The influence of large classes in the English language teaching learning process in Ecuadorian high schools (página 2)

The results in graph No 2 are to some extent related to the results observed in graph No 1 in which students indicated that activities done in the class allow them to apply their knowledge. In this sense, the majority of students state that class activities are appropriate for practicing listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

According to Gower, Phillips and Walters (2005), integrated skills allow the practice of language through the use of activities related to the real word. In this way, learners improve the development of language as part of the process of becoming a full language user. Nevertheless, the author mentions that class size or level of noise are some of the factors that affect the quality of activities in the classroom.

• 3. The students are attentive and participate in class activities, including those sitting at the back of the classroom.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

Regarding the level of attention and participation in large classes, graph No 3 shows that 7% of students did not agree with the question; 52% of learners partially agreed; 29% of students agreed; and, 12% totally agreed. Although the answers tend to be positive, an important group of students do not seem to be convinced of the ease to pay attention and to participate in large classes.

Gower, Phillips and Walters (2005) mention that the larger the class, the more difficult is for learners to achieve the learning goals. They state that sometimes in large classes it is possible only to give feedback briefly. Therefore, it is important to ensure that everyone is listening and watching in order to draw the students´ attention in the topic. Using a simple language and concise expressions will help students to accept the teachers´ authority and to show good disposition towards the lessons in order to make language practice efficient.

In addition, an aspect that influences the level of attention and participation of students in the class activities is the teacher"s position and the way he organizes the students" seats in the class. In this sense, Gower, Phillips, and Walters (2005) indicate that classroom furniture always affects the learning atmosphere, and sometimes teachers are not able to control the seating arrangement in the classroom.

Likewise, the students" results, and the information provided by the authors make possible to confirm that in a large class, not all the students pay attention and participate in the class activities, including students in the last row, due to different reasons such as the size of the classroom, discipline, and seating arrangement, which affect the learning process.

Even though students might perceive that large classes make difficult to participate, teachers could apply the activities suggested by the authors above to improve the level of lesson involvement in the classroom. Certainly, managing learning in large classes requires from teacher much effort to achieve the objectives of the lessons. By organizing the classroom creatively into a convenient learning environment, teachers would be able to increase students" level of participation.

• 4. Varied class activities such as group activities, individual activities, and pair activities are used.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

The results above indicate that 67% of students totally agree about the activities used in the class such as group, individual, and pair work activities. In addition, 22% students agree, and 6 % of them partially agree with the statement.

Students" responses seem to indicate that teachers applied different activities that promote collaboration and communication between students to practice language skills. According to Olsen and Kagan (1992), Cooperative Language Learning involves activities in which students are encouraged to work in pairs and small groups to exchange information between groups of learners. The authors remark that learning is increased through the use of cooperative activities because students cheer up between them and motivate their partners to work correctly. Also, cooperative language teaching helps teachers to build a positive relationship among students and encourages them to focus their attention in language structures and communicative functions through interactive tasks; in this sense, learners increase their motivation and reduce stressful situations.

In addition, Harmer (2007) explains that pair work and group work play an important role in the language teaching-learning process since they maximize student participation. He describes different ways of doing collaborative activities such as first rows turn to face second rows, third rows to face fourth rows, etc. Also, the same author remarks that pairs and groups encourage students to participate actively, and they also have more chance to experiment with the language than in a whole-class arrangement. Both pair work and group work give students the opportunity for greater independence. Because the students are working together without the teacher controlling every move, they take some of their own learning decisions. Finally, the author states that it is important to give clear instructions and agree with students about when to stop the activity.

Certainly, the students" responses and the theory provided by the aforementioned authors allow concluding that the use of different activities such as group and pair work might generate a collaborative classroom environment, thus giving the students opportunities to interact and use the target language as well.

• 5. Role plays, debates and games are used.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

Regarding the use of role plays, debates and games in the classroom, table No 5 shows that 39% of students partially agree with the use of these strategies, meanwhile 26% agree, 22 % of students totally agree, and 13% disagree. In this aspect students recognized that it is more difficult to apply activities such as role plays or debates in large classes. Based on the Communicative Language Teaching method, the activities such as discussion session dialogues, debates and role plays are called social interactive activities. In this way, the teacher encourages students to practice and develop communicative skills.

Similarly, Hubbard, Jones, Thornton and Wheeler (1985) discuss several approaches and suggest some accompanying activities such as dramatization and role-plays. It is often very helpful to have two established sections in the classroom so that the teacher can direct his attention to just one of them from time to time.

According to UNESCO (2006) claims that there are three main objectives in using small groups in large classes, first to provide energy and interaction, enabling more students to think during the class, to participate actively, and to generate more ideas about a text or topic; second to give the teacher an opportunity to interact with more students while he moves around the room, and provide a short break and shift in energy, which will make students more likely to listen to the teacher"s next 20 minutes of lecturing.

This author mentions other active learning activities for large classes, which require individual answers. In large classes, there might not be enough time; however, all of the students should be given the chance to participate in many of them. The challenge lies in selecting the type of activity to match the purpose or objective of the lesson. Each student has a 2 or 3 minute opportunity to express his or her point of view on a given topic while others listen him or her. The teacher can also make a brainstorm where the students individually think about an issue or a problem, lists its possible causes and asks them to share their ideas and compile a list of possibilities. Another technique is called a concept model which consists on giving handouts to the students or listing words on the board. These words will form series of leading questions. Students work in small groups then figure out how something works or builds a conceptual model. According to graph N° 5, 39% of students partially agree with the use of role plays, debates and games, while 26% of them agree. In addition, 22 % of students totally agree, and 13% disagree. Regarding this aspect, the students appear to recognize that teachers apply activities such as role plays, debates, and games.

In fact, the use of role plays, debates and games is supported by authors such as Roger, Diane, and Steve (2005) as well as Harmer (2007) since they consider that those activities give students an opportunity to try out language recently introduced and to improve their fluency as if they were in real situations.

The theory presented by the aforementioned authors seems to corroborate the students" acceptance of the use of role plays and games. Nevertheless, an important group of students (39%) are not totally convinced of the benefit of those activities. Probably, class size might be a factor that could affect their responses. Regarding this aspect, Brown (2002) explains that students in large classes have fewer opportunities to practice speaking.

In fact, the way teachers control discipline and creativity in their classes will facilitate an effective application of these strategies. In other words, making classes more interactive in which students can learn by doing fun-tasks such as role plays will improve students´ motivation.

• 6. Students can cheat during the test.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

In graph No 6, the results show that 65% of students disagree with the question while 16% of them partially agree. On the other hand, 12 % of the students totally agree, and 7% agree. Therefore, the percentages demonstrate that a great majority of students indicate that they cannot cheat during exams.

It seems that students consider that teachers are able to give instructions appropriately and control misbehavior in order to avoid difficulties during the exams.

According to Gower, Phillips and Walters (2005), it is important for teachers to be sure that students listen and look at the instructions given in the class. Also, it is important to use simple language and short expressions to explain how to proceed in an activity or exam. In fact, short instructions are entirely appropriate for this situation because students need to be guided in the evaluation process in order to avoid confusion and uncertainty.

Based on the article 224 of the Organic Law of Education about academic dishonesty, it is considered as a severe fault, to copy the academic work or exams of someone with or without their permission or allow someone to copy an academic work or exam. Moreover, article 226 mentions that students who act with academic dishonesty will be exposed to disciplinary action and its exams will be graded with zero.

• 7. Students can do tasks from other subjects.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

It can be seen in graph No 7 that 53% of students disagreed when they were asked if they can do tasks of other subjects, while 29% of them partially agreed. Also, 9% agreed and 9% of them totally agreed. These results show strong disagreement on the question stated to the interviewees.

According to the results, students affirmed that they do not do tasks of other subject during the English class, maybe because teachers apparently establish reasonable rules for student behavior.

All classrooms need rules to function effectively; students need to know the limits, as well as how to behave with others and respect to their rights. Another possible aspect that teachers seem to manage in large classes is planning. Without it, as the same author affirms, students can develop other subjects in the English class because they are not assigned with timed activities.

Besides, Woodward (2001) suggests a plan to establish a certain amount of routine in which he advises not to make the routines too fixed, though, or the class will go into automatic pilot and it will be very difficult to turn them once they have started. Moreover, the author suggests to keep students involved since the beginning of the lesson so that a working atmosphere is achieved while social energy is high. He also suggests to give instructions with demonstrations when necessary.

Based on the aspects previously analyzed, students perceived that teachers manage large classrooms properly and assign them appropriate amount of work to maintain their level of engagement in lessons. In such a way, students do not have time to develop activities that are not related to English learning.

• 8. Class space allows you to develop the activities assigned by the teacher properly.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

Concerning the results showed in graph N° 8, 41% of students totally agree that class space allows them to develop class activities properly. In addition, 37% of students agree with the question. On the other hand, 16% of students partially agree, and 6% of students disagree. The high percentages are around positive criteria which indicate that classroom space is used adequately in large classes.

The organization of space influences the way, in which students behave in the classroom, as well as, how much attention they pay to instruction. According to Gower, Phillips, and Walters (2005), the location where the students are sit in a classroom determines their attitude towards their classmates and the teacher. The authors also state that seating arrangement influences the type of interaction and activities in the classroom.

Moreover, Blatchford (2003) refers to different points of view that support small or large classes. Basically, this author explains that theorists who claim in favor of small classes argue that teachers can apply teaching strategies appropriately. On the other hand, a high cost of class size reduction is the main argument of those who hold teaching in large classes. In sum, this author expresses that there is little research about the effect of class size in students" learning success.

On the other hand, Feinstein (2006) argues that students" attention is drawn when they perceive threats such as difficult social interaction, noisy spaces, low quality air; all of them related to the appropriateness of classroom space.

This analysis shows that appropriate use of classroom space helps students answer positively to the stated question. In conclusion, it may seem impossible to organize dynamic and creative teaching and learning sessions in the large classroom due to lack of space.

• 9. Students cannot receive regular feedback from the teacher due to the large number of students.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

According to graph No 9, 38% of the students mention that they cannot receive regular feedback from the teacher due to the large number of students, they consider that students cannot receive adequate feedback from the teacher because of the high number of students, 36% of students partially agree, while the remaining 16% of students disagree. It is important to mention that only the 10% totally agree.

According to Gower, Phillips and Walters (2005), feedback is one of the most important responsibilities of a teacher, whereby teachers can help their students evaluate their success and progress. Feedback can take a number of forms: giving praise and encouragement; correcting; setting regular tests; having discussions about how the group as a whole is doing; giving individual tutorial; etc. The type and extent of feedback and its timing depends on a variety of factors such as culture, the stage of the lesson and the type of activities.

According to Scrivener (2005), feedback can be given since the beginning until the end of the lesson, at the beginning of a new course book unit, at the end of a week, before or after the class. Thus, giving feedback of any sort may be difficult for you the first time, but at the end it results of increased honesty, openness and mutual respect will almost certainly have a great long-term benefit.

The way the teacher gives feedback and corrects such mistakes is another important aspect. Harmer (2007) mentions that there are many reasons why students might make mistakes, whichever kind of mistakes they are. As a result, they might make a slip, produce a deeply ingrained error, or just rely on their first language when making an attempt.

Whatever the reason for the students getting it wrong, it is vital for the teacher to realize that all students make mistakes as a natural part of the learning process. By working out when and why things have gone wrong, students learn more about the language they are studying.

In general, it is the teacher"s job to point out when something has gone wrong and see if the students can correct themselves; however, sometimes they cannot correct mistakes on their own, so the teachers have to help them.

What social implications do large classes have on the teaching –learning process?

Social issues

• 10. Interaction among students and between teacher and students.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

Graph No 10 shows that 38% of students totally agree about the interaction among them and between teacher and students in the classroom, 33% agree, 23% partially agree because they consider that there isn´t interaction teacher-students, and 6% of the students disagree with this aspect.

In this graph, students recognize that there is interaction among students and between teachers and students since a common activity where there is interaction is pair and group work. According to Gower, Phillips and Walters (2005), activities such as pair work and group work depend on the particular lesson. Students should take advantage of each opportunity to talk to each other when asking about unknown words, to compare their answers to tasks, to correct each other"s work as well as to be part of activities set up mainly with pair groups and practicing dialogues.

In large classes you can quickly divide the class into three or four large groups and then do the grouping activities with random cards, divide the class by numbers, or make a line according to the first letter of the students´ names.

Some teachers adopt a strategy of peer help and teaching so that better students can help the weaker ones. However, this has to be done with great sensitivity so that students do not feel alienated by their over-knowledgeable peers or oppressed by their mandatory teaching role.

In fact, the author"s point view and the results are shown in graph No 10, where 38% of students totally agree and 33% agree; this means that not all the students consider that there is interaction among students and between teacher and students because of different factors such as social interactions, academic challenges, or physical elements.

• 11. Students have the opportunity to build relationships with their classmates.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

According to graph No 11, 44% of students totally agree, while the remaining 41% of them agree. On the other hand, 11% partially agree, and 4% disagree with this aspect. The students consider that they have the opportunity to be in contact with more people.

To complement the information about group work activities, it is worth saying that Harmer (2001) states that groups of five students encourage involvement and participation, stimulate interpersonal interaction, and encourage skills cooperation and negotiation.

Likewise, Scrivener (2005) considers that the change of seating arrangements can help students interact with different people, change the teacher´s focus appropriately and allows a range of different situations to be recreated within the classroom, fixed, semi-fixed and large seating as turn around and sit backwards, then work with the people behind them; sit on the ends of their row and work with people in the next row are the more common seating arrangements.

According to this information, the contact among students is more visible that the contact between students and the teacher, when focusing on the few activities developed during the class.

• 12. The Teacher does not remember the students" name.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

Concerning the results showed in graph No 12, 20% of students totally agree with the question; 32% of participants agree; 29% of respondents partially agree; and, 19% of them do not agree. These numbers allow seeing that more than half of the participants consider that large classes impede teachers to remember their names.

According to Woodward (2001), one of the first aspects in managing large classes consists on investing plenty of time in learning students" names. In this way, teachers can nominate individuals for breaking up the group and having fleeting one-to-one with lots of different students. Another important thing is to use clear eye contact with individuals, and do not bank on achieving group control by simply speaking loudly. In addition, the authors suggest teachers to use other systems for attracting students' attention such as hands up, tapping on the board, ringing a little bell to attract their attention.

Similarly, Gower, Phillips and Walters (2005) mention that it is important for teachers to know their students" names as soon as possible in order to demonstrate interest on them and make learners feel appreciated. The authors remark that it is difficult for teachers to control the class without memorizing students" names.

The results above support the information provided by the authors since students feel that it is important for their teachers to remember their names. Specifically, teachers must be able to identify each student in the classroom in order to assign them the activities or for determining which students need individual attention. In addition, learning the names of students who tend to misbehave helps teachers to plan strategic intervention in order to engage them in the learning process.

Thus, the results in graph No 12 show that students are aware of the implications of large classes in teachers" ability for learning names. It seems that participants consider that interaction in the classroom flows easily when teachers are able of remember the students" names.

• 13. The environment is less stressful because there is less probability that the teacher makes questions to the same student.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

Graph No 13 indicates that 37% of the students agree with the question, 30% of them totally agree, 26% partially agree, and, 7% disagree. These results show an important number of participants who consider that the environment is less stressful because there is less probability that the teacher makes questions to the same student.

According to Brown (2002), the environment in large classes may be stressful due to some factors such as a variety of abilities and language proficiency, low levels in students" attention, and fewer opportunities for practicing speaking skills due to high number of students. In addition, the author mentions that teachers have difficulties for providing students feedback, especially about their written work.

Therefore, students" perceptions corroborate the information provided by (Brown, 2002). In large classes, students do not participate in class in the same percentage because teachers are not able to give all of them opportunities during the class hour.

• 14. Students can use their cell phone or another electronic device without being noticed by the teacher.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

Concerning the results showed in graph No 14, 61% of students disagree, while 22% partially agree. In the same way, 8% of students agree, and 9% totally agree. According to the Organic Law of Intercultural Education (LOEI), article 330 mentions that students´ faults can be trivial, severe or very severe. According to this article, the use of cell phones or other strange objects can distract students´ attention during class time or educational activities.

The great majority of students consider that it is not difficult for the teacher to notice if any student is using any electronic device or cell phone. According to a report published by El Telégrafo (2014), the current regulations in the ministry of education ordered the 70-14 agreement, which explains the regulations for the use of cell phones in educational institutions as well as educational tools. This agreement stipulates that the teacher is responsible for authorizing the use of cell phones, with educational purposes considered in the lesson plan. Moreover, cell phone use in the tests shall be punished as an act of academic dishonesty in accordance with Article 224 of the LOEI (Ley Orgánica de Educación Intercultural).

What psychological implications do large classes have on the teaching- learning process?

Psychological issues

• 15. The environment is stressful.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

Graph No 15 indicates that 39% of students partially agree that the environment in the classroom is stressful, while 28% of students agree, 19% disagree, and 14 % of them totally agree.

Students mention that the environment is stressful; due principally to space in the class, number of students, and the weather because the coast region is very hot. Based on the influence of physical classroom in the students" learning, Feinstein (2006, p. 368) claims that when its attention is drawn to a perceived threat, the brain´s ability to learn and remember new information may be minimized." By threats this author refers to a combination of different factors such as social interactions, academic challenges, or physical elements like lighting quality, noise, air quality and temperature that do not allow learners to concentrate well in classes.

An additional aspect that teachers need to control is the discipline in the classroom, and this depends on a number of factors such as the age of the students, because children need to be more disciplined than adults; other factors are the disinterest for learning, or the little motivation of the students by part of the teacher. In some cases students are obliged to be by their parents in the class; also the atmosphere of the institution influence in the behavior of the students; for these and other reasons it is more difficult to keep a good atmosphere in a large class than in a small class.

Moreover, another factor that makes the environment stressful is timing. This is a significant factor in the teaching – learning process because teachers can use time management in the classroom to optimize learning opportunities for students. In other words, moving quickly through the planned learning activities. It is important

to give a limited time to all the activities based on a lesson plan, and this way to get the aim learning review every lesson.

• 16. Students feel uncomfortable to speak in front of their partners.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

According to graph No 16, there is a positive trend towards the fact that students feel inhibited when they speak in front of their peers. The results allow seeing that 30% of students totally agree, 28% of respondents agree, 24% of the students partially agree, and, 18% disagree.

As Harmer (2007) explains, teachers must determine the reasons that motivate students to feel inhibited of speaking in the class. Sometimes, students" attitude may be influenced by the characteristics of personality. In other cases, students are dominated and could intimidate others in the class. The author adds that some students are not familiarized with speaking freely in a classroom setting; perhaps they suffer fear of making mistakes; therefore, it is difficult for them to be exposed to their classmates and teacher.

Whatever the reasons are, it makes no sense to try forcing such students to talk. It will probably only make them more reluctant to speak. The important aspect that the author mentions is the intimidation by part of other students, and the lack of knowledge that in some case does not give students the security they need to speak in front of the class.

• 17. Students do not have the opportunity to express their opinions.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

Graph No 17 shows the responses related to the opportunities students have to express their opinions. It can be seen that 19% of the participants totally agree; 24% of them agree, 28% partially agree, and 29% do not agree.

Students" perceptions tend to be negative about the question, and it seems to indicate that they do not consider large classes as an obstacle for expressing their opinions. These results contradict the information provided by Brown (2002) who explains that students in large classes have difficulties to express their ideas due to the variety of abilities and level of proficiency; therefore, there are few opportunities to practice speaking.

In contrast, Brown (2002) argues that teachers in small classes are able to manage the class effectively and it is easy to give students individual attention and motivate them to participate actively in the class.

Therefore, it could be inferred from the results in graph 17 that teachers find ways to provide students the opportunity to express their opinions and class size is not a constraint for students to have an active participation.

• 18. Students don´t like to participate because they feel afraid.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

According to the results obtained in graph No 18, 29% of students partially agree with this question. They say that they do not like to participate in the classroom because they feel shy, while 22% of students agree. On the other hand, 27% of students disagree, and 22% totally agree. Students do not participate in class due to the lack of security and the shyness of students which is not only because of students" personality, otherwise the other factors as the level of proficiency of each student, the behavior and relations among students.

According to Harmer (2007) some teachers adopt a strategy of peer help and teaching so that better students can help the weaker ones. However, this has to be done with great sensitivity so that students do not feel alienated by their over-knowledgeable peers or oppressed by their role as students.

There is an important approach which serves as an instrument for teachers to give security to students which is called Whole Language Approach. This approach emphasizes the learning process in reading and writing skills. Richards and Rodgers (2011) express that the learning theory is based on the humanistic and constructivist schools, where authors trace the development of the humanistic movement in education; as a result of this approach, the constructivist learners "create meaning," "learn by doing" and work collaboratively "in mixed groups on common project." At the same time the teacher is a facilitator, who creates a climate that will create a collaborative learning process; another characteristic of this approach is that teachers use realia than commercial texts as newspapers, storybooks etc, encourage to work in cooperative learning process in small groups of reading and writing activities, where the students are also evaluators, evaluating themselves and others" learning, with the help of their teacher.

• 19. The teacher does not pay equal attention to all his/her students.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

From chart No 19, it can be observed that 28% of students totally agree, 21% of learners agree, 25% of participants partially agree, and 26% of respondents do not agree. These results show that percentages of responses are distributed on all the criteria; however, over half of the responses (51%) tend to be negative.

The negative trend shown in graph 19 allows seeing that some students recognize they receive attention from their teachers despite of the high number of students in the classroom. In contrast, an important percentage of participants (49%) consider that they cannot receive appropriate attention from their teachers. These differences in students" opinions might be related to teachers" ability in managing learning, specifically, in dealing with behavior.

According to UNESCO (2006), controlling behavior means to establish reasonable rules that will help teachers and students to develop activities in a peaceful environment. Moreover, the author considers that students need to know the limits, as well as how to behave with others and respect their rights.

In conclusion, there are different activities that teachers may develop in order to provide students the required attention.

• 20. Students feel that they can compete harmonically with others students.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

When students were asked whether they can act competitively with other students, the greatest responses were positive. Graph No 20 shows that 36% of the students agree, and 32% totally agree. On the other hand, 22% of the students partially agree, and 10% disagree with the statement.

The results in graph No 20 suggest that students in large classes may be forced to participate in the class in order to compete with the high number of classmates they confront daily. In fact, Harmer (2007) explains that large classes are characterized by an energetic environment where students interact dynamically. According to Woodward (2001), it is important to maintain the students" level of energy in large classes by using plenaries, debates, and group work.

• 21.  Students feel relaxed because they can go unnoticed.

Author: Tania Macías Parrales

Source: Student´s Questionnaire

From graph No 21 it can be seen that 35% of students do not agree with the statement; 30% of the participants partially agree, 23% agree, and 12% totally agree.

The results above demonstrate that students do not feel relaxed in large classes and they cannot go unnoticed. These perceptions contradict the theory provided by Scrivener (2005) who mentions that students in large classes tend to sit at the back of the room to hide away from teachers. In order to avoid this situation, the same author suggests teachers to rearrange the seats, if possible, to have a better view of all the pupils. Also, Woodward (2001) recommends teachers to keep students engaged in the topic of lessons from the beginning in order to avoid distractions.

This discrepancy between students" responses and the theory provided by Scrivener (2005) could be attributed to teachers" effective managing learning strategies. In this sense, the same author remarks that good amount of authority, used properly, may guide students toward an appropriate behavior.

In general, there is a psychological influence of large classes in the students" learning process. Specifically, pupils indicated that the classroom environment is stressful and teachers do not pay attention to their needs. This is an indication that students perceive that interaction is not controlled by teachers and probably the noise generated by the whole class affects their level of concentration. Even more, when many students are talking and demanding teachers" attention at the same time, it may result frustrating for both teachers and students.

In addition, students indicated that they feel uncomfortable and shy when they speak in front of their peers. This situation could be attributed to the variety of language proficiency mentioned by (Brown, 2002). Commonly, English learners feel intimidated when they have to produce language in front of others, and speaking in a crowded place is not the exception.

Finally, learners stated that they can compete and express their opinion in large classes, but get unnoticed at the same time. These opinions show some contradiction because competition in classroom means to participate actively in classes according to the requirements set by teachers. On the other hand, being unnoticed means to feel isolated, anonymous, and voiceless; taking a passive role without assuming responsibility for learning. Certainly, large classes might increase the number of distraction and behavior issues and it could lead students to perceive that sometimes it is not possible to take part of the activities in the classes.

Conclusions

Students perceive that class size does not affect the activities done in the class because they are able to apply what they learn. It seems that teachers know how to take advantage of the physical space in order to assign different activities that allow learners to practice the language.

Teaches perceive that class size has a negative influence on the students" level of attention and participation. The high number of students in the classroom does not allow teachers to ensure that all students, especially those who sit in the last rows, are engaged in the lessons.

Regarding the use of activities such as role plays, debates, or competitions, there is a slight difference in student"s answers; however, the majority of participants tend to indicate that those types of activities are not used in the English class. It seems that it takes a lot of time to involve students in debates or competitions due to class size.

Teachers can manage learning appropriately since students expressed that they cannot cheat during tests and they do not do tasks of other subjects in the class. This means that students are aware of their limits and know how to behave in the English class.

Seating arrangement in large classes difficult students to actively participate in class activities the development of activities. The physical spaces allow teachers to arrange seats in order to involve students in the lessons.

Regarding the social implications of large classes, it seems that class size promotes interaction and builds good relationships in the classroom. Moreover, students feel relaxed because they are not frequently selected to answer questions since their teachers appear to have problems to remember their names.

There is a psychological implication of large classes in the teaching-learning process since students indicate that the environment is stressful and they feel inhibited when speaking in front of others. In addition, students perceive their teachers do not pay attention to their needs equally.

Recommendations

Teachers should find creative ways to engage all students in the lessons such as warming up activities and ice breakers which objective is to provide interesting, individual or group activities in order to give all students the same opportunity to participate.

It is advisable to carefully plan the type of seating arrangements to provide students a comfortable environment when they participate in debates or sessions, and other types of activities that promote the use of the target language for exchanging ideas.

Teachers need to find effective ways to develop students" speaking skills in large classes. The Internet offers varied activities and ideas for engaging students in meaningful and fun activities in large classes.

It is important for teachers to ensure that students" needs are appropriately met. In this sense, teachers might choose a peer-tutoring strategy to provide learners some kind of individual attention.

References

Adeyemi, T. O. (2008). The influence of class-size on the quality of output in

Secondary schools in Ekiti State, Nigeria. American-Eurasian Journal of Scientific Research 3 (1), 7-14. Retrieved from:

http://idosi.org/aejsr/3%281%2908/2.pdf

Aduwa-Ogiegbaen, S. E., and Lyamu, E. O. S. (2006, july 01). Factors affecting

quality of English language teaching and learning in secondary schools in Nigeria. Retrieved from: http://www. Freepatentsonline.com/article/Collage-Student-Journal/150965814.html

Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., Goldstein, H., and Martin, C. (2003). Are class size

differences related to pupils" educational progress and classroom processes? findings from the Institute of Education Class Size study of children aged 5–7 Years. British Educational Research Journal, 29(5), 710-730. Retrieved from:https://svpn.utpl.edu.ec/+CSCO+00756767633A2F2F6A726F2E6E2E726F667062756266672E70627A++/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a0ae57dd-b218-4d8d-9a75-6492fe6fc61d%40sessionmgr4004&vid=27&hid=4204

Blatchford, P. (2003). The class size debate. Berkshire: Open University Press.

Bray, M. A., and Kehle, T. J. (2011). The Oxford handbook of school psychology.

New York: Oxford University Press.

Brown, D. (2002). Teaching by principles: and interactive approach to language

pedagogy (2nd Ed.). New York: Pearson Education.

Cowley, S. (2009). Teaching skills for dummies. West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons.

Dimmock, C. (2000). Designing the learning –centered school: a cross cultural

perspective. London. Routledge Falmer.

El Telégrafo (2014) Ministerio define las normas para el uso escolar del móvil. Retrieved from: http://www.telegrafo.com.ec/sociedad/item/ministerio-define-las-normas-para-el-uso-escolar-del-movil-documento.html

Feinsteing, S. (2006). The Praeger handbook of learning and the brain. Westport.

Greenwood publishing group.

Gower, R. Phillips., & Walters, S. (2005). Teaching practice: A handbook for

teachers in Training. (7th ed.) .Oxford: Macmillan Education.

Harmer, J. (2007). How to teach English. England: Pearson Education.

Hubbard, P., Jones, H. Thornton, B. and Wheeler, R. (1983). A training course for

TEFL. New York: Oxford University Press.

La Hora (2004). Todavía existen aulas con exceso de alumnos. Retrieved from: http://www.lahora.com.ec/index.php/noticias/show/1000276127/-1/Todav%C3%ADa_existen_aulas_con_exceso_de_alumnos.html

Larsen-Freeman, D. L (2000). Techniques and principles in language teaching

(2nded.). New York: Oxford University Press.

Littlewood, W. (1981). Foreign and second learning: Language acquisition research

and its implications for the classroom. Cambridge University Press.

Mayer, D. (2000). Monitoring school quality. Washington: National center for

education statistics.

Ministerio de Educacion del Ecuador, (2012). Reglamento general de la ley organica

de educación intercultural. Quito.

Olsen, R. E., & Kagan, S. (1992). About cooperative learning. In C. Kessler (Ed.),

Cooperative language learning: A teacher"s resource book. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Owoeye, J. S., & Yara, P. O. (2011). Class size and academic achievement of

Secondary school in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Asian Social Science Journal, 7(6),

1-6. Retrieved from: http://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ass/article/view/10748

Pica, T, Kanagy, R., and Falodun, J. (1993). Choosing and using communicative

tasks for second language instruction. In G. Crookes and S. Gass (Eds.),

Tasks and language learning: Integrating theory and practice (pp. 9-54).

Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.

Scrivener, J. (2005). Learning teaching: a guidebook for English language teachers.

(2nd ed.). Malaysia: Macmillan Publishers.

Thaher, M. (2005).The effects of large class on EFL students at An-Najah National

University. An- Najah University Journal for Research-Humanities, 19(3), 1-46. Retrieved from:http://blogs.najah.edu/staff/emp2173/article/The-Effects-of-Large-Classes-on-EFL-Students-at-An-/file/134.pdf

UNESCO, (2006). Practical Tips for Teaching Large Classes: A Teacher´s Guide.

Bangkok: Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau For Educaction.

Woodward, T. (2001). Planning lessons and courses: Designing sequences of work

for the language classroom. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Yetunde, I. (1999). Effects of over-crowded classrooms on teacher — student

interactions. Ilorin Journal of Education, 19, 5-13.Retrieved from:

http://www.google.com.ec/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unilorin.edu.ng%2Fpublications%2Fnysijaiya%2FIlorin%2520Journal%2520of%2520Education.doc&ei=z_A4U7jVG5LNsQSdkIK4CQ&usg=AFQjCNGY5ZWaqDVtUVJQ_-Q_nLx6r_VvPQ.

Annexes

TRABAJO DE TITULACIÓN

DECLARACIÓN DE AUTORÍA Y CESIÓN DE DERECHOS

"Yo, Macías Parrales Tania Maricela declaro ser autora del presente trabajo de titulación: "The influence of large classes in the English language teaching-learning process in Ecuadorian high schools", de la Titulación de Ciencias de la Educación mención Ingles, siendo Paola Alexandra Cabrera Solano directora del presente trabajo; y eximo expresamente a la Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja y a sus representantes legales de posibles reclamos o acciones legales. Además certifico que las ideas, conceptos, procedimientos y resultados vertidos en el presente trabajo investigativo, son de mi exclusiva responsabilidad.

Adicionalmente, declaro conocer y aceptar la disposición del Art. 88 del Estatuto Orgánico de la Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja que en su parte pertinente textualmente dice: "Forman parte del patrimonio de la Universidad la propiedad intelectual de investigaciones, trabajos científicos o técnicos y tesis o trabajos de titulación que se realicen con el apoyo financiero, académico constitucional (operativo) de la Universidad".

f. ……………………….

Autor:

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this achievement with all my love to God, who has given me the opportunity to live. I also want to dedicate it to all my family who has always encouraged me to continue with the development of my research work. In a very special way, I would like to dedicate this thesis to my children and my husband, from whom I stole their very special time to do my project, but they stimulated me a lot since the beginning of my studies and have always been a very significant source of inspiration.

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank to the "Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja" for giving me the opportunity to learn and get this degree, and to the thesis committee for being an important source of moral and academic support throughout the development of this research work.

Moreover, I would like to express my gratitude to Mgs. Paola Alexandra Cabrera Solano for being the advisor of this thesis.