The use of verbs was first selected as a metaphor for grammar, which Pongsiriwet (2001: 5) proved to be a significant contributor to writing mistakes

Method Implementation
Both classes were given an explanation of the reason for my visit before the exam was explained and distributed. The initial plan was to allow both classes 80 minutes to finish everything, however at school B, that wasn't possible owing to scheduling issues. Thus, 4A had just 60 minutes. This wasn't an issue, though, as few Basque students continued writing after the first 40–45 minutes. The test (see appendix B) consisted of two tasks from which the students had to select one: either they had to write about a memorable experience in their lives or respond to a letter from a high school in Ohio, USA, with information about their lives, their countries, their families, their free time, and their future plans. A few Basque students were unsure if they had comprehended the work correctly, but it soon became obvious that their uncertainty was more related to their lack of experience with that type of test than to a problem with understanding. Obviously, the test did not include knowledge questions like "How do you say X in English?" or "Should I write X or Y here?" Few Basque students took longer than 40 minutes to complete the work than Swedish students, who took an average of 6–7 minutes longer. Once the tests were in hand, the various aspects were underlined as follows: yellow for verb errors, black for spelling errors, and red for conjunctions. The various hues made it easier to identify and count each item, which helped to save time. The outcomes were then entered into an excel document.
Lesson Observation


School B
I conducted in-depth lesson observations at school B during weeks 43 (20–24 October) and 46–47 (6–11 November) in an effort to pinpoint "in-class" elements that would help to partially explain the students' writing performance. I got the chance to study with three different English instructors (who will remain nameless), which allowed me to attend 16 classes in week 43 and another 6 classes in weeks 46 and 47. I choose to attend lessons other than 4A's for two reasons. First of all, I was only able to attend four 4A courses during my brief time in the Basque Country. To make up for this maybe insufficient class observation, I made the decision to attend as many English sessions as I could. The competence of a class is not just the consequence of one instructor, but also of a teaching style or a school culture over time. Therefore, if my objective is to identify in-class elements that might explain their level of English, a single teacher or a single class are insufficient. In other words, if "outside school factors" like socioeconomic background, family status, etc. are taken into account, I think the competence level is a product of the educational system. It is necessary to examine the system itself in order to fully comprehend the in-class aspects influencing their performance.
I had the chance to see three teachers in eight separate classrooms throughout this extended lesson observation, and I discovered that their approaches to teaching were surprisingly similar. This helped me to realize that the teaching strategy used in 4A was really rather typical at the school and opened the door for generalizing the study's findings to the whole Basque School system. As a result, the "in-class" elements that contribute to 4A's English competence may result from the system as a whole rather than just the teacher or teachers that they have been allocated over the years.
I sat down and attempted to watch the remainder of the lecture in quiet after introducing myself to the children and explaining the reason for my visit, but this was not always feasible owing to inquisitive pupils asking questions about me, Sweden, and my essay assignment. When in class, I focused mostly onfinding any exercises or activities related to my primary study interests: verb usage, conjunctions, spelling, and writing in general. During the sessions, the documentation system was collecting notes, and I also had casual discussions about teaching, the courses, and the school as a whole with the English instructors.
A trend regarding the use and caliber of English quickly became apparent. Despite the instructors' distinct distinctions, the general level of English was lower than that of the Swedish teachers. Teachers first tried using English, but quickly gave up and switched to alternating Basque and English owing to their own linguistic anxiety as well as practical or situational considerations, especially when certain students were unable to grasp what to do.
Everything in terms of methodology is based on the course book. The students completed a listening comprehension exercise using a CD and read a situational text in the book (for example, at the post office or a friend's house).
The emphasis is therefore placed on useless abilities like reading and listening. Speaking and writing are largely ignored, and pronunciation is rarely corrected. The professors claim that they would prefer not to use this practice in the classroom, but because the pupils are so chatty and naughty, the only way to persuade them to remain quiet and complete their work is to continuously give them activities. Despite the teacher's best efforts, speaking exercises are claimed to be ineffective since pupils do not conduct them in English and do not take them seriously. The teachers claim that discussing a child's conduct with the parents is ineffective. I always saw evidence of what the teachers intended during the class I was observing.
Many pupils spoke nonstop among themselves when they were not engaged in any activities, and they paid little attention to the teacher's directions. In addition, students frequently interrupted the teacher and other students when the teacher was correcting exercises or leading activities. Few people put up their hands and waited their turn.
What was also notable was the lack of timeliness. No class ever began on time; the average delay was at least five minutes and, if it was the first class of the day, closer to ten. In addition to creating a careless and poor learning atmosphere, the about 20 minutes missed each week can build up to many English hours over time. The following factors are mostly to blame for these delays:
-There are no scheduled breaks between lessons so students do not have time to take abreak or change books and classroom if necessary. Even when in time, they talk and walk around in class for a moment before they sit down at their desks and get ready. The reasons for this non-stop schedule are unknown to this humble researcher.
- The teacher holding the previous lesson goes overtime.
- Punctuality in the Basque culture is not considered as important as in Sweden
The cognitive method appears to be at the heart of instruction at school B, according Celce-Murcia's account (2001:7). Rule acquisition, lengthy grammar instruction, and disregarded pronunciation are all frequent practices, I discovered during my session observation. In addition to this and continuing along the same route of teaching traditionalism, the introduction of new grammar and vocabulary in context (at the bank, at the dinner table, etc.) as well as the lack of a teacher's high oral ability (reading method) are both present. The lesson observation was place at school S during weeks 47–49. Due to job obligations and the small size of the school (just one class per grade), I was able to observe English sessions less frequently (9 lessons) than at school B. However, I think the hours actually attended are enough to paint a realistic picture of how English is taught at School S.
When the instructor enters the classroom, the students are already standing at their desks. They don't sit down until the teacher says "Good morning" to them. The stillness and orderliness of every English class I took in school stood out to me. Everyone raised their hands when they had something to say and did not talk during the other person's speech. Due to their extended periods in Canada and England, both of the observed instructors were highly fluent in English, and both the students and the teachers utilized English nearly completely in the classroom, with the exception of when teaching grammar in Swedish.
The Basque school placed more emphasis to reading and speaking abilities, especially in the seventh grade, which was one of the contrasts. Other students were summoned one by one out to the hallway where they read a piece of a book and received comments on their reading comprehension, word pronunciation, and native-like intonation, while a portion of the class completed exercises or a vocabulary exam. In other instances, it even went so far as to demonstrate to the children how to pronounce specific sounds, particularly ones that are lacking from the Swedish language, such the "th" sound. The instructor said that she required students to read aloud in class and that this was a practice that occurred rather frequently in her lessons.
Another time, 9A participated in a listening comprehension activity where they listened to radio news and responded to questions from the teacher about the story's details. The pupils were then given a news quiz, which they were required to read aloud and correctly answer. Later, one of the questions was translated and sent to the instructor. For EFL exposure and debate, movies (Billie Elliot and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) were utilized in the classroom. Following their viewing of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the students engaged in small-group discussions about the film using teacher-prepare questions and statements. For the week after, they were also required to submit an essay about the film.
With the exception of the speaking exercises conducted, I could not consider any notable variations in the technique or teaching style. Swedish teachers are reported to emphasize language production abilities like speaking and writing, and pupils at school S undoubtedly work on these skills. It will be determined by future studies if this sets school S apart from the other Swedish schools or if it is a common teaching strategy.