Oral Proficiency in English for Secondary School

5/28/2018 Oral Proficiency in English for Secondary School

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ORAL PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL

(OPS-ENGLISH)

A CASE STUDY OF TEACHERS CONCERNS AND EXPECTATIONS

Zaharudin in A!"i

Fa#u!$% O& Edu#a$i'n

a$*r TESL (S*+*$*r , ,./0,.1)

Th* Na$i'na! Uni2*ri$% O& a!a%ia

13/ an4i

S*!an4'r5 a!a%ia

Pr'&*'r ad%a Dr6 *!'r in$i D Yunu

Fa#u!$% O& Edu#a$i'n

Th* Na$i'na! Uni2*ri$% O& a!a%ia

13/ an4i

S*!an4'r5 a!a%ia


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1. Abstract

In the year 2014 a new program for the development of the English Language in Secondary

Schools from Band 3 to will !e implemented !y the "inistry #f Education #f "alaysia$ %his newprogram is called #ral &roficiency In English 'or Secondary Schools or #&S(English for short$ %he

program and its contents have !een planned and organi)ed !y English Language %raining *enter

+EL%*, under the supervision of the "inistry #f Education$ -ith the introduction of this new

program for 'orm 1 students in Secondary Schools. the English teachers have !een called for

training and they have to attend a course for three days where lead(trainers elected !y the "inistry

#f Education and trained !y EL%* in a one wee/ course will impart the teaching and learning

methods. materials and address any concerns relating to the program !y 'orm 1 English Language

teachers attending the course$ %he purpose of this research is to analy)e the teachers concerns and

epectations a!out the program$

%he case study is carried out !y giving three open(ended uestions where teachers have to

write their responses in reply to the uestions given$ %he respondents consist of 31 teachers from the

istrict of Bera in &ahang attending a three days training course for #&S(English in one of the

secondary schools in Bera. &ahang$ %heir responses were collected at the end of the three days

training course$

%he responses to the uestions are then analy)ed and the responses shows that teachers have

a genuine concerns of the #&S(English program regarding to the implementation of the learning and

teaching methods which focuses on teaching Spea/ing and Listening S/ills only$ %hey are worried

a!out the integration of the teaching with the School Based ssessment or &enilaian Berasas/an

Se/olah +&BS, an evaluation of the students a!ilities in the four language s/ills which are Listening.

Spea/ing. 5eading and -riting$ %his evaluation reuires students to !e tested on si levels of !ands

according to which !and from the lowest 1 to the highest that they have completed and language

s/ills mastered$ 'urthermore. the teachers were concerned if #&S(English would !e a!le to fulfilltheir epectations$ %he teachers are in support of the program since it is a policy !y the "inistry #f

Education !ut they are also worried and concerned of the program outcomes when it is implemented

in 2014


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,6In$r'du#$i'n

In the &elan &em!angunan &endidi/an "alaysia 2013(2026 7 &&&" +"alaysia Education

evelopment &lan 2013(2026, one of the aspects of development is the "B""BI or"emarta!at/an Bahasa "elayu dan "emper/asa/an Bahasa Inggeris +%o 8phold Bahasa "alaysia

and %o Strengthen %he English Language, a policy of %he "inistry #f Education "alaysia$ %his

policy is to ensure the usage of "alay Language as a medium of communication in all national

schools and secondary schools. and to ensure that each child can master !oth "alay and English

languages well and fluently$ In implementing the policy. %he "inistry #f Education "alaysia in

con9unction with English Language %raining *entre +EL%*, has come up with the #ral &roficiency

In English 'or Secondary Schools or #&S(English since 2012$ #&S(English has !een piloted in

selected secondary schools since 2012 with the target of developing a program to strengthen the

English Language as stated in "B""BI$ #&S(English was also penned due to the concerns over

the poor oral proficiency in English among school students. university students and the present and

future wor/force$

:even after learning the language for 13 years at primary. secondary and

matriculation levels. some students still could not master English;$eputy &rime "inister and "inister of Education "alaysia

%an Sri "uhyiddin


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r 5an9it Singh >ill. irector of EL%* +%he Star. ? Septem!er 2012,

%he "inistry #f Education reali)es that the pro!lem relating to students poor proficiency in

the English Language is a result lac/ of usage of the language communicatively especially in the

classrooms$ %he o!9ective of #&S(English is to provide opportunities for students to engage in

activities that are fun and non(threatening$ ctivities are interactive !ased to promote participation

and to empower students to ta/e charge of their own learning$ Students will participate in a student(

centered learning with pair wor/ and group wor/ that will encourage active listening and spea/ing.

active thin/ing and sharing of ideas +adapted from @-hat is #&S EnglishA English Language

%raining *enter 2013,

%o aid teachers with #&S(English. teachers were provided with the %eachers >uide!oo/.

Instructional s. and %eaching and Learning s$ 'or students the "inistry #f Education has

provided a Students Cand!oo/ which will !e distri!uted to secondary schools$ %he %echnological

Education ivision has supplied digital materials to all schools$ %hese materials have !een specially

chosen for the teaching and learning of the English Language$ %he teaching and learning using #&S(

English in schools with Band 3 to will !e implemented for the first semester of school where only

Spea/ing and Listening activities will !e carried out$ %he second semester will continue with all the

four language s/ills as usual$

%he teaching and learning procedures are divided into stages that the teachers and students

have to complete for each unit in the hand!oo/$ %he hand!oo/ contains D units and each unit is

divided into su!(units$ %he teacher will start the lesson with 1$ Stimulus +&ictures or 5eal #!9ects,.

2$ Building Bloc/ +oca!ulary,. 3$ Language in ction +Samples from ,. 4$ Language in 8se

+Situational Language &ractise,. 6$ Caving 'un +%as/ and Eercises, and $ 'un in Sharing +'un and

Interesting &ro9ect,

%o achieve the o!9ectives of #&S(English. %he "inistry #f Education "alaysia with %he

Language %raining *enter has carried out training courses for lead trainers and lower secondary

teachers who are going to start teaching using #&S(English "aterials in 2014$ s mentioned earlier#&S(English had !een piloted in selected secondary schools nationwide$ %o pilot the program. 20

secondary schools across all !ands with the num!er of lower secondary students involved were 621D

and 0 teachers$ 5esponses from the pilot program were reported to !e positive as shown in selected

uotation !elow


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1$ :#&S English focuses on listening and spea/ing$ %he impact on students is

marvelous ( truly a success story$;

ssistant istrict Language #fficer

&etaling &erdana

2$ :So far the response for the program has !een very good F can see the

enthusiasm in the student$;

English Language teacher

S"G &uchong Batu 14

Cowever. the responses and results from the pilot schools are not representations of what the

teachers as a whole feels a!out the #&S(English program$ &erhaps the teachers were doing it not

!ecause they truly li/e to !ut !ecause they had to$ -hat a!out lower secondary teachers from

selected schools that will start using #&S(English in 2014A -hat are their opinions a!out this

programA Cence. the o!9ective of the study is to eplore the concerns and epectations of these

teachers a!out #&S(English$

/6*$h'd'!'4%

%he teachers chosen as the samples for the case study are lower secondary school teachers

who attended a three days training course for #&S(English at S"G Bandar Gerayong$ %he teachers

are 'orm 1 teachers who are now teaching English Language in 10 secondary schools in the istrict

of Bera in the state of &ahang$ %he num!er of teachers involved in the case study is 30 teachers

including 3 lead trainers$ %he teachers were given the uestionnaire during the first session and the

uestionnaire was collected on the third and final day of the course$


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TALE .7 Na+* '& #h''! and nu+8*r '& $*a#h*r a$$*ndin4 $h* OPS-En4!ih Trainin4 C'ur*

a$ S9 andar 9*ra%'n45 *ra Pahan46

Nu+ SCHOOLS

Nu+8*r O&

T*a#h*r

. S9 S*ri *ra5 *ra Pahan4 /

, S9 *n4:ara:5 *ra Pahan4 /

/ S9 Trian45 *ra Pahan4 ,

1 S9 andar 9*ra%'n45 *ra Pahan4 /

; S9 9*+a%an5 *ra Pahan4 /

3 S9 u:i$ *ndi5 *ra Pahan4 /

< S9 T*+8an4au5 *ra Pahan4 /

= S9 Trian4 /5 *ra Pahan4 ,

> S9 andar /,5 *ra Pahan4 ,

. S9 Purun5 *ra5 Pahan4 /

L*ad Train*r /

TOTAL /

%he case study is in a descriptive form with the use of survey method of data collection$ %his

method of study was chosen !ecause a descriptive form is a piece of writing that descri!e a!out

certain conditions or situations systematically and factually +"ohd =a9i!. 2003,$ It is the

researchers opinion that it is easier to use a survey !ecause it is a simpler. cost(effective and also

ma/es it easier for the respondence to response to the uestions forwarded$ ccording to "ohd

"a9id Gonting +1DD0, the use of survey is much more relia!le !ecause accuracy of the responses is

not influenced !y the researcher$ minuddin. +1DD3, also stated that in order to research a!out

attitude and opinions a survey is more suited !ecause it is easier to get facts a!out feelings. !elieves.

wants and so on from the samples$

'or the purpose of this case study. an open(ended uestionnaire was given to the teachers and

lead trainers to complete$ %he uestionnaire contains three open(ended uestions for the teachers to

answer$ %he open(ended uestions were chosen !ecause it allows the individuals to respond to the

uery in their own words$ -ith the use of open(ended uestions. the uestions is !etter a!le to

measure their salient concerns than the close(ended format that forces people to choose among a

fied set of responses +5epass. 1DH1. Gelly. 1D?3,$ %he reason why there are only three uestions in

the uestionnaire is !ecause there are not many uestions that could !e posed a!out #&S(English to

the teachers at this point in time since they themselves are not very familiar with #&S(English$ %he


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three uestions are 1$ -hat is your understanding a!out #&S(EnglishA 2$ -hat are your concerns

a!out #&S(EnglishA and 3$ -hat are your epectations of #&S(EnglishA

%he first uestion was structured to get an overview of what the teachers thin/ or understand

a!out what is #&S(English$ %he teachers are free to give their pre(conceptions or understanding of

what #&S(English actually is$ %he second uestion is the most important uestion !ecause it is the

focus of the study where the o!9ective of the uestion is to illicit the teachers concerns in carrying

out #&S(English in their classrooms$ %he third uestion reuires the teachers to give their

epectations of #&S(English after they had !een eposed to the rationale of the program. the

contents of the program and the teaching and learning techniues in the three days course$ %he

teachers are free to give any responses that they li/e the responses can !e positive or negative

opinions on #&S(English$ %heir responses are then analy)ed and similar responses are summari)ed

while dissimilar ones are also ta/en into account$ Cowever. not all of the responses were chosen due

to the lac/ of time and resources to analy)e them$ s for the num!er of small samples for the case

study. the researcher !elieves that it was adeuate for this case study$ &erhaps a larger(scale of

survey and respondents could !e carried out once #&S(English is implemented in 2014 for futureresearch of the program$

/6 Da$a Ana!%i

%he ta!les !elow represent the num!er of teachers that responded to the three uestions given

in the uestionnaire$

TALE ,7 Su++ar% O& R*?'n* T' @u*$i'n . (Si+i!ar r*?'n* ar* #'+8in*d)

@UESTION . RESPONSES N EAN SD

.6Bha$ i %'ur

un

d*r

$a

ndi

n4

'&

OP

S-

En

4!i

h

#&S(English adopts a !ac/(to(

!asics approach

with its focus on

communication

s/ills$

.30/ ;/6//

.36 ..61/

L*'n &u!!% 'n 'ra!

?r'&i#i*n#% &'#u

'n !i$*nin4 and?*a:in46

,/0/


8/21

%o employ fun and innovative

methods to teach

listening and

spea/ing

/0/ .6

%o !uild students confidence to

spea/ in English


9/21

5egarding the num!er of responses for uestion 1. the responses from the teachers for

uestion 1 scored a mean of 1$00 with the standard deviation of 11$43 that shows a medium level

of score$ ccording to the %a!le 2. 1 or 63$33J of them showed an understanding of the focus of

#&S(English a!out going !ac/ to the !asics of communication s a method of learning !ut this shows

a limited understanding #&S(English !ecause this response is a direct lifting from the handoutsgiven to the teachers for the first session$ 23 teachers or HH$00J responded that they understood that

#&S(English lessons are fully !ased on Listening and Spea/ing$ %his response highlight a high

understanding of #&S(English after the teachers had !een !riefed during the training course$ 30

teachers or 100J shows a very high degree of understanding of #&S(English !y stating that #&S(

English will focus mainly on Spea/ing and Listening for the first months of the schools semester$

%his is followed !y the response no writing or reading involved which also attained 100J responses$

%his shows that the teachers reali)e that #&S(English puts an imperative on the communication

s/ills and that writing and reading s/ills are purely incidental$ %wo of the lowest responses given !y

the teachers are #&S(English o!9ective is to !uild students confidence to spea/ English with H

responses or 23$33J while to employ fun and innovative ways to teach listening and spea/ing with 3

responses or 10$00J respectively$ &erhaps this shows that these two o!9ectives of #&S(English are

not a ma9or concern of the teachers compared to the other responses$

TALE /7 Su++ar% O& R*?'n* T' @u*$i'n , (Si+i!ar r*?'n* ar* #'+8in*d)


10/21

@UESTION , RESPONSES N EAN SD

,6 Bha$ ar*

%'

ur

#'n#

*r

n

a8

'u

$

O

?

-

E

n4

!i

h

H'" d' "* d' a!! *$ %$*+5

8a5 '? *n4 and

&*" +'r* ?r'4ra+

in 'n* 4' and

a#hi*2* i$'8*#$i2*6

,.0/


11/21

fter si months$$$do the students

have to ta/e spea/ing

and listening test in

order to assess

whether have master

the two s/ills$$$whatif they failA

>0/ /6

Cow very sure we are that

students will acuire the s/ills in

si months time especially those

rural fol/sA

,10/ =6

Cow a!out schools that have non(

option to teach English$$and yet

they have to teach their students

to spea/ and listen and they

themselves spea/ poor EnglishA

30/ ,6

Can $h* in$ru+*n$ '& a*in4?r''& $h* !*2*! '&

*&&i#i*n#% '& $h*

$ud*n$

.,0/ 16

Cope can get the s/ills to teach

ops English

/0/ .

Cow to carry out #&S(English in

large classesA

,10/ =6

Cow to teach using ops English to

wea/ studentsA

,30/ =3633

Cow to cater for !etter studentsA /0/ .6


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%a!le 3 scored a high mean score of 1H$00 with a standard deviation of 10$D2$ this shows the

high level of the concerns over the implementation of #&S(English among the teachers$ %a!le 3

states the responses given !y the teachers for uestion 2 of the uestionnaire$ %he responses chosen

are the ma9or theme related to the concerns that teachers has regarding the #&S(English program

pre. while and post of the teachers training course$ 'rom the analysis of the responses the teachers

main concerns with 30 responses or 100J each can !e related to four ma9or aspects$ %he first ma9or

aspects of concern is the integration of #&S(English with the School Based ssessment or &enilaian

Berasas/an Se/olah +&BS, where all four language listening. spea/ing. reading and writing are

assessed instead of the two language s/ills spea/ing and listening that are the focus of #&S English

will !e demanding on the teachers and only adding to their already !urdening wor/load$

%he second ma9or concern is that the teachers will not !e a!le to finish all the !ands in the

School Based ssessment +Band 1 to , on time !ecause they have to focus on #&S(English$ %he

implementation of School Based ssessment since 2011 has ta/en a large amount of teachers time

and energy to complete the !ands and su!(!ands with each !and containing at least 2 to 4 activities

!ased on the four language s/ills that have to !e tested$ %he third main concern with #&S(English is

that there not any writing activities for the students during teaching and learning$ %his concern rises

from the need for students to !e taught writing in preparation for their eaminations$ %his is the most

freuent uestion posed to the lead trainers !y the teachers during the course and it is the most

difficult to clarify and 9ustify$ %he high focus on writing is due to the fact that writing s/ills is one of

the wea/est s/ills among students especially for su!ur!an or rural students$ %he fourth concern with

100J responses is more focus on the teachers uestioning their own a!ilities to carry out the

activities of #&S(English in the classroom$ %hey hope that they would !e a!le to get the s/ills to

teach using #&S(English !ut they are worried if they fail to do so$ %his concern also correspond with

the concerns from non(option teachers or 20$00J of the respondent which uestions how couldthey teach spea/ing and listening to students when they themselves have poor command of the

English languageA

=et. the fifth concern is if the lessons in #&S(English can !e carried out in the *omputer(

la! with 26 responses at ?3$33J$ %his concern stems from the teachers worries a!out the lac/ of

I*% facilities in the classrooms$ "ost schools only have computers at the *omputer(la! and the

teachers feels that since they are provided with the Instructional and %eaching they need

to use it in a place with pro9ectors and computers availa!le$ %his is concurrent with the sith concern


13/21

how to carry out activities if the school have no facilities e$g$ lcd pro9ector. cd players etc$ %his

concern is written in the responses !y ?0$00J or 1? teachers$ %eachers also feel that there is a

concern with how to teach #&S(English to wea/ students with 26 responses at ?$J$ %his is

especially prevalent in Band 6 to schools in the district$

Sharing ?0$00J with 24 responses are the teachers concern over how sure that the students

will master the two s/ills focused in #&S(English that are Spea/ing and Listening within monthsespecially with rural students and also how to teach #&S(English in large classes$ %hese are genuine

concerns !ecause as mentioned earlier there is a need for teachers to comply with the instructions of

the School Based ssessment or &BS$ 'or the second reason. realistically the average num!er of

students in a typical classroom would !e around 36 to 40 students in secondary schools$ Because of

this. teachers are concerned a!out how to conduct lessons and control students with such a large

num!er of students especially regarding interactions !etween students during the activities$

12 teachers or 40$00J of them stated their concerns if the assessment instrument for #&S(

English proof the level of efficiency of the studentsA %his is a valid concern !ecause the assessment

instrument for #&S(English is only !ased on teachers o!servation of the students participationsduring the pair wor/s and group wor/s in the classroom and during the presentation of the students$

o the students have to ta/e spea/ing and listening test in order to assess whether have master the

two s/ills$$$what if they failA is a concern from D teachers or 30$00J that focuses on the pro!lem of

what to do if the students fail their assessment of proficiency in spea/ing and listening s/ills for

#&S(English$ %hey feel that there should !e a clear alternative provided for students who are not

a!le to spea/ and listen proficiently in English$ =et. the least response given !y the teacher is their

concern a!out how to teach the !etter students that shows only 3 teachers or 10$00J give this

response$ %hese are teachers from Band 1 to 2 teachers that attended the training course$ %hey have a

valid concern !ecause their students are !etter students compared to other schools within Band 3 to

and they feel that the activities and materials in #&S(English are too easy for their students level of

proficiency in English$

TALE 17 Su++ar% O& R*?'n* T' @u*$i'n / (Si+i!ar r*?'n* ar* #'+8in*d)


14/21

@UESTION / RESPONSES N EAN SD

/6 Bha$ ar*

%'u

r

*?*#$

a$i'

n

'&

O?

-

En

4!i

h

S$ud*n$ "i!! 8* #'n&id*n$ and

?*a:in4 "i$h a##ura#%

and &!u*n#% will !e

proficient in spea/ing

,;0/ =/6//

.6


15/21

%a!le 4 scores the highest mean at 1H$13 with a standard deviation of D$H?$ %his data shows

that teachers have very positive epectations of #&S(English even though they are yet to implement

it at their schools$ %he highest response given !y the teacher is their epectations that the "inistry

#f Education would ensure the alignment of #&S(English with GBS" +=ew Secondary School

*urriculum, English Language *urriculum with 30 responses or 100J$ %he second highest response

for epectations of the program is their hope that EL%* will develop more teaching and learning

materials and sharing of !est practices from the pilot schools that can !e used to further guide their

own teaching and learning strategies$

%his is followed !y the third highest epectation with 26 or ?3$33J of teachers writing this

response$ %heir epectations and is that students will !e confident and spea/s with accuracy and

fluency and will !e proficient in spea/ing using the English language$ %he teachers hope that !y the

end of the months students will !e a!le to spea/ and listen in English proficiently with the teaching

and learning methods of #&S(English$ %he fourth response that is the highest is their epectations

that there must !e a continuous monitoring and evaluation to up/eep the uality of delivery of the

program$ %his response was given !y 24 teachers or ?0$00J of the samples$ t 43$33J or 13

responses. is the teachers epectation that the implementation of #&S(English should !e made

aware to the students and what the program is for$

-ith the collected responses from ? teachers from the num!er of 30 which is a!out 2H$00J.

is the epectation that #&S(English will prepare students for real life situations thus producing

holistic individuals to face real challenges$ Being a!le to communicate in good English will prepare

the students for their future careers and self(value in the local or international wor/force$ 'inally. an

eual num!er of 6 responses and representing 1H$00J of the samples are the epectations of the

teachers that for #&S(English there must !e a soft launch of the program aside from a survey nationwide

from !oth parents and teachers !efore implementing #&S(English and also their epectations that the

"inistry #f Education will send more English teachers to low achievement schools district$ %his is

to ensure that ops will !e implemented smoothly$

16Di#ui'n

ccording to Stern +1D?3, the finest and most up(to(date curriculum ideas may not !e

accepted if they are imposed upon the teachers concerned without having made sure that the changes


16/21

to new curriculum demands are understood !y them$ %he willing participant of the teachersimplementing the curriculum changes is recogni)ed as an essential aspect of introducing a new

curriculum$ %his recognition and reali)ation will !ring a!out positive attitude towards the #ral

&roficiency in English for Secondary Schools +#&S(English,$

s mentioned in the data analysis of the concerns of the teachers. it is reported that teachers

are concerned a!out the implementation of #&S(English for their 'orm 1 students$ %hey areconcerned mainly !ecause the implementation of #&S(English that they deem to !e too uic/ even

though pilot schools had already conducted the program since 2012$ Lead(trainers from Gelantan.

%erengganu and &ahang were only called for the training courses for one wee/ in Septem!er 2013and then were instructed to carry out 'orm 1 teachers training course !efore the end of =ovem!er

2013$ ue to the ad(hoc nature of the program teachers are curious and uite pu))led !y what is

#&S(English so many were in the dar/ until they have attended the training(course$ It is as suggested

in the descriptions of concerns. in line with the teachers epectations that the program should have asoft launch to teachers. parents and students so that every!ody will understand and receive the

program completely$

%he implementation of #&S(English for 'orm 1 students is also a challenge for teachers

!ecause it loo/s to !e in contrast to the needs or the School Based ssessment +SB, that is an

evaluation of the students proficiency in all su!9ects including the English Language that has !eenconducted since 2011$ School Based ssessment for the English Language reuires students to !e

proficient in all the four language s/ills listening. spea/ing. reading and writing in order to !e

awarded a high !and$ %he lowest Band is 1 and the highest is Band $ %he contrast with #&S(

English is that it only focuses on spea/ing and listening s/ills$ Even though it is only for months ina year teachers are concerned that they will not fulfill the reuirements of SB !ecause SB has to

!e conducted for the whole year$ %echnically #&S(English will !e integrated with SB !ecause the

assessment will !e done in the SB test !ut teachers are unsure of the evaluation methods andtesting instruments$ So. it is the teachers epectations that the evaluation methods and testing

instruments are made clear to them earlier$

%he lac/ of facilities in schools especially in su!ur!an. rural and interior schools is a concern

that can !e a hindrance to the success of #&S(English in schools$ -ithout the availa!ility of I*%

facilities such as computers. L* screens. audio(video instruments. teachers will have to rely mainly

on the teachers guide and students hand!oo/ to carry out #&S(English in their English classes$%his may not !e of concern to ur!an schools and residential schools !ut in su!ur!an. rural and

interior schools it poses a !ig challenge !ecause teachers are provided with s that needs to !e

opened using I*% instruments or at least a player and a television set$ %he use of teacherspersonal laptops or radios can !e a good alternative for a classroom with a small num!er of students

!ut what a!out larger classes$ Some teachers suggested as/ing from the &arents %eachers

ssociation to !uy television and player for their schools !ut this is not practical with rural and

interior schools where parents could not afford to pay for their &%s fees$ It is the teachersepectations that %he "inistry #f Education should ta/e into account of this concern and provide

the proper facilities to the schools that are in need of the facilities !efore implementing #&S(Englishor as the program progresses$

%he focus on #&S(English is proficiency in spea/ing and listening in English to students in

'orm 1 !ut what a!out students who are very wea/ in English especially students of rural andinterior schools where the eposure of the English Language is limited to English periods in class$

%his concern supports the statement that students will fail to develop academic language and


17/21

discourse simply !ecause they are not provided opportunities to use the words +Ba/htin. 1D?1,$ It isalso /nown that English language learners in many classrooms are as/ed easier uestions or no

uestions at all and thus rarely have to tal/ in the classroom +>uan Eng Co. 2006,$ -e can say that

the teachers are to !e !lamed for such events happening in the classroom !ut for teachers sometimesthey cannot avoid such actions with wea/ students who do not /now any English words at all$ -hat

can a teacher do when all that he or she hears is silence or student using words in their mother

tongue every time the students are as/ed to respond to uestions or to spea/ using EnglishA%herefore. there is a concern why #&S(English is not introduced to primary schools instead of 'orm

1 students in secondary schools so that the pro!lem of proficiency in spea/ing and listeningcan !e

resolve earlier at primary level instead of at secondary school level$ #ther factors that the teachersepect to !e ta/en into account are the linguistics. proficiency in local language or mother tongue.

num!er of language spo/en. motivation. poverty and personality of students that affects their

proficiency in English$

-hen does tal/ actually facilitates learningA In #&S(English students must assume

increasing responsi!ility over their learning$ %his can !e seen in the fifth and sith stages of teaching

and learning in #&S(English that is Caving 'un and 'un In Sharing where students must !e a!le tolisten and respond correctly to others in pair wor/s and group wor/s. and also have to prepare

presentations !ased on pro9ects given !y teachers$ %his is important if they are to learn +'isher and

'rey. 200?,$ %his does not mean that the students are supposed to !ecome independent learners withthe a!sent of teachers !ut they are given the opportunity to wor/ with ideas and epected to

complete tas/ independently$ %he issue here is related to time$ -hen can the teacher truly say that

the students are really ready and competent enough to wor/ independently without the teachers

helpA -hat if it ta/es too long for students to reach a satisfactory level to !e a!le to listen and spea/confidently in EnglishA *an it !e achieva!le within months after which teachers are supposed to

move into reading and writing s/ills$ %he teachers epectations identify that is a need for an

intervention program that will !e a!le to help these wea/ students and a different set of assessmentinstruments so that they will not !e left out compared to other more proficient students$

%eachers can !e supportive and receptive of #&S(English !ecause it is their duty to followand adhere to any new programs introduced !y the "inistry #f Education !ecause it is their

responsi!ility to ensure the highest academic achievements for students. !ut what a!out parents and

studentsA &arents want the !est for their children and of course academic ecellence is one of them$

Cowever. we stand witness to the a!olishment of %eaching of Science and "athematics in English+&&S"I, !y the "inistry #f Education when parents and the overall community of "alaysia were

against the program !ecause it creates a great disparity !etween the results of Science and

"athematics !etween high achievements schools and ur!an schools with su!ur!an. rural and interiorschools$ Even the newly introduced program School Based ssessment or SB is under constant

scrutiny from parents and the academic community loo/ing for any chilles heels that can

9eopardi)e the academic achievement of the children$ Is #&S(English going to go the way of

&&S"IA It is the teachers epectation that parents and students feelings and perceptions of #&S(English must also !e ta/en into account$ In the end it is the students who will !enefit or lose from

the implementation of #&S(English$ %here is a need for the program to !e clearly eplained toparents and students so that they will understand why they are !eing put through the program and

what !enefits they will gain from the program$ Students nowadays are unli/e their predecessors that

a!ide to whatever the teachers or authority says$ Students nowadays are independent. critical of and

are more open(minded especially with the advent of the internet and related technologies$


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;6C'n#!ui'n

%he case studyhas given an insight into the concerns and epectations of teachers regarding

#&S(English$ %he case study has also provided data !ased on the concerns and epectations of

teachers of the program$ #&S(English can !e one of the finest programs to raise the standards of

English Language proficiency in "alaysia$ Its !ac/ to !asics approach with the focus on spea/ing

and listening ensure students will !e a!le to !e proficient in all four language s/ills if they can

master spea/ing and listening in English$

Cowever. !efore it is implemented in secondary schools. a concentrated effort must !e ta/en

to convince English teachers. parents and students of the !enefits of the program$ %eachers already

have many programs to manage and they have to concentrate on the teaching and learning process as

well as assessment at the same time +-eir. 1DD4,$ In implementing any changes to the curriculum.

the teachers at grass roots level play an important role in their effective implementation$ &arents are

always critical a!out programs that are introduced !y schools or government !ecause they want their

children to !e ecellent in their studies and any programs that are in reverse of their epectations

will definitely fail$ Students tend to support or !e against programs which they feel is either too easy

or too challenging$ %hey will also cooperate or withdraw once they feel comforta!le or threatened !y

the program$ Students different demographic !ac/ground. social !ac/ground and academic

proficiency must also !e ta/en into account to ensure the success of #&S(English in schools$

deuate facilities must also !e provided for teachers and students in order to carry out the activities

in #&S(English$ 'urthermore. materials. resources and !est practices should !e shared among

schools involved with #&S(English to help teachers to carry out #&S(English$

%o conclude. the researcher feels that there is a need for future research on the development

of the oral proficiency in English Language via #&S(English and that this case study results does not

represent the concerns and epectations of all teachers entrusted with implementation of #&S(

English in 2013$ %he researcher understands that the !est program does not necessarily mean the

:singe !est program;$ %he policy ma/ers. policy eecuters and the pu!lic at large must understand

that there is not only one way to teach English Language effectively$

36R*&*r*n#*

leander. 5$$ +200?, Towards Dialogic Teaching: rethinking classroom talk +4th

edition,.ialogos

rsat. "$ "ohd


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ugust. $ +2003, Supporting %he evelopment #f English Literacy In English Language

Learners Gey Issues and &romising &ractices$ ohns Cop/ins 8niversity$

EL%* #&S(English %raining *ourse Candouts h! Talk "s "m#ortant "n Classrooms$+200?, ssociation for Supervision and *urriculum evelopment

EL%* #&S(English %raining *ourse Candouts%&&ecti'e (uestioning. )*+,.

>eneese. '$ Leary. G$L$ Saunders. -$ *hristian. $ +2006, %nglish -anguage -earners "n

.S. Schools: /n 0'er'iew 0& 1esearch 2indings. ournal #f Education 'or Students &lacedt 5is/$ +*+4,. 33F3?6 *opyright M 2006. Lawrence Erl!aum ssociates. Inc$

"d. Cam)ah. Sinnasamy. &$3etween The "deal /nd 1ealit!: Teacher4s Perce#tion 0& The

"m#lementation School53ased 0ral %nglish /ssessment. %he English %eacher vol$ NNNII13(30$

"inistry #f Education "alaysia +2012, To #hold 3ahasa Mala!sia /nd To Strengthen The

%nglish -anguage 6M3MM3"7 Polic!$ "inistry #f Education "alaysia -e!site

www$moe$gov$my

"IS BilingualOESL epartment Suchiraphon "cGeithen(&olish. Bilingual Education

*onsultant hat "& The! Don4t S#eak %nglish: &or #rimar! and secondar! teachers.

"*#"B "IS Bilingual Education &rogram

#ffice #f 5esearch nd &lanning / 3rie& Guide To The /nal!sis 0& 0#en5ended Sur'e!

(uestions. *erritos *ollege$
http://www.moe.gov.my/http://www.moe.gov.my/


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Documents

Oral Proficiency in English for Secondary School