Browsing by Author "Kassaye, Mekasha (PhD)"

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    An Assessment Practices and Challenges of School Improvement Program Implementation in Selected Secondary Schools of Kirkos Sub City
    (Addis Ababa University, 2018-06) Anedargie, Mulu; Kassaye, Mekasha (PhD)
    This research was designed to examine the school improvement program implementation by focusing on its practices and challenges in selected Secondary Schools of Kirkos Sub- City To this end descriptive survey design was employed. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used in the study. The study was guided by questions; such as, what are the practices of SIP implementation in secondary schools of Kirkos Sub-City? What are the major challenges encountering the SIP implementation? Data were collected by means of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, focused-group discussion, observation and document analysis. Accordingly, the data obtained through questionnaires were analyzed by using mean values and standard deviations. For the focused group discussion, semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis the data were analyzed by using content analysis technique. Simple random sampling was used to select the woredas under the study and purposive sampling techniques were employed to the principals, school supervisors and school improvement committees. Simple random sampling techniques were used to teachers and students. Also focused group discussions were employed to parent’s student teachers association and school improvement committees. The major findings of the study indicated that planning SIP implementation lacked of conducting self-assessment to identify the current status of the school and limited budget was also presented as another challenge. Teachers’ attitude and the capacities of the school leaders; moreover, were revealed as the internal factor that hindered the successfulness of the program. As a result, school leaders were advised to conduct self-assessment and prioritized the problems when planning for school improvement program. It was also forwarded that after the assignment of school leaders, woreda education administrators would be better providing principals and cluster supervisors with management related or leadership training. Finally, strengthening the community involvement and collaborative planning were recommended to school principals as well as teachers of the schools.
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    A Comparison of Innovative Ways of Written . Error Correction and the Actual Practice in ELT Classrooms: Gondar University in Focus
    (Addis Ababa University, 2009-06) Gessesse, Tezera; Kassaye, Mekasha (PhD)
    This study attempted to investigate the innovative ways of learner wrillen error correction by comparing it with the actual practice in ELT classes. The investigation was made to see whether the practice of learner written error correction goes in congruity with the innovative ways of doing so. Focusing at Gondar University, the study employed a descriptive survey method. Moreover, the subjects of the study were 18 instructors and 90 Graduatin g students of the 2008109 academic year. In order to collect the necessary data for the research, questionnaires were designed and administered to both the instructors and the students. In addition to this, students' compositions which were corrected and commented by th e instructors were used as another source of data. The findings of th e study revealed that the practice of learner wrillen error correction is not innovative . Moreover, the task of giving correction to learner wrillen errors is not the instructors' regular classroom concern. Nor they have a systematic way of providing correction to learners' wrillen errors. The instructors quite dominantly use teacher correction while other types of correction are employed very rarely. They also use few indirect techniques of correction than the direct ones. The study also indicated that th e instructors focus more on grammar and form rather than meaning when correcting students' composition. What is more, most of the instructors' comments are criticisms rather than praises. Based on the findings obtained., some recommendations were made . Some of them include: Instructors should be aware of the theoretical framework of providing correction in an innovative manner; they should be noted that correction is an aspect of teaching; they should employ the different techniques of correction in a balanced manner; they should be provided with some orientations so that they could do correction in an innovative way when responding to their students' composition, etc.
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    Effects of Strategy-Based Instruction on Listening Proficiency, Strategy Use and Some Affective States of EFL Learners at Samara University
    (Addis Ababa University, 2019-05) Bezabih, Kebede; Kassaye, Mekasha (PhD)
    The object of this thesis was to investigate the effects of a strategy-based listening instruction (SBI) model on the listening proficiency, strategies usage, motivation, anxiety and beliefs of the EFL learners at Samara University. A pre-post quasi-experimental research design was adopted with 39 first-year undergraduate Biology major students in the experimental group (EG) and 40 in the control group (CG). Learners in the EG were taught a combination of listening skills and listening strategies through the SBI model for 12 weeks starting from the first of October to the end of February. Learners in the CG were taught only listening skills through the traditional teaching method. The study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative approach, while prioritizing the former. The quantitative data were collected by using three instruments: a listening proficiency test, a listening strategy use questionnaire and an affective side of listening comprehension questionnaire. Whereas, the qualitative data were collected by using group discussion, learner diary and open ended questions. While the qualitative data were analyzed verbatim, All the pre-post quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential (parametric t-tests) statistics. Effect sizes were calculated to see the relative magnitudes of the treatment conditions implemented in the two classes. In order to answer the first, second and third research questions, all the pre/post data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential (parametric t-tests) statistics. The results showed significant positive changes in the learners‟ listening abilities, strategies, motivation and anxiety after treatment. However, there was no significant difference in the two groups‟ post mean scores on the memory strategy category and the belief scales. The results obtained from the qualitative data showed positive changes in listening abilities, strategies use, motivation, anxiety and beliefs of learners in the EG. Comments made by many learners in the group discussion, in the diary entries and in the open ended questions indicated that they enjoyed learning listening skill through the SBI model since it helped them aware and use of various listening strategies necessary for developing their listening abilities and decreasing their anxiety levels. Based on the findings, pedagogical implications for EFL learners, teachers/instructors, curriculum planners and ELT text writers are made. Directions for future research are also provided.
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    An Evaluation of the Design and Implementation of Reading Exercises of Grade Nine English Textbook
    (Addis Ababa University, 2011-06) Shimels, Gebiaw; Kassaye, Mekasha (PhD)
    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the design and implementation of reading exercises of grade nine English textbook. The study was conducted at Mankusa General Secondary School. Descriptive case study method was used to carry out the study. The main subjects of the study were grade nine English textbook reading exercises. For case illustration of the study, one hundred students and three classroom teachers were participated in the study. These students were selected through stratified random sampling technique, whereas the teachers were included in the sludy with the intention of observing their reading lessons. To gather valid and reliable data, evaluative checklist and classroom observations were used as major data gathering tools. Other tools-students ' questionnaire and teachers ' interview- were used to get the data that could not be addressed by major tools. The collected data were analyzed and discussed together under themes. The finding of the study revealed that the pre-reading exercises of the units of analyses were designed appropriately. Nevertheless, the practice of pre-reading exercises was hardly implemented. The majority of the exercises (questiom) in during reading were devoted to ask what students understood ji-om what they read. A few of them were designed (scanning and guessing word meanings through context clues) in a way students understood a piece of information ji-om the passage. Exercises after reading were almost none. Even the strategy of summarization appeared once in the units of analyses. Again, the study disclosed that teachers implemented exercises against the contemporary orientation of the teaching and learning of second language reading. Finally, exercises should be redesigned in a way that cultivates students more in strategies/skills they apply them in tomorrow's readings and teachers should be acquitted with contemporary nature of reading and its teaching were the major recommendations made.
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    An Evaluation of the Speaking Activities in the Students' Spoken English Module: A Case at Dessie College of Teacher Education Linear 2nd Year English Language Program Students in Focus
    (Addis Ababa University, 2009-06) Bezabih, Tesfaye; Kassaye, Mekasha (PhD)
    The study was mainly intended to assess to what extent the speaking activities in the spoken module of Desse College of Teacher Education (DCTE) are appropriately designed with respect to addressing the learners' interests and how far they meet the major speaking task designing criteria. Pertaining to the study itself, assessing the attitudes of teachers and students towards the activities, assessing the motivational values of the activities, assessing the techn iques, methods and presentation used in the speaking tasks and fina lly assessing the organization of the tasks were examined. Content analysis was used as a major instrument to obtain information regarding how appropriate and suitable the speaking tasks (activities) for the trainees to participate on and how they meet their interests being as prospective teachers. The questionnaire and interview developed and used to measure the attitudes of the students and teachers towards the speaking activities (tasks) which are portrayed in the trainees 'spoken module. The findings of the study indicated that the inappropriateness of the speaking activities in the trainees' module in eliciting students' oral participation was taken as a fa ctor that hamper pair/group work in the classroom. The findings also showed, the absence of varied, interesting, real world, relevant activities to the needs and interests of the trainees in their spoken module. Along with this, the findings indicated that the inability of the speaking activities in promoting genuine communicative interaction among students by using various forms of classroom organization. Besides, the findings disclosed that the activities in the trainees' module have low motivational values and are not able to be integrated with the other skills except writing. In addition, the absence of supplementary materials like language laboratory, audio visual teaching aids, etc hindered trainees spoken ability. Not giving considerable attention to the structural syllabus which focused on the English sound system like segmental and superasegmental featu res and merely focusing on the functional syllabus were also the other findings which were manifested in the research. Considered vis-a-vis these and other findings on the suitability of the speaking tasks (activities) in addressing students interests, the parallel effect of the approach ill the module in not incorporating many activities, and the absence of practice session of the activities, which do not allow learners' to communicate and cooperate in groups brought an ample problem in students spoken language proficiency. Therefore, the study recommended that when course materials are prepared, addressing the growing needs of students to become proficient in speaking English by giving due emphasis to what students require to participate orally in speaking activities often presented in group or pair modes of learning should be considered. It is also noted that the program (syllabus) to be prepared ought to take in hand the question of methodology, too. It should enable the learners and the teachers to use pair and group work, simulations, games and dramas. Besides, the study recommends that continuous course material adaptation based on the appropriateness of the activities for communicative goals should be practiced on the speaking tasks.
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    An Exploration of Efllearners' Attitudes Towards Their Oral Errors: Gatama Secondary School Grade Nine in Focus
    (Addis Ababa University, 2009-06) Sura, Tesfaye; Kassaye, Mekasha (PhD)
    Oral errors in second/ foreign language learning are more frequ ent in that it is inevitable for the learners to commit erro rs as they experiment with the target language as is indi cated by Beebe ( 1983) and Ellis (1994) . Accordingl y, the purpose of the study was to explore grade nine learners' attitudes towards their oral errors in EFL elassroom . Thus, the spccifi c obj ectives of the study were (a) to fin d out the learners' att itudes to the ir oral errors, (b) to examine some of the factors attributed to the learners' attitudes to their oral errors, and (c) to cxplore the effects of the learners' attitudes to their oral errors on their learning to speak EFL. To this end, sixty five systematically sampled grade nine students and their respecti ve Engli sh tcachers from Gatama Secondary School in East Wall aga were in foc us. To obtain the data, questionnai re (attitude scales) to the students and interview wi th the teache rs to investigate the st udents' att itudes towards their own oral errors were employed. T'hen the data were analyzed both quantitat ively and qua litati vely: data obtained from the students' responses were ana lyzed using frequency count and percentage, whereas the data elicited from the teachers using interview was analyzed by summari zing, organi zin g and grouping the key ideas un der the ma in themes. Accordingly, the study has obtained some findings. Firstly, it was found that at least about half of the learners tend to hold more realistic attitudes because they do not worry about making oral erro rs, do not demand perfect acc urac y, and feel they learn from their oral errors whi le about half of them seem to hold erroneous attitudes towards their own oral errors because they afraid of mak ing oral errors, demand perfect acc uracy, and fe el their own oral errors are ind icators of their weakness and impede their learning to speak Engli sh. Secondl y, the study reveals a lso that some fac tors favorably influenced some of the learners' attitudes whil e still some other factors have wrongly affected the rest of the learners' attitudes. Fina lly, it indicates that a significant number of the learners are concerned with accuracy than fl uency, are anxious, fcar of taking risks of making erro rs, lacked opportuni ties whi ch cncourage thcir learning of speakin g Engli sh, and had decreased communicative competence in spoken Engli sh becausc o f their unreali stic attitudes to their own oral errors though they are ready to partic ipate in communicat ive acti viti es. As a result, in the study it was fina lly attempted to propose some practical suggestions to promote learners' learning of speaking English tak ing ri sks of making errors. In order to remove inhi bi tion and reticence, the learners should cxpose themsel ves to the practice and usc of spoken ~l1glisb 'JhQl!! fea r of making errors. S im i larIy~lwo ul d be advisable if both teachers and learners with erroneous attitudes are given adviscs and informat ion by senior teachers, counselors and learning speciali sts, or in the teacher's book and student's book that errors are natural phenomenon, cruc ial and can bc improved thro ugh practice, and should be treated properly. Besides, tcachers al so have to offer consc iousness-raising activities and advi se to enable the learners aware that errors are made by everyone every time, that they have to emphasize fl uency over accuracy, and that improvements can happen over tim e. Lastly, to identi fy the factors att ributed to some inconsistencies in the learners ' responses and a bit disparity between the teachers' responses and the learners' responses on the variables considered in the study, it seems desirable if further study is conducted .