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FOSTERING RISK TAKING THROUGH PAIR WORK ACTIVITIES IN AN EFL

SETTING

Analyzing the impact of pair-work activities in EFL language Education.

EULICES CORDOBA ZUIGA


JACKS ROBERT PALACIOS MOSQUERA

UNIVERSIDAD SURCOLOMBIANA
UNIVERSIDAD DE CALDAS
FACULTAD DE ARTES Y HUMANIDADES
MAESTRIA EN DIDACTICA DEL INGLES

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NEIVA
2012
FOSTERING RISK TAKING THROUGH PAIR WORK ACTIVITIES IN AN EFL

SETTING

EULICES CORDOBA ZUIGA


JACKS ROBERT PALACIOS MOSQUERA

Advisor
EDGAR ALIRIO INSUASTY
Magister in English Didactics

Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in
English Didactics

UNIVERSIDAD SURCOLOMBIANA
UNIVERSIDAD DE CALDAS
FACULTAD DE ARTES Y HUMANIDADES
MAESTRIA EN DIDACTICA DEL INGLES

2
NEIVA
2010

ACCEPTATION NOTE

____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________

_____________________________________
Signature of President of Jury

_____________________________________
Signature of Jury

_____________________________________
Signature of Jury

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Neiva, October of 2011
This thesis is dedicated to our mothers

ROSA HERMINIA MORENO ZUIGA

ROSA MOSQUERA COPETE

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We wish to thank God for all what he has given to us. We also own an increasing debt of
gratitude to the advisor, Edgar Alirio Insuasty for his advice, insights, direction and support
to make this thesis possible. We offer thanks to Dr. Alexis Lpez for all his comments and
suggestions during the process of this thesis. Moreover, we acknowledge the contributions
made by Enrique Betancourt, who allowed us to observe his classes. Finally, we pay tribute
to all six learners who decided to participate in this study. They were always interested and
willing to be observed and interviewed.

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CONTENTS

Pag.

INTRODUCTION

1.1 JUSTIFICATION 14

1.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE CONTEXT 16

1. 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM 18

1.4 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 20

1. 4.1 General objective 20

1.4.2 Specific objectives 20

1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 20

1.6 DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS 20

2. LITERATURE REVIEW 22

2.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION 22

2.2 RISK TAKING IN ENGLISH LEARNING 23

2.2.1 Benefits of risk-taking in target language 23

2.2.2 Previous studies on risk-taking behavior in language learning 24

2.3 WHAT IS PAIR WORK 26

2.3.1 The role of teacher 26

2.3.2 Correcting mistakes during pair work activities 27

2.3.3 Previous studies on pair work 31

3. METHODOLOGY 31

3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN 31

3.2 PARTICIPANTS 31

3.3 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT 32

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3.3.1 Observations 32

3.3.2 Interviews 34

3.4. RESEARCH STAGES 35

3.4.1 Diagnostic stage 35

3.4.2 Implementation stage 33

3.4.3 Analysis of the implementation stage 45

3.4.3.1. Ninth grade perceptions toward risk taking in English class 45

3.4.3.2 Factors affecting ninth graders risk taking 46

3.4.3.3 Factors that foster ninth grade students risk taking 46

3.4.3.4 Ninth graders perceptions towards pair work 46

3.4.3.5 How to organize pair work to promote risk taking 46

3.4.3.6 Benefits of pair work activities for ninth grade learners 46

3.5 DATA ANALYSIS 47

3.6 VALIDITY 48

3.6.1 Verification procedures 48

3.7 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS 48

3.8 RESEARCH PLAN 48

4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 50

4.1 CASE STUDIES 50

4.1.1 Case study 1: Naomi 50

4.1.2 Case study 2: Julio 52

4.1.3 Case study 3: Yasney 55

4.1.4 Case study 4: Viejo 57

4.1.5 Case study 5: Yassiry 61

4.1.6 Case study 6: Arley 63

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4.2 SUMMARY OF THE STUDY 66

4.2.1 Perception towards risk taking in an EFL setting 66

4.2.2 Factors affecting the six case studies risk taking 66

4.2.3 Factors that foster ninth grade students risk taking 66

4.2.4 Perception towards pair work activities 67

4.2.5 Benefits of pair work activities for ninth grade learners 67

4.2.6 How to organize pair work to promote risk taking 67

4.2.7 Selecting pairs to promote risk taking 68

5. CONCLUSIONS 69

5.1 ON LEARNERS PERCEPTION ABOUT RISK TAKING 70

5.2 ASPECTS THAT HINDERED RISK TAKING 70

5.3 ON LEARNERS PERCEPTIONS ABOUT PAIR WORK ACTIVITIES 70

5.4 ON BENEFITS OF PAIR WORK ACTIVITIES 71

6. IMPLICATIONS 72

6.1 IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING 72

6.2 IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH 72

6.3 PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATION 73

6.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 73

BIBLIOGRAPHY 74

APPENDICES 77

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LIST OF CHARTS

Pag.

Chart 1. Demographic information 32

Chart 2. Observation time frame 32

Chart 3. Interview time frame 35

Chart 4. Class 1 36

Chart 5. Class 2 37

Chart 6. Class 3 38

Chart 7. Class 4 39

Chart 8. Class 5 40

Chart 9. Class 6 41

Chart 10. Class 7 42

Chart 11. Class 8 43

Chart 12. Class 9 44

Chart 13. Class 10 45

Chart 14. Lists of categories 47

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Chart 15. Research plan 48

LIST OF APPENDICES

Pag.

Appendix A. Interview checklist 77

Appendix B. Observation checklist 79

Appendix C. Transcript from the interviews 82

Appendix D. Transcript from the observations 95

Appendix E. Permission letter to the principal 96

Appendix F. Permission letter to the English teacher 97

Appendix G. Permission letter to the students 98

Appendix H. Photos of the students working in pair 99

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ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to foster risk taking through the implementation of ten pair work
activities as a means to promote the speaking skill in an English as a Foreign Language
(EFL) setting. It was carried out as a case study and using qualitative research techniques
containing six classroom observations and six interviews during the diagnostic stage. After
this step, six new observations and the same number of interviews were conducted with
each one of the six learners who had weaknesses in their English learning process. It was
done from June to December of the year 2011. Six ninth grade students from a public
school in RiveraHuila were selected as case studies for this investigation. They were
selected purposefully to give more validity to the study and their production was evaluated
by the number of times they participated in the lessons.

The findings indicated that students had positive views toward risk taking in class
development. They shared their opinions with their classmates and improved on aspects
such as fostering communication, enriching classroom atmosphere, and reducing learners
anxiety to speak in the activities. The students communicated their ideas with the
classmates, worked as a team and collaborated with each other to perform the activities and
reached the class objectives. They also had the opportunity to receive suggestions and
clarifications from the teacher and their classmates. Based on these outcomes, this
investigation contributed to the improvement of English educational practices by taking
advantage of pair work activities as a teaching strategy which promoted participation and
involved the students in meaningful tasks, offering more flexibility to work cooperatively
and encouraging them to be more interested in the lessons in order to become more
efficient students.

Key words: Risk taking, pair work activities

INTRODUCTION

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The positive influence of risk taking on EFL learning is now the focus of discussions
between teachers and investigators. They all agree that risk taking has a great role in EFL
learning. It increases students speaking ability in English. Beebes1 holds that learners take
risks when they use opportunities to communicate in the courses. Rubin2, Samimy and
Tabuse3 et al. state that risk taking is fundamental in language learning; it gives students the
skill to interact and discuss with their classmates. Young 4 and Bang 5say that in a language
classroom setting, risk taking is related to greater speaking language abilities. It provides
learners more background and heightens their speaking skill in L2.

Although several research studies and authors deal with the importance of risk taking as a
means to increase student participation, in Colombia the teaching of English does not seem
to have incorporated such kind of strategy to help learners to be more active. In the
majority of public schools, learners do not participate in the activities because they have
been accustomed to the passivity and nonparticipation in class discussion. In fact, most of
them attend class to take information from the teacher without making decisions or being
actively engaged in the learning process. This situation was similar at Santa Barbara School
where six learners remained passive and silent in the activities. Usually they lost the class
focus, got distracted and had difficulties in the English lessons.

Under these circumstances, the aim of this study was to promote students risk taking
through the implementation of ten pair work activities which encouraged learners to
practice speaking in a public school in Rivera, Huila. Pair work activities served as a means
to involve all learners in the lessons and augmented their risk taking modes. This research
was also done to help reach the objective of the National Bilingual Program to have citizens
able to communicate with proficiency since the aim of the study was to increase learners
opportunities to improve their speaking skill.6

1
BEEBE, L.M. Risk taking and the language learning: classroom oriented research in
second language acquisition..Mass. Newbury house, 1983. p. 36-66.
2
RUBIN, J. What a good language learner can teach us. In: Tesol Quaterly.1975.pag.9-41-
51.
3
SAMIMY, k. and TABUSE, M. Specific variables in a second language classroom.Eric
reproduction service, 1991.pag.330- 18.
4
YOUNG, Op. Cit.
5
BANG, Op. cit.
6
COLOMBIA. MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIN. Formar en lenguas extranjeras. El reto. Bogot:
Imprenta nacional, 2006. p. 5-6

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This investigation provides data about the diagnostic stage, the implementation and the
evaluation, and data analysis stage. It also provides a literature review related to risk taking
and pair work activities and their positive role to learning and teaching process. It was
carried out under the methodology of case study with a rigorous analysis of data through a
continuous triangulation process of information from instruments such as twelve
observations and twelve interviews which summed more than thirty hours of tape
recordings and one hundred sheets of paper. This process followed three steps.

The diagnostic phase was used to identify the difficulties and weaknesses ninth grade
learners encountered to take risk in their English classes. According to the information
gathered during the diagnostic stage, six ninth grade learners of the institution were chosen
as participants for the study because they were the most receptive in the lessons. They were
reluctant to speak in the English class and they kept silent during the activities. The second
phase included six new observations and six interviews to the ninth graders selected as case
studies. Then, we developed the implementation stage. Ten pair work activities were
designed with the aim of improving the students speaking skill and fostering risk taking.
Although the tasks and activities were developed with the whole group, we focused the
research process on the six participants chosen.

The results of this study proved the positive role of pair work activities to learn English.
The students responded in a better way to their learning process and they were more
interested to take risks. They increased their chances to show their learning and experiment
the language. The students also had classmates as a guide to improve their speaking skill
and changed their passive roles in the lessons. Pair work activities also helped English
learning and teaching to overcome the students fears to communicate their ideas to the
group. The learners and the teacher interacted and collaborated with each other and
provided effective feedback during the activities.

1.1 JUSTIFICATION

English teaching and learning in Santa Barbara school is very particular because the
English courses are mainly grammar and reading comprehension oriented. Their main goals
are to reach grammatical competences and to achieve high score on IFCES test. The
principal activities are filling the gaps, circle the odd words, restate sentences and answer

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questions from different types of texts. In school, some learners study the language as other
subject of their curriculum and most of them learn English to fulfill a requirement from the
Ministry of Education that launched Colombian education law 115 of 1994 which
established the level of conversation, reading comprehension, and writing composition
needed in a foreign language7. The instruction in ninth grade was based on the mastery of
isolated vocabulary, grammatical structures of the language and the writing of non-
contextualized sentences. The activities included repetitions or substitution drills and the
lessons were under the teacher control; with little attention to the speaking ability.

The six learners chosen as participants accepted that they had difficulties to use their
opportunities to express their ideas in the English lessons. They were passive in class. They
neither answered questions from the teacher or classmates and they were frightened to
speak in the course. Their classmates and the teacher criticized them because they almost
never asked for clarifications; their participations did not contribute to communicate their
ideas effectively. The teacher criticized them by saying that they were irresponsible,
difficult to manage and unable to practice their speaking effectively. These six students
preferred to stay silent, read the photocopies and complete the grammar exercises. As the
learners wanted to overcome this difficulty, this investigation was conducted in order to
help them improve the development of their speaking skill, lower their anxiety to learn the
language and have an active role in the classes.

This research is crucial from a methodological point of view. It offers new perceptions on
how to increase class participation. It also provides language teachers with the rationale to
use pair work activities to promote risk taking and speaking in class. This study also gives
suggestion to EFL teachers to develop successful oral group activities and it is expected to
work as a reference to the school, the EFL teaching community at departamento del Huila
and even of the whole nation because it can bring new concepts to benefit ELT practice.

1.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE CONTEXT

This study was conducted at a public High School in Rivera Huila - Colombia. The school
is viewed as the principal institution in the town because it has a long history in educating
young learners from pre-school to high school level and it is one of the oldest and most
prestigious public schools in the town. It is located in a quiet neighbourhood which is
surrounded by trees and a wonderful mountain view. The institution has six branches. The
principal site has three blocks with five rooms in each building. The classrooms have metal
doors, glass windows, and are divided by well painted concrete walls. In the rooms, there
are desks for all learners, a chair and a table for the teacher. There is a big playground to
play games and have physical education class. It is situated far from the room blocks, so the
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Colombian Education Law 115/1994

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noise made by students does not interfere with the classes. The school has ten bathrooms,
five for the girls and five for the boys.

In the institution, there are fifty one teachers organized in two shifts; twenty in the
morning and thirty -one in the afternoon. Five teachers teach English as part of their
academic load, they are graduated from different universities as bachelors in EFL. No one
has post graduate studies such as a specialization or a masters degree in the field. The
school is widely known in the town for the Human Development Education process. Its
education model has a lot of awards from the municipal and departmental secretaries of
education. The school is managed by the principal, an administrator, and two coordinators.
The Principal has a degree and a specialization in school management. The coordinators are
specialists in pedagogy; they are in charge of academic information related to every
particular learning area.

Santa Barbara School has few resources. There is an English lab which counts with thirty
computers which are not used. There are some CD players that the teachers can use any
time, although they are seldom used because the classes are reading and writing oriented.
The school has three video beams, for that reason the teachers have to book them in
advance when they want to use them. The institution has high quality boards in each
classroom; it is the most useful material for the five English teachers. Learners do not use
textbooks in English. The teachers use their own material because the school does not
provide them. The institution also has a small library, five ranch houses suitable as
classroom for the teachers who want to use them, a science and an electronics laboratory.

The teacher uses a book called Interchange. He takes copies from the book and gives them
to the learners. The learners do not use other materials and they use just the copies that the
teacher provides them. They do not bring dictionaries to the class, when they do not know
the meaning of a word they ask the teacher and he translates it into Spanish. The majority
of the classes are developed around reading the copies, translating them into Spanish,
filling in the gaps, restating the word order, and answering questions from the material or
questions from the teacher. The teachers roles are to maintain the class control and direct
the activities. The activities are always under his supervision. He assigns turns, grades
learners development, organizes the classroom participation and asks questions. The
students role is simply to respond to the teachers instructions and to do the exercises in
class. Some of these students have a more passive role because they do not take opportunity
to participate in class.

The principal branch has about 1256 students, most of them girls.They are considered to be
from low socioeconomical background; they receive economic support from the
government every month to study for free. The students have little interest in speaking the
language. They seem more interested in other subjects than in the foreign langue.

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Concerning the group of students where this study was developed, the whole class (Ninth
A) counts with thirty students. They are arranged in six rows of five learners because the
classroom is small. Each class lasts sixty minutes and this grade has three hours of English
per week. Their school shift begins at twelve-fifteen and finishes at six-twenty and they
have thirty minutes for break.

In relationship to the development of the class, the teacher begins the class with a greeting
in English and the students answer in the target language, later the teacher writes the date
and the topic on the board and gives the instructions in Spanish. The learners pay attention
to the teacher, do the exercise that the teacher plans for the lesson. Most of the learners are
responsible and do their tasks in time, participate in the activities, and ask the teacher for
clarifications, while others prefer being passive rather than taking part in the class. The
teacher designs activities according to what he believes is appropriate to promote an
effective learning.

The study was carried out in this school for three different reasons. One of the researchers
has worked in the school previously and he built a good relationship with all stakeholders,
then it was easy to receive consent from the staff, the parents and students as well. The
participants and their parents decided to enroll in the study without any reward and the only
teacher who gave consent to the study taught in the afternoon shift.

1.3 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM

Young et al.8 state that risk taking is the ability to participate in class activities and it is
related to an increase in the speaking skill. Hence, risk taking is vital for learners to develop
their oral abilities and to master oral communication in the target language. In addition,
some authors say that risk taking has a relationship with pair work activities because both
facilitate the practice of the speaking skill. For instance, McCray9 suggests that pair work
activities help students to have an active oral participation in the L2. On the other hand,
Rulon10 suggests that to get learners to work together it is necessary to increase the practice

8
YOUNG, Op. cit.
9
McCRAY, Monique. Pair work. Northwest Practioner Knowledge Institute documentation,
2010.p. 1.2.3.
10
RULON, K. Negotiation of the content. Teacher fronted and small group interaction:
classroom oriented research in second language acquisition. Conversation in second
language in second language acquisition.R-day.Newbury house, p. 46.

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of the speaking skill. Students need to work together to talk to their partners in the lessons
and convey the message well. Six learners at Santa Barbara School show serious difficulties
that impede them to participate in the activities successfully:

The focus of the class is based mainly on grammar and reading comprehension
oriented with little attention to speaking skill. The principal activities are designed
to read the copies, to check and do grammar exercises, to write sentences, and to
answer questions from the teacher.

The teacher attitude is also a big constraint: his principal role is to maintain class
control, to direct the activities and to criticize these learners who make mistakes. He
assigns turns, tasks and organizes the classroom. He censures the learners who do
not have active role in class. He considers these students studies as irresponsible,
and not worth to learn a foreign language. This situation intimidates them to get
engaged in the lessons.

The teacher does not use pair work activities in his instruction. He uses individual
work and this situation hinders the participants in the study to communicate their
ideas. They need a classmate who can assist them to complete their tasks and lower
their fears to take part in the lessons.

The students are afraid and anxious to speak in front of the class. They feel insecure
to take risks and remain silent because they are worried about making mistakes in
the activities. Their reluctance to participate and keep silent provides them with a
less frightening class environment.

Their classmates provide an intimidating classroom atmosphere. They smirk and


correct them in a bad way. They always laugh at them and murmur about their
performance in the different activities.

They have a passive role in class. They remain silent in the majority of the class
activities. The teacher and their classmates ask questions but they are reluctant to
answer because their communicative competence is poor. Besides, there is no

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sufficient time to prepare the message as they work individually and the class time
is not enough to participate in pair work activities.

Neither the students receive effective feedback from the teacher nor their
classmates. They all provide comments and recommendations in a bad way. They
complain for their limitation to participate and their low performance in speaking
skill. They say that their mistakes are bad and that they should better study in a
lower grade in which they could take an active role.

Considering the above described problem, we decided to conduct this study with the
purpose of involving the students in pair work and do a follow up to verify whether this
strategy helped not only these learners, but also the teacher and their classmates. We are
aware that first we need to carry out activities to sensitize all the group.

1.4 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

1.4.1General objective

To foster students risk taking through pair work activities in an EFL setting.

1.4.2 Specific objectives

To analyze students perceptions about risk taking

To analyze students perceptions about pair work

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To ascertain the effectiveness of pair work activities in enhancing students risk taking

1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To what extent do pair-work activities foster students risk taking in an EFL setting?

What are the students perceptions about pair-work activities and risk- taking in an EFL
setting?

How effective are pair work activities as a means to enhance risk taking in an EFL
setting?

1.6 DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS

Pair work and risk taking were used in the study as two important terms.

Risk taking: In this study, risk taking was viewed as learner`s initiative or participation.
Participation included a request from the teacher, and interception of turn during other
student turn.i It was a general request from the teacher that can be answered by anyone in
class. Young11 stated that risk taking was a desire to try something new and different
without taking in mind the triumph or failure.

Pair work: According to Pollard,12 pair work activities is a teaching strategy, in which
learners work in groups of two to clarify, confirm and receive feedback from a classmate
and the teacher as well.

11
YOUNG, Op. Cit., p. 19.
12
POLLARD, Lucy. Teaching English: A book to help you through your first two years in
teaching. Lucy Pollard, 2008.p.8-10.

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2. LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter presents topics about risk taking. It gives definitions of risk-taking in language
learning, reviews previous studies on the field and illustrates its importance in English
teaching and learning. This issue is developed around different authors who have diverse
definitions and their studies recognize the importance of risk taking in English education.
This literature review also offers explanations about pair work activities and its relation
with risk taking in English classes and it restates previous studies on pair work activities.
Besides, it explains how participation should be promoted and its role in an EFL context.
The first part is about risk taking and the second is about pair work activities.

2.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

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Previous studies in ESL / EFL learning have shown that risk taking plays a significant role
in the target language. Beebes13 (1983) observation shows that learners took risk to
communicate their opinions in class. It provided them more experience to get the language
across. Rubin14, Samimy and Tabuse15 et al. concluded that participation was fundamental
in language learning. It was a key factor in language learning, it gave learners more ability
to interact and discuss in class. Young 16 and Bang 17 have revealed that in a language
classroom setting constant risks was related to greater oral skill. It was a great opportunity
for the students to have more background L2. These above mentioned researchers suggested
that risk-taking in foreign language learning leads to greater speaking ability.

Other researchers have stated that pair work activities helped learners in the class
development. Rulon and McCreay argued that in pair work activities the students feel better
toward the learning process. Long, Adams and Meleanii said that pairing up the students
facilitated the acquisition of the language. McFadden18 proposed that pair work activities
allowed more interaction in the language. According to the researchers, pair work activities
was a way to foster risk taking.

2.2 RISK-TAKING IN ENGLISH LEARNING

According to Young, 19risk-taking is an impulse to take a decision concerning something


new and different, without putting the primary focus on success or failure. It is an
opportunity learners have to share their ideas and become active participants in class
discussions without thinking about the results. Learning is the reward of communicating in
class. Bang20 states that risk-taking in language learning implies a dynamic oral

13
BEEBE, L.M. Risk taking and the language learning: classroom oriented research in
second language acquisition.. Mass. Newbury house, 1983. p. 36-66.
14
RUBIN, J. What a good language learner can teach us. In: Tesol Quaterly.1975.pag.9-
41-51.
15
SAMIMY, k. and TABUSE, M. Specific variables in a second language classroom. Eric
reproduction service, 1991.pag.330- 18.
16
YOUNG, Op. Cit.
17
BANG, Op. cit.
18
McFADDEN, Op. Cit..
19
YOUNG, Op. cit.
20
BANG, Op. cit.

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participation or contribution in class such as: asking questions, answering them, and
making comments during the lesson. Young21also asserts that risk-taking is a desire that
learners express to take part in the activities constantly. This oral active participation
engages learners in the development of the class and increases their speaking ability.

Beebe22 concludes that participating in the English class is a situation the student
experienced to learn a language. Learning English is a risk taking endeavor, no one knows
when they are right or wrong. Brown23 assumes that risk taking refers to the effective
domain of human behavior. As a human behavior, it is fundamental to offer students
chances to succeed in learning.

2.2.1 Benefits of risk-taking in target language. In essence, there have been many
viewpoints and reflections about the importance of risk taking in EFL. Young24 concludes
that risk taking is an important point in language learning because it makes learning more
productive for the students. They are really engaged in the process through active
participation and successful classroom interaction which give more background to the
students to practice and to receive correction from their classmates and from the teacher.
Ely et al25suggest that classroom contribution is significant in language educational process.
Learners become more successful when they actively contribute in class. They have more
opportunities to exchange ideas, to demonstrate their evolution in process and to take main
roles in the classes. It also provides more ability to express their opinions and to exchange
information with their classmates.

2.2.2 Previous studies on risk-taking behavior in language learning. Some studies have
been conducted to investigate the role or risk-taking in foreign language learning and
factors that influence risk taking in an EFL context. It was not easy to apply those findings
because the focus of this study was to encourage students risk taking through pair work
activities. Yet, there are a few investigators who have reached greater conclusion about risk
taking related to pair work activities in EFL context.

21
YOUNG, Op. cit.
22
BEEBE, Cited by LUFT, Stephen. Degree: Master of Arts. Ohio State University, East
Asian Languages and Literatures, 2007Avalablein.http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi?
acc_num=osu1229701363
23
BROWN, 2007
24
YOUNG, Op. cit.
25
ELY, C.M.A causal analysis of the effective, behavioral and attitudinal antecedents of
foreign language proficiency.Ph.D.dissertation, Stanford University, 1984.

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Bang26 analyzed the Korean students perception toward risk-taking in oral proficiency and
factors which helped or hindered learners active risk-taking in an EFL classroom. He
utilized diaries, questionnaires and observations, with fifteen learners who were studying
English at a college in a Korean University. He concluded that all participants (100%)
demonstrated an optimistic opinion of risk-taking. Their opinions were associated with
more English ability and more opportunities to confirm, to gain precision in oral practice,
to learn new phrases and to express suggestions and opinions in class.27He also asserted that
risk taking was related to English language learning.28The students who participated
constantly in class gained more experience to express their thoughts. Bang did not
investigate risk-taking in a school setting as in this study, but his conclusions demonstrated
that promoting risk taking in class was fundamental in an L2 process.
Ely29 conducted a study on causal relationship between risk-taking, oral participation and
oral proficiency. Data was collected through classrooms observation and audio records. A
questionnaire on risk-taking was administered to 75 freshman students learning Spanish at
university level in California. He found that risk-taking is closely related to classroom
participation and it helps to show a good predisposition for class. His study revealed that
risk-taking was essential to have a god interaction in class.

Luft30 also investigated the significance of learners risk-taking to learn Japanese in a


program of performed culture approach. This study involved four learners enrolled in
Japanese Language classes and used questionnaires and observations as a means to collect
data. The finding of this research study suggested that communicating in the class was
fundamental in language learning. Although Luft did not investigate the way to foster risk
taking, his conclusions were important because they affirmed that risk taking was a good
predictor of success. Similarly, Sammy and Tabuse31 coordinated a research study whose
main focus was to examine several affective variables and the effect on learners final grade
of their participation. The participants in this study were students enrolled in first-year of
university level of Japanese language course. They used self-report and questionnaires to
gather data. They found that among other variables risk-taking promoted speaking skill.
They did not study how to encourage risk-taking specifically.

26
BANG, Op. cit.
27
Ibid.
28
Ibid.
29
ELY, Op. cit.
30
LUFT, Stephen. Degree: Master of Arts, OhioStateUniversity, East Asian Languages and
Literatures, 2007. Avalablein.http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi?acc_num=osu1229701363
31
SAMIMY and TABUSE, Op. cit.

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In practice, Pair work activities and risk taking are related as two teaching strategies which
facilitate the acquisition of the foreign language easily. Both encourage learners to practice
oral communication and provide learners with opportunities to get involved in meaningful,
more flexible and interesting lessons where they play principal roles.

2.3 WHAT IS PAIR WORK

According to Storch,32 pair work is a teaching strategy in language learning to get students
to work together in groups of two in the same task. This strategy is vital to master the
language. The students work with the assistance of a classmate who helps to complete the
assignments. Based on Storchs findings, we assume that pair work activities are
fundamental to encourage ninth grade students participation. The students feel secure with
the partner and increase their risk taking modes.

McFadden33 suggested that pair work activities assisted learners to practice speaking and
used all their opportunities in class. They had a more genuine conversation than when they
worked alone. The activities are more daily life oriented; the students worked in teams and
it was similar to real communication. Harmer34 in Bercicova argued that pair work was a
good technique to develop in the classroom. It built an optimistic environment and children
were less afraid of making mistakes in class. According to his view, the use of pair work in
an EFL setting was a way to promote risk taking since pair work activities fostered learners
contributions. Bercicova35 also stated with the implementation of pair work activities in an
EFL setting benefits the students in their learning process.. Pair work activities offered
more training and chances to becoming active participants in the classes.

2.3.1 The role of the teacher. The role of the English teacher has been discussed by
researchers and different language teachers. They have said that the teacher has to change
from a full activity control to give the students the opportunity to take responsibility for her

STORCH, Neomy. How collaborative is pair work? ESL composing in pairs. Center for
32

communication skills and ESL, university of Melbourne. Australia: University of


Melbourne, 2001. p. 30-31-33.

McFADDEN, Op. cit.


33

34
BERCICOVA, Pavlina. Teacher role in pair work activities. Thesis. Master in Tesol.
MasarykUniversity, 2007. p. 60-70-65-50.
35
Ibid.

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/ his own learning process. This role of the teacher was more flexible, gentle and supportive
than in a conventional class. The teacher became a facilitator to provide correct feedback
and to interact with the learners.

Harmer36 also assumed that the teacher as a director, an organizer and fully participant
changed. Pair work strategy was mostly used for meaningful activities where students
interacted and took part. The teacher roles in pair work activities were different. He was in
the classroom to act as an assessor or resource that assisted the students when they asked
for help. In pair work activities, it was not necessary that the teacher had control of the
class; the leaners received support from their classmates.

2.3.2 Correcting mistakes during pair work activities Investigators state that correcting
mistakes during pair work activities is not pedagogically accepted. It is recommended not
to correct errors students make because mistakes are a normal outcome in language
learning. Other teachers and educators say that they have to correct mistakes in order to
avoid incorrect language production.

Nelsons37 study indicated that the teacher in pair work activities corrected the students
gently to maintain group harmony or not show authority. He anticipated possible mistakes
by giving clear recommendations and helping the weakest learners in the group to lower
their anxiety and constrains before they speak up to the whole group. The interaction that
arose from the use of pair work activities encouraged learners to accept and value the
corrections from the teacher and the classmates. They felt the community accepted them
with their limitations and were eager to see them as better language learners.

Roskams stated that the teacher needed to understand that feedback should be provided
only when they do not affect students motivation. Therefore, he gave feedback carefully
and when there was an absolute cooperative atmosphere in the classroom. This increased
learners chance to use the language in the class because he was not waiting for correction
since the teacher tolerated their mistakes as common issues in the language learning. In pair
work activities, the teacher was conscious that the young learners saw him as the first and
the ultimate source of information that encouraged them to have an active role in the class
discussions so he changed the way to provide suggestions to the students.
36
Ibid.

NELSON. Chinese students perceptions of EFL peer response group interaction Journal of
37

Second Language Writing.1996. p 1- 19.

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Phillips38stated that pair work activities also offered the students the opportunity to be
oriented by their classmates. They felt more comfortable when their friends told them how
to correct their mistakes. Their classmates were like them and told why they made
particular mistakes and how to overcome them to be active participant during class.

2.3.3 Previous studies on pair work. Researchers and English teachers have investigated
the role of pair work activities in EFL context. They have all agreed that in the class
development getting learners to work together has a lot of benefits to improve speaking.

Besika39 conducted an action research to analyze the role of the teacher in various stages of
pair work activities. She used qualitative methods to analyze and interpret the data such as
observations, questionnaires and interviews. The participants in her study were fifteen
learners who were studying English in primary school, eight-years A class. They were at
ages of 13 to 14 and all of them were Czech native speakers. She applied different activities
to reach the study goals. She found that in pair work activities the students participated
more in class and that participation was connected to the teacher role during the activity.
The teacher was involved in the class that discouraged the students intention to
communicate. She added that most of the participants (80%) had an optimistic opinion of
pair work. This strategy was suitable for students and they learnt the target language in a
communicative way40. The majority of the students preferred working with the same pair41
and few of them liked to change their partner. It happened because they did not want to
dissatisfy their close friends. She affirmed that students felt ridiculous when the teacher
corrected all their mistakes. Besides, the students preferred to work in pairs with their
friends because it makes the work very similar to the outdoor practice. She also affirmed
that pupils liked to work in pairs with friends they chose and she recommends the use of
pair work in an English class organizing one weak and one strong student into every pair42.

ROSKAMS. Chinese Efl Students Attitudes to Peer Feedback and Peer


38

Assessment in an Extended Pair work Setting: RELC Journal. 1999. p 30 -79


39
BERCICOVA.Op. cit.
40
Ibid.
41
Ibid.
42
Ibid.

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Bang43 examined the Korean students perception toward risk-taking for oral proficiency
and factors which helped or hindered learners active risk-taking in the EFL classroom. He
utilized diaries, questionnaires and observations with fifteen learners who were studying
English at a college in a Korean University. He concluded that all participants (100%)
expressed optimism about the use of pair work activities associated with the English oral
ability44. He stated that pair work activities was a good method to teach English. The
students were in favor of using this strategy which allowed them to get precision from the
teacher, acquire new language items and talk with their classmates and the teacher45.
According to him, pair activities enhance the use of oral communication in the classes. The
students concentrate upon the activities and get interested in the activity to have successful
language learning.

McFadden also investigated the role of pair work in ESL/EFL and its effect in learning
outcomes. She used observations, surveys and weekly oral comprehension assessments to
collect data. Information was gathered during three months. The study was conducted at
Yakina Valley community college in Washington D.C, USA. The participants were 10
learners in a monolingual class Spanish speakers ESL learners. The students met on
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. They worked in pairs for about sixty minutes every class.
Learners were paired according to their levels (high-high/ medium-medium), and other
class students were called to select their pairs, and lastly the investigator chose the pairs.
She found that students always liked to work in pairs; pairwork helped them to take part in
the class. The students did better when they worked with a partner that had the same
English level as this fact gave more confidence to them.

Polley46 examined the learner perceptions of small groups and pair work in an ESL
classroom. She utilized focus group survey and video recording as a means of collecting
data. Her study took place at a private institute in the U.S. The participants were 29 learners
studying English as a second language. She found that all participants had three benefits of
the use of pair work activities in class: learners increased their self-confidence, had more
opportunities to participate in class and to interact between them and there was a greater
understanding of meaning.

43
BANG, Op. cit.
44
Ibid.
45
Ibid.
46
POLLEY, E.K. Learners perception of small group and pair work in the ESL classroom in
second language acquisition. Thesis. Master in Tesol. Arlington: University of Texas.
2007. p. 6-20-66.

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3. METHODOLOGY

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This research study was conducted during the second semester of 2010. The problem under
study was risk taking avoidance in EFL setting in a School where English was taught as
other area of the curriculum. The investigation did not seek to determine any personality
factors involved in learners avoidance to take risk in class, or to examine the relationship
between anxiety, age, learning style with nonparticipation in class. This study intended to
promote risk taking through the implementation of pair work activities to develop learners
speaking skill with the benefits they encounter from the use of this strategy.

3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN

This investigation was carried out following the case study research model which Yin
defined as a process to examine and describe a particular case thoroughly, with the
objective of gathering an in-depth understanding of the problem under study. This process
involved planning, observing, acting and reflecting.

3.2 PARTICIPANTS

The participants in this study were six students of Ninth grade from a public school in
Rivera - Huila. Three girls and three boys and their range of age were between 12 and 15
years old. These six learners had a low English level A2 level based on the parameters of
The Common European Framework. They were chosen to be participants of this study
because during the implementation stage, they all had the same difficulties: 1) they did not
take risk in class, 2) they feared to speak in class, 3) they did not like to work alone, 4) they
were not eager to learn English 5) they were not willing to ask and/or answer questions, 6)
they had a short attention span towards English, 7) they had a low class participation 8) and
they liked grammar and reading exercises.(See chart 1. Demographic information)

Chart 1. Demographic information

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Note: information gathered through a personal data interview

3.3 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS

In order to achieve the goals of this study, we used two different qualitative research
techniques to collect data. Observations and interviews, these qualitative data collection
methods helped us to seek a better understanding of the phenomenon and provided
meaningful information to EFL in general.

3.3.1 Observations. After finishing the diagnostic stage, in which all ninth students were
observed six times to verify that the problem under study really existed. We observed each
participant six times again, in total twelve English classes were observed. These
observations lasted 40 minutes and they were conducted from July to October. Data from
the observations were collected through video recordings to make sure that all information
was saved. Before the classroom observations, we talked to the teacher and the participants
about the general goals of the observations to ensure they would be familiar with our
presence, since it could break the normal process of the class. These observations were
done before the interviews and helped us to have a general description of the behaviour of
the students.

During the observations, we took notes of all that happened in the lessons to guarantee that
details were saved. These notes included a descrption of the participants in the study, the
type of interaction in English class, the times students participated in classes, the type of
activiites that the teacher applied in the classes and the role of the teacher and the students
as well. The notes also included our ideas, reactions and first interpretation of what

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occurred in class. The subjects were observed at the beginning and at the end of the study to
compare the initial data.

In observations, we took two roles: nonparticipant observers and participant observers. We


were non-participant observers to increase the opportunities to comprehend and to gather
more details of what actually occurred in the classroom. In this phase, we did not interact
with the students because we did not want to hinder the class development47. As participant
observer, we were fully engaged with the students, talking to them about their problems in
the language, their constraints to participate in class, and asking them to verify the
information in the field notes. This helped us to understand the setting through personal
experience and clarify some doubts about the phenomenon48 (see table two. Observation
time frame)

Chart 2. Observation time framework

Observation time framework


Month Procedure
July : Six observations to all ninth graders of the diagnostic stage

47
JUNKER (1960) and PATTON (1990) cited by BANG, Op. cit., p. 52-53.
48

JOHNSON (1992), PATTON (1990) cited by BANG, Op.cit., p. 53.

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1
September: First observations to the six participants
Second observations to the six participants

October: Third observations to the six participants


Fourth observations to the six participants
Fifth observations to the six participants
Sixth observations to the six participants

3.3.2 Interviews. During the diagnostic stage, six interviews were piloted with each one of
the ninth grade learners to confirm that the problem existed and to choose the participants.
After this step, we conducted six new interviews to each one of the six students selected as
part of this study. They were conducted to clarify and expand the information gathered
during the observation, they were in depth interviews carried out in a quiet room to avoid
interference and keep all data. In the interviews, we used an interview checklist to maintain
the study focus and prove the information that students gave us. However, at the time of the
interviews more questions were made taking as a reference the answers provided by the
participants in the study. We also took notes during the observations; this helped to redirect
the interview and to keep most important information. Each interview lasted 45 minutes;
the subjects were interviewed separately and in different days of the week to analyse how
different their answers were.

The aims of the interviews were to verify information on learners perception about risk
taking, pair work activities and their learning process in general. For this reasons, they were
conducted at the beginning, at the middle and at the end of the study to triangulate the
information. It helped us to contrast data and added new details to achieve the study aims.
These interviews provided answers to our research questions, validated the results of the
investigation, and helped us to reach conclusions, and recommendations for future research.
(Chart 3. Interview time framework)

Chart 3. Interview time framework

Interview time framework


Month Procedure
July : Six interviews to all ninth graders of the diagnostic stage

September: First interviews to the six participants

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Second interviews to the six participants

October: Third interviews to the six participants


Fourth interviews to the six participants

November: Fifth interviews to the six participants


Sixth interviews to the six participants

3.4 RESEARCH STAGES

During this study, two important steps were carried out to reach the investigation aims.
Firstly, there was a long diagnostic stage which showed that learners had difficulties to
participate in English classes. Secondly, an implementation stage was applied, so as to see
if pair work activities helped learners to engage in the activities. Both processes are
explained below.

3.4.1 Diagnostic stage. This stage began by identifying possible weaknesses in ninth grade.
It was done by means of observations and interviews which showed that six ninth graders
had difficulty to participate in the classes. The observations and interviews were piloted to
collect and prove data related to personal Information, learners attitudes towards English,
weaknesses in English education, perceptions about class participation and pair work
activities. This process confirmed six ninth grade students did not take part during the
lessons.

3.4.2 Implementation stage. Ten classroom activities were developed during 20 hours. In
this process, we taught using different activities and strategies nevertheless we collected
information when pair work strategy was used. The activities were planned to increase
learners talking time and practice speaking skill. The activities were done with the
presentation, practice and production approach because it was easier for us to collect the
information. (See the lesson plans for the activities below)
Chart 4. Class 1

Topic: Global warming


Time: 90 minutes Date: October 14th -11.

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3
Objectives: To encourage learners to practice speaking

Presentation:
Greeting
Power point presentation on hurricane and flood in Bangladesh
Questionnaire
Practice:
Learners in pairs answered questions from the teacher
Read an article aloud
Gave their opinions about the topic
The different pairs asked questions to each other

Production:
Students in pairs offered solutions to save the planet
Short presentation on how they could protect the environment from their home and
school
Discussion on how to save the planet
Debate about reasons that cause global warming
They evaluated their participation in class
They shared advice on how to be environmental friendly
Each pair had a speech to reflect upon global warming

Chart 5. Class 2

Topic: Time will tell you


Time: 90 minutes Date: October 18th -11.

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Objectives:
To motivate learners to talk about their future plans for vacation
To discuss vacation plans
Express their vacation plans

Presentation:
Greeting
Showed some photos of touristic places in Colombia
Told learners about his vacation plan
Showed a common vacation plan
Paired the students
Practice:
Learners told their partners about their vacation plans
Compared their vacation plans
Shared their vacation plans with their partner
Changed their vacation plans
Production:
Discussion about vacation plan
Debated about the most appropriate places to go on vacation
Tips about things to do on vacation
Each pair provided a list of things they did on vacation
Drew the most important they did on vacation
Wrote their vacation plans on the board
Expressed their vacation plans to the whole group

Chart 6 .Class 3

Topic: Yesterday

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Time: 90 minutes Date: October 26th -11.

Objectives:
To express their daily routine in past simple
To use time expressions correctly
To ask question in past simple
To interview a classmate

Presentation:
Brain storming
Story
Video

Practice:
Shared with each other their daily routines
Talked about their day before
Answered questions
The students worked in pairs
Production:
Interviewed a classmate
Wrote a questionnaire
Used the time expressions correctly
Read their daily routine
Told their classmate about a day in their lives

Chart 7. Class 4

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Topic: Holidays
Time: 90 minutes Date: October 28th -11.

Objectives:
To familiarize learners with the festivities in Colombia and worldwide
To socialize the festivities in Colombia and worldwide

Presentation:
Summary of the most important holidays around the world
Video about Colombian holiday
Article about holidays
Showed a poster with pictures of cities around the world

Practice:
Number the most important holidays in Colombia
Talked about festivities around the world
Answered questions the topic

Production:
Chose a holiday and played a drama with it
Wrote and read a list with the majority of the holidays from the country
Drew the place where the holidays take place
Answered questions from their classmates

Chart 8. Class 5

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Topic: Project
Time: 180 minutes Date: November 4th -11.

Objectives:
To foster speaking
To search about neighborhoods
To socialize information related to town
Presentation:
A list of Neighborhoods in the town
Presentation
Videos
Reading

Practice:
Showed photos
Talked about their findings
Answered questions
Visited a neighborhood
Compared the information

Production:
Presentation
Wrote and read a list with the findings
Shared their photos and images with their classmates
Described a neighborhood
Role play between their classmates
Printed a description of the neighborhood

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Chart 9. Class 6

Topic: My school
Time: 90 minutes Date: November 7th -11.

Objectives:
To talk about the teacher and partners at school
To use the past simple correctly
To have a dialogue about school
To share experience about school time

Presentation:
Greeting
Song in English
Reading
Power point presentation

Practice:
Answered question from each other
Expressed their experience at school
Asked question about school
Remembered things related to school
Production:
Dialogue about life at school
Wrote a questionnaire
Wrote and read a letter for ex-teachers and classmates
Told a story they lived at school
Drew the most important thing they did at school and read them
Talked about a teacher they detested, admired and a good friend

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Chart 10. Class 7

Topic: My future
Time: 140 minutes Date: November 9th -11.

Objectives:
To create awareness about how future plans have an effect in the present
To communicate their future actions
To compare future plans
To share information about future plans
To encourage learners to plan their future
Presentation:
Chart with date
Reading
Poster
Photos of famous people

Practice
Discussion about future plans
Dialogue
Questionnaire
Listen to a famous vacation plan
Production:
Poster
Write and read an article about their desires in the future
Power point presentation about future plans
Wrote a questionnaire about future plans
Told their classmate about their future plans

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Chart 11. Class 8

Topic: Music
Time: 180 minutes Date: November 14th -11.

Objectives:
To talk about favorite type of music
To describe a singer
To interpret a chorus
To recognize the importance of music to learn English
Presentation:
Different type of songs
CDS
Photos of singers
Listening

Practice
Told about famous singer
Discussed on different type of music and its message for the society
Dialogue
Questionnaire
Listen to a famous singer
Production:
Interpreted a song
Composed a song in each pair
Described their favorite singer
Spoke about their favorite type of music
Imitated their favorite singer
Song chorally
Wrote a list of the type of music listened by them

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Chart 12. Class 9

Topic: My country
Time: 90 minutes Date: November 22th -11.

Objectives:
To talk about the country
To compare the cities of the country
To describe the country
To classify the cities and their importance for the country
Presentation:
Video
Photos of country
Photocopies

Practice
Speech about the country
Discussion to classify the cities
Questionnaire
Production:

Listed the principal cities and their importance for the country
Described the principal problems of the country
Spoke about their favorite cities
Asked and answered questions about the country
Talked about their own city and the places that they would like to visit
Named the principal departments and their capital cities
Played a short drama

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Chart 13. Class 10

Topic: Love and Friendship


Time: 90 minutes Date: December 1st -11.

Objectives:
To discuss the importance of love and friendship
To describe the characteristic of good friendship
To explain the general purpose of love and friendship
To define love and friendship according to their experience
To tell short stories with love
Presentation:
Power point presentation
Images which represent love and friendship
Passage from a magazine
Video about love and friendship

Practice
Discussion on the importance of love and friendship
Participated in a debate about love and friendship
Asked and answered questions
Production:
Told stories about love and friendship
Provided definitions of love and friendship
Describe and listed the characteristic of good friendship
Explained the purposes of love and friendship
Had speech about the love and friendship

3.4.3 Analysis of the implementation stage. After analyzing the data from the observation
field notes and the interview transcripts, two categories emerged from the information: 1)
ninth grade perception towards risk taking and 2) ninth grade perception towards pair work
activities.

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3.4.3.1. Ninth grade perceptions toward risk taking in English class. The results
obtained from observations and transcripts showed that all the students object of this study
had a positive view toward risk taking. They all indicated that taking risk in English class
was necessary to increase classroom participation and have a great influence in the
development of the activities.

3.4.3.2 Factors affecting ninth graders risk taking. From the observations and
transcripts, we found that the participants in this study did not take risks in the lessons
because of three factors: They all indicated that the attitude of the teacher and their
classmates hindered their desire of communicating in the lessons. They complained about
their performance in the activities and criticized them. Their fears to talk in prevented them
from having an active role in class.

3.4.3.3 Factors that foster ninth grade students risk taking. According to the
observations and transcripts from the interviews, we concluded that the factor which
contributed the most to increase ninth grade participation was pair work activities and
effective feedback. They encouraged learners to have an active role in English lessons and
reduced their fear of speaking in the class.

3.4.3.4 Ninth graders perceptions towards pair work. From the analysis of the data, we
found that all case studies had an optimistic perception toward pair work activities. The use
of pair work activities in the English class was an effective strategy. They improved their
language competence and took advantage of the opportunity to increase individual talk
time.

3.4.3.5 How to organize pair work to promote risk taking. Based on the data, we
suggested that 70 % of Ninth grade learners preferred to work together with a partner they
knew well. They appeared confident to speak in class. On the other hand, the remaining
30% of participants manifested that they felt better working with a student with the same
English level. This way of pairing helped them to divide the tasks equally in order to have
similar talking time opportunities. The six students-participants in the study expressed that
they liked to choose their partner because it provided them more autonomy and they felt
more willing to participate in the activities.

3.4.3.6 Benefits of pair work activities for ninth grade learners. Based on the
information gathered through observations and interviews; we found that pair work
activities have some benefits for the students: Pair work activities created optimal
conditions to learn English. Firstly, students felt secure to speak as the classmate helped
them to maintain an active role in the activities. Secondly, pair work activities encouraged

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4
the students to take more risks in class activities. They were more interested in the class
development because they shared power with the teacher and took responsibility for their
learning process. Thirdly, pair work activities lowered anxiety and build learners self-
esteem. The students felt secure working with a partner who helped them to do the
exercises.

3.5 DATA ANALYSIS

Data analysis began by transcribing each observation and interview. We wrote the interview
transcripts and observation field notes on Word documents, we ordered and specified the
information to be shortly analyzed. Once all the data were transcribed, we carefully read the
information line by line to divide it into meaningful analytical units and we reviewed the
information to identify recurring themes and patterns. Then, we segmented the information
with meaningful parts of the text to locate insights and labeled the data at the margin with
comments to identify relevant things and state the initial codes. Whenever we found
meaningful segments of text in the transcripts, we assigned codes with names and different
color to denote particular segments. We continued this process until we segmented all data.

Then we verified the initial codes and validated the answers of the participants with the
analysis of whole information; codes were made with repeating words from the transcripts
and helped us to form categories. Categories were formed with the codes that appeared
many times and defined with the segments which provided definitions for each category, in
total two categories occurred from the transcript. This process was repeated until we
analyzed and organized all information. After organizing the data, we examined the codes,
the segments, the recurring themes, and the labeled parts of the information to interpret the
information. This process was done by reading, comparing and analyzing the learners
quotes with our interpretations. (see below lists of categories and codes)

Chart 14.Lists of categories and codes

Categories Codes

Ninth grade perceptions toward risk taking in English Factors affecting ninth graders
class risk taking
Factors that foster ninth grade
students risk taking

Benefits of pair work activities


for ninth grade learners
Ninth grade perceptions toward pair work activities

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How to organize pair work to
promote risk taking

Selecting pairs to promote risk


taking

3.6 VALIDITY

3.6.1 Verification procedures. In this investigation, we employed six verification


procedures to make this study more reliable and validate our interpretations.

In order to avoid miscommunication between participants and researchers, we used


member checking. The participants in the research study looked at the transcripts of the
interviews and observation field notes. They confirmed and added new data that supported
our interpretations and redirected new observations and interviews. Member checking was
used to increase the trustworthiness and obtained a real representation of the participants
voices.

According to Creswell49 triangulation is the process of corroborating evidence from


different data collection instruments. We utilized triangulation method because data were
collected from two instruments observations and interviews. Collecting data from different
sources provided different perspectives to solve the problem under study and improve our
judgments by collecting different type of information. Moreover, we utilized prolonged
engagement with the participants. We interacted with the case studies to get a better
understanding of the problem. This helped us to clarify the information and gave credibility
to the study.

Persistent observations were utilized in this study; we spent a lot of time in the field and
observed the participants several times to understand the phenomenon under investigation.
It facilitated co-construction and co-understanding of meaning between us and the
participants. Finally, we employed investigators triangulation; we both analyzed and

49
CRESWELL, J. Research design, qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods
approaches. 2 ed. University of Nebraska, Lincoln. London: Sage publication, 2005. p.
45-49.

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interpreted the data from different perspectives. As a result, there were points of agreement
or disagreement. This gave richness to the study because there were more viewpoints to
discuss and examined.

3.7 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

In order to guarantee that the research was ethical and responsible, we informed and asked
for consent to school staff, the teacher and the participants. The students-participants were
informed that their participation required their ideas and perceptions about the phenomenon
under analysis. They also knew that they could say yes or no to be observed and
interviewed or withdraw when they wanted without any consequences for them. This
investigation was also ethical because we saved all data in a secure place. The information
was not shared with anybody else, public computers were not used to transcribe the
evidence and we changed the original names of the subjects. We used family names to give
more trustworthiness to the study.

3.8 RESEARCH PLAN

We conducted this research during six months. In this period we carried out the diagnostic,
the implementation stage, evaluation, interpretation and reached conclusions and
recommendations. (See Chart 5)

Chart 15. Research plan

Month
July Diagnostic stage
August Observation
interviews
September Observation
Interviews
Observation
October interviews
started the implementation stage
Implementation stage
November Observation
Interviews

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December Data interpretation
Data analysis

4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter provides a detailed description of ninth grade learners perceptions about risk
taking and talks about pair activities as a way to practice speaking in an EFL setting. This
chapter has two sections. The first part describes the six case studies with quotes from field
notes and transcripts. In the second section, we analyze the findings from the observations
and interviews; the factors that affected and the factors that fostered the ninth graders risk
taking in the English classes. Moreover, we examined the benefits of pair work activities
for ninth grade learners, how to organize pair work to promote risk taking and who selects
the pairs to promote risk taking. The six case studies are identified by family names. They
shared the same learning experience, their low class participation, and their cultural and
educational background. However, they had difference in age, genre, personality, and
motivation to learn English.

4.1 CASE STUDIES

4.1.1 Case study 1: Naomi. Naomi is a female student. She is fourteen years old. She
finished her primary in 2008 and immediately entered Santa Barbara school to study her
Secondary Education. She has been studying in this institution for two years and has
acquired Basic English knowledge in sixth and seventh grades. She does not have any
special interest in learning English. She studies it as a part of her academic curriculum.

Naomi is a shy and sympathetic learner in the English class. Sheis not confident in the class
activities and is afraid to speak in class. She prefers grammar and written exercises to keep
her passive role in the lessons. She almost never communicates her ideas to the whole
group and works alone because the teacher does not use another strategy. She helps her
classmates to solve their daily life problems and gives them guidance to have a better life.
Their partners called her mum for all advice she gives them. She is admired and respected
for this ability. As a learner, she does not have an active role in English.

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She sees risk taking as an opportunity to participate in the lessons, and showed progress
during the process and getting feedback from the teacher and classmates as well.

In her own words, risk taking is good for learning a language, I expand my abilities in the
language with more participation in class, show what I have learnt during the process and
my partners and the teacher help me to correct my mistakes in the language. Besides the
teacher can have a better perception about me and grade me better.

Naomi showed a positive view towards risk taking in L2 classes. However, she did not take
risks in the lessons because of the teachers and her classmates attitudes. The teacher
reproached her too much when she made mistakes and she did not participate in class. Her
classmates also criticized her badly. They always laughed when she made mistakes or
mispronounced a word. These circumstances hindered her to speak in classes. The
following testimony gives account of this situation:

I feel shy in class because of the teacher; he always argues when a student makes
mistakes, I do not agree with the way he makes me understand that I have made a mistake.
I think if the teacher gives me some good advice about my mistakes I can learn more, I can
take constant risk in the English class. The teacher makes me feel frightened to raise my
hand to say something. I think that the teacher needs to learn how to correct the students, he
does not correct appropriately and he criticizes the students. I refrain myself from a
reproach so I do not take risk.

Naomi viewed pair work activities as an important factor to encourage her to take more part
in the English lessons. She is in favor of pair work activities because they provided a less
frightening environment in which learners interact and build a better relationship, as she
expresses it:

When I work with a classmate it is easier for me to say what I want. He helps me to
correct my mistakes and he motivates me to speak English. We share our ideas and
collaborate with each other to participate in the class activities. Pair work activities promote
interaction and offer learners the chance to apply what we learn during the process. We
interact more with the teacher and the classmates; they support us with ideas to be better in
class

Naomi has a positive perception towards pair work activities because they helped her to
share her ideas, thoughts and feelings with their classmates in a less intimidating context.
She worked with her partner to reach the class objective, increased her participation in the
lessons and became proficient in the speaking skill, as observed below:

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Pair work activities are good for learning a language. I practice with my partners; they
give me what they know and I give them what I know. Pair work activities enhance risk
taking. I concentrate on oral communication. They have more chances to express their ideas
and to exchange opinions with their classmates

Naomi thought that a good way to organize pair work to promote risk taking was to choose
her partner by herself and in that way take advantage of classmates who have more
knowledge of English. She worked with the students that she knew and gave her more
confidence. Besides, she learned more from the classmates she felt comfortable with. She
also liked to work with classmates who had a good level which gave her more security. She
felt confidence working with those advanced classmates, as stated below:

I think that working with a partner whose English knowledge is better than mine helps me
to speak in class. He corrects me, checks my speech, and allows me to communicate my
opinions and suggestions to the group. I select my partner and this allows me to improve
the language because I chose the classmates who support me on what I want to say.

Pair work activities aided her to communicate more in the English class. She had more time
to discuss and share her ideas with her classmates. She prepared her participation with the
assistance of other students who listened to her and talked about what she wanted to say.
Pair work activities helped her to express her ideas constantly. She built confidence from
interacting with her partners and through constant participation, as demonstrated below:

Working with a classmate encourages me to practice speaking in the English class. I join
conversations and assessments which match my interest. I tell stories, talk about my
problems, and ask and answer questions related to my life. The activities focus on oral
skills. I have the chance to prepare my message and receive good feedback from my partner
and my teacher as well. I become confident in my participation during pair work activities.
My partner motivates me to be an active participant in class. He says you are good, your
participation is excellent. It stimulates me to increase my class participation

Summary

At first, Naomi did not seem interested to learn English. She studied it to pass her academic
year. Now, she views risk taking as an opportunity to show her language ability. Although
she has a good perception towards risk taking now, she kept quiet in the classes at the
beginning. Her English teacher and classmates complained about her passive role in the
lessons. She felt insecure and disappointed with the situation so she did not participate in

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class. However, Naomi viewed pair work activities as a strategy which helped her to
express her thoughts in an engaging context where she talked to her classmates and teacher.
The use of pair work activities let her interact and build a better relationship with her
classmates and the teacher as well. She shared her ideas and feelings with her partners
safely. She felt calm and more secure to take risks because working with a partner increased
her self -esteem and talking time opportunities.

4.1.2 Case study 2: Julio. Julio is a male student. He studies English to pass the subject
and to have a high score in the IFCES test. He likes reading and writing exercises because
they prepare him to learn the language form and acquire the ability to read and understand
English websites. In his primary, he did not study English because there was not an
English teacher. All his English knowledge has been acquired in sixth and seventh grades
which helped him to learn some basic structures and learn some vocabulary patterns.

He is very serious and quiet. He does not like joking with his partners; he tells what he
believes and carefully thinks before he acts. He is a good listener instead of a talker. He
likes listening to his partners speaking English while he pays attention to them and never
interacts or participates in the conversation. In the lessons, he speaks in Spanish and is
disappointed when the teacher asks questions in English because he gets frightened to
answer in English.

He viewed risk taking as a chance to take part in the English classes, and showed his
advances during the process of being engaged in class. He confirms this with the following
testimony:

Taking risks is very important in my learning process, I can express my opinions and
communicate my feelings in class, so it is a great chance of improving my capacities in the
language and to practice the language, I have acquired during the process

Julio did not take risks in the classes because his participation was affected by the teacher
and his classmates. They both criticized him badly and reproached his mistakes, as
expressed below:

I would like to take more risk in the class if when I make mistakes, my teacher corrects me
with patience or in a gentle way but he corrects by shouting or saying bad things. He
immediately corrects me with bad comments. I felt bad because mistakes are normal in the
learning process. My classmates do not help me; they laugh at me when I make mistakes
and it is not fair. That is why I do not take risk to express my opinions and my feelings in
the English class.

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Julio saw pair work activities as a key factor that encourages him to have an active role
during the class. Pair work activities offered him more opportunities to interact with the
teacher and his classmates as stated below:

Taking risks is easier when I am working in pairs. I have more opportunities to participate
in speaking activities and to participate easily. I can express my opinions and communicate
my feelings in class with the help of one of my partners, that provides me a safe
environment to take risks in class

Julio perceived pair work activities as a means to enhance his participation in class. Pair
work activities foster more interaction in the lessons. Learners have more possibilities to
practice the language meaningfully as more contact with the L2 is provided. Pair work
activities also promote communication. Learners practice their speaking skills.

Pair work is very important in my learning process. I express my opinions and


communicate my feelings in class, I talk to my classmates and they also say what they think
about the topic. It is also a good opportunity to show that I know something. Pair work is
very important because I do not feel nervous to take risk; I improve in the language and
practice it with other partners in class

Julio preferred to pair up with the partner he chose and with the students with higher
English level than him. He chose his pair because he became more confident with a
classmate with whom he already built a good relationship and trusted each other. A
classmate with higher English level helped him to improve his limitation in the language,
provided him constant advice and corrected his mistakes before communicating to the
class.

It is better for me to work in pairs with a classmate who knows more than me. He or she
assists me to see my errors and gives me a hand to take more risks during the English class.
He encourages me to try out the opportunities to show my learning and gives me advice to
practice the language with my classmates without taking in mind the criticisms and
censures from the teacher. I select my partners to group because we have a good
relationship; he corrects me with tolerance and respect.

For Julio pair work was a good strategy to promote risk taking. He increased his
participation by speaking English with his classmates, negotiating and reaching agreement
on the assessment. It facilitated more discussions with his partner, the teacher and the rest

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of his classmates. They explained their ideas and he talked about his experience during the
class. He also had more time to speak. Pair work activities maximized the time and
provided learners more minutes to practice the language than when he worked alone.
Alone, he had few possibilities to engage in the process.

In pair work activities, I have more possibilities to interact with my partners and the
teacher. We negotiate and collaborate giving and taking suggestions to improve my
imprecisions in the language. It provides more minutes for rehearsal and to communicate
my ideas orally. I also have many opportunities to prove and scan my speech with my
partner. He provides me with good suggestions and insights which facilitate a better use of
the time in the English subject

Summary

Julio is a student oriented towards reading and writing activities. He saw risk taking as a
way to communicate to the group. He answered and asked questions and played an active
role in class. Nevertheless, he did not speak in oral classroom activities. The teacher and his
partners laughed at him. He got afraid of making mistakes and he preferred to be silent to
avoid criticisms. Julio viewed pair work activities as a facilitator element to solve his
difficulties in class. The assistance of a classmate helped him to interact and used his
opportunities to transfer information with his partners. He practiced the language
meaningfully and provided more contact with the L2. He forgot his fear to speak to the
whole group and concentrated in taking constant risk without taking in mind the
consequences. He liked to work with partners he chose. He could work with his best friend
in class and avoided miscommunication with partners he did not have a good relationship
with. He enjoyed pairing up with the classmates whose English level was higher as they
provided him with constant advice and corrected his mistakes before communicating to the
class.

4.1.3 Case study 3: Yasney. Yasney is a female student. She is thirteen years old. She did
her primary in 2009 and immediately entered Santa Barbara school to study her secondary.
She graduated from a school where she studied English. She is a dependable and jolly
student. She trusts the teacher and his classmates. She believes that the teacher and her
partners have the right to criticize her because they have more experience in the language
than her and she has to respect what they think and say. She is always happy and jokes with
her classmates. She likes laughing and receives censures in a fun way. She is not motivated
to learn English. She studies it as another subject of the curriculum and to reach academic
goals.

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She saw risk taking as a necessary strategy to be active in class and demonstrate her
learning. She participated in the classes and her classmates noticed her progress in the
subject, as stated below:

Taking risk is an important way to practice everything that I understand in the classes. I
communicate with my classmates and they express their ideas in classes. This strategy
helps me to reveal that I have learnt English through active class participations where my
partners realize my progress in the units.

Yasney had a positive view towards risk taking in L2 lessons. However, her class
participation was affected by the teacher and her classmates. They said that her academic
abilities in English were not good enough to learn English and she could never overcome
her limitation in the subject.

Taking risks in class is an annoying situation for me. The teacher fiercely criticizes me for
making mistakes. My classmates also criticize me. They laugh at me and say that I have to
learn more. They think they are the best because they have an active role in the classes

Yasney expressed that pair work activities facilitated more class participation. Pair work
activities gave her the chance to work with a classmate who encouraged her to participate
in the activities.

Definitely pair work activities help me to become an active learner in the English class.
Working with a classmate increases my participations in the lessons. My peer gives me
advice and corrects what I say wrongly. He also creates a good atmosphere to participate in
the lessons

Yasney saw pair work activities as a good strategy which increased her motivation to learn
English. She was open to try out in the lessons without reproaches and critics from the
teacher and her classmates. The environment was safer than when she worked alone. Pair
work activities increased her contribution in the units and promoted the development of the
speaking skill and she did not care about the mistakes she made in class.

I am in favor of using pair work in the English class. It is a good method to practice
speaking in the lessons. I have more opportunities to participate than when I work alone
and my partner encourages me to have a more active role in my learning. I gain confidence
from my classmates

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Yasney liked to choose her partner and to work with the students whose English level was
similar to hers. She selected her mate to feel more confident and secure. He understood her
position, corrected her in a better way and encouraged her to practice the language without
fear. A partner with similar English level provided a secure environment. She negotiated
more to reach an agreement, shared her ideas and encouraged each other to have an active
role in the units, as stated in the following quote:

I prefer to pair up with partners whose English level is similar to mine. It motivates me
and facilitates class participation. We reach agreements to complete the assignment. We
keep a balance in the talking time, exchange ideas during the activities and divide the task
equally. We both practice new things such as words, phrases or idioms that facilitate
learning. We correct each other with respect and patience and both can express our ideas
without having bad reproaches

Pair work activities facilitated more classroom engagement. She had more opportunities to
interact with her classmates, to exchange her ideas and take part in the lessons. She built a
better relationship with her partners and the teacher. They lowered their critics and
reproaches in the activities and she was treated nicely and with patience. She improved her
development in the target language and felt better in the class.

Pair work activities increase my confidence in the language. The classroom atmosphere is
comfortable. I work collaboratively with my partner; we interact and motivate each other to
respond in a positive way to our classmates attitude towards the critics and reproaches.
Pair work activities also help me to build a better relationship with the teacher and my
classmates. The teacher learns to share power with the learners and gives us the same time
to participate in the activities

Summary

Yasney expressed that risk taking was essential to master English specially speaking skill.
She received corrective feedback from the teacher and her classmates and she used the
language to talk about her opinions. However, she kept quiet in the classes because the
teacher and her classmates hindered her participation because they reproached her
constantly. She expressed that a classmate assisted to improve her limitation in the
language and created a good atmosphere to increase motivation. She felt secure and
exposed to take part in in the lessons without reproaches and criticisms from the teacher
and the learners. She chose her classmate and worked with the students whose English level

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was similar to hers. These partners offered her more time to negotiate to speak up and to
have an active role in the activities.

4.1.4 Case study 4: Viejo. Viejo is a male student. He is conscious of the importance of
English as an international language. He is very interested in getting good scores and passes
the subject. He has low confidence in communicating his ideas to the whole group; he is
quiet and silent during speaking activities. He likes to learn the language form and acquire
the ability to read well to understand English books. In his primary, he did not study
English. He has two years of experience learning English at school and he has had serious
problems to express his ideas in English.

He is friendly, adaptable and organized. He makes a lot friend and talks with his partners
constantly. He also starts conversation with new people and invites his friends to do
things with him. He does not have problem to change or adapt to situation in his life.
He sets his goals and keeps a record of his classes and the activities that take place
during the activities. His notebook is well organized.

He has a very positive perception of risk taking related to English classes. Risk taking
increased his class participation, helped him to receive suggestions from the teacher
and his classmates.

Risk taking is good to learn English. I have the opportunity to show that I learn what the
teacher taught me previously. It is also the greatest chance to be involved in class
discussions. It helps me to forget my anxiety and receive feedback from the teacher and my
classmates

Viejo was afraid of the criticism in the English class. The teacher and his classmates
hindered him to speak in the lessons. They laughed at him and corrected his mistakes with
reproaches. His fear of making mistakes and his low level of English also decreased his
class participation as stated below:

I do not take risks because I know that the teacher is going to make me feel bad when I
make a mistake. He corrects me by shouting and complaining about my development. My
classmates complain about my English level and my low participation in class. They say
they are good learners for their participation and that I have to increase my contributions to
be like them.

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Pair work activities encouraged him to take advantage of his opportunities to speak in class.
They offered more time to discuss and experiment with the language. He had classmates as
models to improve his speaking skills and to have an active role in the lessons.

Taking risks is much better when working with a classmate. He advises me to


communicate my opinions without taking care of the reproaches and critics. Pair work
activities help me to take more risks since pair work activities offer students opportunities
to practice the language and received feedback from the teacher and learners as well

Pair work activities facilitated and stimulated the use of speaking in class. He experienced
the language without fear of making mistakes; he did not care about his weaknesses in the
subject, he placed more importance on his participation and his willingness to share his
ideas and knowledge than the difficulties he had in the L2.

I believe that pair work activities are necessary to learn English. I have the opportunity to
work with a classmate who helps to lower my mistakes in the language and to communicate
my ideas and to show the progress during the process. Additionally, I have more time to
practice the language and my partner assists me. Definitely, pair work activities are
meaningful for improving my English level. These activities support me to pay more
attention in class and learn from my partner and my teacher. It is the greatest opportunity to
be involved in class discussion and forget my fears.

Viejo enjoyed working together with a classmate who had a higher English level than his. A
partner, whose English level was better than his, guided and taught him to use the
opportunities to improve in the language. His partner served as a monitor who checked his
mistakes and helped him reorganize his ideas through constant practice. Besides, a
classmate with a higher level made him feel more confident and secure. He understood the
teachers explanations, corrected and encouraged him to speak without fear of making
mistakes as mentioned in the following response:

Pairing up with a higher English level classmate is better than working with a student
whose English knowledge is similar to mine. He suggests new ways to improve my
mistakes in English. He provides me with good advice to increase my participation in the
lessons. Also, he encourages me to use my possibilities to show my learning to the group.
He asks me to pay attention to the explanations, to answer questions and to ask questions to
the rest of my classmates. When I make a mistake, he motivates me to try again and learn
from my errors. He also shares his knowledge with and coaches me well.

For this student, pair work activities facilitated the practice of speaking. He communicated
his ideas with the assistance of a classmate who encouraged him to ask and answer

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questions from the teacher and his classmates. It increased his opportunities to speak
English with his partner. Pair work activities reduced the teacher talking time and increased
his time to practice the language, as mentioned below:

Pair work activities are very important to have an active role in my learning process. I
express my opinions and feelings in class, I talk to my classmates and I improve my
speaking skill through oral practice in the units. I also get confirmation from my teacher
and classmates. I have more time to prepare the message to make sure what I say is right.
This preparation increases my participation in class and gives me the opportunity to show
the progress in the academic year

Summary

Viejo knew the importance of English as an international language and liked to get good
scores in the English subject. He had an optimistic perception of risk taking. He increased
his class participation and received suggestions from the teacher and his classmates. Viejo
did not use to take risk during the classes; the teachers and his classmates attitudes
affected his participation. Their reproaches affected him. Pair work gave the students more
chances to speak English in the classroom. They participated in the lesson much more
actively because they were involved in talking to their friends exchanging opinions,
practicing new structures more than listening to their teacher talking. He worked together
with a classmate who had a better level of English. His partner guided him, gave him
advice and served as a monitor who clarified doubts through constant practice. He practiced
the speaking skill during pair work activities. His peer helped him to communicate his ideas
and encouraged him to ask and answer questions from the teacher and his classmates.

4.1.5 Case study 5: Yassiry. Yassiry is a female student. She is not aware of the
importance of English as an international language. She has a low interest in getting good
scores. She just wants to pass the subject without taking care of the scores. She has low
confidence to participate in the lessons. She is quiet and silent during the activities. She
prefers the language forms as they help her to acquire the ability to read well.

She has a good view towards risk taking. She shared her ideas, thoughts and feelings with
her classmates in the target language. She received feedback from the teacher and her
partners who helped her to communicate in the L2, as can be seen in the quote below:

Risk taking is an important skill for learning a language. I interact with my classmates. I
listen to them and they listen to me. I practice the language and I learn more from the

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interaction with my classmates and the teacher because they provide me with corrective
feedback which assists me to improve in the speaking skill

For this student, risk taking was influenced by her teacher and classmates. They thought
she would not succeed in the L2. She made simple mistakes in the language and had low
class participation. Her fear of making mistakes also affected her to have an active role in
class. She felt shy to make errors in the class activities as stated below:

My classmates and the teacher prevent me from expressing my ideas in class. They
usually joke when I make a mistake in class. They complain and correct me in a bad way. I
do not agree with the way my classmates treat me. They have to respect me because I
respect them when they make mistakes and they do not want to speak in class. I am afraid
of speaking to the whole group

Pair work activities helped her to resolve her doubts in the language before taking risks in
class activities. It provided her with more time to discuss and interact with the teacher and
the students to low their criticism towards the mistakes she made. She built confidence to
express her ideas.

Risk taking is better when I work in pairs. I trust myself to express ideas. I interact with
my classmates. They have reduced their critics and now I feel secure to express my ideas to
my peer and to the group. My peer offers a good environment to speak to the whole group

Pair work activities activated the knowledge that the she acquired in previous lessons.
These types of activities offered her the chance to apply what she has learned during the
academic years.

Pair work activities provide me with the opportunity to cooperate with my classmates. We
rehearse everything that we have learnt during the process and work together to overcome
the difficulties in the language

This student preferred to work with a classmate who shared her same English level. There
was more interaction and communication to perform the activities in a good way. She also
practiced the language spontaneously when working in a team. This way of learning was
very important for her. She learnt new things from the partner, some of them were related
with discussing messages.

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Pair work activities are good when I work with a partner whose English knowledge is
similar to mine. It guarantees that both of us have to work without complaining about
knowledge, as we both have the same experiences and the same lacks. We share our ideas
and opinions to improve our class engagement. We negotiate and talk to complete the task
and show our classmates our progress in the L2

Pair work activities for this particular student promoted classroom interaction. She
participated more during pair work activities. Pair work activities allowed her to work
collaboratively, to learn from her classmates and to work together as a team to reach the
class goals. Pair work activities enabled her to share her opportunities and to interact with
her classmates and the teacher because classroom activities were more interesting and
appealing to the students.

The lessons are effective and the classroom atmosphere is more comfortable during pair
work activities. I receive good feedback from the teacher and classmates without being
criticized. They correct me gently and with a positive attitude which motivates me to try all
the opportunities to partake in the activities. I forget my fears and concentrate on
performing well in the assessments. We work cooperatively to keep a balance in the
process. Each pair has the same time to communicate its ideas and views to the whole
group. The activities are appropriate for all learners and related to our daily lives. I enjoy
classes through pair work activities.

Summary

Yassiry preferred grammar and reading exercises to maintain her passive role in class. Her
perception towards risk taking was positive. She shared her ideas, thoughts and feelings
with her classmates in the target language. Yassirys risk taking modes were affected by the
teacher, her classmates and her fear of making mistakes. She felt shy because the teacher
criticized her mistakes. Pair work activities helped her to solve her doubts in the language
before taking risks in class activities. They provided more time to discuss and interact with
the teacher and the students to low their criticism towards the mistakes she made. She
preferred to work together with a classmate who shared her same English level. She
interacted, communicated and corrected each other better than she would with an advanced
level classmate.

4.1.6 Case study 6: Arley. Arley is a male student who studies English to fulfill the
requirement of the curriculum. He enjoys reading, grammar and writing exercises to
maintain his passivity in the classroom. He does not participate in English lessons and
refuses to take advantage of the opportunities to speak English. He is friendly, adaptable
and organized. He makes friends easy and talks with his partners constantly. He also starts

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conversation with new people and invites his friends to do things with him. He does not
have problem to change or adapt to new situations in his life. He never cares about the
things that happen in class and sees them as ordinary situations in the classroom. He sets
his goals and keeps a record of his classes and the activities that take place during the
activities.

He sees risk taking as an important factor in the L2 process which provides him with more
experience in the language through interacting, sharing ideas and giving his opinion as
stated below:

Risk taking is vital in my English learning process. It helps me to acquire the ability to
express my ideas and thoughts to the whole group. It does not matter if I make mistakes.
The key is to take risk and demonstrate d that I can speak in class without fear of the
criticisms or reproaches

Arley did not participate in the English classes. The teacher and his classmates hindered his
desire of being engaged in the learning process. They complained about his development in
the lessons by saying he was not able to overcome his limitation in the language. They also
smirked at him and were very rude to provide him feedback.

My classmates and my teacher smirk at me. They are very rude to me. They do not know
how to say to me that I have slips in the activities, the only thing they do is to criticize me
in the English class. That situation is embarrassing, I feel sad and that is why I do not
participate in the class. My fear of communicating increases and for that reason I stayed
silent and quiet in class

Pair work activities helped him to take risks in class. He felt secure with the presence of a
partner. A classmate provided the opportunity to prepare participation before
communicating ideas to the whole group.

I tend to communicate in pair work activities because it is better to take risks in class. A
peer helps me to be more involved and to take every opportunity to demonstrate what I
have leant. Pair work activities increase my motivation to learn English through
participating in the lessons and getting good correction from the teacher and my classmates.
Pair work activities are useful for an authentic language production for me.

He practiced the language to perform lifelong purpose such as: negotiating meaning and
sharing different points of views and rehearsal for daily life situation.

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Working in pair increases my knowledge. I have a partner who helps me to be involved in
the activities and exchange ideas, thoughts and opinions. He teaches me new expressions
and provides me with suggestions to learn the language. We also practice the target
language to reach an agreement and take part in the classes

For this student, the best way to organize pair work was to select the partner he liked to
work with. It gave him more confidence and he felt secure. He chose his companions that
he felt better working with and it helped him to be more motivated because he built
confidence from his close friend and enjoyed working with him. He also liked to be with
someone whose English level was higher than his. He felt secure and relaxed to work with
a classmate who guided his learning and encouraged him to speak up in the activities.

I have the opportunity to work with partners who know more than me. I feel good. They
teach me new things and motivate me to increase my talking time in the majority of the
activities by giving suggestions and coaching me to be an active leaner in the subject. Their
experience also encourages me to follow their steps. I see them participating in the
activities and it serves as an example to speak and share with the rest of the class. I select
my partner because it provides more security to work with whom I have a good feeling in
the classroom

In pair work activities, he concentrated more in the activities. He was giving his ideas,
practicing new phrases, asking for clarification and communicating with the pairs and the
whole group. He did not lose the class focus because he was actively engaged in the
lessons. He was eager to show his knowledge, to learn from his pair and used the contact
with the language.

Pair work activities encourage me to pay close attention to the activities and the teachers
explanation. My partner asks me to focus on the class objective to clarify and understand
the explanations from the teacher or another classmate. A partner also helps me to increase
my willingness to take risks because I get confident working with him. During pair work
activities, I do not have the possibility to lose the class focus. I always discuss and negotiate
with my partner about our participation.

Summary

Arley enjoyed reading, grammar and writing exercises to maintain his passive role in the
classroom. He expressed that taking risks was important element in L2 which provided him
experience in the target language through interacting, sharing ideas and giving their

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opinion. The teacher, his fear of being criticized and his classmates hindered his
participation. However, pair work activities helped him to take risks in class. He felt secure
with the presence of a partner as this provided the opportunity to rehearse their participation
before communicating their ideas to the whole group. Pair work activities provided an
authentic language production for him. He practiced the language to perform lifelong
purpose such as: negotiating meaning and sharing different point of views and rehearse for
daily life situation.
He liked to work with the pair he selected. It gave him more confidence and he felt secure.
He chose his companions that he felt better working with and it helped him to be more
motivated. In pair work activities, he concentrated more in the activities. He was giving his
ideas, practicing new phrases, asking for clarification and communicating with the pairs
and the whole group.

4.2 SUMMARY OF THE STUDY

This section presents the findings from the observations and interviews. This analysis
examines the six case studies perceptions towards risk taking, the factors affecting risk
taking and the aspects which enhance risk taking. Learners perception of pair work
activities to promote speaking in the English lessons, the benefits of pair work activities
and the way to choose pair work in an EFL is also examined to answer the research
questions.

4.2.1 Perception towards risk taking in an EFL setting. Across the six case studies,
100% expressed a good view of risk taking related to the speaking kill. Taking risks in the
activities helped them to improve their speaking skill. They communicated their ideas,
beliefs and emotional states with their classmate. They experienced the language through
continuous practices, interacting, sharing ideas and exchanging their opinions with the
group. Risk taking was the opportunity to be involved in class. They exchanged their
knowledge and talked about what they wanted. They also received feedback from the
teacher and partners. Feedback was more effective and helped them overcome their
limitations in the language.

4.2.2 Factors affected the participants risk taking.

From the observation field notes and interview transcripts, we found that external aspects
such as the setting, cultural beliefs and cultural background did not affect the learners risk
taking modes. The six students participants in this study did not mention that these aspects
affected them to have an active role in the subject. Internal factors such as age and genre
did not hinder them to taking risks. Once, we asked about these issues they all said that
their risk taking modes were affected by their low motivation to learn the language, their
anxiety to communicate their ideas, and because of their teacher and classmates attitudes

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and behavior; in addition, they felt anxious to communicate their ideas and to receive
negative feedback from that.

They were not motivated to study the language. The majority of them studied it to pass the
subject and to fulfill a requirement from the school. The teacher and their classmates
hindered their participation. They were criticized for making mistakes which increased their
anxiety to maintain an active role in L2. The teacher and their partners did not correct them
well. They smirked at their mistakes or corrected them badly. Finally, they feared to talk in
the activities because they were concerned about mistakes so they preferred to stay silent
and quiet in the lessons.

4.2.3 Factors that foster ninth grade students risk taking. Most of the participants in the
study chose pair work activities as the most appropriate strategy to take risk in the English
classes. They felt secure with the presence of a partner. A classmate provided opportunities
to talk about their ideas and increased participation. Pair work activities provided an
authentic language production. They practiced the language to perform lifelong activities
such as: negotiating meaning and sharing different points of view and practice daily life
situation in class. This strategy also provided more time to discuss and interact with the
teacher and the students to lower the difficulties in the language, their anxiety and the
criticisms from the teacher and their classmates. They experienced the language without
fear of making mistakes

4.2.4 Perception towards pair work activities. The students object of this study viewed
pair work activities as a method which motivated them to have an active role in the English
class. They spoke English with their classmates and participated in discussions. They
applied what they had learnt during the previous academic process; they interacted and
exchanged their knowledge with the group. They improved their speaking skill through
constant practice which facilitated the acquisition of the language. The activities were
based on communication which catered for the students needs.

4.2.5 Benefits of pair work activities for ninth grade learners. Pair work activities
offered the participants various benefits. They promoted interaction, increase self-
confidence and lowered their anxiety. They became confident and felt comfortable when
interacting in the English class in which there was a better classroom atmosphere. The
students and the teacher worked cooperatively and built a better relationship. They
collaborated and increased their willingness to interchange their ideas and knowledge by
providing suggestions and guiding each other to take risks in class. The use of pair work
activities promoted the practice of the speaking skill. The participants had more
opportunities to talk with the teacher and their classmates. The students took the initiative
to explain their ideas and talk about their experience to each other. They asked questions,
told stories and responded requirements from the teacher and their partners. Pair work

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activities also helped learners to receive feedback. The teacher and their partners provided
more recommendations to maintain an active role and overcome their mistakes in the L2.

4.2.6 How to organize pair work to promote risk taking. Four of the participants
preferred to work in pair activities with the learners whose English knowledge was higher
than theirs. The classmates with higher English level served as monitors who checked,
corrected and made suggestions on how to overcome their mistakes and improve their
pronunciation. They also practiced how to express their opinions before communicating to
the whole group. The remaining two participants liked to work with the learners with
similar English proficiency. They understood their situation well. They corrected and
motivated each other in a better way to take risk without fears, and they never criticized
their English level or performance in the language. The students with similar English level
provided a secure environment. They discussed more to reach agreements, and encouraged
each other to have an active role in class. They kept a balance in the talking time and both
taught new things such as words, phrases or idioms that facilitated learning and corrected
each other with respect.

4.2.7 Selecting pairs to promote risk taking. All case studies preferred to choose the
classmates they wanted to work with. They worked with the students they knew well and
with whom they felt confident and comfortable to form pair. These partners gave security
and facilitated more interaction. They understood their situation, corrected in a better way
and encouraged to practice the language without fear. They built a good relationship with
the classmates they selected and felt it was a good way to take responsibility for their
learning process. A partner selected by them provided a secure environment and
encouraged each other to have an active role when practicing their communicative skills.

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5. CONCLUSIONS

This chapter presents the conclusions of this research study based on the findings described
and examined in the preceding chapters. These conclusions are about learners perceptions
toward risk taking, the factors which affected and facilitated risk taking. The conclusions
also include the learners perception towards pair work activities, the benefits of pair work
activities and the effectiveness of pair work as a means to enhance risk taking.

5.1 ON LEARNERS PERCEPTION ABOUT RISK TAKING

Risk taking increases learners confidence; consequently, their talking time is more
effective. Learners become empowered to use their vocabulary and expressions in their
discourse. Fear and anxiety decrease, then, students motivation and interest to participate
in class is more noticeable as seen when learners raise their hands to ask and answer
questions to and from their teacher and classmates. Moreover, there is a better classroom
atmosphere to express their ideas and interact with partners and as a result each student
participants ideas and contributions are valued and acknowledged.

Encouraging students to take risks offers them more time to overcome their limitations in
the language. As a result, students participation increases helping them to receive
suggestions, clarifications and advice from their teacher and classmates in areas such as
pronunciation and language forms, thus, many weaknesses in the language are overcome.
Moreover, risk taking fosters collaboration between the learners and the teacher and they
treat each other with respect.

A more active participation from the part of students reduces criticisms and reproaches as
all students have the same opportunities to participate and express their ideas. As a result,
there is negotiation between students and the teacher in order to reach agreements and find
alternatives to learn the language.

5.2 ASPECTS THAT HINDERED RISK TAKING

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From the analysis of the data collected, it can be stated that there are three main factors
which affect risk taking: 1) the teacher and classmates attitudes towards some students, 2)
the fear to make mistakes, and 3) the feedback received as part of class activities.

A teachers attitudes hinder learners risk taking especially when we correct them with
criticisms and bad comments. When we complain about their performance in the activities
because they mispronounce a word of make mistakes for example. This demotivates and
intimidates our learners to the point that they are prevented from participating in the
lessons.

Classmates also affect some students risk taking modes with their attitudes and comments.
These circumstances cause many learners to feel afraid and insecure and to adopt a passive
role in class in order to avoid reproaches and criticisms.

The type of feedback our learners receive is undoubtedly a factor that hampers them from
taking part in the lessons. Not only a teachers feedback can have a negative impact on
learners, but also their own classmates censuring comments, complains and murmurs can
have a devastating effect on a learners academic performance.

In order to overcome these situations, it is necessary for us as teachers to change our


attitudes and stop being critical judges of our students performances to become their
supportive guides and facilitators. Changing our attitudes is essential if we want to motivate
our students to participate in class and to encourage them to state and achieve their goals
without the fear of being criticized. Learners need us to provide suggestions and effective
feedback to become active participants in the learning process.

It is also our duty to promote respect among our students and to set rules which facilitate
their coexistence and good relationships. Learners and teachers have to be aware that
mistakes are normal in any learning process and that our main role in the classes is to help
one another to succeed in the learning process. Promoting this lowers our learners fear to
communicate and increase their confidence to take risks.

5.3 ON LEARNERS PERCEPTIONS ABOUT PAIR WORK ACTIVITIES

The students who participated in this study recognize the importance of pair work activities
as a teaching strategy. The students consider that pair work activities offer them the
opportunity to learn the language in a contextualized way, where communication is
meaningful and the language is used to express their feelings and discuss about relevant
topics. Pair work activities are also important since the type of tasks and activities in the
classroom change from a focus on grammar and reading to communicative tasks. Students
play active roles by contributing to the class discussions, sharing their insights with their
classmates and getting ready to answer questions in class.

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5.4 ON THE BENEFITS OF PAIR WORK ACTIVITIES

Pair work activities help learners to build their self-confidence as well as a good class
atmosphere where the teacher and learners cooperate in a less intimidating environment.
This type of interaction provides the teacher with more time to understand students
individual behavior and to value their presence in class. Students learn to respect their
different ways of working and learning and this motivates each other to be active
participants in the process. Students are more comfortable and willing to take risks once
they realize that mistakes are normal in the learning process, and they work cooperatively
to perform the different class activities. They even learn to negotiate and divide the
activities according to the time given to have the same chance to participate in class.

The use of pair work activities enhance the practice of speaking. The students have more
opportunities to express their opinions, explain their ideas and share their experiences with
classmates. The students also increase their talking time during the lessons as they
negotiate with each other in order to reach agreements. They place more importance on
their participation and willingness to share their ideas and knowledge than in the difficulties
they have in the L2 because a partner serves as a monitor who checks mistakes, guides and
provides suggestions to improve their limitations in the language.

6. IMPLICATIONS

6.1 IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING

Due to the importance of teaching English in Colombia, many schools have implemented
curricular changes to be more English oriented. This research study provides useful data on
how to use pair work in ELT and its benefits for the L2 process. Pair work activities help

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learners feel more confident than when they work alone. It promotes the development of
communication in class. Learners communicate their ideas and interact with their
classmates to reach common objectives and learners and the teacher lower the critics and
negative feedback which facilitate the acquisition of the language.

6.2 IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

This research offers new information for future study in the area. It was conducted using a
qualitative design, it was based on students perceptions and the preceding research on risk
taking was based on quantitative design. The data showed that pair work activities are a
very important strategy to promote risk taking. Learners increase their self- confidence
which helps them to communicate and interact with the teacher and classmates. However, it
would be necessary to conduct a study in order to examine the role of the teacher in
fostering risk taking since the majority of the participants state that one of the factors that
most prevent them from taking risks is the teachers attitude. It would be necessary to
conduct an in-depth study to determine which strategies of pair work activities foster more
risk taking than others.

Another issue to investigate is to examine the benefits of pairing the students in reading and
grammar exercises. This would be a good topic to analyze because the majority of the
learners like reading and grammar exercises.

6.3 PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

Pedagogically speaking; this study showed that pair work activities encourage learners to
participate in class. These types of activities enhance the practice of the speaking skill,
learners for example have more opportunities to communicate their ideas and opinions, and
increase their talking time during the lessons. Negotiation of meaning in order to reach
agreements is also evident. Pair work activities help students to become self-confident and
to participate more actively in the lessons. The teacher and classmates criticisms and
reproaches tend to disappear.

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Based on these findings, it is necessary to include pair work activities during the lessons
because this strategy helps learners to have active roles in the classes.

6.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

During this study, we had three main constraints:

Firstly, ninth grade students who decided to participate in this study may not be
representative of the total ninth graders at Santa Barbara School. Therefore, the findings
may not be generalized.

Secondly, most of the information on the topic of risk taking, such as investigations, books
and articles have an emphasis on psychology which made the researchers be about to leave
the investigation because there was not too much literature which could help us to learn
more about the topic under study.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BANG, Y. Factors affecting Korean students' risk-taking behavior in an EFL


classroom.Thesis.Doctor of Philosophy. OhioStateUniversity, ED Policy
andLeadership,1999. http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi?acc_num=osu1243019322

BEEBE, L.M. Risk taking and the language learning: classroom oriented research in
second language acquisition. Mass Newbury house, 1983. p. 36-66.

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BERCICOVA, P. Teacher role in pair work activities. Thesis Master in Tesol. Masaryk
University, 2007. p. 60-70-65-50.

BROWN, H.D. An interactive course in English. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall
Regents,1999. P. 56-60.

COLOMBIA. MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIN. Formar en lenguas extranjeras: El reto.


Bogot: Imprenta Nacional, 2006.

CRESWELL, J. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods


Approaches. Second edition. University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Sage publication. London.
2005. P.45-49.

ELY, C. M. A Causal Analysis of the Effective, Behavioral and Attitudinal Antecedents of


Foreign Language Proficiency .Ph.D. dissertation, Stanford University, 1984.

GOETZ ,J and LECOMPTON, M. Ethnography and Qualitative Design in Educational


Research. New York: Academic express, 1984.

LONG, M.H, ADAMS, L. H., and MELEAN, M. Doing things with words: verbal
interaction in locksteps and small groups situations. Washinton: s.n., 1986 , p. 76-137-53.

LUFT, S. Degree: Master of Arts, Ohio State University, East Asian Languages and
Literatures, 2007. Available in: http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi?acc_num=osu1229701363

McCRAY, M. Pair Work. Northwest Practitioner Knowledge Institute documentation,


2010. p. 1.2.3.

CARSON, J and NELSON, G. Chinese students perceptions of EFL peer response group
interaction Journal of Second Language Writing.1996. p 1- 19.

PHILLIPS, S.W. Teaching Practice Handbook. London: Macmillan Heinemann English


Language Teaching. (1995)

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POLLARD, L. Teaching English: A book to help you through your first two years in
teaching. Lucy Pollard, 2008.p.8-10.

POLLEY, E.K. Learners perception of small group and pair work in the ESL classroom in
second language acquisition.Thesis. Master in TESOL. Arlington: University of Texas.
2007. p. 6-20-66.

ROSKAMS, T. Chinese EFL Students Attitudes to Peer Feedback and Peer Assessment in
an Extended Pair work Setting: RELC Journal. 1999. p 30 -79

RUBIN, J. What a good language learner can teach us. In: TESOL Quaterly.1975.pag.9-41-
51.

RULON, K. Negotiation of the content. Teacher fronted and small group interaction:
classroom oriented research in second language acquisition. Conversation in second
language in second language acquisition.R-day.Newbury house, P. 46.

SAMIMY, k. and TABUSE, M. Specific variables in a second language classroom. Eric


reproduction service, 1991.

STORCH, N. How collaborative is pair work? ESL tertiary students composing in pairs.
Center for Communication Skills and ESL, University of Melbourne Australia: University
of Melbourne, 2001. p. 30-31-33.

YIN ,R.K. Case Study Research. Design and methods. Nerbury Park. California: Sage
Publication, 1884.

YOUNG, R and D. Risk-Taking in Learning, K-3. NEA Early Childhood Education


Services. National Education Association: Washington, D.C., 1991.

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Appendix A. Interview check list

Name ____________________________ Age________

Gender Male_____ female ______ time_______ date___

Good afternoon. Before starting, the research team wants to thank in advance for your time
and your desire to participate in this study for free and to be interviewed also. This
interviews consists of twenty two questions and it is part of the research study entitled
fostering risk taking through pair work activities it is forty five minutes long.

Describe your English class


Is English important in your life?

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Why do you study English?
What is your perception about the English teacher?
What are your constrains in the English class?
What difficulties do you encounter to speak up?
What is your perception about your classmates?
What is your role in the English class?
How do you feel when the teacher and your teacher complain about your
performance in class?
Which skill is the English class based on?
Do you participate in class?
Is class participation important for you?
List the factors which affect your class participation.
Why do you think the teacher and your classmate affect your risk taking
mode?
How do you feel when you have to express your ideas in English class?
What could help you to talk in class?
How do you feel working with partners?
Have you worked in groups in English class?
What is your perception about pair work?
What is your perception about risk taking?
Why do not you participate in the English class?

The questions were made by the research team regarding the study focus, but the interview
was conducted in learners mother language to better understanding and latter translated
into English.

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Appendix B. Observation checklist

Teacher _________________ Date________________ School______________


Grade______ Time____________ Topic___________
Purpose___________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

1. Description of the classroom: _____________________________________


_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________

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2. Teaching aids: / materials: _______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
3. Perception towards pair work: ____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________

4. Pair work activities:____________________________________________


_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________

5. Did learners have more opportunities to speak in pair work activities?_____


_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
6. Did the students take risks?_____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
7. Reasons which affect risk taking:__________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
8. How did the students work in English class?_________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
9. If the students were working in pairs how were they organized? :_________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________

10. What were the roles of the teacher?_______________________________


_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

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_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
11. Role of the grade:______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
12. Did the classmates laugh at the participants of the study? :____________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________
13. Perceptions toward participation:__________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
14. Perceptions toward risk taking:____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
15. Did the teacher create opportunities to work in pairs? __________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________

16. Was risk taking promoted in class? _______________________________


_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________

17. Methodology used by the teacher _________________________________


_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
18. Benefits of pair work activities ___________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________

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Appendix C. Transcript from interviews to the students-participants in the study (translated
by the researchers)

Transcript from Naomi Interview

Date: August 15th -11.

Place: Institucin Educativa La Santa Barbara

Group: 9th

Number of students in the Group: 30

Time of the class: 2:15 A.M.

Beginning of the interview 2:20 P.M.

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Ending of the interview 3:30 P.M.

Researchers: Eulices Cordoba and Jacks Robert Palacios

Naomi is a female student. She was fourteen years old. She finished her primary in 2008
and immediately entered Santa Barbara school to study her basic circle. She had two years
studying in this institution and acquired Basic English knowledge in sixth and seventh
grades. She did not have special interest in English language. She studied it as a part of her
academic curriculum and reached an academic requirement from school.

Perceptions toward risk taking in English class

Naomi risk taking was good for learning a language. I expanded my abilities in the L2
through participating in the classes. I showed what I had learnt during the process and my
partners and the teacher helped me to correct my mistakes in the subject

Factors affecting her risk taking

Naomi I felt shy in class. My teacher and classmates always argued when I made mistakes
in class. I did not agree with the way he made me understood that I made a mistake. I
thought if the teacher gives me a good advice to improve my limitation in the learning I
could learn more and be a better English learner. The teacher and partners made me felt
frightened to raise my hand and to communicated my ideas

Factor facilitating risk taking

Naomi worked with a classmate was easier for me to say what I wanted. He helped me to
correct my mistakes and he motivated me to speak English. We shared our ideas and
collaborated each other to participate in the class activities. Pair work activities promoted
interaction and offered learners the chance to apply what I learned during the process. I
interacted more with the teacher and the classmates; they supported me with ideas and
suggestions to be a better learner in the target language class

Perceptions towards pair work

Naomi pair work activities are good for learning a language. I practiced with my partner.
He gave me what he knew in the language and I gave him what I understood. Pair work
activities enhanced risk taking. I concentrated on oral communication. I expressed my ideas
and to exchange opinions with my classmates

How to organize pair work to promote risk taking

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Naomy A partner whose English knowledge was more than mine helped me to speak in
class. He corrected me, checked my speech, and allowed me to communicate my opinions
and suggestions to the group. I selected my pair; it allowed me to improve in the language
because I chose the classmates who supported me on what to say and how to express well
in English

Benefits of pair work activities for her

Naomy Working with a classmate encouraged me to practice speaking in the English class.
I joined conversation and assessments which matched my interest, told stories, talked about
my problems, answered and asked questions related to my life. The activities were focused
on oral skill. I had the chance to prepare my message and receive good feedback from my
pair and my teacher as well. I became confident from my participation during pair work
activities. My partner motivated me to be an active participant in class. He said you are
good, you participation is excellent. It stimulated me to increase my class participation

Transcript from Julio Interview

Date: August 17th -11.

Place: Institucin Educativa La Santa Barbara

Group: 9th

Number of students in the Group: 30

Time of the class: 2:00 P.M

Beginning of the interview 2:100 P.M.

Ending of the interview 3:10 P.M.

Researchers: Eulices Cordoba and Jacks Robert Palacios

Yasney is a female student. She was thirteen years old. She did her primary in 2009 and
immediately entered Santa Barbara school to study her basic circle. She graduated from a
school where she studied English. She is a dependable and jolly student. She trusts the
teacher and his classmates. She believes that the teacher and his partners have the right to

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criticize him because they have more experience in the language than her and she has to
respect what they think and say. She is always happy and joking with his classmates. She
likes laughing and receives reproofs in a fun way. She is not motivated to learn English.
She studies it as another subject of the curriculum and to reach academicals goals.

Perceptions toward risk taking in English class

Yasney taking risk was an important way to practice all what I understood in the classes. I
communicated with my classmates and they expressed their ideas in classes. This strategy
helped me to reveal that I had learnt in the English education through active class
participations where my partners realized my advancement in the units

Factors affecting her risk taking

Yasney take risk in class was an annoying situation for me. The teacher fiercely criticizes
me for making mistakes. He said that I could not understand her mistakes with a student in
this grade. My classmates also criticized me. They laugh at me and said that I have to learn
more. They thought they were the best because they had an active role in the classes

Factor facilitating risk taking

Yasney Definitely pair work activities helped me to become an active learner in English
class. Working with a classmate increased my participations in the lessons. My peer gave
advice to me and corrected what I said wrongly. He also created a good atmosphere to
participate in the lessons

Perceptions towards pair work activities

Yasney I was in favor of using pair work in English class. It was a good method to practice
speaking in the lessons. I had more opportunities to participate than I worked alone and my
partner encouraged me to have a principal role in my learning. I got confident from my
classmates and my constant class involvement

How to organize pair work to promote risk taking

Yasney I preferred to pair up with partners whose English level was similar to mine. It
motivated me and facilitated class participation. We reached agreements to complete the
assessment. We kept a balance in the talking time, exchanged ideas during the activities and
divided the assessment equally. We both taught new things such as words, phrases or
idioms that facilitated learning. We corrected each other with respect and patient and both
could express our ideas without having bad reproach

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Benefits of pair work activities for her

Yasney Pair work activities increased my confident in the language. The classroom
atmosphere was comfortable. I worked collaboratively with my partner; we interacted and
motivated each other to respond in a positive ways to our classmates attitude towards the
critics and reproaches. Pair work activities also helped me to build a better relationship with
the teacher and my classmates. He learnt to share power with the learners and gave learners
the same time to participate in the activities

Transcript from Julio Interview

Date: August 15th -11.

Place: Institucin Educativa La Santa Barbara

Group: 9th

Number of students in the Group: 30

Time of the class: 3:15 A.M.

Beginning of the interview 4:00 P.M.

Ending of the interview 5:00 P.M.

Researchers: Eulices Cordoba and Jacks Robert Palacios

Julio is a male student studying English as another subject of the curriculum. He studies it
to pass the subject and to have a high score in IFCES test. He likes reading and writing
exercises because he prepares himself to learn the language form and acquire the ability to
read and understand English websites. In his primary, he did not study English because
there was not English teacher to take the subject. All his English knowledge has been
acquired sixth and seventh grades which helped him to learn some basic structures and
learnt some vocabulary patterns.

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Perceptions toward risk taking in English class

Julio taking risk gave the opportunity to express my opinions and to communicate my
feelings in class. It was a great chance of getting better my capacities in the language and to
practice the language acquired during the process

Factors affecting her risk taking

Julio I would like to take more risk in the class, if my teacher corrected me with patient or
in a soft way but he corrects by crying or saying bad things. He immediately corrected me
with bad comments. I felt bad because mistakes were normal in the learning. My classmates
did not help me; they laughed at me when making mistakes and it is not fair. That is why
I did not take risk to express my feelings in English class.

Factor facilitating risk taking

Julio taking risk was easier when I was working in pairs. I had more opportunities to speak
I the activities. I expressed my opinions and to communicate my feelings in class with the
help of one of my partners, that provided me a safe environment to take risk in class

Perceptions towards pair work activities

Julio In pair, I communicated my feelings in class, I talked to my classmates about the


topic. It was also a good opportunity to show my understanding of the lessons. I improved
in the language and exercised with others partners in the class

How to organize pair work to promote risk taking

Julio It was better for me to work in pair with a classmate who knew more than me. He or
she assisted me to see my error and give me a hand to take more risk during English class.
He encouraged me to try out the opportunities and give me advice to practice the language
with my classmates without taking in mind the critics and reproach from the teacher. I
selected my partners to group because we had a good relationship. He corrected me with
tolerance and respect

Benefits of pair work activities for her

Julio in pair work activities, I had more possibilities to interact with my partners and the
teacher. We negotiated and collaborated giving and taking suggestions to improve my
imprecisions in the language. It provided more minutes to rehearsal and to communicate
my ideas orally. I also had many opportunities to prove and scan my speech with my pair.

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He provided good suggestions and insights which facilitated a better use of the time in
English subject

Transcript from Viejo Interview

Date: August 20th -11.

Place: Institucin Educativa La Santa Barbara

Group: 9th

Number of students in the Group: 30

Time of the class: 2:15 A.M.

Beginning of the interview 3:00 P.M.

Ending of the interview 4:00 P.M.

Researchers: Eulices Cordoba and Jacks Robert Palacios

Viejo is a male student. He is conscious of the importance of English as international


language. He was very interested in getting good scores and passes the subject. He has low
confidence in communicating his ideas to the whole group; he was quiet and silent during
speaking activities. He liked to learn the language form and acquire the ability to read well
to understand English books. In his primary, he did not study English. He has two years of
experience learning English at school and he has had serious problem to express his ideas
in English lessons.

Perceptions toward risk taking in English class

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Viejo risk taking was good to learn English. I had the opportunity to show that I learnt
what the teacher taught me previously. It was also the greatest chance to be involved in
class discussion. It assisted me to forget my nervous and received feedback from the
teacher and my classmates

Factors affecting her risk taking

Viejo I did not take risk because I knew that the teacher was going to make me feel badly
when I made a mistake. He corrected me by crying and complaining about my
development. My classmates complained about my English level and my low participation
in class. They said they were good learners for their participation and I had to increase my
contributions to be like them

Factor facilitating risk taking

Viejo take risks was much better when working with a classmate. He advised me to
communicate my opinions without taking care of the reproaches and critics. Pair work
activities helped me to take more risks since pair work activities offered students
opportunities to practice the language and received feedback from the teacher and learners
as well

Perceptions towards pair work activities

Viejo I thought that pair work activities were necessary to learn English. I had the
opportunity to work with a classmate and he helped to low my mistakes in the language,
communicated my ideas and showed the progress during the process. Additionally, I had
more time to practice the language and my partner assisted me. Definitely, pair work
activities are meaningful for improving in English class; these activities supported me to
pay more attention in class and learn from my partner and my teacher. It was the greatest
opportunity to be involved in class discussion and forget my nervous

How to organize pair work to promote risk taking

Viejo Paired up with a higher English level classmate was better than working with a
student whose English knowledge was similar to mine. He suggested new ways to improve
my mistakes in English. He provided good advice to increase my participation in the
lessons through encouraging me to use my possibilities to show my learning to the group.
He asked me to paid attention to the explanations, to answer questions and to ask questions
to the rest of my classmates. Once, I made a mistake, he motivated me to try again and
learnt from my error. He also shared his knowledge with and coached me well

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Benefits of pair work activities for her

Viejo Pair work activities were very important to have an active role in my learning
process. I expressed my opinions and feelings in class, I talked to my classmates and I
improved my speaking skill through oral practice in the units. I also got confirmation from
my teacher and classmates. I had more time to prepare the message to make sure what I
said was right. This preparation increased my participation in class and gave me the
opportunity to show the progress in the academic year

Transcript from Yassiry Interview

Date: August 27th -11.

Place: Institucin Educativa La Santa Barbara

Group: 9th

Number of students in the Group: 30

Time of the class: 1:15 A.M.

Beginning of the interview 1:20 P.M.

Ending of the interview 2:10 P.M.

Researchers: Eulices Cordoba and Jacks Robert Palacios

Yassiry is a female student studying English subject in ninth grade at Santa Barbara School.
She is not aware of the importance of English as international language. She has a low
interest in getting good scores. She just wanted to pass the subject without taking care of
the scores. She has low confidence to participate in the lessons. She was quiet and silent
during the activities. She preferred the language form and acquires the ability to read well.

Perceptions toward risk taking in English class

Yassiry risk taking was an important skill for learning a language. I interacted with my
classmates. I listened to them and they listened to me. I practiced the language and I learnt
more from the interaction with my classmates and the teacher because they provided
correct feedback which assisted me to improve in the speaking skill

Factors affecting her risk taking

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YassiryMy classmates and the teacher stopped me to express my ideas in class. They
usually joked when I made a mistake in class. They complained and corrected me in a bad
way. I did not agree with the way my classmates treat me. They had to respect me because I
respected them when they made and they did not want to speak in class. I was afraid of
speaking to the whole group

Factor facilitating risk taking

Yassiry risk taking was better when I worked in pair. I built confident to express my ideas.
In pairs, I interacted with my classmates. They reduced their critics and I felt secure to
express my ideas to my peer and to the group. My peer offered a good environment to
speak to the whole group

Perceptions towards pair work activities

Yassiry pair work activities provided the opportunity to cooperate with my classmates. We
rehearsed all what we learnt during the process and worked together to overcome the
difficulties in the language

How to organize pair work to promote risk taking

Yassiry Pair work activities were good when I worked with a partner whose English
knowledge was similar to mine. It guaranteed that both had to work without complaining
about knowledge, as both had the same experience and the same lack. We shared our ideas
opinions to improve our class engagement. We negotiated and talked together to complete
the assessment and showed our classmates our progress in the L2

Benefits of pair work activities for her

Yassiry The lessons were effective and the classroom atmosphere was more comfortable
during pair work activities. I received good feedback from the teacher and classmates
without being criticized and in a less threaten manner. They corrective me softly and with a
positive attitude which motivated me to try all the opportunities to partake in the activities.
I forgot my nervous and concentrated on performing well in the assessments. We worked
cooperatively to keep a balance in the process. Each pair had the same time to
communicate its ideas and positions to the whole group. The activities were appropriate for
all learners and related to our daily lives. I enjoyed classes through pair work activities

Transcript from Arley Interview

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Date: October 5th -11.

Place: Institucin Educativa La Santa Barbara

Group: 9th

Number of students in the Group: 30

Time of the class: 1:15 A.M.

Beginning of the interview 1:20 P.M.

Ending of the interview 2:10 P.M.

Researchers: Eulices Cordoba and Jacks Robert Palacios

Arley is a male student who studies English to fulfill the requirement of the curriculum. He
enjoyed reading, grammar and writing exercises to maintain her passivity in the classroom.
He did not participate in English lessons and refused to take the opportunities to speak
English. He is friendly, adaptable and organized. He makes a lot friend and talks with his
partners constantly. He also starts conversation with new people and invites his friends to
do thing with him. He does not have problem to change or coincide with a new situation in
his life. He never cares about the things that happen in class and sees them as normal
situation in the classroom. He sets his goals and keeps a record of his classes and the
activities that take place during the activities.

Perceptions toward risk taking in English class

Arley Risk taking was vital in my English learning process. It helped me to acquire the
ability to express my ideas and thoughts to the whole group. It did not care if I made
mistakes the key was to participate and demonstrate that I could speak up in class without
fear of the critics or reproaches

Factors affecting her risk taking

Arley My classmates and my teacher smirk at me. They were very discourteous. They
did not know how to say to me that I had slips in the activities, the only thing they did was
criticizing me for my mistakes in English class. That situation was embarrassing, I felt sad
and decided not to participate in the class. My fear of communicating also me because I
stayed silent and quiet in class to guarantee I was well in class and avoided the critics

Factor facilitating risk taking

Arley I communicated in pair activities because it was better to take risk in class. A peer
helped me to be more involved and to take every opportunity to demonstrate what I leant.

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Pair work activities increased my motivation to learn English through participating in the
lessons and getting good correction from the teacher and my classmates

Perceptions towards pair work activities

Arley Working in pair increased my knowledge. I had a partner who helped me to be


involved in the activities and exchanged ideas, thoughts and opinions. He taught new
expressions and provided suggestions to learn the language. We also practiced the target
language to reach an agreement and take part in the classes
How to organize pair work to promote risk taking

Arley I had the opportunity to work with partners who knew more than me and I felt good.
They taught me new things I did not know. They motivated me to increase my talking time
in the majority of the activities by giving suggestions and coaching me to be an active
leaner in the subject. Their experience also encouraged me to follow their steps. I saw them
participating in the activities and it served as example to speak and shared with the rest of
the class. I selected my partner because it aided more confident to work with whom I had a
good feeling in the classroom

Benefits of pair work activities for her

Arley Pair work activities encouraged me to pay close attention to the activities and the
teacher explanation. My partner asked me to focus on the class objective to clarify and
understand the explanations from the teacher or another classmate. A partner also helped
me to increase my willingness to take risk because I got confident working with him.
During pair work activities, I did not have the possibility to lose the class focus. I always
discussed and negotiated with my pair about our participation

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Appendix D. Transcript from the first observation

Date: Julio 10th -11.

Place: InstitucinEducativa La Santa Barbara

Group: 9th

Number of students in the Group: 30

Time of the class: 1:15 A.M.

Beginning of the interview1:20P.M.

Ending of the interview 2:10P.M.

Researchers: Eulices Cordoba and Jacks Robert Palacios

The teacher said hello to the students in English, wrote the date and the topic on the board
in Spanish. The topic was asking permission. Then, he spoke English and Spanish to
make him understood by the students. He used students mother tongue to explain the

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different ways to ask permissions in English. Once, he explained the different words and
phrases to ask permissions, he sat down and distributed copies to the students to clarified
doubt. The students read the copies individually during twenty minutes. After, the teacher
asked them to read aloud and asked permission to a classmate. The teacher suggested the
students to ask permissions to another friend and the case studies rejected to take part in the
activities. Then the teacher advised them to participate in the classes. He said participation
was important to have more skills in the target language. The teacher got angry because
these six students were passive in the classroom. They looked frightened and scared to take
part in the development of the speaking task.

The teacher did not use visual aids to support the activities. However, the class was
meaningful for the rest of the students. They were asking and giving permissions to each
other. The students showed a great enthusiasm for the activity. However, these six students
were not taking risks to speak up. They were listening to their classmate giving comments
when the teacher asked them to simulate scene where it was necessary to ask permission.
Twenty five minutes after, the teacher asked the students to write on their notebooks the
different ways to ask permissions. As soon as he said that, some students decided to make a
dialogue about this issue. When the teacher listened to what these students said, he agreed.
The case studies stayed silent but paying close attention to what their partners were doing.
When the classes finished, we asked the students (who did not take part in the development
of the lesson) the reason to not participate and they said that they were quite because they
all were timid and afraid of the consequences of making mistakes. Besides, they did not
feel comfortable working alone and speaking up to the whole group, and they continued
saying that for them, take risk in this type of activity was a risky situation because nobody
could save them from the smirk or bad grades or bad comments from the teacher and their
classmates. They also said that for them would be more meaningful working grammar and
reading because they felt comfortable.

The subject one said I think if I work with a classmate it can helps me to overcome my
difficulties to speak up because my partner can help me to understand what I dont know.
The teacher does not understand my situation; I think that he must be patient because he
does not know how that I feel bored in this case. The rest of the case studies were agreed,
saying if the teacher started explaining the class in small groups, they are sure it can help to
participate more in class. Working with a classmate gives them more confidence to speak
up and it also helps them to clarify doubt without being criticized. Moreover a classmate
can correct their mistakes and give us more insights to overcome our difficulties to not
speak in class.

Based on what we observed in this class, we concluded if the students work in pair. They
could participate more in the class development; they preferred to work with partners that
they wanted because this gave them more chances to interact between them. They knew
each other and built confidence to speak up. Pair work activities could provide a safe

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environment for the case studies. Other important conclusion from this observation is that
the students want that the role of the teacher could be different in order to assist them to
create the desire to task more time to participate in speaking activities.

Appendix E. Permission letter to the principal (translated by the researchers)

Dear,

Principal Educational Institution Santa Barbara

We are Eulices Cordoba Zuiga and Jacks Robert Palacios master candidates in English
didactics at Caldas University. We are working on our thesis project entitled Fostering
Risk Taking Through Pair Work Activities.

The purpose of this study is to promote risk taking through pair work activities to enhance
speaking. Our objective is to conduct some interviews and some observations with ninth
grade learners. We would like to ask your consent to allow us to conduct our study in the
school. The students are not going to be taken out of the school. The information is about
their learning process and all around English class. The students names are going to be
kept anonymous and the information is not going to be shared with any extraneous person.
The learners can withdraw from the investigation when they want. We will also ask the
teacher and the learners permission to participate in this study. We are also going to be
respectful with the students in all moments.

If you have any doubts about the research study, please feel free to contact us. Your
permission is going to be necessary to reach the research goals. Please indicate your
approval of this permission by sending us a letter where you indicate your consent.

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Sincerely,

Eulices Cordoba Zuiga and Jacks Robert Palacios

Appendix F. Permission letter to the English teacher (translated by the researchers)

Dear professor,

We are Eulices Cordoba Zuiga and Jacks Robert Palacios, Master candidates in English
didactics at Caldas University. We are working on our thesis, the theme of our research
study is fostering risk taking through pair work activities, the purpose of this study is to
foster risk taking through pair work activities, in which the students can participate more in
class.

Our objective is to conduct some interviews and some observations. We would like to
observe your learners in your class and ask them to take part in the study voluntarily, all the
questions and the focus of the interview is going to be based on the study objective and to
gather more information to validate our research concerns. We have talked to the rector of
the institution and he gave permission to conduct this study in the school, however we
wanted to ask your permission to allow us observe your class and interview your students
in a safe place inside the school. Besides, we would like to sit in the back of the classroom
during September, October and November of the year 2010.

If you have any doubts about the research study, please feel free to contact us, your
permission is going to be necessary to reach the research goals.
Thanks in advance for your supports.

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Sincerely,

Eulices Cordoba Zuiga and Jacks Robert Palacios

Appendix G. Permission letter to the students (Translated by the research team)

Dear learners,

We are Eulices Cordoba Zuiga and Jacks Robert Palacios, Master candidates in English
didactics at Caldas University. We are working on our thesis, the theme of our research
study is fostering risk taking through pair work activities, the purpose of this study is to
foster risk taking through pair work activities, in which the students can participate more in
class.

Our objective is to conduct some interviews and some observations. We would like to
observe you in English class and ask you to take part in the study voluntarily, all the
questions and the focus of the interview is going to be based on the study objective and to
gather more information to validate our research concerns. We have talked to the rector of
the institution and the teacher as well. They gave permission to conduct this study in your
classroom, however we wanted to ask your permission to allow us observe your English
class and interview you in a safe place in the school. Yet, we ask you if you want to
participate in this study, taking in mind that there is no payment for your participation, the
information you give us is going to be saved and it is going to be used just to reach the
study purpose.

Besides, if you decide to participate in the study, you are called to be interviewed,
observed and are called to answer some questions; additionally, we are going to used
synonymy, that is your name are going to be saved and the information is not going to be
shared with no one from the two researchers. You can also draw the investigation when you
want .We would like you to inform your parents about this investigation in order to obtain
permission from them to be in the study. If your parents let you be part of the study, ask
them to signature this paper.

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If you have any doubts about the research study, please feel free to contact us, your
permission is going to be necessary to reach the research goals.
Sincerely,

Eulices Cordoba Zuiga and Jacks Robert Palacios

Appendix H. Photos of students working in pairs

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