© 1991 by Oxford University Press
Articles |
The quandary of negative class participation: coming to terms with misbehaviour in the language classroom
Assistant Professor of Linguistics in the Faculty of International Language and Culture of Setsunan University, Osaka, Japan.
Assistant Professor of British and American Studies at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, Kyoto, Japan. The authors' articles have appeared in TESL Reporter, English Teaching Forum, Modern English Teacher, and other publications.
Although negative class participation—the wide range of passive and active behaviours that are detrimental to classroom learning—is a common occurrence in the EFL/ESL classroom, the topic has received scant attention in teacher-training texts and TESOL literature. This article introduces and defines the term; discusses some of the causes of negative class participation; and presents humane and effective ways of both preventing its occurrence, and of responding to it when it does occur. The seven types of negative class participation considered are: (1) disruptive talking; (2) inaudible response; (3) sleeping in class; (4) tardiness and poor attendance; (5) failure to complete homework; (6) cheating on tests and quizzes; and (7) unwillingness to speak in the target language.