EVA CRISTINA RODRIGUES AVELAR DALMOLIN
AN EXPERIMENT IN TRANSACTIONAL DRILLS
Dissertação para obtenção de Grau de Mestre apresentada à Coordena- ção do Curso de Pós-Graduação, M e s t r a d o em L e t r a s , S e t o r de Ciências Humanas, Letras e Artes da Universidade Federal do Paraná.
C U R I T I B A
1978
P R O F E S S O R A O R I E N T A D O R A Doutora OTILIA ARNS T i t u l a r de Lingua e L i t e r a t u r a Inglesa da U n i v e r s i d a d e Federal do P a r a n á .
A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
It's a p l e a s u r e to a c k n o w l e d g e our debt to our tutor for her g u i d a n c e during this r e s e a r c h . Our special gratitude also goes to all those who have c o n t r i b u t e d to m a k e this work p o s s i b l e .
C O N T E N T S
List of Tables vii Resumo
A b s t r a c t x
1 . INTRODUCTION
1 . 1 . R e s e a r c h T h e m e °1 1 . 2 . The C o m m u n i c a t i v e A p p r o a c h to l a n g u a g e
teaching
1 . 3 . The T r a n s a c t i o n a l E n g i n e e r i n g A p p r o a c h ... 03
1 . 4 . P u r p o s e of the research 05 1 . 5 . Research L i m i t a t i o n 06 1 . 6 . Research Method 07
1 . 6 . 1 . Group S e l e c t i o n 07 1 . 6 . 2 . A p p l i c a t i o n of R e s e a r c h 08
1 . 7 . R e s e a r c h Period 10 1 .8. R e s e a r c h Plan 11
2 . FIRST PART
T H E O R E T I C A L B A C K G R O U N D
2 . 1 . T r a n s a c t i o n a l Drills T h e o r y 1 2
2 . 2 . Testing C o m m u n i c a t i o n 17 2 . 2 . 1 . The D i s c r e t e - F e a t u r e A p p r o a c h 17
2 . 2 . 2 . The I n t e g r a t i v e A p p r o a c h 19
i V
3 . SECOND PART
THE E X P E R I M E N T A L PROJECT
3 . 1 . E x p l o r a t o r y Studies 24 3 . 2 . P r e - t e s t s . 27
3 . 2 . 1 . P r e - t e s t of G r a m m a t i c a l
C o m p e t e n c e 27 3 . 2 . 2 . P r e - t e s t of C o m m u n i c a t i v e
C o m p e t e n c e 27 3 . 2 . 3 . An a t t i t u d i n a l q u e s t i o n n a i r e
towards the learning of E n g l i s h . 28
3 . 2 . 4 . A c a t a l o g u e q u e s t i o n n a i r e 28 3 . 2 . 5 . S t u d e n t s ' c l a s s i f i c a t i o n 30
3 . 3 . The I n s t r u c t i o n a l Program 31 3 . 3 . 1 . The Control Group 32 3 . 3 . 2 . The E x p e r i m e n t a l G r o u p . . . 33
3 . 3 . 2 . 1 . S t r u c t u r e d Transactional
Drills 33 3 . 3 . 2 . 2 . S e m i - F r e e Transactional
D r i l l s . . . 45 3 . 3 . 2 . 3 . Free T r a n s a c t i o n a l
Drills 49
3 . 4 . P o s t - t e s t s 50 3 . 4 . 1 . A t t i t u d i n a l Q u e s t i o n n a i r e 51
3 . 4 . 2 . P o s t - t e s t of G r a m m a t i c a l
C o m p e t e n c e 51 3 . 4 . 3 . P o s t - t e s t of C o m m u n i c a t i v e
C o m p e t e n c e 52
4 . C O N C L U S I O N 56
V
5 . B I B L I O G R A P H I C A L R E F E R E N C E S 60
6 . A p p e n d i c e s
6 . 1 . A p p e n d i x 1 : S t u d e n t C a t a l o g u e 64 6 . 2 . A p p e n d i x 2 : A t t i t u d i n à l Q u e s t i o n n a i r e 68
6 . 3 . A p p e n d i x 3 : P r e - a s s e s s m e n t o f
G r a m m a t i c a l C o m p e t e n c e . . . 75 6 . 4 . A p p e n d i x 4 : Post- a s s e s m e n t of
G r a m m a t i c a l C o m p e t e n c e . . . 90;
6 . 5 . A p p e n d i x 5 : P r e - t e s t of C o m m u n i c a t i v e
C o m p e t e n c e 104;
6 . 6 . A p p e n d i x 6 : Post-test of C o m m u n i c a t i v e
C o m p e t e n c e 110;
6 . 7 . A p p e n d i x 7 : I n s t r u c t i o n s for
S t r u c t u r e d T r a n s a c t i o n a l
Drills T-T5 6 . 8 . A p p e n d i x 8 : S a m p l e s of C o n v e r s a t i o n s
held during S t r u c t u r e d
T r a n s a c t i o n a l D r i l l s 127 6 . 9 . A p p e n d i x 9 : S a m p l e s of S e m i - F r e e
T r a n s a c t i o n a l D r i l l s I4 0
6 . 1 0 . A p p e n d i x 10: C h i - s q u a r e t e s t 167
v i
LIST OF T A B L E S
Tables
1 . Total of e x p e r i m e n t a l s t u d e n t s in 1 977....,
2 . C l a s s i f i c a t i o n of e x p e r i m e n t a l s t u d e n t s at the b e g i n n i n g of the second s e m e s t e r of 1977
3 . C l a s s i f i c a t i o n of e x p e r i m e n t a l s t u d e n t s at the end of the second s e m e s t e r of 1977
4 . Results o b t a i n e d in the second s e m e s t e r of 1977 5 . A t t i t u d i n a l q u e s t i o n n a i r e - f i n d i n g s
6 . S t u d e n t s ' a v e r a g e age
7 . Total of m a l e s and f e m a l e s 8 . S t u d e n t s ' outside work
9 . Total of s t u d e n t s who spoke f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e s 1 0 . P r e - t e s t of g r a m m a t i c a l c o m p e t e n c e
1 1 . P r e - t e s t of c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e 12.Greeting s
1 3 . Initiation of d i s c o u r s e 1 4 . L e a v e - t a k i n g
1 5 . A p o l o g i e s and r e s p o n s e s to a p o l o g i e s 16.Thanking and a n s w e r i n g to thanks
17 .Conclusion of d i s c o u r s e and topic s w i t c h i n g 1 8 . G r a m m a t i c a 1 m i s t a k e s
1 9 . P e r c e n t a g e of s t u d e n t s who m a d e g r a m m a t i c a l m i s t a k e s during the p r a c t i c e of s e m i - f r e e t r a n s a c t i o n a l d r i l l s . . . 2 0 . D e v e l o p m e n t of s t u d e n t s ' level of g r a m m a t i c a l ccmpetence ..
2 1 . D e v e l o p m e n t of s t u d e n t s ' level of c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e
2 2 . F r e q u e n c i e s o b t a i n e d in tests of c o m m u n i c a t i v e conpetara ..
23. Successful oral i n t e r v i e w s in the p o s t - t e s t of
c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e 55 24. A v e r a g e scores for the p o s t - t e s t of c o m m u n i c a t i v e
c o m p e t e n c e 59.
vi i i
RESUMO
Esta d i s s e r t a ç ã o foi um t r a b a l h o prático r e a l i z a d o com dois grupos de alunos do p r i m e i r o período semestral do Curso de L e t r a s - I n g l e s da U n i v e r s i d a d e Federal do P a r a n á , em 1 9 7 8 .
Antes do inicio das e x p e r i ê n c i a s , os 46 a l u n o s da dis- ciplina de Língua Inglesa I foram s u b m e t i d o s a p r é - t e s t e s de Com petência C o m u n i c a t i v a , C o m p e t ê n c i a G r a m a t i c a l e questionários nos quais r e v e l a r i a m suas a t i t u d e s em relação a a p r e n d i z a g e m de In- g l ê s . Depois d e s t e s testes os a l u n o s foram d i v i d i d o s em dois gru^
pos do mesmo n í v e l . Um grupo foi c h a m a d o "Grupo de C o n t r o l e " en- quanto que o outro foi c h a m a d o de "Grupo E x p e r i m e n t a l " .
Os dois grupos tinham aulas p r á t i c a s de g r a m á t i c a cin- co vezes por s e m a n a , d u r a n t e 13 s e m a n a s . Alem disso eles também p a r t i c i p a v a m em três s e s s õ e s e x p e r i m e n t a i s , nas q u a i s o grupo de c o n t r o l e tinha prática de l a b o r a t ó r i o e o grupo e x p e r i m e n t a l pra ticava e x e r c í c i o s de c o n v e r s a ç ã o ( T R A N S A C T I O N A L D R I L L S ) .
0 o b j e t i v o d e s t a s três s e s s õ e s e x p e r i m e n t a i s era deseji v o l v e r a c o m p e t ê n c i a c o m u n i c a t i v a oral dos a l u n o s .
Depois do período de 13 s e m a n a s e x p e r i m e n t a i s os alu- nos de ambos os grupos foram s u b m e t i d o s a p õ s - t e s t e s de Competêji cia C o m u n i c a t i v a e C o m p e t ê n c i a G r a m a t i c a l além do questionário de a t i t u d e em relação ao a p r e n d i z a d o de I n g l ê s . De acordo com os re sultados o b t i d o s nos p õ s - t e s t e s não havia n e n h u m a d i f e r e n ç a en- tre os dois grupos quanto a c o m p e t ê n c i a g r a m a t i c a l e a t i t u d e em relação ao a p r e n d i z a d o de I n g l ê s . Por outro lado o grupo experi- mental que havia p r a t i c a d o " T r a n s a c t i o n a l D r i l l s " era b a s t a n t e s u p e r i o r ao grupo de c o n t r o l e em termos de C o m p e t ê n c i a C o m u n i c a - tiva de a c o r d o com os r e s u l t a d o s o b t i d o s no p õ s - t e s t e de Compe- tência C o m u n i c a t i v a .
i x
A B S T R A C T
This d i s s e r t a t i o n was a practical study which dealt with two g r o u p s of the f i r s t s e m e s t e r of English L a n g u a g e L e a r n i n g of the L e t t e r s C o u r s e at the Federal U n i v e r s i t y of P a r a n a , in 1 9 7 8 .
Before we began the e x p e r i m e n t s the 46 students attending ENGLISH L A N G U A G E ONE w e r e given tests of Communicative C o m p e t e n c e , Gramraatieil C o m p e t e n c e and an A t t i t u d i n a l q u e s t i o n n a i r e t o w a r d s the learning of E n g l i s h . A f t e r these tests two s t a n d a r d i z e d g r o u p s w e r e m a d e u p . O n e of the groups was called THE C O N T R O L GROUP and the o t h e r one was called THE E X P E R I M E N T A L G R O U P .
The two g r o u p s a t t e n d e d g r a m m a r s e s s i o n s five times a week for a period of 13 w e e k s . In a d d i t i o n they attended three experimental s e s s i o n s in which THE C O N T R O L GROUP had LAB DRILLS and the E X P E R I M E N T A L GR0UP had T R A N S A C T I O N A L D R I L L S .
The goal of the three e x p e r i m e n t a l s e s s i o n s was to d e v e l o p s t u d e n t ^ ' oral c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e .
A f t e r 13 e x p e r i m e n t a l w e e k s the s t u d e n t s of both groups were given p o s t - t e s t s of C o m m u n i c a t i v e C o m p e t e n c e and Grammatical C o m p e t e n c e plus an Attitudinal q u e s t i o n n a i r e towards the learning of E n g l i s h . T h e r e was an a b s e n c e of d i f f e r e n c e s between the two g r o u p s a c c o r d i n g to the scores o b t a i n e d by the students on the test of G r a m m a t i c a l C o m p e t e n c e and the f i g u r e s o b t a i n e d on the A t t i t u d i n a l q u e s t i o n n a i r e . On the o t h e r hand THE E X P E R I M E N T A L GROUP which had p r a c t i s e d T R A N S A C T I O N A L D R I L L S was far s u p e r i o r to the C O N T R O L G R O U P a c c o r d i n g to the scores obtained on the test of C O M M U N I C A T I V E C O M P E T E N C E at the end of the school s e m e s t e r .
X
1 . I N T R O D U C T I O N
1 . 1 . RESEARCH T H E M E :
At the p r e s e n t time large n u m b e r of s t u d e n t s devote much t i m e , e n e r g y and m o n e y to l e a r n i n g f o r e i g n 1 anguages.while the end p r o d u c t i s , in the m a j o r i t y of c a s e s , a total inability to a c t u a l l y c o m m u n i c a t e with n a t i v e s p e a k e r s in a s p o n t a n e o u s s i t u a t i o n . This seems to indicate that the n e c e s s a r y t r a i n i n g
is not being g i v e n , that s t u d e n t s are being led t o w a r d s g r a m m a t i c a l c o m p e t e n c e b u t not t o w a r d s c o m m u n i c a t i v e competence.
L a n g u a g e t e a c h e r s are now r e c o g n i s i n g t h a t theirfirst p r i o r i t y is to train p e o p l e to c o m m u n i c a t e in a foreign language.
As a c o n s e q u e n c e a c o m m u n i c a t i v e a p p r o a c h to l a n g u a g e teaching is being more and m o r e w i d e l y a d o p t e d .
1 . 2 . THE C O M M U N I C A T I V E A P P R O A C H TO L A N G U A G E T E A C H I N G :
For the c o m m u n i c a t i v e a p p r o a c h , l a n g u a g e t e a c h i n g should aim at d e v e l o p i n g the l e a r n e r ' s c o m m u n i c a t i v e conpetence.
39
A c c o r d i n g to MORROW (p.4) this c o n s i s t s of the g r a m m a t i c a l c o m p e t e n c e which is the c o m p e t e n c e to p r o d u c e and u n d e r s t a n d an infinite number of g r a m m a t i c a l l y well-formed s e n t e n c e s and the k n o w l e d g e of when and in w h a t s i t u a t i o n s a s e n t e n c e is r e l e v a n t and a p p r o p r i a t e .
M 0 R R 0 W3 9( p . 5 ) goes on to state w h a t C O M M U N I C A T I V E COMPETENCE i n v o l v e s . He s u g g e s t s t h a t :
1 . 2 . 1 . C o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e c a n n o t e x i s t a p a r t from grammatical 39
c o m p e t e n c e . C o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e , he says (p.5) , c o n s i s t s of g r a m m a t i c a l c o m p e t e n c e plus o t h e r f e a t u r e s . 1 . 2 . 2 . What these o t h e r f e a t u r e s involve has been a m a t t e r of 39
s p e c u l a t i o n , he c o n t i n u e s , (p.5) T h e i r f u n c t i o n is to s p e c i f y w h e n an u t t e r a n c e is a p p r o p r i a t e to the environment
02
in which it is s p o k e n .
J o o s * , m e n t i o n e d in M O R R O W , d i s t i n g u i s h e s five 3 9
d i f f e r e n t styles in E n g l i s h :
1 . 2 . 2 . 1 . FROZEN - style used in n o t i c e s , in o f f i c i a l d o c u m e n t s and the l i k e .
1 . 2 . 2 . 2 . FORMAL - style used in impersonal human c o n t a c t situations, e . g . a n n o u n c e r s when addressing large groups of p e o p l e .
1 . 2 . 2 . 3 . C O N S U L T A T I V E - style n o r m a l l y used by total strangers.
1 . 2 . 2 . 4 . CASUAL - style used by f r i e n d s or a c q u a n t a i n c e s ,when
/
the use of s l a n g s and e l l i p s i s are a l l o w e d . 1 . 2 . 2 . 5 . INTIMATE - style used by c l o s e - f r i e n d s and f a m i l y ,
when s i l e n c e and g r u n t s are a c c e p t a b l e .
C o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e w o u l d involve the recognition of the a p p r o t p r i a t e n e s s of each one of these d i f f e r e n t levels of s p e e c h .
39 A n o t h e r f e a t u r e of c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e » M 0 R R 0 W (p.5) s u g g e s t s based upon W I D D 0 W S 0 N5 8, would be the recognition of the i m p l i c a t i v e c o n t e n t of a s e n t e n c e . He e x e m p l i f i e s by saying that w h i l e g r a m m a t i c a l c o m p e t e n c e w o u l d a c c o u n t for the production of:
HAVE YOU GOT A TUBE OF T O O T H P A S T E ?
as a w e l l - f o r m e d i n t e r r o g a t i v e s e n t e n c e , c o m m u n i c a t i v e competence
enables us to see that it has the v a l u e of a r e q u e s t to purchase or a r e q u e s t to b o r r o w , n o t of a r e q u e s t for information.
39
M O R R O W (p.11) s u g g e s t s that t e c h n i q u e s and p r o c e d u r e s
* JOOS, M . (1962). The Five Clocks. I.J.A.L., 28-5.
03
to f o s t e r g r a m m a t i c a l c o m p e t e n c e are r e l e v a n t in d e v e l o p i n g 39
c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e . H o w e v e r , he goes on (p. 11), such p r o c e d u r e s and t e c h n i q u e s should be seen as a part of the lan guage teaching p r o c e s s r a t h e r than the w h o l e .
One e x a m p l e of a r e c e n t a p p r o a c h w h i c h p l a c e s c o m m u n i c a t i o n as the p r i o r i t y of l a n g u a g e t e a c h i n g is the T R A N S A C T I O N A L E N G I N E E R I N G A P P R O A C H .
1 . 3 . THE T R A N S A C T I O N A L E N G I N E E R I N G A P P R O A C H
This a p p r o a c h is m a i n l y e t h n o c e n t r i c in n a t u r e , that i s , the focus is on the c o m m u n i t y of s t u d e n t s . This ethnocentric view f o c u s e s on the e x c h a n g e of ideas as the unit of a n a l y s i s
30
and u n d e r it TALK is the s u b j e c t m a t t e r , (p.2)
The T r a n s a c t i o n a l E n g i n e e r i n g A p p r o a c h s u g g e s t s t h a t at the b e g i n n i n g of l e a r n i n g a f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e the s t u d e n t will feel like a s t r a n g e r in the l a n g u a g e c l a s s , in the sense that he will have to g e t i n f o r m e d a b o u t the r e g u l a r talking p r a c t i c e s * of the c o u n t r y w h o s e l a n g u a g e he w a n t s to a c q u i r e . E x a m p l e s : he will have to know how to ask for d i r e c t i o n s , for prices of m e r c h a n d i s e , he will have to know how to take turns at c o n v e r s a t i o n s , e t c .
The l a n g u a g e t e a c h e r will be the r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of
•kit
this f o r e i g n c o u n t r y and so he will be the i n f o r m a n t » for instance if the s t u d e n t w a n t s to know how to a p o l o g i s e he wiU have to c o n s u l t the t e a c h e r - his g u i d e and s o u r c e .
r e g u l a r t a l k i n g p r a c t i c e s : roost c o m m o n s u b j e c t s and ways of talking a b o u t s u b j e c t s by the n a t i v e s p e a k e r s of the targaft l a n g u a g e .
A* i n f o r m a n t : he will tell the s t u d e n t s how to say things in the t a r g e t l a n g u a g e and w h a t to say in p a r t i c u l a r c o n t e x t s .
04 A c c o r d i n g to the t r a n s a c t i o n a l e n g i n e e r i n g a p p r o a c h the
*
n o t i c e a b l e s of any t a r g e t l a n g u a g e m u s t be p a r t of the student's r e p e r t o i r e , (p.3) 30
Once the l e a r n e r gets this r e p e r t o i r e he will become a
* if
r e g u l a r in t h a t s p e c i f i c l a n g u a g e . This r e p e r t o i r e gives the learner the c o n d i t i o n s for s p o n t a n e o u s t a l k . Now the s t u d e n t has got the b a c k g r o u n d he n e e d e d for t r a n s a c t i o n s , t h a t i s , now he is able to engage someone else i n a conversation in the target l a n g u a g e .
In o r d e r to have a b e t t e r l a n g u a g e t r a i n i n g the teacher
can s u g g e s t T O P I C S * * * for the s t u d e n t s to i n t e r a c t a m o n g t h e m s e l v e s . Then the s t u d e n t will m a k e use of the r e p e r t o i r e of the t a r g e t l a n g u a g e he has a l r e a d y a c q u i r e d .
By e n g a g i n g in t r a n s a c t i o n s the s t u d e n t , who had been a s t o n i s h e d by the n u m b e r of n o t i c e a b l e s he had to a c q u i r e at the beginning of l a n g u a g e l e a r n i n g , will b e c o m e bit by bit
• k i c k t e
r e g u l a r i z e d in the target l a n g u a g e .
30
The T r a n s a c t i o n a l E n g i n e e r i n g A p p r o a c h s u g g e s t s (p.20) the f o l l o w i n g phases for the t e a c h e r to set up the instructional f r a m e s for h e l p i n g s t u d e n t s e n g a g e in t r a n s a c t i o n s in the target l a n g u a g e :
1 . 3 . 1 . R E - E N C U L T U R A T I 0 N3 0( p . 2 0 )
The s t u d e n t will r e c e i v e i n f o r m a t i o n c o n c e r n i n g ithe
*
n o t i c e a b l e s : p a r t i c u l a r a s p e c t s of the t a r g e t language such as ways of saying t h a t one does not r e m e m b e r s o m e o n e else's name: W H A T ' S HIS NAME?
* * r e g u l a r : f l u e n t s p e a k e r .
* * *
t o p i c s : s u b j e c t s common s p e a k e r s of the t a r g e t language
talk a b o u t . 3
* * * *
r e g u l a r i z e d : f a m i l i a r with the c o n v e r s a t i o n a l r o u t i n e s used by s p e a k e r s of the t a r g e t l a n g u a g e .
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n o t i c e a b l e s of each s i t u a t i o n in the t a r g e t c u l t u r e , for instance the s t u d e n t will learn how to s t a r t and end exchanges
in the target l a n g u a g e .
1 . 3 . 2 . R E - S 0 C I A L I Z A T I 0 N3 0( p . 2 1 )
The s t u d e n t will have to a c q u i r e special t e c h n i q u e s of initiating m o v e s in a c o n v e r s a t i o n such as body p o s t u r i n g and facial e x p r e s s i v e n e s s .
1 . 3 . 3 . R E - A S S I M I L A T I 0 N3 0( p . 2 1 )
The s t u d e n t will have to be informed a b o u t the a p p r o p r i a t e n e s s of r e f e r e n c e s to s e l f - d e s c r i p t i o n s and self-
- v a l u e s .
1 . 3 . 4 . THE ENACTIVE S T A G E3 0( p . 2 2 )
This is a stage at which the s t u d e n t will e n g a g e someone else in a t r a n s a c t i o n by raising c o n t e n t i o n s , taking turns at t a l k , p r e s e n t i n g a r g u m e n t s , j u s t i f y i n g , d e s c r i b i n g , e t c .
At this stage the t e a c h e r tells the s t u d e n t how to act in p a r t i c u l a r s i t u a t i o n s , by s u g g e s t i n g the topic and
*
giving them some topical s e q u e n c e s and as a s p o n t a n e o u s f o l l o w - u p , s t u d e n t s ' talk will e m e r g e n a t u r a l l y .
1 . 4 . PURPOSE OF THE R E S E A R C H
The T r a n s a c t i o n a l E n g i n e e r i n g A p p r o a c h was applied to the p r o d u c t i o n of T R A N S A C T I O N A L D R I L L S .
T r a n s a c t i o n a l Drills are a kind of c o n v e r s a t i o n class which we a p p l i e d to s t u d e n t s a t t e n d i n g the f i r s t period
* T O P I C A L S E Q U E N C E S : the s e q u e n c e s of a p a r t i c u l a r
c o n v e r s a t i o n s e . g . the use of " H E L L O ! " at the b e g i n n i n g and
"BYE!" at the end of the t r a n s a c t i o n .
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of English L a n g u a g e of the L e t t e r s C o u r s e a t t t h e Federal U n i v e r s i t y of P a r a n á .
Our f i r s t o b j e c t i v e was to i n v e s t i g a t e the possibi 1 ity that T R A N S A C T I O N A L DRILLS m i g h t lead to s t u d e n t s ' a c h i e v e m e n t
of oral c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e more s u c c e s s f u l l y than l a b o r a t o r y d r i l l s , in a short period of 13 w e e k s .
Because we f e l t t h a t i n h i b i t i o n w o u l d be a f a c t o r that could a f f e c t s t u d e n t s ' p o s i t i v e i d e n t i f i c a t i o n as s p e a k e r s of the English L a n g u a g e , our second o b j e c t i v e was to help students get rid of i n h i b i t i o n a g a i n s t talking E n g l i s h to a c o m m u n i t y of n a t i v e s p e a k e r s .
1 . 5 . RESEARCH L I M I T A T I O N :
The e x p e r i m e n t s d e a l t with in this d i s s e r t a t i o n w e r e made p o s s i b l e thanks to the f l e x i b i l i t y of the t i m e t a b l e of
the first s e m e s t e r of E n g l i s h L a n g u a g e for s t u d e n t s who study the L e t t e r s C o u r s e of the Federal U n i v e r s i t y of P a r a n á in C u r i t i b a , capital of P a r a n á , a s o u t h e r n state of B r a z i l . This t i m e t a b l e s u g g e s t s :
two hours of l a n g u a g e l a b o r a t o r y one hour of o r a l / a u r a l p r a c t i c e
one hour of r e a d i n g and w r i t i n g p r a c t i c e
four hours in which the s t u d e n t s are to p r a c t i c e grammar.
We l i m i t e d our e x p e r i m e n t s to t h r e e of the eight tours a week of the a b o v e m e n t i o n e d t i m e t a b l e . The l i m i t i n g of our research hours was due to the fact that the u n d e r t a k i n g of an. e x p e r i m e n t which l a s t e d e i g h t hours a w e e k w o u l d r e q u i r e a total reform of the E n g l i s h L a n g u a g e s y l l a b u s . This reform would be beyond our r e s e a r c h p o s s i b i l i t i e s , v i z . , that w o u l d
require the scope of a d o c t o r a l d i s s e r t a t i o n , r a t h e r than research at M a s t e r s ' l e v e l .
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1 . 6 . R E S E A R C H M E T H O D :
1 . 6 . 1 . G r o u p S e l e c t i Q n :
Two g r o u p s o f s t u d e n t s of E n g l i s h L a n g u a g e O n e ; one c o n t r o l g r o u p , w h i c h will be c a l l e d "C" f r o m now o n , and one e x p e r i m e n t a l g r o u p , w h i c h will be c a l l e d "E" from now on', p a r t i c i p a t e d in the s t u d y of this d i s s e r t a t i o n . Each g r o u p c o r r e s p o n d e d to a c l a s s s e c t i o n of the L e t t e r s C o u r s e at the Federal U n i v e r s i t y of P a r a n a .
To p r o v i d e us w i t h r e a s o n a b l y s i m i l a r g r o u p s , the s t u d e n t s w e r e g i v e n t e s t s of a c h i e v e m e n t in g r a m m a t i c a l and c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e at the b e g i n n i n g of the s e m e s t e r .
G r a m m a t i c a l c o m p e t e n c e was a s s e s s e d by m e a n s of a m u l t i p l e c h o i c e t e s t of e l e m e n t a r y g r a m m a r * plus a r e a d i n g c o m p r e h e n s i o n t e s t and a w r i t i n g t e s t . C o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e
was m e a s u r e d by a c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e t e s t * * , d e v i s e d s p e c i f i c a l l y f o r this r e s e a r c h . It c o n s i s t e d of an i n t e r v i e w with a n a t i v e s p e a k e r and s i t u a t i o n s in w h i c h the s t u d e n t s w o u l d have to p r o v i d e a p p r o p r i a t e r e m a r k s . The p u r p o s e was to e s t a b l i s h the c o m m o n s t a n d a r d s of the i n c o m i n g s t u d e n t s so as to have a set of s c o r e s a g a i n s t w h i c h to m e a s u r e the final c o m m u n i c a t i v e s k i l l s of the same s t u d e n t s at the end of the
if
e x p e r i m e n t .
In o r d e r to have s t a n d a r d i z e d g r o u p s , one a t t i t u d i n a l q u e s t i o n n a i r e * * * t o w a r d s the E n g l i s h L a n g u a g e and a
* See a p p e n d i x 3
** See a p p e n d i x 5
*** See a p p e n d i x 2
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c a t a l o g u e q u e s t i o n n a i r e * w e r e a l s o a p p l i e d to s t u d e n t s . S t a n d a r d i z a t i o n in a s p e c t s s u c h a s the f o l l o w i n g was s o u g h t : a g e , s e x , p r e v i o u s e x p e r i e n c e w i t h E n g l i s h , v i s i t s a b r o a d , s c h o o l s a t t e n d e d , o t h e r l a n g u a g e s s p o k e n , r e a s o n s for l e a r n i n g E n g l i s h and o u t s i d e w o r k .
H a v i n g all this i n f o r m a t i o n (tests and q u e s t i o n n a i r e s ) at h a n d , we c l a s s i f i e d the s t u d e n t s into f o u r c a t e g o r i e s : A - B - C - D ?
A : e x c e l l e n t B: good
C: f a i r
D : b e l o w fa i r
A f t e r h a v i n g c l a s s i f i e d the s t u d e n t s , it was q u i t e easy to d i v i d e them into two s t a n d a r d i z e d g r o u p s , by m e a n s of a s y s t e m a t i c m e t h o d : half of the "A" s t u d e n t s w o u l d be p l a c e d in g r o u p C and half of them in g r o u p E , half of the "B" students w o u l d be p l a c e d in g r o u p C and half of them in g r o u p E , h a l f of the "C" s t u d e n t s w o u l d be p l a c e d in g r o u p C and half of them in g r o u p E , half of the "D" s t u d e n t s w o u l d be p l a c e d in g r o u p C and half of them in g r o u p E .
1 . 6 . 2 . A p p l i c a t i o n of R e s e a r c h :
i
Both g r o u p s m e t for e i g h t 50 m i n u t e p e r i o d s a w e e k . T h e s e p e r i o d s w e r e d i s t r i b u t e d as f o l l o w s :
five h o u r s f o r g r a m m a r i n s t r u c t i o n and w r i t i n g p r a c t i c e ,
t h r e e h o u r s for E n g l i s h r e l a t e d a c t i v i t i e s .
* See a p p e n d i x 1
09
For the control g r o u p , C , the English related a c t i v i t i e s c o n s i s t e d of two hours of l a n g u a g e l a b o r a t o r y practice based on the material p r e s e n t e d in the course and one
hour of l i s t e n i n g c o m p r e h e n s i o n p r a c t i c e with the aid of l a b o r a t o r y t a p e s .
For the e x p e r i m e n t a l g r o u p , E , the English related a c t i v i t i e s c o n s i s t e d of three hours of p e r f o r m a n c e of s p e c i f i c c o m m u n i c a t i v e a c t s . These p e r f o r m a n c e were trained by m e a n s of Transactional D r i l l s . These T r a n s a c t i o n a l Drills p r o g r e s s e d from simple e x c h a n g e of g r e e t i n g s to d i s c u s s i o n s of c u r r e n t events and d e s c r i p t i o n s of social o c c a s i o n s that are common in English speaking c o u n t r i e s .
The s t u d e n t s d e a l t with two kinds of t r a n s a c t i o n a l drills: s t r u c t u r e d and s e m i - f r e e t r a n s a c t i o n a l d r i l l s .
The S t r u c t u r e d T r a n s a c t i o n a l Drills w o r k e d as follows:
after having r e c e i v e d oral and w r i t t e n i n s t r u c t i o n s on a topic the s t u d e n t s w o r k e d in pairs of threes a c c o r d i n g to w h e t h e r a third p a r t i c i p a n t was c o n s i d e r e d likely to p r o d u c e a more natural s i t u a t i o n . As soon as the individual s t u d e n t s felt c o n f i d e n t enough to speak in front of the big g r o u p , the small groups would be d i s p e r s e d and new g r o u p s w o u l d be f o r m e d . These prep s e s s i o n s used to last 20 m i n u t e s . The p e r f o r m a n c e s in frant
of the big g r o u p , which lasted from 5 to 7 m i n u t e s were recorded on t a p e . There w o u l d not be any i n t e r f e r e n c e by the teacher in s t u d e n t s ' g r a m m a t i c a l m i s t a k e s during the p e r f o r m a n c e of these s p e c i f i c c o m m u n i c a t i v e a c t s . During the session after the e x p e r i m e n t the t e a c h e r used to rewind the tape and to point out s t u d e n t s ' m i s t a k e s .
The S e m i - F r e e T r a n s a c t i o n a l Drills w o r k e d as f o l l o w s :
vo
the students did not receive any i n s t r u c t i o n , but they had time
to p r e p a r e , in p a i r s , d e s c r i p t i o n s of social o c c a s i o n s or d e s c r i p t i o n s of c i t i e s or s t a t e s . These d e s c r i p t i o n s which lasted from 10 to 30 m i n u t e s w e r e r e c o r d e d on t a p e . Once m o r e there would not be any i n t e r f e r e n c e by the t e a c h e r in s t u d e n t s ' grammatical m i s t a k e s at the time of the p e r f o r m a n c e of the semi- free t r a n s a c t i o n a l d r i l l s . N e v e r t h e l e s s a f t e r the p e r f o r m a n c e of the s e m i - f r e e t r a n s a c t i o n a l d r i l l s , the t e a c h e r used to rewind the tape and to p o i n t o u t s t u d e n t s ' m i s t a k e s .
1 . 7 . R E S E A R C H P E R I O D :
The r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t lasted a total of 15 w e e k s , including the two weeks used for pre-testin§ and p o s t - t e s t i n g (see b e l o w ) and was s p e c i f i c a l l y aimed at ridding the s t u d e n t s of any inhibition they m i g h t have a b o u t speaking E n g l i s h to their t e a c h e r s , f r i e n d s and p a r t i c u l a r l y s p e a k e r s of the target l a n g u a g e .
The p o s t - t e s t s a p p l i e d at the c o n c l u s i o n of the e x p e r i m e n t took the same form as the p r e - t e s t s and c o v e r e d the same a s p e c t s ; that is to s a y ; c o m m u n i c a t i v e and g r a m m a t i c a l com- petence tests and an a t t i t u d i n a l q u e s t i o n n a i r e t o w a r d s English s t u d i e s . The p u r p o s e h o w e v e r was êo e s t a b l i s h which of the two v a r i a b l e s - l a b drills or t r a n s a c t i o n a l d r i l l s had been m o r e
s u c c e s s f u l ! in p r o d u c i n g ORAL C O M M U N I C A T I V E C O M P E T E N C E . Qpoup v a r i a t i o n in G r a m m a t i c a l C o m p e t e n c e and A t t i t u d e to Engl ish studies, w h i l e p o t e n t i a l l y an area of f u r t h e r r e s e a r c h , w e r e not ourprmary concern h e r e . T h e s e tests w e r e a d m i n i s t e r e d simply in case they m i g h t throw some i n t e r e s t i n g light on any u n e x p e c t e d r e s u l t s of the research which m i g h t lead to f u t u r e i n v e s t i g a t i o n in a différait
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d i r e c t i o n .
1 . 8 . R E S E A R C H PLAN
The jay-oyfc of. this d i s s e r t a t i o n is p r e s e n t e d in two parts: a t h e o r e t i c a l one and a practical o n e .
The theoretical p a r t will be called T H E O R E T I C A L B A C K G R O U N D and it will be d i v i d e d into two c h a p t e r s :
1 . 8 . 1 . T h e . f i r s t c h a p t e r will o f f e r some theoretical aansideraticns about T r a n s a c t i o n a l D r i l l s .
1 . 8 . 2 . The second one will c o n s i d e r how to test C o m m u n i c a t i v e C o m p e t e n c e .
The practical part will be called THE E X P E R I M E N T A L PROJECT and it will be d i v i d e d into f o u r c h a p t e r s :
1 . 8 . 3 . In the f i r s t c h a p t e r we will r e l a t e some p r e l i m i n a r y i n v e s t i g a t i o n we did b e f o r e s t a r t i n g the e x p e r i m e n t s of this d i s s e r t a t i o n .
1 . 8 . 4 . In the second one we will d e s c r i b e the s e p a r a t i o n ôf the s t u d e n t s i n v o l v e d in this study into twostandardised groups.
1 . 8 . 5 . In the third one we will d e s c r i b e the e x p e r i m e n t s of this d i s s e r t a t i o n .
1 . 8 . 6 . Finally in the fourth c h a p t e r we will c o m p a r e the two groups of s t u d e n t s i n v o l v e d in the s t u d y of this d i s s e r t a t i o n after a period of 13 e x p e r i m e n t a l w e e k s .
2 . FIRST PART
T H E O R E T I C A L B A C K G R O U N D 2 . 1 . T R A N S A C T I O N A L DRILLS THEORY
In this d i s s e r t a t i o n we d e s i g n e d our e x p e r i m e n t s based upon the t r a n s a c t i o n a l e n g i n e e r i n g a p p r o a c h to l a n g u a g e teaching.
Our e x p e r i m e n t s were called T R A N S A C T I O N A L D R I L L S . The reason for calling them T R A N S A C T I O N A L DRILLS is that there was some preparation for the t r a n s a c t i o n a l e p i s o d e . In this d i s s e r t a t i o n we dealtwith two types of T R A N S A C T I O N A L D R I L L S w h i c h w e n t from S T R U C T U R E D to S E M I - F R E E .
In the S T R U C T U R E D T R A N S A C T I O N A L D R I L L S the experimental group s t u d e n t s r e c e i v e d oral and w r i t t e n i n s t r u c t i o n s on a p a r t i c u l a r t o p i c . T h e s e i n s t r u c t i o n s did not have tobenecessari ly f o l l o w e d , p r o v i d e d that the topic did not g e t l o s t .
In the S E M I - F R E E T R A N S A C T I O N A L D R I L L S there w e r e no i n s t r u c t i o n s and the e x p e r i m e n t a l g r o u p s t u d e n t s had to p r e s e n t a series of d e s c r i p t i o n s of social o c c a s i o n s of E n g l i s h speaking p e o p l e . This kind of a c t i v i t y w a s p e r f o r m e d in pairs b e c a u s e 1t was not a m e r e report on a t o p i c , they had r e a l l y to talk to one a n o t h e r , in a t r a n s a c t i o n a l e p i s o d e .
The p r a c t i c e of D R I L L S had been p r e v i o u s l y c r i t i s e d by the T r a n s a c t i o n a l E n g i n e e r i n g C o r p o r a t i o n ( J A K O B O V I T S , 1 9 7 0 ) . 26 N e v e r t h e l e s s the t e c h n i q u e PATTERN D R I L L S is still used in one
*
form or a n o t h e r by r e c e n t t e x t b o o k w r i t e r s . B e c a u s e of this i m p o r t a n t f a c t , in 1 9 7 4 , The T r a n s a c t i o n a l E n g i n e e r i n g A p p r o a c h offered a t r a n s a c t i o n a l r a t i o n a l e for the t e c h n i q u e PATTERN DRUS which is p r e s e n t é d in steps (p.67): 2 8
Step One: Define the t r a n s a c t i o n a l s k i l l s to be
* See b i b l i o g r a p h i c a l r e f e r e n c e s : 4 , 9 , 1 1 , 1 2 , 1 8 , 1 9 , 3 8 , 4 4 , 5 4 , 5 6 .
13
c o v e r e d in a c o u r s e o r in a b l o c k o f lessons. T h i s
d i s s e r t a t i o n c a l l s the t r a n s a c t i o n a l skill p r a c t i c e s T R A N S A C T I O N A L D R I L L S .
S t e p T w o : D e f i n e the s t r u c t u r a l c o m p o n e n t s of the t r a n s a c t i o n a l s k i l l s . In t h i s s d i s s e r t a t i o n the s t r u c t u r a l c o m p o n e n t s of the t r a n s a c t i o n a l d r i l l s a r e c a l l e d T O P I C A L S E Q U E N C E S . As an i l l u s t r a t i o n we h a v e the T r a n s a c t i o n a l Drill w h o s e t o p i c is: A V O I D I N G U N D E S I R A B L E T O P I C S . The s t r u c t u r a l c o m p o n e n t s * a r e :
(a) d i s p l a y i n g v i s u a l a c k n o w l e d g m e n t (b) a p p r o a c h i n g
(c) e x c h a n g i n g g r e e t i n g s
(d) f i r s t o n e snakes a n a s t y r e m a r k
(e) s e c o n d one t r i e s to c h a n g e the t o p i c (f) f i r s t one m a i n t a i n s s a m e t o p i c
(g) s e c o n d one e x p r e s s e s u n w i l l i n g n e s s to d i s c u s s the t o p i c
(h) f i r s t o n e u n d e r s t a n d s a n d c h a n g e s t o p i c
Step T h r o e : P r o v i d e f r a m e s e n t e n c e s t h a t
i f ï w i ^ r m i f t m i«»»» . ¿ » H M ^ T ; »
e x e m p l i f y s o m e T r a n s a c t i o n a l I d i o m s * * a v a i l a b l e f o r tho s t r u c t u r a l s e q u e n c e s . T h e s t r u c t u r a l
s.çquçnce "g" m e n t i o n e d a b o v e s a y s :
s e c o n d one e x p r e s s e s u n w i l l i n g n e s s to d i s c u s s the t o p i c
^ T o p i c a l ccqtaenecs
^ T r a n s a c t i o n a l i d i o c s a r e c o n v e n t i o n a l i s e d w a y s of e x p r e s s i n g p a r t i c u l a r i d e a s in & l a n g u a g e .
IA
There are some t r a n s a c t i o n a l idioms a v a i l a b l e for this topical s e q u e n c e such as:
"Let's not discuss t h a t . . . "
"Leu's not go into t h a t . . . "
"I'd r a t h e r not d i s c u s s t h a t . . . "
By p r a c t i s i n g t r a n s a c t i o n s the s t u d e n t s will get used to TALK in the t a r g e t l a n g u a g e . J A K O B O V I T S and G O R D O N2 8 say that :
C o n v e r s a t i o n s c o n s i s t of a set of t r a n s a c t i o n s s e q u e n t i a l l y
p e r f o r m e d in time and
h i e r a r c h i c a l l y o r g a n i z e d , (p.137)
This means that the t r a n s a c t i o n E X C H A N G I N G G R E E T I N G S will always come f i r s t in a c o n v e r s a t i o n w h i l e the t r a n s a c t i o n L E A V E - T A K I N G will always a p p e a r last in the same c o n v e r s a t i o n . In between we will have the t r a n s a c t i o n s the c o - p a r t i c i p a n t s of a c o n v e r s a t i o n are i n t e r e s t e d i n .
As an i l l u s t r a t i o n we have a d a p t e d the c o n v e r s a t i o n that is t r a n s c r i b e d in J A K O B O V I T S and G O R D O N2 8, ( p . 1 3 8 )
(a) H i , J o h n . What's up?
(b) H i . M r . Smith h a s n ' t come in t o d a y . I need to talk to h i m . Do you have any idea w h e r e he m i g h t be?
(c) Did you try the golf c o u r s e ?
(d) I tried all p o s s i b l e p l a c e s . No one has seen h i m . (d.i.) Would you do me a favor?
(e) Sure'.
(f) Drive m e o v e r to his h o u s e . There is no phone and he m i g h t be i l l .
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(g) W e l l , I c a n ' t leave the o f f i c e until 6:00 p . m . I have a m e e t i n g in h a l f - a n * h o u r . But I'll ask my s e c r e t a r y to do i t .
(h) Thanks f r i e n d . I a p p r e c i a t e it.
(i) That's n o t h i n g . I enjoy helping f r i e n d s , (j) Thanks a g a i n . Chow!
(k) See you l a t e r .
The above m e n t i o n e d c o n v e r s a t i o n can be s p l i t into T R A N S A C T I O N S such as the f o l l o w i n g :
E X C H A N G I N G G R E T I N G S (a) greets
(b) a c k n o w l e d g e s g r e e t i n g s A S K I N G FOR E X P L A N A T I O N (a) asks for e x p l a n a t i o n
(b) gives e x p l a n a t i o n and asks for s u g g e s t i o n ASKING FOR S U G G E S T I O N
(b) asks for s u g g e s t i o n (c) gives s u g g e s t i o n (d) refuses s u g g e s t i o n
A S K I N G FOR A FAVOUR (d.i.) asks for a f a v o u r (e) agrees
(f) tells the kind of f a v o u r he needs
(g) refuses f a v o u r , gives e x p l a n a t i o n and offers a n o t h e r s u g g e s t i o n
T H A N K I N G (h) t h a n k s
(i) a c k n o w l e d g e s t h a n k i n g LEAVE TAKING
1 6
(j) takes leave
(k) a c k n o w l e d g e s l e a v e - t a k i n g
J A K O B O V I T S and G O R D O N2 8 s u g g e s t that the use of specific transactional p e r f o r m a n c e s in the c l a s s r o o m will he 1 p the tea che r convince the u n w i l l i n g students of the d e s i r a b i l i t y of the study of f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e s and m o r e o v e r they will increase the a t m o s p h e r e of a u t h e n t i c i t y with w i l l i n g s t u d e n t s . They f i n a l l y conclude:
L a n g u a g e T e a c h i n g will go w i t h o u t w o r r y , though not w i t h o u t e f f o r t , (p.259)
NOTE: The T r a n s a c t i o n a l E n g i n e e r i n g A p p r o a c h is p r e s e n t e d by the T R A N S A C T I O N A L E N G I N E E R I N G C O R P O R A T I O N which is divided into two s u b - c o r p o r a t i o n s . One of them is located in K a i l u a , Hawaii and the o t h e r one is located in Miami B e a c h , Florida. The P r e s i d e n t of this c o r p o r a t i o n is D r . B A R B A R A GORDON who co- -works with Dr. LEON J A K O B O V I T S .
2 . 2 . T E S T I N G C O M M U N I C A T I O N 17
In any p r o j e c t aimed at the a n a l y s i s of s t u d e n t s ' p e r f o r m a n c e s in any s p h e r e , some m e a n s of m e a s u r i n g that
p e r f o r m a n c e with a r e a s o n a b l e d e g r e e of a c c u r a c y n e e d s to be devised.
In our r e s e a r c h we were p r i m a r i l y i n t e r e s t e d in meœuring the c o m m u n i c a t i v e skills of the two g r o u p s of s t u d e n t s . It was t h e r e f o r e essential that some m e a n s could be found of testing c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e .
Our tests of c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e w e r e based upon M O R R O W ' S T e c h n i q u e s of e v a l u a t i o n for a notional s y l l a b u s (1977).
39
M O R R O W (p.27) a s s u m e s that a test of communicative ability in a foreign l a n g u a g e m u s t m e a s u r e m o r e than i d e a l i s e d a c c u r a c y . He o f f e r s two a p p r o a c h e s to c o m m u n i c a t i v e t e s t i n g . The f i r s t one
•3 0
is based on d i s c r e t e - f e a t u r e tests (p.27) i n t e n d e d to measurethe control of the c o m m u n i c a t i v e system such as the a p p r o p r i a t e n e ss of a sentence to a p a r t i c u l a r c o n t e x t or the p u r p o s e of en utterarce^
because o b v i o u s l y every u t t e r a n c e is m a d e for a r e a s o n . Thesecond 39 one consists of i n t e g r a t i v e tests ( p . 2 7 ) i n t e n d e d to m e a s u r e the c a n d i d a t e ' s a b i l i t y to p e r f o r m in b e h a v i o u r a l a c t i v i t i e s .
2 . 2 . 1 . THE D I S C R E T E - F E A T U R E A P P R O A C H3 9( p . 2 7 )
In this a p p r o a c h the c a n d i d a t e will r e c e i v e an INPUT datum (either w r i t t e n or o r a l ) , then he will p r o c e s s a comminicêtwe o p e r a t i o n which wiTI f i n a l l y o f f e r an O U T P U T r e s p o n s e (eitterwr i tten or oral ).
M O R R O W calls our a t t e n t i o n to the f a c t t h a t in t h i s k t i d of testing a p p r o a c h the c a n d i d a t e will have to b e h a v e sometimes<as the INITIATOR of an i n t e r a c t i o n and s o m e t i m e s as the R E S P O N D E N T .
M O R R O W3 9( p . 2 9 ) s u g g e s t s that for the R E S P O N D E N T it is possible to o f f e r a M A N I P U L A T I O N p r o c e d u r e . This c o n s i s t s of providing the c a n d i d a t e with some data (INPUT O P E R A T I O N ) and askiig him to indicate their r e l e v a n c e to s p e c i f i e d s i t u a t i o n s
18
(OUTPUT O P E R A T I O N ) . The c a n d i d a t e m i g h t be asked to c h o o s e from a set the m o s t a p p r o p r i a t e e l e m e n t in a given s i t u a t i o n , for
i n s t a n c e :
" S i t u a t i o n : S o m e o n e m a k e s a remark that you don't u n d e r s t a n d .fôü are a pol i te p e r s o n . You r e p l y :
1 . W h a t did you say?
2 . I beg y o u r p a r d o n ?
3 . I am not u n d e r s t a n d i n g . 4 . R e p e a t . "
A n o t h e r e x a m p l e of M A N I P U L A T I O N P R O C E D U R E is when we give the c a n d i d a t e two sets of s e n t e n c e s and he is supposed to match t h e m . One set of s e n t e n c e s m a y be w r i t t e n on the c a n d i d a t e ' s paper and the o t h e r one is read o u t by the e x a m i n e r . For instance the e x a m i n e r says:
"Excuse mel "
and the c a n d i d a t e has on his p a p e r the f o l l o w i n g a l t e r n a t i v e s , so as to m a t c h the oral INPUT to the a p p r o p r i a t e r e s p o n s e :
1 . My s i s t e r had a b a b y .
2 . Can you tell me the way to the bus s t a t i o n ? 3 . I feel t e r r i b l e this m o r n i n g !
4 . Did you really?
B e c a u s e it m a y be a r g u e d that the c a n d i d a t e ' s i d e n t i f i c a t i o n of c o m m u n i c a t i v e l y i m p o r t a n t f e a t u r e s does not
39
allow the c a n d i d a t e to p r o d u c e l a n g u a g e , M O R R O W (p.33) also suggests the P R O D U C T I O N P R O C E D U R E w h e r e the c a n d i d a t e is the INITIATOR of a novel u t t e r a n c e . This time the c a n d i d a t e may be asked to make oral a p p r o p r i a t e r e m a r k s to some oral input data he r e c e i v e s . For i n s t a n c e he could be asked to p r o v i d e a remark
19
to the s t a t e m e n t :
"You are standing on my f o o t " .
In the M a n i p u l a t i o n P r o c e d u r e there would be no a s s e s s m e n t problem since the s t u d e n t s ' O U T P U T R E S P O N S E S were either right or w r o n g . In the P r o d u c t i o n P r o c e d u r e , h o w e v e r , there is such a p r o b l e m . N e v e r t h e l e s s M O R R O W3 9 (p.33) s u g g e s t s that "there is a p o s s i b i l i t y of s t a n d a r d i z a t i o n so t h a t the c a n d i d a t e ' s r e s p o n s e m a y be c o m p a r e d to a r a n g e of native
39
s p e a k e r s ' r e s p o n s e s " . M O R R O W (p.35) adds that the s t a n d a r d i z a t i o n is m o r e l i k e l y to be based on a " f a i r l y la r g e
p o p u l a t i o n of n a t i v e s p e a k e r s " .
2 . 2 . 2 . THE ¡INTEGRATIVE A P P R O A C H3 9( p . 3 7 )
M o r r o w s u g g e s t s that in such tests the c a n d i d a t e would be offered c o m m u n i c a t i o n tasks that w o u l d be based on behavioural a c t i v i t i e s he w o u l d have to e n g a g e i n . For e x a m p l e he would have to :
2 . 2 . 2 . 1 . a n s w e r q u e s t i o n s in an oral i n t e r v i e w ;
2 . 2 . 2 . 2 . ask q u e s t i o n s a b o u t real life s i t u a t i o n s in an oral i n t e r v i e w ;
2 . 2 . 2 . 3 . e n g a g e in i n t e r a c t i o n s . 39
M O R R O W (p.41) s u g g e s t s that this i n t e r a c t i o n a l par- t i c i p a t i o n test m a y go from s t r u c t u r e d to f r e e .
2 . 2 . 2 . 3 . 1 . S T R U C T U R E D :
The c a n d i d a t e r e c e i v e s a w r i t t e n d i a l o g u e and he has to read o u t one part w h i l e the examiner reads o u t the o t h e r o n e .
2 . 2 . 2 . 3 . 2 . S E M I - S T R U C T U R E D :
The c a n d i d a t e r e c e i v e s a w r i t t e n d i a l o g u e with
20
his p a r t m i s s i n g w h i c h he is s u p p o s e d to p r o v i d e . A t t e n t i o n has to be p a i d to the f a c t t h i t not only s i n g l e w o r d s but a l s o c o m p l e t e u t t e r a n c e s a r e r e q u i r e d in the g a p s .
2 . 2 . 2 . 3 . 3 . S E M I - F R E E :
T h e c a n d i d a t e is t o l d in a d v a n c e a b o u t a particular t o p i c he will h a v e to g i v e his o p i n i o n a b o u t . 2 . 2 . 2 . 3 . 4 . F R E E :
T h i s w o u l d c o n s i s t of an e n t i r e l y u n p r e d i c t a b l e • i e x c h a n g e of i d e a s b e t w e e n the e x a m i n e r and the c a n d i d a t e .
In the t e s t s of c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e of this d i s s e r t a t i o n we c h o s e the s e m i - s t r u c t u r e d i n t e r a c t i o n a l p a r t i c i - p a t i o n t e s t b e c a u s e it b e s t s u i t e d the level the s t u d e n t s we had*, and it w o u l d be h e l p f u l f r o m t h e a s s e s s m e n t p o i n t of v i e w : the c a n d i d a t e ' s r e s p o n s e s w o u l d be r e g i s t e r e d in the w r i t t e n m o d e and t h e y w o u l d be a s s e s s e d b a s e d u p o n a s c a l e o f 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 as b e i n g :
0 - n o t h i n g u t t e r e d 1 - not. a p p r o p r i a t e
2 - a p p r o p r i a t e b u t full of g r a m m a t i c a l m i s t a k e s 3 - a p p r o p r i a t e
M O R R O W ( p . 4 3 ) c a l l s the kind of a c t i v i t i e s r e l a t e d 39 to the i n t e g r a t i v e a p p r o a c h a b o v e m e n t i o n e d P R O D U C T I V E T E S T S . So
39
he ( p . 4 4 ) a l s o s u g g e s t s R E C E P T I V E T E S T S r e l a t e d to the i n t e g r a t i v e a p p r o a c h . T h e s e R E C E P T I V E T E S T S c o n s i s t of R E A D I N G
* F i r s t s e m e s t e r of E n g l i s h L a n g u a g e L e a r n i n g .
21
C O M P R E H E N S I O N and L I S T E N I N G C O M P R E H E N S I O N t e s t s .
In the t e s t s of c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e of this d i s s e r t a t i o n we c h o s e the L I S T E N I N G C O M P R E H E N S I O N T E S T b e c a u s e
our goal w a s to m e a s u r e s t u d e n t s ' oral a n d a l s o aural 39
C o m m u n i c a t i v e C o m p e t e n c e . M O R R O W ( p . 4 8 ) s u g g e s t s t h a t t h i s kind of a c t i v i t y s h o u l d be p r o v i d e d w i t h a u t ë è n t i c t e x t s , t h a t is to s a y , t e x t s w h i c h c o n s i s t e d of a u t h e n t i c a r e a s ©f 1 a n g u a g e USÉ for the c a n d i d a t e arid (questions w h i c h w e n t f r o m f a c t s to i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of the f a c t s .
B a s e d u p o n M o r r o w ' s c o m m u n i c a t i o n t e s t i n g t h e o r y w e m a d e up the pre and p o s t t e s t s of c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e of
this d i s s e r t a t i o n . In d e s c r i b i n g t h e m , t h e y c o u l d be said to be a m i x t u r e of i t e m s , s o m e of w h i c h had an oral s t i m u l u s and an oral r e s p o n s e , some w i t h oral s t i m u l u s and w r i t t e n r e s p o n s e and o t h e r s w i t h w r i t t e n s t i m u l u s a n d r e s p o n s e . T h e y w e r e m a d e up of r e c e p t i v e and p r o d u c t i v e t e s t s so as to p e r c e i v e the s t u d e n t s ' a b i l i t y to c h o o s e the r e q u i r e d s t y l e f o r p a r t i c u l a r s i t u a t i o n s .
T h e y c o n s i s t e d of f i v e s e c t i o n s : (see a p p e n d i c e s 5 and 6 ) .
I - O R A L I N T E R V I E W
The c a n d i d a t e s w e r e a s k e d to m a k e an a p p r o p r i a t e remark to 10 s t a t e m e n t s d e l i v e r e d by a n a t i v e s p e a k e r e x a m i n e r . T h e r e m a r k s w e r e r e c o r d e d on t a p e .
M A R K S : 30 (on a s c a l e * of 0 -1 - 2 - 3 p e r q u e s t i o n ) II - O R A L / W R I T T E N T A S K S
The c a n d i d a t e s w e r e a s k e d to m a t c h 5 oral r e s p o n s e s
* T h i s s c a l e of a p p r o p r i a t e n e s s w a s p r e s e n t e d on the previoué p a g e .
