Teaching English as Foreign Language

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Browsing Teaching English as Foreign Language by Author "Aberra, Hailemichael (PhD)"

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    A Comparison Of The Reading Abilities of Junior Secondary School Students With The Reading Levels Required Of Them in Their Content Areas
    (Addis Ababa University, 1994-06) Mekonnen, Genene; Aberra, Hailemichael (PhD)
    This study was an attempt to compare the reading comprehension level of Ethiopian Junior Secondary School students with the levels expected of them in their content areas. To achieve this, the readability level of the seventh grade textbooks for Geography and Science, which are taught in English, was assessed using the Fog Index. What is more, in order to identify the comprehension level of the students, six cloze tests were administered to a randomly selected sample. A student questionnaire and interviews were also used to investigate the problems the students face in reading their textbooks. In addition to the above tools a readability checklist was used to assess the views of Geography and Science teachers about the readability of the texts. Based on the opinion expressed by the teachers and the students, a sample unit from the Geography textbook was prepared to see the effect of text simplification on the students' reading and understanding. Finally, the attitude of subject teachers towards the teaching of reading in the content areas was assessed. The findings from the study indicated that the Geography textbook is appropriate to the seventh grade students as far as the F00 Index is concerned. But the Science Textbook is iii slightly above their level. The result of the cloze tests showed that the comprehension level of the students is at a frustration level. The questionnaire and the interview results revealed that many students cannot read and understand their textbooks because of vocabulary and sentence complexity. Findings from the checklist showed that content area teachers feel that the two textbooks are adequate. The results of the readability Fog Index and the cloze test of the simplified unit indicated that the readability level of the simplified unit is appropriate to the seventh grade. But the students' performance on the cloze test was found to be very low. Finally, the findings from the attitude measurement scale indicated that content area teachers feel that they are not prepared to teach reading in the content classroom. Based on the findings, it is recommended that students must be prepared in elementary English classes to develop their vocabulary and independent reading. In the Junior Secondary level, students should be helped in their content reading through the use of familiar vocabulary and simple sentences, and questions of various kinds at the pre-reading and post-reading stages leading to discussions and activities. What is more, new concepts should be introduced in relation to what is familiar to the students and a step by step approach should be used to develop these concepts with various examples and illustrations. In order to raise the teachers' awareness of the problem of reading and positively influence their attitude to the teaching of readingl seminars, workshops and iv in-service training should be organized in a continuous basis. In addition, courses on the reading skills should be offered to the teacher trainees. Finally, it is recommended that the readability of content texts should be carefully assessed and there should be a working relation between the English panel and other panels of the Ministry of Education Curriculum Division in material preparation.
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    The Correlation between Feamles' Levels of Assertiveness and Their Participation in Interactive Work in Efl Classrooms of Addis Ababa High Schools
    (Addis Ababa University, 1997-05) Abebe, Semunesh; Aberra, Hailemichael (PhD)
    The main concem of this study was to find out the relationship between females' level of assertiveness and their verbal interaction in EFL classrooms. An attempt was also made to assess the influence of family educational and economic background on females' level of assertiveness and their verbal involvement. To these ends a standard assertiveness inventory, classroom observations, questionnaire and interview were used. The number of subjects was 144 (72 males and 72 females). They were randomly selected from three government and two private high schools in Addis Ababa. The research findings showed strong correlation between females level of assertiveness and their verbal interaction in EFL classrooms at a p-value of. 01 for long turns and turns in discussion. (r=.44 for long turns and .40 for turns in group discussion). Overall turns also showed significant relationship at a p-value of .01. (r=.35 for total turns). Despite their equality in assertiveness, male and female subjects showed great disparity in verbal interaction in both teacher-student and student -student interactions i.e. males surpass females in verbal out-put in EFL classrooms (p=.07 for assertiveness and .00 for verbal interactions). This study also pointed out that parents' social status had stronger influence on females' level of assertiveness and their verbal interaction than on males. Moreover, mothers' education and income was found to have positive influence on their children's personality development and verbal out-put. Fathers' income also indicated significant influence on their children's verbal production. On the basis of the present research results, the following recommendations are forwarded: I J Assertiveness tra ining programme should be set in high schools and teacher training institutions. Guidance and counciling officers at high schols should take the responsibility to carry out the programme. Equal emphasis should be given to cognitive and non-cognitive variables; and further studies should focus on investifating the possible non-cognitive factors that impede language learning in our context.
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    English Language Teachers' Attitudes Towards and Treatment of Female Students
    (Addis Ababa University, 1997-05) Teketel, Lezashwork; Aberra, Hailemichael (PhD)
    The study aimed at providing information on English language teachers' attitudes towards and treatment of female students in mixed-sex EFL classrooms in selected government high schools in Addis Ababa. The research procedure followed in the study included administration of a questionnaire to 10 female and 30 male teachers teaching English in grades 9,10, and 11 and Teacher Treatment Inventory Scales to 120 male and 120 female students currently attend ing the forty teachers' language classes, and observation of 20 teachers in language classrooms. A trial was made to investigate (i) the attitudes of English language teachers towards female students; (ii) how female students were treated as compared with male students; (iii) similarity and differences of teaching behaviour between male and female teachers, and (iv) the relationship that exists between teachers attitudes towards female students on the one hand and the actual classroom treatment on the other. The necessary data was collected from (i) the questionnaire; (ii) the Teacher Treatment Inventory Scales and (iii) the classroom observation. The data obtained from these sources were analysed. The results of the analysis may be summarized as follows: Both male and female English language teachers have positive attitudes towards female students and treat male and female students equally. It was observed that there was similarity between teachers' attitudes towards female students and the actual treatment in the classroom interaction. It was also found that there was no difference in the teaching behaviour of male and female teachers especially in their attitudes towards and treatment of female students. The analysis showed that from the three TTl scales significant differences were not obtained between male and female students' perceptions of teacher treatment. On the basis of the findings, recommendations concerning further researche are stated
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    Gender Differences in Participation in Group Discussions in Freshman English Classes at Addis Ababa University
    (Addis Ababa University, 1996-06) Gebru, Amanuel; Aberra, Hailemichael (PhD)
    The study aimed to find gender differences in verbal participation in discussion groups in Freshman English classes at Addis Ababa University. It also aimed to find differences in assertiveness between male and female students and correlations between assertiveness and verbal participation. Statistical analysis of interactional turns in the videotapes of discussions of majority-female, majority-male and halfmale-half female groups showed no gender differences. Similarly no significant statistical differences between male assertiveness and female assertiveness were found. Also correlations between assertiveness and verbal activity were found to be generally weak.
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    Gender Differences in Participation in Group Discussions in Freshman English Classes at Addis Ababa University
    (1996-06) Gebru, Amanuel; Aberra, Hailemichael (PhD)
    The study aimed to find gender differences in verbal participation in discussion groups in Freshman English classes at Addis Ababa University. It also aimed to find differences in assertiveness between male and female students and correlations between assertiveness and verbal participation. Statistical analysis of interactional turns in the videotapes of discussions of majority- female, majority-male and halt'male-half female groups showed no gender differences. Similarly no significant statistical differences between male assertiveness and female assertiveness were found. Also correlations between assertiveness and verbal activity were found to be generally weak.