english language macro-skills of freshman vietnamese students in selected colleges in bacgiang city input to intervention measures.

NHỮNG KẾT QUẢ MỚI CỦA LUẬN ÁN Luận án nghiên cứu xây dựng phương pháp đánh giá khả năng diễn đạt các kỹ năng vĩ mô trong ngôn ngữ tiếng Anh của sinh viên Việt Nam năm thứ nhất ở một số trường cao đẳng tại tỉnh Bắc Giang, luận án có những đóng góp mới quan trọng như sau:1. Luận án đã chỉ ra các nội dung học tập trong khóa học tiếng Anh cơ bản bao gồm các kỹ năng vĩ mô: nói, nghe, đọc, viết được thiết kế để cung cấp cho sinh viên sự tự tin để giao tiếp hiệu quả. 2. Luận án xác định được trình độ và khả năng diễn ngôn các kỹ năng vĩ mô trong ngôn ngữ tiếng Anh của sinh viên tại một số trường cao đẳng tại tỉnh Bắc Giang đều ở cấp độ trung bình. 3. Luận án chỉ ra sự tồn tại mối quan hệ có ý nghĩa trong khả năng diễn đạt bốn kỹ năng ngôn ngữ tiếng Anh của sinh viên năm thứ nhất và tìm thấy các kỹ năng đó không liên quan chặt chẽ với nhau.4. Luận án chỉ ra rằng sinh viên gặp phải những khó khăn trong việc lĩnh hội các tiểu kỹ năng trong bốn kỹ năng vĩ mô đó.5. Luận án cũng tìm ra những khó khăn nghiêm trọng nhất trong bốn kỹ năng vĩ mô là khả năng diễn đạt trong đọc hiểu và nghe hiểu; Luận án đề xuất các biện pháp can thiệp để cải thiện kỹ năng mà học sinh thực hiện kém. KHẢ NĂNG ỨNG DỤNG TRONG THỰC TIỄN VÀ NHỮNG VẪN ĐỀ CẦN TIẾP TỤC NGHIÊN CỨU Khả năng ứng dụng trong thực tiễn:- Luận án có thể dùng làm tài liệu tham khảo cho các nhà lãnh đạo, quản lý của các trường cao đẳng ở Bắc Giang trong việc phát triển chương trình giảng dạy thông qua việc đánh giá các hoạt động tăng cường năng lực tiếng Anh khác nhau của sinh viên năm thứ nhất.- Luận án có thể giúp giáo viên khoa tiếng Anh cơ bản nhận ra được trình độ hiện tại về các kỹ năng ngôn ngữ của sinh viên và đưa ra được các hoạt động học thích hợp;- Sinh viên năm thứ nhất nhận thức được khả năng ngôn ngữ thực của họ và tự tìm cách cải thiện những điểm yếu khi học chương trình tiếng Anh cơ bản. Những vấn đề cần tiếp tục nghiên cứu: - Nghiên cứu các biện pháp can thiệp để đánh giá tính hữu dụng của bài tập ngôn ngữ cho sinh viên.- Nghiên cứu về kỹ năng vĩ mô trong ngôn ngữ tiếng Anh được tiến hành ở các trường đại học để xác định được khả năng ngôn ngữ thực của sinh viên.

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THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY Republic of the Philippines

ENGLISH LANGUAGE MACRO-SKILLS OF FRESHMAN

VIETNAMESE STUDENTS IN SELECTED COLLEGES IN BAC GIANG

CITY: INPUT TO INTERVENTION MEASURES

A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of Graduate School

Batangas State University

Batangas City, Philippines

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ABSTRACT

Title : English language macro-skills of freshman

Vietnamese students in selected colleges in Bacgiang city: input to intervention measures

Author : Ngô Thị Thu Hương (Autumn)

Course : Doctor of Philosophy major in English language and Literature

in English language, the difficulties students have in the macro-skills,

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the difficulties appear to be more relatively serious and the intervention measures proposed to enhance macro- skills of students

The study made used of the descriptive method of research to determine the English language macro-skills of Freshman Vietnamese students among selected colleges in Bacgiang There were 299 students from three colleges of Bacgiang and 30 teachers who were the respondents of the study

Findings of the study revealed that General English courses cover skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing as well as essential vocabulary, idioms and colloquial language They are designed to give students confidence to communicate effectively in real life and provide them with effective training in English for work, study and travel

In Bac Giang Colleges, the course General English I required students to attend and participate in all class activities and do homework and this is given ten percent weight Students are also required to take progress test in grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing and assigned also ten percent of weight and a midterm test in the same area with twenty percent allocated weight for each

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The dissertation also assessed about the level of students’ performance

in the macro-skills in reading, writing listening and speaking the English language were all of average level of the given student population The dissertation also showed that there were significant differences existed

in the students’ performance among the macro-skills in English language and were therefore not related to each other Most students encountered difficulties in comprehension for macro skills in reading and listening; sharpening writing skill for macro kill in writing; and pronunciation for the macro skill in speaking The difficulties in macro-skills are those that pertain to comprehension skills both in Reading and Listening Finally, The dissertation proposed the intervention measures composed of select strategies designed to improve skills where students demonstrated poor performance

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researcher wishes to express her personal thanks and appreciation to those who, in one way or another, have helped make this dissertation

First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Thai Nguyen University - Viet Nam and Batangas State University – Philippines who have made very favorable condition and opportunity for the development of the dissertation

I am indebted to ITC, Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry of Thai Nguyen University for accepting me as a PhD Student and for your guidance and supports during the course

I wish to recognize with great gratitude valuable advice, and

general assistance provided by Dr Matilda H Dimaano, for her patient

guidance, helpful suggestions, encouragement and constructive supervision in writing of this research Her enlightening suggestions and detailed comments have shaped this dissertation largely Without her help, this field study report would have been impossible

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I owe my gratitude to Dr Corazon Cabrera and The Panels for their highly intellectual abilities to give excellent advises and detailed review during the preparation of this study

I greatly appreciate the financial assistance and spiritual supports

of Bacgiang Ngo Gia Tu College , of Foreign Language Department, of

my dear colleague for me and my family during my PhD study

I would like to give expressions to my gratitude to all the teachers of the Graduate School of Batangas State University of the Philippines and teachers of English Department from three Colleges in Bacgiang province for their valuable lectures that inspire me to carry out the research

I take this opportunity to express my thankfulness the first year students from three Bacgiang Colleges for their cooperation in completing the questionnaires

My classmates, thank you very much for making the atmosphere

of our class as friendly as possible

I am also very grateful for the wholehearted support and love that

my husband and children, along with her parents, brothers extended during the writing process They supported her high and low points that accompanied the realization of this study

I can just say thank you all for everything

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE - I

TABLE OF CONTENTS ii

LIST OF TABLES v

LIST OF FIGURES vi

CHAPTER I.THE PROBLEM Introduction 1

Statement of the Problem 11

Scope, Delimitation and Limitation 14

Significance of the Study 15

II REVIEW OF LITERATURE Conceptual literature 17

Research Literature 77

Synthesis 83

Theoretical Framework 88

Conceptual Framework 92

Hypothesis 93

Definition of Terms 94

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III RESEARCH METHOD AND PROCEDURE

Research Design 96

Subjects of the Study 96

Data Gathering Instrument 98

Data Gathering Procedure 99

Statistical Treatment of Data 100

IV PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Summary 138

Conclusion 150

Recommendation 151

BIBLIOGRAPHY 152

APPENDIXES Appendix A Questionnaire on English Language Macroskills 162

Appendix B Questionnaire on Teacher’s Assessment of the English Language Macroskills of Students 170

Appendix C Validation Letter of the Questionnaire for Students 183 Appendix F Letter of Request to the Head of Institution 186

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Appendix G Letter of Request to the Head of Institution 186Appendix G Letter of Request to the Head of Institution 187

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187Appendix H Letter of Request to the Head of Institution 188

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Appendix J Photograph of the study sites 188Appendix J Photograph of the study sites 189Appendix G Documents for Validation of Questionnaires in

Batangas State University 191

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Appendix H Documents for Administration of Questionnaires in Bacgiang Colleges 192Appendix I Documents for Response Letters of the Heads of

Bacgiang Colleges 193Appendix J Documents for Group Discussion of Bacgiang Colleges 195Appendix K Psychrometric Conversion Table 196

CURRICULUM VITAE 198

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LIST OF TABLES

1 Distribution of student respondents in the three colleges 97

2 Performance of student respondents in the different skill areas of the Reading test 109

3 Performance of student respondents in the different skill areas of 113 the Writing test 113

4 Performance of student respondents in the different skill areas of the Listening test 115

5 Performance of student respondents in the different skill areas of the Speaking test 118

6 Student's t-test comparison of the mean % scores for each test group shown as p-values 119

7 Difficult item for student respondents in the teacher-made tests on macro-skills in English language Rank of 1- Most Difficult (MD), Mean % of < 50% - Difficult (D), Mean % > 50% - Not Difficult (ND) 122

8 Most difficult items for student respondents in the teacher-made tests on macro-skills in English language 126

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LIST OF FIGURES

1 Research Paradigm 93

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Socialist Republic of Vietnam Republic of the Philippines

CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM

Introduction

In learning English, there are five macro skills that are needed by learners to communicate effectively and these are listening, speaking, reading, writing and viewing In communication process these skills are very essential These skills may approach or solve future problems in communication most especially in our day-to-day tasks such as in learning or gaining information, presenting, or holding a successful meeting

A combination of micro skills like in writing which consists of spelling, vocabulary, made up of macro skills which refer to the primary key, main and largest skill relative to a particular context In English language, each skill which comprised the macro-skills has its own features The knowledge regarding the use of these five macro skills is

of vital importance Consistently seeking improvement along these macro skills will contribute to the self-development, effective communication and success in many different environments and contexts of the learners Absence of these macro skills to a person pose difficulties on his movement through life and to thrive in the varied areas such as religion, politics, business, education and career

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Learning the five macro-skills is not easy In communicating, being good only in one of these skills will not ease away difficulties Knowledge of these macro skills can make a big difference in the sound and personal achievement of that person Seeking improvement of the macro skills consistently may help learners become successful in different perspective Macro skills integration in lessons should come naturally from the teacher as well as the listener When one listens, writing opportunities emerge; when one reads, opportunities for speaking emerge Learners are motivated to have opportunities relative

to learning the skills to allow the skills subconsciously to grow naturally within them The use of the macro skills serve as a vehicle for developing critical thinking as well as meta-cognitive strategies used to evaluate learners' own thinking

In language teaching, the five macro skills in communication are considered the most important For teachers and learners, these five micro skills are indispensable in the learning process and teaching performances as these will serve as the main tool in obtaining a certain language at the same time establishing a link on the interrelatedness of communication and global community

In early language acquisition, knowledge on sentences and syntax in speaking as manifested by learners is considered an interesting feature The indication of an effective teacher is when the

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learner’s ability to communicate is excellent and has mastery in other areas of learning with the involvement of the five macro skills In teaching the five macro skills involved in communication skills are speaking, reading, listening, writing and viewing

In speaking, that is the most direct and useful form of communication as it is used by people having face-to-face conversation, over the phone, webcams, and video calling Talking to someone or making conversation either intentional or unintentional or a discourse pertains to speaking It can be that two people are said to be talking to each other but they have not communicated anything as they might be using different languages Literary works, artistic communications like daily recitations, poetry, literature, engaged by people through spoken language are covered in speaking Speaking involves two persons or more and has these features: a decoder, an encoder, the message, the channel and the feedback Situations can be designed by teachers where learners could exercise their ability for oral expression

In listening, students develop the skill of prediction and anticipation Before texting, students recall previous experiences As regard to listening text topic and form They will recall in the listening text cause and effect relationship This shows the importance of listening because without it, there will be no communication that will transpire for listening is most important in communication as it involves

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processing sound waves, meaning interpretation, meaning storing in memory in its mental operation Listening requires the listener to understand, interpret and evaluate what they hear which makes listening a communication technique Other skills are just part of listening because of its speech significance and freedom of expression Everybody comprehend either from a given talk or utterance through listening as it has close ties with speaking as a person who happens to get information may transmit it to another after hearing which makes listening vital to communication

Further, there are difficulties second language learner encountered in listening like becoming distracted by the errors which the speakers learn to ignore or tolerate in spontaneous conversation where it contains language structures that may not be grammatical such

as unfinished utterance, pauses and moments of silence Another difficulty is that on the learner’s lack of socio cultural, factual and contextual knowledge of the target language thereby affecting their problem on comprehension as well as their difficulty to concentrate on sounds, unfamiliar words, sentences for a long period of time

As for reading which is another important skill in communication,

it is thought of by many people as a skill intended only for students who are studying their first years Unknowingly, reading makes a person thinks and explore the mysteries of the world, gain knowledge and

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ponder on the unknown Aside from being a multi-faceted process where word recognition, comprehension, fluency and motivation are involved, it is also a way where information from written letters and words can be accessed by people

Philosophies and theories regarding meaning, nature and structure of reading served as bases for reading approach Reading is also vital as its set of decision to carry out an objective that will ensure

an output or plan intended for implementation Recently the most common read items are those of emails and text messages which are part of people’s day to day communication activities rather than books and newspapers

As regard to difficulties of second language learners in reading, these include: pronunciation difficulties most especially in contrastive analysis where learners tend to use the native language habits acquired

in them and ingrained in them in articulating English; word recognition where through the same printed words are used in the vernacular and English, the same symbols do not stand for the same sound Another is the inability of learners to group words into units wherein the groupings and pauses in the flow of English speech is not always represented in writing Learners either string all the words together or pause after every word Finally, non-comprehension is also considered one among the difficulties encountered in second language learners in reading

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Unfamiliar vocabulary in reading content can be a source of discouragement to learners if its difficulty interferes in the thought getting process

In writing on the other hand, it is stated that most people rely on writing because they have difficulty of expressing verbally what they put

in written words what’s on their thoughts to communicate effectively Writing has close relationship with reading, speaking and listening for each has its respective functions to play to ensure successful communication Writing skills need to be practiced all the time It is not just merely using orthographic symbols, but it also involves thinking characterized by purposeful selection and organization of thoughts or ideas Beginning learners are given exposure to writing for them to be able to write of which they regarded in turn their writing with profound value

Learners through writing discover, communicate, and connect them to people’s culture, to society, to existing knowledge and to meanings of communication In the absence of writing poor communication occurs because the main focus of writing is basic communicability so that relative to this, learners must organize their sentences coherently In writing, language is considered a detriment Exposure of learners to diverse rhetorical forms through extensive reading and providing them with intensive practice in the actual writing

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or composition are some writing activities that learners need to be engaged in For learners to develop their skills and confidence in writing, teachers must provide them with frequent and challenging activities and opportunities as well as changes in learning these skills

The latest addition to the macro skills in language is viewing which is also one of the most important in communication skills It is a way of portraying information in the data base, where the importance of mental faculty that allows a perceiver, to delineate or give details about

a target that is inaccessible to normal senses due to time and distance are given more emphasis Similar dialogues are carried over by the literate television viewer to the program creators Viewers congratulate

or condemned program creators for their work be it sublime or ridiculous Considered synonyms is reading and critical viewing and literary and television literacy Media as a form of printed page or illuminated TV set must be a venue for an active reader and viewer to analyze, react to challenges, explore and understand them Through viewing, favourite shows either in movies or television as well as other forms of viewing devices can be watched by global audience

Students who experienced varied difficulties in learning participated fully in any given learning activities as provided in the outcomes and contents found in the syllabus Among the difficulties second language learners experience in learning are having difficulties

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with reading, writing and spelling; pronouncing or reading multi-syllabic words; having reduced or limited vocabulary and word knowledge in comparison to their peers; having poor retrieval of information due to problems with meaning; and having poor literacy in their first language The behaviours manifested relative to these deficiencies learners are easily destructed include: poor organizational skill; show reluctance to learn or get involved in classroom activities, work slowly or too quickly and inaccurately; demonstrate lack of motivation and have poor self- esteem

Explicit teaching of new concepts and skills by teachers offer advantages to students experiencing difficulties It provides students with varied learning opportunities Effective lessons of teachers must contain clarity review of their previous work and their lessons will be based on the previous lessons; new skills and concepts will be presented clearly and modelled by the teacher, students are guided through their practice with accompanying feedback to individual students; independent student practice with the application of knowledge, skills and opportunity and systematic consultation and revision of work previously covered

As early as elementary grade, learners should be given rigid training as part of their education on the use of the language appropriately in learning English language The problem of each of

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communication skills among learners are pinpointed to insufficient training of teachers to learners starting from the kindergarten as regards

to macro skills in teaching the language Further, as part of the rudimentary task and professional work of the teacher, it is required for them to teach learners with the principles and practice of writing On the part of the teacher, mastery of the elements or features of a language is significant in the second language situation since it helps assess the needs of the learners on the aspect of communication skills

The act of speaking in a distinct or strategic way is also another problem of the learner that needs to be addressed Learners have the fear in speaking in class or with peers in the second language or in the public Teachers must engage learners with constant practice, through recitations, presentations and reports inside the classroom Profound knowledge of teachers in English with just knowing what structured lessons can be used with the macro skills in language teaching paved the way to actual performance or use of macro skills in structured lessons, thus achieving more developments and improvements on the intellectual aspects and acquisition of language of the learners

Attaining the language skills on the part of the learners need mastery of the language which takes years to learn But, it can be attained for teachers are required to note the oral and written difficulties encountered by learners and address the difficulties by energizing

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students to varied learning activities gearing towards enhancing language proficiency

Learners can only benefit the outcome of individual society al integration if they have attained the required level of proficiency in the English language If this level is attained, learner experiences personality adjustments and more social participation which is contributory to his future professional development So that, teacher’s teaching must be addressed the needs of the learners It is of vital importance for teachers to determine the needs and difficulties of students for her to design appropriate instructional materials for the enhancement of learner’s language proficiency

Studying at colleges or universities can be well regarded as a preparatory period when students accumulate enough basic knowledge and skills to get ready to their later work At Bacgiang colleges, more and more attention has been paid to English language leaning, especially general English language for first year students However, there are difficulties of second language learners in macro-skills Among the difficulties second language learners experience in learning are having difficulties with reading, writing and spelling; pronouncing or reading multi-syllabic words; having reduced or limited vocabulary and word knowledge in comparison to their peers; having poor retrieval of information due to problems with meaning; and having poor literacy in

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their first language The behaviours manifested relative to these deficiencies learners are easily destructed include: poor organizational skill; show reluctance to learn or get involved in classroom activities, work slowly or too quickly and inaccurately; demonstrate lack of motivation and have poor self- esteem

On the part of the teacher, mastery of the elements or features of

a language is significant in the second language situation since it helps assess the needs of the learners on the aspect of communication skills

As a college instructor teaching Basic English Course at Bac Giang College, I am interested to investigate the English Language Macro Skills of Freshmen students with the end view of proposing an Intervention measures to enhance the Macro skills of freshmen students

Statement of the Problem

This study focused on the English Language Macro Skills the Freshman Vietnamese students’ among selected Colleges in Bacgiang City

Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1 What are the learning contents of a general English course offered to Freshman students?

2 What is the level of students’ performance in the macro-skills of

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2.1: Reading

2.1.1: Word recognition skills 2.1.2: Comprehension Skills 2.1.3: Utilization Skills

2.2: Writing

2.2.1: Sharpening writing skill 2.2.2: Sentence correction 2.3: Speaking

2.3.1: Pronunciation 2.3.2: Comprehension 2.3.3: Grammatical accuracy 2.4: Listening

2.4.1: Comprehension 2.4.2: Homonym 2.4.3: Correct stress of the word 2.4.4: Use of words

3 Are there significant relationships between pairs of the macro- skills in English language?

4 What difficulties do students have in the following macro-skills? 4.1: Reading

4.2: Writing 4.3: Speaking

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Scope, Delimitation and Limitation

This study focused on the four English Language Macro skills namely: reading, writing, speaking and listening of First Year College students among selected Colleges in Bac Giang City It covered the learning contents of a general English course offered to Freshman students as well as the level of students’ performance in the macro-skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening This also determined the significant differences among the macro-skills in English language and the proposed intervention measures to enhance the macro-skills of the First year students among the selected colleges in Bac Giang Province

The study covered the three (3) colleges in Bac Giang City namely: Vocational College, College of Industry and Technology and Bac Giang Ngo Gia Tu College

This study was limited on the results of the gathered data Viewing as one of the five macro-skills was not included in the study Fifty one 30 faculty members who are presently teaching Basic English and 299 students from the three (3) colleges were part of this study Results of the study were limited on the information from the respondents in the Academic year 2013-2014

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Significance of the Study

The study is deemed beneficial to the Administrators of Bac Giang College, English teachers, First Year students, Parents and

Future researchers

Administrators of Bac Giang College This study can guide

them in the Curriculum development by evaluating the different English proficiency enhancing activities This study will serve as a guide for the realignment of the existing curriculum of Basic English to meet their institutional goals and objectives

Faculty of Basic English This study will serve as a guide to the

faculty teaching Basic English as they may be aware of the present level of students’ performance in macro-skills This study will provide them insights on what classroom learning activities will be appropriate

to enhance the Language proficiency of their students

First Year Students The findings of this study will make them

aware of their present level of macro skills This would give them a challenge to improve their weak points and enhance their over all performance in Basic English

Parents Through this study, parents of the first year students

will become aware of the English performance of their children which will make them more supportive and cooperative in school activities

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specifically on the improvement of the skills in the Basic English of their children

Future researchers This study will serve as reference for their

undertaking

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CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter covers the conceptual and reviewed literature to attain a clearer perspective and direction in the conduct of the study and

to arrive at an adequate background of the study It also presents theoretical and conceptual frameworks of this study, synthesis, hypothesis and definition of terms

Conceptual literature

The following topics are discussed in the conceptual literature: College Freshman English, Macro-skills in English, English Language competencies and Intervention measures

College Freshman English This is one of the courses that first

year college student is required to take since high competency in the English language is expected for college students to have a good career start

College English courses most especially in the area of writing such as persuasive essay, research papers, argumentative styles and commentaries are considered valuable time to learn Learning about the writing process which include formulating a topic or idea for a presentation, drafting, writing, editing and finalizing work is the focal point of college English Reviewing major works of literature as well as

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identifying specific writing styles are also included Considered as well

as hallmarks of College English courses are writing research papers and other writing assignments Students taking college English courses must be prepared in doing library research, learning about online resources, drafting several versions of research papers and editing theme to produce final project

General English courses on the other hand are designed to give students confidence to communicate effectively in real life Skills such

as speaking, listening, reading and writing are the foci of the General English courses and cover essential vocabulary, idioms and colloquial language Further, students under these courses are provided with effective training in English for work, study and travel

As regard to the basic goals of college English teaching, these include helping students to establish the concept of self-learning, creating the environment of self -learning, providing guidance in English learning strategies and cultivating students’ ability of self -learning (Liu

et al 2003) Likewise, the ability to have independent learning is being demanded to most college students in the modern society

Student’s learning English in the classroom is affected by such factor as the availability of pedagogical materials One of the principles that guide the learning process of students as pointed out by Kapunan (2000) is through careful selection of instructional materials like books,

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visual aids and other school facilities that provide better background for learning

Over supply of books not needed for the course are observed by Lucas (2002) as well as most of the textbooks, guides, stationary and standard forms for various school reports are not inspected periodically

So that there is a need for re-evaluation of the books and facilities available in the classroom for language learning as suggested by Danilo (2004) to provide students with innovative, timely and relevant knowledge and skills

Ability of teachers to encourage students to actively participate in large classes affects the English language learning of most college students As observed in big classes, most students have little opportunity to engage in classroom conversation in compared to small classes wherein students have sufficient time to engage in speaking and participate in language activities Students should be given opportunity to learn from each other whether they belong to small or big classes as well as participate in classroom activities by giving them chance to express their ideas freely

According to Bolton (2000) teachers encounter difficulty in dealing with college students especially in enhancing their oral and written communication skills due to fewer opportunities for classroom language practice for each student This scenario is often observed in large

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classes where there is inadequate venue for exchange of ideas as well

as in written and oral exercises, thereby affecting the English language performance of students

In Bac Giang Colleges, General English I is given four units credits with 60 hours time allocation for the first semesters English I has the learning objectives of providing students with guidance in the study of English Alphabet, vowels, consonants, stress, intonation as well as English basic structures; develop their ability to use these structures in different contexts; enrich their knowledge in vocabulary and grammar and improve their ability to communicate effectively by providing comprehensive re-enforcement activities in the four macro-skills of English language

Students are expected to develop competencies in these skills under this course In listening, it is expected that students can listen and understand basic words or phrases and answer simple questions to oneself such as giving their names, age, hometown, hobby, job and marital status As for speaking, students are expected to communicate, ask and respond to questions regarding familiar topics like personal information such as student’s friends, family, family members, leisure activities, daily routine, past events and memories In terms of reading, it is expected that students can employ scanning and skimming in searching for main ideas or details in varied reading

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materials like magazines, emails, reports on familiar topics such as friends, oneself, family, family members, leisure activities, shopping, past events or memories With regards to writing, expressing in written language on topics such as completing a form, informal email, letter about oneself, class, family, holidays, friends is expected to students

In addition, the course outline of General English I course is divided into five units where each unit has six components namely: grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, speaking and listening Each unit also comprises overall objectives In unit I, the overall objectives are for the students to get to know to each other and introduce themselves and other people The learning contents of Unit I include verb to be focusing on positives and questions, personal subject, pronouns, possessive adjectives, articles a and an, demonstratives and number in nouns for grammar; vocabulary relating to countries and nationalities, numbers 1-20, days of the week, personal information, classroom language and common objects for vocabulary For reading,

it focuses on reading and understanding short emails about other people while in speaking, it zero in on talking about themselves and other people saying hello and goodbye In listening on the other hand, asking and telling numbers and listening and completing the dialogues

as well as listening and understanding other people saying their names are covered under this area

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In Unit II, the overall objectives are for the students to be able to ask for personal information, talk about their family, family members, class, jobs etc and engage in conversation For grammar focus, the following are included: verb to be centers on questions, negatives and short answers; contracted form of not such as isn’t and aren’t; question words like what, where, who, how old, how much as well as possessives For vocabulary the following are included: family words, common adjectives and their opposites, food and drink vocabulary Reading and understanding an informal email covers the reading lesson while in Writing, it includes writing email, as well as composition writing about class and family For speaking lesson, it focuses on practicing the language used in coffee shops and talking about famous people and making conversation at a hotel In the case of listening, understanding people talking, ordering and saying prices in cafes as well as talking about class, friends and family members are the coverage

The overall objectives of Unit III are for the students to be able to use the present simple with personal pronouns as She, He, It; to talk and to write about work and daily activities; and to tell time and date Focus of grammar lessons are on adjectives and personal pronouns; vocabulary on daily activities, job and job duties; reading include read and understand the text; writing covers writing about a person’s job and daily routine, speaking delves on talking about a person’s job and daily

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routine also as well as telling the time and date; and for listening, understanding other people talking about the same topic as those of writing and speaking

For Unit IV, the overall objectives are for the students to use the present simple, to talk and to write about shopping, likes and dislikes, free time and leisure activities and for the students to be familiar with situations in an English class The lessons covered in this unit are as follows: grammar delves on object and possessive pronouns; vocabulary covers meaning of verb phrases and love story phrases, reading focuses on newspaper article and story’s reading Writing on the other hand covers writing description to a friend of other person; speaking zero in talking about famous actors and actresses, asking, answering as to types of music as well as getting to know how to use some common and social expressions used in short dialogues and in listening, understanding other people talking about topics related to speaking is the focus of this skill

Regarding Unit V, the overall objective is for the students to describe the place where students live and for them to ask and to give directions The learning contents of this unit include grammar, past simple of be and past simple regular and irregular verbs; vocabulary word formation, past time expression and adjectives use for describing rooms or a house; reading covers the practice of scanning for specific

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information; writing gears toward describing a holiday through a written report; speaking focuses on talking about stories and practice police interview and in listening the focus is on listening for specific information The course, General English I required students to attend, participate in all class activities and do homework and given ten percent weight to take progress test and in grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing and assigned also ten percent of weight and a midterm test in the same area in the progress test with twenty percent allocated weight

of each

Macro Skills in English The understanding of words together or

what is being said is referred to as Macro Skills It deals with the primary, key and main largest skill set relative to a particular context and commonly referred to in English Language (Sarmiento,www.sribd.com) To communicate effectively, the four-macro skills needed in learning would include reading, writing, listening and speaking For communication process or approach or solve problems of successfully achieve objectives which essentially derived from communication that is learning, presenting or holding a successful meeting these four skills are very essential Each skill is interrelated aside from being equally vital Combination of micro skills comprised each macro skills like for instance in writing, it is consisted of spelling or speaking and vocabulary Considered important is learning and consistently seeking

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the four-macro skills for self -development, effective communication and success in many different environment and contexts (King.www.blurtit.com) A person may find difficulty to move through life and thrive in key areas such as relationships, education and career with these important macro skills

Since these skills are essential for communication, it is hard to maintain or study a balance of the four-macro skills Being good at one among these communicative skills will not help solve the difficulties encountered in communication With these four macro skills it can make

a difference in the workplace, in social situations and personal achievement It is considered important to learn and consistently seek improvement along these macro skills for effective communication and

to be successful in many different perspectives

One of the English Language skills considered important for one’s growth as an individual in many aspects in life is called reading It is part of our everyday life Newspapers, reports, messages, books, notes and many others were read That is why reading skills in English are taught in schools English teachers need to know the nature of reading

to facilitate students’ learning of reading skills In addition to pedagogical competencies in delivering the lesson and solid command

is reading skills English teachers need to know the nature of reading

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Being taught to young learner as essential for learning and development reading is a complex skill It is an activity rendering aloud written or printed material In scanning information and understanding what the writer want to tell and evaluate, what information they read and incorporate from multiple sources is covered in reading skill There are lots of advantages associated with reading These include learning vocabulary in context, seeing correct structure in English as well as improving personal interest in reading New words and things are encountered through reading It can help improve vocabulary and apply

Reading is considered one of the most important skills that one can acquire (Oberhalzer.UZSpace.Uzula.ac./zia) According to Grove

et al (1982) it helps us to understand our world by enabling us to learn about our past and plan for the future Reading as critical skills both with and beyond the walls in the classroom is important for academic success wherein school is unlikely to be contested by people In the

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