3. 4. Data collection
procedures
In my research, as I mentioned in the preceding section, I
approached the main actors in the area of language teaching and learning at the
NUR and these were lecturers and students. Questionnaires and interviews were
the main methods for my data collection. I also had recourse to document
analysis. In fact, I examined the content of academic English programmes in the
Faculty of Arts and Humanities. The next section deals with each of the
research instruments used.
3.4.1. The Questionnaire
The format of a questionnaire is usually made up of two items:
an open item and a close item. In my research I have employed both. Nunan
defines each of these terms. He says that a close item is one in which the
range of possible responses is determined by the researcher. An open item is
one in which the subject can decide what to say and how to say it (1992:143).
The two ways of gathering data present a number of benefits.
According to Best and Kahn (1998:250), the advantages of
closed questions are that they enable the researcher to easily compare and
classify the responses. As a result, data analysis may be simple. Examples
included such questions as: do you ever watch television? Has your lecturer
ever used television while teaching you? (see Appendix A) As far as their
disadvantages are concerned, the respondents' experiences and feelings are
positioned by the researcher's intentions, leading the informant to be biased.
To oppose this, the use of open items is advocated.
Concerning the open items, as Nunan emphasises, it is also
likely that responses to these questions will more accurately reflect what the
respondent wants to say (1992:143). Examples of these would consist of
questions like `...how does your lecturer go about teaching English with the
use of television?'(see Appendix A) Under this perspective, these questions
have the merit of providing in-depth qualitative data since they offer an
opportunity for clarification that automatically gives rise to more views and
more ideas. Nevertheless, open questions may yield huge and different
information that may demand time and energy to organise and analyse.
Having provided a background to the use of questionnaires, let
me now proceed by elucidating how the questions in the questionnaire were
relevant to my investigation.
The questionnaire consisted of twelve questions and the latter
have been constructed around the research question `How can one integrate
television at the NUR at English second year level?'(see Section 1.3.) In fact,
the questionnaire was introduced by general questions pertaining to the
background of the informant in watching television to see the extent to which
the respondent is interested or not in this medium or to have an idea of the
importance the informant attaches to it. In other words, I had to test if
research on television was valid or not, if it was worth carrying out. This is
the reason why both students and lecturers were asked such questions as `Do you
ever watch any television programme in English? Which English programmes do you
like to watch?' (see Appendix A & Appendix B)
The second part of the students' questionnaire was composed of
questions in connection with the listening abilities of the students assessed
from the point of view of watching television programmes broadcast in English.
In fact, the rationale behind the different questions addressed to my subjects
was a form of establishing a needs analysis. I wanted to investigate how
listening materials designed or constructed from television sources can be
exploited or developed to improve the students' listening abilities in future.
According to Kilfoil and Van der Walt, sensitivity to the learner's needs is
one of the most important considerations in the construction of a communicative
course. They further argue that this analysis should indicate the level of
competence at which the learner starts the course, the extent to which the
learner will need the language, the purposes for which she will need it and at
what level she will be expected to communicate in the target language
(1997:15).
However, the lecturers were not concerned by the kind of
question referred to above. Actually, I assumed that the lecturers' level of
English proficiency was far better than their students. The fact that they are
more knowledgeable and experienced allows them to follow English programmes on
television without great difficulty.
The last component of the questionnaire and the most crucial
for my research explored students' and lecturers' attitudes towards the role of
TV in English teaching and learning. This part also comprised aspects related
to developing language skills in the context of English language teaching and
learning by means of television. I was informed by the communicative approach
to language teaching and learning which devotes more attention to the learners'
needs as discussed earlier. For this reason, I had to gather the learners'
thoughts and wishes on how they think television as an audiovisual tool can
assist them in improving, for instance, their listening as well as their
speaking skills. On the side of the lecturers, they are mainly called upon to
play a key role in the learning process as facilitators, managers and
evaluators of the materials to incorporate into their class. Hence, questions
like `how will you go about teaching English using television?' `How would you
organise your English class as far as using TV materials is concerned?'(see
Appendix B & Appendix C) were concentrated on in their questionnaires and
interviews.
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