communicative strategies

5 de febrero de 2011[COMMUNICATIVE STRATEGIES]

Communication is an essential part for humans and this ability is the first one that people

learn before read or write since they need to express what they feel, think or concern about

the world they live. DelRof (1996) claims “students learning a foreign language need

practical language, such as speaking and experiencing culture before they need theoretical

language, such as; reading and writing sometimes we teachers are so excited to teach

language skills that we forget to teach students how to communicate”. Communication in a

second language is to increase the knowledge and interaction about other people’s ideology,

customs and education. Learners in order to communicate in a second language in a

successful form need to develop certain skills that help them to make clearer, simpler, faster

and more enjoyable to learn or acquire the target language. Strategies are tools for the self-

directed involvement necessary for developing communicative ability. (Oxford, 1992/1993,

p. 18 cited in Lessard-Clouston 1997).

In many cases teachers provide students with enough and appropriate vocabulary and

grammar rules they need to understand the language, one form that teacher use to

accomplish this situation is the communicative teaching in which students encounter and

imitate real life situations, but the true is when teacher asks students to express ideas or

opinions related to real circumstances they do not feel enough confident to answer. In some

cases this is due to students’ pronunciation is not good at all and classmates start laughing

of them and those who are more skillful get desperate and make pressure in those who are

not. Research shows that they develop more negative attitudes to school and are likely to

lack motivation to put more effort in it (McCroskey& Richmond, 1991 cited in Minh Hue

2010). For other students, working with students who are reluctant to maintain and extend

conversations also limits their opportunities for language use.

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There are different factors that affect students’ learning and also influence their process of

communication in a second language. As it was mentioned before motivation is essential in

the process of learning of a second language because it helps learners succeed and obtain

better results. This motivation can be received in different ways, one form is when students

receive encouragement or stimulus from external factors or they have a natural interest to

learn and make an effort in order to obtain a personal benefit. Also motivation depends on

learners’ goals. Noonan (2005) states that instrumental motivation is one in which the

learner desires to use the language as a tool to achieve some desirable ends. In contrast, an

integrative motivation is one in which “learners may choose to learn a particular L2

because they are interested in the people and culture represented by the target-language

group” (Ellis 1997, p75 cited in Noonan 2005). In various contexts, both motivations have

proved important. Of course, students can have both types of motivation at the same time.

Age is also important in order to learn a second language since younger learners acquire the

language better and they do not have too much interference from their first language. On

the other hand, for old learners it is more difficult because almost all the time they make

use of their mother tongue to understand the second language and communication is not

achieved because they only translate words. Ellis (1985) defines age as the variable that has

been most frequently considered in discussions of individual differences in SLA and

similarly Candlin (1984) argues that age is a predictor of second language proficiency. Both

authors mention that age is an important internal factor for learning a second language.

Self-esteem is another important factor that affects enormously the learning process since

students make an evaluation and appreciation about themselves and what they are able to

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do in the environment where they develop. Tudor (1996) argues that self-esteem has to do

with the inevitable evaluations one makes about one’s own worth. It is a basic requirement

for successful cognitive and affective activity. We derive our notions of self-esteem from

our inner experience and our relationship with the external world. Most of students usually

judge when they speak in a second language and worry about it, if they were right they get

more confident to speak and continue learning but if they do it wrong they get frustrated

and this affects their self-esteem a lot.

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this research is to carry out a survey among students in the high senior

school UPAEP basic level in order to determine the skills students take into account when

they communicate in a second language, the importance of these skills, the activities that

are useful and effective to achieve the communicative process in a second language.

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METHODOLOGY

In this section the methodology used to carry out this research is described, along with the

subjects, the instruments and the procedures. First of all, the purpose of this project is to

know what strategies learners use and how to improve them so that they can communicate

better in a second language, for this reason a descriptive research will be used.

Subjects

The school where the research will be carried out is at UPAEP Bachillerato, Plantel San

Martín. The participants are forty-six subjects altogether, being 23 males and 23 females.

Their ages range from 15 to 18 years old in first, second and third grade of senior high

school. They are in different groups which are from ten to fifteen students. The number of

students is because they are divided in two levels advanced and basic, so both levels have a

basic proficiency level of English and will be studied. However some students have higher

level because they have taken English classes since they started their studies or have

attended to private lessons. They are students from middle socioeconomic background.

The participants were chosen on the basis of the availability of the schedule for the

researcher who is the instructor of these groups.

Instruments

Data will be collected by means of a questionnaire that elicits some background

information about the subjects, such as gender, previous English studies and current level of

proficiency. In addition the rest of the questions will regard the way that students

communicate with the second language, skills they consider most important to achieve this

process and the activities focused on communication. The questionnaire will be written in

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Spanish in order to facilitate the understanding of students. Once the questionnaire was

designed by the instructor, it will be revised for content validity by three colleagues who

are in the Diploma course for English teachers who work in high schools. Once the

instructions and questions were improved, the questionnaire was finalized and administered

to subjects. The final version of the instrument can be seen in the Appendix A.

Procedures

First of all the questionnaire will be designed, piloted and administered in a one-to one

basis for reliability. Second, it will be administered to all forty-six subjects, who will

complete it in the English class. Afterwards, the questionnaire will be collected and the data

will enter in Excel for processing and analysis. Totals of each response will be quantified

and turned into graphs to illustrate the main findings. Finally, some conclusions were drawn

in order to determine which skills students use mostly and activities used in class work

better for them when they have to communicate in a second language.

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CONCLUSIONS

The results of the survey carried out in UPAEP high school provided important

information in order to know if students use or develop strategies to communicate in a

second language. First of all, they think it is easier for them to communicate in oral rather

than written form because they do not have to use grammar rules. Most of the time they use

the vocabulary and phrases they learned in lessons in order to express what they like or

want even if they make mistakes.

Regarding the importance of skills, it was found that most of students agree strongly

with respect to Pronunciation and Vocabulary are important because if they learn the

vocabulary they need they feel more confident and motivated to express what they want

and need and they can understand better each other with the target language. Also students

agree that different activities should be applied through games and dialogues in order to

practice the language and improve the communicative skills, since in this way they learn

better the language and can remember phrases and vocabulary easily.

Limitations of the Study

The conclusions of this research are based on the result found in the students’ opinions and

perceptions about the skills and activities used in class to improve communicative process

in a second language UPAEP high senior school. The methodology used in this research

was a survey performed to 46 students in this high-school. However, the study could not be

reliable as it should be, because there are other components in which can be found more

information as eliciting teacher’s opinions and perceptions, asking teachers from other

schools (including official schools). Therefore, the research only covers a significant part of

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the study about the importance of improving student’s communicative skills in a second

language. Finally, the results of the questionnaires only express the subjects’ opinions, there

is a certain level of unreliability. It is hoped, however, that the results of this study will be

useful for further research.

Directions for Further Research

The data collected in this research was analyzed focusing only on students’ opinion and

perception. However, it is important to take into account teachers’ opinions and perceptions

too, because they apply different activities in the classroom to develop this skill and notice

if students feel confident, comfortable and motivated.

Also, activities and materials that help students to communicate with the target language

can be planned, designed and applied with the learners to analyze their reactions and

participation. On the other hand, the use of these activities that improve the communicative

skill can be observed in the classroom using an instrument that describes characteristics,

usefulness, and students’ behavior during the lesson.

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LIST OF REFERENCES

DeRolf, J. D. (1996). English Communication through Practical Experiences.The Internet

TESL Journal. Vol. V, No. 7, July 1999. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from

http://iteslj.org/Articles/DelRolf-PracExper.html

Ellis, R. (1985). Understanding second language acquisition. Oxford: university Press.

Lessard–Clouston, M. (1997). Language Learning Strategies: An Overview for L2

Teachers. The Internet TESL Journal.Vol. III, No. 2, December 1997. Retrieved on

November 12, 2010, from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Lessard-Clouston-Strategy.html

Minh Hue, N. (2010). Encouraging Reluctant ESL/EFL Learners to Speak in the

Classroom.The Internet TESL Journal. Vol. XVI, No. 3, March 2010. Retrieved October

20, 2010, from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Nguyen-ReluctantSpeakers.html

Noonan, F. (2005). Helping EFL Students Improve Their Spoken English.The Internet

TESL Journal, Vol. XI, No. 7, July 2005. Retrieved on October 27, 2010, from

http://iteslj.org/Articles/Noonan-Spoken/

Tudor, I. (1996). Learner-centredness as language education. Cambridge: University Press.

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http://iteslj.org/Articles/DelRolf-PracExper.html

http://iteslj.org/Articles/Noonan-Spoken/

http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Nguyen-ReluctantSpeakers.html

http://iteslj.org/Articles/Lessard-Clouston-Strategy.html


Appendix A: INSTRUMENT ADMINISTERED

Survey Questions

Edad: ____________________ Semester: ____________________

Sexo: ____________________

Contesta las siguientes preguntas subrayando la respuesta que consideres más apropiada.

1. ¿Has tomado cursos de inglés anteriormente? Si tu respuesta es No pasa a la

pregunta número 4.

a) Si b) No

2. ¿Qué tipos de curso has tomado?

a) Intensivos b) Semi-intensivos c) Estacionales

3. ¿Concluiste esos cursos?

a) Si b) No

4. ¿Cómo consideras tu nivel de inglés?

a) Pésimo b) Insuficiente c) Regular d) Bueno e) Muy bueno f) Excelente

5. ¿Cómo piensas que te comunicas mejor en inglés?

a) Oral b) Escrito c) Otro: _________________________

6. Al comunicarte en inglés, utilizas:

a) Vocabulario b) Frases c) Ambas

7. ¿Te comunicas sin importar los errores que cometas?

a) Siempre b) Casi siempre c) A veces d) Casi nunca e) Nunca

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8. De las siguientes sub habilidades ¿cuál consideras más importante para comunicarte

en inglés? ¿Por qué?

a) Pronunciación b) Vocabulario c) Gramática d) Otra ______________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

9. ¿Tienes suficientes actividades en clase que te ayuden a desarrollar tu habilidad

comunicativa en inglés? Si tu respuesta es Si menciona cuales son. Si tu respuesta

es No, contesta la siguiente pregunta.

a) Si b) No

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

10. ¿Qué actividades te gustarían para poder mejorar esta habilidad?

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

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communicative strategies

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