The Effect of Using Student Response System on Achievement and Achievement Emotions in An English Course

This study investigates the effect of student response system (SRS) on students’ achievement and achievement emotions in an English course. The participants were 9th grade students (n = 83, 40 female and 43 male) attending a high school in Turkey. Study involved one experiment and two control groups. In the experimental group, SRS was used to ask questions and to provide immediate feedback to the students. Paper and pencil form of the same questions (that were used in the experimental group) were asked to the students in the control group 1 and immediate feedback was provided. These questions were not used in the control group 2. Before and after the implementation, the English Achievement Test and Class Related and Test Related Achievement Emotions Questionnaires were administered to the experimental and control groups. Mixed ANOVA was used to examine the within and between group differences. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with experimental group students. The results showed that using an SRS had statistically significant effect on students' achievement in English. In terms of the achievement emotions, the SRS had a statistically significant effect on decreasing students’ test anxiety. The SRS and using questions and immediate feedback in a paper and pencil format positively impacted students’ class-related boredom and enjoyment, and test relief. The results of the interviews supported these findings. Students reported that lessons with SRS were more enjoyable and SRS helped them to learn the subject matter better. They also reported that SRS helped them for the self-assessment of their progress. The findings of the study also showed that technical problems that arise from the lack of internet infrastructure might cause time management problems during the implementation of SRS.