Resource materials for the three modalities of English language among sophomore college students of Thai Nguyen University

Resource materials for the three modalities of English language among sophomore college students of Thai Nguyen University Resource materials for the three modalities of English language among sophomore college students of Thai Nguyen University luận văn tốt nghiệp thạc sĩ

RESOURCE MATERIALS FOR THE THREE MODALITIES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AMONG SOPHOMORE COLLEGE

STUDENTS OF THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

A Dissertation Proposal Presented to The Faculty of Graduate School Batangas State University Batangas City, Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Of Doctor of Philosophy Major in English

APPROVAL SHEET

This dissertation entitled “RESOURCE MATERIALS FOR THE THREE MODALITIES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AMONG SOPHOMORE COLLEGE STUDENTS OF THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY” prepared and submitted by NGUYEN THI THU HOAI in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

degree of Doctor of Philosophy major in English has been examined and is recommended for Oral Examination

Comprehensive Examination: PASSED

College of Arts and Sciences

Title : Resource Materials for the Three Modalities of English

Language among Sophomore College Students of Thai Nguyen University

Author : Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai

Course : Doctor of Philosophy

as basis for proposed resource materials The descriptive method of research was used in the study applying survey technique for teacher assessment of responses and teacher-made test to determine students‘ performance

Respondents of the study include 279 Sophomore College students of Thai Nguyen University, Vietnam and their respective English teachers The survey questionnaire and teacher-made test served as the sources of data for statistical analyses

Findings of the study revealed that in the demographic profile of the

student respondents according to gender, there was a close distribution of both genders with the males slightly exceeding the females by seven percent Their parents‘ have tertiary education and student respondents‘ originated from 14

different places in Vietnam four of which are urban and ten are rural As for the types of high school attended, majority of them or 95.70 percent had their education in public schools which means that majority had to avail of the standardized education program of public schools and further reflected their less affluent status, consistent with their profile on place of origin where most

of them come from rural areas

In relation to student's performance in the three language modalities, students have generally low performance in reading with a mean correct rating

of 24.91 percent and a verbal equivalent of poor while in listening, the mean percent correct score of 31.59 and speaking with a mean correct score of 47.74 which both indicate students‘ average performance In relation to

student's performance in the three language modality test groups stratified according to profile variables, for gender, the p-value for Listening and Speaking is below 0.05 indicating that the performance of the male and the female students are significantly different For reading, a p-value greater than 0.05 was obtained which indicates that gender is a significant factor that

influences the reading skills of these students

On the aspect of Parent‘s Education, a significant difference is noted for

speaking while in place of origin, the p-values were below 0.05 and are significantly different for urban and rural origin In the case of the type of High School all the p-values were below 0.05 indicating that performance of the students in the three modalities are significantly different for both the private and public schools

In teachers‘ assessment of the students‘ reading, listening and speaking

skills, one out of 13 items obtained an agree score of >50 percent This item pertains to phonetic analysis which indicates that the teacher respondents either do not fully grasp the concept of the survey or they do not understand the questions in the context of their teaching English at the sophomore level and were answering the survey questions randomly

According to the perception of the teacher respondents regarding frequency of use by the students, majority of the items got ratings below 2.5 Only one had a rating of 2.5 which pertains to reading comprehension which means that this is the only modality item teachers perceived as frequently practiced and demonstrated by the sophomore students

As for the perceptions of teacher respondents according to their degree

of importance, two items had mean scores close to 4.0 or equivalent to moderately important, four items had a score of 3.0 or slightly important and three had a score of 2.0 or less important which indicate that the teacher

respondents consider only Reading Comprehension and Context clues as the more important student‘s skills given emphasis in the sophomore stage

As for the relationship of teacher‘s assessment and students‘

performance in the three language modalities, reading performance of the students are significantly different from the frequency and degree of importance ratings of the teachers while the listening performance of the students is not significantly different from the frequency and degree of importance ratings of the teachers The speaking performance of the students

on the other hand is significantly different from the frequency rating of the teachers but not significantly different from the degree of importance rating In general, among the three language modalities, it was the listening performance of the students that is significantly related to the assessment of the teachers The reading and the speaking performance are generally independent of the teacher‘s assessment

For the proposed remedial exercises in the three modalities of language, considerations are utilized as bases such as low performance score of the

students in the modality areas; meaningful relationship of the performance scores with the profile variables; and the meaningful relationship of the performance scores with the teachers‘ assessments

Based on these findings, the study recommended that the proposed output in the form of remedial exercise be reviewed by school heads prior to its

used in the classroom; that the students‘ weaknesses in reading, listening and

speaking must be given attention by administrators; and that a similar study may be conducted along modalities of language

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The researcher would like to convey her sincerest gratitude to the following persons whose valuable contributions enabled her to finish this academic work:

Dr Dang Kim Vui, President of Thai Nguyen University for the opportunity given to be included in the Ph D English program in partnership

Dr Matilda H Dimaano, Dissertation Adviser, for providing valuable inputs for the improvement of this study Her guidance and expertise in research proved to be of great help in the completion of this academic endeavor;

Dr Corazon Cabrera, Dr Amada Banaag, Dr Maria Luisa A Valdez, Dr Felix M Panopio, Dr Myrna G Sulit, Panel of Examiners for their insightful comments that enrich this research;

Dr Remedios P Magnaye, Recording Secretary for her patience and dedication in preparing the minutes of the defense proceedings;

Teacher and student respondents of the study, for the cooperation and willingness in answering the research instruments;

Colleagues and friends for their encouragement to finish this study;

Finally, my parents and family for their love, support and words of

encouragement

Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai

DEDICATION

This work is wholeheartedly dedicated to my parents, husband, and

children Dam Minh Tri, and Dam Thi Kim Ngan

Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE i

APPROVAL SHEET ii

ABSTRACT iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT viii

DEDICATION x

TABLE OF CONTENTS xi

LIST OF TABLES xiv

LIST OF FIGURES xvi CHAPTER

I THE PROBLEM

Introduction 1

Statement of the Problem 7

Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study 8

Significance of the Study 9

II REVIEW OF LITERATURE Conceptual Literature 11

Research Literature 40

Synthesis 47

Theoretical Framework 50

Conceptual Framework 53

Hypothesis 54

Definition of Terms 56

III RESEARCH METHOD AND PROCEDURE Research Environment 58

Research Design 59

Subjects of the Study 60

Data Gathering Instrument 61

Data Gathering Procedure 64

Statistical Treatment of Data 66

IV PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA 68

V SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Summary of Findings 119

Conclusions 130

Recommendation 131

BIBLIOGRAPHY 132

APPENDICES……… 139

A Questionnaires 140

B Letters of Request 151

C Documentations 159

CURRICULUM VITAE ……… 172

LIST OF TABLES Table Title Page

1 Distribution of the Respondents of the Study……… 61

2 Gender Profile of the Student Respondents…… ………… 69

3 Parent's Educational Attainment ……… 70

4 Place of Origin of the Student Respondents……… 72

6 Levels of Students‘ Performance in the

Learning Modality of Reading 77

7 Levels of Students‘ Performance in the

Learning Modality of Listening 79

8 Levels of Students‘ Performance in the

Learning Modality of Speaking 81

9 Correlation of Students‘ Performance in the Three Language

Modality Test Groups with Profile Variables……… 84

10 Student Skills Employed in Teaching the Basic English

Course……… 87

11 Teachers‘ Assessments of Student Skills and

Their Frequency of Use ……… 89

12 Teachers‘ Assessments of Student Skills and

Their Degree of Importance ……… 91

13 Teachers‘ Assessments of Students‘ Performance

in Three Language Modalities ……… 93

14 Bases for the Design of Remedial Exercises on the Three

Modalities of Language 95

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Title Page

1 Conceptual Paradigm of the Study ……… 55

17

CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM Introduction

English as a versatile language is considered an amazing language Though it only ranked third in terms of the number of people using, still it becomes the global language and declared as the lingua franca of the world

English language is spread through the demands of the business sector, the academe, science and technology, and the diplomatic advocacy of the espousing country There are reasons identified why foreign language learners need to learn English First to be able to do business, to be educated,

to have a political alliance with, to be able to work or migrate in America, for it

is believed that proficiency in this language offers attractive economic returns; uplifts the status of people in the third world countries and English language serves as the major bridge towards greater opportunities, understanding, academic progress and personal development

Being aware of the importance of the English language, government agencies of most countries invest on English learning process They have set goals to improve the English proficiency of their component population and impose programs through their educational system This scenario is not new to

Vietnam and in fact the government has planned long term national project in line with foreign languages They set programs to uplift the status not only of the English proficiency of its students but also the competence of language teachers from primary to tertiary schools

Learners studying the foreign language basically develop competence in speaking and writing with emphasis on grammar There are four ways in learning the English language These include visual or seeing, auditory or hearing, kinaesthetic or moving, and tactile or touching According to Bandler,

et al., (1997) language learning involves stimulation of multiple areas in the brain and that English language learning to be effective cannot be just one dimensional which means that the more faculties involved, the better and longer term is the learning Understanding of the cognitive skills is not always involved in the learning process which explains the reason why adults tend to learn the second language slower compared to the young

English language has four modalities or skills which include reading, writing, speaking and listening In learning the language, listening comes first, followed by speaking, then reading and finally writing There are two ways how these four language modalities are related to each other These are the direction of communication, the in or out, and the method of communication,

the spoken or the written

Reading as a skill that helps man discover new things around him serves as the foundation of learning of an individual One acquires knowledge and key concepts from the simplest to the most complex through reading It is considered vital in different learning situations Ability to read well provides opportunities for personal fulfilment and job success

Further as an important skill in communication, reading is also a multifaceted process It involves word recognition, comprehension, fluency and motivation A person gets information from written letters and words through reading As a basic life skill, reading serves as a cornerstone for a student‘s

success in school since all subjects require this skill for smooth flow and transfer of learning Total comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading and integration of several or all subskills into a unitary skill during reading is required Reacting to authentic and real reading materials at different levels of comprehension such as literal, interpretative, evaluative critical and creative levels on the other hand are the ways integration is achieved

Listening as language modality is a very important area of communication There is an active involvement of individual in listening as it involves a sender, a message and a receiver Willingness of an individual to

participate completely in a communicative situation signifies good listening A number of processes also work on various levels in order to produce an

understanding of the incoming speech when good listeners involve themselves with any type of spoken discourse

In addition, listening is also important in the development of spoken language proficiency Means of interaction for the learner is provided by spoken language likewise access to speakers of the language is essential because learners must interact to achieve understanding Good and proper listening stimulates better communication in actual speaking situation

Considered the productive skill in the oral mode is speaking As a communication skill a person is able to verbalize his thoughts and ideas through speaking A person may get involve into three kinds of speaking situations such as interactive speaking, partially interactive speaking and non- interactive speaking In interactive listening, learners are engaged in listening and speaking alternately, and through a conversation partner, request to slow down conversation, clarification and repetition can be done while in partially interactive speaking, the speaker may continue to deliver his speech without interruption from the audience Non-interactive speaking can best manifest in speech recording or a radio broadcast No actual interaction happens

Good speaking and listening as part of one process can help learners to become successful in and out of school It is believed that if learner speaks well ideas can be expressed clearly, likewise, if the learner listens well more learning can be remembered That is why integration of these language

modalities is considered important in classroom activities to ensure learners‘

participation in the use of language This integration is done for reinforcement

of lessons The integration of language modalities can best be illustrated for instance in writing where it helps learner improve their speaking skills, so as with reading where it facilitates learner‘s writing competence

Improved competence in other modalities resulted from practice in one modality Teacher can project how learners can use language for a variety of purposes if language modalities are integrated in curriculum and instruction Modalities can be integrated in instruction through lessons and assessments more formally and informally for student‘s language production scaffolding A

technique that teacher can make use in integrating modalities is through cooperative learning Here learners can work together by means of speaking and listening to each other and also synthesizing information through reading and writing their ideas for possible presentation

In language modalities, learners encountered difficulties In reading,

learners no longer enjoy reading as most of them are not fluent readers They have hard time understanding a given text as they have not acquired necessary competence in reading or they lack comprehension in what they are reading They also encountered problems in pronunciation and recognition of English words as well as learners‘ inability to group words into thought units

On the other hand, learners have to cope up with the problems on vocabulary structures and rate of delivery in listening Learners also have short attention span and lose focus due to lack of understanding of the topic when it comes to listening to a native speaker of the language Learners also encountered problem relative to sound of the English language It takes sometimes for them to identify the sounds which are unfamiliar to them

The skill of speaking is considered difficult Learners might be forced to speak a language which they are not comfortable with, due to lack of understanding of its sentence structure, grammar and word order Though learners might have knowledge of words, their lack of understanding of their proper use in sentences poses another problem

As an English teacher teaching Basic English subjects among second year college students of Thai Nguyen University, the above mentioned problems were also observed These observations prompted her to conduct

the study to know the students‘ performance in the three language modalities

namely; reading, listening and speaking in order to come up with resource materials that will help college students enhance their learning the Basic English

Statement of the Problem

This study determined the performance of sophomore college students

of Thai Nguyen University, Vietnam in the three English language modalities to

serve as basis for proposed resource materials

Specifically, this sought answer to the following questions:

1 What is the demographic profile of sophomore students with reference to:

1.1 gender;

1.2 parents‘ educational attainment;

1.3 students‘ place of origin; and 1.4 type of school attended (high school)?

2 What is the performance of students in the following language

modalities in terms of:

4 How do teachers assess the performance of students in

the three language modalities?

5 Are there significant differences between the performance of students

6 What resource materials may be proposed to enhance students‘

English modality performance?

Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study

This study focused on determining the performance of students in the three modalities of language namely; reading, listening, oral or speaking Profiles of sophomore college students were also determined in terms of gender, parents‘ educational attainment, students‘ place of origin and type of

school attended

The descriptive method of research was used in the study utilizing survey technique and teacher-made test as data gathering instruments Respondents of the study include 279 second year college students and 50 English teachers coming from the five Thai Nguyen University in Vietnam

The study was limited to the profile variables of the sophomore college students of TNU and the three modalities mentioned in the study as well as to the responses of their respective English language teacher which served also

as other respondents of the study The study was further delimited to the year level of students indicated in the study and to the specified subject area The study did not include writing modality thus became part of the delimitation of the study

Significance of the Study

This study is significant to the following:

Students Results of the study will provide students with rich information

and knowledge as regards to how they could enrich their learning in the three modes of language They will also benefit from the resource materials developed

Teachers The study will benefit the teachers through the experience

gained in the utilization of the resource materials developed for language modalities to their students They would also be equipped with materials that they can use to effectively improve their students language performance

Administrators The results of the study will provide them a clear basis

for introducing the innovation that may come out of the study to their

respective schools

Policy-makers They will gain insights on the types of language

modalities prevalent among students and would initiate advocacy and policies pertinent to the findings of the study

Present Researcher Result of the study will provide baseline data to

design other instructional materials that would help enhance students‘

language performance

Future Researchers Results of the study will provide information in the conduct of similar studies in another environment

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter presents the relevant conceptual and research literature which have bearing to the present study These literatures provide background to understand the present research Presented also in this chapter are the theoretical and conceptual frameworks, synthesis of the study and definition of terms

Conceptual Literature

The following concepts which focused on English language instruction, student performance evaluation, English language modalities, and instructional materials development were reviewed to substantiate the study

English Language Instruction A new method of exploring the English

language is referred to as English language instruction or education

student‘s background and zero in on proper pronunciation, conversational

English, understanding of technical terms, phrases and concepts Classes are focused on students‘ aspirations and relaxed atmosphere is provided to

In the 21st century citizens are expected to be proficient in multiple languages for them to communicate in a variety of contexts The benefits an individual can enjoy in learning other languages may include improved school performance, better problem-solving skills and higher self-esteem Learners

on the other hand who have good command of the native language have the desire to learn for another language to develop their global language skill as well as to have the opportunity to work in a global context

Language instruction or education is the teaching and learning of a foreign or second language and may take place as a general school subject in

a specialized language school educationhtml) This is also referred to as the process of learning a language,

(www.wisegeek.com/what-is-language-a te(www.wisegeek.com/what-is-language-aching process of s(www.wisegeek.com/what-is-language-aid l(www.wisegeek.com/what-is-language-angu(www.wisegeek.com/what-is-language-age, (www.wisegeek.com/what-is-language-as well le(www.wisegeek.com/what-is-language-arning (www.wisegeek.com/what-is-language-a n(www.wisegeek.com/what-is-language-ative l(www.wisegeek.com/what-is-language-angu(www.wisegeek.com/what-is-language-age for the first time or a second language This is also commonly used as an academic term as it deals with learning a second or additional language beyond one‘s

native language

Helping students become autonomous, independent, self- directed language acquirers is the purpose of language instruction The two identified goals of language instruction include: instruction should help students understand how language is acquired or picked up; and language instruction should help students learn where and how to get and use comprehensible input, understandable English to read and listen to from the outside world when they leave the room (successful english com/ 2010 /02 purpose-of-language-instruction/)

The determining factors of the difference between the process of language education and language acquisition are the teaching style used, the age of students learning the language and whether the students are developing first language in-depth skills or if there is an attempt to learn the language Most language education practices begin with vocabulary words and

verb conjugation principles while immersion style of teaching a language is also utilized to encourage students to speak the new language

Relative to this, whole language instruction is a viable method of instruction (www teachnology com/ theme/ langarts /phonics /whole lang, html) In this type of instruction, throughout the process instructor serves as a guide The world of reading is the focus of the learners whom language practitioners encouraged for learners to apply their knowledge already gained through their learning

According to Anna Searle, British Council director for English language, there is more to use English as the lingua franca of higher education globally-

as the most significant current trend in internationalizing higher education As

in the case of the English language instruction at Indiana University, it offers several programs for English Language Development Their Intensive English Program or EP for pre-matriculated students with academic or professional goals has seven weeks session or 20 plus hours a week of instruction with seven levels of proficiency and no credit (www indiana.edu/dsls/eli/)

Further, for matriculated students admitted into the undergraduate and graduate programs in this university, their English Language Improvement Program or ELIP is an 8 week course that is 4 hours a week composed of 5 to

6 topics and with credit units, while for students taking the TEPAIC to become student assistants, the university offers the Preparation for International

Teaching Special programs for students with specific goal and English for Specific purpose programs are also offered

The director of the department of education at Oxford Ernesto Macaro added that more and more institutions across the world are using English to teach academic subjects, spurred on by a desire to internationalise their offer and their academic profile Promising instructional practices that are useful for defining best practices for teaching English-language learners include: using visuals to reinforce concepts and vocabulary; utilizing cooperative learning and peer tutoring; use of students‘ native language strategically when students are

floundering; providing opportunities for students to practice speaking English in both formal and informal contexts throughout the day

In addition, focusing on rich evocative vocabulary words during lessons

so students remained engaged and challenged is also included For teaching literary concepts the words can serve as vehicle (www.ncl d.org/students-disabilities/ld-education-teachers/effective-instruction-for-Id-risk-English-

development program Access to coursework, materials and instruction are also provided to learners Comprehension is also a priority in terms of methods

of instruction to ensure progress in the levels of their proficiency in both English and other core content areas

English language as a lingua franca for education instructions across the world from primary schools to universities is also the medium of instruction utilized by university administrators It also serves as a facilitator to attracting international students as well as a way to improve institution‘s position in

global university ranking as English improve exchange of ideas and promote better relations between countries (www times higher education co uk/ news/ english- language use most significant internationalisation- trend-for-he /201

3009 article)

Learners of English as a second language in mainstream schools where English is the language of instruction has the program where the participants were advised to bring their home cultures into the classroom, involving them in language-appropriate content-area instruction from the beginning, and through integration of literature into the learning program (García, et al., 2008) Further, the increasing number of English as Second Language (ESL) students in the classrooms creates a strong need for additional programs and

services While other teachers think that ESL instruction requires a separate entity from standard-based instruction, most teachers believed that they are

intertwined with each other as stated in the English TESOL Standards that teachers should know, understand, and use evidence based practices and strategies related to planning, implementing, and managing standards based

on ESL and content instruction (www.tesol.org)

Students’ Performance Evaluation To examine, judge, appraise, and

assign value or worth refers to evaluation while performance refers to the actions of carrying out or completing some functions, role, or obligation (Horejsi, et al., 2002) In evaluation, the focus is on grades and may reflect classroom components other than the course content and mastery levels which include discussion, cooperation, attendance, and verbal ability (Angelo,

et al., 1993)

There are two types of student‘s performance evaluations These are

informal and formal evaluations Ongoing feedback and suggestions by instructor and takes place on a weekly and daily basis are features of informal evaluations Detailed review and comparison of the student‘s performance with

evaluation criteria, standards, and learning objectives, and happens at the end

of each academic term which is dependent on school policy or specialized

circumstances are the components of formal evaluations Through a written report, the results of the evaluation were placed into comprising of ratings assigned to the various items on the tool used by school for their evaluation

with a description in a form of narrative about students‘ strengths, abilities,

special problems and deficiencies in performance

In order to determine if the student is making progress, to document learning, to identify strengths and areas of performance that require special attention and remediation, it is of significant importance for students‘

performance to have continuous monitoring and frequent evaluations There are two purposes for the conduct of evaluation of student‘s performance The first

is that of summative to measure student progress or achievement and the second

is that of formative in order to provide feedback to students to help them learn better (teaching.iub.edu./wrapper-big)

For students‘ and teachers‘ success, assigning grades to be part of

permanent records of students as well as giving feedback to students for their improvement are needed To give better chance to monitor students‘ works

and to improve their study habits to have better performance, frequent tests and quizzes will be administered to them To help students also improve their learning, evaluation plans and activities should be prepared

There are suggested ways considered to have a fair and relevant evaluation of student‘s performance (www washburn edu/ academics

College-schools/applied-studies/ departments/ social-work/sw-files evaluating-students-performance-37pdf) These include: areas of performance

about-or competency that are truly impabout-ortant to the kind of task as well as carrying

out institution‘s mission and goals are addressed; clear criteria for student‘s evaluation and objectives is possible to the degree; students‘ awareness of the

evaluation criteria, standards and preferred practices and outcomes at the beginning of the period of evaluation; and compatibility of student‘s

performance to written standards and criteria, rather than to some standards that are unstated or implied

Providing continuous feedback and warnings or performance to students prior to formal evaluation as well as providing realistic performance criteria and standards fitted to students‘ levels are also included to have fair and relevant

evaluation Further, citing and describing examples of performance through evaluation which form as basis for ratings as well as giving consideration to the extenuating circumstances that may influence the evaluation are also included Level of performance among students who demonstrated differences in motivation, competency, knowledge, and specific skills are being identified and

recorded in the evaluative process likewise the nature and complexity of the assignments given to students are taken into consideration in evaluation Students‘ growth and performance as well as students‘ problems regarding

need for continued learning is also recognized in evaluation

Green (1975) pointed out teachers need several types of learning assessments as guide posts for instruction when instructing pupils and these include initial assessments to determine the beginning level of instruction,

interim assessments to pace instruction and to provide feedback to the learners and terminal assessment to determine the ultimate achievement of the learners Classified as formative evaluation are initial and interim assessments as their major objective is that of helping the learner Instruction and learner are provided by formative evaluation with feedback on his errors, his rate of progress and his level of achievement related to the acceptable level of competence

As an aid to students acquiring the necessary subject matter competence and the requisite behaviours for each unit of learning, formative evaluation is considered as the most important Pupil‘s progress in terms of

formative evaluation is often criterion-referenced indicating minimum performances required before proceeding to new units of instruction which is

considered specific level of competence In formative evaluation, the norm- referenced approach may be utilized for the pupil‘s relative performance within

the group rather than an established competence level for assessment

Under summative evaluation, terminal assessment is classified A general assessment of students‘ achievement over an entire course or a large

unit of a course is its purpose Uses of summative evaluation which is either criterion or norm referenced include major basis for the course mark and for determining the final level of students‘ attainment Considered essential to

good instruction is formative and summative evaluation of which focus is given

to summative evaluation by teachers rather than formative evaluation

Recognized as comprehensive, systematic and purposeful process, that

is an integral part of teaching and learning, evaluation must be based on outcomes which represent goals for students which can also provide a basis for student evaluation Evaluation procedures must be based on the prescribed learning outcomes and evolve from the instructional strategies implemented to realize these outcomes and must enable a teacher to provide an accurate reliable, and justifiable evaluation which reflects students‘ progress and

achievement (www.ed Gov,nl.ca/ edu/ k12/ curriculum /guided/ music/ music220/ section2, pdf)

There are policies for evaluating students in the classroom These include: the basis for evaluating student practices is on the philosophy of education relative to the uniqueness of each child; pre-instructional, formative, and summative activities comprised evaluation; and performance in terms of stated outcomes such as affective, cognitive, and psychomotor domains is represented by evaluation Students must understand clearly outcomes and evaluation procedures

Evaluations of process and product objectives are also important as well

as accommodation of students with special needs must undergo differentiated evaluation To indicate performance in relation to the stated outcomes grades

are needed for summative evaluation A pre-instructional evaluation in terms of awareness of the strengths and weaknesses that students bring in the classroom is required in a comprehensive evaluation A comprehensive picture

of student‘s achievement in progress can be provided through evaluation data

gathered from varied sources like formative evaluation wherein the focus is more on the process and the products of learning as well as summative evaluation where assessment and report of students‘ achievement are the main concern

Assessment performance or skill attainment and knowledge learned in

the educational program are the main purpose of student evaluation Variety of testing and measurement methods are the modes of evaluation for students‘ performance Measuring students‘ growth serves several purposes in the

educational process (class.missouri- edu/aged/resources /handbook/chapter 6.pdf.) The purposes include: monitor student progress; reinforce desired outcomes and behaviours; review to provide structure for students; aid in career guidance; classification and placement of students; aid for curriculum/ instruction improvement, and assessment of teacher effectiveness

According to Go et al., (2010) the following are the principles intended to assist teachers in planning for student assessment and evaluation These include: assessment and learning are essential components of the teaching and learning process and that they should be planned, continuous activities

should be derived from curriculum objectives and should be consistent with the instructional and learning strategies; and there should be utilization of various assessment and evaluation techniques selected for the appropriateness to student‘s learning styles and intended purposes Opportunities to demonstrate

the extent of their knowledge, abilities, and attitudes in various ways should be provided to students

Moreover, assessment, evaluation strategies and plan should be

communicated by teachers in advance to inform students of the objectives and procedures of assessment and they should be provided with opportunity for input into the evaluation process There should be fair and equitable assessment and evaluation and these should help students Likewise, parents or guardians as well as students should be aware of the assessment and evaluation data and results in meaningful ways Finally, varied tools and techniques should be used in conducting assessment and evaluation

English Language Modalities Learning English language has been

divided into different skill areas including listening, speaking, reading and writing, based on the purpose of analysis and instruction Speaking and writing are productive skills and listening and reading are receptive skills (Byrne, 1988) Regarding the manners by which they are formed, language skills are divided into oral skills relating to articulate organs, which are listening and

speaking and literacy skills in connection with manual script including reading and writing

Reading as an English language modality is a multifaceted process including word recognition, comprehension, fluency and motivation (www.reading rockets org article/352/) Reading involves the reader, the text, and the interaction between the writer and the reader using texts which widen the

reader‘s knowledge to make sense of print the information constructed by the

reader which is then transferred through written symbols by the writer (Rumelhart, 1977) This interaction contributes to the schemata in understanding the text Reading is a complex activity where good readers engage in a variety of activities

as they comprehend the selection as pointed out by Caldwell (2008) Making inferences and predictions on the person‘s knowledge and cues comprise the

reading process

According to Goodman (1971) reading is a psycholinguistic process by which the reader, a language user, reconstructs a message encoded by a writer as a graphic display, and the act of reconstruction is viewed as a cyclical process of sampling, predicting, testing and confirming In the same vein, Harmer (1989) considers reading as a mechanical process wherein the eyes receive the message and the brain has to work out the significance of the message Reading comprehension is the process of understanding and constructing meaning from a piece of text It requires motivation, mental

frameworks for holding ideas, concentration and good study techniques (Donald, 2004) Any written materials involving multiple words that form coherent thoughts such as phrases, sentences, paragraphs are connected texts that can be read with comprehension

In teaching and learning a foreign language reading comprehension plays a key role It can be understood as the ability to obtain the information as required in the reading lessons as efficiently as possible Thus, three elements that are involved in the reading process include the reading text, the background knowledge of the reader, and the contextual aspects relevant for the interpretation of the text Swam (1975) stated that a student is good at comprehension if he can read accurately and efficiently so as to get the maximum information of a text with the minimum of understanding

Reading comprehension or understanding a written text means extracting the required information from it as effectively as possible (Grellet, 1981) The graphic forms of the reading texts as well as what are implied behind these forms can be recognized and understood by the readers when they read with comprehension Richard, (1987) points out that reading comprehension is best described as an understanding between the author and the reader

The process which reader undergoes through to learn how to read is termed a reading process and the models of an ideal reader reading which tell