International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 9(3), 667-680, March, 2017
ISSN:1307-9298
Copyright © IEJEE
www.iejee.com
The Effect of Simulation on Middle School Students’
Perceptions of Classroom Activities and their Foreign
Language Achievement: A Mixed-Methods Approach
Akram SHARIFI a Afsaneh GHANIZADEH a
Safoura JAHEDIZADEH b
a Imam Reza International University, Iran
b Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran
Received: 21 November 2016 / Revised: 11 January 2017 / Accepted: 8 February 2017
Abstract
The present study delved into a language learning model in the domain of English as a foreign
language (EFL), i.e., simulation. The term simulation is used to describe the activity of producing
conditions which are similar to real ones. We hypothesized that simulation plays a role in middle
school students’ perceptions of classroom activities (i.e., interest, challenge, choice, and joy). It was
also conjectured that simulation affects foreign language achievement. To do so, the study utilized an
experimental design consisting of 51 female participants (25 learners in the control group and 26
students in the experimental group). The results demonstrated the positive role of simulation in
students’ perceptions of classroom activities and their language achievement. A semi- structured
interview was also held at the end of the study with a number of students in experimental group to
investigate student’s attitudes and emotional reactions towards simulation.
Keywords: Simulation, Perceptions of classroom activities, Language Achievement, Mixed-methods
approach.
Introduction
Regarding the historical perspective of simulation and its success in English Language
Teaching (ELT), it was originally used as a learning technique in military training and
business (Sam, 1990). Simulation can be defined as the reality of function in a simulated
environment (Jones, 1986). In other words, simulation is a structured set of circumstances
which mirror real life situations (Sam, 1990). It is the act of stimulating the behavior of a
situation or a process by the use of a suitably analogous phenomenon. Simulation is a
teaching technique in which the behavior is not controlled and participants can bring their
own experience, knowledge, and skills to the situation and consequently enrich the learning
process, change the academic setting to a real life situation, and provide an effective and
efficient language learning experience. Simulation can also be considered as a problem-
solving activity to which learners bring their own distinct opinions, feelings, and
Corresponding author: Afsaneh Ghanizadeh, Assistant Professor of TEFL. Imam Reza International
University, Mashhad, Iran. Phone: +9153048141 E-mail: a.ghanizadeh@imamreza.ac.ir
http://www.iejee.com/
International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 9(3), 667-680, March, 2017
668
personalities (Livingstone, 1983). Hyland (2009) has also declared that, “a simulation is a
problem driven event that occurs in a clearly described realistic situation” (p. 10). Teachers
can use simulations as an ideal technique to use language communicatively and creatively
(Hyland, 2009).
There are various kinds of simulations used in different fields of knowledge (e.g., marine
simulations, the medical simulations, flight simulations, military simulations, computer and
educational simulations). The training and educational simulations in turn fall in three
categories: a) live simulations in which real people use simulated equipment in the real
world, b) virtual simulations in which real people use simulated equipment in a virtual
environment or a simulated world, or c) constructive simulation in which simulated people
use simulated equipment in a simulated environment.
Although simulations share a lot in common with role-plays, there are major differences
between the two techniques (Lyu, 2006). In simulations, for instance, the necessary facts
are provided to the participants for the functional part such as their age, job, gender, etc.,
while in role plays, participants have to invent facts or act out scenes based on a provided
specific description or script. Moreover, participants in simulations take on functions,
responsibilities, and duties according to their own preferences and personalities, instead of
acting or playing the role. In addition to these differences, imagination may be involved in
simulation, however avoidance of invention of key facts is a must. Consequently, as
Bambrough (1994) points out, simulations are different from other role activities in which
the roles function within a structure and the elements of this structure are represented in a
dynamic way.
Another distinction can be made between simulations and games. Considering the
similarities, both simulations and games are autonomous. In other words, the participants
in a simulation and the players in a game are in charge of their roles within their particular
environment (Jones, 1986). However, the participants of a game have only one role who has
the same duty, they are always players and their duty is to win the game. The difference
between the two techniques lies within the degree of reality of function. Simulations
provide reality (i.e., simulations always present a high degree of reality of function,
otherwise they are not simulations) whereas games present little or no reality of function.
In this regard, there is no clear-cut division between simulations and games; rather it is a
continuum.
Most of the studies on simulation have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of such a
teaching technique and find its benefits related to some skills. Such studies prove that using
simulation as a kind of language assessment model promotes cross-cultural communication
(Crookall, Coote, Dumas, & Le Gat, 1987; Crookall & Oxford, 1990) and instrumental
motivation by making the coursework more engaging (Jones, 1986, p. 10). Other studies
support the fact that simulation lowers affective barriers to acquisition by reducing the fear
of making mistakes (Nemitcheva, 1995) and presents real time scenarios and instantaneous
feedback (Jones, 1986). It also benefits language learners to use language in highly specific
contexts (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989) and provides a meaningful way of learning a
language (Sam, 1990). Moreover, simulation promotes metacognitive strategy use (Bullard,
1990), improves students’ desires to learn (Davis, 1996), and makes learning and teaching
process a rewarding experience for both students and teachers (Tompkins, 1998). Similarly,
it guides learners progressively towards the final goal of learning as well as assessment
purposes and lets the teacher to play the role of a facilitator who share students’ knowledge
and opinions among themselves (Albert, 1999). Besides such benefits it helps learners to
set realistic and communicative goals, assesses the features of a language use situation, and
helps students to plan responses and have control on the execution of such plans (Ranalli,
2008). It can also provide realistic sociocultural contexts for language learning by bridging
Classroom Activities and Foreign Language Achievement /Ghanizadeh, Sharifi & Jahedizadeh
669
the gap between students and the foreign culture (Schwienhorst, 2002) and motivate shy
learners to take part in discussions more actively (Freiermuth, 2002). In a similar vein,
simulation gives learners the opportunity to solve problems without the authoritative
persuasion of the teacher by providing a learner-centered context (Freiermuth, 2002, p.
187) and provides the content for language learning via meaningful and cohesive contexts
(Purushotma, 2005, p. 84). It is also capable of enhancing learners’ grammar and
vocabulary knowledge (Miller & Hegelheimer, 2006), as well as causing them to reflect more
positive attitudes towards collaboration and providing positive reaction to the
modifications among the users (Ranalli, 2008). Simulation has been also found to be
significant in promoting vocabulary skills (Ranalli, 2008) and students’ second language
vocabulary recall (deHaan, Reed, & Kuwada, 2010). Finally, it makes the teachers more
flexible to take students’ individual differences into account (Wang, 2010), motivates
students by providing challenging opportunities for authentic discussions (deHaan, 2011),
improve students’ oral communicative skills (Javid, 2013), and promotes English
vocabulary and pronunciation learning of ESP students (Meihami, Meihami, & Varmaghani,
2013).
Simulation can have a salient influence on the way students perceive their classroom
activities and environment. Such perceptions reflect one’s needs, emotions, and
expectations. In the domain of education, students’ perceptions of classroom activities
consist of four main constructs namely; interest, challenge, choice, and joy (Gentry, Gable, &
Rizza, 2002) each of which has a significant association with other student-related issues,
such as, student involvement (Lee, Yin & Zhang, 2009); self-regulating learning and
motivational beliefs (Kharrazi & Kareshki, 2010; Ghanizadeh & Alishahi, 201); students’
goal-orientations (Jahedizadeh, Ghanizadeh, & Ghonsooly, 2016); epistemological beliefs
and learning approaches (Ozkal, Tekkaya, Cakiroglu, & Sunsur, 2008), and cognitive
strategy use (Young, 1997).
Due to the encompassing position of simulation in teaching practices, the present study
aimed at delving into the effect of simulation on students’ perceptions of classroom
activities. In this study, EFL middle school learners were investigated primarily due to the
researchers’ professional and educational expertise in the field. Furthermore, the effect of
simulation on language learning achievement was explored.
Methodology
Participants
The participants of the present study comprised 51 middle school students (all females)
that were divided into two equal groups, i.e., experimental and control. They were learning
English at the second grade of secondary school as an obligatory course. They were around
13 and 14 years old. The study used an intact-groups design with 25 participants in the
control group and 26 participants in the experimental group. The design was quasi
experimental. The participants were selected among EFL students learning English in an
official context in Mashhad, a city in north east of Iran. To meet the requirement of
experimental research and to ensure that the learners were homogenous in the point of
their English proficiency level and their perceptions of classroom activities, a language test
and a questionnaire were administered as pretest.
Instruments
The paper version of Babel English Language Placement Tests (BELPT). The paper version of
Babel English Language Placement Tests (BELPT) was utilized to determine language
proficiency. It is closely based on the Nelson Quick Check Placement Tests. The testing cycle
International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 9(3), 667-680, March, 2017
670
should require no more than 70 minutes of trainee time and does not require any specialist
testers to administer it.
The tests were designed for the ease of administration in observing stringent test design
standards. The tests were in multiple-choice format and consisted of items measuring the
recognition of correct responses to reading prompts, grammatical forms and lexical choices
in context.
Students Perceptions of Classroom Activities Scale. To determine students' perceptions about
their classroom, this study employed 'Students Perceptions of Classroom Activities' scale
which was designed by Gentry and Gable (2001) and was translated to Persian and
validated by Ghanizadeh and Jahedizadeh (2015). The 'Students Perceptions of Classroom
Activities' instrument contains 31 statements evaluating four dimensions (interest,
challenge, choice, and enjoyment). The scale measures the four dimensions via a 5-point
Likert-type response format (never, seldom, sometimes, often, and always). The
questionnaire provided the participants with directions on how to complete the scale. As
reported by Gentry, Gable, and Rizza (2002), the instrument was piloted and a confirmatory
study was undertaken for a national sample. In Iranian context, the reliability and validity
of the scale was confirmed through CFA and Cronbach’s alpha estimates (Ghanizadeh &
Jahedizadeh, 2015).
Sample items for 'interest' dimension included: 1) The teacher involves me in interesting
learning activities; and 2) What I do in my class gives me interesting and new ideas. Sample
items for 'challenge' dimension are: 1) I have to think to solve problems in my class, and 2)
What we do in class fits my abilities. Sample items included in 'choice' dimension are: 1)
When we work together, I can choose my partners, and 2) When there are many jobs, I can
choose the ones that suit me. Sample items for 'joy' dimension are: 1) The teacher makes
learning fun and 2) I like what I do in my class.
Interview. In order to capture the quality of simulation technique and explore students’
attitudes and reactions towards the technique, a semi-structured interview was held with 6
participants of the experimental group whom were chosen randomly. They were asked to
talk about the experience of simulation, whether they liked it, and how it facilitated their
learning. The interviews were recorded and analyzed accordingly.
Procedure
The data collection of this study took place in December 2015 and lasted to April 2016. In
this study, for collecting the data, the Babel test along with the aforementioned
questionnaires were distributed among the participants of the two groups at the beginning
of the study to ensure they were at the same level of language proficiency and had relatively
identical perceptions before the implementation of simulation. To gather reliable data, the
purpose of completing the questionnaire was explained and the participants were assured
that their views would be confidential.
The test and the questionnaire were also administered at the end of the term to examine
whether significant differences would be observed in the perceptions and language
achievement of students of experimental group after the introduction of simulation.
The two classes were conducted by the same teacher and the same materials were used for
the instruction. The only difference was that in the experimental group, the conversations
were taught through simulation technique. To do so, different scenarios were introduced at
the beginning of the term and students were asked to register for each one according to
their own interest and preferences.
Classroom Activities and Foreign Language Achievement /Ghanizadeh, Sharifi & Jahedizadeh
671
The researcher searched about the most frequent ambiguous and problematic linguistic
areas with which EFL learners face in middle schools. It was found out that those problems
pertain to areas such as, adverbs of frequency, count and non-count nouns; some and any,
possessive nouns; this/ that/ these/ those, comparative adjectives, preposition of time: in,
on, at, and imperatives.
In accordance with these gaps, the scenarios included themes mostly covered in their books,
such as, talking about habits-- related to appropriate use of adverbs of frequency--, having
the meals --related to recognition of counts and non-count nouns-- , telling about clothing –
related to the use of some and any--, comparing the music –related to understanding the use
of possessive nouns--, reporting leisure activities-directly referred to the use of different
kind of comparative adjectives-- , and giving direction-- dealing with the preposition of time
usage.
For this aim, the students in the experimental group were asked to work on the topic they
selected a week before their presentation. They, then, performed it in the class in the form
of a role-play. The students in the control group, nevertheless, worked on the conversion in
the traditional mode of memorization and repetition.
Due to the administration constrains, ten sessions, each about 30 minutes out of the 90
minute- class time, were devoted to simulation. As an illustration, one session is briefly
presented in the followings. It is worthwhile to mention in order to retain the fundamental
element of simulation in creating a real situation, students put on costumes and outfits in
line with the topic of conversation used and real objects such as microphone, and created
real-like scenes, such as street.
Session 1. According to the students' need, a conversation was selected. Four students
volunteered to perform the conversation according to their interest. The conversation was
going to cover Countable and Uncountable Nouns in the frame of asking about eating habits.
They were asked to prepare every material they needed in order to simulate a real situation
On the determined session, they generated the simulated conversation. One of the students
acting as Jessica had a microphone as an interviewer and asked each person what she
usually had for breakfast. She said hello to everyone.
She saw a teenage girl walking fast and asked: Excuse me, lady, do you eat breakfast?
The girl stopped and answered: yes, more or less.
Jassica: What do you have?
Girl: I generally have a bagel and a cup of tea.
Jessica: That’s all? Do you have any juice or anything else to drink?
Girl: Not usually. Once in a while I have coffee instead of tea. I'm always in a hurry. Bye
Jessica: Ok, thanks, bye.
The interviewer took a look around her and said, “now, here's our next person”. Meanwhile,
she started her conversation with another student who looked as if she wanted to cross the
street with her own child and asked: Mam, what do you have for breakfast?
Woman1: I never eat breakfast.
Jessica: Nothing at all?
Woman1: No. I'm on a diet. I'm always on a diet.
Jessica: Ok. Thank you…
International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 9(3), 667-680, March, 2017
672
At this time, the interviewer faced to the other student as a woman with a shopping bag
containing some kind of fruits, vegetables, and so on. Then she asked:
Jessica: And what about you, ma'am? What do you have for breakfast?
Woman 2: Oh, I usually have a bowl of cereal and some yogurt with fruit-a banana, a peach,
or an orange, or some strawberries. And I have eggs and toast and a glass of juice.
Jessica: Hmm. That sounds healthy.
Woman 2: Yes, I always eat a good breakfast.
Jessica: All right, thanks. Let's see what our next person says...
The team terminated their scenario alongside the other students as the audience applauded.
After ending the first scenario conducted by the students in the experimental group, the
head of the above team who had selected other members, worked on the pronunciation of
some fruits and foods such as a bagel, a cup of tea, some strawberries and a banana, a bag
of cereal, a can of yogurt, and some slices of toasts. She also encouraged the use of a, an, any,
and some. Next, she challenged them to talk about their eating habits, which food they like
and which they don’t like. The students answered and used the appropriate forms of the
articles before each food. Then, she assured whether the students comprehended the parts
of the conversation or not, so she wrote some questions about the conversation on the board
as follows:
1. The man has ……
a. A big breakfast
b. A small breakfast
c. No breakfast at all
2. He usually drinks …..
a. Water
b. Coffee
c. Tea
3. The first woman ….. has breakfast.
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Sometimes
4. Jessica thinks the ….has a healthy meal.
a. Man
b. First woman
c. Second woman
The students were actively and enthusiastically involved in the activities. They were
occupied with understanding the use of count versus non-count nouns, use of quantifiers,
and use of singular verbs with non-count nouns.
Classroom Activities and Foreign Language Achievement /Ghanizadeh, Sharifi & Jahedizadeh
673
Interview
Six students from the experimental group were randomly selected to sit for an interview to
talk about their experience of simulating conversations in the class. The interview pursued
a similar task to the questionnaires in that it sought students’ opinions on classroom
activities in the light of simulation. The distinctive feature of the interview was that it
allowed us to obtain more in-depth information from the respondents on the broader
context surrounding the process of language learning. They were asked to articulate about
the experience of simulation, whether they liked it, and how it facilitated their learning.
Results
The Results of Pretest on Language Proficiency
To examine whether there is any significant difference between control and experimental
group regarding their English proficiency level, an independent samples t-test was run.
Table 1 below summarizes the descriptive results of English proficiency level measured by
the Babel test in the two groups. As the table shows, the mean scores of proficiency across
participants in control and experimental groups are slightly different: control (M=14.96,
SD=3.57), experimental (M=15.19, SD=2.57).
Table 1. Descriptive Statistics of English Proficiency Level across Control and Experimental
Groups
N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
Pre-test
Proficiency
Experimental 26 15.1923 2.95323 .57918
Control 25 14.9600 3.57631 .71526
To see whether this observed difference is statistically significant, an independent samples
t-test was run. Table 2 presents the results of t-test run on English proficiency level. As can
be seen, there is not a statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding
the degree of their proficiency (t= .253, p<.05). In other words, the two groups are
homogenous regarding their English proficiency level before the study.
Table 2. Independent Samples T-Test Showing the Results of Pretest on English Proficiency
t df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean
Difference
Std. Error Difference
Pre-test
Proficiency
.253 49 .801 .2323 .91687
The Results of Pretest on Perceptions of Classroom Activities
To examine whether there is any significant difference between control and experimental
groups regarding their perceptions of classroom activities (interest, challenge, choice, and
joy), an independent samples t-test was run on each perception. Table 3 below summarizes
the descriptive results of perceptions in two groups. As the table shows, the mean scores of
perceptions across participants in control and experimental groups are different.
International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 9(3), 667-680, March, 2017
674
Table 3. Descriptive Statistics of Perceptions of Classroom Activities across Control and
Experimental Groups in Pretest
Groups N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
Interest
EXP 26 20.2308 5.87406 1.15200
CON 25 17.1600 6.66258 1.33252
Challenge
EXP 26 15.9231 2.71180 .53183
CON 25 14.7600 4.05463 .81093
Choice
EXP 26 16.6538 3.24891 .63716
CON 25 16.1200 3.35807 .67161
Joy
EXP 26 17.5000 5.20192 1.02018
CON 25 15.8000 6.39010 1.27802
To see whether these observed differences are statistically significant, independent samples
t-tests were run. Table 4 presents the results of t-tests run on perceptions of classroom
activities. As it can be seen, there are not statistically significant differences between the
two groups regarding their perceptions: interest (t= 1.74, p<.05), challenge (t= 1.20, p<.05),
choice (t= .57, p<.05), joy (t= 1.04, p<.05). In other words, the two groups were homogenous
regarding their perceptions of classroom activities before the study.
Table 4. Independent Samples T-Test Showing the Results of Pretest on Student’s Perceptions
of Classroom Activities
t df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Difference Std. Error
Difference
Interest 1.748 49 .087 3.07077 1.75704
Challenge 1.209 49 .233 1.16308 .96238
Choice .577 49 .567 .53385 .92515
Joy 1.044 49 .302 1.70000 1.62864
The Results of Posttest on Language Proficiency
To investigate the effect of simulation on students' language proficiency, the differences
between the two groups on Babel test were calculated in post-test. The means of the both
groups in the post-test were shown to be different. As it can be seen in Table 5, the mean of
the experimental groups (M= 16.6154, SD= 2.5624) is higher than that of control groups
(M= 14.6400, SD= 3.7403).
Table 5. Independent Samples t-Test Showing the Results of Post-test on English Proficiency
N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
Post-test
Proficiency
Experimental 26 16.6154 2.5624 .50254
Control 25 14.6400 3.7403 .74806
To investigate whether this observed difference is statistically significant, an independent-
samples t-test was run. As Table 6 shows, there is a statistically significant difference
between experimental and control groups (t= 2.20, p<.05). In other words, it can be implied
that experimental group gained higher scores in Babel test and this is an indication of the
efficiency of simulation. The effect size calculated via Cohen's d was found to be 0.61 which
is a large value according to Cohen's index value.
Classroom Activities and Foreign Language Achievement /Ghanizadeh, Sharifi & Jahedizadeh
675
Table 6. Independent Samples T-Test Showing the Results of Post-test on English Proficiency
The Results of Posttest on Perceptions of Classroom Activities
To examine whether there is any significant difference between control and experimental
groups regarding their perceptions of classroom activities (interest, challenge, choice, and
joy), an independent samples t-test was run on each perception. Table 7 below summarizes
the descriptive results of perceptions in two groups. As the table shows, the mean scores of
perceptions across participants in control and experimental groups are different.
Table 7. Descriptive Statistics of Perceptions of Classroom Activities across Control and
Experimental Groups in Post-test
Groups N Mean Std.
Deviation
Std. Error Mean
Interest
EXP 26 25.6154 4.85038 .95124
CON 25 18.6000 7.59934 1.51987
Challenge
EXP 26 21.9231 6.07897 1.19218
CON 25 16.0800 5.35350 1.07070
Choice
EXP 26 23.3846 5.49965 1.07857
CON 25 15.7600 3.16596 .63319
Joy
EXP 26 24.0769 4.48038 .87868
CON 25 15.5200 5.65774 1.13155
To see whether these observed differences are statistically significant, independent samples
t-tests were run. Table 8 presents the results of t-tests run on perceptions of classroom
activities. As it can be seen, there are statistically significant differences between the two
groups regarding all four perceptions as follows: interest (t= 3.946, p<.05), challenge (t=
3.637, p<.05), choice (t= 6.035, p<.05), joy (t=6.000, p<.05). In other words, simulation
positively influenced student's perceptions of their classroom activities. The effect sizes for
each t-value were then computed via Cohen's d. The magnitudes for interest, challenge,
choice, and joy are 1.10, 1.02, 1.69, and 1.67, respectively, which are quite large values
according to Cohen's index value.
Table 8. Independent Samples t-Test Showing the Results of Post-test on Student’s Perceptions
of Classroom Activities
t df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Difference Std. Error
Difference
Interest 3.946 49 .000 7.01538 1.77796
Challenge 3.637 49 .001 5.84308 1.60646
Choice 6.035 49 .000 7.62462 1.26333
Joy 6.000 49 .000 8.55692 1.42609
t df Sig. (2-
tailed)
Mean Difference Std. Error Difference
Post-test
Proficiency
2.208 49 .032 1.975 .89470
International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 9(3), 667-680, March, 2017
676
Interview Results
The interview questions were guided by research questions and evaluating students’
attitudes and feedback towards simulation. Following are the interview questions:
Interview Questions:
1) What were your overall thoughts/feelings about the simulation?
2) How did you like it?
3) Does it have any role in your interest to do the classroom activities? In which ways?
4) How did conducting conversation in this creative way affected your learning?
In the followings, some responses extracted from students’ interviews are provided:
Mona: It is a new and attractive method in learning English language for me. I love being in those
sessions whether as an actor or an audience. I feel that I am in a real situation of English
conversion. I had a good feeling when I performed a role as a native speaker. English is so sweet.
Faeze: It is so challengeable. We had to check our intonation and pronunciation before
implementation of simulation in order to act our roles naturally and in a native-like accent.
Talking like a native speaker of English is very interesting.
Bita: I hated English because I didn’t like the English classroom in school at all. But through
watching my classmates' performances I thought we were in a scene of cinema instead of a rigid
English classroom.
Fateme: I don’t like to finish the course of conversation through simulation, it was so interesting.
Mohadese: I took pleasure from this course. My friends and I were fun through the session. I never
enjoyed English classrooms whether in school or institute, because I think all of them
administrate a unit rule. We must learn whatever they want, we must act whatever they choose,
and we must be evaluated whatever they arrange. I liked these kind of methodology because I
was free to choose my role, my partner,… . I learned the conversations of English for using in
daily life with my friends not for getting score to pass the course.
Azam: It was a good experience for me to choose what role I've liked. I wish educational system
in our country consider this kind of practical and authentic activity in our textbooks so that we
can put ourselves in a real situation like this and perform the text as naturally as possible.
Discussion and Conclusions
The present study is the amalgamation of quantitative and quantitative research in that it
employed an experimental design with control and experimental groups alongside the
follow up interview. It aimed at exploring the effect of simulation on EFL learners'
perception of classroom activities, their language achievement, and their attitudes toward
this innovative technique. Primarily, this study probed students’ improvement regarding
their perceptions of classroom activities (interest, challenge, choice, and joy). The results
indicated that simulation influenced all four perceptions positively and significantly.
Findings after implementing this creative technique indicated that all four perceptions were
significantly higher in experimental group showing that language classes got enjoyable,
interesting, challenging, and fluid for most of the students as there were some limitations
and deficiencies for teaching English programs in Iranian middle schools.
In particular, it was found that students in experimental group displayed more interest in
their classroom activities under the influence of implementing simulation in their class. This
is in line with Haertel, Walberg, and Haertel (1981) and Fraser (1991) who reported that
stimulating, protective, and challenging learning atmosphere can interestingly develop
performance and increase the level of interest and involvement in every classroom context.
Consistent with the above finding, Ainley, Hidi, and Berndorff (2002) as well as Hidi and
Renninger (2006) contended that interest promotes effort, attention, recall, and
Classroom Activities and Foreign Language Achievement /Ghanizadeh, Sharifi & Jahedizadeh
677
achievement, and the characterestics of relevance and a sense of reality in simulation are
desirable and interesting because simulation allows students to use the target language to
express themselves.
Moreover, the results of both quantitative and qualitative data showed that through
learning in the light of the simulation technique, learners perceived their classroom
activities joyful in that as stated earlier it inherently tends to promote real-life and authentic
communication (Crookall, Coote, Dumas, & Le Gat, 1987; Crookall & Oxford, 1990;
Nemitcheva, 1995), enhances instrumental motivation by making the coursework more
engaging (Jones, 1986, p. 10), lowers affective barriers to acquisition by reducing the fear
of making mistakes (Nemitcheva, 1995), and presents real time scenarios and
instantaneous feedback (Jones, 1986).
The findings also suggested that students in experimental group reckoned that they had
more opportunities to choose the type of term project, rules, roles, etc. in their classroom.
This is due to the fact that as mentioned earlier, simulation gives students the freedom to
make their own choices and decisions, and allows students to base their choices and
decisions on their own experience. Furthermore, since students were not considered as
active agents in class in the traditional system of learning English language in schools, they
did not have any choice in classrooms while performing a given task. It is suggested that this
lack of choice is related to the teacher-centeredness of classes in our country and teacher
makes decisions instead of students about everything related to classroom; that is,
designing a course, teaching, and curriculum (Ghanizadeh, 2016). Simulation, nevertheless,
seems to provide ample opportunities for students to choose language fucntions, their roles,
scenarios, … etc. Cray and Currie (1996) maintained that teachers do not have to act on
behalf of their learners, but with their learners which is parallel to the discoveries of this
research, as classes were teacher-centered and they did not take students’ needs and
preferences into account. Therefore, there should be a combination of teachers’ and
learners’ views to improve the quality of learning.
Furthermore, because the technique gives students the chance to perform a task or solve a
problem together, it has been perceived as challenging. So, the learners were more involved
and enthusiastic in the activities which were perceived as more challenging and fluid. In
other words, simulation positively influenced students' engagement in challenging tasks.
In this study, it was also found that simulation contributed to language learning. We can
argue that since the purpose of the simulation is to assist students’ conceptual learning, the
actors through the conversations who were selected based on their needs and interests, can
make improvements in their language use via verbal prompts, cues, and/or questions to
guide or scaffold the students’ language proficiency. Meanwhile, their cognitive
understanding and consequently their language proficiency improved. It can also be argued
perceptions of classroom activities mirror subsequent learning in the class. So, when these
perceptions are enhanced, student learning experiences and the effort they dedicate to
learning will in turn improve (Csizer & Kormos, 2009) resulting in higher language
achievement.
The interview protocols suggested that all interviewees had favorable attitudes towards
simulation and enjoyed the experience. Initial feelings that all participants reminded before
the simulation were being intimidated, anxious, uninterested, and not motivated. These
initial feelings were more related to a phobia about their language ability to use English
language for the extended period of time. Simulation changed this phobia to a high desire to
learning English, leading to an attitudinal change in their motivation to learn.
International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 9(3), 667-680, March, 2017
678
Conclusions and Implications
The findings of the present study can have important implications for second language
learning research in general, and EFL teacher education in particular. Results of this study,
in accordance with previous research, revealed that using simulation technique in
performing conversations in the classrooms provide the perception phenomena in the
students. These perceptions in turn assist learners shape their conceptualization toward
their learning English. In the other word, if students perceive their classroom activities as
challenging, interesting, and joyful with various options to choose a particular task, their
first priority would be adapting motivation and making attempts to learn effectively. Taken
together, it can be concluded that the benefits of short-term implementation of the
simulation technique to supplement traditional classroom instruction yields a cost effective
means for students to acquire a greater use of the target language while building confidence
and motivation. Even a short ten-session period with holding the classroom activities
through simulation, as shown by this study, can build positive perceptions, motivation, and
language proficiency. All in all, simulation not only is a tool for influencing students'
attitudes to language learning, but also a facilitator of students’ learning at increasingly
higher levels of conceptualization.
As mentioned earlier, student's views and perceptions are salient areas to consider when
designing effective educational experiences. In school reform efforts, emphasis is often
placed on achievement measures, whereas student attitude also plays a large role in school
success simultaneously.
One of the prominent roles of EFL teachers is to enhance learning outcomes and help
students adapt good habits toward learning environment by implementing innovative and
appealing techniques. Teachers in an EFL context can shape these perceptions by providing
challenging activities, interesting tasks with vast ranges of options, and enjoyable learning
activities (Ghanizadeh & Royaei, 2015). Designing such activities need time, energy, cost,
motivation, and support of educational authorities, but the point is that it’s worth doing.
Although, making all EFL learners interested in learning process is a tough job, it is possible
to lead students toward using real conversations by emphasizing on their proficiency in
learning, not their marks at the end of the course. The implications mentioned here are
totally practical if the ultimate objective of motivated methodology of presenting the
subjects is to ameliorate students’ functionality rather than superficial teaching of the
course.
• • •
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