recruit a sample of respondents for this research, we selected both teachers and
pupils. Initially we planned to interview both the pupils and the teacher, but due to a lack of
time only four MFL teachers were interviewed on their ideas on teaching methods (see box
below). The information from interviews was used to administer questionnaires to bilingual
subject teachers and pupils of 3TTO. 3TTO is the third year of the English bilingual stream.
Most pupils in this grade are between 14 and 15 years old. This research is restricted to 3TTO
pupils and 3TTO teachers since most subjects are only taught in English during the first three
years of the TTO program at Van der Capellen. To include the first and second form as well
would make our research too extensive. Furthermore, the third class would have the best
insight in the processes concerning motivation and might be more capable of answering the
questions in a useful way. Seven out of all twelve bilingual 3TTO teachers, from five different
disciplines, participated in filling out the questionnaire. All 65 pupils in 3TTO participated in
this investigation.
4 MFL teachers:
2 French, 1 German and 1 English
7 bilingual subject teachers who teach 3TTO:
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
2 Geography; 1 Chemistry; 2 Physical Education, 1 Biology, History and General Sciences;
1 Mathematics
4 classes of 3TTO pupils with a total of 65 pupils
Procedure and Instruments
The data collection is divided in two phases. In the first phase we did a pilot study. Based on
literature study we compiled a topic list with possible methods and media for bilingual
teachers to motivate pupils to get in contact with English environments beyond the
classroom. The possible use of media was derived from experiences and questionnaires from
Verspoor et al (2010), Naber & Lowie (2012) and Berns, Bot & Hasebrink (2007). The
possible methods for motivating pupils in language acquisition beyond the classroom were
derived from experiences and Dörnyei’s motivational strategies (Dörnyei and Csizér, 1998).
We used this topic list for open interviews with a pilot group of four bilingual language
teachers at Van der Capellen. The purpose of this phase was to see if the topics from literature
are sufficient and if different methods and media from teachers at van der Capellen could be
included. Thus, the input from the interviews might increase the validity of the results from
the questionnaires. The interviews were recorded and possible media and methods were
selected.
In the second phase we compiled an online questionnaire based on the literature and the pilot
study for both teachers and pupils (see attachments). The questionnaires for the teachers
were separated in two main topics. The first topic was the number of different types of
English media they apply in the classroom, and the methods they use that might contribute to
the motivation of pupils in language acquisition beyond the classroom. Likewise, the
questionnaires for the pupils were separated in two similar main topics: the amount of
English media they use beyond the classroom and their rate of effectiveness on teaching
methods on motivating language acquisition beyond the classroom. The main questions
included a Likert scale to rank the amount of time spent on media, the amount of time spent
on methods and the effectiveness of these methods.
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
The questionnaires were not conducted in a pilot study due to time constraints. Teachers
were reminded three times by email to fill in the questionnaire online to increase the amount
of response and thereby the validity of the investigation. The students received either
printouts or a hyperlink, depending on the availability of a computer room, to fill in the
questionnaire during a reserved twenty minutes within their tutor lessons. The teachers and
pupils filled in the questionnaires simultaneously because of the tight time frame and to avoid
that the outcomes of these questionnaires would influence each other. Both questionnaires
were filled in anonymously to increase the reliability of their input.
Method of Analysis
The collected data were analysed in different ways. First the interviews of a pilot groups were
conducted. For this pilot group three researchers interviewed the respondents and assured
them they would stay anonymous. Because of the fact that the interviews were conducted
with three researchers, and one of them was taking notes, this increased the validity of these
data. A risk for the validity would be socially desirable answers given by the teachers. There
are no signs that can give the impression that the respondents of the pilot group gave such
answers. All the interviews were recorded and afterwards the researchers, individually,
replayed and listened to the recordings and listed all the media and methods mentioned in
those interviews. The rest of the information was used as background information. The
intention was to make a pilot questionnaire based on this pilot interview and literature, but
due to lack of time no pilot questionnaire was conducted. The questionnaires made were used
as final questionnaire for teachers and pupils. This may have affected the validity of these
questionnaires.
The
interviews
were
conducted
through
the
internet
via
the
website
www.enquetesmaken.com. This website is a tool to make online questionnaires and this
website provides also an overview of the data collection. The collected data was analysed with
the use this website. The website gave circle diagrams of certain questions, and all the
answers to open questions and averages of answers to closed questions. Certain
questionnaire questions were assigned to certain research questions and based on the
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
frequency of answers the data were analysed via the website www.enquetesmaken.com. The
website gave the average and the researchers calculated the standard deviation themselves
for certain data, when necessary.
Results
1: English media used in the classroom
The first sub question is: Which English media do bilingual subject teachers at Van der Capellen
currently use in the classroom? The first sub-question was investigated using a questionnaire
for bilingual subject teachers. The questionnaire has been given to twelve bilingual subject
teachers at Van der Capellen. However, only seven of them actually filled out the
questionnaire, and only six filled out this specific question. All of the media, except textbooks,
scored on average lower than a 2. So that is less than once a month. All of the six teachers
responded to six of these nineteen media that they never used it in the classroom, that is:
radio programs, chat, Facebook, forums, Twitter and music. Except for music and radio
programs, these are all social media that demand not only receptive language skills, but also
productive skills.
Further, the different media the teachers use in the classroom is rather poor and focuses on
well-known media, whereas the ‘more modern’ social media are left out. The teachers are also
focussing more on receptive media (visual audio, websites, books), in comparison to
productive media (chat Facebook, forums, Twitter, video conference); only email contacts
(used less than ‘less than once a month’) are listed.
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
Fig 1. The average frequency of English media used by teachers in the classroom. Teachers rated the
frequency of English media they used in the classroom in a questionnaire. They rated their frequency of
English media on a Likert scale of 1 to 6, wherein 6) every lesson, 5) once per week or more, but not every
lesson, 4) once per week, 3) once to three times a month, 2) less than once a month, 1) never. The scale
bars show the standard deviations. N=6.
2: Methods to motivate pupils
The second research question is: Which methods do bilingual subject teachers at Van der
Capellen currently use to motivate pupils for getting in contact with English beyond the
classroom?
Teachers indicate that only three out of the nineteen methods are used once a week or more:
adopt an enthusiastic attitude towards the use of English beyond the classroom, emphasize
the importance of practising English, addressing pupils in the hallway in English. Some also
add: compare Dutch and English, give examples of the applicability of English.
If we look at the media bilingual subject teachers never use, all seven teachers indicate to four
out of the nineteen methods that they never use these methods. These are the following
methods: show a short fragment of an English computer game, appoint or recommend to
follow an English Twitter account, appoint or recommend a Facebook page in English and
appoint or recommend the opportunity to have contact with an English pen, mail or chat
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
friend. Again, three out of the four methods above relate to social media. Apparently this is
something the bilingual teachers cannot or do not use in their lessons.
Fig 2. The average frequency of methods used by teachers to motivate pupils in language acquisition beyond
the classroom. Teachers rated the frequency of methods used in motivating pupils in language acquisition
beyond the classroom in a questionnaire. They rated the frequency of methods used on a Likert scale of 1
to 6, wherein 6) every lesson, 5) once per week or more but not every lesson, 4) once per week, 3) once to
three times a month, 2) less than once a month, 1) never. The scale bars show the standard deviations. N=7
3: Pupils’ activities beyond the classroom
The third sub-question is: Which English media do pupils currently use to get in contact with
English language beyond the classroom?
Looking at the answers of the pupils, especially those more visual media are popular. The
results show that the media which are most often used, on average every day, are the
following: textbooks, television series, films, music and YouTube. Except for textbooks, all can
be used on the computer and almost all belong to the category ‘visual audio’. Music can be
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
counted into the same category, because pupils often watch music on YouTube or MTV; but
MP3 players and music audio are of course without image.
The average score on the scale of all these media, except music, are respectively 2,63
(sd=1,25), 2,71 (sd=0,84), 2,63 (sd=0,80), 2,92 (sd=0,84). This means that the score of these
media, is somewhere between “less than one hour” and “one to two hours” on average per day
and even a bit closer to the latter. Music, however, has an average score of 3.39 (sd 0,83). This
means that on average pupils use music about one to two hours per day or even more.
Fig 3. The average amount of time spend by pupils on English media beyond the classroom. Pupils rated the
amount of time spend on media beyond the classroom in a questionnaire. They rated the amount of time
on a Likert scale of 1 to 4, wherein 4) more than 2 hours, 3) once to two hours, 2) less than one hour, 1)
never. The scale bars show the standard deviation. N=65
The fourth sub-question is: What do pupils think are motivating teaching methods to get in
contact with English language beyond the classroom?
The answer of this question is based on two questions in the questionnaire. The first one, “Do
the following media incite you to use English language beyond the classroom?”, is focused on
their experience with those media and their use of English. The second question, “Which
methods will motivate you to get in contact with the English language beyond the
classroom?”, is based on the methods teachers could use in the classroom to motivate pupils
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
to get in contact beyond the classroom. This question corresponds with the question of which
methods the bilingual teachers currently use to motivate pupils for getting in contact with
English language beyond the classroom in the questionnaire of the teacher.
Fig 4. The average rate of incitement of media on the use of English of pupils. Pupils rated the level of
incitement of different media on their use of English. The level of incitement was rated on a Likert scale of 1
to 5, wherein 5) (almost) always, 4) often, 3) regularly, 2) sometimes, 1) (almost) never. The scale bars show
the standard deviation. N=65.
Only four out of those twenty media have an average score higher than 3 (regularly). Those
are the following media: English spoken television series (3,14 (sd=1,30)), English spoken
films (3,43 (sd=1,26)), English spoken music (4,00 (sd=1,31)) and English spoken YouTube
(3,58 (sd=1,32)). These are all receptive media; pupils don’t interact or produce language
themselves. In the Netherlands films, series and music at the television and radio are almost
all in English, which means that pupils are familiarized with these media since their childhood
and that using this media doesn’t reflect a conscious choice to get in contact with the English
language.
Furthermore, nine out of the twenty media (question 1) have an average score lower than 2
(sometimes to (almost) never). These are non-digital media like English literature, English
newspapers, English magazines; more traditional media like English news, English radio
programs; and media that incite the use of productive language skills like English email
contacts, English forums, English video conferences, and subject related English websites. In
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
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contrast to the four audio visual media discussed previously, these media demand a more proactive approach of the pupil in order to get in contact with these media.
The remaining seven media have an average score from 2 to 3 (between sometimes and
regularly): lesson books, documentaries, chat, Facebook, Twitter, computer games, other
websites. The social media (Facebook, chat, Twitter) that ask more interaction and also
production skills are included here. As can be concluded, not many of the given media actually
incite pupils to use the English language beyond the classroom a lot, and the media that they
use are receptive media which don’t demand a pro-active attitude of the pupil.
The second question in the questionnaire related to this sub question (“which methods will
motivate you to get in contact with the English language beyond the classroom?”) gives
another point of view. From the nineteen methods given in the questionnaire only two score
higher than 3 with averages of 3,63 (sd=1,44) and 3,58 (sd=1,54), respectively 'excursions
abroad' and 'exchange programs'. From the remaining sixteen methods only ‘show a fragment
of an English movie/television serie’ has an average score of more than 2 (2,31); the rest is all
below. So according to the pupils only few of the provided methods used by teachers will
motivate them to get in contact with English language beyond the classroom.
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
M.E. Haagsman, R. Muller & S. Wassink
Fig 5. The average rate of pupils on the effectiveness of teaching methods in the motivation of language
acquisition beyond the classroom. Pupils rated the effectiveness of different teaching methods in the
motivation of language acquisition beyond the classroom in a questionnaire. The effectiveness of the
methods in motivation was rated on a Likert scale of 1 to 5, wherein 5) (almost) always, 4) often, 3)
regularly, 2) sometimes, 1) (almost) never. The scale bars show the standard deviation. N=65.
Discussion and Conclusion
This research was aimed to get insight on possible methods that improve the motivation of
pupils to get in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom. The
teachers in the bilingual education stream have the additional task, next to teaching their
subject, to teach the English language. As demonstrated in the theoretical framework, pupils
can increase their language level if they spend more time beyond the classroom on informal
environments in English; this can either be direct contact with others or indirect contact via
social media, games, films, etc. Therefore our main research question is: How can bilingual
subject teachers at Van der Capellen increase the motivation of pupils to get in contact with
English language environments beyond the classroom?
Results show that pupils mainly use English language when watching films and series,
listening to music, and several pupils play games in English. Music and YouTube are two other
media pupils use in English. These environments used by pupils are partly similar to the
environments used by 3TTO bilingual subject teachers at Van der Capellen, although teacher
use it very limited and pupils spend a lot of time on these media beyond the classroom.
The information about what teachers use is reported in the first sub-question. All media
(except for radio programs, music and social media (chat, Facebook, forums, Twitter) are used
less than once a month, which can mean once a year as well as once every other month. In
general the bilingual teachers use very few digital media in their lessons, although they do
sometimes use YouTube and films in their lessons. Interestingly, the medium ‘music’ is never
used in class. As indicated above, music is a medium that pupils use a lot in their spare time. In
the answer on the fourth sub-question, pupils indicate that English spoken television series,
English spoken films, English spoken music and English spoken YouTube videos incite them in
using English, but the two methods they find truly motivating are 'excursions abroad' and
'exchange programs'.
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The data shows that both pupils and teachers mainly use media that demands receptive
language skills (listening and watching). Watching movies or listening to music does not
demand pupils to produce or create anything; they don’t specifically demand an active
learning attitude from the pupils.
If we compare the first question with the question which methods and media bilingual
teachers currently use (sub-question 2), one could see an important discrepancy between the
two: the teachers do not use methods and media pupils think are motivating. According to the
pupils not many of the methods from the questionnaire will motivate them for getting in
contact with English language beyond the classroom. The 3TTO bilingual subject teachers at
Van der Capellen try to stimulate pupils to engage in English language environments beyond
the classroom by having an open attitude to it and they focus on the importance of the
language by telling and showing them in which contexts the language can be useful, but
teachers do not actively guide pupils to different or less known media.
We interviewed all three bilingual third grade classes, so the internal validity for just those
grades that is quite good. We only got response of seven bilingual subject teachers, which is
very poor and decreases the validity. We cannot generalize our results, both for pupils and
teachers, so the external validity is rather poor.
The fact that we used questionnaires to collect our data increases the reliability of this
research. However, within these questionnaires we did not use techniques to test the interrater-, test-retest-, parallel-forms- and internal consistency-reliability. This decreases the
reliability of these questionnaires and consequently the results of this research.
The first sub question is: Which English media do bilingual subject teachers at Van der Capellen
currently use in the classroom? The first sub-question was investigated using a questionnaire
for bilingual subject teachers. The questionnaire has been given to twelve bilingual subject
teachers at Van der Capellen. However, only seven of them actually filled out the
questionnaire, and only six filled out this specific question. This means that the data gathered
from the teachers is relatively poor and it might not be possible to generalise the results.
In conclusion, the results show that bilingual subject teachers use a limited range of English
media to incite pupils in using English beyond the classroom. Nevertheless, pupils already
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appear to use English media beyond the classroom on a regular basis. However, the English
media applied by pupils are generally receptive and not productive. The Learner Pyramid is a
generally accepted model that suggests that productive learning strategies are more efficient
in language acquisition than receptive learning strategies. However, there is no academic
evidence that confirms this model. Many theories do support the theory that each pupil has
their own individual learning style (Gardner, 1983; Kolb, 1984; Vermunt, 1992). Offering
pupils a variety of media, demanding both receptive and productive language skills, gives
them the opportunity to choose their most efficient learning style. Thus, this research
suggests that bilingual subject teachers should guide pupils in L2 acquisition beyond the
classroom by getting them in contact with various kinds of English media. Currently, bilingual
subject teachers at van der Capellen use a limited variety of English media, which only
demands perceptive language skills. In order to increase the motivation of pupils to get in
contact with English environments beyond the classroom, it is recommended that bilingual
teachers offer more English media, especially media demanding productive language skills,
such as video conferences, social media and forums.
Furthermore, the results do show that there is a discrepancy in current use of media by
teachers and the media of pupils’ interest. This does suggest that teachers might increase the
motivation of pupils by adjusting the media and methods in class to the methods and media
that pupils find motivating. For example, the medium ‘music’ is never used in class, even
though pupils spend most time on this medium. The use of music in class would make the link
between an interest of the pupils and a practical use and in this way might stimulate pupils in
their English language acquisition. However, it should be mentioned that teachers at Van der
Capellen suggest that their pupils have never used some of the media depicted in the
questionnaire. For example, after presenting our results they informed us that they believe
that their pupils have never used video conferences before, although this cannot be confirmed
by the present results. Therefore, it is difficult to interpret pupils’ rate of effectiveness of video
conferences in motivating language acquisition beyond the classroom. This fact indicates that
bilingual subject teachers also play an important role for getting pupils in contact with new
media, which might motivate the pupils in applying new types of English media beyond the
classroom.
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Furthermore, the pupils indicate that English spoken television series, English spoken films,
English spoken music and English spoken YouTube videos incite them in using English.
However, the two methods they find truly motivating are 'excursions abroad' and 'exchange
programs'. According to the pupils not many of the selected methods will motivate them for
getting in contact with the English language beyond the classroom. Their preference of
‘excursions abroad’ and ‘exchange programs’ are nevertheless not surprising, but underline
the importance of authentic communicative situations in the language learning process to
motivate pupils. Unfortunately, teachers don’t always have the control over excursion or
exchange programs; these are school broad programs and can’t practically be used as much as
teachers would probably want.
Interestingly, pupils rate English television series as the most effective media applied by
teachers in the classroom in motivating English language beyond the classroom. Apart from
the fact that pupils often watch English television series, it has also been shown that English
television series have the highest influence on English language acquisition of 11-year-old
pupils at primary school (Naber & Lowie, 2012). The bilingual teachers at Van der Capellen
show (fragments of) television series less than once a month on average. Thus, these results
do suggest that bilingual teachers can improve the English language acquisition within and
beyond the classroom by showing or referring to English television series more often in class.
This research shows what bilingual teachers currently do at Van der Capellen that might
motivate language acquisition beyond the classroom. This research is only focused on the
views of 3TTO learners and teaching methods applied in 3TTO due to constraints in time and
management. Nonetheless, 3TTO pupils on average might have a different preference of
teaching methods and media than pupils from other grades. To design tailor-made lessons for
all grades, it could be of added value to perform and compare similar research in other grades.
Furthermore, only six bilingual teachers have participated in this research, although more
bilingual teachers work at Van der Capellen. Involving more bilingual teachers in this research
would give a more reliable view on the methods used to motivate language acquisition
beyond the classroom. Moreover, it is not known if teachers who do not teach bilingual classes
apply similar teaching methods that might also motivate use of media in their lessons.
Comparing teaching methods of non-bilingual and bilingual teachers might show if the
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teaching methods in motivating use of media are specifically directed towards TTO pupils.
This might provide more information on the aim of the teachers in applying these methods.
Although this research is focused on English language, similar methods can probably also be
applied for other languages such as French and German. Nonetheless, it should be mentioned
that the average pupil in the Netherlands is more easily exposed with English language
because of the increased use of English language in society (Gerritsen & Nickerson, 2004).
As stated in the ‘methods of analysis’ the validity and reliability of this research could further
be improved. A pilot group for the questionnaires would be a step in the process which would
increase the validity and reliability, for example. The main causes for this is the lack of time
for this research. Therefore, the questionnaires were not conducted in a pilot study and only
seven bilingual teachers participated in this study. This may have affected the validity of the
results. A pilot interview was conducted in order to compile the questionnaires, which
increases the validity of the questionnaire. However, language teachers participated in these
pilot interviews, whereas the questionnaire based on these interviews was used for bilingual
subject teachers. Interpretations from subject teachers might differ from those of language
teachers, and therefore might affect the reliability of the results.
The provisional results were presented at Van der Capellen for further discussion. The
attendees noted that they recognized our results and recommendations. However, they
indicated that they needed more practical suggestions of how to apply English media in an
efficient way in the classroom. Therefore, we offered to give them some examples for biology,
French, and social studies (appendix 3).
Reflection on research
Carrying out this research was an interesting, although not an easy task; confronted with a
tight schedule and internships abroad, time was often a crucial factor in the process. This
influenced the validity and reliability of the research. Because of a lack of time there was no
time to create and conduct a pilot questionnaire, which would increase the validity and
reliability of the research. In the future, the research plan should have a more important place
in the research process as to guide the entire research and assure coherence and a scientific
approach.
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Author information
Marjolein Haagsman, Rosalinde Muller and Simone Wassink are student teachers, for the
subjects of Biology, French and Social Studies at the Centre for Teaching and Learning of
Utrecht University. To qualify as teachers of upper secondary schools they conducted a
research concerning methods to motivate pupils in English language acquisition beyond the
classroom. The results of this Practice Based Research and the subsequent recommendations
made provide the grounds for the above article.
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 Naber, R. & Lowie W. (2011). Hoe vroeger hoe beter? Een onderzoek naar de effecten van
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 Reinders, H. & Wattana S. (2010). Learn English or die: The effects of digital games on
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Appendix
Appendix
1:
Questionn
aire 3TTO
teachers
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Appendix 2: Questionnaire 3TTO students
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Appendix 3: Recommendations French, Biology, Social Studies
Recommendations
To reach the objective of increasing the motivation of pupils to engage in more English
language environments beyond the classroom, teachers should make more use of media that
correspond to the interests of pupils in class. Especially films, TV, series and music score high
on the interest list of pupils.
But teachers can do more than just use what pupils know already. The following
recommendations represent specific lessons that apply authentic situations and/or include
English media regularly used by pupils.
French
For French there are multiple ways to stimulate the pupils to get into contact with French
language environments. As indicated by the pupils, they find it very motivating to go on
excursions or participate in exchange projects. So why not let the pupils organise their own
excursion to Brussels? For this project a Belgian school with francophone pupils who are
learning Dutch is chosen, because this way both schools can benefit from the exchange project
by first using French as the vehicular language for organising the excursion to Brussels and
then use Dutch when the Belgian school comes to the Netherlands. This is a project which can
easily be executed in collaboration with, for instance, Social Studies for a political point of
view. This is a concrete example of an authentic and communicative task. To facilitate the
process, teachers can use the website www.etwinning.net to look for partner schools. And
they can use a forum (www.forumactif.com) to create a platform where the pupils of both
schools can communicate about the assignments. By introducing pupils to a medium they are
not familiar with, the teacher can stimulate them to use it independently beyond the
classroom.
Biology
The use of television series is applicable in biology since there are many popular television
series that encompasses biological items, such as the Big Bang Theory, ER, Planet Earth,
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Motivating pupils for getting in contact with English language environments beyond the classroom
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Breaking Science etcetera. Biology teachers could for example apply these television series in
a lesson on behaviour. After introducing different types of behaviour, teachers could show a
video fragment of the Big Bang Theory that shows how one character uses operant
conditioning in his advantage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt4N9GSBoMI). The
learners should be asked what type of behaviour is represented in this fragment and why they
think so. Afterwards the teacher can ask learners to find one video fragment at home of
maximal four minutes that shows one of the discussed behaviours. The teacher can integrate
those video fragments in a quiz wherein learners have to watch the movie and guess which
type of behaviour is depicted in the video fragments. Similar lesson activities can also be
carried out in other topics, such as in a quiz with video fragments on the relationships of
organisms (mutual, parasitism, and commensalism) or on symptoms of different types of
diseases. These lesson activities show how teachers can incorporate television series in their
lessons while simultaneously motivating pupils to look for new English video fragments.
Social Studies
As a social studies teacher it is relatively easy to use (social) media in the classroom in order
to stimulate pupils to get into English environments beyond the classroom. One example is
the use of Twitter. A lot of pupils have a Twitter account or at least know how it works. As a
teacher you could stimulate pupils to follow an inspiring (English) individual on Twitter. Best
would be when this is related to the current news. When it is election time in the USA it is easy
to follow Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. During the lessons it is important to address this of
course. For example, you could start (or end) the lesson with a tweet that causes some
commotion. The pupils who followed this would recognize this and it would help them to
develop an opinion. This is an encouragement to continue to follow the individual on Twitter.
Pupils who do not follow someone yet might be encouraged to do so because as a teacher you
address it in the classroom. You could also encourage them to follow an idol, for example
someone like Justin Beaber, One Direction, Beyonce, etc.
37