IMPROVING STUDENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF RELATIVE CLAUSES THROUGH INTERACTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES: AN EXPLORATORY ACTION RESEARCH STUDY

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of interactive teaching strategies on improving B1-level students' understanding and use of relative clauses in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. Conducted through an Exploratory Action Research (EAR) approach, the study involved 26 secondary school students during a teaching practicum. The main research problem identified was students' persistent confusion between relative pronouns (who, which, and where) and their inability to use relative clauses naturally in speaking and writing, despite being able to complete mechanical exercises. Data were collected through written teacher reflective notes, a student questionnaire, and a video-recorded lesson observation. Findings revealed that students performed better and demonstrated greater engagement when relative clauses were taught through communicative and contextualized activities — such as pair work, grammar games, and sentence-creation tasks — rather than through traditional drills. Based on these exploratory findings, an action plan was developed, incorporating speaking tasks, visual examples, sentence-matching activities, and regular review cycles. The study concludes that a communicative, student-centered approach to grammar instruction is more effective for fostering accurate and confident use of relative clauses among B1 learners.