International Journal of English Language Teaching

Vol.10, No.2, pp., 45-52, 2022

Print ISSN: 2055-0820(Print)
Online ISSN: 2055-0839(Online)
ACTIVE LEARNING: AN EFFECTIVE METACOGNITIVE
STRATEGY FOR LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Dr. Sylvia D’mello

Scientific College of Design

Citation: Sylvia D’mello (2022) Active Learning: An Effective Metacognitive Strategy for
Language Acquisition, International Journal of English Language Teaching, Vol.10, No.2, pp.,
45-52

ABSTRACT: Active learning has gained momentum since the past decade as
an effective instructional approach which draws students out of their comfort
zone and drives them to take an active part into their own learning. This paper
addresses the research proven metacognitive strategies that support the
utilization of cognitive activators which encourages students to take a vital role
in their own learning process. These cognitive activators are a set of meaningful
activities which are embedded in the pedagogical framework to encourage more
complex thought processes in students to promote language acquisition. This
research is contextualized to English language teaching (ELT) in higher
education institutions because ELT teaching has experienced a fascination
towards the techniques and strategies applied in active learning. Furthermore,
it emphasizes the use of these instructional interactive techniques in the
classroom to have a strong impact upon students' learning to develop students’
writing, speaking and critical thinking skill.

KEYWORDS: active learning, cognitive activators, student centered,

qualitative research

INTRODUCTION

With the advancement in technology and various researches conducted in

language learning, the General Foundation Program at Scientific College of
Design is always keen to evaluate existing teaching methods and adapt them to
a more student-centered approach which has been linked to improved student
learning and independent thinking. One student centred approach where the
responsibility for learning lies upon the student is active learning. Active
learning is a wide-ranging term that refers to a plethora of student-centred
approaches as well as instructor-led activities. Active learning involves using
methods and techniques that are primarily aimed at the transfer of acquired
knowledge to achieve deeper levels of knowledge and understanding. It
encourages students to study, allowing them to manage the process
independently. Dynamic knowledge is impossible without the active
involvement of students in the education process. That is why an instructor must
use different discussion techniques to obtain feedback from students, enhance
their mental activity, increase interest in learning, and develop independence.
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Online ISSN: 2055-0839(Online)
This study seeks to address the existing use of active learning approaches by
exploring the various teaching techniques and strategies that aim to focus on the
active learning process as well as utilizing the cognitive activators. This
research is contextualized to English language teaching (ELT) in higher
education institutions because ELT teaching has experienced a rapidly
increasing fascination towards the techniques and strategies applied in active
learning in recent years. Hence it’s important to scrutinize the impact by
studying the research findings of active learning particularly in the ELT context.
The findings reviewed in this study aims to provide appropriate strategies to
strengthen Instructors’ understanding of the conceptual use of active learning
and to provide guidelines for effective teaching/learning principles. In addition,
the study aims to provide directions for future research that address the active
learning components.

Research questions

1. What is the effect of utilizing cognitive activators to prepare the students to

learn independently?
2. What teaching strategies aim to focus on the active learning process?

LITERATURE REVIEW

Teaching is much more than just transmitting` information to students; it is

about assisting them in actively engaging in order to assist them to embody
explicit knowledge into tacit knowledge. “Learning is not a spectator sport.
Students do not learn much just by sitting in class listening to teachers,
memorizing repackaged assignments, and spitting out answers. They must talk
about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences, and
apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves”.
(Chickering & Gamson, 1987, p. 3) According to Gunduz & Hursen, students
are supposed to create their own understandings based on the information they
get from their surroundings and by assimilating this information with their
existing schemas. This learning strategy results in internalizing knowledge and
skills that promote the ability to apply as well as create knowledge. In other
words, students interact with the new information based on their existing
schemas to assimilate new knowledge. (Gunduz & Hursen, 2015) To make
knowledge acquisition possible, students need to actively participate in their
own learning which is active learning. There are various definitions of active
learning. For example, Brown defines active learning as an effective strategy in
the teaching/learning process where in students are experientially involved in
the learning process. He goes ahead and terms it as a mental activity because it
is based on student involvement in the process of learning. (Brown, 2007)
Another definition highlighted by Bransford is that active learning makes
students build their own knowledge by connecting new ideas to pre-existing
knowledge to form new understanding based on previous information
(Bransford et al., 1999). Furthermore, many educators agree that students are
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Online ISSN: 2055-0839(Online)
involved in higher order thinking where they learn more and retrieve more in an
active learning setting than they do in a passive learning setting. Active learning
also promotes cognitive development whereby the instructor tries to determine
the mental model of the student through structures and strategies rather than the
mere acquisition of information. Lev Vygotsky’s work examined the
association between cognitive processes and the learning processes which
constructed the theory of development, which placed emphasis on learning that
takes place when students either assimilate or modify new information beyond
their current developmental level by leveraging peer interaction and instructor
support (Vygotsky 1978). Their dependence on teachers gradually decreases
and they become more dependent on themselves in their learning. This is the
nature of the student-centered approach. Casibra & Gergely have noticed a
cognition system that requires active student participation to benefit from the
student’s innate cognitive abilities to help understand the tasks teacher have
initiated for them. (Casibra & Gergely 2006). Prince & Felder state that
“Students are the focal point in the cognitive learning theory. As a result,
students’ autonomy and initiative are functional components, including a
significant degree of teacher’s involvement in the teaching environment.”
(Prince and Felder,2006). As active learning pedagogies typically belong to the
constructivist epistemology, It is essential to incorporate these learning models
as a system of teaching in an actual classroom setting. Biggs elucidates that
“teachers need to develop and incorporate learning activities relevant to the
subjects they teach, systematically study students’ errors and recognize the
common understanding about the problems which exist.” (Biggs, 1996). There
is a huge plethora of literature which highlights the beneficial aspects of
pedagogical theories pertaining to student engagement and active
participation. The activities the teacher identifies should be appropriate to
implement independent learning since these activities determine students'
learning. As Biggs reiterates using self-controlled learning activities in a
constructivist classroom will make the students well aware of the various
learning strategies which will be capable to mold them for independent learning,
so that they can become autonomous life-long learners in the future.
(Biggs,1996: 354) Yang & Wilson state that the transformation of theoretical
frameworks into practical applications with interaction from peers, teachers,
and the social environment has a notable effect in the learning of a new language
as it emulates real-life circumstances (Yang & Wilson, 2006). Boersma
emphasized that “teachers who employ appropriate teaching methods are more
likely to motivate students to engage and enjoy language learning. For example,
teachers who ask open-ended questions in their classrooms encourage students
to develop autonomy through engagement in critical thinking through
integration of skills and this empowers and challenges students for real life tasks
which reflects one of the characteristics of active learning in the classroom.”
(Boersma 2008).

Dr. LuAnn Jordan from the University of North Carolina has developed “a
whole series of cognitive strategies to help students make connections between
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Online ISSN: 2055-0839(Online)
one idea and another. Essentially what is being sought for using these cognitive
activators is a way to influence the task as well as the learner. This area is
sometimes referred to as cognitivism whereby the teacher is trying to determine
what the mental state of the student is.” (Jordan 2005)

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND ANALYSIS

This Research study utilized the qualitative approach to generate and analyze
data. “Once the data were obtained, they were grouped, analyzed and interpreted
with the view to answering the research questions. An interpretivist
(phenomenological) epistemological perspective was adopted to describe
situations, experiences, and phenomena” (Chism, Douglas & Hilson, 2008: 2).
This qualitative research is aimed at providing an explicit understanding of the
role of active learning patterns in utilizing cognitive activators to transform
theoretical frameworks into practical real-world applications. It included a
systematic search strategy to interpret recent literature to cover a wide range of
original empirical studies that helps in establishing consistency of information.
The participants for this study consisted of sixty-six students registered in the
General Foundation Program at Scientific College of Design. In this study, the
research instrument employed was zoom interviews and classroom observations
via zoom with the participants. The utilization of semi-structured interviews is
consistent to the views of Creswell who recommended telephone interviews to
generate empirical data due to enhanced access to geographically dispersed
interviewees and the inability of the researcher to come to a common ground
for an interview. (Creswell, 2014. p219) The effectiveness of face-to-face
interviews, focus groups, and actual observation are challenged during the
COVID-19 pandemic due to area lockdown, close down of college face-to-face
teaching, gathering and travel restrictions, etc. Structured classroom
observations were also conducted with the use of Zoom, an audio-visual
platform that adds visual contact between the researcher and the student. As
Johnson and Christensen state that observation is an effective method for
gathering data as it helps to identify the discrepancies the participants may say
they do or like and what they do in actual. The data gathered functioned as
background information which I used to raise additional questions to be used at
some point in the interview. (Johnson and Christensen, 2008: 211)

The empirical data were gathered and analyzed using semi-structured

interviews and classroom observations and was subjected to descriptive
analysis. According to Yildirim & Simsek “Descriptive analysis involves
summarizing and interpreting the obtained data based on pre-determined
themes, frequently using direct quotations to manifest the interviewed
individuals’ views in a striking way, and interpreting the obtained results within
the framework of cause and effect relationships” (Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2005).
The findings gathered were categorised together based on the research questions
supporting the study, analysed to describe the findings and forward

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recommendations. Since the data analysis was conducted manually using a
laptop, the need for a software programme for the analysis was not felt.

DISCUSSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This research study found results related to both activation of cognitive

activators to promote autonomous learning and application of active learning
teaching strategies. As part of the data collecting method, one important
preliminary data collected was from classroom observation about the effect of
the implementation of active learning in the EFL classroom. This data was also
used during individual interviews to identify some of the factors that needed
further clarification from classroom observation. Due to the inclusion criteria,
in-class activities that utilized cognitive activators were designed to actively
engage students with the tailor-made material which prepared the students to be
autonomous. For example, standard inversion, discussion oriented,
demonstration focused, and guide on the side. Active education involves
students through learning activities such as critical thinking, reading, role-plays,
essay/report writing, discussions, problem-solving that contribute to the
evaluation, analysis and synthesis of material.

95% of the students reflected positive opinions in relation to active learning

technique. According to Tharayil in the case of studying a foreign language,
independent pupils can recognize their learning needs and current level of
knowledge. Accordingly, they will seek information about learning and will try
to develop language skills on their own. In order to stimulate students to study
individually, it is necessary to show the benefits and possible results. Therefore,
an effective method is establishing learning goals with learners (Tharayil et al.,
2018). Most of the students needed discussions to understand what aspects they
need to improve on. Based on the plans, it is essential to determine the priorities
of each student depending on his requirements. This division will let each pupil
perform specific segments of tasks that will improve their weaknesses. The next
step is a detailed plan of how to achieve the goals. When students receive a set
of assignments and criteria for their evaluation, they will be able to assess the
possibility of realizing purposes. In order to strengthen students' confidence and
motivation, it is crucial to prepare a critical assessment of learning outcomes.
Moreover, this approach will empower students to understand gaps in
knowledge and try to overcome them (Tharayil et al., 2018).

During classroom observation it was also found that some students were
distracted and could not follow instructor’s new instructions. Few students
raised their hands, while the others kept quiet most of the time in the classroom.
In addition, during in-class group work sessions low engagement of a few
students was observed. Some students were extrovert and dominated group
discussion, while some students were quiet and mostly shy. Teachers should
identify these silent students who need to be encouraged and coaxed to talk to
the other students in their group. Another aspect seen was that almost all the
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students focus only on marks attained, so are not enthusiastic to complete
formative activities that do not have a score assigned.

To strengthen the active learning process, Instructors should apply research-

based techniques and strategies to motivate students to work hard during
activities and constantly remind them about the value of utilizing cognitive
activators. Instructors should also gather frequent feedback throughout the
course and give timely responses to students’ concerns. These observations
endorse the importance of preparing and tutoring students at the beginning of
the semester using active instruction. Instructors should also encourage students
to identify their progress from active instruction. Without this motivation,
students can be easily misled by the disfluency associated with the cognitive
effort which is requirement for active learning. This can have a negative impact
on their learning and they may view active learning as detrimental. This
motivational push is especially important for students when they are new to
active learning.

During interviews, 40% of students indicated that they wanted their instructors
to write a response to each learner. Feedback is an integral part of active learning
and should contain positive achievements and criticism that will permit them to
become independent. To achieve independence, students need to learn to make
decisions individually (Matsushita, 2018). The teacher must instruct learners to
make simple choices, increasing the responsibility for decisions made over time.
Functional training in the classroom also provides pupils with informal
opportunities for feedback on how well they have understood the material. 78%
of students said that they should be given significant opportunities to ask
clarifications. Thus, mutual questioning or open dialogue is critical as students
try to ask important questions and seek answers. This process lets students
express themselves freely and not be afraid of criticism. In other words, it is
the discussion of the topic in the lesson in an accessible format that permits
students to utilize information. Also, the method can be effective in preparing
for an important exam. 80% of students felt that the procedure of pauses in
advance with students is necessary to improve the understanding of the material
already studied and be ready for new information. This pause enables them to
review a fundamental matter or summarize it before analyzing another topic.
Moreover, they wanted a system in explaining difficult-to-understand material.
According to Matsushita, the active learning approach is creative because
student themselves interpret the data and pass it on to teammates in a simple
way. Recording the most complex information allows the tutor to assess
students' level of knowledge and explain incomprehensible material
(Matsushita, 2018). 82% of students felt this method was difficult because they
needed an explanation of additional material, and students found it challenging
to learn the task. They wanted the class to start with a review section by
highlighting content from the video/text topic followed by a q and a session.
Furthermore, they wanted a short lecture targeted specifically at the
misconceptions and struggles to be given mid-class. To reinforce learning,
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instructors need to give students online activities as a home assignment to
reduce the possibility of dependence of instructor reviews but watch videos on
their own. The non-standard way of presenting knowledge will allow students
to remember the topic and analyze all possible interpretations. Finally, giving
learners the chance to give lectures to classmates will increase students'
attention to the material presented (Matsushita, 2018). This method was
appreciated by 94% of students because they were allowed to practice the skills
of presenting information to others. “Peer teaching involves one or more
students teaching other students in a particular subject area and builds on the
belief that to teach is to learn twice” (Whitman, 1998). Essentially this model
allows educators to monitor students during sessions and offer feedback to
ensure no gaps in student knowledge.

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE RESEARCH

Despite impressive advances in the teaching process and motivation to

introduce these innovations in an English language class, the findings generated
from this study emphasizes the presence of challenges for instructors and
students in the teaching and learning process while introducing active learning.
Active learning is impossible without the active involvement of students in the
learning process. In order for students to derive maximum benefit from these
active learning strategies, instructors should commit to full implementation of
these practices at all times. Effective learning involves using a system of
methods aimed mainly not at the presentation of ready-made schematic
knowledge and its reproduction but the independent acquisition of knowledge
by students in the process of progressive cognitive activity. Also, to develop
students' confidence and the ability to learn independently, it is necessary to
involve them in the learning process and to discuss progress at regular intervals.
Teachers also need to be prepared for the flexibility of new teaching techniques
to ensure the effectiveness of results. Therefore, active learning requires a lot of
attention to strategy development to ensure student progress.

This research study, being a qualitative classroom based action research, raises
a number of opportunities for future research in the active learning arena. I
believe that further study in this area would be greatly beneficial to ELT
teaching and learning to facilitate the complete assimilation of such innovations
into the education system. More research will in fact refine and further elaborate
these findings

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