CHAPTER - 3
RESEARCH SETTING AND RESEARCH DESIGN
3.0 Introduction
Reviewing the available literature related to the problem in hand, the researcher
designed the study. The researcher designed and developed CALL package on units of
Parts of Speech. Teacher-made unit tests on units of Parts of Speech were constructed
and adapted an opinionnaire for measuring the variables under study. The plan for
implementation of experiment, collecting and analyzing the data was prepared. The
methodology followed in carrying out the present research has been described in detailed
in this chapter. The details with respect to the sample, the design, the tools, the procedure
followed for collection of data and the nature of the data constitute the chapter.
3.1 Population
The population of the present study comprised of students studying English at
P.T.C. Colleges situated in Gujarat state.
3.2 Sample
The population of the present study comprised of computer acquainted students
studying in second year of Gujarati medium P.T.C. College of Gujarat State. This was
an experimental study wherein the students of the sample were to be taught for a specific
period of time in the actual classroom situation. The independent variable was method of
instruction. The CALL Package developed for examining their effectiveness needed a
college having computer laboratory and LCD projector with screen respectively. Another
important consideration in the selection of the sample was willingness of the college
authorities to allow the experiment to be conducted in their college as the experiment
requires specific setting in time-table. So, permission of the college authorities was
solicited by writing letter to several colleges having computer facilities. Thus, one P.T.C.
college selected purposively.
Stree Adhyapan Mandir, Rajpipla was selected for conducting the experiment.
Students studying in second year P.T.C. were the subjects of the study. In the
experimentation stage two equivalent groups of students were formed. The groups were
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made equivalent by utilizing their previous achievement of English. Previous
achievement was collected from the students’ scores of the first year P.T.C. examination
of English from the school records. Groups so formed were confirmed by teachers’
rating of students in each group.
The two groups were subjected to the treatment phase randomly. One of these
groups was treated as Experimental group and the other was treated as Control group
(Traditional teaching group). The sample profile is given in table 3.1
Table 3.1
No. of students according to the treatment phase
No. Students
Group Treatment Phase
(Experiment)
Experimental Instruction through CALL Package 47
Control Traditional Teaching 47
Total 94
Table 3.1 indicates the treatment phase and the number of students in each of the
groups of experiment stage.
3.3 Research Design
The present research was experimental in nature. It was designs as ‘Two equal groups
only post test design’. The layout of the design is as follows:
Table 3.2
Two equal groups only post test design
Group Pre-test Treatment Post-test Effectiveness
Experimental - CALL T2E HO : T2E = T2C
Control - Traditional teaching T2C H1 : T2E > T2C
It can be seen that the experimental group received instruction through CALL
Package, and the control group received instruction through traditional class room
teaching. Pre-test was not the part of the study. The data were collected by administering
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the post-test (T2) on both the groups on the same days. After the treatment phase the
scores of the students obtained on the post-test were analysed by employing t-test as
statistical technique. Effectiveness of the CALL Package was worked out by testing the
null hypotheses, “There will be no significant difference between the mean scores of the
educational achievement on the post test of the experimental group and the control
group”.
3.4 Implementation Of The Experimentation
The present study was conducted for testing the effectiveness of the CALL
Package. In the present study method of instruction was the independent variable and
students’ academic achievement was the dependent variable. The research was designed
as ‘Two equivalent groups only posttest design’. The group receiving instruction through
the CALL Package was treated as experimental group and the group receiving traditional
class room teaching was considered as control group.
During the implementation of the experimentation following four characteristics
were considered:
1. Control and Internal Validity
2. Experiment and Schedule
3. External Validity
4. Measurement
3.4.1 Control and Internal Validity.
As in the all experimental research, the researcher measured the effect of the
independent variable on dependent variable. The control was gained over the following
external variables to cancel out or neutralize any effect they might otherwise have on the
observed phenomenon.
The following variables were controlled during the experimentation:
1. Subject matter
2. Gender
3. Time duration
4. Grade
5. School environment
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6. Testing procedure
7. Interaction between groups
8. Formation of two equal groups
9. Randomization of Treatment
When planning an experiment, it is important to consider the threats to internal
validity as one finalizes the experimental design.
Current events/History. In the present study no major current event occurred
which might affect the dependent variable and if at all any event occurred it would
have affected equally both the groups, as they were taken from the same college.
Experimental mortality. None of the high or low scoring subjects dropped out or
was missing from any of the groups during the experiment stages. All the students
of all the two groups during the experiment stages were present throughout the
whole experimentation.
Pre-testing. The exposure of the subjects to the pre-test may serve as the learning
experience and therefore it may affect their posttest performance. The present study
was of only posttest design. So the effect of pre-test did not intervene.
Maturation. The time period that lapses during the experiment may produce
certain changes in the subjects. In the present study the effect of maturation of the
subjects was nullified, as the total time taken for the experiment was thirty days.
Statistical Regression. If groups are selected from the extreme scoring groups
(Low or High) then their mean in the subsequent test tends to move towards the
mean of the population. This is called statistical regression. In the present study the
groups were made equivalent. So this factor was controlled.
Sampling bias. The threat of sampling bias exists whenever groups of subjects
each cannot be selected randomly, and although there are several approaches that
help control this problem in cases where randomization is undesirable or
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impossible. In the present study the groups were made equivalent observing the
students’ past achievement in English subject.
Instrumentation decay. The present study was of the only posttest design and all
the groups were given the same unit achievement tests. The tests were administered
only once. So there was no effect of instrumentation decay.
Consistency of results. Result of the one experiment may not be reliable. It may
vary in the second experiment. This threatens internal validity. By examining result
of the experiment in the replications this factor was taken as not intervening.
Interaction among experimental group and control groups. It is natural that
after the periods on each day of experimentation students of the experiment groups
and the control group might have met and exchanged their experiences in the
periods. The dependent variable in each group might have been affected by the
subsequent interactions among the groups. Attempts were made to minimize this
effect by telling in advance the experimental group that afterwards their group
would be subjected to the remaining method of instruction. So there were least
chances of the effect of subsequent interactions.
Novelty of the treatment. Students’ familiarity and frequent association with the
machine would remove the effect of novelty. By giving them prior similar
treatment for one prior day and that is of different unit of English grammar not
included in the unit of the present study. This was done to control the effect of
novelty of the treatment.
3.4.2 The Experiment and Schedule
Stree Adhyapan Mandir, Rajpipla was selected for the experiment. For
experiment two equal groups were made on the basis of past achievement of English.
The group receiving instruction through the CALL Package was labeled as experimental
group and the group receiving instruction through traditional class room teaching was
labeled as control group. Thereafter the sitting arrangements of the students were made.
For the CALL Package a classroom was selected and the students sat as usual on the
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benches. The L.C.D. Projector, a screen and a CPU with installed the CALL package
was put in the proper place. The experiment lasted for thirty days. On the first day
treatments in the same manner were given to the students of the experimental group by
taking a different unit of English grammar which was not the part of the present CALL
Packages. From same day to the experimental groups were given the treatment with the
present CALL Packages as exhibited in the following table no. 3.3. After the completion
of each Parts of Speech, the unit achievement test was administered on the both groups.
The schedule of successive teaching points is given in the table 3.3.
Table 3.3
The schedule of teaching points during experiment stage
Teaching points Teaching points
Day Experimental group Control group
(CALL Package) (Traditional Teaching)
Orientation towards CALL Kinds of Parts of Speech
Kinds of Parts of Speech (Slide 1- 5) Noun
1 Noun (Slide 1- 2) What is Noun?
What is Noun? (Slide 3 - 14) Kinds of Noun
Kinds of Noun (Slide 15 - 16)
Proper Noun (Slide 17- 33) Proper Noun
2 Common Noun (Slide 34- 51) Common Noun
Collective Noun (Slide 52- 68) Collective Noun
Abstract Noun (Slide 69- 87) Abstract Noun
3
Material Noun (Slide 88- 101) Material Noun
4 UNIT TEST (Noun) UNIT TEST (Noun)
Adjective (Slide 1- 2) Adjective
What is adjective? (Slide 3- 13) What is adjective?
Ways of using adjective Ways of using adjective
5
(Slide 14- 30) Kinds of adjective
Kinds of adjective (Slide 31- 32) Adjective of quality
Adjective of quality (Slide 33- 45)
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Adjective of quantity (Slide 46- 58) Adjective of quantity
Adjective of number (Slide 59- 75) Adjective of number
6
Demonstrative adjective Demonstrative adjective
(Slide 76- 98)
Interrogative adjective Interrogative adjective
(Slide 99- 113) Possessive adjective
7
Possessive adjective
(Slide 114- 128)
8 UNIT TEST (Adjective) UNIT TEST (Adjective)
Pronoun (Slide 1- 2) Pronoun
What is pronoun? (Slide 3- 5) What is pronoun?
Kinds of pronoun (Slide 6- 7) Kinds of pronoun
9
Personal Pronoun (Slide 8- 29) Personal Pronoun
Demonstrative pronoun Demonstrative pronoun
(Slide 30- 53)
10 Relative pronoun (Slide 54- 90) Relative pronoun
Interrogative pronoun Interrogative pronoun
11 (Slide 91- 113) Indefinite pronoun
Indefinite pronoun (Slide 114- 132)
Distributive pronoun Distributive pronoun
(Slide 133- 154) Emphatic and Reflexive pronoun
12
Emphatic and Reflexive pronoun
(Slide 155- 174)
13 UNIT TEST (Pronoun) UNIT TEST (Pronoun)
Verbs (Slide 1- 2) Verbs
14 What is verb? (Slide 3- 13) What is verb?
Kinds of verb (Slide 14- 15) Kinds of verb
Action verbs (Slide 16- 26) Action verbs
Non action verbs (Slide 27- 48) Non action verbs
15
Exercise (Slide 49- 60)
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16 UNIT TEST (Verbs) UNIT TEST (Verbs)
Adverb (Slide 1- 2) Adverb
What is adverb? (Slide 3- 8) What is adverb?
Kinds of simple adverb (Slide 9- 10) Kinds of simple adverb
17
Adverb of Manner (Slide 11- 21) Adverb of Manner
Adverb of Place (Slide 22- 28) Adverb of Place
Adverb of Time (Slide 29- 39) Adverb of Time
Adverb of Degree (Slide 40- 46) Adverb of Degree
Adverb of Frequency (Slide 47- 57) Adverb of Frequency
18
Points to remember (Slide 58) Points to remember
Formation of adverb (Slide 59- 66) Formation of adverb
19 UNIT TEST (Adverb) UNIT TEST (Adverb)
Preposition (Slide 1- 2) Preposition
What is preposition (Slide 3- 8) What is preposition
Kinds of preposition (Slide 9- 10) Kinds of preposition
20
Simple Preposition (Slide 11- 48) Simple Preposition
(in, at, with, to, by) (in, at, with, to, by)
Exercise (Slide 49- 51)
Simple Preposition (Slide 52- 82) Simple Preposition
21 (on, over, under, near, into) (on, over, under, near, into)
Exercise (Slide 83- 85)
Simple Preposition (Slide 86- 112) Simple Preposition
22 (from, for, since, of, off) (from, for, since, of, off)
Exercise (Slide 113- 116)
Compound Preposition Compound Preposition
(Slide 117- 139) (about, above, across, along, among,
(about, above, across, along) between)
23
Exercise (Slide 140- 142)
(among, between) (Slide 143- 152)
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Compound Preposition Compound Preposition
(before, behind) (Slide 153- 162) (before, behind, beside, besides,
Exercise (Slide 163- 165) within, without)
24
(beside, besides, within, without)
(Slide 166- 185)
Exercise (Slide 186- 189)
25 UNIT TEST (Preposition) UNIT TEST (Preposition)
Conjunction (Slide 1- 2) Conjunction
What is conjunction? (Slide 3- 7) What is conjunction?
Kinds of conjunction (Slide 8- 9) Kinds of conjunction
Co-ordinating conjunction Co-ordinating conjunction
(Slide 10- 11) Kinds of co-ordinating conjunction
26 Kinds of co-ordinating conjunction Cumulative co-ordinating-conjunction
(Slide 12) Adversative co-ordinating-
Cumulative co-ordinating- conjunction
conjunction (Slide 13- 20)
Adversative co-ordinating-
conjunction (Slide 21- 28)
Alternative co-ordinating – Alternative co-ordinating –conjunction
conjunction (Slide 29- 36) Illative co-ordinating conjunction
27 Illative co-ordinating conjunction
(Slide 37- 42)
Exercise (Slide 43- 48)
28 UNIT TEST (Conjunction) UNIT TEST (Conjunction)
29 Interjection (Slide 1- 16) Interjection
30 UNIT TEST (Interjection) UNIT TEST (Interjection)
Note:
Control group got instruction through traditional class room teaching.
After completing each type of Parts of Speech a teacher-made test was
administered on the both groups.
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One hour was allotted for CALL Package on a day.
A period of 45 Minutes was allotted for Traditional class room teaching each day.
Month and year of experimentation was September - October 2009.
A PowerPoint Presentation on ‘games and work card’ used was prepared by
Acharya M.D.(Ph.D. Saurashtra University, 2005)
3.4.3 External Validity. External validity involves the extent to which the
results of a study can be generalized beyond the sample.
Interaction between pre-testing and independent variable. This was only
posttest design. Hence there was no question of interaction between pre-testing and
independent variable.
Multiple-treatment interference. If a researcher applies several treatments, it is
difficult to determine how well each of the treatments would work individually. In the
present study only one treatment was applied to the experimental group. So multiple-
treatment interference factor was not there.
Hawthorne effect. Students of the experimental group were aware of the
experiment being made on them. So they might have become conscious about their
consequent higher achievement and so motivated to show their maximum abilities. So
the resulting higher achievement by them might be due to the Hawthorne effect. The
researcher had tried to soften this effect by previously telling the experimental group that
it also would be subjected to remaining Package experience afterwards.
Lack of enough instructions regarding treatment. If the researcher fails to
describe adequately how to conduct the treatment, there may be chances of altering the
results. In the present study separate ‘User manual’ with all the details has been prepared
for the package which would help the teacher to conduct the treatment as described in
User manual.
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3.4.4 Measurement. Dependent variable Achievement Of The Students on unit
tests and reaction of students of experimental group towards the CALL Package were
measured.
[Link] Achievement Of The Students. With regard to objective No. 2 to
measure the effect of independent variable on dependent variable the researcher
constructed unit achievement tests and they were administered on the both groups. “The
purpose of the achievement test is to measure what has been learned rather than to
predict future performance”1. As the unit tests are the part of the CALL Package the
description about the construction of the test is given under separate caption in chapter-4.
After that, scores were worked out; analyzed and statistical processes were made. The
finalized unit tests are appended as appendix no. 6.
[Link] Reaction Towards CALL Packages. Last objective of the research was
to study the reaction of students towards the CALL Package. In order to measure the
reactions of the students towards the CALL Package, the opinionnaire developed by
Ambasana (2002) was adapted. The opinionnaire was administered to the students of
experimental groups, who received instruction by the CALL Package. It contained 10
statements -five positive and five negative. It was a three point rating scale, the three
points being ‘agree’, ‘can’t say’ and ‘disagree’. The subjects were required to put a tick
mark against each item in the column chosen by them. The original scale was in Gujarati.
So it was given in original to the students for their convenience. A copy of which is
attached as appendix no. 8.
3.5 Procedure Followed For Collection Of Data
Administering the tools described in 3.4.4, researcher collected the necessary data. In the
experiment stage after the treatment phase of each Parts of Speech was over, both the
groups were post tested on the unit achievement tests constructed by the researcher. The
scoring of the answer sheets was done according to the answer-key. Then the reactions of
the students about receiving instruction through CALL Package were collected by
administering the opinionnaire on the experimental group.
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3.6 Nature Of The Collected Data And Techniques Of Analysis
The effectiveness of the CALL Package was to be tested utilizing ‘Two
equivalent groups only posttest design’. The data collected on posttest were in the form
of achievement scores at the measurement level being interval level. Analysis of variance
(ANOVA) was performed to check the difference among group means of achievement
scores. And post hoc Tuckey Test was performed for multiple comparisons of group
means with indicating level of significant difference. Opinions towards learning through
CALL Package were collected as frequencies on nominal scale. So, independent t-test
technique was used to analyze the data. Details regarding the analysis and interpretation
are presented in Chapter - 5. And the details regarding the development of the CALL
Package is given in Chapter - 4.
