Teachers and Students’ perceptions of teaching and learning English as a second language in small classes

Abstract

This research work is about teaching and learning English as a second language (ESL) in small classes. The principal objective of this investigation is to determine the benefits of teaching ESL in small classes, examine effective strategies and resources, inquire about students’ feelings about learning ESL in small classes, and find out about perceived limitations to teaching ESL in small classes. Five ESL classes were observed and students and teachers were surveyed at a church in Norristown and a high school in Philadelphia, both located in the state of Pennsylvania. For this research work, the qualitative and quantitative research and several methods were used. The qualitative research was utilized for the narrative data in all the process, and the quantitative research was used the numerical data. The data was gathered by administering questionnaires to teachers and students. Additional data was gathered through class observations as well as interviews. Main findings were found after the analysis of the questionnaires, interviews, and class observations. Survey and observation results were analyzed and suggest that greater teacherstudent and student-student interaction facilitate frequent and in-depth feedback