Research in EPC

8/6/2019 Research in EPC

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The level of English Proficiency of the CELA Graduating

Students: An assessment to English Proficiency Course

Introduction

English is spoken by one out of every six people in

the world. It is the primary language of the United States,

Australia, the U.K., and the Anglophone territories of

Canada, making it second only to Mandarin Chinese in number

of speakers.

English belongs to the Germanic branch of the Indo-

European family of languages. The great number of words

found in the English vocabulary is in large part due to

extensive borrowings from other languages, including Latin,

French, Low German, and the Scandinavian languages.

A dialect can be defined as a "variation of a language

used by a group of speakers set apart from others

geographically or socially." Using this definition, it is

easy to identify English as a language with many dialects.

Not only are there variations due to geographic

differences, but there are more subtle shadings that

identify someone as being from a specific region. Not to

mention the differences between urban and suburban speech,


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Theoretical Framework

An understanding of second language acquisition can

improve the ability of mainstream teachers to serve the

culturally and linguistically diverse students in their

classrooms (Fillmore & Snow, 2002; Hamayan, 1990). While

significant professional development is necessary to gain a

full understanding of second language acquisition theory,

some key concepts can be quickly understood and applied in

the classroom.

Current theories of second language acquisition are

based on years of research in a wide variety of fields,

including linguistics, psychology, sociology, anthropology,

and neurolinguistics (Freeman & Freeman, 2001).

One concept endorsed by most current theorists is that

of a continuum of learningthat is, predictable and

sequential stages of language development, in which the

learner progresses from no knowledge of the new language to

a level of competency closely resembling that of a native

speaker. These theories have resulted in the identification

of several distinct stages of second language development.

These stages are most often identified as:


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Stage I: The Silent/Receptive or Preproduction Stage:

This stage can last from 10 hours to six months.

Students often have up to 500 "receptive" words (words they

can understand, but may not be comfortable using) and can

understand new words that are made comprehensible to them.

This stage often involves a "silent period" during which

students may not speak, but can respond using a variety of

strategies including pointing to an object, picture, or

person; performing an act, such as standing up or closing a

door; gesturing or nodding; or responding with a simple

"yes" or "no." Teachers should not force students to speak

until they are ready to do so.

Stage II: The Early Production Stage:

The early production stage can last an additional six

months after the initial stage. Students have usually

developed close to 1,000 receptive/active words (that is,

words they are able to understand and use). During this

stage students can usually speak in one- or two-word

phrases, and can demonstrate comprehension of new material

by giving short answers to simple yes/no, either/or, or

who/what/where questions.


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Stage III: The Speech Emergence Stage:

This stage can last up to another year. Students have

usually developed approximately 3,000 words and can use

short phrases and simple sentences to communicate. Students

begin to use dialogue and can ask simple questions, such as

"Can I go to the restroom?" and are also able to answer

simple questions. Students may produce longer sentences,

but often with grammatical errors that can interfere with

their communication.

Stage IV: The Intermediate Language Proficiency Stage:

Intermediate proficiency may take up to another year

after speech emergence. Students have typically developed

close to 6,000 words and are beginning to make complex

statements, state opinions, ask for clarification, share

their thoughts, and speak at greater length.

Stage V: The Advanced Language Proficiency Stage:

Gaining advanced proficiency in a second language can

typically take from five to seven years. By this stage

students have developed some specialized content-area

vocabulary and can participate fully in grade-level

classroom activities if given occasional extra support.


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Students can speak English using grammar and vocabulary

comparable to that of same-age native speakers.

Understanding that students are going through a

predictable and sequential series of developmental stages

helps teachers predict and accept a students current

stage, while modifying their instruction to encourage

progression to the next stage.

A concept endorsed by most language acquisition

theorists is Stephen Krashens "comprehensible input"

hypothesis, which suggests that learners acquire language

by "intaking" and understanding language that is a "little

beyond" their current level of competence (Krashen, 1981,

p. 103). For instance, a preschool child already

understands the phrase "Get your crayon." By slightly

altering the phrase to "Get my crayons," the teacher can

provide an appropriate linguistic and cognitive challenge

offering new information that builds off prior knowledge

and is therefore comprehensible (Sowers, 2000). Providing

consistent, comprehensible input requires a constant

familiarity with the ability level of students in order to

provide a level of "input" that is just beyond their

current level.


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Research by Merrill Swain and others has extended this

concept to include "comprehensible output." According to

several studies, providing learners with opportunities to

use the language and skills they have acquired, at a level

in which they are competent, is almost as important as

giving students the appropriate level of input (Pica et

al., 1989, 1996; Swain & Lapkin, 1995).

Krashens Affective Filter Hypothesis is another

concept that has found wide acceptance with both

researchers and ELL instructors (Krashen, 1981; Krashen &

Terrell, 1983). This theory suggests that an individuals

emotions can directly interfere or assist in the learning

of a new language. According to Krashen, learning a new

language is different from learning other subjects because

it requires public practice. Speaking out in a new language

can result in anxiety, embarrassment, or anger. These

negative emotions can create a kind of filter that blocks

the learners ability to process new or difficult words.

Classrooms that are fully engaging, nonthreatening, and

affirming of a childs native language and cultural

heritage can have a direct effect on the students ability

to learn by increasing motivation and encouraging risk

taking.


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Another theory that has directly influenced classroom

instruction is Jim Cumminss distinction between two types

of language: basic interpersonal communications skills

(BICS) and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP).

Research has shown that the average student can develop

conversational fluency within two to five years, but that

developing fluency in more technical, academic language can

take from four to seven years depending on many variables

such as language proficiency level, age and time of arrival

at school, level of academic proficiency in the native

language, and the degree of support for achieving academic

proficiency (Cummins, 1981, 1996; Hakuta, Butler, & Witt,

2000; Thomas & Collier, 1997).

Later, Cummins expanded this concept to include two

distinct types of communication, depending on the context

in which it occurs:

Context-embedded communication provides several

communicative supports to the listener or reader, such

as objects, gestures, or vocal inflections, which help

make the information comprehensible. Examples are a

one-to-one social conversation with physical gestures,

or storytelling activities that include visual props.


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Context-reduced communication provides fewer

communicative clues to support understanding. Examples

are a phone conversation, which provides no visual

clues, or a note left on a refrigerator.

Similarly, Cummins distinguished between the different

cognitive demands that communication can place on the

learner:

Cognitively undemanding communication requires a

minimal amount of abstract or critical thinking.

Examples are a conversation on the playground, or

simple yes/no questions in the classroom.

Cognitively demanding communication, which requires a

learner to analyze and synthesize information quickly

and contains abstract or specialized concepts.

Examples are academic content lessons, such as a

social studies lecture, a math lesson, or a multiple-

choice test.

Understanding these theories can help teachers develop

appropriate instructional strategies and assessments that

guide students along a continuum of language development,

from cognitively undemanding, context-embedded curricula,


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to cognitively demanding, context-reduced curricula

(Robson, 1995).

A basic knowledge of language acquisition theories is

extremely useful for mainstream classroom teachers and

directly influences their ability to provide appropriate

content-area instruction to ELL students. It is especially

important in those schools or districts where limited

resources result in little or no instructional support in a

students native language. In these "sink-or-swim"

situations, a committed mainstream teacher with a clear

understanding of language acquisition can make all the

difference.


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Conceptual Framework

Fig 1. Concept of Language Acquisition

Fig 2. Objectives of English Proficiency Course

LanguageAcquisition

Stage 1:Preproduction

Stage 2: EarlyProductionStage

Stage 3: SpeechEmergenceStage

Stage 4:IntermediateLanguageProficiency

Stage 5:AdvancedLanguageProficiency

English ProficiencyCourse

BasicGrammar

VocabularyReading

Comprehension


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Statement of the Problem

This study aims to evaluate the level of English

proficiency of the CELA graduating students. To achieve

this purpose the following questions are formulated:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of the

following:

a. Course

b. Sex

c. Age

2. What is their level of English Proficiency in terms of

their performance score along the following areas

before and after their exposure to the English

Proficiency Course:

a. Mastery in Basic Grammar

b. Background in English Vocabulary

c. Skills in Reading Comprehension

3. Is there a significant difference in the students

level of English Proficiency before and after their

exposure to the program?


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Hypothesis

There is no significant difference in the students

level of English Proficiency before and after their

exposure to the program.

Significance of the Study

The researcher considered this study vital to the

instructors of English Proficiency Course, as well as to

the administration of Saint Joseph Institute of Technology

and to the future researchers. As a pioneering effort, this

can inspire other English instructors to conduct parallel

studies and help the administration to give more focus on

the students English Language Proficiency.

For English Instructors

1. The knowledge of the students English Language

Proficiency will inspire them to find more

effective strategies in teaching English

Proficiency Course.

2. Upon knowing the weak points among the different

areas of English Language, the instructors can

design learning manuals that will fit to the

students needs and give more focus on students

weak points.


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3. Results of this study will help them assess the

effectiveness of the subject they are teaching.

For the Administrators

The results of this study can serve as one of the

bases for circular evaluation of the course and planning

for its improvement. It will also guide the administrators

in their conscious effort to undergo planned changes in

design of the program.

Methodology

This study was conducted among the CELA graduating

students of Saint Joseph Institute of Technology. There

were twenty three (23) students of the said college who

were chosen as respondents.

In the selection of the respondents, purposive and

complete enumeration sampling was utilized. Data were

gathered in terms of the performance scores in English

Proficiency Test.

The researcher used an online questionnaire which

includes the proficiency in basic grammar, English

vocabulary and reading comprehension. Data collated was

subjected to statistical analysis using the frequency

distribution, mean and analysis of variance.


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Discussion of Results

Table 1

Distribution of Respondents According to Course

Course Frequency Percentage

BEE 7 30

BSE 2 9

AB Psych 8 35

AB MC 6 26

Total 23 100

Table 1 shows the distribution of respondents

according to their course. Results shows that most of the

respondents are AB Psychology with the percentage of 35,

BEE is 30 percent followed by AB Mass Communication which

has a percentage of 26 and the least number of respondents

are BSE.

Table 2

Distribution of Respondents According to Sex

Sex Frequency Percentage

Males 4 17

Females 19 83

Total 23 100


according to their sex. The results reveal that 83 percent

of the respondents are female and only 17 percent are

males. This simply indicates that majority of the CELA

graduating students are females.


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Table 3

Distribution of Respondents According to Age

Age Frequency Percentage

18 19 9 3920 21 11 48

22 - 23 3 13

Total Number of

Respondents

23 100


according to their age. The results indicate that 48

percent of the respondents fall in the age bracket 20 -21,

39 percent fall in the age bracket 18-19 and only 13

percent fall in the age bracket 22 23.

Table 4

Distribution of Respondents According to their Proficiency

in Basic Grammar Before and After Taking EPC

Performance IndicatorFrequency Percentage

Before After Before After

Excellent 5 2 22 9

Very Satisfactory 2 3 9 13

Satisfactory 13 13 56 56

Fair 1 1 4 4

Poor 2 4 9 17


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according to their proficiency in basic grammar before and

after taking the EPC program. Results indicate that

students who got Excellent decreases from 22 percent to 9

percent. Students who got very satisfactory increases from

9 percent to 13 percent. Students who got satisfactory are

constant which is 56 percent. Students who got Fair level

are also constant which 4 is percent. Students who got a

poor level of proficiency increases from 9 percent to 17

percent. Further, the data show that most of the

respondents have a satisfactory level of proficiency in

Basic Grammar.

Table 5


in English Vocabulary Before and After Taking EPC

Performance Indicator

Frequency Percentage


Excellent 1 1 4 4



Fair 0 1 0 4Poor 3 3 13 13


according to their proficiency in English vocabulary before


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and after taking EPC program. The data reveals that

students who got excellent have a constant score which is 4

percent. Students who got very satisfactory are also

constant which is 35 percent. Students who got satisfactory

decreases from 48 percent to 43 percent. Students who got

fair level increases from 0 percent to 4 percent. Students

who got poor level are constant which is 13 percent.

Further, the data show that most respondents got a

satisfactory level of proficiency in English vocabulary.

Table 6


in Reading Comprehension Before and After Taking EPC

Performance IndicatorFrequency Percentage


Excellent 0 0 0 0



Fair 4 2 17 9

Poor 8 8 35 35


according to their proficiency in reading comprehension

before and after taking EPC program. Data reveal that there

are no students who got excellent. However, students who

got very satisfactory increases from 13 percent to 30


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percent. Students who got satisfactory decreases from 35

percent to 26 percent. Students who got a fair level of

proficiency decreases from 17 percent to 9 percent.

Students who got poor reading comprehension are constant

which is 35 percent. Further, results show that most

students are poor in reading comprehension.

Table 7

Distribution of Respondents According to their Level of

English Proficiency Before and After Taking EPC

Performance Indicator

Frequency Percentage


Excellent 0 1 0 4



Fair 4 3 17 13

Poor 5 5 22 22

Table 7 shows the general level of English Proficiency

of the respondents before and after taking EPC program.

Data reveal that 43 percent of the respondents got

satisfactory; 22 percent got poor; 17 percent got very

satisfactory; 13 percent got fair and only 4 percent got

excellent. Further, data reveal that most of the

respondents have a satisfactory level of English

proficiency.


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Table 8

Summary of Respondents Level of English Proficiency

Before and After Taking EPC

Basic Grammar Vocabulary Reading

ComprehensionTotal

Before After Before After Before After Before After

X VD X VD X VD X VD X VD X VD X VD X VD

90 E 91 E 100 E 100 E 73 S 83 VS 88 VS 91 E

73 S 83 VS 86 VS 86 VS 70 S 80 VS 76 S 83 VS

53 F 78 S 60 S 70 S 70 S 70 S 61 S 73 S

70 S 70 S 76 S 76 S 66 S 76 S 71 S 74 S

91 E 91 E 86 VS 86 VS 76 S 86 VS 84 VS 88 VS

44 P 44 P 26 P 30 P 36 P 40 P 35 P 38 P

77 S 77 S 66 S 66 S 46 P 56 F 63 S 66 S

87 Vs 87 VS 83 VS 83 VS 63 S 73 S 78 S 81 VS

70 S 75 S 86 VS 86 VS 80 VS 80 VS 79 S 80 VS

62 S 67 S 60 S 60 S 53 F 50 P 58 F 59 F

66 S 67 S 63 S 63 S 36 P 46 P 55 F 59 F

69 S 79 S 70 S 70 S 80 VS 80 VS 73 S 76 S

89 Vs 89 VS 86 VS 86 VS 63 S 60 S 79 S 78 S

63 S 63 S 80 VS 80 VS 83 VS 80 VS 75 S 74 S

63 S 63 S 86 VS 86 VS 66 S 76 S 72 S 75 S

60 S 60 S 70 S 70 S 56 F 66 S 62 S 65 S

60 S 55 F 70 S 86 VS 56 F 50 P 62 S 64 S

50 P 64 S 86 VS 60 S 40 P 40 P 59 F 55 F64 S 43 P 60 S 50 P 36 P 50 P 53 F 48 P

42 P 63 S 46 P 26 P 50 P 56 F 46 P 48 P

64 S 36 P 26 P 66 S 56 F 30 P 49 P 44 P

31 P 43 P 66 S 66 S 20 P 33 P 39 P 47 P

43 P 71 S 66 S 58 F 23 P 83 VS 44 P 71 S

OVERALL TOTAL64 S 67 S


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Table 8 clearly shows the English proficiency level of

the CELA graduating students. Data reveal that the over all

performance of the respondents are satisfactory before

taking EPC program and does not change after taking the EPC

program.

Conclusions

Based on the data gathered and presented above, the

following findings are formulated:

1. Most of the respondents are AB Psychology.

2. Most of the respondents are females.

3. Most of the respondents fall in the age bracket 20

21.

4. Most of the respondents have a satisfactory level in

Basic grammar.


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5. Most of the respondents have a satisfactory level in

English vocabulary.

6. Most of the respondents are poor in reading

comprehension.

Recommendations

Based on the results of the study the following

recommendations are formulated:

1. The faculty teaching EPC program should find suitable

strategies that will enhance the English Proficiency

of the students;

2. The faculty should conduct enhancement program to

help the students improve their proficiency in Basic

grammar and English vocabulary;

3. The faculty should give focus on improving students

reading comprehension;

4. Trainings on English language should be strengthened

in the English Foundation courses;

5. Further research on the causes of low English

proficiency should be conducted;

6. Further research on the effects of modern

instructional materials towards the students

performance should be conducted;


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7. Conduct parallel research across the different

colleges to assess the English Proficiency of the

students in SJIT.

8. Conduct parallel research that will determine the

effectiveness of English Proficiency Course in other

programs.

References

Fillmore & Snow, 2002. Concepts in Learning a Language. HLI

Asia

Battistich V., Solomon, D., Watson, M., & Schaps, e. (1997,

Vol. 32, No. 3) Caring School Communities.

Educational Psychologist. 137 - 151


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Hamayan, 1990. Teaching for Effective Study. Great Britain:

Biddler Ltd.., Guildford and Kings Lynn

Krashen, 1981. Affective Filter Hypothesis. London: Orion

Books Ltd.

Learning and Language Acquisition. (nw) Tips from the

University of Alabama. June 1981

English Proficiency Test: www. Transparent.com/proftest


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Research in EPC