may not cover all forms of class participation, such as
cognitive and emotional engagement. Additionally,
the sample size is small.
In summary, the study focuses on the English
class participation of 200 non-English major students
and 10 English-teaching teachers from colleges of
finance and economics, using online interviews,
questionnaires, and classroom observations. The
conclusion shows that, among the various teaching
styles of college English teachers, whether it is
discussion-based or connection-and-explanation-
based teaching styles, students’ class participation is
low, hindering English teaching. However, the study
has flaws, such as a simplistic analytical method, not
considering subject and gender differences, and
insufficient questionnaire reliability and validity.
Kou conducted a study on class participation of
college English learners. The subjects of the study are
freshmen from a comprehensive university who are
not majoring in English, totaling 200 students (Kou,
2016). They come from 6 natural classes,
representing various faculties, with a relatively even
distribution across liberal arts, science, and
engineering. The gender ratio is approximately 7:3.
Based on their English placement test scores upon
admission, the students are divided into high-level
(L3) and low-level (L1) learners, with 100 in each
category. In summary, the research objects are a
diverse group of freshmen from a comprehensive
university, covering different faculties, genders,
English proficiency levels, and age ranges to ensure
the breadth and representativeness of the study. The
methods used for measurement are quantitative
analysis: class participation questionnaire, and
qualitative analysis: interviews and classroom
observations.
Quantitative data collection was obtained through
anonymous questionnaires from 200 students. The
tool used was SPSS18.0. For analysis, descriptive
statistics and independent samples t-tests were
employed to analyze attitudes towards class
participation, behaviors, and the impact of English
proficiency and gender. Qualitative data collection
was obtained through unstructured interviews
(recordings, notes) and classroom observations
(notes).
The interview subjects were 20 randomly selected
participants from the questionnaire respondents, and
the classroom observation subjects were all the
students in the classes of the questionnaire
respondents. For analysis, a thematic approach was
used to organize and analyze the interview and
observation data, supplementing the quantitative
data. The data analysis process combined quantitative
and qualitative methods, ensuring comprehensive
research. In terms of the results of data analysis,
regardless of gender or English proficiency level,
learners had relatively positive attitudes towards class
participation, providing a solid basis for the
widespread implementation of classroom activities.
The differences between gender and language
proficiency groups were not significant. As for the
conclusions of the study, it was found that learners
had relatively positive attitudes towards classroom
participation, but gender and foreign language
proficiency had no significant impact; the seven most
common class participation behaviors adopted by
students included asking classmates, taking notes,
and actively participating in classroom interactive
activities; the three main factors influencing class
participation were: the teacher’s teaching style,
classroom topics, and the classroom learning
atmosphere.
The limitations of the study are that the sample
size is relatively narrow, only surveying 200
freshmen from one comprehensive university, which
is not sufficient to generalize to a broader population
of foreign language learners; additionally, the data for
this study all come from learners, with little
consideration given to the participation and attitudes
of teachers. Therefore, future research could conduct
larger-scale surveys and consider the class
participation of both teachers and learners.
This study, which targeted 200 freshmen from a
comprehensive university who are not majoring in
English, used questionnaires (SPSS analysis),
interviews, and classroom observations to explore
attitudes towards class participation and influencing
factors. It found that students had positive attitudes,
with gender and foreign language proficiency having
no significant impact, and that they often adopted
seven types of participation behaviors. The main
factors influencing class participation were the
classroom topic, atmosphere, and the teacher’s
teaching style and methods. An encouraging teaching
style, an active and lively classroom atmosphere, and
interesting classroom topics promote student
participation. In particular, interaction with
classmates, such as asking questions, is important. At
the same time, students’ emotional engagement with
English learning deepens. However, the study’s
sample size was narrow, and teachers were not fully
considered.
Zhao conducted a study on the impact of teachers’
teaching styles on the effectiveness of college English
teaching. The commonality between this study and
the previous two is that their subjects are all non-
English major university students in one school, and
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