Browsing by Author "Tibebe Alemayehu"

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    Communication Strategies Utilized by Omo TTi Trainee-Teachers in Oral Production of English
    (Addis Ababa University, 2007-06) Tesfaye Alemu ; Tibebe Alemayehu
    This study was carried out to investigate trainee-teachers’ utilization of communication strategies in their oral production of English. Consequently, the study involved eight OMO TTI trainee-teachers. Four of them were from Gamo Department and the other four were from Amharic Department. In order to investigate variation, if any, in utilization of the strategies between female and male trainees, equal number of subjects, i.e. two from each sex, were selected. Thus, they were provided with five different tasks to illicit information. Three of the tasks were grade four lessons which the subjects were supposed to teach to grade four students. The other two tasks were “description of home village” and explaining about “glow worms” which the subjects were expected to talk to English native speakers. Having been provided with these tasks, the subjects were observed while they were presenting the tasks. The observation was aided by video-recording and tape-recording. In the end, the recorded data were transcribed and the types of communication strategies utilized by the subjects were analyzed. The results of the study revealed that almost all the subjects were effective in utilization of communication strategies when they were communicating with the expatriates. However, Amharic trainees were better than Gamo trainees in employing the strategies during the teaching activities. Among trainees of Gamo Department, the male trainees were better than the female trainees. On the other hand, female trainees of Amharic Department were as effective as the male counterparts in the same Department. Despite all these, all the trainees were found to be deficient in their language. Their English language was not to the level that enabled them to teach English. Utilization of both linguistic and nonlinguistic strategies during teaching practice appeared to help trainees of Amharic Department better than trainees of Gamo Department. On the contrary, all the trainees were reported to be effective in transmitting their message to the expatriates. This was because the expatriates were focusing on meaning (theme) rather than the trainees’ grammar. In general, it was concluded that though the trainees were effective n communicating meaning, their language was not to the mark that enabled them to be effective in teaching English. As a result, it was recommended that Teachers’ Training Institute as well as teacher trainers should be aware of the need to balance accuracy and fluency based teaching of English language. Moreover, syllabus designers as well as high school teachers ought to be conscious that English language teaching in high schools should be geared to balance the focus of accuracy and fluency based teaching
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    The Determinants of Capital Structure: Evidence from Insurance Companies in Ethiopia
    (A.A.U., 2020-05) Tibebe Alemayehu; Habtamu B.
    This study empirically examines the determinants of capital structure of insurance companies in Ethiopia. The study tried to identify the specific firm and macroeconomic factors that managers should consider when deciding their optimal capital structure. The study employed fixed effect panel regression model in examining the capital structure of insurance companies in Ethiopia with financial statements of 9 insurance companies covering the period of thirteen years, 2005-2017. The model (fixed effect panel regression model) fitness was tested using normality, multicollinearity, Heteroskedasticity, autocorrelation and redundant fixed effects tests on the data used for the model. The results show that pecking order theory is prominently important in explaining the capital structure of insurance companies in Ethiopia. Firm specific factors such as profitability, growth, risk, tax rate, and size of the firm were found to be significant in relation to leverage. Macroeconomic factors used in this study, GDP and inflation were positively related with leverage at significant level of 1%. The study indicated that the independent firm specific variables of profitability, growth, risk, tax rate, and size of the firm and macroeconomic variable of GDP and inflation were significantly related to leverage. Therefore, managers of the insurance companies should consider the impact of these significant variables in determining their financing needs so as to maximize the value of the company and meet the shareholders return to the extent that gives value for their invested money.
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    An Exploration of the English Proficiency Level of Government and Mission Secondary School Leavers
    (Addis Ababa University, 1987-06) Tibebe Alemayehu ; Gerard Despatie
    Today in Ethiopia, there is a widely heard academic common talk, especially in the tertiary level of learning, about a great variation in the English language proficiency level of governmenu and mission secondary school graduatese The degree of this diffierence has not so far been assessed. The reserch desccibed in this paper attempted to examine whether or not there was a significant difference in the English language proficiency level of government and mission second~y school leavers, usin~ two very well reputed instruments. These instruments are the cloze procedure and the dictation, perhaps the most qualified integrative tests of language proficiency. Since constructing discrete-point proficiency tests is extremely difficult for ordinary classroom teachers, like the writer of this paper, unskilled in the technicalities of dev8loping such tests, these two integrative tests, which are considered to be perhaps equally valid and reliable to measure the language proficiency level of the learner, have been employed as best alternative devices for the purpose. 11.11 the possible necessary cautions essential in developing such tests, have been taken in order to determine the gra~3 level of the cloze and the dictation passages, the Fog Index, one of the formulas currently used for the purpose has been used and according to this formula all the cloze and the dictation passages have a difficulty level of grade 12. In addition to this the personal judgement of English language teachers in the Addis Ababa University, about their fitness, has been considered. They were validated against the Michign Test of English Language Proficiency Form-Bo The results showed that the cloze and the dictation tests used in this paper, correlated at .97. And in order to examine their relinbility the Kuder Richardson formula (Kr-21) has been adopted. This revealed a reliability coefficient of .95 for the cloze ~nd .96 for the dictation tests. The t-test technique was used to evaluate the differences in the Mean scores of each test, so as to assess the extent of the variations in the performance level of English between these two groups of student. The findings showed that there is a singificant difference between government and mission secondary school leavers at p .001 level of confidence. On the basis of these findings, it was recommended that selection for admission of students into the colleges and the universities has to be made on the basis of an English language proficiency test or College Entrance English Language ~xamination, on the basis of which placement of students into an appropriate program of English language learning could be mnde so that each group can learn at a pace commensurate nith its ability. An inquiry to make a thorough revien of the English curriculum of the lower levels has also been made. Further research on the subject has also been invited, so that a reliable solution to the problem can be found.
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    An Exploration of the Major Problems Hindering Learners’ Speaking Ability: Kotebe College of Teachers Education in Focus
    (Addis Ababa University, 2010-06) Arega Mekonnen ; Tibebe Alemayehu
    The main purpose of this study was to explore some of the major problems hindering the English language speaking ability of Freshman English major students at Kotebe College of Teachers’ Education. The sample for the study consisted of 56 students and one spoken English instructor of the two sections. In the process, three different kinds of instruments: students’ questionnaire, students’ and teacher’s interview and classroom observation were used. Accordingly, all the sample students filled the questionnaire, eight selected students and their spoken English instructor were interviewed and classroom observation was held three times in each section. Finally, the results of the study indicated that the students’ native culture has greatly influenced their English language speaking ability. They also did not have the confidence to express their ideas in English both inside and outside the classroom. In addition, it was found that the teacher did not motivate them to the required level. Other problems like low vocabulary and poor grammar knowledge also affected their speaking ability of English. In the classroom, the students were often corrected for the errors they committed while speaking. Some students were also shy /afraid to participate in spite of the provision of a few activities to engage them into using the language. To improve their ability of speaking English, therefore, the instructor should create a free, enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere of learning and students, on their part, must use this opportunity to freely practice in the language and develop their speaking ability
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    The Implementation of Group Work In Awassa Primary Governmental Schools: Grade 8 in Focus
    (Addis Ababa University, 2011-05) Mehari Abreha; Tibebe Alemayehu
    The main purpose of thi s study was to investigate the implementation of group work strategy in primary school EFL classes. The focus was to assess if primary school EFL teachers appropriately use group work strategy in their classes. Besides, the study was attempted to answer some basic questions such as: how the EFL teachers implement it, how the EFL teachers(and students perceive group work learning, whether they play their expected roles or not and what problems they face whenever they employ group work strategy in their classes. To this end, three data gathering tools were employed to collect necessary information from the subjects of the research. The questionnaire was piloted at Bete Kihnet Primary School in Awassa town and administered to 86 grade-8 students who selected randomly from 4 sections of two primary schools, Tabor and Ethiopia Tikidem primary schools. An interview was also managed for 5 EFL teachers and 5 grade-8 students selected using availability sampling and purposive sampling respectively while an actual classroom observation was held in three sections of volunteered EFL teachers. To analyze the data gathered through the above three instruments, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Quantitative method was used to analyze the data gathered through questionnaire and qualitative method was used to analyze the data gathered through an interview and classroom observation. Analysis of the data indicated that primary school EFL teachers implement group work strategy rarely. Though they perceive that group work strategy is an active teaching approach to EFL classroom which give more chance for students to practice the language and for the teachers to check individ ual student's progress, the EFL teachers use it rarely due to many reasons such as shortage of time and large class size. The students also perceived learning through group work though they affected by factors like language problem, anxiety, group size, etc. According to the conclusions made, concerned bodies like the Ministry Of Education and school administrative should either reduce the class size or increase the class time, to give EFL teachers and students a freedom to check their academic progress at the end of each lesson.
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    A Study on the Effectiveness of Teaching-Learning Vocabulary in Three Second Cycle Elementary Schools in Addis Ababa: Grade Eight In Focus
    (Addis Ababa University, 2008-06) Gashaw Nigussie; Tibebe Alemayehu
    The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of teaching and learning vocabulary in three second cycle elementary schools of Addis Ababa (grade eight in focus). .This is because the present day high school students’ poor language proficiency is assumed to result particularly from the absence of effective vocabulary teaching techniques and learning strategies at second cycle elementary school level. Hence, the writer decided to examine how effectively vocabulary was taught and learned just before learners started their high school English course. Before the actual process of data collection began, preliminary survey was conducted on some of the common vocabulary teaching techniques prescribed by linguists and language experts. A brief review was also made on the complex nature of vocabulary knowledge. Because teaching alone doesn’t guarantee successful learning, there aroused a need to explore the type of learning strategies learners employ to acquire sufficient English vocabulary. Then data were collected from 90 systematically chosen students and 6 teachers through questionnaire, interview and observation. The textbook was also analyzed to see the extent it encourages to implement a range of vocabulary teaching techniques and learning strategies. Consequently, the results seemed to indicate that teachers, unlike students, believe vocabulary is not such a prominent component of language learning to be given more considerable emphasis during teaching English compared to other aspects. It was also obtained that among a wide rage of techniques of vocabulary instruction, teaching vocabulary through reading texts, synonymy, translation and definition were the most commonly used techniques. However, a close inspection of the actual application of these techniques did not imply effective vocabulary instruction in the subject schools. Although students appeared to be relatively interested in learning vocabulary, practically they were less effective in their effort as they were not able to use a variety of vocabulary learning strategies. Among the major strategies of learning vocabulary, determination strategies (guessing from context and using dictionary) seemed to be used better than social strategies (asking people). However, strategies that promote memory of the previously learned words (memory, cognitive and metacognitive strategies) were not used efficiently. Hence, it was unlikely that students had successfully acquired most of the 512 vocabulary items designed in their textbook
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    Use of Students’ Native Culture as a Resource in the EFL Classroom: The Case of Second Year English Majors in the Department of English Language Education of AAU
    (Addis Ababa University, 2008-06) Mulugeta Girma ; Tibebe Alemayehu
    The study attempted to investigate the use of students’ native culture as a resource in English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom among the second year English majors of the Department of English Language Education of College of Education in Addis Ababa University (AAU). Descriptive survey method was used in the study. In addition, Addis Ababa University (AAU) was selected as a study site. The primary sources of data for the study were also second year English majors in the Department of English Language Education of the College of Education in AAU and their Communicative skills course instructors during the 2007/08 Academic Year. In the second semester of 2007/08 Academic Year, two sections of students took the Communication Skills course II (FLEE 202), which is a subsequent of Communicative Skills course I (FLEE 201) taken during the first semester. Out of eighty students taking the course, seventy were included as subjects in the study with four of their teachers who had given them the aforementioned courses in both semesters. Ten students were unavailable during the data collection process for various reasons. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, questionnaire, interview, classroom observation and document analysis were used as instruments of data collection. In the pilot study, data gathering was carried out immediately after designing the two sets of questionnaires in order to verify their validity. The opinion of experts familiar with the topic was also sought on the adapted instruments before administering them. After carefully gathering the appropriate data using the four instruments of data collection, the data was analyzed in an integrated manner using different statistical tools and narration. Therefore, frequency counting, percentage, mean and description of some qualitative data were applied to analyze and describe the data. It was found out that the teachers were aware of the value of using students’ native culture as a resource in their classrooms. But, they only sometimes incorporated it owing to the lack of time, appropriate course book and related teaching experience. Teachers need to judiciously implement this approach in line with relevant research findings by taking in to account the role incorporating students’ native culture can play in improving cultural inter-group relationships.