COTOPAXI TECHNICAL

UNIVERSITY
ACADEMIC UNIT OF
ADMINISTRATIVE AND HUMANISTIC SCIENCES

ENGLISH MAJOR

RESEARCH PLAN
TOPIC
ENGLISH SPEAKING IMPROVEMENT THROUGH THE DIRECT
INTERACTION BETWEEN NATIVE SPEAKERS AND (BI) STUDENTS
AT PRIMERO DE ABRIL EDUCATIVE UNIT DURING THE
ACADEMIC CYCLE APRIL 2014- AUGUST 2015.

AUTHOR:
Jeremin AdrianToscano Caisalitin
TUTOR
Encalada Trujillo Edgar

Latacunga Ecuador
2014-2015

1. PROBLEM STATEMENT
The Ecuadorian Government and the Ministry of Education are working in a
collective way with the purpose of developing the English languages
improvement as many in students as teachers in charge of this important area.
In Ecuador, with regard to the last evaluations made by the Education First (EF) to
more than 52.000 people between 18 and 19 years old, including students and
employees have get a score of 46.9 above 100 percent of the total score.
This has placed to Ecuador in the position number 48 with the lowest level in the
English language among of 60 countries. This has produced an alarming news
allowing to understand that the foreign English language is not so appreciated for
Ecuadorians young students.
It is so relevant to mention this, due to in 2012 the same evaluation made by
Education First (EF) positioned to Ecuador in the place 46 while in 2013 it has
positioned it in the 48 place, permitting thus to understand that from 2012 to 2013
instead of getting the best goals and scores in the English language, it has
produced a huge backward into this area.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Education in the Cotopaxi Province will
introduce to the Zones 3 Educational Institutions some professors who have been
specialized during 7 months in English countries through the Go Teacher
program with the only objective of getting important educational advances in the
English language area.
Zone 3 has 56 teachers who have successfully participated in the program "Go
Teacher" and who have returned to be located in the various educational
institutions with International Bachelorship, Milenniums Educational Units, and
more Educational Institutions that need the help and experience that can be
provided for this valuable human resource.
In this way will be benefited in great way the various Educational Institutions of
our province, in particular those which work with the International Bachelorship

(IB) as is the case of the Primero De Abril Educative Unit which is located in
the Cantn Latacunga.
This school has the opportunity to train and prepare young students of the
International Bachelorship (IB), an international fellowship program established
by the Ecuadorian Government and the Ministry of Education.
In this educational institution there is a large number of students that are still part
of the International Bachelorship, which could lose the total interest of this
program if the teachers do not establish methodologies more real and assertive
that improve the teaching of the English language.
It means that the students could lose the total interest on the English as a foreign
language if this language is limited and applied only within the four walls of the
classroom with fictitious dialogs and imaginary examples and whats more, with
only 5 hours a week. A possible solution to this issue would be that we make use
of the tourism resources that the province of Cotopaxi offers in order to carry to
our students to those sites and motivate them to have a meeting and a real
conversation with foreigner people and native speakers of the English language.
This method Direct speech will help to develop and improve the English
speaking skill language in the Ecuadorian youth, in particular the International
Bachelorship (IB) students from the Primero De Abril Educative Unit.

1.1.

CONTENT CONTRAINT

Which could be the advantages and disadvantages that the (PRE-BI) students will
get by keeping a real conversation with native English Speakers?
1.2.

JUSTIFICATION

This research will be carried out with the only objective of helping to develop and
improve the English speaking skill to the hundreds of learners who are studying in
the PRIMERO DE ABRIL Educative Unit.
With this investigation they will find a new alternative of learning this global
language.
The Practical contribution of this investigation will specifically solve the huge
problem that (PRE-BI) students have in their process of learning the English
language into this educational institution.
We do not have to forget that the principal beneficiaries of this project will be
the students of the (PRE-BI) program. This program in a principal way will
benefit to students to develop and improve their speaking skill.
If this project is applied with success, the (pre bi) students will get an incredible
experience with foreign native speakers.
On the other hand, for having a clear idea about how deep the problem in the
students is, we will make to students a survey related to their problem.
This investigation is quite different to others because of this project as a scientific
novelty is focused and will be applied specially in the (PRE-BI) students from the
PRIMERO DE ABRIL Educative Unit.
Apart from this, this kind of projects never has been carried out into this
educational institution with those students neither others.
This project will be feasible for doing because it does not need lots of money,
transport neither a great investment.
This is the great reason why this project might be carried easily out in contrast of
others which need enormous amounts of money or other resources.
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The possible limitations of this project could be because of the lack of

cooperation from the school authorities or students.
Or maybe for the difficulties that might present the weather at the moment of
travelling toward the tourist places.
1.3.
OBJECTIVES
1.3.1. GENERAL OBJECTIVE:
To strengthen the English language teaching through the well use of the
touristic resources that our Province offers for developing the speaking skill
into the PRIMERO DE ABRIL Educative Unit (IB) students during the
academic cycle April 2014-August 2015.
1.3.2. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
To determine the methodological concepts into the E.T.L Process.
To diagnose the current situation of (IB) students speaking level to identify

their strengths and weaknesses.

To propose speaking strategies outside the classroom through the use of
available resources.

2. THEORETICAL FOUNDATION
2.1.
BACKGROUND

The Educative Unit "Primero de Abril" has a high level of education which has
been forged day by day for more than 30 years of institutional life.
It is important to emphasize that this educational institution was the first to
include within its policy the (IB) program, International Baccalaureate which
supports all students who have a high level of qualification and wishing to make
their university studies outside the country
In spite of his prestige and his (IB) program, the "Primero de Abril" Educative
Unit has never carried out since its inception a program or project that help and
encourage the learning and improvement of the English language outside of the
educational establishment.
It means that it has not been focused on bringing to the students of the (BI) toward
the tourist places that the Cotopaxi province and the country offers so as to do
thus, they be able to have a direct contact with native Americans speakers so that
in this way the students can improve their English speaking skill.
There is no registration or documentary evidence that show us that The "Primero
de Abril" Educative Unit had ever carried out a project that helps students from
the (IB) to maintain a personalized contact and a real conversation with foreign
people from USA.

2.2. MAIN CATEGORIES.

SOCIAL AND ACADEMIC

LANGUAGE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
TEACHING-LEARNING
PROCESS
SPEAKING SKILL
DEVELOPMENT
ENGLISH FOR TOURISM
PURPOSES
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
ENVIRONMENT FOR
STUDENTS

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS
2.3.

SOCIAL AND ACADEMIC LANGUAGE

Social language is the language of the playground. Researcher Jim Cummins calls
this language Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills or BICS (Cummins,
1981, 1996). Newcomers use BICS to function socially in hallways, classrooms,
school buses, and playgrounds. Cummins's research shows that it takes one to
three years for English language learners to reach the social language level of their
peers.
The context of social language is embedded. For example, if a student wants a
drink of water, he can ask for it by making a drinking motion and saying the word
water. Newcomers have support for BICS because they can use gestures, objects,
and pictures to help make the information comprehensible. English language
learners who are in the beginning stages are able to handle the following tasks:

Produce survival vocabulary such as the words for water or bathroom.

Follow simple directions that are accompanied by gestures such as Point to

the door or Walk to the chair.

Engage in one-to-one social conversation using gestures.
Answer low-level questions such as Is an elephant large or small? or What

color is the chair?

Participate effectively in hands-on classes such as art and physical education.
Play uncomplicated games, particularly games that they play well in their

native language, such as checkers, chess, or backgammon.

Produce simple drawings, charts, and graphs.
2.3.1. Using a Primary Language at Home
Parents of English language learners should be encouraged to speak their primary
language at home.
School administrators and classroom teachers should encourage parents to speak
their native language at home. It is much more beneficial for children to hear
fluent native language with a rich vocabulary than it is to hear imperfect, halting
English. We learned from the Iceberg Model that academic concepts learned in
students' primary language will help them acquire English. In the next example,
Isabel and her family try to integrate English into their home life.

Isobel's family is from Costa Rica. Her parents speak some English and are
literate in Spanish. When Isabel's teacher told them that they should speak English
at home, her parents became distressed. They tried to speak English with her at
the dinner table, but their conversations were stilted. Isobel's parents no longer felt
comfortable asking her about her school, classes, and homework in Spanish. They
stopped discussing books and the television news with her. Although the family
reverted to their native language at the dinner table after a week of hesitant
English, Isobel felt ashamed of her native language. She wished her parents spoke
English.
2.3.2. How Do Students Acquire Social Language?
Does social language need to be taught and practiced or do students pick it up
automatically on the playground or in the lunchroom? English language learners
may need to be specifically taught interpersonal skills such as how to greet
people, give and receive compliments, apologize, and make polite requests. They
also need to understand nonverbal language and the use of personal space. The
goal of Standard 1 of the 2006 Prek12 English language proficiency standards is
for ELLs to learn to communicate in English for social and instructional purposes
during the school day. This goal is important because many ELLs need to learn
the appropriate voice tones, volume, and language for different school settings.
For example, some ELLs speak to a teacher in the same way that they talk to a
peer, such as Min Ki in the next example.
Min Ki is a beginning ELL from Korea. Although his English is quite limited,
Min Ki is adept at picking up expressions on the playground. During recess one
day he learned to say Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whenever Ms. Chen, his classroom
teacher, gave directions, Min Ki would reply, Yeah, yeah, yeah. The teacher

finally had to ask an adult volunteer to explain to him that this is inappropriate
language for a child to use with an adult. In this setting, an adult had to teach
Min Ki that there is a difference between language used with an adult and
language used with friends on the playground.

Many newcomers in middle school and high school say that they are learning
academic language but have few opportunities to practice social language. Most
of their social interactions are with students with the same native language
background. In the next example, we look at Carmen and Diego and their social
language skills.
Carmen is an English language learner from the Dominican Republic who
attends a suburban middle school. She is a very good student who works hard and
has quickly acquired academic English; however, she socializes only with
classmates who speak Spanish. Her social language in English is slow and
hesitant. She has difficulty initiating a conversation in English. Her Brazilian
classmate Diego, on the other hand, is athletic and plays soccer with the boys
from his class. Because Diego interacts with many English-speaking teammates,
his social English is quite fluent.
Social language comes easier to students who have real reasons to speak with their
classmates. Organized school activities such as sports teams, band, or chorus can
expose ELLs to social English.
Role playing, teacher modeling, peer modeling, and videos are all good tools for
teaching ELLs social
Mrs. Arena makes an everyday classroom routine a valuable lesson in social
interaction and small talk. As students leave the playground after school, they say
good-bye to each other using the same farewells modeled earlier by the teacher.
2.3.3. How Long Does It Take Students to Learn English?
Classroom teachers, administrators, and school board members frequently ask,
How long does it take a student to learn English? and How long should
students receive language support? Let's look at the research.

The most comprehensive research available on English language learners was

conducted by Thomas and Collier (1997). They studied the language acquisition
of 700,000 English language learners in a longitudinal study from 1982 to 1996.

10

They wanted to find out how long it would take for students with no background
in English to reach the performance of a native speaker on norm-referenced tests
(50th percentile). In addition, they looked at variables such as socioeconomic
status, students' first language, programs used to learn English, and the amount of
formal schooling in students' primary language.
Thomas and Collier found that the most significant variable in how long it takes
for a student to learn English is the amount of formal schooling students receive in
their first language.
In one part of the study, Thomas and Collier researched a group of Asian and
Hispanic students from an affluent suburban school district. These students
received one to three hours of second-language support per day in a well-regarded
ESL program. These students generally exited the ESL program in the first two
years. All students were at or above grade level in native language literacy. For
this group, Thomas and Collier found these results:

Students ages 8 to 11 years old with two to three years of native language

education took five to seven years to test at grade level in English.

Students with little or no formal schooling who arrived in the United States
before the age of 8 took 7 to 10 years to reach grade-level norms in English

language literacy.
Students who were below grade level in their native language also took 7 to 10
years to reach the 50th percentile. Many of these students never reached
grade-level norms.

These data held true regardless of the home language, country of origin, or
socioeconomic status.
(Haynes, 2007 )

2.4. ENGLISH LANGUAGE

11

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in Anglo-Saxon

England in the early middle Ages. It is now the most widely used language around
the world.
This language is spoken in many countries around the world. It is the first
language of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland,
New Zealand and a number of Caribbean nations.
There are about 375 million native speakers (people with first language as
English), which makes English the second most spoken language in the world.
About 220 million more people speak it as a second language and there are as
many as a billion people who are learning this language.
English has changed, and has been changed by many different languages because
nearly 60% of the vocabulary comes from Latin, English is sometimes called the
most Latin of the Germanic languages.
Modern English, sometimes described as the first global lingua franca, is the
world's mostly widely used language and in some instances the required
international language of communications, science, information technology,
business, seafaring, aviation, entertainment, radio, and diplomacy. Its spread
beyond the British Isles began with the growth of the English overseas
possessions, and by the 19th century the reach of the British Empire was global.
As a result of overseas colonization from the 16th to 19th centuries, this English
language became the dominant language in the United States, Canada, Australia,
and New Zealand.
(Smith, 2009)
2.5. TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS
It is the heart of education, on it depends on the fulfillment of the aims and
objectives of education. It is the most powerful instrument of education to bring
about desired changes in the students. Teaching learning are related terms.
In teaching - learning process, the teacher, the learner, the curriculum and other
variables are organized in a systematic way to attain some pre-determined goal.

12

Let us first understand in short about learning, teaching and then teaching-learning
relation.
Learning can be defined as the relatively permanent change in an individual's
behavior or behavior potential (or capability) as a result of experience or practice
(i.e., an internal change inferred from overt behavior). This can be compared with
the other primary process producing relatively permanent change that results from
biological growth and development. Therefore, when we see a relatively
permanent change in others, or ourselves we know that the primary cause was
either maturation (biology) or learning (experience). As educators, there is nothing
we can do to alter an individuals biology; the only influence open to use is to
provide an opportunity for students to engage in experiences that will lead to
relatively permanent change.
Teaching then, can be thought of as the purposeful direction and management of
the learning process. Note that teaching is not giving knowledge or skills to
students; teaching is the process of providing opportunities for students to produce
relatively permanent change through the engagement in experiences provided by
the teacher.
(Scribd, s.f.)
2.6. SPEAKING SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Talking about the development of speaking skills during a teaching- learning
process, it is necessary to consider a great number of factors that influence this
process. Oral production, the process of communication, number of interlocutors,
interaction patterns, an amount of information processed, time span, teacher,
student, the conditions under which all these elements mutually interact are only a
small part of what developing speaking skills makes. It is impossible to discuss all
the factors related to this process in the thesis; therefore, an attention will be
focused only on selected areas.
As it has just been suggested, there are several aspects that contribute to the
development of students speaking skills, one of them being, I personally believe,
the effective organization of activities.

13

Before dealing with the problematic of organizing activities focused on the

development of speaking skills, however, I would like to consider the theoretical
background of the skill of speaking, particularly theory of speaking (elements of
speaking); furthermore, speaking in relation to communicative competence, and
typology of activities proposed for the development of speaking skills.
Carrying out activities which aim at developing speaking skills is inevitably
connected with the use of different organizational forms, of which some principal
aspects will be proposed in the second part of the theoretical section.
Each speaking activity is bounded to a certain progress, within which there can be
traced stages and areas that can be positively or negatively influenced by the
teacher. Therefore, the aim of the third part will be to propose principles related to
the organization of speaking activities that need to be taken into consideration
when planning activities focused on the development of speaking skills.
The purpose of the practical section is to focus on one of the areas developed in
third part of the theoretical section and present the data obtained in small-scale
research by structured observation method. It will be the aim to find out whether
the theoretical notes as implied by teaching specialists are applied in real
environment of elementary schools.
Developing speaking skills includes several aspects that influence this process. It
is more than obvious that the student together with the teacher are the most
important ones. The way this process can be influenced from the position of the
teacher will be the aim of the thesis.
Modern teaching methods of foreign languages count on involving the use of
different organizational forms and activities which support such a development.
The way teachers organize these activities and the way they perceive the
individual steps connected with the organization of activities may essentially
influence the eventual efficiency of the activity and the consequent development
of speaking skills.
The theoretical section therefore deals with the theoretical notes concerning
speaking together with the analysis of the most frequent organizational forms.

14

Next part includes theoretical suggestions of the individual stages that should be
taken into consideration when organizing activities focused on the development of
speaking skills.
The practical section contains research which tries to prove the practical use of the
theoretical notes concerning one selected stage of the activity in English lessons at
Czech elementary schools.
Speaking skills, like listening skills, are often neglected in the classroom or
teachers assume that they are an area that does not require instruction or
facilitation. In order to communicate effectively through speaking, children must
exhibit fluency, clarity, and an awareness of audience.

Such verbal

communication skills are learned through practice and observation of an effective

speaker, such as the teacher.
(Yellen, 2004)
2.7. ENGLISH FOR TOURISM PURPOSES
English used for the international tourism and service industry falls into the
category of English for Specific Purposes and requires educators to understand the
practical applications of this approach. This paper also introduces a new category
in the ESP genre, that of English for Tourism Purposes or ETP. In addition, the
significance of maintaining and improving learner motivation during their lifelong
journey of learning by using a communicate setting and a communicative
methodology will be discussed. Learners who seek employment in the tourism
and service industry need to remain highly motivated to become truly fluent in a
high level of professional service language and must master English for Tourism
Purposes (ETP). Various factors must be considered by educators in designing
ETP curriculums, individual courses, and classroom materials which will benefit
students, increase motivation, and improve language skills.
Educators engaged in using English for Specific Purposes as a theoretical
framework have various roles and responsibilities. Dudley Evans and St. John
(1998) identify five key roles for the proper practice of ESP.

15

These roles include being a teacher, a course designer and class material
developer, a collaborator, a researcher, and an evaluator. Nunan (1987) makes
various observations about teachers who develop curriculums and points out that
developing the curriculum requires time, skill, and support.
Nunan recognized that issues such as these are vital for teachers faced with the
daunting task of developing curricula. Important issues in ESP curriculum design
are the abilities required for success ful communication in occupational settings,
content language acquisition versus general language acquisition, heterogeneous
versus homogenous learner groups, and materials development. (Nunan,1987)
Further, the acquisition of English for Tourism Purposes (ETP) must take into
account these various factors within an international context. Hutchinson and
Waters (1987) discuss international historical events and the emergence of English
as the international language and the subsequent development of ESP.
English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Occupational Purposes
(EOP) are, however, different in terms of focus. This particularly insightful idea is
pointed out by Cummins (1979). Notions of cognitive academic proficiency
versus basic interpersonal skills, though often intermingled, need to remain
separate in terms of focus. Due to this fact, a curriculum concerning English for
the international tourism and service industry must be carefully created to suit
specific learners needs.
Indeed, English for Tourism Purposes (ETP) courses must be specifically
designed. The third and final type of ESP identified by Carver (1983) is English
with specific topics. Carver contends that emphasis shifts from purpose to topic.
This category is uniquely concerned with anticipated future English needs of, for
example, tourism professionals in the workplace. There should be an integral
component of such courses or programs which focus on situational language. This
situational language has been determined based on the interpretation of results
from needs analysis of authentic language used in target workplace settings. Base
vocabulary, situational expressions, and formulaic expressions for various tourism
related professions must be taught at an early stage of the learning process.
English for Tourism Purposes courses should take all of this into account.

16

The three features common to ESP courses identified by Carver (1983) are
authentic material, purposerelated orientation, and selfdirection. If we also
consider DudleyEvans (1987) claim that ESP should be offered at an
intermediate or advanced level, use of authentic learning materials is advisable.
The use of authentic content materials may be a crucial feature of ESP,
particularly in self -directed study and research tasks. This holds especially true
for learners of English for Tourism Purposes (ETP).
Purposerelated orientation refers to the simulation of communicative tasks
required of the target setting. Selfdirection is also characteristic of ESP courses
in that the . . . point of including selfdirection is that ESP is concerned with
turning learners into users (Carver, 1983, p.134). In order for selfdirection to
occur, the pupils must have a certain degree of freedom to decide when, what, and
how they will study. Empowering learners with such flexibility will stimulate
motivation. English for Specific Purposes requires a comprehensive needs
analysis. This is particularly true for students who are studying English for the
international tourism and service industry and students who are studying in an
English for Tourism Purposes program.
As there are various places of potential employment, the educator must center
focus on a particular learners future occupational desires.
Learner centered approaches to lessons; materials and syllabus design advocate
the involvement of pupils. Student fronted language learning must allow learners
to express their views on their educational needs and desires for learning the
language, their preferred learning styles (Willing, 1988), their philosophy and
beliefs about language learning, and or their preferred activity types
(Barkhuisen,1998). In keeping with a learner centered or communicative
approach, goals are focused on students and their success. Jones (1990) addresses
one of the core conundrums, however, in that ESP teachers find themselves in a
situation where they are expected to produce a course that exactly matches the
needs of a group of learners, but are expected to do so with no, or very limited,
preparation time (Jones, 1990, p. 91). In reality, many instructors are not
provided with ample time for needs analysis, materials research and materials
development.

17

2.8. ENGLISH LANGUAGE ENVIRONMENT FOR STUDENTS

The key to encouraging speaking skills in the classroom is creating the proper
environment. Children should feel relaxed, and social interaction with peers
should be encouraged. One teacher of fourth grade suggests these goals:

to speak clearly with proper pronunciation in order to communicate with

others
to speak expressively with feeling and emotion and avoid the monotone
to speak effectively in different situations: with individuals, small groups, and

the whole class

to utilize speaking in all the communication arts and content areas to further
learning

To achieve these goals, the teacher organized her instructional program around
two criteria: a positive, receptive teacher attitude and a physical environment
conducive to language use.
2.8.1.

Speaking Skills-Strategies and Activities:

When a teacher makes use of activities that have been specially designed to
incorporate several language skills simultaneously (such as reading, writing,
listening, and writing), they provide their students with situations that allow for
well-rounded development and progress in all areas of language learning.
The four skills work in tandem when the activities that require their use are
designed to support learners in the process of learning, creating and producing a
specific product. Four approaches in particular are structured so that the four skills
can be used simultaneously. These approaches are: the focal skill approach,
content-based instruction, task-based instruction and the project-based approach.
Most oral language instruction takes place indirectly; that is, the teacher creates
the positive climate and the motivational activity, and the students do the rest.
2.8.1.1.

Conversation and Discussion:

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The teacher seeks to engage children in talk with other children in a relaxed
atmosphere. Socialization skills as well as language are enhanced when students
engage in conversations and discussions. Conversation is informal,
Spontaneous, and relatively unstructured. Discussion is more formal and usually
topic-centered talk. It focuses on a specific topic or purpose. Both are similar in
that they build on the students home-learned experiences and serve to give
practice in pronunciation, fluency, expression, and vocabulary. They also help
children build confidence to express themselves orally.
Here are some classroom guidelines:

Speak loud enough to be heard in your group but not so loud as to disturb

others.
Only one person speaks at a time.
While one person is speaking, the other members of the group must actively

listen to the speaker.

No one insults or offends any other member of the group.

To practice conversation, a teacher could schedule several talking times each

week. During these times, several students get in a circle and talk about whatever
interests them. This is the inner circle. Sitting around them in the outer circle
are the rest of the students who listen and observe. At the next talking time
groups are switched.
In the discussion strategy, sticking to the point is essential. The goal of a
discussion is to reach a conclusion or solve a problem.

Before starting the

discussion, the topic should be clearly defined and understood by everyone.

Usually, it is stated in the form of a question (Should children have to do chores to
earn an allowance?). Great discussion topics come from literature, school events
or problems, experiences, current news, etc. Students discuss the topic and try to
reach some sort of consensus. Other types of discussions are panel discussions
and debates.
A rich English language learning environment can be created through making full
use of the time and resources both inside and outside the school. Schools may
consider the WHY, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHO, and HOW questions in
19

relation to the following two key success factors contributing to the creation of a
rich English language environment for students:
Raising students' motivation and interest in English learning; and
Widening students' learning space (physical and cognitive) through effective
learning and teaching strategies, flexible curriculum planning and timetabling (to
make allowance for life-wide learning and co-curricular activities), and effective
deployment of resources.
2.8.2. Raising students' motivation and interest
All students should be helped to become aware that better English would allow
them to communicate with a wider range of people. Their enhanced interest in
learning English does not only open up opportunities for work and study, but more
importantly, it provides them with greater opportunities for pleasure and
enjoyment in their personal life.
Suggestions:
(Adapted from those in the Final Report of Language Education Review of the
Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR, 2003))

When students like the subjects, they are more motivated to learn. Teaching
methods which arouse students' interest such as providing more learning
activities and making use of multi-media learning and teaching resources

should be employed in the English classroom.

A whole-school language curriculum, which takes into consideration the
needs, interests and abilities of students, should be developed to make
language learning more related to the daily life of students. Mass media,
particularly English television and radio programs in English, should be more

widely used.
Schools should provide more opportunities for the use of English. The
promotion of learner autonomy and Self-Access Language Learning (SALL)
encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning as well as

monitor and evaluate their own progress.

Parents should be encouraged to support their childrens language learning by
taking up a more active role in helping their children develop good reading
habits and enhancing their interest in extensive reading.

20

2.8.3. Widening

students'

learning

space

providing

additional

opportunities for language learning

Language proficiency is best raised through active and frequent use. It is
important to provide students with maximum English exposure as well as
meaningful and purposeful activities through which they can learn and apply the
language.
Suggestions:

Adopting a whole-school approach to promote the learning and use of English

through the collaboration of teachers in different key learning areas.

Introducing cross-curricular enrichment programmes so that students can be
systematically exposed to the use of English for a wide variety of subjects in a
classroom setting, as well as in extended activities beyond the classroom. In
this connection, EDB has commissioned the Hong Kong University of Science
and Technology to develop a total of 60 teaching modules for Secondary 2 and
Secondary 3 students of CMI schools. These modules have been uploaded on
the EDB Website. Teachers may tailor them, or develop school-based

modules, to cater for the specific needs of their students.

Providing students with opportunities to explore both the spoken and written
English language through appropriate and effective teaching strategies (such
as the task-based approach) as well as learning activities which are designed to
engage students in the authentic, practical and functional use of language for
meaningful purposes, e.g. learning to be effective English camp leaders,
finding learning materials for junior form students for the SALL or English

corner.
Using a lot of reading and listening / viewing materials which are in use
around the school premises or community resources for classroom or cocurricular language activities, e.g. promoting reading to learn through building
in a morning reading time, using cross-curricular learning materials (e.g. those
provided by EDB), articles in magazines, youth radio programs (such as Teen
Time or Song Bird) or advertisements / public announcements or selected
programs on television for further language activities (e.g. debates, public
speaking or dramatic re-presentations).

21

Using the classrooms, display boards, walls, etc. in the school to display
students' work, language learning resources, and information related to
language learning activities or using the covered playground for activities that

facilitate the use of English, e.g. English Caf? a simulated excursion or visit.
Developing a trilingual language environment in the school, by encouraging
the use of English outside the classroom among peers and between students
and teachers.

(bitstream, s.f.)
2.9. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Embed: In linguistic this word means to place a sentence inside another long one.
Newcomer: This word refers to someone who has recently started an activity or
recently arrived in a place.
Survival: This word refers to the state of continuing to live despite danger or
difficulties.
Monotone: In general the word monotone has the concept of a dull way of
speaking in which the tone of the sound remains its volume all the time.
Peers: Usually the word peer refers to someone who is the same age or has the
same social status as other person.
Autonomy: This word means or is related with the freedom for a country or an
organization to govern itself independently.
Theoretical: Principally this word concerns with the ideas on which a particular
subject is based, rather than with practice or experiment.
Excursion: This is a common Word that is related with a short journey made for
pleasure, especially one that has been organized for a group of people.
Collective: Commonly the word in English collective means done by all members
of a group of people involving a whole group or society.
Performance: In the English language this word is the act of performing a play,
concert or some other form of entertainment.
Disturb: This word has the sense of interrupting someone when they are trying to
work or do anything.

22

Playgrounds: It is a simple word that refers to an outdoor area where children can
play especially in a park or at a school.
Engage: This word is not so common so the concept of this word is to succeed in
attracting and keeping somebodys attention and interest.
Survey: Particularly the principal concept of the word survey is an investigation
of the opinions, behavior, etc. of a particular group of people which is usually
done by asking them questions.
Patterns: This word is so common into the academic vocabulary that is the
regular way in which something happens or is done.
3.

RESEARCH (METHODOLOGICAL) DESIGN

The research design includes the following elements:

Variable operationalization

Methodological Design

Types of investigation

Methodology

Sample and population

Techniques and instruments

3.1.
VARIABLES OPERATIONALIZATION
It is a process which is passed from the abstract level of research to an operational
level, translating each variable directly observable and measurable events in the
context in which the object of study is located.

23

VARIABLE
DEPENDIE
NTE
Native
speaker
interaction.

CONCEPTUALIZA DIMENSION
TION
The native
speaker
interaction refers
to the ability of
communicating
each other.
It means, that a
non-native English
speaker be able of
maintaining a real
conversation with
an English native
speaker.

Speakers role.
Teachers role.
Speaking skill.
Teaching learning
environment.
Speakers
interaction.

INDICATORS PARAMETERS
ITEMS.

INS
NT

Sur

Which of the following do you think is the

most appropriate role for students

to

develop their speaking?

Do you agree that the role of the teacher
must

be:

facilitator,

guide,

facilitator,

researcher, and evaluator to assist the

learning of the English language?

According to his knowledge, what kind of
skills are useful for developing the ability

to talk English?
Do you consider that the environment is
important to the teaching-learning process

of the English language?

Do you think that the interaction of the
English with native speakers will help to
improve the speaking in the students?

24

VARIABLE
INDEPENDI
ENTE
English
speaking
improvement
.

CONCEPTUALIZATI
ON

DIMENSION

INDICATORS PARAMETERS
ITEMS.

INSTR

The speaking skill is

an ability of
communicating
ideas, thoughts,
emotions, fillings,
etc; between nonnative speakers and
English native
speakers using a
correct grammar
structure so that the
communication
becomes clear and
understandable.

Survey

Fluency.
Clear
communication.
The correct use of
grammar.
Understandable
message.
Native accent.

Which method do you think should

the students use to improve their

fluency in speaking?
According to your point of view, is
it

necessary

communication
language

to

a
of

clear

the

develop

English
a

good

speaking?
With regard to your knowledge,
would the correct use of grammar
help to have a high level of

speaking?
Which option would be the most
likely

to

develop

message

understandable in English?
Do you think that the accent of the
native speaker influences into the
learning of the English language?

25

26

3.1.

METHODOLOGYCAL DESIGN

3.1.1. TYPES OF RESEARCH

Correlational: It links variables for a group or population by using a predictable
pattern. They measure the degree of association between variables. In addition, this
research can be accomplished by a variety of techniques which include the
collection of empirical data. Often times, correlational research is considered type of
observational research as nothing is manipulated by the experimenter or individual

conducting the research.

Descriptive: Attempts to describe systematicaly a situation, problem, phenomenon,
service or programme or provides information about, say, living condition of a

community or describes attitudes towards an issue.

Exploratory: In the case of an investigation to increase the familiarity of the
researcher with the phenomenon that will investigate, clarify concepts, set
preferences

for

further

research.

Paving

the

way

for

new

studies.

Therefore, the draft must specify the reasons why the proposed study is exploratory.
Explanatory: It aims to test causal or explanatory hypotheses, for example
identification and analysis of causal (independent variables) and their results, which
are expressed in verifiable facts (dependent variables). Therefore, it becomes
important setting variables in which there is a level of complexity whose occurrence
and results determine explanations that contribute to scientific knowledge.

3.1.2. METHODOLOGY
This investigation is not an experimental one because researchers will not prove a
hypothesis or make experiments in any laboratory. That is why; this research is based in
the descriptive method which deals with detailing phenomena, situations, contexts and
events. Moreover it details how they are and how they manifest.
It looks for specifying the properties, characteristics, and profiles of individuals, groups,
communities, processes, objects or any other phenomenon that is subject to analysis.
It means to measure, assess or collect data concepts (variables), aspects, dimensions or
components of the phenomenon to investigate.
What is more this research will be based in this method because its characteristics
describes what the researchers need for giving a solution to the analyzed problem.
27

3.1.2.1. FEATURES OF THE DESCRIPTIVE METHOD

Set the demographic characteristics of surveyed units (number of population, age

distribution, education levels, marital status, etc.)

Identify forms of behavior and attitudes of people who are in the world of research
(social behavior, consumer preferences, acceptance of leadership, motivation

towards work, purchasing decisions, etc.

Establish specific behaviors (how many people use a product, what is their attitude
towards their leader, the problems of unemployment, income, how the audit function
how accounting techniques are handled, how are decision processes, which are the

needs of the people).

Check out and check the possible association of the research variables (relationship
between price and consumption of a product against the autocratic leader attitude
control mechanisms and how the market is affected by economic, social variables,
the application of systematic and their use in accounting principles, financial

analysis and audit and control, etc.)

3.1.2.2. FEATURES OF THE EXPLORATORY METHOD
Exploratory research functions as a source for developing ideas which are then put

through further research investigation.

Exploratory designs offer qualitative data and provide better idea of a concept or

crystallizes a problem as opposed to offering precise measurement or quantification.

Usually, exploratory methods simply involve discussions between a researcher and

the individuals being studied.

One of the most important features of exploratory research is its potential for future
research. Some key characteristics are: Flexible and Versatile, no structured forms
are used, no experiment, cost incurred is low, wide exploration of views, interactive
and open ended.

3.2.3

SAMPLE AND POPULATION

At Primero de Abril high school there are 40 English teachers that are in charge of
International Bachelorship program, also there are 15 more English teachers that work
in a general way in this institution and finally there are 4 authorities. This is a
representative sample size in this research; thus, it will be feasible work having an
appropriate population that represents all sample size.
28

POPULATION

NUMBER

Authorities

Teachers

15

Students (IB) Program

22

TOTAL

59

3.2.4. DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES AND INSTRUMENTS.

Data-collection techniques allow researchers systematically collect information about
object of study in this case English Teaching-Learning process with the English
teaching learning process to improve English speaking skill.
29

3.2.4.1.

SURVEY:

The data collection is done through a research instrument (questionnaire), which

contains the same multiple-choice questions that measure the indicators that have been
identified in the problem, where the respond end can choose one or more options.
This research technique that will help collect detailed information for teachers working
in the children's center will be used at Primero de Abril high school and by using the
questionnaire that will be properly structured through multiple-choice questions and
answer.

4.

PROPOSED THESIS STRUCTURE

Chapters usually contain the following elements:

4.1.

CHAPTER I

30

Theoretical Foundations of the object of study.

Background research: Summary analysis of research on the sematic study

undertaken in other national or international institutions.

Basic categories: Graphic representation of concepts to be discussed and described

in the theoretical framework.

Theoretical Framework

4.2.

CHAPTER II

Analysis and interpretation of results

Brief description of the institution

Analysis and interpretation of results of field research
Hypothesis testing in the event of formulate
Informative Facts
Conclusions and Recommendations

4.3.

CHAPTER III

Application and validation of the proposal

Justification
Objectives
Operational Plan proposal
Overall results of the implementation of the proposal

5. ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK
5.1.

RESOURCES

HUMAN RESOURCES

MATERIAL

TECHNOLOGICAL

Authorities

RESOURCES
Photocopies

Laptop

RESOURCES

Teachers

Sheets of paper

Pen drives

Students

Books

Printer
31

Researcher

Pens

Internet
Cellphone

Children

5.2.

BUDGET
ITEM

QUANTITY

COST

Transportation

$50.00

Internet service

$60.00

Photocopies

1500

$30.00

Printings

300

$35.00

Unexpected expenses

$80.00

TOTAL

$255.00

32

6.

CHRONOGRAM

33

ACTIVITY

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

Assignment of thethesis tutor

Reworking topic
Approval OF topic
Expansion and presentation of chapter one
Correctionand Approvalof chapter one
Extending theTheoretical Framework
Presentation andcorrectionof chapter two
Approval ofChapter Two
Preparation ofdatacollection instruments
Application ofInstruments
Systemization of information
Analysis and Interpretation
Expansionof chapter three
Presentation andcorrectionof chapter three
Approval of chapterthree
Reviewingtheliterature
Presentationtheliterature
Thelastreporting
Presentation
Supporttheresearch
7. BIBLIOGRAPHY
bitstream. (s.f.). Obtenido de
https://dspace.upce.cz/bitstream/10195/21610/1/D16159pdf
Haynes, b. J. ( 2007 ). Language.aspx. Obtenido de
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/106048/chapters/HowStudents-Acquire-Social-and-AcademicScribd. (s.f.). Obtenido de http://es.scribd.com/doc/5769721/teachinglearning-process#scribd
Smith, B. (2009). "It's offishal - English iz darned hard to learn" . Obtenido
de The Age.: http://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq/history.htm
Yellen, B. &. (2004). Notes from Integrating the Language Arts, 3rd Ed. .
Obtenido de (Holcomb Hathaway Publishers, Scottsdale, AZ):
http://faculty.weber.edu/ppitts/ed4320/Handouts/speakingskills.htm

34

8. ANNEXES
1. Which of the following do you think is the most appropriate role for students to
develop their speaking?
a. Be creative
b. Be Questing
c. Be Reflective
d. Be critical
e. All of the above
2. Do you agree that the role of the teacher must be: facilitator, guide, facilitator,
researcher, and evaluator to assist the learning of the English language?
Yes
NO
PERHAPS

3. According to his knowledge, what kind of skills are useful for developing the
ability to talk English?
Speaking _____ listening _____
Reading _____ writing_____

35

4. Do you consider that the environment is important to the teaching-learning

process of the English language?
Yes
NO

Perhaps

5. Do you think that the interaction of the English with native speakers will help to
improve the speaking skill in the students?
Yes
NO

PERHAPS

6. Which strategies and sources do you think should the students use to improve
their fluency in speaking?
a. Read books
b. Listen audios
c. practice all the time
d. All of the above
7. According to your point of view, is it necessary a clear communication of the
English language to develop a good speaking?
Yes
NO

Perhaps

36

8. With regard to your knowledge, would the correct use of grammar help to have a
high level of speaking?
Yes
NO

Perhaps

9. Which option would be the most likely to develop a message understandable in

English?
a. Fluency
b. Intonation
c. Pronunciation
d. All of the above
10. Do you think that the accent of the native speaker influences into the learning of
the English language?
Yes

NO

Perhap

37

38