UNIVERSITY OF GUAYAQUIL FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY, …repositorio.ug.edu.ec/bitstream/redug/45257/1/BFILO-PLL-19P078 LU… · Palabras claves: evidencia, tira cómica, innovador, visual

1

UNIVERSITY OF GUAYAQUIL

FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY, LETTERS AND SCIENCE OF THE EDUCATION

SCHOOL OF LANGUAGES AND LINGUISTICS

THE INFLUENCE OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLE THE IN WRITING, DESIGN OF A

COMIC STRIP FOR DEFINITE ARTICLE PRACTICE

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

LICENSING IN SCIENCES OF EDUCATION, MAJOR IN LANGUAGE AND ENGLISH

LITERATURE.

RESEACHERS:

FERNANDO ANDRES LUNA CABANILLA

HENRRY MAURICIO VALDEZ VERA

ADVISOR:

PH.D. LORNA CRUZ RIZO

GUAYAQUIL – ECUADOR 2019

2




HIGH STANDARD SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MSc. Santiago Galindo Mosquera MSc. Pedro Rizzo Bajaña

DEAN SUB-DEAN

Msc. Sara Anaguano Pérez. Ab. Sebastian Cadena Alvarado

DIRECTOR SECRETARY

3

MSc.

SANTIAGO GALINDO MOSQUERA

DECANO DE LA FACULTAD DE FILOSOFÍA, LETRAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACIÓN.

CIUDAD. -

De mis consideraciones:

En virtud que las autoridades de la Facultad de Filosofía, Letras y Ciencias de la Educación me

designaron Consultor Académico de Proyectos Educativos de Licenciatura en Ciencias de la

Educación, Mención: INGLÉS, el día 17 de junio del 2019

Tengo a bien informar lo siguiente.

Que las integrantes LUNA CABANILLA FERNANDO ANDRES con C.I 0921469102 y VALDEZ

VERA HENRRY MAURICIO con C.I.0922953781, diseñaron el proyecto educativo.

Con el tema: THE INFLUENCE OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLE THE IN WRITING.

Propuesta: DESIGN OF A COMIC STRIP FOR DEFINITE ARTICLE PRACTICE

El mismo que ha cumplido con las directrices y recomendaciones dadas por el suscrito.

Los participantes satisfactoriamente han ejecutado las diferentes etapas constitutivas del

Proyecto, por lo que procedo a la APROBACIÓN del proyecto, y pongo a vuestra consideración

el informe de rigor para los efectos legales correspondientes.

4

MSc. Santiago Galindo Mosquera

DECANO DE LA FACULTAD DE FILOSOFIA, LETRAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA

EDUCACION.

CIUDAD.-

Para los fines legales pertinentes comunico a usted que los derechos intelectuales del

proyecto educativo con el tema:THE INFLUENCE OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLE THE

IN WRITING.

Propuesta: DESIGN OF A COMIC STRIP FOR DEFINITE ARTICLE PRACTICE.

Pertenecen a la Facultad de Filosofia, Letras y Ciencias de la Educacion.

5




PROYECTO

TEMA:THE INFLUENCE OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLE THE IN WRITING.

PROPUESTA: DESIGN OF A COMIC STRIP FOR DEFINITE ARTICLE

PRACTICE.

APROBADO

…………………………………….. Tribunal No1

…………………………………….. …………………………………….. Tribunal No2 Tribunal No3

………………………………………. Luna Cabanilla Fernando Andres

C.I 0921469102

……………………………….. Valdez Vera Henrry Mauricio

C.I.0922953781

6

EL TRIBUNAL EXAMINADOR OTORGA AL

PRESENTE TRABAJO

LA CALIFICACION DE:

EQUIVALENTE A:

TRIBUNAL

………………………………… …………………………………

…………………………………

7

REPOSITORY IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THESIS REGISTRATION FORM

TITLE AND SUBTITLE: THE INFLUENCE OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLE THE IN WRITING, DESIGN OF A

COMIC STRIP FOR DEFINITE ARTICLE PRACTICE

AUTHORS): LUNA CABANILLA FERNANDO ANDRES, VALDEZ VERA HENRRY MAURICIO

ADVISOR: PH.D. LORNA CRUZ RIZO

INSTITUTION: UNIVERSITY OF GUAYAQUIL

FACULTY: FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY, LETTERS AND SCIENCES OF EDUCATION

TITLE OBTAINED: BACHELOR OF EDUCATION; LANGUAGE AND ENGLISH LITERATURE.

DATE OF PUBLISHING: NUMBER OF PAGES:

THEMED AREAS: ENGLISH LANGUAGE

KEYWORDS: Writing, the definite article, activity.

ABSTRACT:

The following research has taken place in the "Francisco Huerta Rendon" National High School, where it

evidenced that the students of 9th Grade of Basic General Education has problems using the definite article the

in writing for that reason we decided to create a new instrument that is going to catch students attention and

make them feel interested in English learning. This innovative proposal is based in the use of a comic strip in the

English classes because nowadays most of students are visual learners and this colorful resource will be

interesting for them. With the methods applied such as survey and diagnostic test to the learners was evidence

the lack of motivation and the poor resources used in classes. This project is going to help and change the vision

that students have about traditional way of learning English.

ATTACHED PDF: SI NO

AUTHORS NAMES AND

CONTACT:

Telephone:

0997562698

0963277719

E-mail:

[email protected]

[email protected]

INSTITUTION

CONTACT:

Name: SECRETARIAL OF THE SCHOOL OF LANGUAGES AND ENGLISH LITERATURE

Telephone: (04) 2294888 Ext.123

E-mail: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



8

REPOSITORIO NACIONAL EN CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA

FICHA DE REGISTRO DE TESIS/TRABAJO DE GRADUACIÓN

TÍTULO Y SUBTÍTULO: INFLUENCIA DEL ARTICULO DEFINIDO THE EN LA ESCRITURA, DISEÑO DE UNA

TIRA CÓMICA PARA LA PRÁCTICA DEL ARTICULO DEFINIDO.

AUTOR(ES) LUNA CABANILLA FERNANDO ANDRES, VALDEZ VERA HENRRY MAURICIO

REVISOR/TUTOR: PH.D. LORNA CRUZ RIZO

INSTITUCIÓN: UNIVERSIDAD DE GUAYAQUIL

UNIDAD/FACULTAD: FACULTAD DE FILOSOFÍA, LETRAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACIÓN

MAESTRÍA/ESPECIALIDAD: LICENCIATURA EN EDUCACIÓN, LENGUA Y LITERATURA INGLESA

GRADO OBTENIDO:

FECHA DE PUBLICACIÓN: No. DE PÁGINAS:

ÁREAS TEMÁTICAS: LENGUA INGLESA

PALABRAS CLAVES/

KEYWORDS:

Producción escrita, articulo definido the, actividad.

RESUMEN: La siguiente investigación se llevó a cabo en la Escuela Secundaria Nacional "Francisco Huerta

Rendón", donde se evidenció que los estudiantes de noveno grado de Educación General Básica tienen

problemas para usar el artículo definido por esa razón decidimos crear un nuevo instrumento que llamará la

atención de los estudiantes y los hará sentir interesados en aprender inglés. Esta propuesta innovadora se basa

en el uso de una tira cómica en las clases de inglés porque hoy en día la mayoría de los estudiantes son

aprendices visuales y este colorido recurso será interesante para ellos. Con los métodos aplicados, como

encuestas y pruebas de diagnóstico a los alumnos, se evidenció la falta de motivación y los escasos recursos

utilizados en las clases. Este proyecto ayudará y cambiará la visión que los estudiantes tienen sobre la forma

tradicional de aprender inglés.

ADJUNTO PDF: SI NO

CONTACTO CON

AUTOR/ES:

Teléfono:

0997562698

0963277719

E-mail:

[email protected]

[email protected]

CONTACTO CON LA

INSTITUCIÓN:

Nombre: SECRETARÍA DE LA ESCUELA DE LENGUAS Y LITERATURA INGLESA

Teléfono: (04) 2294888 Ext.123





9

Content COVER PAGE ....................................................................................................................................... 1

BOARD OF DIRECTORS ...........................................................................................................2

INTELLECTUAL RIGHTS LETTER ..................................................................................................... 4

APPROVAL OF THE COURT .............................................................................................................. 5

QUALIFICATION OF THE COURT ............................................................................................6

REPOSITORY NATIONAL IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN ENGLISH ......................... 7

REPOSITORIO NACIONAL EN CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGIA .......................................................... 8

ABSTRACT ...............................................................................................................................12

RESUMEN ................................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 13

CHAPTER I ...............................................................................................................................15

THE PROBLEM .........................................................................................................................15

1.1 Research Context ............................................................................................... 15

1.2 Problem Formulation.......................................................................................... 16

1.3 OBJECTIVES ....................................................................................................... 16

1.3.1 GENERAL OBJECTIVE ................................................................................ 16

1.3.2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES............................................................................... 16

1.4 SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS ................................................................................... 16

1.5 JUSTIFICATION ................................................................................................... 17

CHAPTER II .................................................................................................................... 21

THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ......................................................................... 21

2.1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................... 21

2.2. THEORETICAL FOUNDATION .....................................................................................22

2.2.1 PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION .............................................................. 22

2..2.2 LINGUISTIC FOUNDATION ........................................................................ 23

2..2.3 PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATION ............................................................... 25

2.2.4 PEDAGOGICAL- DIDACTIC FOUNDATION ............................................... 27

2.2.5 Legal framework........................................................................................... 30

CHAPTER III .............................................................................................................................31

METHODOLOGY, PROCESS, ANALYSIS AND DATA RESULTS ......................... 31

3.1 METHODOLOGICAL DESIGN ............................................................................ 31

3.2 TYPES OF RESEARCH ....................................................................................... 31

3.3 RESEARCH METHODS ...................................................................................... 32

3.4 RESEARCH TECHNIQUES ................................................................................. 33

3.5 RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS .............................................................................. 33

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3.6 POPULATION AND SAMPLE ........................................................................ 34

3.7.1 PRIMARY INFORMATION ...................................................................... 36

3.7.2 SURVEY TO STUDENTS ........................................................................ 37

3.7.3 DIAGNOSTIC TEST ................................................................................. 37

3.7.4 INTERVIEW TO THE TEACHER ............................................................. 37

3.7.5 SECONDARY INFORMATION ................................................................ 37

3.9 ANALYSIS OF THE INTERVIEW RESULT ............................................... 53

3.9.1 ANALYSIS OF THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST RESULT ..................................... 54

CHAPTER IV .............................................................................................................................56

THE PROPOSAL ................................................................................................................................ 56

4.1 TITLE ............................................................................................................... 56

4.2 JUSTIFICATION .............................................................................................. 56

4.3 OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................. 56

4.3.1 GENERAL OBJECTIVE........................................................................... 56

4.4 THEORETICAL ASPECTS ............................................................................. 57

4.5 FEASIBILITY OF THE PROPOSAL ............................................................... 57

4.5.1 FINANCIAL .............................................................................................. 57

4.5.2 LEGAL ...................................................................................................... 58

4.5.3 TECHNOLOGICAL .................................................................................. 58

4.5.4 HUMAN..................................................................................................... 58

4.5.5 POLITICAL ............................................................................................... 58

4.6 PROPOSAL DESCRIPTION ........................................................................... 58

4.7 PROPOSAL ............................................................................................................. 60

4.8 CONCLUSION --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 69

4.9 RECOMMENDATION .............................................................................................. 69

4.10 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES ....................................................... 70

ANNEXES ...................................................................................................... 73

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INDEX OF CHARTS Table 1 ......................................................................................................................................

Table 2 FRANCISCO HUERTA RENDON High School Population .......................... Table 3 Operationalization of the Variables .................................................................... Table 4 ....................................................................................................................38

Table 5 ....................................................................................................................39

Table 6 ....................................................................................................................40

Table 7 ....................................................................................................................41

Table 8 ....................................................................................................................42

Table 9 ....................................................................................................................43

Table 10 ..................................................................................................................44

Table 11 ..................................................................................................................45

Table 12 ..................................................................................................................46

Table 13 ..................................................................................................................47

Table 14 ..................................................................................................................48

Table 15 ..................................................................................................................49

Table 16 ..................................................................................................................50

Table 17 ..................................................................................................................51

Table 18 ..................................................................................................................52

INDEX OF GRAPHICS Graphic 1 ................................................................................................................38

Graphic 2 ................................................................................................................39

Graphic 3 ................................................................................................................40

Graphic 4 ................................................................................................................41

Graphic 5 ................................................................................................................42

Graphic 6 ................................................................................................................43

Graphic 7 ................................................................................................................44

Graphic 8 ................................................................................................................45

Graphic 9 ................................................................................................................46

Graphic 10 ..............................................................................................................47

Graphic 11 ..............................................................................................................48

Graphic 12 ..............................................................................................................48

Graphic 13 ..............................................................................................................50

Graphic 14 ..............................................................................................................51 Graphic 15 ..............................................................................................................52

12

Keywords: evidence, comic strip, innovative, visual.




THE INFLUENCE OF DEFINITE ARTICLE THE IN WRITING.: DESIGN OF A

COMIC STRIP FOR DEFINITE ARTICLE PRACTICE.

Researchers: Luna Cabanilla Fernando Andres

Valdez Vera Henrry Mauricio

Advisor: PhD. Lorna Cruz Rizo

ABSTRACT

The following research has taken place in the "Francisco Huerta Rendon"

National High School, where it evidenced that the students of 9th Grade of Basic

General Education has problems using the definite article the in writing for that

reason we decided to create a new instrument that is going to catch students

attention and make them feel interested in English learning. This innovative

proposal is based in the use of a comic strip in the English classes because

nowadays most of students are visual learners and this colorful resource will be

interesting for them. With the methods applied such as survey and diagnostic

test to the learners was evidence the lack of motivation and the poor resources

used in classes. This project is going to help and change the vision that

students have about traditional way of learning English.

13

UNIVERSIDAD DE GUAYAQUIL

FACULTAD DE FILOSOFIA, LETRAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACION

ESCUELA DE LENGUA Y LINGÜÍSTICA

THE INFLUENCE OF DEFINITE ARTICLE THE IN WRITING.: DESIGN OF A

COMIC STRIP FOR DEFINITE ARTICLE PRACTICE.

Investigadores: Luna Cabanilla Fernando Andrés

Valdez Vera Henrry Mauricio

Tutor: PhD. Lorna Cruz Rizo

RESUMEN

La siguiente investigación se llevó a cabo en la Escuela Secundaria Nacional

"Francisco Huerta Rendón", donde se evidenció que los estudiantes de noveno

grado de Educación General Básica tienen problemas para usar el artículo

definido por esa razón decidimos crear un nuevo instrumento que llamará la

atención de los estudiantes y los hará sentir interesados en aprender inglés.

Esta propuesta innovadora se basa en el uso de una tira cómica en las clases

de inglés porque hoy en día la mayoría de los estudiantes son aprendices

visuales y este colorido recurso será interesante para ellos. Con los métodos

aplicados, como encuestas y pruebas de diagnóstico a los alumnos, se

evidenció la falta de motivación y los escasos recursos utilizados en las clases.

Este proyecto ayudará y cambiará la visión que los estudiantes tienen sobre la

forma tradicional de aprender inglés.

Palabras claves: evidencia, tira cómica, innovador, visual.

14

INTRODUCTION

Firstly, the term writing has been defined by the Oxford dictionary as the activity

or skill of marking coherent words on paper and composing text. Writing is the

vital means of communication within an organization. In fact, a survey goes on

to say that almost 30% of our work is accomplished through written

communication! Therefore, the skills of tactful writing are essential for achieving

career and business goals. Learning this important ability is essential for

improve English or any other language, in this case it will be focused in the

learning of definite article practice , and in the proposal both variables are

correlated. The present project is divided in four chapter.

Chapter I: The Problem: Approach to the research problem, Problem formulation,

research objectives, scientific questions and justification.

Chapter II: The Theoretical Framework: Background, Philosophical foundation,,

Linguistic foundation, Pedagogical-Didactic foundation, Psychological foundation/

Contextual foundation / Legal foundation.

Chapter III: Methodology; Process, analysis and data results: Methodological design,

Types of research, Operationalization of the variables, Population and sample,

Research methods, Research techniques, Research instruments, Analysis and

interpretation of results (analysis of the diagnostic test, survey to the students,

interview to the teacher results)

Chapter IV: The Proposal: Title, Justification, Objectives, Theoretical aspect, Feasibility of the proposal, Description, Conclusion and Recommendation

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CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM

1.1 Research Context

The present research work was carried out in "Francisco Huerta Rendon"

National High School to the students of the 9th Grade of Basic General

Education in the 2019-2020 school year, which according to the Curricular

Specifications of the Ecuadorian Ministry 2018 of Education must have an A1.2

level and in turn, according to the guidelines of the Common European

Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR) (2012) must have a level A1,

which stipulates that students must be able to use a series of expressions and

phrases to describe everyday situations, link phrases in a simple form, explain

and justify briefly their opinions and narrate a story.

In a previous diagnosis, it was observed that students have problem to use the

definite article The so it is possible to determined that the conflict situation is in

speaking, which is the dependent variable. Therefore, the scientific fact of the

research lies in the insufficiency in speaking in the students of 9th Grade of

Basic General Education in "Francisco Huerta Rendon " National High School

of the 2019-2020 school year.

When deepening in the study different causes were found like: Confusion in the

use of grammar rules in relation to nouns or noun phrases, Direct extrapolation

of Spanish grammar structures into English, Deficiency in the correct use of the

definite article in writing and Inadequate exercises for the use of the definite

article in writing.

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1.2 Problem Formulation

How does the definite article the influence in the development of writing in the

students of the 9th Grade of Basic General Education of the National High

School Vicente Rocafuerte in the academic period 2019-2020?

1.3 OBJECTIVES

1.3.1 GENERAL OBJECTIVE

Determine the influence of the defined article the in the development of writing

through a field, bibliographic and statistic research, to design a comic strip with

exercises applying the definite article the for the development of writing skill in

English.

1.3.2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. Evaluate the definite article the through a field, bibliographical and statistical

research.

2. Characterize writing through field, bibliographic and statistical research.

3. Design a comic strip with exercises applying the definite article the for the

development of writing through a field, bibliographic and statistical research.

1.4 SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS

1. What is the current situation of the students of the 9th Grade of Basic

General Education of “Francisco Huerta Rendon” in the school period 2019-

2020 regarding the development of writing?

2. What are the causes that influence the development of writing?

3. What are the theoretical, historical, contextual and legal foundations that

support the development of writing based on the application of the defined

article?

4. What is the proposal to develop writing?

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1.5 JUSTIFICATION

According to previous diagnoses, it was possible to identify that students

of the 9th grade of GBE (General Basic Education) of the "Francisco Huerta

Rendon " National High School in the academic period 2019-2020, have a

deficiency in the correct use of the definite article the in writing and confusion in

the use of grammar rules in relation to nouns or noun phrases, considering that

the guidelines of the Common European Framework of Reference for

languages establishes that A1.2 users should be able to use familiar everyday

expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a

concrete type and they can write simple isolated phrases and sentences.

In the review of the sustainable development objectives supported by the

Agenda of the United Nations Organization, it can be seen from objective

number 4.1, that it ensures that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and

quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective

learning outcomes, must be considerably increased to access employment,

decent work and entrepreneurship.

Learners should begin using level-appropriate writing skills to create and

produce composition that reflects effective word and grammatical choice, also

they can write short personal reflections and essays, how-to articles, short (real

and imaginary) biographies, written notes to others and survey questions,

among others. Writing well also means mastering organizational skills and

having enough background information on a topic in order to write about

something.

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The present research foresees to implement a timely and necessary

change in the teaching-learning process of English, in order to give a new way

to teach by using tools that adjust to the current needs of students. The results

of this investigation involve the society and community of Ecuador, being these

indirect beneficiaries of this research.

By offering the student community simple, fun and appropriate ways to

acquire new knowledge, they are also given the ease and interest to increase

the knowledge already possessed to compete in a demanding work world that

seeks that its applicants have a vast academic preparation.

English in Ecuador is taught as a foreign language in school, so teachers

and students are exposed to their native language most of the time. This

situation causes interference of the mother tongue at the moment of learning

the English language. This interference problem is evident when using

productive skills, especially in conveying written messages. Consequently,

Ecuadorian students use Spanish written structures when writing English texts.

It is also common for students to translate word by word from Spanish into

English. As a result, L1 has a negative influence when writing in English (Lopez,

2011). This transfer of structures and vocabulary from L1 to L2 is a

phenomenon that the present study intends to analyze.

According to our research in multiple scientific articles, we can say that

writing is one of the most important skills in the development of a language, as

in the previous quote it is said, there is a situation that interferes in the teaching-

learning process is the mother tongue and we need to have awareness of this

to be able to contribute to an effective communication in the English language.

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Among the four skills, writing is often considered an indispensable skill

that enables students to develop an appropriate level of linguistic competence.

According to Harmer (2004), writing helps students to express their ideas in

written form and to achieve a high level of communication.

Through our experience in the internships and another teaching

experiences we can say that teaching writing skill is one of the most challenging

tasks because the students, in this case from 9th BGU, don’t have enough

previous knowledge to communicate or express any idea in writing because

they have not receive and appropriate systematic writing teaching; this skill in

English as a foreign language constitutes a primary concern for most of the high

school students because they need this skill in their academic life (e.g. studying

abroad, understanding academic information, etc.). This problem is more

evident in public high school and for these students producing a coherent, fluent

and extended piece of writing is the most difficult activity to do in English

learning.

As a solution for the problem that encompasses this project, it has been

decided to use a didactic resource in order to facilitate the learning of the

definite article in the English language. The design of a comic strip with

exercises applying the definite article the for the development of writing through

a field, bibliographic and statistical research.

Our project is going to help students and teachers to be better in writing

and the usage of definite article, because in some cases even the teacher does

not know how to use correctly the definite article, some of these mistakes are

the overuse of definite article or the lack of use of this.

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The purpose of this study is also to contribute helping to solve this

theoretical and pedagogical issue by focusing on one problem area common to

Spanish learners manifested in written production and the misuse of the definite

article in English due to the influence of Spanish. The morphosyntax and

semantics of articles in Spanish and English are very complex, but this study is

focused in the use of the definite article in generic contexts, where the two

languages differ. For example: Spanish plural noun phrases (Nps) with definite

articles can express generic reference (los elefantes tienen colmillos de marfil),

or specific reference (los elefantes de este zoológico son marrones). But

English plural with definite articles can only have specific reference (the

elephants in this zoo are brown) while generic reference is expressed with bare

plural NPs (Elephants have ivory tusks).

This is considered as one of the most common mistakes in the usage of

the definite article, and this project is going to help students and teachers in this

section of writing which is very important to develop English as a foreign

language. This comic strip is going to have previous explanation to introduce

the uses of the definite article specifically in its usage as a generic reference, so

students of the 9th grade of Basic General Education of the National High

School "Francisco Huerta Rendon " in the academic period 2019-2020 will learn

to use it.

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CHAPTER II

THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

2.1 BACKGROUND

In order to take out this project, a research of pertinent information was done

about the topic established in this thesis from the last years to the present. In

this research, it was evidenced that there has been a continuous study in the

teaching of writing and the definite article.

Since the early 1970s, many educators have presented writing as a mean of

enhancing learning. Several reasons have been suggested for this

enhancement: that writing is a form of learning, which approximates humans

through written speech, and also supports learning strategies, (Bangert-Drowns,

Hurley, & Wilkinson, 2004).

Writing is a skill that demands great effort and commitment. For this reason, it is

often difficult for students to master this skill in a foreign language. József

(2001) claims “writing is among the most complex human activities because it

involves the development of a designed idea, the capture of mental

representations of knowledge, and of experience with subjects.” (p.41) Without

doubt, writing is considered a challenging task, even in one’s mother tongue.

According to Harmer (2004), being able to write is just as vital for “speakers” of

a foreign language as it is for others who speak their native tongue. Despite the

fact that writing is not learned naturally and needs to be systematically taught, it

is essential for communication. For this reason, it constitutes a fundamental

aspect of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) courses.

22

The importance of writing can also be found in works as “A meta-analysis of

writing instruction for adolescent students” (Graham, S., & Perin, D., 2007)

where told about how writing is critical to student success in education. In

school, teachers ask students to compose texts to demonstrate, support, and

deepen their knowledge and understanding of themselves, their relationships,

and their worlds.

2.2.THEORETICAL FOUNDATION

2.2.1 PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION

Education is directly concerned with psychology. This study

discusses the contemporary education methods, analyses the psychological

effects in educational communication and emphasizes productivity of

psychological impacts in writing. In modern age, many dynamics and different

strategies are developed to teach people who live in high rhythm lives and in

anxious psychological situations. Contemporary conditions affect all

components of modern life and all approaches and behaviors. Requirements

change due to contemporary developments. Education methods naturally

change and contemporary methods require modern conditions and modern

approaches. Psychology is especially regarded in education because of

contemporary conditions, it is noticed that psychology affected productivity.

Psychology is used as a positive impact to increase productivity in education in

some countries that have gotten success and respect.

The integration of psychology in education is the most favorable way

for the development of it, because the human being is changing, some thoughts

are showed below, explaining the processes that affect directly and indirectly to

23

this problem. For Salkind (2012), “psychology has changed the spirit of

education and it offers new meaning to learning in classroom. Psychology also

changed the old impression of education, where only upper class had the ability

and right to learn”. (p.30)

In learning a new language, there are several strategies that do it

easier to understand. Bovitch (2011), mentioned that "in the search of wisdom

great things have come up, new techniques, indicators, resources, studies or

methods, because if we tried to make friends of wisdom in our homes since

they are babies, things could be different. " (p.25)

The meaningful learning theory has the concept that the learned

knowledge is fully understood by the individual and that the individual knows

how that specific fact relates to other stored facts, that means the construction

and reconstruction of meaning by learners requires that they actively seek to

integrate new knowledge with knowledge already in their cognitive structure

(David Ausubel 2000).

The psychology will be applied in this thesis because a comic strip

will be included in the proposal and it will be selected according to their relation

with the student´s learning about the definite article and social environment, so

that they would learn something that is significant for them because is closely

related to their experiences and culture.

2..2.2 LINGUISTIC FOUNDATION

“The baby cried for meal” this is a simple sentence where we can

find words like subject, verb and articles, but for this time we are going to focus

in the article specifically in the definite article, first, what is an article? An article

is a word that can be used to describe a noun in a general or specific way.

24

There are two different articles in the English language: the and

a/an. The is used to describe a specific noun, whereas a/an is used to describe

a more general noun. For this reason, the is also referred to as a definite article,

and a/an is referred as an indefinite article.

But, when do we have to use the definite article?

The is used when we assume the listener or reader will understand who

or what we are referring to, or when other words in the noun phrase

make the specific reference. Compare:

o The government has promised not to tax books. ( = books

generally) and

o The books have arrived. ( = the books you ordered)

o Music played an important part in his life. ( = music generally) and

o I thought the music used in the film was the best part. ( = this

particular music)

(Hewings, 2013, p.94)

According to the article “the articles” by Monmouth University, there are the

definite article usages to know when write the definite article, for example with

the names of geographical places like:

Names of rivers, oceans and seas;

-The Mississippi River; the Atlantic Ocean and the Dead Sea.

Geographical areas;

-The Mediterranean; the Northern Hemisphere; the South.

25

Desert, Forests, gulfs and peninsulas;

-The Gobi Desert; the Amazon; the Gulf of Mexico; the Baja

Peninsula.

Group of lakes, mountain ranges and chains of islands;

-The Great Lakes; the Andes; the Bahamas.

The define article can be used with singular and plural nouns when the noun is

specific.

The lion is the king of animal.

The lions in the zoo are majestic.

The definite article has a generic uses for a class of entities rather than a

specific member of a class, and non-generic use, the latter being wider and

more frequent. (Hawkins 1978) developed his location theory, which provides a

helpful interpretation of the non-generic meaning of the define article in English.

He asserts that all instances of non-generic they can be grouped into eight

general categories. Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman (1999) summarize

Hawkins theory as follows: " when a speaker / writer use the, he instructs the

hearer / reader to locate the referent in the same shared mental set of objects."

(279)Table 1 recapitulates Hawkins ideas as elucidated by Liu and Gleason

(2002; 6) and Garcia Mayo (2008; 552) on the acquisitions of non-generic the.

2..2.3 PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATION

Communication has been defined as a communicative situation where at least

two people from different cultures interact; it is one of the main processes for

the construction of everyday life in society but there is a type of communication

that allows share information even when who sends the message is not

26

present, that is writing. As Eduardo Vizer affirmed (2005), “communication can

be considered the concrete and objective manifestation of the permanent

processes of reconstruction of the different contexts of reality that we build and

cultivate in everyday life” (p.17).

Thereupon it can be said that communication is: "the only way we have to get in

touch with others and, even when we do not realize how much we depend on it,

is the center of our existence" (Borden y Stone, 1982, p. 82). Through the

thought of these authors it can be denoted that by learning to communicate, in

this case with the English language, you can share thoughts and customs of

each civilization.

Nowadays, English is the first language for the majority of the people in several

countries, for this reason the goals of every student in written communication

are to be able to write a unified and coherent piece of writing that can share any

kind of information.

Thus, depending on the way people express their ideas in black and white, they

will be showing their own culture and the way they respect other people’s

culture. Then, it is possible to state that during the writing process, including the

publication of any piece of writing, there is an intercultural process that implies

responsibility towards the proper culture and deference and tolerance towards

different cultural patterns. This Is why, axiology, as a branch of philosophy is

part of this research, because while learning writing, as process, students are

related to the different registers and conventions of the language which will

permit them to interact respectfully in nowadays society.

27

Finally, why writing is the most important way to communicate? Because, texts

and books have been defined like the voice to the past and is the best way to

keep the human's knowledge because written communication is more precise

and explicit, even this research was done thanks to the knowledge transmitted

by the books or articles of other people

2.2.4 PEDAGOGICAL- DIDACTIC FOUNDATION

The pedagogical aspect refers to the importance that the construction of

learning must have during the inter-learning process. It is essential that the

organization and integrity of learning would be based on the evolution of the

human sciences. To reinforce the previous idea, Flórez, R. (1996) mentions

that: "... pedagogy is the discipline that organizes the educational process of

every person, in the psychological, physical and intellectual aspects taking into

account the cultural aspects of the society in general. " (p.234).

This is how pedagogy is an essential part of education, since it

emphasizes the evolution of knowledge, so that they are durable and to

maintain a proper working environment. Taking into account the

aforementioned, the learning and application of new techniques and active

strategies, influence and help to exercise creativity, imagination and the written

skill of the English language.

Being this project aimed at English learning as a foreign language, it has

a fundamental basis in Pedagogy as a science, and it is pertinent to mention the

meaning of the word Pedagogy in the educational field. According to Wheeler S.

(2013): “Pedagogy is leading people to a place where they can learn for

themselves.” (p.130)

28

The constructivist view is touted as one of the leading theoretical

positions in education. There is no universal definition of constructivism. For

some it is a theory of learning, for others it is a theory of knowledge, and for

others still it is a pedagogical theory. Additional views include theory of science,

educational theory or an all-encompassing worldview. Phillips (2000) writes

about a number of constructivist traditions. The theoretical framework for this

project is educational constructivism. This theory has a number of variations.

The two most popular are:

1) personal constructivism attributed to Jean Piaget and

2) social constructivism associated with Lev Vygotsky.

Piaget and Inhelder (1969) believed that the fundamental basis of learning was

discovery. Vygotsky (1978) believed that Piaget’s emphasis was centered too

closely on the internal processes of individuals. Vygotsky viewed cognitive

development primarily as a function of cultural, historical and social interaction

rather than of individual construction. He suggested that people create

psychological tools to master their behavior, the most important being language.

Two important notions encompass the simple idea of constructed knowledge

(Hoover, 1996). The first is that learners construct new understandings using

what they already know. They come to learning situations with knowledge

gained from previous experiences. That prior knowledge influences what new or

modified knowledge they will construct from the new learning experiences. The

second notion is that learning is active rather than passive (Hoover, 1996).

Learners negotiate their understanding in light of what they encounter in the

new learning situation. If what learners encounter is inconsistent with their

29

current understanding, their understanding can change to accommodate new

experience. Learners remain active throughout this process.

Thus, the development of the writing skill, as a process, should be

focused in the students´ previous experiences, emotions and culture, in general

terms, so that the knowledge they acquire is meaningful to their future academic

performance. Also, writing content should not be transmitted as an already-

made knowledge, but the teacher should involve students, for example, in the

construction of the grammar rules for the use of the definite article, so that they

will acquire a life-lasting knowledge.

A comic strip is a very helpful tool for teaching English to students at every

kind of level because it catches their attention with all the colors and pictures

that result attractive for the young minds and can:

Tell a complex story in a few images.

Provide comment and provoke thought on events and issues in

the news.

Give an example of vocabulary related to current trends and fads.

Provide easily identifiable characters to form the basis for

sketches.

Show culture in action with the ways that men or women are

behaving and are expected to behave.

Comment on and illustrate a whole range of issues like racism,

teenage relationships, sexism, ageism, family relationships.

(Lavery 2002)

Writing is a skill necessary for learning a language in the class, for example

here are essays, write role-plays dialogues, dictation and write stories, all these

30

activities are used for improving the writing skill of students and the teacher

uses writing sub competences for revising all this, to get a good level of writing

is important if we respect and want to dominate a new language.

2.2.5 Legal framework

These are the laws that support the education and learning of foreign

languages.

Article 3: the State’s prime duties are: Guaranteeing without any discrimination

whatsoever the true possession of the rights set forth in the Constitution and in

international instruments, especially the rights to education, health, food, social

security and water for its inhabitants.

Article 27. Education will focus on the human being and shall guarantee holistic

human development, in the framework of respect for human rights, a

sustainable environment, and democracy; education shall be participatory,

compulsory, intercultural, democratic, inclusive and diverse, of high quality and

humane; it shall promote gender equity, justice, solidarity and peace; it shall

encourage critical faculties, art and sports, individual and community initiatives,

and the development of competencies and capabilities to create and work.

Education is indispensable for knowledge, exercise of rights and building a

sovereign country and it is a key strategy for national development.

Educación para el cambio.- La educación constituye instrumento de

transformación de la sociedad; contribuye a la construcción del país, de los

proyectos de vida y de la libertad de sus habitantes, pueblos y nacionalidades;

reconoce a las y los seres humanos, en particular a las niñas, niños y

adolescentes, como centro del proceso de aprendizajes y sujetos de derecho; y

se organiza sobre la base de los principios constitucionales;

31

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY, PROCESS, ANALYSIS AND DATA RESULTS

3.1 METHODOLOGICAL DESIGN

The modality of this research project is mixed since there is no fragmentation

between the quantitative data that are present in the research instruments, such

as the survey and the qualitative data that lead to a process of interpretation of

the information obtained from the theoretical and empirical data.

3.2 TYPES OF RESEARCH

This work is a mixed research because it is qualitative and quantitative since a

collection of quantitative data on variables is made, which are then studied and

analyzed through statistical procedures for the understanding and description of

the facts, as well as surveys of the people involved with the study, the data and

information were compiled, performing an analysis of them, to later describe

them, interpret them, understand their nature and explain their causes and

effects. (Hernández and Sampieri, 2006).

According to its gnoseological criteria, this research is descriptive, since its

purpose is to describe a set of concepts to be measured and the phenomenon

of interest is described with the results obtained. The purpose of this paper is to

describe a situation: the use of basic communication guidelines to promote the

development of communicative interaction in English by students in 9th grade of

basic education at the National School "Francisco Huerta Rendon".

Likewise, this research has a non-experimental design. In this sense,

Hernández and Sampieri (2006) clarify that “in a non-experimental study, no

situation is constructed, but existing situations are observed [..], therefore the

researcher has no control over the variables, he cannot manipulate, nor can

32

influence them because they already happened as well as their effects” (17).

So, this work is non-experimental since no variable is intentionally manipulated;

only a phenomenon is observed and described.

3.3 RESEARCH METHODS

This project is historical-logical because the historical background of writing in

relation to the definite article is investigated, to give a solution to the problem

that arises in the educational context.

In this investigation the theoretical method of analysis and synthesis was used

because it helped to recognize the reality of the problem that is being carried

out in students, through this method the different qualities of the problem were

investigated, so the possible causes and effects of the use of the defined article

The in writing that affects our study subjects were declared, through a field

observation which will lead to a possible relationship between them and the

problem. Thus, the analysis is one of the main parts that used in the breakdown

of the information acquired in different parts and the synthesis is responsible for

giving a relationship of all these dimensions in a single category.

The Systematic-structural method is implemented because it allowed to

elaborate the proposal of the project to give the solution to the problem that

arose, within this project it helped us to elaborate a comic strip with exercises to

practice the definite article The to develop writing.

In this investigation empirical methods are not used because they are not based

on experimentation, and the statistical method will be applied, because the

techniques of the survey and the diagnostic test are used for the management

33

and obtaining of quantitative data through percentages which were later

interpreted to obtain qualitative data.

3.4 RESEARCH TECHNIQUES

Looking back at the research problem which occurs at "Francisco Huerta

Rendon" High School in the students of the 9TH basic general education, three

research techniques have been used which are the survey, the interview and

the diagnostic test.

The survey is used as a technique of rapid mass application because it is an

effective procedure that allows gathering information from almost any kind of

population, and in this case, it will be applied to the students involved in this

project.

The interview is also used because it is a direct technique that is done

individually and unstructured. The dialogue is flexible and it will make the

interviewed feel more comfortable with the interviewer and collecting data with

intentionality and an implicit objective given by the research is achieved.

The diagnostic test is a test that helps the teacher and learners identify

problems that they have with the language. In this case, the diagnostic test is

aimed at students to know if they have issues in writing.

3.5 RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS

The instruments used in this project are:

- the interview, which is based in an individual interview guide, because it

is addressed to the teacher in charge of the ninth year and unstructured

because a flexible dialogue is conducted, addressed to the English

34

teacher, without deviating from the main objective that is the study of the

definite article in writing in which a comic strip for basic users will be

created,

- the survey, which will be carried out on the students, this will be

evaluated with the Likert scale, which allows to obtain more flexible

results and know the opinions of the students,

- the diagnostic test, which will allow to know the level of knowledge of

students about writing and the definite article The and

check that there really is a problem to investigate.

3.6 POPULATION AND SAMPLE

To this research project the population are the students of the 9th

Grade of the "Francisco Huerta Redon" National High School, which are

divided into five parallels that are: A, B, C, D, and E. Due to the population

is greater than 100 individuals, it is necessary to apply the following

statistical formula to take the sample corresponding to the population we

have mentioned that in this case is 225 students plus 1 teacher, whose

sample would be 52 individuals to whom the instruments will applied.

35

The

kind of sampling to be used in this project is the non- probabilistic one since

it has been applied in different researches, among which the interpretive

ones and those related to the educational field stand out, so its application is

viable.

Within the non-probabilistic sampling, five sampling subdivisions are

detailed, being the most appropriate the intentional sampling by quotas since

through it, an amount for each parallel of the 9th BGE can be fixed and, in

this way, it is possible to obtain a reliable sample by the fact of being taken

to different individuals.

Population Sample

Students 225 51

Teachers 1 1

Total 226 52

36

3.6 OPERATIONALIZATION OF VARIABLES CHART

3.6.1 PRIMARY INFORMATION

VARIABLES

CONCEPTUAL

DEFINITION

DIMENSIONS

INDICATORS

DEFINITE

ARTICLE

THE

The definite article the is the most

frequent word in

English.

We use the definite

article in front of

a noun when we

believe

the listener/reader

knows exactly what we

are referring to

(Lyons, 1999,

p. 181)

Generic use of

the definite

article The

Membership

nouns of nationality

Names of animals

and plants

Liu and

Gleason (2002)

Function of

non-generic

definite article

The

Cultural

Situation

Structural

Textual

WRITNG

The activity or skill of

marking coherent

words on paper and

composing text.

Writing sub

competences

• Grammatical competence

• Orthographic competence

• Vocabulary competence

• Phonological competence

Strategies to

improve

writintg

• Essays

• Write role-plays dialogues

• Dictation

• Write stories

37

3.6.2 SURVEY TO STUDENTS

The survey was taken at Francisco Huerta Rendon High School to the

students of first year of baccalaureate in order to know what the needs of

these students regarding the influence of the definite article the in writing.

3.6.3 DIAGNOSTIC TEST

The diagnostic test was taken to have a clearer and reliable

reference according to the performance of the students since it allows to

evaluate the knowledge of each one of these.

3.6.4 INTERVIEW TO THE TEACHER

An interview with the teacher was conducted to know details about

the teaching - learning process in classrooms and, in turn, to identify if the

problem falls on the teacher or students’ side.

3.6.5 SECONDARY INFORMATION

For the proper development of this research, reference has been

made to books, websites, scientific articles, journals and previously

published theses.

38

23% 38%

14%

10% 15%

FIGURE # 1

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

3.7 ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS

1) I distinguish the articles that I use in a sentence.

CHART # 1

OPTIONS ANSWERS PERCENTAGES

TOTALLY AGREE 5 10%

AGREE 7 14%

INDIFFERENT 12 23%

DISAGREE 20 38%

TOTALLY DISAGREE 8 15%

TOTAL 52 100%

Source: Francisco Huerta Rendon High School

Elaboration: Henrry Valdez, Fernando Luna

Comment: The highest percentage indicates that students do not distinguish articles.

This might mean that they do not know how to use the articles or are unaware of them

39

15% 8%

25%

38%

14%

FIGURE # 2

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

2) It is easy for me to differentiate the definite article from the indefinite article.

CHART # 2


TOTALLY AGREE 7 14%

AGREE 13 25%

INDIFFERENT 8 15%

DISAGREE 4 8%


TOTAL 52 100%



Comment: The highest percentage shows that students agreed on not being

able to differentiate the two articles. The cause may be that there are not

enough classes dedicated to the teaching of these articles.

40

FIGURE # 3

6%

6%

15%

58%

15%

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

3) It is difficult for me to make sentences using the definite article.

CHART # 3


TOTALLY AGREE 30 58%

AGREE 8 15%

INDIFFERENT 8 15%

DISAGREE 3 6%


TOTAL 52 100%



Comment: Most students agreed on having difficulties when writing sentences

using the definite article. One of the reasons can be that they do not know

where to place the article correctly.

41

48%

34% 4%

6% 8%

FIGURE # 4

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

4) It is difficult for me to start a writing in English.

CHART # 4



AGREE 25 48%

INDIFFERENT 2 4%

DISAGREE 4 8%


TOTAL 52 100%



Comment: according to the result, it can be noticed that the students do not

have enough level to start a writing in English, so in the proposal the students

are going to practice this important skill.

42

5) I consider the correct use of the definite article is important.

CHART # 5



AGREE 14 27%

INDIFFERENT 9 17%

DISAGREE 8 16%


TOTAL 52 100%



Comment: According to the results, it can be shown that the majority of the

students agree with the importance of the correct use of the definite article the,

it proves that they want to learn how to use the topic researched in this project

correctly.

27% 17%

16%

25% 15%

FIGURE # 5

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

43

6) I make mistakes when using the definite article.

CHART # 6



AGREE 15 29%

INDIFFERENT 8 15%

DISAGREE 5 10%


TOTAL 52 100%



Comment: more than half of the students surveyed agree that they make

mistakes using the definite article the, reason why this proposal will be handed

in to this High School, so that it could be beneficial for helping students to

improve their knowledge.

FIGURE # 6

8%

10%

38%

15%

29%

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

44

7) I find interesting learning English using comic strips.

CHART # 7



AGREE 17 33%

INDIFFERENT 5 9%

DISAGREE 3 6%


TOTAL 52 100%



Comment: almost all the surveyed are agree with the idea of learning English

using a comic strip, and in this case that makes an incredible support to the

main idea of the proposal which is designing a comic strip for definite article

practice.

FIGURE # 7

6%

6%

9%

46%

33%

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

45

8) It would be more fun to learn the definite article by completing a comic

strip.

CHART # 8



AGREE 12 23%

INDIFFERENT 6 11%

DISAGREE 3 6%


TOTAL 52 100%



Comment: most of the respondents think that it would be more fun to learn the

definite article by completing a comic strip; we think it might be due to the fact

that today’s students are more familiarized with visual learning and that is the

reason for their agreement with the proposal.

FIGURE # 8

6%

6%

11%

54%

23%

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

46

9) I have learned to use the definite article with the techniques used by the

teacher.

CHART # 9


TOTALLY AGREE 3 6%

AGREE 9 17%

INDIFFERENT 15 29%

DISAGREE 14 27%


TOTAL 52 100%



Comment: almost all students think they have not learned the usage of definite

article with the techniques used by their English teacher. The interpretation that

can be told is that this occurs because some teachers do not plan the classes

and only use the content given by the book.

29% 27%

17%

6% 21%

FIGURE # 9

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

47

10) When I write I know when to use the definite article «the».

CHART # 10


TOTALLY AGREE 2 4%

AGREE 2 4%

INDIFFERENT 10 19%

DISAGREE 17 33%


TOTAL 52 100%



Comment: a high quantity of students disagree with this statement because

they do not know when to use the definite article; mainly this is due to the fact

that they do not know most of the grammar rules to use it.

33%

19% 40%

4%4%

FIGURE # 10

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

48

11)I can write short texts using the definite article.

CHART # 11


TOTALLY AGREE 2 4%

AGREE 4 10%

INDIFFERENT 13 23%

DISAGREE 15 29%


TOTAL 52 100%



Comment: A large part of the students surveyed disagree with this statement

because they cannot write short texts using the definite article; we think that

they can do it, it is just that they do not feel sure about the grammar and are

afraid of making mistakes.

48%

34% 4%

6% 8%

FIGURE # 11

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

49

12) I am able to use the definite article “the” in writing.

CHART # 12


TOTALLY AGREE 5 10%

AGREE 4 8%

INDIFFERENT 11 21%

DISAGREE 14 27%


TOTAL 52 100%



Comment: a huge percentage of students think that they are not able to use the

definite article the in writing; that’s due the fact that students have not received

a correct teaching about this specific topic and they do not know the grammar

rules needed to apply it in writing.

FIGURE # 12

6%

6%

11%

54%

23%

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

50

13) I make myself understood when I write using definite article “the”.

CHART # 13


TOTALLY AGREE 4 25%

AGREE 7 27%

INDIFFERENT 5 17%

DISAGREE 30 16%


TOTAL 52 100%



Comment: according to this result, it can be shown that students cannot use

properly the definite article the, because they are not capable to make

themselves understood when they are using the definite article when they are

writing.

FIGURE # 13

6%

6%

15%

58%

15%

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

51

14)I feel motivated to practice in class if the teacher applies didactic

resources.

CHART # 14



AGREE 15 29%

INDIFFERENT 2 4%

DISAGREE 4 7%


TOTAL 52 100%



Comment: the majority of the students gave a positive response to this

statement. This proves that they want to practice in the English class, and all

they need is motivation and didactic classes.

48%

34% 4%

6% 8%

FIGURE # 14

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

52

15)I consider that to have correct orthography is important for understanding

a message.

CHART # 15



AGREE 12 23%

INDIFFERENT 6 11%

DISAGREE 3 6%


TOTAL 52 100%



Comment: according to this table it can be denoted that most of the students

have awareness of the fact that orthography is important to understand a

massage, it means students care about they writing skills and so it can be

predicted that they will receive the proposal of the research to practice the

definite article in a positive way.

FIGURE # 15

6%

6%

11%

54%

23%

Totally agree

Agree

Indifferent

Disagree

Totally disagree

53

3.8 ANALYSIS OF THE INTERVIEW RESULT




Teacher´s interview:

- Interviewer: How could you evaluate your students’ writing skills in

relation to the established levels for their grade?

Answer: They do not have the level they should have regarding the

Common European Framework of References.

- Interviewer What method do you use to improve students’ writing?

Answer: I use readings and make students to make a summary about

that.

- Interviewer Do you think the students use the definite article the in a

proper way?

Answer: No, most of the time they make mistakes and overuse or

underuse the definite article the.

- Interviewer: How often the students use the Spanish grammar in

sentences when they write in English?

Answer: All the time the students have the habit to use the Spanish

grammar thinking that is the same in English.

- Interviewer: Do you think the students are able to differentiate definite

article the from zero article?

Answer: They have problems to differentiate the articles in general.

- Interviewer Do you think that a comic strip could be beneficial for your

students writing skills improvement?

Answer: Yes , I think it will be an appropriate form to catch the students

attention and inspire them to practice writing.

Thanks to this interview, it was possible to know the teacher’s opinion,

teacher expressed that the students make mistakes in writing due to the

lack of vocabulary because students do not like to read which is the most

frequent way to increase that.

54

The Teacher also thinks that one of the reasons for the poor writing is

that students use the Spanish grammar structure when they write in

English, and in this case referring to the definite article they overuse that.

When we told the teacher our proposal, she was interested about that

because she agreed in that the students preferred to read a comic strip

or something new instead a book without pictures, and like in our comic

strip students will be able to perform part of the story she got fascinated.

3.9.1 ANALYSIS OF THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST RESULT

The diagnostic test applied to the students is composed by an activity about

writing a short paragraph using the definite article the.

Most of the students were not able to solve the full test. They did not get a

satisfactory score in the written production. More specifically they gave up after

having written a short sentence.

Almost all the sentences were incomplete and have no sense, it might be for the

lack of vocabulary and difficulty getting started on writing assignments and

some difficulties like:

o difficulty with sentence structure and word order,

o poor narrative sequencing,

o frequent capitalization, punctuation, and grammar errors,

o trouble generating ideas or elaborating on them.

Thanks to this test, it also can be denoted that the students do not have enough

writing practice. It is essential to recall that many scholars and teenagers make

mistakes or experience problems as part of the process of becoming better

writers. They may switch words, spell poorly, or have difficulty producing their

thoughts in composing, or exhibit other of the signs above. As in any scholastic

area, teachers, instructors and parents must watch cautiously and attempt to

comprehend an individual tyke's qualities and shortcomings to guarantee

advance. One way to monitor progress is by gathering a portfolio of a child's

55

work over time. It may help in distinguishing an issue from an early stage and

creating viable methodologies.

However, the most important difficulty that was diagnosed was the misuse of

the definite article, which is the independent variable if this study. In most of the

cases, students tended to use the article the in a similar way as it is used in

Spanish, which means that they included this definite article whenever they

were referring to a noun, no matter if it was a specific thing or a general one.

Considering this as a language interference proper of novice learners, as the

students sample was centered in 9th graders, they are considered to be in a

pre-intermediate level, they should be able to distinguish when to use the article

or not. Then, the initial problem if this researched is proved in the result

obtained in this diagnostic test.

56

CHAPTER IV THE PROPOSAL

4.1 TITLE

Design of a comic Strip for the practice of the definite article “the” for the

development of writing.

4.2 JUSTIFICATION

Through the instruments (survey, diagnostic test and teacher

interview) applied to the 9th Grade of Basic General Education in “Francisco

Huerta Rendon” National High School, it was possible to identify that the

majority of students present a huge difficulty to write using the definite

article. These results are supported by all the different instruments used.

During the diagnostic test, it could be confirmed that no student knew how to

use the definite article. One of the principal reasons that influenced this

problem is that they do not count on any new didactic resource for being

motivated in the learning of the definite article.

This is the reason why it has been decided to create a comic strip in

which they will have to complete the dialogues using the definite articles, in

this way, they will be more motivated for working and practicing writing.

4.3 OBJECTIVES

4.3.1 GENERAL OBJECTIVE

To perfect student’s writing through a comic strip with exercises to practice

the use of the definite article.

4.3.2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. To make the learning of the definite article easier and more didactic.

2. To provide the teacher a tool to help with the teaching of the definite

article.

57

4.4 THEORETICAL ASPECTS

The system of communicative activities bases itself on the following fields:

From the philosophical field, this proposal is based on the intercultural

communication because it has been defined as a communicative situation in

which two or more people from different cultures interact. Communication can

be considered the concrete and objective manifestation of the permanent

processes of reconstruction of the different contexts of reality that we build and

cultivate in everyday life (Vizer, 2005).

From the psychological field, this proposal is based on the integration of

psychology in education like one of most favorable way for the development of

it, because the human being is changing, some thoughts are showed below,

explaining the processes that affect directly and indirectly to this problem.

Salkind (2012),

From the linguistic field, this proposal is based on the rules about how to

use the definite article, because it is so important to write in a correct way for

accurate communication and for respecting the culture and history of the

language. (Hewings, 2013)

From the pedagogical field, this proposal is based on English learning

as a foreign language, it has a fundamental basis in Pedagogy as a science,

and it is pertinent to mention the meaning of the word Pedagogy in the

educational field.

4.5 FEASIBILITY OF THE PROPOSAL

4.5.1 FINANCIAL

The economic resources to develop this proposal are supported by

the authors of this research because they have a minimum cost.

58

4.5.2 LEGAL

This proposal is based on the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador

article 27, where it is stated that education will focus on the human being

and shall guarantee holistic human development. It is also based on the

National Curriculum Guidelines where it is stated that students at this grade

must achieve an A1.2 level of English language skill.

4.5.3 TECHNOLOGICAL

It has not been necessary to use technological resources for the

implementation of this proposal.

4.5.4 HUMAN

The human viability is based on the authors’ competences to create

the proposal that, in this case, is a comic strip for the definite article

practice.

4.5.5 POLITICAL

From the educational policies, this proposal is based on the

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and in the

National Curriculum Guidelines, in which it is established that students of 9th

Grade of Basic General Education must have an A1.2 level, which

corresponds to a level A1 from the CEFR.

4.6 PROPOSAL DESCRIPTION

This proposal starts with a short definition of the definite article The,

its usage and a few examples addressed to students in order to encourage their

desire to learn and progress. Next, the main objective of this project is explained

59

in a language that the student can understand. Then, it is showed the title of the

comic strip, all the activities that it includes, and the way to complete the

dialogues.

It is composed by four chapters all of them focused in the writing practice. In the

first chapter they are going to read each dialogue and after that identified the

definite article and underline it. In the second chapter students are going to

complete the dialogues using the definite article and then check the mistakes in

the back of the comic. In the third chapter the dialogues are going to be in a box

out the picture and the students have to select each one according to the story.

In the last chapter, students will have to finish the story with their own idea of

how they want to finish the comic strip.

At the end of the comic, there is the Answer Key sheet of the three first

chapters.

60

4.7 Proposal

61

Olivers´ adventures

By Henrry Valdez V. and Fernando Luna C.

62

INDEX:

Page 1- Introduction

Page 2- Explanation

Page 3- Activity number 1


Page 5 –Activity number 3


63

Introduction

This comic strip was thought because we have always liked comics and when we

started studying English we realized that the current methods used by teachers are

very boring and old-fashioned for students to feel motivated and learn. Also, we

realized that most of the students have difficulties in dealing with the definite article.

This is why we decided to create this system of exercises to get students feel inspired

and excited when learning about the definite article.

The present paper starts with a simple theoretical explanation about the correct use of

the definite article. Also, some examples adequate to the students´ level are

presented, so that they can understand easily.

The comic strip is divided in four activities, in the first activity students will have to

read the story and underline the definite article. This is a simple activity in which the

students will get familiar with the communicative use of said article.

In the second activity students will have to complete the dialogues and use the definite

article if necessary. In this case, the level of complexity is been raised, because

students will already have to write the article or not, according to their previous

knowledge.

In the third activity students are going to use a noun for describing the picture and use

the definite article if necessary. In this case, students will have to show their ability to

write using the article with a minimal help.

In the last activity learners are going to create their own story and assign a name for

each character. Thus, this last activity is more complex and demands a deeper ability in

writing in general and in the correct use of the definite article in particular.

64

Explanation

There are two different articles in the English language: the and

a/an. The is used to describe a specific noun, whereas a/an is used to describe

a more general noun. For this reason, the is also referred to as a definite article,

and a/an is referred as a indefinite article.

But, when do we have to use the definite article?

The is used when we assume the listener or reader will understand who

or what we are referring to, or when other words in the noun phrase

make the specific reference. Compare:

o The government gives books to all the students in the country. ( =

books generally) and

o The books have arrived. ( = the books you ordered)

o Music played an important part in his life. ( = music generally) and

o I thought the music used in the film was the best part. ( = this

particular music)

65

1. Read Oliver´s story and mark the definite article.

OLIVER: Prensent-yes my sister there hid a

Little parcel in my suitcase, so when i was

unpacking the case i had a cool surprise

This is Switzerland, sis; everything is good! The Swiss seem

incredibly organized and the technology here is first class.

Well, the plan is four days here in Switzerland

– this is the third day – and then four days in

Italy

When we landed at the airport, the day before yesterday,

the friend of hers who's looking after us suggested a few

days in the mountains, here in Switzerland.

66

2. Using your memories from the previous strip, insert these phrases in the story.

Complete the phrases with the definite article if necessary. Compare your answers

with the previous story.

- stuff - suitcase

When we landed at the airport, the day before yesterday, the friend of hers

who's looking after us suggested a few days in the mountains, here in

Switzerland

Well, the plan is four days here in Switzerland – this is

the third day – and then four days in Italy

This is Switzerland, sis; everything is good! The Swiss

seem incredibly organized and the technology here is

first class.

OLIVER: Prensent-yes my sister there hid a Little parcel in

my suitcase, so when i was unpacking the case i had a cool

surprise

- case - bag - day

- internet - Swiss - Italian lakes - plan

- friend - third day

- birthday

- weather

- Switzerland

67

3- Use the noun given with each of the pictures to describe them. Use the definite

article the if you consider it is correct.

- Wall - Computer - Floor

- Door - Night - Sofa

- boy - Sunflower - Cloud

- Tree - Landscape - Paint

68

4- Create your own story using the definite article the whenever it is adequate.

69

70

4.8 CONCLUSIONS

Due to the instruments used in this project, it could be verified the poor

level of the students in writing and the usage of the definite article, it

was noticed that the students do not feel motivated to express their

ideas and thoughts in English, it was demonstrated when the diagnostic

test was applied that they gave up too early and they only wrote a few

words without any sense or coherence. The proposal of this project is

lead to motivate and catch students´ attention, that is why a very

colorful set of images has been chosen in order to encourage students

to practice writing and learn the correct use of the definite article.

4.9 RECOMMENDATIONS

- It is recommended to implement didactic activities with the objective of

encouraging student’s attention regarding writing.

- It is recommended to design teaching resources for a more

representative learning of the definite article.

- It is necessary to practice more frequently the writing skills using more

attractive activities.

71

4.10 Bibliographical references:

Common European framework of reference for languages: learning, t. A.

(2010). Language policy unit, Strasbourg www.coe.int/lang-cefr.

Constitution of the republic of Ecuador. (2008). National Assembly

Legislative and Oversight Committee.

Biver et al., (1999). Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English. 1st.

Harlow: Longman. p.409.

Harpaz. (2008). Meaningful Learning Internal and External Conditions.

Sperling, M., & Freedman, S.W. (2001). Research on writing. In V.

Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (4th ed., pp. 370-389).

Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.

Troia, G. A., & Graham, S. (2003). Effective writing instruction across the

grades: What every educational consultant should know. Journal of

Educational and Psychological Consultation, 14, 75-89.

doi:10.1207/S1532768XJEPC1401_04

Troia, G. A., Lin, S. C., Cohen, S., & Monroe, B. W. (2011). A year in the

writing workshop: Linking writing instruction practices and teachers’

epistemologies and beliefs about writing instruction. The Elementary School

Journal, 112, 155-182.

Varble, M. E. (1990). Analysis of writing samples of students taught by

teachers using whole language and traditional approaches. Journal of

Educational Research, 83, 245-251

Chomsky, Noam (1962). Syntactic Structures. The Hague: Mouton and Co.

Grannis, Oliver. "The Definite Article Conspiracy in English." Language

Learning, 22(1972), 275-89.

Hasbun, Leyla. (2009) “ the use of English article by a group of EFL

leaners” Filologia y Linguistica XXXV ISSN :0377-628X

Torrado Laura (2012) “Definite article use in the IL of spanish speakers:

a multi-dimensional problem” Universidad de Vigo text -98-1-10

Chia-Lin Hsin (2013) “Language and culture in foreign language

teaching” Newcastle University 178899

http://www.coe.int/lang-cefr

72

Nyaradzo Mvududu & Jennifer Thiel-Burgess (2012) “Constructivism in

Practice: The case for English Language Learners” International Journal

Education ISSN 1948-5476.

Villacañas de Castro Luis (2013) “teaching english as a foreign language

in accordance with social-constructivism pedagogy” Universitat de

Valencia pag 97-114 .

Cabrera Solano Alexandra (2014) “Spanish Interference in EFL writing

skills: A case of Ecuadorian senior High schools” Published by Canadian

Center of Science and Education ISSN 1916-4742.

73

ANNEXES

74

ANNEX I

LETTER OF TUTORS NOMINATION ....................................................... 75

LETTER OF APPLICATION TO THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION ……76

LETTER OF PERMISSION TO THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION ........ 77

CERTIFICATE OF PERCENTAGE OF URKUND’S SIMILARITY .............. 78

PROPOSAL EVALUATION FORM ......................................................... 79

AGREEMENT OF TUTORING ................................................................. 80

REPORTS OF TUTORING SESSIONS ................................................... 81

REPORT CORRESPONDING TO THE TUTORING DONE .......................85

CERTIFICATION OF THE TUTOR .......................................................... 86

RUBRIC OF EVALUATION OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROJECT ............. 87

FINAL REVIEW REPORT ......................................................................... 88

RUBRIC OF EVALUATION OF THE WRITTEN PART OF EDUCATIONAL

PROJECT ................................................................................................. 89

CERTIFICATION OF THE REVIEWING TUTOR ...................................... 90

REPOSITORIES IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH ......................................... 91

REPOSITORIES IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH ......................................... 92

LICENSE (ANNEX 12) .............................................................................. 93

ANNEX II

PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS

PROCESS ............................................................................................. 94

INTRUMENTS OF THE INVESTIGATION ............................................ 100

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REPOSITORY IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THESIS REGISTRATION FORM

TITLE AND SUBTITLE: INFLUENCE OF DEFINITE ARTICLE THE IN WRITING, DESIGN OF A COMIC STRIP

FOR DEFINITE ARTICLE PRACTICE

AUTHORS): LUNA CABANILLA FERNANDO ANDRES, VALDEZ VERA HENRRY MAURICIO

ADVISOR: PH.D. LORNA CRUZ RIZO

INSTITUTION: UNIVERSITY OF GUAYAQUIL

FACULTY: FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY, LETTERS AND SCIENCES OF EDUCATION

TITLE OBTAINED: BACHELOR OF EDUCATION; LANGUAGE AND ENGLISH LITERATURE.

DATE OF PUBLISHING: NUMBER OF PAGES:

THEMED AREAS: ENGLISH LANGUAGE

KEYWORDS: Writing, the definite article, activity.

ABSTRACT:

The following research has taken place in the "Francisco Huerta Rendon" National High School, where it

evidenced that the students of 9th Grade of Basic General Education has problems using the definite article the

in writing for that reason we decided to create a new instrument that is going to catch students attention and

make them feel interested in English learning. This innovative proposal is based in the use of a comic strip in the

English classes because nowadays most of students are visual learners and this colorful resource will be

interesting for them. With the methods applied such as survey and diagnostic test to the learners was evidence

the lack of motivation and the poor resources used in classes. This project is going to help and change the vision

that students have about traditional way of learning English.

ATTACHED PDF: SI NO

AUTHORS NAMES AND

CONTACT:

Telephone:

0997562698

0963277719

E-mail:

[email protected]

[email protected]

INSTITUTION

CONTACT:

Name: SECRETARIAL OF THE SCHOOL OF LANGUAGES AND ENGLISH LITERATURE

Telephone: (04) 2294888 Ext.123





92

REPOSITORIO NACIONAL EN CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA

FICHA DE REGISTRO DE TESIS/TRABAJO DE GRADUACIÓN

TÍTULO Y SUBTÍTULO: INFLUENCIA DEL ARTICULO DEFINIDO THE EN LA ESCRITURA, DISEÑO DE UNA

TIRA CÓMICA PARA LA PRÁCTICA DEL ARTICULO DEFINIDO.

AUTOR(ES) LUNA CABANILLA FERNANDO ANDRES, VALDEZ VERA HENRRY MAURICIO

REVISOR/TUTOR: PH.D. LORNA CRUZ RIZO

INSTITUCIÓN: UNIVERSIDAD DE GUAYAQUIL

UNIDAD/FACULTAD: FACULTAD DE FILOSOFÍA, LETRAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACIÓN

MAESTRÍA/ESPECIALIDAD: LICENCIATURA EN EDUCACIÓN, LENGUA Y LITERATURA INGLESA

GRADO OBTENIDO:

FECHA DE PUBLICACIÓN: No. DE PÁGINAS:

ÁREAS TEMÁTICAS: LENGUA INGLESA

PALABRAS CLAVES/

KEYWORDS:

Producción escrita, articulo definido the, actividad.

RESUMEN: La siguiente investigación se llevó a cabo en la Escuela Secundaria Nacional "Francisco Huerta

Rendón", donde se evidenció que los estudiantes de noveno grado de Educación General Básica tienen

problemas para usar el artículo definido por esa razón decidimos crear un nuevo instrumento que llamará la

atención de los estudiantes y los hará sentir interesados en aprender inglés. Esta propuesta innovadora se basa

en el uso de una tira cómica en las clases de inglés porque hoy en día la mayoría de los estudiantes son

aprendices visuales y este colorido recurso será interesante para ellos. Con los métodos aplicados, como

encuestas y pruebas de diagnóstico a los alumnos, se evidenció la falta de motivación y los escasos recursos

utilizados en las clases. Este proyecto ayudará y cambiará la visión que los estudiantes tienen sobre la forma

tradicional de aprender inglés.

ADJUNTO PDF: SI NO

CONTACTO CON

AUTOR/ES:

Teléfono:

0997562698

0963277719

E-mail:

[email protected]

[email protected]

CONTACTO CON LA

INSTITUCIÓN:

Nombre: SECRETARÍA DE LA ESCUELA DE LENGUAS Y LITERATURA INGLESA

Teléfono: (04) 2294888 Ext.123





93

94




TITLE: RECEIVING TUTORIALS WITH OUR ACADEMIC CONSULTANT PH.D.

LORNA CRUZ RIZO

95





LORNA CRUZ RIZO

96





LORNA CRUZ RIZO

97




TITLE: LANDSCAPE OF THE FRANCISCO HUERTA RENDON HIGH

SCHOOL

98




TITLE: SURVEYING THE STUDENTS

99

TITLE: TAKING THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST TO STUDENTS

TITLE: INTERVIEWING THE ENGLISH TEACHER

100

Instuments

of the

investigation




Diagnostic Test

- Select one of the following topics and write a paragraph in approximately 50 words.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Daily Routine Last Vacations Favorite Hobby




Teacher´s interview:

- Interviewer: How could you evaluate your students’ writing skills in

relation to the established levels for their grade?

Answer: They do not have the level they should have regarding the

Common European Framework of References.

- Interviewer What method do you use to improve students’ writing?

Answer: I use readings and make students to make a summary about

that.

- Interviewer Do you think the students use the definite article the in a

proper way?

Answer: No, most of the time they make mistakes and overuse or

underuse the definite article the.

- Interviewer: How often the students use the Spanish grammar in

sentences when they write in English?

Answer: All the time the students have the habit to use the Spanish

grammar thinking that is the same in English.

- Interviewer: Do you think the students are able to differentiate definite

article the from zero article?

Answer: They have problems to differentiate the articles in general.

- Interviewer Do you think that a comic strip could be beneficial for your

students writing skills improvement?

Answer: Yes , I think it will be an appropriate form to catch the students

attention and inspire them to practice writing.




SURVEY

Mark with a (x) the box that best describes your degree of agreement with each of the following statements:

Totally agree; Agree; Indifferent; Disagree; totally disagree.

Totally

agree

Agree Indifferent Disagree Totally

disagree

1 I distinguish the articles when I

read short texts.

2 It is easy for me to differentiate

the definite article from the

indefinite article.

3 It is difficult for me to make

sentences using the definite

article.

4 It is difficult for me to structure

the sentences in English

5 I consider the correct use of the

defined article is important.

6 I make mistakes when using the

definite article

7 I find interesting learning

English using comic strips

8 It would be more fun to learn

the definite article by

completing a comic strip

9 I have learned to use the

definite article with the

techniques used by the teacher

10 When I write I know when to

use the definite article «the»

11 I can write short texts using the

definite article

12 I am able to use the definite

article “the” in writing.

13 I make myself understood when

I write using definite article

“the”

14 I feel motivated to practice in

class if the teacher applies

didactic resources.

15 I find interesting reading short

stories in English.

Documents

UNIVERSITY OF GUAYAQUIL FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY, …repositorio.ug.edu.ec/bitstream/redug/45257/1/BFILO-PLL-19P078 LU… · Palabras claves: evidencia, tira cómica, innovador, visual