Grade English Research Articles

The Shift to English Medium Instruction: Investigating Teacher Challenges at Elementary School Level

The aim of the study was to investigate teachers' challenges at the elementary school level in District Sialkot after shifting to English medium instruction. This research study used a mixed-method design. The study population consisted of all the teachers teaching Social Studies (S.St.), Mathematics (Maths), and Science (Sc) to grades 7 and 8 in District Sialkot. A random stratified sampling technique was applied to select 1,500 elementary school teachers. The number of respondents was divided into two groups, males and females, comprising 722 males and 778 females, while 1,208 were from rural areas and 292 from urban areas. All the selected teachers taught (S.St), (Maths), and (Sc) in English in grades 7 and 8. The results were obtained by using a questionnaire designed on a five-point Likert scale with five closed-ended items related to perceptions about English as a medium of instruction and two open-ended items regarding possible remedies to the problems identified. Data sets were analyzed by frequency, percentage, and independent sample t-test. The findings of the research study showed irrespective of gender; educators found it hard to instruct (S.St), (Maths), and (Sc) after the change of medium of instruction from Urdu to English; instructor problems in rural areas were as prevalent and often more prevalent than those found in urban areas. The study concluded that the introduction of the medium of instruction (MI) of teaching from Urdu to English alone resulted in a deteriorating performance among teachers who were not involved in professional development before this change.

Validated strategic intervention material in English for grade 7 learners of DFLOMNHS

Validated strategic intervention material in English for grade 7 learners of DFLOMNHS

SECONDARY ENGLISH GRADE AS A PREDICTOR OF STUDENTS’ ENTRANCE ENGLISH COMPETENCE AND PROGRAMME PLACEMENT

Almost all universities have used students’ overall academic performance at the secondary or high school level as the primary measurement tool in determining the students’ placement into different tertiary academic programmes in hopes of their potential overall success in those programmes. The same is applied in the Malaysian context in line with the notion of Human Capital Theory (HCT) on a person’s success determined by the investment in their education. However, the importance of English language results in the Malaysian students’ national examination certificate is not rigorously considered as one of the primary measures in determining their tertiary level of English competence; instead, only a general passing or acceptable grade based on the offered programmes is used as the university or programme entrance pre-requisite. This may later be challenging for students as English is used in most of the academic references. Through secondary data analysis research design, this study examined 600 students’ collected database of Malaysia National Certificate or SPM English grade to see its determining effect on their English language entrance competence scores and their placement into different academic majors. It was found that their excellent English grades in their SPM were good determining measures of their university’s English Placement Test (EPT) and then exempted for the first-entry level diploma English course. Students with better English grades, accompanied with better EPT scores, mostly ended up in STEM programmes with higher levels of English competence than those students with lower English SPM grades and EPT scores. The advantage of reduced academic course workload shows that their English competence can be a determinant of their subsequent tertiary academic success. Future research may investigate the effects of their secondary and tertiary English on their CGPA and MUET scores and their future choice of academic programmes.

ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS CAUSING DIFFICULTIES IN SPEAKING ENGLISH FOR GRADE 10 STUDENTS OF SMA ISLAM PAGERUNGAN BESAR

This study aims to analyze the factors causing difficulties in speaking English grade 10 students at SMA Islam Pagerungan Besar. The ability to speak English is very important where in this era, English is the language used in international communication. However, there are still many 10 grade students at SMA Islam Pagerungan Besar who have difficulties in speaking English. This study uses a qualitatve method with case study approach, data were collected through interviews, classroom observations, and analysis of related documents. The results of the study indicate that there are 2 main factors causing difficulties experienced by students, namely internal and external factors. Internal factors include lack of confidence, limited vocabulary mastery, difficulty in pronunciation, afraid of making mistakes, and lack of motivation. Meanwhile, external factors include less supportive environment, learning facilities are inadequate, less effecttive teaching methods, lack of support from teacher and friends, and lack of opportunity to practice speaking. Based on these findings, it is suggestions that teachers and school create more supportive learning environment to increase students’ self-confidence, provide more opportunities for students to practice speaking through activities outside the classroom, and use more interactive and innovative teaching methods. In addition, improving learning facilities such as providing language laboratories and digital learning resources, as well as providing books on speaking skills are needed to help students improve their English speaking skills.

Pupils’ reading comprehension: Basis for the development of reading instructional material

This study was conducted to assess the reading comprehension among the grade 4 pupils in an integrated school in the District of Tangalan, Philippines. The result of the study was the basis on the development of an instructional reading material during the School Year 2023-2024. The design based research was used in this study using IPO model. The participants were the 66 grade 4 pupils and 10 teacher experts. Reading Comprehension Test and Learning Material Evaluation Tool were the data gathering instruments. The data were analyzed and interpreted using descriptive and inferential data analysis. The reading comprehension in English of grade 4 pupils is “low”. Based on the result of the study, an instructional material was developed offering a variety of engaging activities, including word boxes, missing letter challenges, collaborative group activities, reading experiences, interactive games, and visual aids for descriptive analysis. The level of acceptability of the developed instructional material for grade 4 was “very highly acceptable” as to content, instructional quality, prints, design and layouts. The level of reading comprehension of grade 4 pupils before the intervention were “low” and after using the developed instructional material, it became “moderate”. Hence, there is a significant difference on the reading comprehension of grade 4 pupils before and after using the instructional material.

Developing Listening Skill Materials in the 8th Grade English Module

In the context of increasing globalization and communication, listening skills become an important skill. Therefore, developing listening skills is very important so that someone can communicate effectively and understand various accents, intonations, and language variations used in conversation. This study aims to develop a learning module in the field of listening skills at the 8th grade junior high school/Islamic junior high school level. The module is designed to help students improving their ability to understand foreign languages and train students in using audio. This study used the R&D method from Sugiyono (2013) and used the Borg and Gall model and uses 6 steps in making this learning module, namely, needs analysis, designing learning module designs, product design/product preparation, product evaluation, product trials, and dissemination. By going through these stages, the results of the study show that the open listening skills module book using audio significantly improves listening skills compared to traditional methods. This learning module can be used by students and teachers easily and can be accessed at home or at school using gadgets or laptops.

The Role of L1 and Age Effect in the Acquisition of EnglishArticles among Croatian Young EFL Learners

The category of definiteness/indefiniteness is often seen as a linguistic universal (Chomsky 2000; Silić 2000) that exists in every human language but is expressed with different linguistic means and patterns in different languages. In English, this category is grammaticalized primarily via articles (Zergollern-Miletić 2008). The Croatian language does not contain an article system, and acquiring English articles represents a major problem for most learners of English as a foreign language (Balenović and Medved Krajnović 2013; Zergollern-Miletić 2015). The present paper investigates difficulties in acquiring English articles among young learners in Croatia in written tasks. Pupils involved in the research started learning English in the first grade of primary school. A total of 76 primary school learners from six different classes (schools) and different age groups were included in this research. The initial hypothesis is that the correct use of articles increases as learners’ overall L2 proficiency increases due to exposure to instructed EFL learning. A qualitative analysis was carried out using error analysis, i.e., proper/wrong use, or omission of the article. The findings partially confirmed the initial hypothesis and showed that our participants were becoming aware of the existence of English articles (they comprehended that articles should precede nouns), but we found very frequent article omission, which, according to our research results, indicates that the process of developing and understanding the semantic and pragmatic role of English articles is long and fluctuating specifically with learners whose L1 lacks the article system.

БАШТАЛГЫЧ КЛАССТАРДА АНГЛИС ТИЛИН ОКУТУУНУН ИННОВАЦИЯЛЫК МЕТОДДОРУ

This article is devoted to the analysis of innovative methods of teaching English in primary school. The article examines in detail the role of games, interactive activities, technological aids, project activities, technological means of project activities, role-playing games and explanatory videos in teaching children a language. The purpose and use of each of the innovative methods are described with examples, and information about their effectiveness is provided. The article explores ways to make the process of teaching English in primary grades interesting and effective, and also provides practical suggestions for teachers. This article discusses innovative methods used in teaching English in primary grades and analyzes the benefits and ways of using these methods. Innovative methods increase children's interest in lessons and provide an opportunity to learn the language quickly and effectively. Among them, such methods as learning through games, using interactive technologies and organizing project activities are especially popular. These methods not only increase children's interest in learning, but also develop their creativity and critical thinking.

COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION AMONG SENIOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SERBIA

The primary aim of this research is to examine to what degree communication apprehension is present among senior elementary school students and to investigate whether levels of communication apprehension as reported by participants differ along various external and internal factors. A total of 267 participants attending the fifth, sixth and seventh grades of elementary school took part in the research. Communication apprehension was investigated with an 8-item foreign language communication apprehension scale and additional background questions concerning one internal and six external factors. The findings suggest that communication apprehension exists among elementary school students to a moderate degree and that there are statistically significant differences in terms of gender, final grade in English, final average grade, attending private lessons and a perceived importance of learning English.

Influence of Working Memory Capacity on English Language Learning of High School Students School

In recent years, the relationship between working memory and second language acquisition has been a hot topic in the field of second language acquisition. The impact of second language learners’ working memory capacity on their second language acquisition is inconclusive. Researchers have called for further investigation into the role of working memory in second language development when reviewing literature on working memory in second language acquisition. called for further investigation into the role of working memory in second language development when reviewing literature on working memory in second language contexts and language contexts. Therefore, this study aims to explore whether and how working memory capacity affects overall English proficiency. The research question is: what is the correlation between high school students' working memory capacity and their English grades? This study used empirical research methods and randomly selected 37 high school students from a school in Dujiangyan, Chengdu as participants. empirical research methods and randomly selected 37 high school students from a school in Dujiangyan, Chengdu as participants. Data sources included Data sources included working memory capacity tests and English proficiency tests, both of which were conducted in the students’ classrooms. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were performed using SPSS 26.0 statistical analysis software. The study shows that there is a significant correlation between working memory capacity and English proficiency test scores. The correlation between The correlation between working memory and English proficiency test scores suggests that individual differences in working memory capacity can affect important cognitive activities such as listening, reading comprehension, reasoning, writing, and problem-solving. The correlation between working memory and English proficiency test scores suggests that individual differences in working memory capacity can affect important cognitive activities such as listening, reading comprehension, reasoning, writing, and problem-solving.

The Application of Situational Teaching Method in Middle School English Reading Classes

With the deepening of the new curriculum standards and quality education in the secondary education stage, secondary school English teaching no longer only focuses on students’ English grades and vocabulary reserves, but also emphasizes the cultivation of students’ English application ability. English reading is an important part of middle school English education. In order to improve the quality and effectiveness of middle school English reading teaching, teachers should use emerging teaching methods such as situational teaching to further stimulate students’ interest and enthusiasm in English learning. This article will analyze the application value and principles of situational teaching methods in middle school English reading classes and explore the application strategies of situational teaching methods in middle school English reading classes.

Teachers and Parents Working Together is Essential for Pupils to Build a Healthy Mindset Based on Values and to Prepare Them for Life's Challenges in High School

The aim of jthis study was to investigate the potential relationship between parental participation and academic success in middle school. Investigations were also conducted on the ethnic inequalities in the ;relationship between parental engagement and student accomplishment. The research compared parental engagement and academic success between groups in an ethnically and racially diverse school. In order to participate in the research, 41 teenagers and their parents had to answer questions on parental communication with the school and engagement in their kids' education. We examined the students' final science and English grades, as well as their MAP English scores, in addition to their survey replies. According to the study's findings, White parents were the most active in their kids' education and White children scored better academically than their Southeast Asian and South Asian counterparts. The Pearson correlation test is used to determine the positive association between parental involvement and student progress. Parental engagement takes the form of signing weekly grade reports, phoning the school (r =.586, p =.01), or receiving a call from the school (r =.479, p =.01). The Pearson correlation between academic performance and grades (r =.054 for signing weekly grade reports and reading school notes, emails, and texts) did not show a significant relationship between parental participation and academic success.

Oktatási mélyfúrások: Különböző fenntartású középiskolák profilja 11. osztályos tanulóik jellemzői alapján

The choice of a secondary school is influenced by several factors, for example the profil of the institution. In previous researches children with better family backgrounds prefer the „unique” (classes with an increased number of lessons, bilingual training or schools with non-state maintainer) institutions (Hegedűs, 2016; Garami, 2020). In our paper, we analyse the database called „Learning and teaching German in Hajdú-Bihar and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg counties (2018–2019)”, with data of 890 students, who learned German and/or English in the 11th grade of secondary grammar or technical school in this school year. From this database, we examine the data of eight institutions of four maintainers (466 students) in SPSS program with crosstabs- and ANOVA-analysis with the following variables: maintainer of the secondary school, family background of the students and characters of secondary school choice. According to our results, the secondary school choice and learning foreign languages can characterised with consideration for practicum, further learning’s plan and the usefulness on the labour market. The students chose the analysed institutions mostly because of the high level of the teaching, the simplicity of all-days going to town and the simple higher educational admission.

Analyzing the Demographic-based Grammatical Competence and Its Relationship to Academic Performance in Higher Education Setting

The purpose of this study was to assess the grammar competence and English academic performance of first-year college students in Basilan State College. Stratified random sampling (n = 464) was carried out to sample the participants from each college within the institution. A standard grammatical test was used to assess the grammar skills of the participants. English grade point average (GPA) represented the students’ academic performance in English. Findings indicated that the first-year college students had limited skills in grammar mainly limited to familiar situations and had frequent problems in understanding and expression. Despite this, they still perform satisfactorily in their English classes. There was a significant moderate correlation between students’ grammar competence and overall academic performance. Education and health sciences students were highly competent compared to students from criminal justice, information and communication, and arts and sciences. Understanding the interactions among grammatical competence, academic achievement, and contextual factors may have significant effects on instructional strategies and direct the creation of focused interventions that will integrate students’ linguistic and intellectual growth.

Single National Curriculum: Exploring the Integration of Vocabulary and Grammar in English Grade V Textbook

Single National Curriculum: Exploring the Integration of Vocabulary and Grammar in English Grade V Textbook

Beyond School Climate: Validating the School as a Protective Factor-Brief Survey.

The conceptual framework for School as a Protective Factorapproach was presented in a companion article in this issue of the journal. The current article describes the validation of the School as a Protective Factor-Brief (SPF-Brief), a 13-item survey measuring the 3 core constructs and 13 defining characteristics of this framework. The SPF-Brief was validated through 2 studies. The developmental study used a longitudinal design including 1349 participants who completed surveys over 5 semesters, while the validation study used a cross-sectional design with 2775 participants. Both studies included middle and high school students. Factor analysis, growth model analysis, criterion-related validation, and outcome analysis were employed. Analyses provided strong evidence supporting the reliability and validity of the instrument and conceptual framework. Higher SPF-Brief scores were associated with higher math grades, English grades, and quality of life, as well as lower rates of anxiety, depression, conduct disorder, alcohol, e-cigarette, tobacco, and cannabis use. Effect size estimates ranged from moderate to strong. These findings suggest the utility of the SPF-Brief instrument and the School as a Protective Factor framework. Together, they may offer advantages to the traditional school climate approach.

Interactive Tablets: Catalyzing Engaged Science Learning in English Instruction

Schools in Thailand are increasingly using tablet computers for active learning. As interactive technology is increasingly used in the classroom, teachers are becoming more concerned about it. This qualitative study explores using a tablet computer as an interactive tool for active learning in teaching science in English. The research study involved three classes with ninety-three Grade 8 students from a demonstration school in Southern Thailand. The study was carried out for three weeks in all three classes. The classroom implementation was recorded and analyzed. Ninety-five percent of the students used tablet computers for class participation, while five percent used phones. The results showed that students used their tablet computers to search for different body parts in English, words that described the body parts and the meaning of the words. They learned independently and at their own pace to complete the classroom tasks. The results suggested that tablet computers are an excellent interactive tool to support active learning in teaching science in English in Grade 8 classrooms.

A Study on the Prediction Method of English Performance in Universities based on the Stacking Integrated Model

Students’ performance in higher education reflects their overall quality in higher education. By predicting the performance, students with greater learning problems can be screened out early and given appropriate guidance. To predict students’ performance in English, the knowledge information of courses, examination papers, and historical examination records are used to build a feature project of students’ examinations. Meanwhile, the features strongly correlated with their performance are filtered out. Then the next step of performance prediction is carried out. The results showed that a neural network long and short-term memory performance prediction model incorporating an attention mechanism was more effective than other models in predicting English performance in higher education. Further experiments found that the model reduced the error by 1.04% on the MAE metric, 0.53% on the RMSE metric, and increased its value by 4.12% on the R2 metric. Adding the new feature dataset led to better forecasting by the Att-LSTM model in all metrics. This indicated that the enhanced dataset temporality could improve the effectiveness of the Att-LSTM model in predicting English grades in higher education. The stacked integrated prediction model, by integrating multiple strong regressors, can avoid poor prediction and excessive overall bias due to one regressor and increase the soundness and prediction precision of the mode.

The Role of Self-efficacy in Foreign Language Acquisition

Abstract The aim of this article is to investigate the impact of self-efficacy on Foreign Language Acquisition in secondary school students following a relatively recent shift of focus in the field, as the learner’s needs, efforts and capacities have been placed at the centre of the learning process. Hence the need to address the existing research gap by proving that self-efficacy may be viewed as a significant indicator of foreign language proficiency. Apart from presenting the theoretical background, the article also reveals the empirical findings of the research carried out in a higher secondary school on 78 participants (N = 78). The study suggests that highly efficacious students receive the highest English mean grade, that they are competent foreign language users and are confident about their skills, and approach the FL learning progress more consistently, not being discouraged by taking risks in the foreign language acquisition context and confronting situations which cannot be foreseen. In stark contrast are learners scoring low levels of self-efficacy who are more likely to engage in procrastination, have a lower mean of English grades and are not eager to participate actively in the foreign language acquisition classroom. The article concludes with a number of implications and recommendations which may be implemented in the future teaching methodology, particularly indicating other research directions.

심리사회적 학교환경에 대한 인식이 학생의 성장에 미치는 영향

Purpose: This study analyzed whether the psychosocial school environment mitigates the detrimental effects of poverty and influences students' initial cognitive (Korean, math, and English grades) and emotional (self-esteem) development during elementary school, as well as their growth trajectories throughout middle and high school. Methods: This study used longitudinal data from the same cohort of students surveyed at three intervals: elementary, middle, and high school spanning a six-year period from 2015, to 2018 and 2021. Data were obtained from the Korea Welfare Panel Study Supplementary Survey on Children.Analysis was conducted using the Multilevel Growth Model to examine the cognitive and emotional development trajectories of students throughout their elementary, middle, and high school years. Results: In terms of cognitive development, the study found that teacher support within the psychosocial school environment positively influenced the growth rate of Korean language subject grades. Regarding emotional growth, factors such as teacher support, school atmosphere, and peer relationships within the psychosocial school environment all exhibited significant positive effects on the initial levels of self-esteem among elementary school students. Additionally, the school atmosphere positively impacted the growth rate of self-esteem. The negative impact of poverty was often diminished or mitigated with the inclusion of variables such as students’ learning attitudes and parental educational involvement and supervision. Furthermore, with the additional inclusion of psychosocial school environment variables, the adverse effects of poverty almost completely disappeared. However, the influence of poverty persisted, manifesting as a negative impact on the initial scores of English subject grades. Conclusion: The psychosocial school environment can positively contribute to students' cognitive and emotional development. Particularly, teacher support has a positive impact on both the cognitive and emotional growth of students, and school climate and peer relationships are positively associated with emotional development. Therefore, efforts should be made in schools to strengthen teacher support, and to foster a positive school climate and peer relationships, aiming for a positive direction in cognitive and emotional development.