Students’ Participation in Classroom Activities---Challenges and Opportunities
Author : Dr. T Sunand Emmanuel
Abstract :
It has become so mandatory for students to speak well in classrooms and outside classrooms that communicating competently seems to be the only way to be successful in today’s world. Faculty and students are informed that during campus recruitment time, the only thing that matters is good communication skills. Further, they are informed that it is communication skills that will play a defining role during selection process. So, students and faculty alike are involved in this process of demystifying the challenges involved in being competent in speaking. Participation in group discussions, debates, public speaking, team presentations has become mandatory, rule bound, unavoidable, and a matter of life and death for students. Faculty too are assessed based on the extent to which they are promoting speaking competencies among students. The true mark of a good faculty is not in his/her knowledge but how effectively students eventually are able to speak and participate well in class room activities. An attempt is made in this paper to study why students are finding it difficult to participate effectively in classroom activities, the reasons underlying their poor performance, and what steps can be taken to improve students’ participation in classroom language activities. English language activities, if properly conducted, will enormously help students to improve students’ communication skills, self-confidence, morale, and self-efficacy.
Keywords :
Self-efficacy, motivation, communication competence, skills, effectiveness
