Abstract:

This paper aims to explore the effect of class activities and gender on the level of attention span among ESL college freshmen. It starts with the definition of attention span and the importance of investigating this issue in ESL classrooms. It also highlights the factors associated with the lack of attention in classes and the common behaviors that are related to inattentiveness. In addition, the paper presents some strategies on how to boost students' attention span during the language class. The paper focused on exploring, through two 50-minute observations, how the change in the type of class activities affects the level of attention span among the participants. It also investigated whether gender may influence the attention span of these participants. The results of the study revealed that the nature of class activities can greatly affect the students' attention span. They also showed that female students seem to have a higher level of attention span than male students. The conclusion of this paper suggested that teachers need to use interactive and engaging activities that can increase students' attention span and pay more attention to this issue when dealing with male students. .

Keywords:

Attention span, class activities, ESL freshmen, gender.