Syzdykova, Saltanat2020-08-062020-08-062020-06-26http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/4851Policymakers, schools and teachers in Kazakhstan, like elsewhere, are keen to make school lessons effective to promote students’ learning. The standards and principles of pedagogic practice, in most cases, are developed either by policymakers or researchers and then shared with teachers to enhance classroom teaching. However, the main actors of learning, students, can be left aside in the discussions and debates surrounding effective pedagogy. In the current conditions of a modern and globalizing society, it is crucial to understand learners’ needs and challenges in classroom learning. Therefore, this study attempts to give learners a “voice” and seeks to reveal greater understanding of their perspectives on the effectiveness of English lessons. The study aims to investigate 12-grade school students’ understandings of effective English lessons and the pedagogical theories that underpin their understandings. A qualitative research design was deemed appropriate to collect data via focus-group discussions. A total of 15 participants studying in one of the schools in Nur-Sultan were purposefully selected to share their views on the topic in three focus group discussions. The participants' narratives of the effectiveness of English language lessons highlighted two major themes. The first included preferred teaching practices in relation to group work and active ways of learning in class, equal emphasis on all language skills, authentic learning and feedback to teachers. Second, the students attributed effective English teachers the characteristics that were mostly tied to maintaining the balance between being an authoritarian adult and a friend with a good sense of humor. By and large, the participants’ understandings were underpinned by social-constructivist views of pedagogy which stems from learner-centered education (Alexander, 2008; Schweisfurth, 2013). However, the participants also expressed a preference to be controlled over in terms of teachers’ instructional practices, teaching styles and the curriculum. Therefore, the liberal learning environment often seen central in a learner-centered approach can be questioned, that in turn, can reflect the current political premises of the country. The findings of the study can help school teachers in improving the quality of their classroom practices. As one of the first studies of its kind in Kazakhstan, the findings can also be beneficial for school teachers, educators in various sectors, policy makers parents and students.enAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United Stateslesson effectiveness, students' understandings, English lesson, learner-centered educationMaster's thesis