Seating Arrangements In The EFL Classrooms:Students' Preferences And Their Participation In Cooperative Learning Activities

Researches have shown that students' participation can be influenced by a variety of factors,including students' gender,personality differences,preferences and classroom environment(Sommer,1967;Anderson,2009;Kaya&Burgess,2007;Lei,2010;Wannarka&Ruhl,2008;Azeman,2012;Brown,2014;Supratman,2015;Tandyonomanu,2016;Correa et al.,2016).Classroom environment includes seating arrangements which are believed to have important impacts on fostering students'participation in cooperative learning activities(Woodson,2003;Supratman,2015;Tandyonomanu,2016;Correa et al.,2016).How a seating arrangement affects students'participation is found to depend on how far this seating arrangement suits the activity carried out and the communication pattern targeted at in class.However,limited research has been conducted on classroom seating arrangements and their effects on students'participation while doing cooperative learning activities.In addition,few studies have been conducted on students' preferences of different classroom seating arrangements and almost no research has been carried out in the Chinese context.Study of the classroom seating arrangement is therefore of great importance since it is one of the factors that can either promote or decrease students' on-task participation in the EFL classrooms.The purpose of this study is to examine:(1)the effects of two seating arrangements,namely,rows-and-columns and the semi-circles,on students' participation while working on cooperative learning activities in the EFL classrooms in the Chinese context;(2)students' preferences of seating arrangements and reasons for their choices;(3)whether students' preferences of classroom seating arrangements changed after experiencing both seating arrangements.The present study employed a mixed method,using both qualitative and quantitative approaches with a sample of three classes containing 99 students.As a quantitative design,this study focused on collecting data about students' participation and their preferences of seating arrangements through questionnaires.A case study,i.e.,a qualitative study,was conducted through videotaping one group selected randomly in Class 1 in order to collect data about students' participation in both seating arrangements.The results show that seating arrangements have a great impact on students'participation while working on cooperative learning activities in the EFL classrooms.Practicality and comfort are the two most important elements concerning classroom seating arrangements.Seating arrangements which help students focus on the task facilitate them to gain better performances in class.The sense of group belonging is also an important factor related to students' participation in group activities,especially for those inactive students.Semi-circles seating arrangement helps students maintain better communication with other group members,while the rows-and-columns seating arrangement helps them concentrate more on the task.The findings of this study support the argument that classroom environment plays a critical role in students' satisfaction while students' satisfaction does not necessarily lead to better performances in class.In addition,students' preferences didn't change after experiencing both seating arrangements.That is to say,students still liked the semi-circles seating arrangement more because it was more comfortable,more convenient and more friendly.As the present study shows,different seating arrangements reinforce different patterns of behavior and interaction.Different students see the class,work with people and accept information in different ways.The teacher' s philosophy and the way the teacher incorporates the seating arrangement during the instructions have impacts on students in different ways.The way the seats arranged should depend on the type of students and the philosophy the teacher adopts.In any situations,seats should be arranged to help students achieve their goals,gain concentration and a sense of group belonging.Semi-circles seating arrangements might be very successful for some students who value the comfort of seats,whereas rows-and-columns seating arrangement might be suitable for other students who want to feel closer to other group members.Therefore,teachers need to plan seating arrangement carefully after looking at all the personalities and proficiency levels of students.