Managing Multilevel Diversity in ELT Classes

Abstract

The present study entitled 'Managing Multilevel Diversity in ELT Classes' was intended to find out the secondary level English teachers' awareness of diversity in ELT classes along with the challenges and opportunities of a diverse ELT class. in Order to fulfil the objectives of the study,40 secondary level English teachers and40 students of the same level were selected from the 20 schools of the Kathmandu valley through purposive non-random sampling procedure. Two sets of questionnaire were the research tools for eliciting the required information for the study. The findings of the study showed that the secondary level English teachers are aware of diversity in ELT classes. They are aware of the fact that in an ELT classroom,there are students with different language level, cultural background,motivation, personality, etc. However,majority of the teachers do not devise different levels of exercises for addressing the diverse needs and abilities of the students. It was also found that diversity enhances collaborative learning, and helps the teachers grow as teachers. However, in a diverse ELT class, the reremains the danger of student monotony and low participation in classroom activities. This thesis is organized in four chapters.The first chapter presents the general background on diversity in ELT classes including the concept of diversity, and challenges and opportunities of a diverse ELT class. It also includes the strategies for coping with the challenges. The second chapter is concerned with the methodology used in the study,under which sources of data, sampling procedure,tools for data collection, process of data collection and limitations of the study are described. The third chapter provides the comprehensive picture of the analysis and interpretation of the data. The data are analyzed and interpreted under the four main headings. Under each heading, teachers' and students' responses are analyzed separately. The final chapter lists the major findings and recommendations of the study.