The effect of a teacher-centred and learner-centred approach on students' participation in the English classroom

Abstract

In this paper, we addressed the concept of classroom participation and the way it is affected by a traditional teacher-centred (TC) approach and a more innovative learner-centred (LC) approach which uses the principles and strategies of active learning and cooperative learning to engage students in the learning process. The study was carried out in a public secondary school in Spain with two groups of learners of English (n=54). The analysis of the number of learners on task showed that in the LC sessions learner participation increased by 20 % as compared with TC sessions. We also detected some challenges a teacher might face while implementing learner-centred sessions including the facilitation of equal participation in group work, adequate time allocation for a task, individual and group assessment, and development of learners’ autonomy.