2014 Uluslararası Lider Martılar Projeleri_No 2 2014 International Leading ICT Seagulls Projects #2

1. Fun in EFL Education
Tuba Aydoğan & İrem Konuk

2. Our “İmece Circle”: Edu-tainment
• Tuba Aydoğan & İrem Konuk
• Met every Thursday at school
• Our motto is :
“Somewhere under the sun
there is happiness and fun
there is love for everyone!”
From Big Kenny’s
song:
“Under the Sun”

3. Contents
• Problem Statement
• Gantt Chart
• Literature Review
• Main & Root Causes
• Matrix Diagram
• Fishbone Diagram
• Data Collection & Analysis
• Suggestions
• Conclusion

4. Problem Statement
How to create intrinsic motivation
through fun in EFL classrooms?

5. Gantt Chart
MONTHS
March April
STEPS Weeks W
1
W
2
W
3
W
4
W
1
W
2
W
3
W
4
PLAN Determination of the problem
Approval of the problem area by Dr. Köksal
Literature Review Identifying targets
Determination of the Main and Root Causes (Fishbone)
Determine the main causes to be studied & Ask for the
approval (Dr. Köksal)
Probable solutions, developing strategies
Preparing data collection tools
DO Collecting data
CHECK Analysis of data
ACT Solutions, suggestions, conclusion
PPT preparation
Self-assessment
SHARE Presentation
Final Video taking and presenting it to
Dr. Köksal
planned actual

6. Literature Review
Students prefer and respond best to
teachers who possess three sets of skills:
Establishing caring relationships with students
Setting limits and creating a safe environment
without being rigid or punitive
Making learning fun
(Jones & Jones, 2007)

7. The fun in digital game play tends
to break down into four different
types of engagement experience:
1. Easy fun – creative and relaxing activities that stimulate
curiosity
2. Hard fun – activities that make you think and meet
challenges
3. People fun – competitive and cooperative activities done in
teams
4. Serious fun – meaningful activities that can have real world
consequences
http://oupeltglobalblog.com/2013/06/20/the-fun-in-glee-
gamified-language-educational-e-tivities/

8. Literature Review Cont’d
 We can make our lessons fun and increase our students’
motivation by making use of activities that require
cooperation and creativity, that are somehow related to our
students’ real lives, and that have some sort of challenge.
 Students who are involved in cooperative learning activities
perform higher on standardized tests of reading and
language and also do better on tasks involving higher-level
thinking than when they study alone (Jones & Jones, 2007)

9. Literature Review Cont’d
 Intrinsic motivation: Motivation to engage in an activity
for its own sake (Pintrich and Schunk, 2002, p. 245).
 Children with higher intrinsic motivation tend to have
 higher achievements,
 a more favorable perception of their
academic competence
 lower academic anxiety (Gottfried,1990).

10. Literature Review Cont’d
• In the study of Nikoopour et al. (2012) the results indicated
that:
– intrinsic motivation was significantly related to cognitive and
metacognitive strategies.
– however, extrinsic modes of motivation were not significantly
related to the use of language learning strategies.
Nikoopour, J., Salimian, S., Salimian, S., & Farsani, M. (2012)

11. Literature Review Cont’d
In Chang’s 2005 study, intrinsic motivation occurred when
someone was moved to do something for fun or challenge,
instead of environmental factors.
In other words, people decided to do the action or behavior
because of their inherent interest toward the activity, rather
than because of the external outcome. (Chang, 2005)
» “People who have extrinsic motivation are forced
to do an action by others but they can be
absorbed in the action if they find the action
itself fun and enjoyable” (Carreira, 2005)

12. Literature Review Cont’d
Separating the learning of academic skills from
real-world contexts can entail motivational costs
(Lepper & Henderlong, 2000).
In order to enhance communicative skills, listening
and speaking have been emphasized, but students
have few opportunities to use English with
foreigners outside the classroom.
When they are in lower grades, they can be
satisfied with exciting and fun tasks. As they
grow, their motivation might decrease when they
cannot connect the English they learn in class to
real communication.

13. Fishbone Diagram

14. Main & Root Causes
• Methods
– Mismatch between teaching method and students’
needs
– Lack of variety
• Materials
– Lack of stimulating visuals
– Uninteresting tasks, activities, topics
• System
-Teachers are not encouraged to
integrate fun in their lessons in order
to create motivation

15. Main & Root Causes
Cont’d
• Humans
– Students
• Feeling no need for learning English
• High stakes exams cause students not to prioritize
language lessons
– Teachers
• Inability to create need for learning the language
• Lack of content knowledge
• Lack of pedagogical knowledge
- Parents
• Neglecting parents
• Ignorance

16. Matrix Diagram
Methods Materials System
Humans
Students Teachers Parents
Tuba 3 4 6 2 7 5
İrem 3 2 4 5 7 6
Total 6 6 10 7 14 11
% 11 % 11 % 19 % 13 % 26 % 20 %

17. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Methods Materials System Humans
ROOT CAUSES

18. HUMANS
Students
Teachers
Parents
34%
44%
22%

19. Data Collection
Data Collection Methods
– Interview with teachers & academicians
– Questionnaire to be filled by students

20. Interview Questions
• How do you attract your students’ attention during your lessons?
• What methods do you use to motivate your students? (Intrinsic
or Extrinsic)
• In your opinion, what makes a lesson enjoyable?
• In your teaching practice where do you place fun?
• What dangers are there if a lesson is
enjoyable?
• Do you think materials are important in terms
of enjoyment in lesson?

21. Interviews with Teachers
 I attract my students’ attention by standing up straight and projecting
my voice.
 In order to motivate my students I try to make connection with real
life. I give them extra credits on their homework for their
thoughtfulness.
 A lesson is enjoyable if the students are engaged.
 My understanding of “fun” in a lesson is having “sense of humor” and
making jokes.
 One needs to figure out what is his goal for the lesson: having fun or
learning? There should be a balance.
 Materials make a difference, especially when they provide different
points of view.
A high school teacher / over 20 years
of teaching experience

22. Interviews with Teachers Cont’d
• I attract my students’ attention by being creative, using visuals, speaking
aloud etc. It depends on the class and situation
• In order to motivate my students I try to explain things to them
in a way that they can motivate themselves. I use visual aids and
fun dialogs
• The lesson is enjoyable when they are engaged,
• Fun is 7 or 8 in terms of importance. (10 being the highest)
• Balance is important, there is no danger of fun, I mean this is high school
– Materials are important but not the most important thing. It
would be easier to develop activities.
A high school teacher / 11 years
of teaching experience

23. Interviews with Academicians
– A good start would be a nice warm-up (A discussion on
personal lives or current issues)
– Teacher should be sincere and real
– Enjoyment should be reciprocal and balanced
– “Learning is fun” instead of “learning is duty”
– There is a danger that some students may disrupt the
lesson
– Materials should be attractive and diverse
Dr. Köksal

24. Interviews with Academicians Cont’d
– I try to get to know my students, learn their names and discover their
needs
– In order to motivate them, I use prizes, I recognize and honor
excellent work, and include extracurricular activities
– A lesson is enjoyable if students can learn and have fun at the same
time
– “Fun” comes right after “learning”. Content should be interesting, and
delivery should be fun
– If a lesson is enjoyable, there is a danger that some students may think
that it is not serious
– Materials should be diverse and student-centered
Dr. Doyum

25. Questionnaire
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly
Agree
1. I study English because I think it will be
necessary for me in the future
2. I study English in order to get a good grade
3. I like working in groups during English
language lessons
4. I like doing individual work
5. I always look forward to the day when we
have English class.

26. Questionnaire Cont’d
6. What’s the most enjoyable to have in a language lesson?
 Video
 Drama
 listening to music
 independent work
 group work
7. If the lesson is enjoyable for you, do you…
•
a) Learn more than if the lesson is not enjoyable
b) Learn the same as a lesson that is not enjoyable
c) Learn less than if the lesson is not enjoyable

27. Questionnaire Cont’d
8. In your opinion, what makes a lesson enjoyable? Please rank the
following components of a lesson from most to least important in
terms of their roles in making a lesson enjoyable.
• (1= most important; 5= least important)
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Subject matter
Friends
Teacher
Teaching Method
Teaching Materials

28. Questionnaire Cont’d
9. Please write down the name of the course that you
are most successful at.
…………………………
10. Please write down the name of the course that you
enjoy the most.
…………………………

29. Data Analysis
I study English because I think it will be
necessary for me in the future
strongly disagree
disagree
neutral
agree
strongly agree
56%
22%
11%
56%
22%
11%
11%
29

30. Data Analysis Cont’d
30
I study English in order to get a good grade
strongly disagree
disagree
neutral
agree
strongly agree
27%
27%
18%
18%
10%

31. Data Analysis Cont’d
31
I like working in groups during English language
lessons
disagree
neutral
agree
strongly agree
27%
37%
9%
27%

32. Data Analysis Cont’d
32
I like doing individual work
strongly disagree
disagree
neutral
agree
strongly agree
27%
27%
9%
37%

33. Data Analysis Cont’d
33
I always look forward to the day when we have
English classes
disagree
neutral
agree
strongly agree
27%
27%
27%
19%

34. Data Analysis Cont’d
34
what is the most enjoyable to have in a
language lesson
music
drama
video
independent work
group work
50%
34%
8%
8%
One student selected both video and music

35. Data Analysis Cont’d
35
If the lesson is enjoyable…
learn more
learn the same
learn less
73%
18%
9%

36. Data Analysis Cont’d
36
the most important factor in making a lesson
enjoyable
teacher
friends
subject matter
teaching method
teaching materials
28%
11%
11%
17%
33%

37. Data Analysis Cont’d
• 63 % of the participants stated that they are the most
successful in the courses that they find the most
enjoyable.
E.g. Math, Biology, English, Physics
• 37 % of the participants stated that there is not a match
between the courses that they enjoy the most and the
courses that they are most successful at.
37

38. Conclusion
• “Teacher” is perceived as the most important factor to make a
lesson enjoyable, followed by “peers”.
• Music and video are evaluated as the most enjoyable materials.
• Participants prefer group work over individual activities.

39. Suggestions
• A balanced approach is a must (Learning & Fun)
• Use diverse materials
• Get to know your students
• Do not act fake, be sincere and friendly
• Include video and music in our teaching
• Include cooperative learning activities
• Beware of disrupting students
• Make sure that the content is related to real life

40. Suggestions
• The first thing you need to do is to HAVE FUN.
Your class will not enjoy themselves unless you are
enjoying yourself.
• SHARE something about yourself – personally or
professionally, whatever shows your students that
you are a REAL PERSON…not just an instructor or a
presenter.
Source: http://ruletheroom.com/how-to-make-class-
enjoyable-for-both-your-participants-and-you/

41. References
Carreira, J. M. (2005). New framework of intrinsic/ extrinsic and integrative/ instrumental
motivation in second language acquisition. The Keiai Journal of International Studies, 16,
39-64.
Carreira, J. M. (2006). Motivation for learning English as a foreign language in Japanese
elementary schools. JALT Journal, 28(2), 135-157.
Carreira, J. M. (2011). Relationship between motivation for learning EFL and intrinsic
motivation for learning in general among Japanese elementary school students. System
39 (1), 90-102.
Chang, H. H. (2005). The relationship between extrinsic/intrinsic motivation and language
learning strategies among college students of English in Taiwan. Master’s thesis, Ming
Chuan University, Taiwan.
Jones, V. F. & Jones, L. S. (2007). Comprehensive calssroom management: Creating
communities of support and solving problems, 8th edition. Boston: Pearson/ Allyn & Bacon.
Köksal, H. (2004). İmece Circles (SQC) for a Unified Education. Akademi Yayıncılık,
İstanbul.
Nikoopour, J., Salimian, S., Salimian, S., & Farsani, M. (2012). Motivation and the
Choice of Language Learning Strategies. Journal Of Language
Teaching And Research, 3(6), 1277-1283.

42. Online Sources
o http://oupeltglobalblog.com/2013/06/20/the-fun-in-glee-gamified-language-
educational-e-tivities/
o http://smashbroslawlorigins.wikia.com/wiki/Angry_Birds_(Assist_Trophies)
o http://megancard3.blogspot.com.tr/2010/01/my-ideal-classroom.html
o http://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2010/06/05/how- to-motivate-
students-without-losing-control-of-your-class/
o http://ruletheroom.com/how-to-make-class-enjoyable-for-both-your-participants-and-
you/

43. Special Thanks to Dr. Köksal:
Honorary Member of our İmece Circle