Verbal Interaction Category System (VICS), Reciprocal Category System (RCS) and Equivalent Talk Categories (ETC)- Interaction Analysis

Verbal Interaction Category System (VICS), Reciprocal Category System (RCS) and Equivalent Talk Categories (ETC)-Interaction Analysis

 

Prepared by

SABARISH-P

M.Sc., M.Ed., JRF & NET

pklsabarish@gmail.com

Introduction

Teaching is a kind of dynamic contact established between teacher and pupil(s). This contact can be perceived as a series of events occurring one after other. Classroom interaction refers to chain of events in a specific time. An event is the shortest possible act that a observer can observe and record. Same sequence of events are called pattern. Teaching behaviour is acts of teacher occur in context of classroom interaction. (Witty, humorous, dull, strict, kind,). Teachers classroom behaviour (dominative, integrative) create classroom climate.

Interaction analysis

Interaction analysis is a process of encoding and decoding the  pattern of teaching and learning. In the coding process, categories of classifying statements are established, a code symbol is assigned to each category and a trained observer records by jotting down code symbols. In the decoding step, a trained analyst interprets the display of coded data and reconstructs the original events on the basis of the encoded data even though he may not have been present when the data were collected. Although there are many systems for coding spontaneous verbal communication in classroom, a typical system for interaction analysis will usually include,
1)  a set of categories, each defined clearly,
2)  a procedure for observation and a set of ground rules which govern the coding process,
3)  steps for tabulating data in order to arrange a display, and   suggestions which can be followed in some of the more common applications.

Meaning of classroom interaction analysis

            Classroom interaction analysis refers to a technique consisting of objective and systematic observation of the classroom events for the study of the teacher’s classroom behavior and the process of interaction going inside the classroom.

Thakur’s view: According to Dr.S.K. Thakur, classroom interaction analysis may be defined as” an instrument which is designed to record categories of verbal interaction during, or from, recorded teaching learning sessions. It is a technique for capturing qualitative and quantitative dimensions of teacher’s verbal behavior in the classroom.”

Ruhela’s view: Dr. Satya Pal Ruhela, in his book ‘Educational Technology’ writes that class interaction analysis may be conveniently divided into two parts:

1. Verbal interaction.

2. Non-Verbal interaction.

According to Ober “Classroom Interaction Analysis is a systematic observation* followed by systematic procedures for identifying, classifying, studying and measuring  specific variables  while interaction happens in Instructional learning Situation.

Systematic observation*

The systematic observation is a set of procedures. It uses a system of categories to encode and quantifies classroom behavior of teacher and students. The systematic observation represents a useful means of identifying, studying, classifying and measuring specific variables as they interact within instructional learning situation. The purpose of developing the observational system is that a teacher can be trained to use them for analyzing classroom behavior and for planning and studying his own teaching activities.  Since 1960, the efforts have been made in this direction to develop the systems of observation. The works of with all (1949), Flanders and Amidon (1960), Medley and Mitzel (1948) and Galloway (1968) have developed system of observation for studying the classroom teaching activities.

Methods of Systematic Observation

Generally there are two methods of systematic observations being employed

1) Sign System : Composed of a list of behaviour. The observer simply checks and notes the behaviour which occurs during a given period of time. (~ per six minutes)

   Example:

• The Sign system of Florida taxonomy of cognitive behaviour (1956)

            (consists of 55 items grouped in 7 levels.(Knowledge, translation, interpretation, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation )

• Ryans Observational system (1960)

2) Category System : Composed of discrete set of categories. A behaviour unit is classified into categories. Observer encodes the categories in a given period of time. (~ per 3 seconds)

Example: FIACS (1963), Bale’s IPC (1950), RCS (1967), ETC (1970), VICS (1967)

The important components (steps) of a typical category system is shown below

Verbal Interaction Category System (VICS)

The Verbal Interaction Category System (VICS) developed by Amidon and Hunter (1967) is an extension of Flanders’ System of the categories.  It is centered on 7 teaching functions. (Motivating, planning, informing, leading discussion, counseling, disciplining and evaluation)

It contains five major categories for analyzing classroom verbal behaviour as follows:

I.       Teacher Initiated Talk

1.      Gives information or opinion

2.      Gives direction

3.      Asks narrow questions

4.      Asks broad questions

II.     Teacher Response

5.      Accepts

  Ideas

  Behaviour

  Feeling

6.      Rejects

  Ideas

  Behaviour

  Feeling

III.  Pupil Response

7.      Responds to teacher

  Predictably

 Unpredictably

8.      Responds to another pupil

IV.  Pupil Initiated Talk

9.      Initiates talk to teacher

10.  Initiates talk to another pupil

V.    Other

11.  Silence

12.  Confusion

Administration of VICS

As in the FIAC a category is tallied every three seconds, in sequence, in columns. The pace of recording is thus the same as in the FIAC. Finally, however, the VICS observations are entered in a seventeen row by seventeen column matrix for summary, review and reconstruction of the verbal phenomenon observed.

As in the FIAC, the VICS matrix too has certain significant areas, where the relatively heavy tally concentrations occurring would refer to unusual aspects in the verbal communication.

Reciprocal Category System (RCS)

Richard Ober (1971) of the University of Florida has put forward a modified adaptation of the FIAC known as the Reciprocal Category System(RCS). The reciprocal category system is based on the principle of reciprocity which assumes that for any phenomenon or event, there exists a reciprocal. Therefore, for every teacher behaviour or teacher talk, there should exist corresponding student behavior. In this there are nine categories which are applicable to either teacher or the student in a reciprocal manner and a tenth category of Silence or Confusion. The nine categories are, warms (informalises classroom procedure), accepts, amplifies, elicits, responds, initiates, directs, corrects and cools (make the classroom climate easy and formal). The RSC, therefore, not only enables us to determine the nature and type of teacher-pupil interaction but also to estimate the socio-emotional climate in the classroom by noting the warming and cooling behaviour of teachers.

A summarized view of this system is given below in table form

Reciprocal category system (RCS)

Category                      Description of verbal behaviour                            Category Number

Number Assigned                                                                                               Assigned to

To Teacher Talk                                                                                                Student Talk

1.                                      “Warms” (informalizes) the climate:                                              11

                                         (i) Tends to open up and/or eliminates in tension

                                              of the situation.

                                         (ii) Praises or encourages the action, behaviour

                                               Components, ideas and/or contributions of another.

                                         (iii) Jokes that release tension not at the cost of others.

                                         (iv) Accepts and clarifies the feeling tone of another in a

                                                Friendly manner.

2.                                      Accepts: Accepts the action, behaviour, comments                       12

                                         and/or contribution of another for possible reinforcement.

3.                                      Amplifies the contribution of another: Asks for                              13

                                         Clarification or builds on and/or devedlops the action,

                                         Behaviour, comments over ideas and/or contribution

                                         of another.

4.                                      Elicits: Asks a question or requests information about                  14

                                         The content, subject, or procedure being considered with

                                         the intent that another should answer (respond).

5.                                      Responds: Gives direct answer or requests for information           15

                                         That are initiated by another, includes answers to one’s

                                         Own questions.

6.                                      Initiates: (i) Presents facts, information, and/or opinion                16

                                         Concerning the content, subject or procedures being

                                         Concerned that are welf-initiated.

                                         (ii) Express one’s own ideas.

                                         (iii) Lectures (included rhetorical questions not

                                                intended to be answered).

7.                                      Directs: Gives directions, instructions, orders, and/or                   17

                                         Assignments to which another is expected to comply.

8.                                      Corrects: Tells another that his answer/behaviour is                      18

                                         inappropriate or incorrect.

9.                                      “Cools” (formalizes) the climate: (i) Makes statements                 19

                                         Intended to modify the behaviour of another from

                                         An inappropriate to an appropriate pattern.

                                         (ii) May tend to create a certain amount of tension

                                         (i.e. exercise authority, rejecting or criticizing

                                         the opinion or judgement of another.)

10.                                    Silence or confusion: Pauses, short periods of silence                    20

                                         and periods of consusion in which communication

                                         cannot be understood by the observer.

           

Advantages of RCS

1.      RCS devotes equal attention to student and teacher talks by providing reciprocal categories.

2.      The system makes it possible to observe classroom verbal interaction with a particular stress on the socio-emotional climate of the classroom.

3.      It assists the teacher in planning strategies by providing a set of organized patterns of instructions.

4.      It may encourage the development of teacher-made observation systems.

5.      It makes provision for noting the warming and cooling behaviours of students and teacher in addition to the positive and negative reinforcement factors.

6.      It may be effectively employed in providing pre-service and in-service training to the teachers.

7.      With the help of systematic and objective feedback, this system may add in the improvement of the teaching effectiveness and meaningful classroom interaction.

8.      It may help as a research tool in the field of teacher education, teacher behaviour, classroomm environment and management, teaching methods and strategies, student teaching, etc.

9.      The major advantage lies in the fact that it may help in maintaining the secrecy of a teacher with regard to his teaching performance. He may record the classroom event on a tape or video and evaluate his behaviour and, thus, may be freed from the anxiety and pressures of being observed by others.

Limitations of RCS

1.      RCS does not describe the classroom interaction or teacher behaviour in its totality.

2.      Some important behaviours like quality of verbal information and reaching behaviour are good.

3.      It concentrates heavily on the socio-emotional aspect of learning at the cost of the cognitive aspect and the intellectual activities of the classroom.

4.      There is no provision of managerial skills in this system.

5.      To make sensible value judgements about good or bad teaching behaviour is not possible in this system.

Equivalent Talk Categories (ETC)

In 1970, E L Bentley and E Miber developed the Equivalent Talk Categories (ETC) which are ten in number and which emphasise the type and degree of intellectual exchange between the teacher and his pupils enabling us to determine the available opportunities for pupils to think and to infer in the classroom. Here the classroom interaction is divided into equivalent categories in contrast to reciprocal categories of RCS. Classroom interaction is divided into equivalent categories centered on 5 functions of verbal behaviour. (presenting, questioning, responding, reacting & structuring). Its main feature lies in classifying classroom verbal interaction and placing particular emphasis on the quality of verbal actions and reacting behaviours.

The main highlights of this system are

Ø  Particular emphasis on the quality of verbal actions and reacting behaviours.

Ø  ETC considers functions of teaching as unit for encoding. (ie on change of every function a category number is noted.)

A summarized view of ETC system can be represented in tabular form as given below

Equivalent Talk Category system (ETC)

Teacher                           Description of verbal behaviour                                       Student

Code                                                                                                                                Code.

 

1.      Presenting Information                                                                                               11

Unsolicited information-Lecture;explanation related to lession;

Demonstration; description; important comments; rhetorical questions.

2.      Questioning-Restricted thinking:                                                                                 12

Call for responses that result from restricted thinking; factual knowledge

Previously learned or easy to produce; lower level of cognition.

3.      Questioning –Expanded thinking:                                                                               13

Call for responses that result from expanded thinking, open-ended

Responses; generation of principles, concepts, and generalization;

Higher level of cognition.

4.      Responding-restricted thinking:                                                                                 14

Result from restricted thinking-Factual knowledge; an accepted or

pe-determined correct answer; facts previously learned or easy to

produce; lower level of participation.

5.      Responding-Expanded thinking:                                                                                15

Result from expanded thinking-Open ended responses; generation

of principles, concepts, and generalization; solutions generated by

application or rules or procedures; answer to how, why, what do you

think; higher level of cognition.

6.      Reacting-Maintain level of participation:                                                                   16

Verbal behaviour that maintains current level of thinking, invitation

to continue thinking, amplify, clarify, or summarize ideas at the

same or a lower level of cognition.

7.      Reacting-Extended level of participation:                                                                  17

Verbal behaviour that extends current levels of thinking-request

for further information; generation of data or principles or

reconsideration of ideas requiring increased complexity of thinking;

obvious utilization of information supplied by another where the level

of cognitive participation is raised.

8.      Reacting-Terminate Level of participation:                                                                18

Verbal behaviour that brings current topic or thought to a close

termination of responses through comment or intervention;indication

that thought sequence is ended; change or introduction of new topic;

summation or reltionship-building activity when new learning is

related to old.

9.      Structuring-Learning activities:                                                                                  19

Comments tht organize learning activities, commands, direction, assignments.

10.  Structuring-Pause-silence:                                                                                           20

Absence of verbalizations utilized to promote the sequence planned.

 

Advantages of ETC

1.      ETC serves as an organized frame of reference, observing and describing actual classroom interaction.

2.      It helps in providing valuable data for the evaluation and modification of teacher behaviour.

3.      It considers teaching of thinking as an important educational activity. Consequently, it may help in developing thinking skills and improving the levels of thinking of both students and teachers.

4.      It provides objectives feedback for improving instructional skill particularly related to teaching strategies, participation, and quality of content.

5.      There is a provision of self-observation in this system for apropriate evaluation. This provision helps the teachers’ move to bring the desirable modification in their teaching behaviour as they may be got rid of unnecessary fears of anxieties of being evaluated by others.

6.      It is generally applicable to most school subjects.

7.      Its use is relatively simple. It can be learned by most classroom teachers in a relatively short training period.

Limitations of ETC

1.      ETC neither provides any standard nor passes any final judgement about teacher behaviour.

2.      It makes it possible to analyze cognitive verbal behaviour only. In this way, it not only neglects non-verbal behaviours but also pays no consideration for the socio-emotional interactions of the classroom.

3.      It does not provide for the improvement of managerial skills.

A Comparative study of FIACS, VICS, RCS, & ETC

Ø  Four systems concentrate on the Verbal interchange between the teacher and pupils

Ø   Highlight on the social and cognitive domains of interaction mainly.

Ø  FIACS is interested mainly on teacher patterns, VICS, RCS, ETC give due weightage to both student and teacher.

Ø  FIACS, VICS, & RCS bases time for encoding. ETC consider functions of teaching as unit for encoding. (on change of every change in function a category number is noted.)

Ø  FIACS is relatively simple. Can be used as tool in research.

Ø  Historically FIACS precedes others.

Conclusion

The teaching-learning situation in the classroom involves interaction between the teacher and the students. The success of a teacher may be judged through the degree of effectiveness of his teaching which may be objectively assessed through his classroom behavior or interaction. Thus a systematic or objective analysis of the teacher’s classroom interaction may provide a reliable assessment of what goes on inside the classroom in terms of teaching and learning. We have explored some of techniques involved in a study of classroom interaction. Our focus here has been particularly upon VICS, RCS, and ETC. Most of the systems have been stressing on verbal behavior only. Many other aspects like non verbal communication, gestures etc are quite important but neglected. However it may be concluded that verbal interaction is a driving force in learning. VICS, RCS, ETC, whatever system we may use, the validity of our interpretation depends upon the accuracy of our observation. Training/competence of observers is therefore quite important. Further It should be stressed,  that, although the past 30 years has seen substantial growth in approaches to and study of classroom interactions in a range of contexts, we are still inevitably in the infancy of our understanding of what goes on inside the ‘black box’ of classrooms, or learning situations.

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Reference

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6)    Amidon, E.J., & Hunter, E. (1967). Verbal interaction in the classroom: The verbal interaction category system. In E.J. Amidon & E. Hough, Interaction analysis: Theory, research, and application, (pp. 141-149). Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company

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9)    Flanders, N.A. (1966). Interaction analysis in the classroom. Ann Arbor, Michigan: School of Education, The University of Michigan.