LITERATURE CIRCLES PROMOTE STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING

LITERATURE CIRCLES:
AN EMPIRICAL TOOL
FOR LEARNER
AUTONOMY IN
READING CLASSES
By
Dr. Işıl Günseli Kaçar
The Department of Basic English, METU

9th International METU Convention,
May 5, 2006

The Concept of Learner
Autonomy
• Over the last two decades,
autonomy has been a topic of
popular discussion in the field of
foreign language teaching
(Brookes and Grundy, 1988; Dam,
1988; Dickinson, 1987; Holec,
1981; Little, 1991; Dickinson and
Wenden, 1995).

• Just as ‘communicative’ and
‘authentic’ were two buzzwords of
the 1980s, learner autonomy emerged
as the strategy of choice in teaching
English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
in the 1990s (Broady and Kenning,
1996; Little, 1990).

• This popularity is not surprising,
taking into consideration that the
concept is in accord with several of
our central pedagogical
preoccupations.

• The term “autonomy” has been used in at least five ways
(Benson and Voller, 1997: 2):
• Situations in which learners study entirely on their own
• A set of skills which can be learned and applied in self-
directed learning (i.e., the ability to define objectives,
define contents, and so on)
• An inborn capacity which is suppressed by institutional
education
• The exercise of learners’ responsibility for their own
learning
• The right of learners to determine the direction of their
own learning

Justification for Fostering
Learner Autonomy
• Language teachers’ adopting the objective
of helping learners to attain some measure
of autonomy is frequently justified in the
literature.
• Little (1991):
• 1.Because the learner sets the agenda,
learning should be more focused and more
purposeful, and thus more effective both
immediately and in the longer term.

• 2. Because responsibility for the learning process lies with
the learner, the barriers between learning and living that
are found in traditional learning-led educational structures
should not arise.
• 3. If there are no barriers between learning and living,
• learners should have little difficulty in transferring their
capacity for autonomous behaviour to all other areas of
their lives.This should make them more useful members of
society and more effective participants in the democratic
process. (p.8)
• See also Holec (1981) and Dickinson (1987) for similar
arguments

• In mainstream education, the claim that autonomy is linked
with more effective learning is expressed strongly.
• Wang and Peverly (1986) review findings of strategy
research in subjects other than language learning and
conclude:
• Independent and autonomous learners are those who have
the capacity for being active and independent in the
learning process.
• They can identify goals, and formulate their own goals to
suit their own learning needs and interests.
• They are able to use learning strategies, and monitor their
own learning.

Autonomy as a Capacity
• In the applied linguistics literature, autonomy is seen as a
capacity for active, independent learning.
• Little (1991) sees autonomy as a “capacity for detachment,
critical reflection, decision making and independent action”
(p. 4).
• Autonomous learners possess the skills necessary to carry
out a self-directed learning program, i.e., the ability to
define objectives, define contents and so on (Little, 1991, p.
14)
• Autonomous learners possess both knowledge about the
alternatives from which they make choices and necessary
skills to carry out whatever choice seem most appropriate.

Autonomy as an Attitude
towards Learning
• Autonomy can also be seen as an attitude towards learning
in which the learner is prepared to take, or does take,
responsibility for his own learning.
• To take responsibility for one’s own learning concerns
decision making about one’s own learning (Dickinson, 1993, p.
330)
• Littlewood (1996: 98):
• “Students’ willingness to act independently depends on the
level of their motivation and confidence”.
• “Students’ ability to act independently depends on their
level of their knowledge and skills”.

• The understanding of autonomy as a capacity or
attitude rather than as an overt action is
important.
• Autonomy and autonomous learning are not
synonymous with ‘self-instruction’ , ‘self-access’,
‘out-of-class learning’ or ‘distance learning’.
• Self-instruction: various ways and degrees of
learning by one’s self
• Autonomy: a capacity or an attitude

• Learning in isolation is not the same as having the
capacity to direct one’s own learning.
• These two concepts does not have to exist
independently, as the ability to be able to work in
isolation can play a role in autonomous learning.
• The ideal situation is one where learners maintain
their autonomy in teacher-directed classroom
settings as well as in settings such as self-access
learning centers.

Key Concepts of
Autonomy
• All definitions of autonomy share certain key concepts:
• Learner independence
• Learner responsibility
• Learner choice
• Other concepts entailed by the key concepts (Dickinson,
1995):
• Decision making
• Critical reflection
• Detachment

• These are all important in cognitive motivation (Dickinson,
1995)

Links between Autonomy
and Motivation
• Findings obtained from several areas of research into
motivation in general education:
• 1. Motivation to learn and learning effectiveness can be
increased in learners
• who take responsibility for their own learning,
• who understand and accept that their own learning
successes or failures are to be attributed to their own
efforts and strategies rather than to factors outside their
control
• 2. Failure can be overtaken with greater effort and better
use of strategies (Wang and Palincsar, 1989)

• Motivation tends to be higher in learners
• who are interested in the learning tasks
and the learning outcomes for their own
sake rather than for rewards that result
from success (Deci and Ryan, 1985)
• who focus on learning outcomes rather
than performance outcomes (Dweck, 1986)

• Kenny (1993)
• Education empowers autonomy.
• This empowerment allows the learners opportunities to
generate knowledge, as opposed to being passive consumers
of it.
• Learners must initiate, plan, organize and carry out work of
their own, which can lead to the challenge of innate belief
systems and assumptions.
• This begins to unblock people’s capacities for independent
and interdependent thought and action.

• Autonomy is not a matter of
• permitting choice in learning
situations
• making pupils responsible for the
activities they undertake.

• Autonomy is
• of allowing and encouraging learners,
• through processes deliberately set up for the
purpose,
• to begin to express who they are, what they think
and what they would like to do, in terms of work
they initiate and define for themselves (the
exploration of the self-concept)
• to realize group potential (Kenny, 1993).

• Nunan (1997):
• “Encouraging learners to move
towards autonomy is best done inside
the language classroom”.

Teacher roles for
autonomy-inducing classes
• Voller (1997) identifies three roles
for teachers:
• the teacher as facilitator
• the teacher as counsellor
• the teacher as resource

Literature circles as an
arena for experiential
learning
• Experiential learning is one context in which autonomy
receives a fuller exploitation (Kenny, 1993).
• Literature Circles are one of the arenas for experiential
learning.
• They were originally developed for use in L1 classrooms.
• Later on they were tailored to the EFL/ ESL environment.
• Many current models of literature circles for use in
ESL/EFL are based on the work of teacher/researcher
Harvey Daniels and his colleagues in Chicago.
• EFL / ESL literature circles are fun, focused classroom-
based student reading and discussion groups which naturally
combine the skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Recent Research on
Literature Circles
• A study of fourth graders by Klinger, Vaughn, and Schumm (1998):
• Students in peer-led groups made greater gains than controls in reading
comprehension and equal gains in content knowledge after a reading and
discussing social studies material in peer-led groups.
• A study by Martinez-Roldan and Lopez-Robertson (2000) into the effect
of literature circles in a first-grade bilingual classroom:
• Young bilingual children, no matter what their linguistic background, are
able to have rich discussions if they have regular opportunities to engage
with books.
• Benefits for resistant learners (Hauschildt and McMahon, 1996)
• Benefits for adolescents (Hill and Van Horn, 1995)
• Benefits for second-language learners (MacGillivray, 1995)
• Benefits for EFL learners (Dupuy, 1997)
• Literature circles have been found to increase student enjoyment of and
enegagement in reading (Fox and Wilkinson, 1997); to expand children’s
discourse opportunities (Kaufmann, et al., 1997; Scharer, 1996), to increase
multicultural awareness (Hansen- Krening, 1997); to promote other
perspectives on social issues (Noll, 1994).

Literature Circles
• are student-centered:
They are student created, not teacher driven, not boring
• promote rigorous learning:
They are engaging and interesting because it is not traditional
• improve cognitive reading skills:
They guide students to deeper understanding of of what they read
through structured discussion and extended written and artistic
response. They provide a way for students to engage in critical
thinking and reflection as they read, discuss, and respond to
books.
• bring in student’s personal schemata:
Readers create unique ideas
• eliminate student avoidance from speaking:
They provide collaborative learning opportunities with group
members: Students reshape and add onto their understanding as
they construct meaning with other readers.
They cater for a variety of learning styles.

Literature Circles are
• Reader-response centered
• Part of a balanced reading program
• Structured for student independence,
responsibility, and ownership
• Guided primarily by student insights and questions
• Intended as a context in which to apply reading
and writing skills
• Flexible and fluid
• (Adapted from Noe and Johnson,1999)

Literature Circles are
NOT:
• Teacher or text centered
• The entire curriculum
• The unstructured, uncontrolled ‘talking time’ with
no accountability
• Led chiefly by teacher- or curriculum-based
questions
• Meant to replace skills work
• Related to a prescriptive ‘recipe’
• (Adapted from Noe and Johnson,1999)

• Great progress has been made in the
exploration and implementation of
the concept of autonomy.However,
relatively little importance has been
attached to the formal academic
discussion of the concept in the
tertiary EFL contexts.

• Both anecdotal evidence and evidence from empirical
research studies indicate that the majority of the EFL
learners all over the world have little incentive to undertake
learning outside their studies and tend to limit their work
to what is taught on the course (Pierson, 1996; Balla et al.,
1991; Yanling, 2005).
• Turkish learners of EFL in the tertiary context are no
exception to the common cohort.
• Most of such learners, especially those attending one-year
intensive English language teaching programs prior to their
departmental studies offered by universities, fail to pursue
individual learning opportunities due to a lack of motivation.

The Study
• Design: Qualitative and quantitative
• Aim:
• This longitudinal study set out to
• investigate the impact of the implementation of
an autonomy-inducing program on the attitudes
and the success of the EFL learners at the
Department of Basic English, METU, an English-
medium university, related to the EFL reading
skills.

Research Questions
• 1. Does the autonomy-inducing program the
EFL learners in the experimental group at
the DBE are exposed to make a significant
impact on their learning outcomes
concerning EFL reading comprehension?
• 2. What are the views of the EFL learners
in the experimental group concerning the
effectiveness of the autonomy-inducing
program?

Participants
• 48 intermediate-level Turkish learners of EFL participated in the
study.
• 24 learners were in the experimental group (9 female learners and
15 male learners). The researcher was also the teacher of the
experimental group.
• 24 learners were in the control group (7 female learners and 17
male learners). The control group was taught by an experienced
colleague at the DBE.
• The age range of the participants varied between 17 and 21.
• All the participants in the study were exposed to intensive EFL
instruction for 20 hours a week.
• The learners in both groups were found to be at the same level of
proficiency in EFL reading comprehension, as indicated by the pre-
test results prior to the execution of the study.

Data Collection
Instruments
• Academic texts:
• Four academic EFL texts were selected from the course
book DBE Offline Readings II and implemented in class
using the Literature Circles approach.
• Three of the reading passages were incorporated into the
study, taking into consideration that they appeal to the
general interest of the DBE students. Three of these
passages were about a foreigner’s perspective on different
aspects of Turkish culture, extreme sports, primitive
societies versus modern civilization.
• The other passage was included in order to provide a
challenge for the students. It was about a technical topic:
chaos theory.

Assessment Forms for
Group and Individual
Performance Reflection
• Reflection is regarded as a crucial part of the
learner-centered approaches.
• To facilitate the student reflection, group and
individual performance reflection forms were
developed. At the design stage of the forms, the
form developed previously in
• http://home.att.net/cscholz/litcircles/
ReflectLitCircle.htm
was taken as example.

Reflection Sheet on
Individual Performance in
Literature Circles
• Name: ------------------------
• Date: ------------------------
• Job: -------------------------
• Directions: Please answer the following 5 questions each in a
separate paragraph.
• 1. What did I do well today during our Literature Circles meeting?
• 2. What do I still need to work on during our Literature Circles
meetings?
• 3. What was an important contribution I made to the discussion?
Why was it important?
• 4. What was an important idea expressed by someone else? Who
mentioned it? Why was it important?
5. How do you evaluate your participation in the Literature Circles?
What would you change about your presentation if you did it again?

Literature Circles
Evaluation Form (for the
teacher)
You have created a You have created a You have not completed
product that clearly complete product but the product for use in
shows you have put you could have given it your literature circle.
thought into your more thought, or it
assignment / Your could be more clearly
product provides insight related to the central
into or highlights the themes of the
central themes of the paragraph
paragraph

FOR THE PRODUCT

You have participated You have participated You were absent, or you
actively, listening well in general, but you did not participate at
attentively and asking could have asked more all.
questions that questions or
contribute to your contributed more
group’s discussions comments to your
group’s discussion.

FOR PARTICIPATION
IN YOUR LITERATURE
CIRCLES

Group Reflection Sheet
• Group name:
• Group members:
• A. Style of presentation (e.g., clarity, giving the message, explaining the topic well)
• Comment:
• Circle the relevant number related to the presentation
• 5= Very effective 4= Effective 3= Effective on Average 2= Not effective 1= Very
poor
• B: Interaction with the audience (e.g., eye contact, asking audience questions,
answering the questions from the audience)
• Comment:
poor
• C: Organization
• Comment:
poor
• D: Pronunciation
• Comment:

Survey on the Literature
Circles
• With a view to collecting the qualitative and quantitative data in
the study, EFL learners in the experimental group were
administered a survey on the Literature Circles.
• The survey instrument was developed by the researcher, who was
also the classroom teacher of the experimental group. At the
design phase of the survey, a colleague at the DBE doing her M.A.
in educational sciences and several experts specialized in
educational sciences were consulted.
• The survey instrument was prepared in English and the Turkish
translation of the items were also provided. The learners were
told to use either English or Turkish when answering the items.
• The survey was composed of 24 items: 16 multiple choice items as
well as 8 open-ended questions.
• The multiple choice items were designed in the Likert-scale with 4
and 5 options

Sample Survey Items
• Item 5:
• How useful did you find literature circles in
improving reading skills in English while doing
DBE-offline readings ? (‘ Literature Circles’
metodu sizce okuma anlama becerisinin
geliştirilmesinde ne ölçüde etkili oldu?)
• a) very useful (çok yararlı)
• b) useful (yararlı)
• c) somewhat useful (kısmen yararlı)
• D) not useful (yararsız)

• Item 6:
• In what way did you find Literature
Circles useful when compared to
teacher oriented classes? (Öğretmen
odaklı derslere kıyasla sizce hangi
yönlerden ‘Literature Circles’ metodu
faydalı oldu ?)

In-depth Interviews with
the EFL Learners in the
Experimental Group
• The qualitative data in the study was
obtained through the in-depth
interviews with the learners. The
learners were expected to provide
further information on the survey
items during the interviews. 24 items
were utilized in the interviews.

Quantitative Data in the
Study
• The quantitative data in the study
was obtained through the 4 pop
quizzes and the two mid-terms
administered during the first half of
the 2005-2006 academic year.

Data Collection
Procedures
• Academic texts:
• The learners were assigned six basic roles for Literature
Circles:
• Plot summarizer
• Word wizard (The word wizard also prepares a vocabulary
quiz)
• Graphic organizer
• Discussion director (The discussion director also prepares
an overall quiz)
• Culture collector
• (From Daniel’s. H. (2002). Literature Circles in Book Clubs
and Reading Groups. Second Edition. Portland, Maine:
Stenhouse)

Plot Summarizer
• The plot summarizer prepares a brief summary of
the plot and reads it to the group.
• The summary should be clear, complete, and
accurate.
• It should focus on key events that are central to
the story.
• It is not just copying the author’s words: instead,
you it is paraphrasing.
• Product: A written summary of key story events.

Plot Summarizer
• Product: A written summary of key story events
• Tell key events but leave out parts that are not
essential.
• Don’t copy from the text, create your text.
• What is important and key? Events, facts,
character actions or words, and development in
plot
• What is absolutely essential for everyone in the
group to know about the reading? (What is the
most important event in this reading?)

Word Wizard
• The Word Wizard selects five words that
are central to the chapter and presents
them to the group in some creative way
that will help the group learn them.
• The Word Wizard is also required to
prepare a vocabulary quiz using the words
he/she has selected
• Product: A vocabulary activity using five
words

Word Wizard Example
• Product: A vocabulary activity using five words.
• Some kinds of words you might choose:
• Funny words
• New words
• Unusual words
• Words used in a new way
• Hard words
(From Suzie Throop
http: //webtech.cherokee.k12.go.us/woodstock-
es/Aim/litcirrolesheets.htm)

Graphic Organizer

• The Graphic Organizer prepares a
graphic (picture, chart, idea, map,
etc.) of some or all of the key
concepts or events from the chapter.
• Product: A graphic representation

Discussion Director
• The Discussion Director writes down three or four
questions for discussion by the group and acts as the time-
keeper for the group.
• The questions should help group members understand and
interpret the stories in insightful ways.
• The Discussion Collector is also required to prepare an
overall quiz to recap the main points in the paragraph and to
provide an opportunity for the whole class to recycle the
important words after the group presentation is over.
• The Discussion Director should help confusion.
• Product: A list of questions for discussion.

Discussion Director
Example
• Product: A list of questions for discussion
• Here are some examples of questions you might ask:
• What was going through your mind while you read this
paragraph?
• How did you feel while you read the paragraph?
• Did the paragraph remind you of an experience you have
had?
• Can you make a prediction about what will happen next?

(From Suzie Throop
http: //webtech.cherokee.k12.go.us/woodstock-
es/Aim/litcirrolesheets.htm)

Culture Collector
• Discover and report on cultural
underpinnings and historical
background of the text.
• Product: Compare and contrast text
culture and own culture

Culture Collector
Example
• Product: Compare and contrast text
culture and own culture
• Does the text remind you of your life and
culture?
• Important life events
• Important celebrations
• Does the text talk about strange things
compared to your life?

Classroom Instructions
• PLOT SUMMARIZER:
• Read your summary to your group. Answer
your group members’ questions about your
summary.
• Other group members: Is the summary
accurate? Does it focus on important
events? Why or why not? Are the events in
order?

• WORD WIZARD:
• Present and explain your product. If it is
an activity, make sure everyone
understands what to do.
• Other group members: Are the words
important to the understanding of the
paragraph? Why? Why not? Will you try to
remember them for future use?

• GRAPHIC ORGANIZER:
• Show your graphic to your group. How does it relate to the paragraph?

• DISCUSSION DIRECTOR:
• After everyone has presented his/her product, pose your questions, get a
discussion going, and keep it going. If a group member is being silent, ask
him / her a question
• (Use classroom language:
• “Would you like to add something?”
• “What do you think?”
• “Watch the time?”
• Other group members: Get involved in discussion.
• WHOLE GROUP: PREPARE TO PRESENT AND EXPLAIN BRIEFLY YOUR
GROUP’S MOST INTERESTING PRODUCT TO THE CLASS.

• CULTURE CONNECTOR:
• Look at the paragraph and note both
differences and similarities between the
culture represented in the paragraph and
your own culture.
• Other Group Members: Are the
comparisons and contrasts complete?
Why? Why not?
• Can you think of any other examples?

Data Collection Process
• I. Academic Texts
• The learners were assigned to work in groups of
five by the teacher. The group members were
selected randomly.
• The group members shared the roles. They
needed to assign new roles for each presentation.
• The group members were required to meet once a
week before the presentation to discuss the text,
their difficulties at the preparation stage, try to
find solutions to them, to rehearse their roles and
to give feedback to each other on their
performance.

Training Program Prior to
the Implementation of the
Literature Circles
• Prior to the implementation of the Literature
Circles, the learners in the experimental group
were provided with a one-week training program
inserted into the regular syllabus.
• In this program, the introduction unit in DBE
Offline II was mainly used. In addition, the
learners were given some information on how to
make use of various graphic organisers (Venn
Diagram, Story Plot Flow Map, Character Map,
etc.)

Skills Introduced Prior
to Literature Circles
• Summarizing a paragraph or sections of a reading text
• Writing good discussion questions
• Completing graphic organizers (Venn Diagram, Story Plot
Flow Map, etc.)
• Choosing a paragraph from a reading text and compare and
contrast the elements in the paragraph with one’s own
culture
• Choosing vocabulary words and making guesses about their
meaning (based on context clues)
• Looking up words in a dictionary and choosing the definition
that fits the context clues

Group Presentations
• Each group presentation lasted approximately 20 minutes.
• During the presentations, some groups used overhead projectors
and colorful papers while others prepared power point
presentations.
• During the group presentations, the teacher interference was at
minumum. The audience asked the presenter for clarification
whenever the need arose.
• The teacher served as a facilitator, not a group member or
instructor. They only interfered when the presenter could not
produce a satisfactory response to the questions from the
audience or when there was a misinterpretation or
misunderstandings concerning any part of the presentation on the
part of the learners.
• After each presentation, each group administered an overall quiz
to the class members to wrap up the points raised during the
presentation and to check the other group members’
understanding.

One of the sim ilarities between our naturel
w orld and our population is; the system w
, hich
neither can be understood nor can be seen. I t
has independent structures w hich have been
developed tim by tim I t m
e e. akes us g on a
o
daily basis that have never m ade an error.I t
controls us, make us clothed educated etc.

Vocabulary items of paragraph 5
• invisible(adj):that cannot be seen
-She felt invisible in the crowd
OPP:visible

• superimpose(v):to put one image on top of another so that the two can
be
seen combined
-A diagram of the new road layout was superimposed on a
map of the city

• operate(v):to work
-solar panels can only operate in sunlight
SYN:function

• interdependent(adj):that depend on each other
-The world is becoming increasingly interdependent

• smooth(adj):even and regular without sudden stops and starts
-The plane made a smooth landing

Those pictures shows us the tidiness in
the
untidiness ,which is very similiar to us
from
our daily life.

Chaos in traffic shows us the
things ,which now you are
looking at, aren’t always as the
same as how they seem.

This system is about the performance and
shows
us how this system works.

Discussing Questions

What is the purpose of “invisible
structures”?

Their purpose is to provide a perfect
running of a a large city on a daily
system and to be sure that we are
clothed,fed and educated.

What is the similarity -mentioned at
this paragraph- between natural
world and our society?

Both of them have an invisible order.

• According to us
the Yanomano
people should
benefit from
modern life’s
advantage, but
they hesitance
from modern life’s
crimes therefore
they refuse

• The old yanomamo
man with an axe

• Yanomamo woman
teaches building a
tent to little
yanomamo kids

Chagnon thinks that they are
good people

• But they kill each
other for no
reason.

• Despite of being
primitive, we think
they know
acapuncture.

Cast
Drawing Slide Show : Kuntay

Word wizard :Yetkin

Summarizer : Birol

Overall Quiz : Alp

Discussion Questions : Serkan

And directed by Emre

Individual and Group
Reflection
• After each presentation, other groups evaluated
the group members’ performance by filling in a
group performance reflection sheet.
• Besides the group reflection sheet, each
presesenter filled in an individual reflection sheet
following the presentation.
• The teacher also gave feedback on each group
member by filling in an evaluation form.

The Impact of the
Approach on the Level of
EFL Reading Comprehension
• In order to investigate the impact of
the approach on the learners’ success
in EFL reading comprehension, four
pop quiz grades and two mid-term
grades of the learners in the
experimental group and those in the
control group were collected and
were subject to statistical analysis.

Data Analysis
• The Quantitative Data in the Study:
• In order to assess whether there is a significant difference
between the control group and the experimental group
related to their achievement levels, the independent sample
t-test was used.
• The quantitative data obtained from the four pop quizzes
and two mid-terms were analysed through a one-way
repeated within-subject analysis of variance.
• The within-subject factors were determined as quizzes and
mid-term exams taken by the students. This factor includes
4 quizzes and 2 mid-terms. Change among the exams was
assessed using the multivariate criterion of Wilks’ lambda.
Multivariate effect was used due to the violation of the
Sphericity assumption and exam factor has 6 categories.
Sphericity assumption was assessed by Mauchly’s test.

• The qualitative data from the survey
on the literary circles and the
interview questions were assessed
together through inductive analysis.

Data Analysis Results
• Analysis of the Quantitative Data
• Results of the Pre-test analysis
• The results of the independent
sample t test indicated that there is
no significant difference between
the experimental and control groups
related to their achivement levels.

• The results of the test indicated
that there is no significant
difference between groups with
respect to their reading skills at the
beginning of the study.
• t (46) = -. 89
• p= . 337

Means and Standard
Deviations of Each Group in
the Pre-test
• Experimental Group
• Mean: 91. 72
• SD: 7.60
• N= 24
• Control Group
• Mean: 89. 16
• SD: 11. 76
• N= 24

Analysis Results Related to
the Impact of Learner
Achievement
• The results of the Mauchly’s test indicated a
significant result change in the EFL learners’ level
of reading comprehension.
• Mauchly’s W = 0513
• X2(14) = 29. 47P= .003
• The main effect of exams was significant:
• Wilks’ lambda (Λ) : . 20
• F(5, 42) = 33. 16
• P < .001 (Significance level set for the study is
p= .05)

• In the light of the exam scores, the experimental group
showed more progress than the control group.
• The interaction effect of exams and groups were not found
significant.
• ^ = .89
• F (5, 42) = 1. 08
• p = .39
• There is no significant effect of the Literature Circles
approach on EFL learners’ achievement in reading
comprehension.

Mean and Standard
Deviation of Each Group in
the Exams
Table 1. Means and Standard Deviations of Each Group in the Exams

Experiment Group Control Group

Exams X SD X SD

Quiz 106 71,33 13,01 68,90 11,47
Mid-Term 1 74,48 16,76 67,96 9,91
Quiz 108 70,56 7,36 64,60 13,31
Quiz 111 74,16 8,69 65,38 13,73
Mid-Term 2 78,58 8,43 71,24 9,65
Quiz 116 84,85 6,12 82,70 7,89
Note. N = 24

Figure 1 . Progress of
Each Group in All Exams
Progress of each group in all exams

85,00 Section
Control Group
Experiment Group

80,00

75,00
Scores

70,00

65,00

60,00

Quiz106 Mid-Term 1 Quiz108 Quiz111 Mid-Term 2 Quiz116

Exams

Results of the Analysis of
the Questionnaire Data
How useful did you find literature circles in improving reading skills in English while doing Literacy Circles readings?

Frequenc
y Percent

Not enjoyable 5 20,8

Somewhat enjoyable 12 50,0

Enjoyable 4 16,7

Total 21 87,5

Note. N = 24
Half of the students stated that Literature Circles are somewhat useful.

How enjoyable did you find teacher-oriented classes while doing reading passages in DBE-Offline readings?

Frequenc
y Percent

Not enjoyable 4 16,7


Enjoyable 5 20, 8

Total 21 87,5

Note. N = 24
Half of the students stated that teacher-oriented method is somewhat enjoyable

How enjoyable did you find literature circles while doing reading passages in DBE-Offline readings?

Frequenc
y Percent

Not enjoyable 2 8,3


Enjoyable 8 33,3
Very Enjoyable 1 4,2

Total 22 91,7

Note. N = 24
More than 75 % of the students stated that literature circles are somewhat enjoyable or enjoyable.

How much outside preparation did you have to do for “teacher-oriented” classes?

Frequenc
y Percent

Not at all 12 50,0

Less than 1 hour 5 20,8

From 1 to 3 4 16,7

From 3 to 5 1 4,2
Total 22 91,7
Note. N = 24
Half of the students stated that they do not make any preparation for teacher-oriented classes.

How much outside preparation did you have to do for “literature circles”?

Frequenc
y Percent

Not at all 1 4,2
Less than 1 hour 12 50,0

From 1 to 3 9 37,5

Total 22 91,7
Note. N = 24
More than 85 % of the students stated that they make preparation.

How effective did you find teacher’s comments and explanations in class for your learning in teacher-oriented classes?

Frequency Percent

Somewhat effective 6 25,0

Effective 12 50,0

Very effective 4 16,7

Total 22 91,7

Note. N = 24
More than half of the students think that teacher’s comment and explanations are effective.

How effective did you find teacher’s comments and explanations
during literature circles for your learning in teacher-oriented classes?

Frequency Percent

Not effective 2 8,3

Somewhat effective 5 20,8

Effective 10 41,7

Very effective 5 20,8

Total 22 91,7

Note. N = 24
More than half of the students thought that teacher’s comments and explanations are
effective during literature circles. Yet, there are 2 students who don’t think highly of the teachers’ comments.

How helpful were your group members during preparation of the group presentation?

Frequency Percent

Somewhat helpful 8 33,3
Generally helpful 7 29,2

Very helpful 7 29,2

Total 22 91,7

Note. N = 24
It is interesting that the rates of each choice are equal. It means that students did not reach a consensus regarding this item.

How would you evaluate your participation (listening, following, asking, questions, answering questions)
in teacher-oriented lessons while doing DBE-Offline readings?

Frequency Percent

Very low 2 8,3

Low 9 37,5

Somewhat high 5 20,8

High 6 25,0
Total 22 91,7

Note. N = 24
Less than half of the students stated that their participation is somewhat high or high.

How would you evaluate your participation (listening, following, asking, questions, answering questions) in literature circles?

Frequency Percent

Low 1 4,2

Somewhat high 6 25,0

High 13 54,2

Very high 2 8,3
Total 22 91,7

Note. N = 24
More that half of the students stated that their participation is high and very high.
In other words, in literature circles, students’ participation is more than teacher-oriented lessons in the light of their thoughts.

Did you have any difficulty related to teacher-oriented lessons while doing DBE-Offline readings?

Frequenc
y Percent

Yes 5 20,8

No 16 66,7

Total 21 87,5

Note. N = 24
More than half of the students state that they did not have any difficulty related to teacher oriented lessons.

Did you have any difficulty related to literacy circles lessons while doing DBE-Offline readings?

Frequency Percent

Yes 7 29,2

No 15 62,5

Total 22 91,7

Note. N = 24
More than half of the students stated that they do not have any difficulty related to literature circles.
However, the number of “No’s” is lower than that in teacher-oriented classes.

How interested do you think your classmates were in the presentations?

Frequency Percent

Not interested 4 16,7

Interested 16 66,7

Very interested 2 8,3

Total 22 91,7

Note. N = 24
About two-third of the students state that their classmates were interested in the presentations.

Results of the Inductive
Analysis of the Qualitative
Data
• Data obtained from the open-ended
questionnaire items and the interviews
• The DBE learners in the experimental
group held favourable views on the
effectiveness of the Literature Circles in
general. However, the learners’ views
indicated that some aspects need to be
modified to enhance the level of
effectiveness.

Results of the Inductive
Analysis of the Qualitative
Data
• First-level Codes: 27
• Second-level Codes: 75

Table 2. First- and Second-level Codes for Item 4

Main Category First-level codes Second-level codes
Usefulness of Teacher-oriented A. Effective way of teaching i) Relatively long retention of
Classes vocabulary in class words
ii) Deep processing of words

B. Effective way of focusing i) Relatively good concentration
students’ attention on the main on classes in general
points and key points
ii) Effective structuring of the
material presented

iii) Effective and sound learning
of the material

iv) Easy internalization of
knowledge

v) Fast pace

vi) Effective time management

C. Effective treatment of i) Skill integration
reading, speaking and listening
skills
ii) Provision of speaking
opportunities

iii) Effective learning


Main Category First-level Codes Second-level Codes
Usefulness of Literature Circles A. Being prepared for classes in i) No spoonfeeding by the teacher
advance
ii) High level of enjoyment

iii) A sense of purpose and direction

iv) High level of active student
involvement in the task

v) A better command of the topic as
compared to teacher-oriented lessons

vi) A high level of task
understanding

vii) A high level of retention

viii) Effective learning of the
material

ix) Better focus on the material
studied

x) Longer attention span

xi) Effective treatment of material in
class particularly through the
vocabulary and summary preparation
component

xi) Effective treatment of material
in class particularly through
the vocabulary and summary
preparation component

B. Fostering communication and i) Strong bonds between group
cooperation among students members

ii) Solidarity in class

iii) Sharing one’s work with
others
C. Fostering self-directed learning i) A developed sense of
responsibility
ii) Arrangement of study pace

D. Contribution to the learning of i) Improvement of presentation
English skills
ii) Preparing the students for the
departmental studies

iii) Improvement of reading skills

E. Contribution to personal i) Increased level of self-
development confidence
ii) Learning effective teamwork

F. Fast pace of class i) Prevention of boredom during
class
ii) Effective focus on class


Main Category First-level Codes Second-level Codes
Enjoyable features of A. Provision of variety i) A variety of ideas and
Literature Circles interpretations
ii) A variety in the way the
presentations were done
(e.g., use of multi-media
facilities and OHT)
iii) A variety of presenters

iv) A variety of roles

B. Provision of learning i) Working in groups
opportunities

ii) Lots of opportunities for
practice

iii) Doing overall quizzes
and vocabulary quizzes

iv) Drawing pictures

iv) Classroom discussions

vi) Learning from others

vii) Reflection on what is prepared

C. Active student involvement in class i) Fast pace of classes

ii) Smooth flow of ideas


Relatively unfavourable A. Exclusive focus on the i) Not enough interest in the
aspects of the Literature assigned paragraph other paragraphs
Circles Method
ii) No proper preparation for
the other paragraphs

iii) Not enough importance
attached to the other groups’
presentations
iv) Difficulty concentrating
on other groups’
presentations
v) Unnecessarily detailed
analysis of the paragraphs

B. Problems due to the i) Student failure to
arangement of text understand the main points
difficulty level in the paragraph
ii) Some passages being
more difficult to handle than
others

Item 15 (Role divisions)
90 % : Assignment of different roles
10% : Assignment of the same role

The useful aspects of roles A. Impetus for self-directed i) Doing research through
for learning in the long-run learning the internet and other
sources
ii) Provision of challenge on
the part of the students

iii) Improvement of the
paraphrasing skill

iv) Improvement of the
presentation skills

v) Freedom of expression
and choice

vi) Improvement of self confidence

i) Improvement of reading skills in
general

B. Group learning opportunities i) Improvement of speaking
opportunities in groups

ii) Enhancing teamwork

iii) Strengthening the bond between
group members

Table 7 . First- and Second-level Codes for Item 21

Main category First-level codes Second-level codes
Difficulties with the teacher- A. Difficulties related to the i) Being in a listener
oriented classes while doing delivery position for a long time
DBE Offline readings
ii) The pace of classes being
too fast to follow

iii) Loss of concentration

B. Difficulties related to the i) Boring nature of the texts
textbook

ii) The level of text
difficulty being too high


Difficulties with the literary A. Fast pace of presentations i) Not having enough time to
circles digest the information
presented
ii) Superficial understading
of the information presented

iii) Being unable to focus on
the information presented
properly
iv) Difficulties related to the
time management during the
presentations
B. High level of text i) Problems with
difficulty understanding the text

ii) Difficulties preparing for
the role


Level of benefit from the A. A high level of text i) High level of vocabulary
presentations) understanding retention
ii) High level of
understanding of the main
points and details
B. Personal Development i) Increase in self confidence

ii) Increase in the repertoire
of knowledge

iii) A chance to prepare
things our own style

iv) A stimulus to foster
creativity

Suggestions for improvement A. Topic choice i) Decrease in the number of
technical topics and increase in the
number of topics of general
interest
i) Choice of topics that are not
cognitively demanding
iii) Choice of more enjoyable topics

B. Reinforcement of the things i) The teacher wrap-up
learned
ii) Teacher administering a quiz on
the theme following the
presentations
iii) Whole class discussion on the
topic presented
C. Dealing with the whole text i) Unity within the text
rather than paragraphs
ii) Avoidance of unnecessary
details
D. More incentive for self-directed i) Inculcating a sense of student
learning responsibility
ii) Raising the students level of
awareness concerning the relevance
and importance of autonomous
learning
E. Requirements on the part of the i) Giving grades
learners to take this method
seriously

ii) Adding a bit of teacher control in
the group work (e.g., in the way
the roles are divided and the
work is shared equally / to avoid
free riding

Implications from the
Study
• The method Literature Circles did not guarantee success but
paved the way for learners’ development of autonomy.
• In order to implement self-directed learning more effectively, a
number of areas need to be further addressed.
• Learner training: Some students are not ready as others for
independent language learning. Literature Circles turned out to be
more popular among those learners who were already self-
sufficient and demonstrated some degree of autonomy in learning.
• This does not mean that the less ready or less enthusiastic
students are not capable of autonomy.
• Nunan (1996; 13) rightly points out
• “Some degree of autonomy can be fostered in learners regardless
of the extent to which they are predisposed to the notion”.

• This method was offered as ancilliary to the main language course.
• In order to help students become autonomous, it would be more effective to provide
learner training alongside the program, and make it an integral part of the course.
• Learner training activities can be incorporated systematically in the classroom to help
students to become more aware of the learning process, more ready to take charge
of their own learning, and empowered to make their own changes.

• The study showed that some learners in the study needed help in this respect. They
wanted the teacher to put some requirements on them so that they could raise their
awareness level about the issue.
• Through such activities learners come to terms with their strengths and weaknesses
and to learn a language efficiently in ways which are compatible with their
personalities (Gremmo and Riley, 1995) .
• The presenters were asked to fill in the individual performance reflection sheets, but
some learners started to neglect it after a while. Not being used to doing self-
reflection, they regarded filling in those sheets as a burden.

Teacher counselling
• Promoting learner autonomy does not mean a reduction of teacher
intervention or initiative (Lee, 1998).
• In this program, teacher counselling was not systematically
integrated, but some students reported that the teacher should
play a helping and supporting role. Although the teacher gave the
students feedback through the evaluation forms, some students
apparently did not see them as beneficial.
• Most learners reported that the teacher should do a wrap-up
after all the presentations to make the points made in the
presentations clear.
• Teacher counselling should be treated as a significant component
of this autonomy- inducing method
• The role of teacher counselling in fostering learner autonomy
should be more widely used and explored in this method.

Collaborative Learning
• Learner autonomy has increasingly
been associated with social and
collaborative learning (Benson, 1996).
• The students in this program studied
on their own mostly, though they held
exchange sessions and they shared
their progress with each other.

• Having learners share successful strategies with
their peers is an important part of learner
training (Tyacke, 1991).
• The exchange sessions in the program seemed to
have only a limited impact on the learners.
• The future programs should aim at fostering
social or collaborative learning through a more
concerted effort, making more active use of peer
negotiations, peer review or peer teaching.
• The teacher should try to do her best to
establish good group dynamics in class.

Conclusion
• The aim of autonomous learning is to
promote independence in learners so that
they can continue their language
development and take increasing
responsibility for their learning.
• Creating a self-directed learning program
does not in itself enable learners to
become self-directed.

• Learner autonomy is promoted through
• The provision of circumstances and
contexts for language learners which will
make it more more likely that they take
charge – at least temporarily – of the
whole or part of their language learning
program, and which are more likely to help
rather than prevent learners from
exercising their autonomy (Esch 1996: 37).

• The results of this study support the
views of Esch. It would seem that
teachers offering programs in self-
directed learning need to think very
carefully about how the necessary
supportive circumstances and contexts can
be provided to help learners develop the
necessary capacity and willingness to take
on more responsibility for their own
learning.

References
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