OVERCOMING COMMUNICATION BARRIERS WITH 6TH- GRADERS IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17721/2663-0303.2021.7.01

Abstract

This paper focuses on the problem of overcoming communication barriers with 6th grade secondary school learners studying a foreign language and searching ways of its solution. The authors analyze the concept of communication barrier and offer their own interpretation of the phenomenon under investigation. The paper also highlights the psychological and pedagogical conditions that affect the process of overcoming an FL language communication barrier by younger adolescents. The article claims that the enhancement of learners’ interaction activity and diminishing the fear of communication can be achieved by implementing a gaming technique in an FL classroom. The authors provide a set of games for 6th graders aimed to overcome communication barriers in the process of oral interaction in a foreign language. The effectiveness of the proposed technique was experimentally proved. The research results demonstrate positive influence of using communication games on students’ emotional state, communicative involvement during foreign language classes, motivates the learning process and enriches their social and communication experience. The survey, conducted among the learners, showed that most of them (90%) experience anxiety and difficulties during communication, which confirmed the prevalence of communication barriers among students at this school age. At the same time, 83.3% of students like games as a type of activity in foreign language lessons, and 76.6% of the respondents admit that the atmosphere in the classroom improves significantly during the game. Observations have also shown that regular use of games in foreign language lessons has had a positive effect on students’ interpersonal relationships. Most students (86.6%) confirmed that in the process of a game they become more active in communication, do not focus on the fear of making a mistake and are more prone to spontaneous speech. 83.3% of respondents noted that during the game, they significantly reduce the level of anxiety in the process of FL communication.

Key words: communication barrier, foreign language communication, communication game, 6th grade students, secondary school

Author Biographies

Nataliia Sorokina, Taras Shevchenko national University of Kyiv

PhD, Associate Professor, Department for Teaching Methodology of Ukrainian and Foreign
Languages and Literatures, Institute of Philology, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Her research interests lie within the areas of implementing Information Technologies in the teaching-learning process, professional communicative strategies, modern teaching strategies

Veronika Diachenko, Taras Shevchenko national University of Kyiv

Department for Teaching Methodology of Ukrainian and Foreign Languages and
Literatures, Institute of Philology, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Published

2021-10-10

How to Cite

Sorokina, N., & Diachenko, V. (2021). OVERCOMING COMMUNICATION BARRIERS WITH 6TH- GRADERS IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM. Ars Linguodidacticae, (7), 4–11. https://doi.org/10.17721/2663-0303.2021.7.01

Issue

Section

THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN TERTIARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL