Meedy Nugraha. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-117). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.i / CHINESE ABSTRACT --- p.ii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.iii / Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Rationale of the Present Study --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- The Importance of Needs Analysis --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- Objectives of the Study --- p.3 / Chapter 1.4 --- Significance of the Study --- p.4 / Chapter 1.5 --- Organization of the Thesis --- p.4 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1 --- Needs Analysis in English Language Teaching --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Subjective versus Objective Information --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Major Approaches in Needs Analysis --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Orientations in Needs Analysis : Trends Over Time --- p.8 / Chapter 2.1.4 --- Limitations of Needs Analysis --- p.9 / Chapter 2.2 --- Needs Analyses in the Asian Context --- p.10 / Chapter 2.3 --- Needs Analysis in Indonesia --- p.15 / Chapter 2.4 --- A Needs Analysis at Petra Christian University (1998) --- p.21 / Chapter 2.5 --- Research Gap --- p.23 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- RESEARCH DESIGN AND PROCEDURES --- p.25 / Chapter 3.1 --- Data Collection Procedures in Needs Analysis --- p.25 / Chapter 3.2 --- The Importance of Instrument Selection in Needs Analysis --- p.28 / Chapter 3.3 --- The Case Study Approach --- p.30 / Chapter 3.4 --- Characteristics of Procedures in Needs Analysis --- p.30 / Chapter 3.5 --- Strength and Weaknesses of Different Procedures --- p.31 / Chapter 3.6 --- The Present Study: Research Design and Procedures --- p.31 / Chapter 3.6.1 --- Designing the Questionnaire and Interviews --- p.33 / Chapter 3.6.2 --- Data Collection Procedures --- p.36 / Chapter 3.7 --- Conclusion --- p.43 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- FINDINGS --- p.44 / Chapter 4.1 --- Quantitative Data: Questionnaire Survey --- p.44 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Students' Perspectives --- p.44 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- English Instructors' Perspectives --- p.51 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- Engineering Lecturers' Perspectives --- p.53 / Chapter 4.2 --- Qualitative Data: Semi Structured Interview --- p.57 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Students' Perspectives --- p.57 / Chapter 4.2 2 --- English Instructors' Perspectives --- p.60 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Engineering Lecturers' Perspectives --- p.65 / Chapter 4.3 --- Classroom Observation --- p.70 / Chapter 4.4 --- Text Analysis --- p.71 / Chapter 4.5 --- Conclusion --- p.73 / Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- DISCUSSION --- p.74 / Chapter 5.1 --- The Current English Needs of Engineering Students at PCU / Chapter 5.1.1 --- Immediate versus Delayed Needs --- p.74 / Chapter 5.1.2. --- Different Perceptions between Students and Teachers --- p.76 / Chapter 5.1.3 --- Types of Skill Needs --- p.80 / Chapter 5.1.3.1 --- Students' Reading Skill Needs --- p.80 / Chapter 5.1.3.2 --- Students' Vocabulary Skill Needs --- p.83 / Chapter 5.1.3.3 --- Students' Speaking Skill Needs --- p.86 / Chapter 5.1.3.4 --- Students' Writing Skill Needs --- p.87 / Chapter 5.1.4 --- The Needs of Subject Area Knowledge --- p.88 / Chapter 5.2 --- The English Language Course for Engineering Students --- p.90 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Widespread Existence --- p.90 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Large Classes --- p.90 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- Time Allocation --- p.91 / Chapter 5.2.4 --- Management --- p.91 / Chapter 5.2.5 --- Teacher Factors --- p.92 / Chapter 5.2.6 --- Learner Factors --- p.93 / Chapter 5.2.7 --- Material Development --- p.93 / Chapter 5.2.8 --- Teaching Methodology --- p.96 / Chapter 5.2.9 --- CUE Lacks Prestige --- p.96 / Chapter 5.2.10 --- Syllabus Specification --- p.97 / Chapter 5.3 --- The Engineering Faculty and the English Course Mismatches- --- p.97 / Chapter 5.4 --- Conclusion --- p.100 / Chapter CHAPTER 6 --- CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS --- p.102 / Chapter 6.1 --- Summary of the Research Findings --- p.102 / Chapter 6.2 --- Limitations of the Study --- p.104 / Chapter 6.3 --- Recommendations for English Curriculum --- p.105 / Chapter 6.3.1 --- To the English Instructors and Engineering Teachers --- p.106 / Chapter 6.3.2 --- Objectives of the English Support Course for Engineering Students --- p.107 / Chapter 6.3.3 --- Material Development --- p.109 / Chapter 6.3.4 --- Time Allocation --- p.110 / Chapter 6.3.5 --- Management of the English Course --- p.110 / Chapter 6.3.6 --- To the University --- p.111 / Chapter 6.4 --- Conclusion --- p.111 / REFERENCES --- p.112

Wong Mei-kiu. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-107). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.i / ABSTRACT (English version) --- p.ii / ABSTRACT (Chinese version) --- p.iii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv-v / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vi / Chapter 1. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Background and the Problem --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Purpose of the Study --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- Significance of the Study --- p.4 / Chapter 2. --- REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1 --- Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Mechanisms of Processing and the Retention of Words --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Approaches to Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition --- p.8 / Chapter 2.1.2.1 --- Implicit Learning of Vocabulary --- p.9 / Chapter 2.1.2.2 --- Explicit Learning of Vocabulary --- p.11 / Chapter 2.1.2.3 --- Implicit versus Explicit Learning of Vocabulary --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2 --- Significance of Affix Learning in the Learning of Vocabulary --- p.14 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Definition and related concepts of ´بAffix´ة --- p.14 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Importance of Morphological Knowledge in Learning Vocabulary --- p.18 / Chapter 2.2.2.1 --- Proportion of Affixed Words --- p.19 / Chapter 2.2.2.2 --- Functions of Affixes --- p.20 / Chapter 2.2.2.3 --- Relationship between Affix Knowledge and Vocabulary Size --- p.25 / Chapter 2.2.2.4 --- Empirical Studies on Affix Learning --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Explicit Learning of Affixes --- p.35 / Chapter 2.2.3.1 --- Procedure for Learning Affixes --- p.36 / Chapter 2.2.3.2 --- Difficulties in Learning Affixes --- p.36 / Chapter 3. --- METHODOLOGY --- p.40 / Chapter 3.1 --- Research Design --- p.40 / Chapter 3.2 --- Subject Selection --- p.41 / Chapter 3.3 --- Materials --- p.43 / Chapter 3.4 --- Pilot Study --- p.48 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Aim --- p.48 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Methodology --- p.49 / Chapter 3.4.2.1 --- Subject Selection --- p.49 / Chapter 3.4.2.2 --- Procedure --- p.50 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- Comments on the Pilot Study and Improvements made after the Pilot Study --- p.54 / Chapter 3.4.3.1 --- Comments on the Procedure --- p.54 / Chapter 3.4.3.2 --- Comments on the Materials --- p.55 / Chapter 3.5 --- Procedure of the Research --- p.59 / Chapter 4. --- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION --- p.64 / Chapter 4.1 --- Treatment of Data --- p.64 / Chapter 4.2 --- Findings of the Experiment --- p.65 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Test Results --- p.66 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Questionnaires --- p.71 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Classroom Observation --- p.80 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Summary of the Research Findings --- p.81 / Chapter 4.3 --- Discussion of the Findings --- p.82 / Chapter 5. --- CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS --- p.94 / Chapter 5.1 --- Conclusions --- p.94 / Chapter 5.2 --- Implications --- p.96 / Chapter 5.3 --- Limitations and Suggestions for Further Research --- p.97 / REFERENCES --- p.100-107 / APPENDICES / Appendix 1 Previous Studies on the Effectiveness of Affix Learning --- p.108 / Appendix 2 Test items and Distractors --- p.109-117 / Appendix 3 Background Questionnaire for the Research --- p.118 / Appendix 4 Follow-up Questionnaire for the Research --- p.119 / Appendix 5 The 36 Word Target Vocabulary for the Research --- p.120 / Appendix 6 Prefixes and Suffixes for the Experimental Group in the Research --- p.121 / Appendix 7a Background Questionnaire for the Experimental Groupin the Pilot Study --- p.122 / Appendix 7b Background Questionnaire for the Control Group in the Pilot Study --- p.123 / Appendix 8 Follow-up Questionnaire for the Pilot Study --- p.124 / Appendix 9 The 12 Target Words for the Pilot Study --- p.125 / Appendix 10 Procedure of the Research --- p.126 / Appendix 11 Samples of the Exercises --- p.127-128

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

This thesis explores and discusses the current practice of English as a Second Language (ESL) evaluation primarily in terms of validity, authenticity, and experiential groundedness. The researcher endeavours to apply theories of ESL evaluation to actual practice, analyzing the differences or harmonization between with regard to validity, authenticity, experiential groundedness and some other factors identified as being important in evaluation in language acquisition situations, particularly CRTs, NRTs, foramtive and summative evaluations. Ethnographic inquiry is used for obtaining data. A program case study, a technique of qualitative research, is used for this study. The purpose is to gather some genuine data from the interviewees which are real and revealing, thus enabling the researcher to gain particular insights relative to the aims of his study. The analysis aspires to give voice to interviewee's on ESL evaluation in terms of validity, authenticity, and experiential groundedness, along with other factors noted above. This report sets out to determine how or if validity, authenticity, and experiential groundedness, along with some other factors identified above, are integrated elements of an efficient and effective ESL evaluation. Such was found to ve the case and it was also found that these can be reinforced by guaranteeing that an evaluation targets its population closely, adopting real-life approaches and, establishing linkages between evaluation and prior knowledge and skills. / xi, 156 leaves ; 28 cm.

Reading instruction in China and that in the United States are so different that they are not compatible. In fact, they seem to go in opposite directions. This study examined some of the differences between Chinese EFL reading instruction and American ESL reading instruction through analyzing selected tape-recordings of reading classes from China and the United States, and comparing Chinese EFL reading textbooks with American ESL reading textbooks. This study was intended to answer the following questions. 1. Is a bottom-up method of reading really taught in China while a top-down method is taught in the United States? 2. Compared with the ESL reading textbooks used in the United States, do the Chinese EFL reading textbooks have a larger proportion of exercises dealing with vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation and fewer items in reading skills? 3. Compared with the American ESL subjects, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the Chinese EFL subjects in reading comprehension in terms of recognizing main ideas, understanding direct statements and drawing inferences?

Prompted by increasing demand in South Africa for the development of a focused but flexible English Second Language (ESL) curriculum at university level, this thesis contends that substantial theoretical under-pinning is needed for decisions on ESL course materials. Once the theoretical constructs are determined, a model based on a systematic approach to course design is proposed. It maximizes the individualization of experiential learning, despite the large numbers of students who take these courses, through a multi-form course structure offering four streams of study at three levels of difficulty. Entry is possible at the start of the year and at mid-year. The empirical research which forms the basis of the study is an analysis of the 1985 student group at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Several methods are used, including post-course questionnaires, diagnostic assignments and a detailed language and stylistic error count linked with a clause analysis of a sample of assignments and examination scripts. The model curriculum meets the contextually basic science requirements of a university course, within the parameters of response needed in regard to the ESL student profile determined by the needs and role analysis completed in Chapter 2. Model aims and terminal learning objectives are presented in Chapter 3 as the foundation on which the rest of the thesis is constructed, and include comprehension, applied composition, oral and aural skills, use of reference works, methods of thinking, and occupationally relevant specialist language. In Chapters 4 and 5, in-depth analyses of appropriate course content and methods emphasize the use of Afrocentric English literature in contemporary settings with appropriate readability levels, language in use in specified contexts, development of vocabulary, remedying incorrect usage, comprehension skills, composition skills, development of cognitive processes, oral and listening skills, and the purpose and place of grammar. The final chapters outline approaches to criterion-referenced assessment and evaluation, and suggest appropriate set works and criteria for their selection. The course materials aim at improving English communicative performance. The underlying principles used in developing this course design and its associated materials can be valuably extrapolated and applied at universities and other tertiary institutions. / English Studies / D. Litt et Phil. (English)

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The writing of this thesis has been an attempt to respond to the problem of students who do not seem to be able to express themselves succinctly and clearly in English. Madadeni College of Education enrols students who have passed grade twelve, at least most of them have passed English. Their passing English at grade twelve presupposes that they can use English freely during the teaching and learning situation, for all courses are studied and presented through the medium of English. On realising this serious handicap the researcher decided to come up with something that can probably help contribute in shaping good prospective English teachers who will in turn teach many generations to come. There was decided on co-operative learning as the possible technique that can be used in higher education with the view to influencing students to use English practically. It needs to be stressed that co-operative learning is a learning technique or strategy (not a teaching method) that is used to make participants use English practically. The central problem of this thesis therefore is that students fail to express themselves clearly in English. This means the sample of sixty student participants who were drawn from the primary section of teacher training got involved in practical co-operative learning activities in order to practice English in small manageable co-operative learning groups. Co-operative learning is a special type of group work where each participant is given a specific function or task to do. Chapter 1 of this thesis explores the problem of the research and is followed by the hypothesis. The purpose of the research is spelt out that it is to examine and diagnose how co-operative learning can be used as an instrument for improving students' English-speaking skills through active and participatory learning. The research methodology, which uses a descriptive approach becomes part of this thesis. It outlines the activities that are part of this research. Student participants became involved in practical co-operative learning for three weeks. After these activities had been completed, a questionnaire was developed and constructed. The purpose of the study was to examine and diagnose how co-operative learning can be used as an instrument for improving students' English-speaking skills through active and participating learning. Student respondents or participants were respondents. Chapter 2 deals with a critical review of the literature which was completed mainly to identify possible solutions and effective ways to educate the next generations about the problem. Chapter 3 focuses on the research and the research methodology where a research design, which spells out the population sample, research procedures and the design of the questionnaire are central. Chapter 4 deals with the presentation, analysis, and interpretation of the results. As a penultimate chapter, the researcher is able to evaluate (from student participants' responses) the success or the shortfalls of the research. Chapter 5 focuses on the synthesis of findings, conclusions, recommendations and the conclusion of this research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die skryf van hierdie tesis was 'n poging om die probleem aan te spreek van studente wat dit moeilik vind om hulle duidelik en bondig in Engels uit te druk. Die meeste studente wat met die vereiste graad 12-kwalifikasie tot Madadeni Onderwyskollege toegelaat word, het ook in graad 12 in Engels geslaag. Dit veronderstel dat hulle tydens die onderrig-en-Ieerproses Engels met gemak behoort te kan gebruik, maar dit is ongelukkig nie so nie. Alle kursusse by genoemde kollege word deur medium Engels aangebied. Hierdie ernstige leemte ten opsigte van Engels waarmee die studente te kampe het, het die navorser gemotiveer om 'n bydrae te maak tot die ontwikkeling van goeie Engelse onderwysers wat vir vele toekomstige geslagte waardevolle onderrig kan gee. Daar is besluit om kooperatiewe leer in die navorsing te gebruik as In moontlike tegniek wat in hoër onderwys aangewend kan word ten einde studente aan te moedig om Engels te gebruik. Daar word beklemtoon dat kooperatiewe leer 'n leertegniek of -strategie is (nie 'n leermetode nie) wat gebruik word om deelnemers te motiveer om Engels in die praktyk te gebruik. Die kernprobleem waarmee hierdie tesis te make het, is dat studente hulle nie duidelik in Engels kan uitdruk nie. Die steekprroef van 60 studente wat vanuit die primêre afdeling van onderwyseropleiding getrek is, het betrokke geraak by praktiese kooperatiewe leer-aktiwitete, om sodoende in klein, beheerbare kooperatiewe groepe Engels te praat. Kooperatiewe leer is 'n spesiale soort groepwerk waar elke deelnemer 'n spesifieke funksie vervul, of 'n besondere taak het om uit te voer. Hoofstuk 1 van hierdie tesis ondersoek die navorsingsprobleem. Die hipotese volg daarop. Die doel van navorsing word uiteengesit, naamlik om te ondersoek en te diagnoseer hoe koëperatiewe leer aangewend kan word om studente se taalvaardigheid in Engels te verbeter deur aktiewe en deelnemende leer. Die navorsingsmetodologie, wat 'n beskrywende benadering volg, is deel van hierdie tesis, en dit skets die aktiwiteite wat deel uitmaak van hierdie navorsing. Deelnemende studente was vir drie weke lank betrokke by praktiese koëperatiewe leer. Daarna is 'n vraelys geïmplementeer. Die doel van die studie was die ondersoek en diagnose van hoe koëperatiewe leer as instrument gebruik kan word om studente se "engels-sprekende" vermoëns deur aktiewe en deelnemende leer te bevorder. Hoofstuk 2 is 'n kritiese oorsig van die literatuurstudie, wat hoofsaaklik gerig is op moontlik oplossings en effektiewe maniere om nuwe studente aan die probleem bloot te stel. Hoofstuk 3 belig die navorsing en die navorsingsmetodologie. 'n Navorsingsontwerp wat die steekproef, navorsingsprosedures en die vraelysontwerp uiteensit, staan sentraal. Hoofstuk 4 behandel die aanbieding, ontleding en interpretasie van die resultate. Uit die deelnemende studente se reaksie poog die navorser om die suksesse en tekortkominge van die probleemgebied te bepaal. Hoofstuk 5 sluit die tesis af met 'n sintese van die bevindinge, afleidings en aanbevelings van die navorsing.

toc / English Studies and Comparative Literature / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / abstract / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

published_or_final_version / English / Master / Master of Arts