Teacher-student interaction in the English language class. The case of Wesley High School Bekwai-Ashanti

Abstract

The aim of this research was to find the kind of interaction which exists between the English Language teachers and students of Wesley High School, Bekwai-Ashanti, using an Explanatory Sequential Design. The theoretical framework used for the study is Michael Long’s Interaction Hypothesis. In teaching and learning English as a second language there is the need to have a good interaction between the teacher and the students. In the absence of a good interaction during English Language lessons, there will be no effective teaching and learning. Therefore, to find out the kind of interaction which goes on in the English language classroom in Wesley High School, some questionnaires were distributed to the teachers and students. Again, interviews as well as observations were done with both the teachers and the students to solicit information from them. The gathered data were analysed under the various themes according to the research questions with corresponding tables. The study established that the only interaction found in Wesley High School English Language classrooms was student to student interaction but not the communicative teaching method proposed by Noam Chomsky for a second language acquisition. It was also established that the teachers employed Teacher-Centred interaction method which does not allow interaction between the English Language teachers and their students in class. The study suggested that there should be in-service training and seminars organised by Ghana Education Service for the English teachers. Again, inspectors of Ghana Education Service should constantly monitor classroom activities to ensure that there is an effective teacher-student interaction practices. Lastly, Wesley High School teachers should have better and positive attitudes towards their students. The study further recommends that, studies in English Teachers’ inabilities to interact with their students and bad attitudes of teachers toward their students be conducted. University of Education,Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh