1. OBrien/umn/January/2013
Jacquelyn Linnes Dell’Arciprete
Day 2: Design a Study and Post your Design on Slideshare
Title: The impact of instructor monitoring language use during small group work
time in a 3rd semester foreign language course at the University level.
Abstract: Monitoring student work is important in order to provide appropriate feedback
and keep students on task, especially in a foreign language classroom, where the
instructor is often considered the ‘expert’ in the field and it is easy to slip into the L1
when language difficulties arise. However, the monitoring may potentially have a
negative impact on student progress if the monitoring, rather than encouraging student
participation, ends up creating tension or apprehension on the part of the students
whenever the instructor is present. The following study examines how students react to
instructor monitoring during group work.
Frameworks
The present study will employ ethnography of communication as the theoretical
framework. This study will focus on the patterns of social interaction of groups of
language learners in a 3rd semester university FL course. It will investigate, according to
the framework of ethnography of communication, how these ‘micro’ processes are
related to larger ‘macro’ issues of culture and social organization.
Guiding Question:
How do 3rd semester university students react to instructor monitoring during designated
group work time in a foreign language course?
Data Sources:
Classroom observation will be the primary data source. This will be the most important
source based on the framework of ethnography of communication. Data will be gathered
in observation videotapes and field notes from the observer.
Analyses:
The researcher will analyze videotapes and field notes. The analysis will consider what
the students do or do not do when the instructor is approaching or monitoring group work.
The analysis will look for and expose possible combinations of movements and gestures
as well as speech patterns.

2. Possible Write Up and Representation:
The write-up will include an introduction, description of the study, explanation of the
activity (how the group work times happen), identifying and analyzing patterns of student
reactions to teacher monitoring, noting any exceptions, discussion of the findings,