Publication Date
2001
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
Abstract
This study in two cycles describes the development of an English oral communication skills course for students of health sciences at a Finnish university. In the first cycle attempts were made to increase students' positive affect by developing community, increasing student security, and providing choice, which was expected to facilitate and enhance the students' learning. In the second cycle the focus was on providing access for students to tasks and activities, and more fully integrating all four skills into the syllabus. This was expected to increase and improve the amount and quality of students' language production. The findings of this action research process support the view that by addressing the above factors teachers can contribute to students' positive affect, which in turn enables students to learn and to enjoy the learning process. The study also indicates that an approach such as this to language instruction is valid in a Finnish university setting.
Disciplines
Curriculum and Instruction | First and Second Language Acquisition
Recommended Citation
Dimakides, Nicholas, "Helping Students to Learn: Addressing Student Affect and the Four Skills in an English Communication Skills Course for Students of Health Sciences" (2001). MA TESOL Collection. 461.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/ipp_collection/461