Critical Analysis of Ochoa Group A: Bleysin Acevedo Delia Paola Flores Kathleen Atencio Beira Ruiz

Research Topic: The Effect of Communicative Activities on EFL Learners’ Motivation Research Purpose /Question: To determine how the use of communicative activities in the classroom contribute to L2 motivation and the relationship between communicative activities and motivation.

Theoretical framework/review of the literature -Motivation is an important factor in the learning process. -According to Harmer, motivation is a type of initiative that encourages someone to do things to reach a goal. -Communicative activities involves interaction. -They can have an impact on students’ motivation. - It is recommended that teachers use debates, games, group work, pair work, interviews, problem-solving, and role-plays in order to stimulate or motivate EFL learners.

Research Approach & Design Research Approach (qualitative/quantitative) Quantitive Approach This research was based on statistical information from the Ecuatorian Ministry of Education for the academic year 2015. It includes: - Questionaries - Interviews - Analysis of the data.

Qualitive Approach -Comparison and interpretation of the opinions of teachers and students. -This information was contrasted with the answers given to the interviews.

Research design: context, methods, participants Context: A town of the Amazon region of Ecuador. Methods: - Questionnaires. - A six-point Likert scale was designed for this study to gather the data about communicative activities and the levels of motivation. - The applied questionnaires consisted of 10 items related to communicative activities.

- Teachers and students interviews were applied. - SPSS software was used in the analysis of the data. Participants: - 180 senior high school EFL students (86 males and 94 females) The ages of the students ranged from 15 to 18 years. - 8 EFL teachers

Data Collection and Analysis Data Collection and Procedures Data was collected and analyzed by: - Questionaries - Face to face interviews Both instruments were applied with the purpose to obtain data concerned with the use of communicative activities in the classroom and their relation with motivation.

Were the methods of data collection appropriate (e. g Were the methods of data collection appropriate (e.g., got the right kind of data required to answer the research questions)? The methods used in this study were appropriate because Students feel confident when they help each other during the interaction in activities such as: Class discussions Games Pair work Group work Role plays Group oral presentations

Methods of collecting data Quantitative and qualitative methods like Interviews and questionnaires Teacher interviewed were selected randomly Application of an instrument for data analysis like Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Comparison and interpretation opinion of teachers

Findings What were the Results/findings? The findings of this study demonstrate that students and teachers believe that communicative activities are motivating. Students feel confident when they help each other during the interaction in activities such as class discussions, games, pair work, group work, role plays, and group oral presentations.

What conclusions does the author draw? He argued that activities such as games, pair work, small group works, and role plays were ranked highly by both students and teachers as the most motivating communicative activities in the EFL classroom because they can interact between them. Students consider that these types of activities enhance the use of English to perform in a realistic and enjoyable way.

Were the conclusions drawn based on the findings? I consider the conclusions are based on the findings because teachers feel that their students are moderately motivated while students tend to feel highly motivated. For example; teachers' belief that most students do not understand them when speaking in the target language.  Conversely, students think that the teacher is a valuable source that helps them to learn the language by giving advice and explanation.

Suggestions from the author for future research Teachers ought to increase the frequency of activities such as games, role-plays in the classroom. Promote language practice opportunities. Create a positive, friendly and effective climate in the classroom. Apply games to improve grammar activities.

Teachers should continue providing appropriate feedback and error correction. Teachers need to be careful when designing and performing the excercises. Consider equal opportunities for participation and interaction in order to achieve effective results.

We as teachers can justify these suggestions in the classroom We as teachers can justify these suggestions in the classroom. We have to mantain an enjoyable classroom environment to motivate our students to learn the target language and allow them to understand the purpose of communicative activities.

Questions to the author How can we change the mentality of our colleagues about the use of the motivation in their classes? How we can transmit the importance of the use of different researches in the institutions we work?

Some questions about the research We as teachers handle information about how to create a good atmosphere of learning for our students, but there are a lot of things that we need to take in consideration. What are the activities that motivate my students? How can I develop a curriculum base on motivation? When can I apply communicative activities to motivate students?

Some conclusions by the author The analysis was based on the comparison between teachers’ and students’ perceptions as a result of the interviews and questionnaires, focusing our attention on the most relevant statistical information and the most outstanding opinions. Author give recommendation based on the findings, the perception and the results of the research.

Critical Observations The article research is complete all the information is valid. It is supported by the data collected during the study about the perception of the influence of communicative activities. The study was applied to some students and teachers in Ecuador where their mother tongue is Spanish. The study reflects on students’ perceptions about their motivation. The researcher used some tools such as questionnaries, interviews, and analysis of data to support the information.

Thanks!