The distribution of instructional time in secondary, non-intensive Thai EFL classes : Effects on grammar acquisition and student engagement

Abstract

The aim of this study was to discover whether 3.5 hours of weekly instructional time should be massed (a single session once a week) or distributed (short, daily sessions) and to investigate the impact of class length on measures of students' behavioral and emotional engagement and disaffection in the classroom. A quasi-experimental design with pre-test, immediate post-test and delayed post-tests was used to measure gains on a range of eight grammar topics while student self-report and teacher report questionnaires were used to analyze student engagement. Seventy, grade 9 (Mathayom 3) students in a Thai secondary school were organized into two groups which were subjected to massed or distributed instructional schedules. Independent samples t-tests were conducted to find the differences on post-test and delayed post-test scores between groups and to find differences in student engagement levels between groups. The qualitative data was subjected to descriptive and thematic analysis. Results showed that distributed practice produced significantly higher gains on immediate post-tests (p < .05). Distributed practice also resulted in higher scores on the delayed post-test although the difference was less outstanding. Thus, short, daily instructional sessions are more beneficial to achieve language gains for short- and long- term recall than long sessions held once a week. The results of independent samples t-tests on the effects of class length on student engagement indicated that students studying in shorter class periods were significantly more engaged according to teacher reports (p <.01) and slightly more engaged according to student self-reports. Students in longer classes showed more frequent signs of tiredness and boredom toward the end of class. Students in shorter classes showed fewer indications of disaffection and frequently reported no awareness of causes for disaffection during class.