An Investigation Into Interaction Ability Approach In EFL Classroom: Viewed From Angle Of Group Work

One of the major changes to classroom interaction wrought by student-centered teaching has been an increasing emphasis on creating group dynamics ?a positive group atmosphere can have a beneficial effect on the morale, motivation, and self-image of its members, and thus significantly affect their learning by developing in them a positive attitude to the language being learned, to the learning process, and to themselves as learners. In other words, a positive cooperative atmosphere created in a group contributes importantly to the way the tasks are accomplished.More and more researchers and empirical investigators into foreign language teaching and learning focused their attention on classroom process research, as Gaies (1983) calls the study of communication in the classroom, has taken different forms. Interaction analysis is one of them. Allwright (1980) proposes that classroom interaction be accounted for in terms of three types of analysis (see chapter II ). Long (1980)provides a thorough critique of interaction analysis systems.In response to this trend and motivated by a desire to draw some implications from group dynamics when learners as different individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses mix together, the author of the present study attempts to find out whether IA approach can bring about any difference to EFL (English as Foreign Language) learning when learners are administered to the same text book and taught by the same teacher.The aim of the present study is to probe the influence of IA approach to the learners. The study will be made either from the angle of student to student or teacher to student. Therefore, questionnaires and interviews concerning learner's attitudes toward classroom activities, recorded observation in an authentic classroom setting are developed for an empirical research.Based on the findings of the study, the paper concludes that the application of IA approach should be viewed as one of the strategies both for teacher and students, which is also an important factor to produce classroom dynamics.