Sample of Mini Project/ Mini Theses

THE  ABILITY  OF  STUDENTS  SPEAKING  IN  ENGLISH  ORALLY  AND  IN  WRITING

Dyg.Nurfarah Hanin bt Awg Zulfikri, Fahezah bt An, Noraini bt Tahar, Sh.Mariana bt Wan Othman, Shafrizan bt Drahman

Information Technology and Communication Department

Politeknik Kuching Sarawak

SUMMARY

In the present age of globalization, English language is the second most important language in our daily life. The use of English language is very important to prepare students for working world. The purpose of this study is to identify the level of students ability to speak English orally and in writing. All the necessary data are collected through questionnaires where 10 items was prepared using a 5-point Likert scale. We have chosen the descriptive study to obtain the mean value and the percentage of respondents. In this study, students in semester 2, 3 and 5 in Diploma In Programming have been selected for our study. The returned questionnaires were processed by using SSPs Version 12. Through the study we have obtained, the majority of the respondents agreed that the students can understand what is delivered by the lecturer in the English language at the highest average of 3.788. However, this study showed 17.3% of the respondents use English as the medium of instruction when they are at home. Therefore, to further strengthen the ability of students in English Language orally and in writing, continuous action must be planned and executed by all the parties together so that students can improve their ability level in English Language orally and in writing.

  

1.0        INTRODUCTION

We are living now in the world of globalization. English language is a common language and spoken in many countries. It is considered as universal language and most of the universities worldwide include English as one of their major subject. There are major difference in writing English and speaking English. It is not necessary that a person who can write fluent English can also speak English fluently. English language is the most important criteria when we are applying for a job. But most of the students feel that English language is not important when it comes to the works environment. Employer expected Malaysia’s Politeknik students are expected to master in English language orally or in writing when there are in the reality of works environment in future. Many student are still not able to fulfill employer’s requirements. Therefore, graduates must be evaluated not only in terms of vocational and technical education, oral and writing skill in English language should be emphasized too. Country Manager of Manpower Staffing Services (M) Sdn Bhd, Mr Hanggang said “Lack of English restrict students ability to communicate outside of Malaysia and this reduces their confidence and reduce their ability to add value in the workplace”. As a conclusion, students should not to get scared and lost confidence when comes to English language.

2.0        PROBLEM STATEMENT

To achieve advanced with our 2020 visions, proficiency in English is one of the aspects to be evaluated and gives value to the country whether in terms of oral or writing in the era of globalization. Therefore,the ability to master English language among the students of PKS now is at an alarming rate. This is because the level of mastery in speaking English by the PKS graduates is not comparable with the standard of natural progression at present no matter in terms of writing and oral. Thus, the researchers feels that there is a need to carry out of this study to identify the level of proficiency in speaking English orally and writing among the PKS graduates.

3.0        OBJECTIVE

The objectives of the study are ;

1. To identify the level of ability to use English in writing among the Politeknik students.

2. To identify the  level of ability to use English orally among the Politeknik students.

4.0        METHODOLOGY

The methodology of this study is divided into to design, population and sample, research instruments and data analysis.

4.1       The Design of The Study

This study used the quantitative and descriptive methods. This design was chosen to enable researchers to determine the level of English language skills orally and in writing among the students.

4.2        Study Population and Sample

The population consisted of 54 students in PKS who were enrolled for the Diploma In Programming Course. The table below shows the sample at PKS in Table 1 :

Program	Total	Sample return
DIP2S1 DIP3S1	16 28	15 28
DIP5S1	10	10
Total	53	52

                                                    Table 1

4.3        Research Instrument

The instruments used was a questionnaire distributed to the respondents. The questionnaire consists of structured questions to get responses from the respondents. Besides, the questionnaire is a practical and efficient way  that could achieve aims of the study. The questionnaire adopts a Likert 5-point scale of, 1 – strongly disagree, 2 – disagree, 3 – not sure, 4 – agree and 5 – strongly agree.

4.4        Data Analysis

All questionnaires received was processed using Statistical Package for Social Science(SPSs) version 12. Data analysis methods used in this study were shown in the form of mean and percentage.

The above results show that the majority of the respondents agreed students can understand what is delivered by the lecturer in the English language with the highest  mean of  3.788. Furthermore, 63.5% of the  respondents can complete the work given in the English language with mean of 3.635. For the statement "I presented my papers in the English language", almost half of the respondents agreed with the statement at  46.4%. The study also found that only 38.4% of the respondents who can do well in writing English with a mean of 3.346.

Throughout this study, the researcher founds that the majority of the respondent 65.3% were still not able to communicate with their friends in English. Furthermore, 59.6% of the respondents were not interested in reading in English with a mean of 3.192, and only 23.1% of the respondents were able to communicate with other people. Thus the attention should be given to those who cannot communicate with others.

Studies also showed the respondents disagreed with the statement “I can communicate in English with a loud and clear voice". A total of 72.5% of respondents did not agree to attend courses or programs that can improve their English with an average of 2.863. The study also showed that 17.3% of the respondents use English Language as the medium of instruction when they are at home.

 

 

6.0       ANALYSIS REVIEW

Based on this research, there are still many students who have not been able to master the English language. This situation is worrying because English is the language used for studies at the Politeknik. To ensure the future and individual career opportunities, Politeknik should help students to master English language orally or in writing.

According to studies, only a small number of respondents do not understand what was delivered by the lecturer in English. Thus, it does not need to be worry anymore. However, more attention should be given to this group to ensure that all students can follow the lesson conducted.  Paul Davies and Eric Pearce (2000), state that many students say that they understand the conversations have delivered in English, but they can not respond to that conversation because of the lack of communication skills in English.

 Additionally, the study found that a large number of students are not able to communicate in English with their friends. This could result in fewer students verbal skills in English. During class, lecturer should  train students to communicate in English with each other to improve their communication skills.  “Initiatives can be done by the students themselves in the use of English Language. As a freshman, initiatives should be taken to use the international language as a spoken language when communicating among themselves”. Daily News (2013)

However, there are still a few students who can not complete the work given in English. The Politeknik Kuching Sarawak should emphasize this case to fully prepare students to improve English writing. Therefore, students practise to improve their English. Implementation of English in teaching Mathematics and Science subjects will result about 1,000 courses, especially in science and technology at the university should be taught in the language (New Straits Times, 2002). Thus students should be performing tasks in English as instructed by the lecturer.

The field of writing is also an important of communication. Good writing reflects the level of knowledge a student has in terms of grammar and general knowledge. According to Jeremy Harmer (1998), the reason for the need to teach writing to students who are learning English as a second language is as reinforcement, language development, learning and most important way is to write an individual skill.

According to the Associate of TESOL (Teachers of English of Other Language), language proficiency is defined as a level of masteri in which an individual can use the target language in communication and academic. Communicating in English is an aspect of value to determine the proficiency of students.But large number of students are still not well in English. It is difficult for students to deal with other people. Indeed,the Politeknik should take action to train students to communicate in English at the Politeknik to strengthen the use of English before dealing with other people later.

Involving the students in the activities that can improve mastery of the language is one of the way that can give an added value to the students in English. Many students still do not know the advantages when attending English programs that can improve their language proficiency. Therefore, the Politeknik are encouraged to be active with the programs as such, to expose students in English language skills. “Experience of implementing a student exchange program with Korea, for example, proving the importance of communication in the English language so that they can understood by fellow students from that country. Results of the program showed an increase of English proficiency among the students involved. They came back with high confidence to entrenched the use of English language”. Taken from Daily News Online.

As we all know, English language is the language of communication in the world. However, Politeknik Kuching Sarawak students are still unable to communicate well in the language. This will affect their employability that employer want employees to communicate well in English. Therefore, the Polytechnic should train students on how to communicate well in their workplace. The knowledge that we have must be at par with our communication skills. Today English language plays a very important role in getting employment. “Most of the times our rural children score good marks in professional courses, but fail to face the interview owing to their lack of expertise in English language. Public opinion should be given priority while considering the universal education policies,” said Udupi-Chikmagalur MP Jayaprakash Hegde.

To improve the level of skills in English, students should adopt interest in reading. Through the nature of interest in reading, students can identify how to write correctly in English. Mostly now, academic books printed in English to fulfill learning conditions in schools especially in Mathematics and Science. According to David Paul (2003), reading is the ability of students to read sentences fluently and pronunciation, intonation, and pause right.

At Politeknik Kuching Sarawak almost all subjects are taught in English. Students are exposed to in a group to make a discussion and thus discussion, ended with the presentation. Here we can identify whether the student is proficient in the English language or not. . Additionally, these skills will be applied when the nature of employment in the future. Therefore, the students will be expose on how to make presentations to face with the public. According to Klein (1986), if someone wants to learn a language, then he must always communicate using language. According to the One Abdul Samad (in Adibah Abdul Latiff, 2004), between the skills needed to be strengthened since childhood are language skills.

7.0 CONCLUSION

Findings collected showed oral and writing proficiency level among the students. All statements that have been presented showed respondent preparation in the language was at an alarming rate. To improve speaking, students have to work hard in mastering English Language. Mastery of the English language should be looked into because it shows the quality of a graduate.

Therefore, this study may have an impact on the Politeknik so that the management has to take immediate action in improving student’s English language skills. The student mastery level should be monitored from time to time to ensure that the students are proficient before stepping into the working environment. The lecturer can take the initiative by teaching in English in class and works hard to improve the level of knowledge and proficiency in English language so that students are able to compete in the working world. Thus, it can raise their prestigious of Politeknik and produce quality graduates in English to face the challenges of the working environment.

 

Paragraphs and Topic Sentences.

A paragraph is a series of sentences that are organized and coherent, and are all related to a single topic. Almost every piece of writing you do that is longer than a few sentences should be organized into paragraphs. This is because paragraphs show a reader where the subdivisions of an essay begin and end, and thus help the reader see the organization of the essay and grasp its main points.

Paragraphs can contain many different kinds of information. A paragraph could contain a series of brief examples or a single long illustration of a general point. It might describe a place, character, or process; narrate a series of events; compare or contrast two or more things; classify items into categories; or describe causes and effects. Regardless of the kind of information they contain, all paragraphs share certain characteristics. One of the most important of these is a topic sentence.

TOPIC SENTENCES
A well-organized paragraph supports or develops a single controlling idea, which is expressed in a sentence called the topic sentence. A topic sentence has several important functions: it substantiates or supports an essay’s thesis statement; it unifies the content of a paragraph and directs the order of the sentences; and it advises the reader of the subject to be discussed and how the paragraph will discuss it. Readers generally look to the first few sentences in a paragraph to determine the subject and perspective of the paragraph. That’s why it’s often best to put the topic sentence at the very beginning of the paragraph. In some cases, however, it’s more effective to place another sentence before the topic sentence—for example, a sentence linking the current paragraph to the previous one, or one providing background information.

Although most paragraphs should have a topic sentence, there are a few situations when a paragraph might not need a topic sentence. For example, you might be able to omit a topic sentence in a paragraph that narrates a series of events, if a paragraph continues developing an idea that you introduced (with a topic sentence) in the previous paragraph, or if all the sentences and details in a paragraph clearly refer—perhaps indirectly—to a main point. The vast majority of your paragraphs, however, should have a topic sentence.

PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE
Most paragraphs in an essay have a three-part structure—introduction, body, and conclusion. You can see this structure in paragraphs whether they are narrating, describing, comparing, contrasting, or analyzing information. Each part of the paragraph plays an important role in communicating your meaning to your reader.

Introduction: the first section of a paragraph; should include the topic sentence and any other sentences at the beginning of the paragraph that give background information or provide a transition.

Body: follows the introduction; discusses the controlling idea, using facts, arguments, analysis, examples, and other information.

Conclusion: the final section; summarizes the connections between the information discussed in the body of the paragraph and the paragraph’s controlling idea.
The following paragraph illustrates this pattern of organization. In this paragraph the topic sentence and concluding sentence (CAPITALIZED) both help the reader keep the paragraph’s main point in mind.

SCIENTISTS HAVE LEARNED TO SUPPLEMENT THE SENSE OF SIGHT IN NUMEROUS WAYS. In front of the tiny pupil of the eye they put, on Mount Palomar, a great monocle 200 inches in diameter, and with it see 2000 times farther into the depths of space. Or they look through a small pair of lenses arranged as a microscope into a drop of water or blood, and magnify by as much as 2000 diameters the living creatures there, many of which are among man’s most dangerous enemies. Or, if we want to see distant happenings on earth, they use some of the previously wasted electromagnetic waves to carry television images which they re-create as light by whipping tiny crystals on a screen with electrons in a vacuum. Or they can bring happenings of long ago and far away as colored motion pictures, by arranging silver atoms and color-absorbing molecules to force light waves into the patterns of original reality. Or if we want to see into the center of a steel casting or the chest of an injured child, they send the information on a beam of penetrating short-wave X rays, and then convert it back into images we can see on a screen or photograph. THUS ALMOST EVERY TYPE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION YET DISCOVERED HAS BEEN USED TO EXTEND OUR SENSE OF SIGHT IN SOME WAY.

George Harrison, “Faith and the Scientist”

COHERENCE
In a coherent paragraph, each sentence relates clearly to the topic sentence or controlling idea, but there is more to coherence than this. If a paragraph is coherent, each sentence flows smoothly into the next without obvious shifts or jumps. A coherent paragraph also highlights the ties between old information and new information to make the structure of ideas or arguments clear to the reader.

Along with the smooth flow of sentences, a paragraph’s coherence may also be related to its length. If you have written a very long paragraph, one that fills a double-spaced typed page, for example, you should check it carefully to see if it should start a new paragraph where the original paragraph wanders from its controlling idea. On the other hand, if a paragraph is very short (only one or two sentences, perhaps), you may need to develop its controlling idea more thoroughly, or combine it with another paragraph.

A number of other techniques that you can use to establish coherence in paragraphs are described below.

Repeat key words or phrases. Particularly in paragraphs in which you define or identify an important idea or theory, be consistent in how you refer to it. This consistency and repetition will bind the paragraph together and help your reader understand your definition or description.

Create parallel structures. Parallel structures are created by constructing two or more phrases or sentences that have the same grammatical structure and use the same parts of speech. By creating parallel structures you make your sentences clearer and easier to read. In addition, repeating a pattern in a series of consecutive sentences helps your reader see the connections between ideas. In the paragraph above about scientists and the sense of sight, several sentences in the body of the paragraph have been constructed in a parallel way. The parallel structures (which have been emphasized) help the reader see that the paragraph is organized as a set of examples of a general statement.

Be consistent in point of view, verb tense, and number. Consistency in point of view, verb tense, and number is a subtle but important aspect of coherence. If you shift from the more personal "you" to the impersonal “one,” from past to present tense, or from “a man” to “they,” for example, you make your paragraph less coherent. Such inconsistencies can also confuse your reader and make your argument more difficult to follow.

Use transition words or phrases between sentences and between paragraphs. Transitional expressions emphasize the relationships between ideas, so they help readers follow your train of thought or see connections that they might otherwise miss or misunderstand. The following paragraph shows how carefully chosen transitions (CAPITALIZED) lead the reader smoothly from the introduction to the conclusion of the paragraph.

I don’t wish to deny that the flattened, minuscule head of the large-bodied "stegosaurus" houses little brain from our subjective, top-heavy perspective, BUT I do wish to assert that we should not expect more of the beast. FIRST OF ALL, large animals have relatively smaller brains than related, small animals. The correlation of brain size with body size among kindred animals (all reptiles, all mammals, FOR EXAMPLE) is remarkably regular. AS we move from small to large animals, from mice to elephants or small lizards to Komodo dragons, brain size increases, BUT not so fast as body size. IN OTHER WORDS, bodies grow faster than brains, AND large animals have low ratios of brain weight to body weight. IN FACT, brains grow only about two-thirds as fast as bodies. SINCE we have no reason to believe that large animals are consistently stupider than their smaller relatives, we must conclude that large animals require relatively less brain to do as well as smaller animals. IF we do not recognize this relationship, we are likely to underestimate the mental power of very large animals, dinosaurs in particular.

Stephen Jay Gould, “Were Dinosaurs Dumb?”

SOME USEFUL TRANSITIONS
(modified from Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference)

To show addition:
again, and, also, besides, equally important, first (second, etc.), further, furthermore, in addition, in the first place, moreover, next, too

To give examples:
for example, for instance, in fact, specifically, that is, to illustrate

To compare:
also, in the same manner, likewise, similarly

To contrast:
although, and yet, at the same time, but, despite, even though, however, in contrast, in spite of, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand, still, though, yet

To summarize or conclude:
all in all, in conclusion, in other words, in short, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, to sum up

To show time:
after, afterward, as, as long as, as soon as, at last, before, during, earlier, finally, formerly, immediately, later, meanwhile, next, since, shortly, subsequently, then, thereafter, until, when, while

To show place or direction:
above, below, beyond, close, elsewhere, farther on, here, nearby, opposite, to the left (north, etc.)

To indicate logical relationship:
accordingly, as a result, because, consequently, for this reason, hence, if, otherwise, since, so, then, therefore, thus

Taken from:Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN