Browsing by Author "Kitila, Tamene"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Classroom Verbal Behavior and Learning Opportunities in Selected Secondary School EFL Classroom
    (Addis Ababa Universiy, 2000-06) Kitila, Tamene; Allwright, Dr. Dick
    This is study was designed to describe and ex pl ain the nature of the verbal behavior used in English classes in se lected secondary schools. The need for describing and explaining the nature of the verbal behav ior used in a lesson arose from the need to get insight into the nature of the potential learning opportunities that can be created by the verbal beha viors used during a lesson. The subj ects of the study were grade 9 Engli sh teachers and the ir students. Two teachers who had a BA level qualification in Engli sh teaching were selected from two government senior secondary schools in Addis Ababa. Both teachers were teaching the new English textbook (English for Ethiopia) when the data was collected. The data was collec ted in the same academic year (1997/98) in which the new textbook was introduced to grade 9. Two groups of students ('strong' and ' weak ') were selected from the two teachers' classes to write diaries on their English lessons for three weeks. Classifyin g students into 'strong' and 'weak' group was made by the teachers themselves on the bas is of thei r perceptions of the extent of the students' participation in English classes. Lesson transcript data was the core data used in the study. Grammar and vocabulary lessons taught by the teachers were audio-taped. The audio-taped lessons were transcribed, analysed and interpreted. Supplementary data were also obtained from class room observation, teacher interviews and student diari es. The find ings of the study indicate that the classroom discourse moves, structu.ring, soliciting, responding and reacting are in place as was noted by the previous studies made in other contexts. Except for the responding move, the other three moves are restricted to the teachers. Further analysis of the transcript data shows that teacher soliciting behavior is the recurrent verbal behavior used in both lesson types whi le the investigation of the nature of the solic its indicates that the solicits set the students tasks that do not require extended interactive work. This has limited the students' verbal behavior to single words, phrases, and single/simple sentences. The teachers' informing behavior, their explanation behavior in particular, has been noted to have the potential to leave the students' mind in confusion. In addition, the study has shown the teachers' feedback behavior to be tending to have a prescriptive nature. This means that they emphasize what ought to be said more than what the students could say to communicate using the target language they are learning. Relevant conclusions were drawn from the findings of the study. Implications for future study were also suggested.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Descriptive Analysis of Oromoo Personal Names and Naming Practices in Eastern Wollega Zone of Oromia National Regional State
    (AAU, 2018-04) Jibril, Alima; Kitila, Tamene
    This dissertation describes personal names and naming practices of Oromoo people in Eastern Wollega of Oromia National Regional state. The study was carried out at Naqamte Administrative town and Giddaa Ayyaanaa district in Eastern Wollega. The study describes how children are named and explores the factors that influence childnamingamong the Oromoo people in the study area. It explains the connotations and social realities that are reflected in their personal names and analyzes the roles personal names play in construction of personal and social identity. In addition, it describes the linguistic descriptions and causes and purposes of the new emerging trends in Oromoo naming and name changing practices in the area.To this effect, the research employed descriptive analysis research design in qualitative methods to collect and analyze data. The data were collected through interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis. The data were gathered from ten parents and twelve key informants who are language experts, cultural and tourism officers and more experienced elders in naming practices. Moreover, four individuals who had changed their names were interviewed to investigate the reasons behind the name changing and their feelings about their names: both the previous and the current names. Two focus group discussions were held and documents from schools and Legal Court Offices were used. The data collected through these instruments were analyzed and interpreted qualitatively using Onomastic theory. The theory is used to glean the intended and implied meaning(s) of various personal names.The analysis of data indicated that fathers, mothers and close relatives such as grandfathers and grandmothers played a significant role in deciding a name of a newly born child. Unlike the past, naming children by traditional practices were forgotten and the involvement of Ayyaantuus, who are the blessed persons of the society, was stopped.As a result, naming becomes parents’ responsibility. Besides, the data reveal that factors such as parents’ life experiences, the circumstances happening during pregnancy and child birth and situations of life and living in the family and socio-political dynamics at the country level determine the names to be given. Moreover, the day, time and conditionof birth, the family’s livelihood conditions, attitudes towards politics, social and cultural stdues, their wishes, hopes, beliefs, successes and challenges they come across and their future aspirations and hopes are also factors that govern the naming practices of the society.Furthermore, naming trends of the people have been changed from a single word names to coined phrase, clause and sentence form names. These happens to express the revival of nationalism, self-discovery and parents’ political devotions and assertiveness indifferent aspects of life such as social, cultural, political and identity issues. Depending on the meanings personal names communicate in social, political, economic and cultural issues, the current trend names express the people’s optimistic feelings. These names depict that the people are hopeful about the future. They wish and need betterment in politics and national issues in near future. Thus, for the Oromoo people of Eastern Wollega, personal names are an occurrence of language use for specific purposes which represent an important part of the people’s life.Finally, the name changing practices are widely happening in the research areas for different reasons. These reasons are for expression of individuals’ Oromummaa (feelings of Oromoness) and Saboonummaa (being proud of their Oromummaa), to search for their identity that they lost in the past system and feel comfort with their indigenous names. The other reasons of name changing practices are to express their identity and inspire generation in philosophical truth that lead to self-fulfillment and self description
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    A Survey of the Leisure Reading Interests of Addis Ababa UnIversity Students
    (Addis Ababa Universiy, 1992-06) Kitila, Tamene; Gamta, Dr. Tilahun
    This survey of the leisure reading interests of AAU students is a descriptive study based on questionnaires, interviews and observations. AAU students were the target subjects of the study. However, instructors, librarians and personal observations were used as additional sources of data to verify the validity of the students' responses. Chapter one of the study states the problem, describes the purpose, limitations and importance of the st~dy. Chapter two reviews relevant work on reading interests both in and outside of Ethiopia. It also relates the literature to the present study. The study procedure is described in the third chapter which is followed by reporting of the result in chapter four. The last chapter deals with conclusion and recornrnendations. The result of the study indicates that most of the subjects do read materials not directly related to their courses in their free time. However, the amount read is very small. Novel, magazine, short story, newspaper and biography are the kinds of the reading materials they select to read in their leisure time. They appear to have no specific reading interests largely due to lack of variety in the reading materials they managed to read. English is the language in which the majority of the respondents choose to read in their leisure time. However, their leisure time reading in English has a functional rather than a recreational purpose.