INQUIRY-BASED INSTRUCTION IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

Abstract

The effects of Inquiry-Based Instruction in English language teaching have been discussed for many years. This action research study was an attempt to implement Inquiry-Based Instruction in teaching English to young learners in order to teach English using a student-centred, inquiry-based approach which helps learners take the responsibility of their learning and become life-long learners in a long process. The purpose of my action research was threefold. The first purpose was to identify the students’ views regarding the benefits of Inquiry-based Instruction. Secondly, it aimed to find out the difficulties the students and the teacher experience in Inquiry-based Instruction. The study was conducted in the second term of 2018-2019 academic year at a private primary school in İstanbul, Turkey. The participants of this study were 16 second grade students at average age 8 with different abilities and level of competence but basically in beginners’ level. The data collection instruments used for the present study were the researcher’s diary, semi-structured interviews, self-assessment rubrics for learners and assessment rubrics. The findings of the study revealed that the implementation of Inquiry-Based Instruction in English language teaching facilitates the learners’ ability to acquire the new language and to direct their learning. The findings also revealed that Inquiry-Based Instruction engages the learners in meaningful learning, so that they can get involved actively in acquiring English language based on their interests, attitudes, expectations, abilities and needs. The students learned how to ask meaningful questions in order to inquire and construct new understandings. They got involved actively in pair work and group work activities in centers, learned from their peers and taught their peers. Although they had beginner level English language proficiency, their participation in the activities that were planned based on their interests increased considerably. The results of my study also revealed that the students had difficulties in working collaboratively with their classmates. They didn’t know how to communicate with each other even in their mother tongue as they lack the communication skills which are vital for our social lives. However, with the help of grouping strategies, and the center group studies, their attitudes changed positively. They enjoyed working in groups and creating something together. I observed that the learning environment I prepared for them was so peaceful and safe that they felt comfortable while sharing an idea or using the target language. Even the shy learners who didn’t want to say even a word in English, was making sentences and do presentations voluntarily in the eighth week. The results showed that the language teacher may have difficulties in the stage of planning and crafting the lessons. The effectiveness of the Inquiry-Based Instructed teaching is only possible with a good planning. It may take long hours to plan, organize and prepare the materials for a single lesson. The results also revealed that teaching English using Inquiry-Based Instruction might be difficult to implement even for the most experienced teachers as it requires a lot of reading, preparation, material development and hours of planning. It also revealed that as it requires teachers to shift from teaching to facilitators who encourages curiosity and the need to know in their classrooms, teachers who are used to traditional way of teaching may find it difficult to change their perspective.