Final report on the initial test 2 may 2015

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PE-MC-EAE Promoting English as Means of Communication in European Adult Education 2013 - 1 - ES - GRU06 - 73300 FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST 2 (May 2015)

Transcript of Final report on the initial test 2 may 2015

PE-MC-EAEPromoting English as Means of Communication in European Adult Education

2013 - 1 - ES - GRU06 - 73300

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST 2(May 2015)

Istituto Statale d'Istruzione Superiore "Buonarroti - Fossombroni", Arezzo - ITALYLiceul Tehnologic de Servicii "Sfantul Apostol Andrei", Ploiesti, ROMANIA

Centre de Formació d'Adults Josepa Massanès i Dalmau, Tarragona, SPAINİnönü Teknik ve Endüstri Meslek Lisesi, Istanbul, TURKEY

FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST -2- ******** June 2015

INDEX

INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................4

1. FINAL REPORT - AREZZO, ITALY..................................................................................51.1. INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................51.2. AGE OF THE STUDENTS................................................................................51.3. YEARS OF STUDYING.....................................................................................51.4. EXTRA CLASSES.............................................................................................61.5. ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS ACCORDING TO THE PROMPTS – A.......61.6. USE OF ENGLISH – B......................................................................................71.7. USE OF ENGLISH – C......................................................................................71.8. USE OF ENGLISH – E......................................................................................71.9. USE OF ENGLISH – F......................................................................................81.10. READING – D...................................................................................................81.11. LISTENING – G.................................................................................................91.12. WRITING – H....................................................................................................91.13. CONCLUSIONS USE OF ENGLISH:..............................................................101.14. CONCLUSIONS ABOUT EXERCISES:..........................................................111.15. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS............................................................................12

2. FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - PLOIESTI, ROMANIA.................................142.1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................142.2. AGE.................................................................................................................142.3. YEARS OF STUDYING...................................................................................152.4. PLACE OF ENGLISH IN SCHOOL CURRICULUM........................................152.5. EXTRA CLASSES...........................................................................................162.6. ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS ACCORDING TO THE PROMPTS – A.....172.7. USE OF ENGLISH – B....................................................................................182.8. USE OF ENGLISH – C....................................................................................182.9. USE OF ENGLISH – E....................................................................................192.10. USE OF ENGLISH – F....................................................................................192.11. READING – D.................................................................................................202.12. LISTENING – G...............................................................................................212.13. WRITING – H..................................................................................................222.14. CONCLUSIONS USE OF ENGLISH – B, C, E, F...........................................232.15. CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXERCISES..........................................................242.16. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS............................................................................26

3. FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - TARRAGONA, SPAIN.................................293.1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................293.2. AGE.................................................................................................................303.3. YEARS OF STUDYING...................................................................................313.4. EXTRA CLASSES...........................................................................................313.5. ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS ACCORDING TO THE PROMPTS – A.....323.6. READING – D.................................................................................................32

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3.7. USE OF ENGLISH – B, C, E, F.......................................................................333.8. LISTENING – G...............................................................................................343.9. WRITING – H..................................................................................................343.10. CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXERCISES..........................................................353.11. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS............................................................................36

4. FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - ISTANBUL, TURKEY..................................374.1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................374.2. AGE.................................................................................................................374.3. YEARS OF STUDYING...................................................................................374.4. PLACE OF ENGLISH IN SCHOOL CURRICULUM........................................384.5. EXTRA CLASSES...........................................................................................384.6. ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS ACCORDING TO THE PROMPTS – A.....384.7. USE OF ENGLISH – B....................................................................................394.8. USE OF ENGLISH – C....................................................................................404.9. USE OF ENGLISH – E....................................................................................404.10. USE OF ENGLISH – F....................................................................................414.11. READING – D.................................................................................................414.12. LISTENING – G...............................................................................................424.13. WRITING – H..................................................................................................424.14. CONCLUSIONS USE OF ENGLISH:..............................................................434.15. CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXERCISES:.........................................................434.16. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS:...........................................................................45

5. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................46

REPORT AUTHORS................................................................................................................55

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INTRODUCTION

The aim of the initial test1 was to collect data and information about the students’ level of English

in adult education in Europe in order to represent the starting point in the next level of our project:

designing the teaching materials for adult classes2. At the end of the project we submitted the same

test for a second time in order to compare results and be able to assess the impact of the project in

our institutions.

We have been written down some conclusions after collecting, processing, examining and

comparing the data and information on the results achieved by their students.

1 You can read the test of the Test in the FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST Annex section. http://pemceae.blogspot.com.tr/p/initial-test.html.2 All the material is published on the website project at the http://pemceae.blogspot.com.tr

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1. FINAL REPORT - AREZZO, ITALY

1.1. INTRODUCTION

This final report shows the results achieved by the 27 adult students tested in May 2015.

Students were given the same test they were asked to do at the beginning of the project so that

results can be compared.

1.2. AGE OF THE STUDENTS

AGE

59%19%

22%G1 (18-24 years) =16 students

G2 (25-34 years) = 5 students

G3 (35+ years) = 6 students

As the pie chart shows, the age of the students involved in adult education is mainly between

18-24 years. During the last few years more and more young students are attending courses in

adult education.

1.3. YEARS OF STUDYING

YEARS OF STUDYING

7%

15%

78%

Y3 (0-2 years) = 2 student

Y6 (3-6 years) = 4 students

Y7 (7+ years) = 21 students

Thanks to the introduction of the English language as a compulsory school subject in all primary

schools in 2004, the number of years for studying English in State schools increased from 0-5 to

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10-13 and young adult students have studied English a bigger number of years and have a higher

level of English than older adult students who have studied English fewer years and interrupted

their studies long time ago.

1.4. EXTRA CLASSES

EXTRA CLASSES

11%

89%

Yes = 3 students

No = 24 students

In Italy there are only private courses of English for adults organized by language schools, but

they are expensive and not everyone can afford them, this explains the number of 24 adults out of

27 who have never attended extra classes of English.

1.5. ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS ACCORDING TO THE PROMPTS – A

READING - A

74%

22%

4%

4-5 points = 20 students

2-3 points = 6 students

0-1 points = 1 students

The results show that the majority of students (74%) can understand a written text and answer

questions properly. Only one student got 0-1 points.

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1.6. USE OF ENGLISH – B

USE OF ENGLISH – B

11%

89%

8 points = 24 students

6 points = 3 students

0-2 points = 0 students

Matching questions with the correct answers proved to be a very easy task for 24 adult students.

1.7. USE OF ENGLISH – C

USE OF ENGLISH – C

100%

5 points = 27 students

0-3 points = 0 students

Arranging the lines in the correct order to make a dialogue was an easy task for the students.

The 27 students had no mistakes no matter their age, which showed that the dialogue was not

difficult.

1.8. USE OF ENGLISH – E

USE OF ENGLISH – E

81%

19%5 points = 22 students

1-3 points = 5 students

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Completing the instructions about how to watch a movie with the given imperatives was a task

which 22 students did correctly (they were 17 out of 24).

Although the task was easy, 5 students (they were 7 out of 24) failed to match the imperatives

with the correct contexts.

1.9. USE OF ENGLISH – F

USE OF ENGLISH – F

4%

33%

63%

5 points = 17 students

4 points = 1 students

0-3 points = 9 students

In this task students had to understand the meaning of some sentences and of some polite

expressions and to match them in order to create more polite sentences. The task was completed

correctly by 17 students (they were 11) while 9 had difficulties (they were 9), getting less than 3

points.

1.10. READING – D

READING - D

89%

11%6-8 points = 24 students

3-5 points = 3 students

0-2 points = 0 students

Students are usually well trained in reading skills which imply not only a comprehension of the

text but also using grammar structures properly.

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24 students answered questions correctly (they were 14) or with small mistakes.

Only 3 students didn’t complete the task properly (they were 7) proving that they neither

understood the text nor answered the questions accordingly.

1.11. LISTENING – G

LISTENING - G

67%

26%

7%

4 points = 18 students

2-3 points = 7 students

0-1 points = 2 students

This exercise consisted of an audio text at B1 level which students had to listen to twice and

then they had to answer 4 questions based on the text in order to prove that they understood the

oral message.

18 students had no mistake (it was only 1) and 7 students managed to write 2-3 correct answers

(they were 5).

Only 2 students got the minimum number of points proving that they have no listening skills at

B1 level. There were 18 students who got the minimum number of points in the same test in

November 2013.

The listening skills seem to have greatly improved compared to the results got two years ago.

1.12. WRITING – H

WRITING - H

37%

52%

11%

8-10 points = 10 students

3-7 points = 14 students

0-2 points = 3 students

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10 students out of 27 got 8 - 10 points at this exercise (they were 8) which means that they have

developed writing skills in English at B1 level.

3 students didn’t write anything so they got 0 points.

14 students got an average of 5 points at this exercise, which means that they managed to

express their basic ideas in a poor way and with grammar mistakes. So, writing skills seem to have

improved compared to the previous results.

1.13. CONCLUSIONS USE OF ENGLISH:

Exercise B Exercise C Exercise E Exercise F Average

Maximum results

24 students89%

27 students100%

22 students81%

17 students63%

23 students83%

Minimum results

0 students 0 students5 students

29%9 students

54%4 students

21%

CONCLUSIONS USE OF ENGLISH

24

27

22

17

23

0 0

5

9

4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Exercise B Exercise C Exercise E Exercise F Average

Exercise

Stu

de

nts

nu

mb

er

Maximum results

Minimum results

The biggest percentage of maximum results was obtained at exercises C and B (100% and

89%).

The biggest percentage of minimum results was obtained at exercise F (54%) and this means

that adult students are not familiar with using modals and specific expressions of politeness.

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The smallest percentage of minimum results was obtained at exercise B where no students got

the minimum and this leads to the conclusion that students have a good understanding of written

messages and are generally familiar with this type of exercise.

1.14. CONCLUSIONS ABOUT EXERCISES:

Writing H Listening G Reading D Reading AUse of English

B, C, E, F

Maximum results

10 students

37%

18 students67%

24 students89%

20 students74%

23 students83%

Minimum results

3 students11%

2 students7%

0 students1 students

4%4 students

21%

CONCLUSIONS ABOUT EXERCISES

10

18

24

20

23

3 20

1

4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Writing H Listening G Reading D Reading A Use of EnglishB, C, E, F

Stu

den

ts n

um

ber

Maximum results

Minimum results

- Writing is the part of the test where only 11% of the students got the minimum results (it was

46% in November 2013) and 37% of the students got the maximum results.

- Listening is the part where only 7% of students got minimum results (they were 75%) and 67%

got maximum results. This means that listening skills have greatly improved in adult education

compared to the results got in November 2013.

- Reading is the part where the majority of students, 89%, got maximum results (it was 58%) and

no one of them got the minimum results. This type of exercise in which students have to answer

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questions based on a written text is very common to all students because it is widely used during

the English classes.

- Simple Reading A is the part in which 20 students (74%) got maximum results and only one

got minimum results.

- Use of English is the part in which 23 students out of 27 (83%) got the maximum results and

only 4 (21%) got the minimum results because teachers use these types of exercises more often

with their students compared to other types of exercises.

1.15. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS

As already stated in the previous report on the initial test, the main objective of young and adult

students participating in this research and attending evening classes at state secondary school is

to get a diploma which will allow them to find a job or to improve their current working position.

The students who decide to join evening classes are always highly motivated because coming

back to school is only their own choice. They all have different life experiences and backgrounds

but they realize how important it is being educated and getting new skills such as learning English

as a foreign language.

Since our school is a technical business school and the two courses for adults are Accounting

and Social Services, students in the fourth and fifth classes study the micro-language that is

business English and English for social services.

Students who have taken part in this research proved that studying English for 12 years in

school doesn’t necessary mean that at the final state exam all students have a higher level of

English. On the other hand, they also proved that with English taught only a few years (as it used

to be until some years ago) it’s impossible to reach the highest level some students can reach after

studying 12 years. The conclusion is that introducing English as a compulsory subject in every year

of primary and Secondary school curricula was a very good choice because it gives students the

opportunity to develop their English skills and to reach the level of intermediate English speakers.

Younger adult students generally develop a higher level of English while older adults who

interrupted their studies 15-20 years ago and studied English only for few years have difficulties in

learning a foreign language.

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- The most developed students’ skills are at use of English and reading (the maximum results at

these exercises reach 89% and 83% of the students) due to the fact that in general teachers use

mostly this type of exercises during the English classes.

- The writing skills have slightly improved, compared to the results got in November 2013, but

they confirm to be the most difficult skills in a foreign language due to the ability and knowledge

involved. Young adults are generally better at writing than older adults because they have studied

English longer at school.

- The listening skills of students seem to have greatly improved compared to the results got in

November 2013, where 18 students out of 24 got minimum results. In May 2015, 18 students out of

27 got maximum results and only 2 got minimum results.

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2. FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - PLOIESTI, ROMANIA

2.1. INTRODUCTION

The test has been carried out in May 2015 and there were 20 adult students tested from

different groups from our school as follows: 9 were from General Nursing, 4 from Laboratory

Technician, 6 from Nutritionist Assistant and 1 from Tourist Guide. The 20 students tested were

involved in the Grundtvig project activities to different extent, 5 of them taking part in 2 project

meetings as well.

The test carried out was the same test adult students from our institution sat in 2013, at the

beginning of the project and it doesn’t focus mainly on Grammar exercises, but rather on the 4

skills (Reading comprehension activities, Use of English multiple choice questions, Listening tasks

and Writing exercises). The reason for testing students with the same initial test, which was used 2

years ago at the beginning of the Grundtvig project, was that I wanted to measure the initial results

obtained by students in 2013 with the results got in 2015 at the end of the project. My purpose was

to identify exactly the things which have improved in the 2 years of project, to what extent students’

skills have developed and what aspects of the English language are still to be improved in the

future.

It’s worth mentioning that our students attend their classes to get a diploma in their specialism

which interests them and the study of English is only a part of the compulsory curriculum for 1 or 2

semesters. They don’t attend classes with the purpose of getting a diploma in English or with the

purpose only of improving their English skills.

2.2. AGE

- G1 (18-24 years) = 10 students – 50 %- G2 (25-34 years) = 4 students – 20 %- G3 (35+ years) = 6 students – 30 %

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The age of the students shows the percentages of the students involved in adult education: the

biggest number represents adults who continue their studies at the post-secondary level right after

the high-school graduation and before getting married or having children – 50%; the smallest

number represents adults who attend school in the period of time when they usually start up their

family and have children – 20%; a bigger percentage than the second one represents the adults

who are 35 years or more, already have family and children and decide to continue their studies for

their career or a new job – 30%.

They are in this school because they want to graduate a specialism and get a diploma which

may help them in preserving their current job or in finding a better job in the future.

2.3. YEARS OF STUDYING

- Y3 (0-3 years) = 2 students – 10%- Y6 (3-6 years) = 8 students – 40%- Y7 (7+ years) = 10 students – 50%

Due to the changes in the curriculum that happened in the past 20 years, the number of years

for studying English in primary and secondary school increased from 0-3 to 12-13, therefore the

age for starting studying this language has decreased and nowadays children are involved in this

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activity starting kindergarten. This explains the big percentages of students who have studied

English for 3 – 7+ years in school.

That is why, older adult students have studied English fewer years and younger ones studied

English longer, which leads to the conclusion that younger adult students have a higher level of

English skills than the older ones.

2.4. PLACE OF ENGLISH IN SCHOOL CURRICULUM

Every specialism in my post-secondary school has English as a part of the curriculum, therefore

students have this subject no matter what they study for (general nurse, lab assistant, nutritionist,

tourist guide, stylist or event organizer). Nevertheless, English is not a main subject there because

on the whole it is studied only 60–120 hours divided in 1 or 2 semesters (out of 3–6 semesters).

There are not courses students can attend just for studying English, but courses students attend

to get a diploma in one of the specialism areas from above, the foreign language is only part of the

general curriculum and its aim is mostly to familiarize students with vocabulary and specific terms

from the domains they are preparing for and to help them improve their communication skills in a

foreign language.

2.5. EXTRA CLASSES

- yes = 1 student – 5%- no = 19 students – 95%

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The student who has attended private classes of English is younger than 24 years and she

understands how important a foreign language is for her career as a nurse in a hospital from the

UK.

In Romania, except the short courses organized by the local community for the unemployed

citizens (which are part of European POSDRU projects other institutions from the local community

have been awarded with and which are regarded as not very well targeted to high results in

improving students’ English skills after attending them because adults don’t usually get visible

results), there are only private courses of English for adults organized by different language

schools, but they are expensive and not everyone can afford them. This explains the percentage of

95% adults who have never attended extra classes of English.

Adults know that English is a language which can be very expensive if it is not learned at the

right time while being students in primary and secondary school.

2.6. ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS ACCORDING TO THE PROMPTS – A

- 4-5 points = 15 students – 75% - 2-4 points = 5 students – 25%- 0-2 points = 0 students – 0%

13 out of 15 students got the maximum 5 points. They are younger than 27 years old, studied

English for more than 7 years and are interested in developing their English skills because their

intention is to find a job abroad especially as nurses and English is mandatory.

Their good results could be explained not only by the number of years they’ve studied English in

school, but also by their involvement in the Grundtvig project activities. Five of them attended the

project meetings in Arezzo and Istanbul, and the others were involved in a way or another in the

activities organized locally when our school hosted the project meeting in September 2014 (they

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took part directly in the project activities, hosted foreign students and had the chance to

communicate with them in English developing their skills).

The students who got 2-4 points are 27-35 years old, and although they have studied English for

some years in school, their skills are not quite well developed. Moreover, 1 of them didn’t take part

in any project activity, but the rest of 4 have taken part in the project activities organized when our

school hosted the project meeting.

Students didn’t have any difficulties anymore in understanding the written questions or in

answering the questions with given information according to the task (as it happened in the initial

test when they found it difficult to answer the questions as if they had a different identity). This

means that they have developed the comprehension skills related to the tasks they have.

Using Past Simple was still a challenge for some students because they knew in general what

was expected from them to answer, but they didn’t express that information correctly in the correct

past simple form (either they answered shortly in one-word sentence, or they made mistakes in

using the past forms of the verb “to be” or in using the other verbs in the Past Simple).

Nevertheless, the majority of the students improved their results in comparison with the results they

got at the initial test 2 years ago.

2.7. USE OF ENGLISH – B

- maximum 8 points = 16 students – 80 %- 6 points = 4 students – 20 %- 0-2 points = 0 students – 0 %

In comparison with the results obtained at the initial test in 2013 when matching questions with

the correct answers proved to be very hard for 2 students under the age of 24, (unable to reach A2

level at least, although they had studied many years of English in school), after 2 years of English

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and project activities, in 2015, no student took minimum points at this exercises and moreover, only

4 had 2 mistakes, the rest of 16 getting the maximum number of points. The improvement of their

skills is obvious and it’s worth mentioning that they have also attended the Grundtvig project

activities with the partner teachers and students exercising their English.

2.8. USE OF ENGLISH – C

- 5 points = 16 students – 80%- 3-4 points = 4 students – 20%- 0-2 points = 0 students – 0%

2 years ago arranging the lines in the correct order to make a dialogue was a difficult task for 8

students (7 of them younger than 24 years and having studied English for more years than the

older ones). In comparison, now out of 20 no student had any difficulty in solving this task and only

4 students had 1-2 small mistakes, the majority of 80% of students sitting the test being able easily

to get the maximum number of points.

2.9. USE OF ENGLISH – E

- 5 points = 17 students – 85%- 4 points = 3 students – 15%- 1-3 points = 0 students – 0%

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Completing the instructions about how to watch a movie with the given imperatives was a task

which about 35% students did incorrectly in 2013 although they were younger than 24 years and

had studied this foreign language more years than the old ones in school without reaching at least

A2 level of English.

Now, after 2 years of project and students attending the activities with the partner teachers and

students, their results improved to the point that only 3 students had 1 mistake and the rest of 85%

of students solved the task without any mistake, which means that their English skills have

improved being able now to understand the written sentences and the imperatives.

2.10. USE OF ENGLISH – F

- 5 points = 13 students – 65%- 4 points = 7 students – 35%- 0-3 points = 0 students – 0%

In 2013 rewriting the phrases in a more polite way using the given expressions was a task where

15 students had difficulties (out of which 13 younger than 24 years meaning that many years of

studying English hadn’t helped them to increase their level of English).

In 2015 the results have improved a lot, and the percentages prove this: no students got

minimum results and 35% of students had only one mistake, which means that the rest of 65% got

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the maximum number of points. It was a major improvement regarding the students who managed

to upgrade their level of English to such an extent that they had no minimum results, but only 7

medium ones.

2.11. READING – D

- 6-8 points = 17 students – 85%- 4-5 points = 2 students (5 points) – 10%- 0-3 points = 1 student (3 points) – 5%

The text was at B1 level and it had a specific vocabulary and basic grammar structures at

different tenses. Answering the questions supposed reading comprehension of the text and of the

questions as well. Moreover, the answers implied not only complete sentences with certain

structure and correct tenses (grammar structures) from the questions, but also choosing from the

text the right parts.

In 2013, 14 students didn’t manage to answer correctly or with small mistakes at the questions

based on the given text related to earthquakes prediction proving that their reading comprehension

was at a very low level and that they didn’t have the necessary communication skills to answer

those questions. Although they were younger than 24 years and had studied English for a longer

period of time, their linguistic skills hadn’t been developed enough to reach B1 level. Another 7

students answered only some of the questions, proving that their level was a bit higher, but not

enough to get the maximum number of points.

In 2015, only 1 student didn’t complete the task satisfactory proving that he neither understood

the text entirely nor answered the questions accordingly, although he got 3 points proving that his

comprehension is not quite zero. Another 2 students got 5 points out of 8 and the comparison of

the results obtained in both years shows clearly that the minimum results decreased considerably

which means that in the past 2 years the students improved their level of English getting close to a

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satisfactory B1 level. This improvement happened due to the project activities students were

involved in too.

2.12. LISTENING – G

- 3-4 points = 15 students – 75%- 2 points = 4 students – 20%- 0-2 points = 1student – 5%

This exercise consisted of an audio text at B1 level which students had to listen twice and then

they had to answer 4 questions based on the text in order to prove that they understood the oral

message. The last question was the most difficult for students because they had to enumerate

some details they heard in the text.

In 2013, 37% of the students managed to write 3-4 correct answers and 7 of them had no

mistake. On the other hand, 21% of students got the minimum number of points proving that they

have no listening skills at B1 level. The results showed that listening is a skill which hasn’t been

developed enough during the school years no matter if students had English as a subject for a

longer or a shorter number of years. This can be explained by the fact that teachers don’t use

listening exercises, audio texts or videos during the English lessons due to the lack of logistics in

the first place.

In 2015 the percentages show a great improvement in students’ listening skills. 75% got the

maximum results, 20% got 2 points and only 5% got the minimum results. The decrease of the

number of students who got minimum points (from 21% in 2013 to 5% in 2015) along with the

increase of the number of students who got the maximum results (from 37% in 2013 to 75% in

2015) show great improvement of the students’ listening skills and this is due to their participation

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in the project activities as well, especially their active interaction with the partner teachers and

students during the project meeting organized in our institution.

2.13. WRITING – H

- 8-10 points = 10 students – 50%- 3-7 points = 8 students – 40%- 0-2 points = 2 students – 10%

In 2013, 18% of the students got maximum points at this exercise and considering their age, it’s

clear that mostly young students have developed writing skills in English at B1 level. This could be

explained by the fact that they studied longer and more recently than the other adult students. A

big percentage of 46% of students got very low marks at this exercise and out of them 35% didn’t

write anything, so they got 0 points. This means that they had no writing skills at all and expressing

themselves in a foreign language was beyond their achieved abilities. 36% got an average of 5

points at this exercise, which means that they managed to express their basic ideas in a poor way

and with mistakes concerning the tenses and the main grammar aspects of the language. There

were also mistakes at the level of the text structure concerning the construction of an email and the

coverage of all the aspects from the task.

In 2015, the percentage of students who got maximum number of points improved from 18% to

50% and the same happened with the percentage representing the students with a medium

number of points (from 36% in 2013 to 40% in 2015). Another positive aspect is that the

percentage of the students who got minimum results decreased substantially from 46% in 2013 to

10% in 2015. All these percentages show clearly that students’ writing abilities improved in the past

2 years and this is a clear effect of students’ participation in the project activities. It can be also

explained by the fact that students exchanged emails and communicated all together on different

social networks and also in the 2 groups of the project which are of Facebook.

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2.14. CONCLUSIONS USE OF ENGLISH – B, C, E, F

Exercise B Exercise C Exercise E Exercise F AverageMaximum

results16 students

80%16 students

80%17 students

85%13 students

65%16 students

78%Minimum

results- - - - -

- The biggest percentages of maximum results were obtained at exercises E (85%), B (80%), C

(80%) where students found the tasks easier than they thought in 2013, therefore these

percentages show an improvement in their skills related to the use of English. These types of

exercises are familiar for students and they managed easily to solve tasks at B1 level.

- If there were percentages of minimum results in 2013 at these exercises, now, in 2015 there

are no minimum results obtained by students at all, which means that those who had low level of

English in 2013 managed to improve it in the past 2 years, which is also a result of their

participation in the Grundtvig project activities.

- The biggest percentage of minimum results obtained in 2013 was at exercise F (25%), where

students had to rephrase some sentences in a more polite way using modals and expressions.

This means that adult students were not familiar with using modals and specific expressions of

politeness. The focus was placed more on these structures and in 2015 even at exercise F there

were no minimum results, but medium (35%) and maximum (65%).

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- The results of the test at use of English exercises lead to the conclusion that students have

improved greatly their understanding of written messages at level B1 and this is due not only to the

fact that this was a type of exercise generally used in school, but also to the fact that they

interacted with foreign teachers and students during the project activities.

2.15. CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXERCISES

In 2013:

Writing H Listening G Reading D Reading AUse of English

B, C, E, FMaximum

results11 students

18%22 students

37%39 students

65%19 students

31%41 students

68%Minimum

results27 students

46%13 students

21%14 students

24%8 students

14%10 students

16%

In 2015:

Writing H Listening G Reading D Reading AUse of English

B, C, E, FMaximum

results10 students

50%15 students

75%17 students

85%15 students

75%16 students

78%Minimum

results2 students

10%1 student

5%1 student

5%- -

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- Writing is one of the parts of the test where the students got a major improvement in their

results if we compare the percentages got at the beginning and at the end of the project. Thus,

there is a great improvement in the maximum results (from 18% in 2013 to 50% in 2015) and also

a major decrease in the minimum results (from 46% in 2015 to 10% in 2015). This shows that

students have improved significantly their writing skills in the 2 years of the project being able now

to express themselves easier in writing and to build a text according to the task.

- Listening is the part where students also got excellent improved results when comparing the

results at both tests. For instance, in 2013, 37% of students got maximum results, while in 2015,

75% got the same good results, which means an improvement of 38%. Moreover, there was a

significant decrease of the minimum results from 21% in 2013 to 5% in 2015. The improvement of

the listening skills is due to the fact that students understood the importance of developing their

listening skills, but also because they have been involved in the project and had the chance to

communicate with teachers and students from the partner countries, not only directly during the

project meetings from each country, but also indirectly using social networks.

- Simple Reading A is the part in which students got the highest improvement of the maximum

results, from 31% in 2013 to 75% in 2015. The decrease of the minimum results was clear as well,

from 14% in 2013 to 0% in 2015. Although this is a common type of exercise very familiar to

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students, their improvement was a result also of their participation in the project and of the chances

they had to communicate in writing with their peers from the partner countries.

- Reading is the part in which the maximum results improved from 65% in 2013 to 85% in 2015,

while the minimum results decreased significantly from 24% in 2013 to 5% in 2015. This type of

exercise in which students have to answer questions based on a written text is very common to all

students because it is widely used during the English classes, but also it’s worth mentioning

students’ motivation in developing their reading skills to be able to communicate with their friends

from the partner institutions.

- Use of English is the part in which the maximum results improved from 68% in 2013 to 78% in

2015, while the minimum results decreased from 16% to 0%. It is well-known that teachers use

these types of exercises more often with their students, therefore it’s easier for students just to

apply some grammar rules using the example given, but at the same time another reason for this

improvement of students’ skills is their involvement in the Grundtvig project activities.

2.16. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS

- Students who took part in this research attend the courses of the post-secondary school (adult

education) in their attempt to get a diploma at graduation which entitles them to find easier a

(better) job or to be able to keep the one they have currently. They represent the adults who want

to continue their education after graduating high school without going to the university from

different reasons: lack of financial possibilities to attend a university, lack of intellectual abilities,

their wish to prepare themselves for a certain job or qualification (several types of nurses, tourist

agent, stylist, nutritionist, event organizer etc) in order to find a job quickly or to open their own

small business. Some of them (especially the young ones) don’t have the Baccalaureate exam, but

the Romanian legislation allows them to attend a post-secondary school provided that they

manage to pass the Baccalaureate exam till their graduation (in 2-3 years time).

- At the post-secondary level English is a mandatory subject taught intensively in one (general

nurse, lab technician, chemist’s assistant) or two semesters (tourist guide, stylist, event organizer).

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Teachers and students focus on specialized vocabulary for the specific areas and on the

improvement of the English skills required on the labor market of their specialism, but there are

difficulties encountered because in a group of 30 students, everyone has a different level from very

low (the majority) to possible B1 (only very few or maybe none).

- The test students were tested at twice, at the beginning and at the end of the Grundtvig project

showed 2 sets of different results which showed 2 complete different situations: in 2013 the

percentages showing the maximum results of the students were smaller, although 2 of them were

higher than 50%, namely Reading – 65% and Use of English – 68%. In 2015 the percentages

showing the maximum results of the students were significantly improved to the extent that all 5

skills had maximum results over 50%, 4 of them even higher than 75% (Listening – 75%, Reading

A – 75%, Use of English – 78% and Reading D – 85%).

- Comparing the minimum results obtained at each type of exercises at the beginning and at the

end of the project, we get significant percentages as well: in 2013 except Writing where the

percentage of the minimum results was huge till 46%, all the other percentages of the minimum

results were between 14 – 24%. On the other hand, in 2015 the percentages of the minimum

results lowered significantly getting from 10% at Writing, 5% at Listening and Reading D and 0% at

Reading A and Use of English. This exceptional decrease at all types of exercises tested shows

that students have improved significantly their level of English in the past 2 years due to their

participation in the project activities and their interaction with teachrs and students from the partner

institutions.

- The most developed students’ skills are at Reading, Use of English and Listening (75-85%)

and it can be explained also by their involvement in communication and cooperating with their

peers and under the supervision of foreign teachers during the project activities.

- Listening skills have improved significantly although the lack of basic logistics is still a general

characteristic of our school. A major cause for this improvement was the fact that students

managed to interact with the foreign teachers while attending the international lessons of English

and also to communicate and make friends with their peers from partner institutions.

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- Although the writing skills of students have evolved significantly improving the percentages in

the past 2 years, they still remain the least developed skill with a maximum result of 50% and a

minimum result of 10%. It is the most complex type of exercise at a foreign language due to the

abilities and knowledge it requires from students and it still requires efforts from teachers and

students to develop it in the future. Students’ communication in writing on the social networks will

continue helping them develop their writing skills at the same time.

- Due to the major increase in students’ results and their level of English, we consider that the

Grundtvig project, which offered the framework for all the activities that facilitated the improvement

of students’ skills, was very successful and benefic for all teachers and students involved.

- Nevertheless, there are still many things to improve in students’ level of English and the

sustainability of the project will be proved in using the didactic units designed by the partners even

after the end of the partnership during the English lessons to help students develop their skills.

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3. FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - TARRAGONA, SPAIN

This final report shows the results achieved by the 22 adult students tested.

3.1. INTRODUCTION

This test has been carried out into two groups: CFGS (6 students) and ESO (16 students).

What is CFGS? We call CFGS, which stands for Cicles Formatius de Grau Superior, a single

year course that prepares students to take an exam that will allow them to enter High Vocational

School. This exam consists of 2 parts, a common part with 4 separate exams (Catalan, Spanish,

English and Maths) and a specific part with 2 exams that vary according to the Vocational studies

they want to access (so they can choose among subjects such as Chemistry, Geography,

Psychology, etc.). All the students must undertake the common part and they can convalidate the

specific part if they prove working experience on the field of the vocational studies they want to

follow.

On what English concerns, the exam is only a written exam with 3 parts: a reading

comprehension activity, grammar and use of language multiple choice questions and a writing task.

At our school, this year, we have two morning groups and one evening group. More than 30

students are registered at the beginning of the school year in each group but lots of them drop for

the year. This test was carried out after mid-May when they have already sat for their exam and

only 6 students of one group came to school for the test.

What is ESO? It stands for Educació Secundària Obligatòria (Compulsory Secondary Education)

and the students attending this Education are students who failed to get their Secondary Diploma

when they were teenagers and realise they need it, either to study further, either to find a job,

either to improve their working position. ESO is divided into two years, and students have to pass

18 modules. According to the course they reached when they where at Secondary School, they

can access the second year and get the diploma in only one year at school. This school year we

have 5 ESO groups: 2 first years – morning and evening – and 3 second year groups – morning,

afternoon and evening-. This test was carried out in the morning second year group.

This test has been carried out in the morning group of second year of ESO because in the first

year they don’t start English until the third term. These students have studied English for the year.

A significant number of them (jj0) resume their English learning process after many years of not

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using the language and some of them (3 out of 15) approach English language for the first time. As

in the GS group, the number of students is quite low because of drop off during the school year.

PLACE OF ENGLISH IN SCHOOL CURRICULUMAll the students who have answered this test have English as a part of broader curricula and

most of them have no interest in learning a foreign language. Their only motivation is to pass the

exam to attain the diploma they are looking for.

As written before, CFGS students have English as a part of the final common exam. This

English exam consists of 3 parts: a reading comprehension activity, grammar and use of language

multiple choice questions and a writing task. In order to prepare students to pass this exam, they

are taught English once a week in a two-hour session. Because of the very specific goal they are

pursuing (to pass the exam) and because of the exam (no oral interaction part, no listening part)

we work mainly with their reading/written abilities.

On the other hand, ESO students have to pass, at least, 3 English modules. At our school we

have a 3-month module at the end of the first year, and then two modules on the second year (first

and second term). We teach them two hours a week plus one hour a week of individual work,

mostly done through exercises and activities on the Moodle platform. These ESO courses try to put

emphasis on the main five skills: reading, writing, listening, speaking and interacting. This year, for

the first time, ESO students in the morning group have been having a CLIL subject and they have

been taught a scientific module (Diet and Nutrition) in English. This might have helped them to gain

confidence in English and must have had a positive influence in the results that we present below.

3.2. AGE

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The age of the students shows the percentages of the students involved in adult education: half

of them (50%) are young adults that come to the school immediately, or a short while after they

quitted a secondary school. This percentage has decreased as compare to the previous year. One

of the students is under 18, because of a very special situation. Only 18% are over 35, a no-

significant increase to last year percentage (14%). These elder students usually have to combine

education with more serious duties (family care and work) and all of them, except for one student,

approach English for the first time.

3.3. YEARS OF STUDYING

Percentages of students having studied English before are quite similar to last year ones, most

of them (59% this year / 53% last year) having studied English for 7 or more years. This

percentage is expected to increase since there is a tendency in starting to teach English sooner

and sooner at compulsory education.

3.4. EXTRA CLASSES

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Percentages of students attending extra classes are quite similar to last year results (41% have

attended extra classes this year, for 47% having attended them last year). Reasons for that are

explained in the initial test report.

3.5. ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS ACCORDING TO THE PROMPTS – A

This year results show an increased level of reading skills, when compared to previous year

results, since none of the students this year got minimum marks, while 36% of them got minimum

marks last year. Probably, having been working with English for the school year has lowered their

fear to approach an English text. Of course, they have learnt (or refreshed) vocabulary and

structures that have helped them to understand texts better.

3.6. READING – D

Probably this reading comprehension task is the exercise with a higher level of difficulty (B1). As

in the previous reading task, this year results are much better than previous ones. 46% of the

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students got maximum results this year (only 8% last year), and the students with minimum results

has decreased from 75% last year to 18% this year.

3.7. USE OF ENGLISH – B, C, E, F

 Exercise

BExercise

C Exercise E Exercise F Average

Maximum results

12 students

63%

14 students

64%11 students

50%2 students

9%

10 students

47%

Minimum results

3 students

14%4 students

18%8 students

36%16 students

73%7 students

21%

These data show as well a significant improvement in more traditional grammar exercises (matching

exercises, put lines in order, etc.). 47% of the students got maximum results this year (19% last year) and

the number of students with a low mark decreased to from 65% last year to 21% this year. They have

improved their results in most of the exercises, being significant the improvement on exercise C (64% of the

students got maximum results this year, while only 6% last year). Exercise F is the only one that presents

worse results this year since 9% of the students got the maximum marks, while 14% of them got maximum

marks last year. Even though, the students with low marks at this exercise have decreased from 84% to

73%.

3.8. LISTENING – G

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These year results in the listening skill are much better than previous one since 23% of the

students got the maximum mark (none of them last year) and the students with minimum marks

has decreased from 89% to 27%. There is much work to be done on that area but it seems that we

got some improvements.

3.9. WRITING – H

It is as well significant the improvement of results in the writing area, especially in the GS group,

since they have been preparing hard for the writing part of the exam they sat in May. One of the

most significant things is that they aren’t as afraid of writing as they were the previous year (86% of

them got low marks in this area for 45% this year). Numbers have raised as well at the high part,

and we have 9% of students that got top marks (none of them got these last year).

3.10. CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXERCISES

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Results in October 2013

Writing H Listening G Reading D Reading AUse of English

B, C, E, F

Maximum results

0 students 0 students 3 students 8%

5 students 14%

7 students 19%

Minimum results

31 students 86%

32 students 89%

27 students 75%

13 students 36%

14 students39%

Results in May/June 2015

Writing H Listening G Reading D Reading AUse of English

B, C, E, F

Maximum results

2 students 9%

5 students 23%

10 students 46%

15 students 68%

10 students 47%

Minimum results

10 students

45%

6 students 27%

4 students 18%

0 students 0%

7 students 21%

Even if the results in all areas are significantly better this year, we have to notice that writing and

listening are still the most difficult areas for our students and lot of efforts have to be put there to

improve those results.

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3.11. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS

Even of the level of students is still quite low, some improvements have been made if compared

with the test carried out at the beginning of the school-year 2013/2014. Even though, we have to

take into account that these results might be a little biased since students who take the exam this

year aren’t the same as they took it last year (GS students stay at school only for one year and

students at the second year of GESO are new students every year, too) and, of course, one year of

teaching/learning English must have had an influence in their achievements.

On the one hand, we appreciate an improvement in most of the areas, being notorious

significant the improvement in the writing task, especially in the GS group. It’s clear that this group

has been preparing for an exam with a written part and that they have worked and improved on

that area.

On the other hand, much work has to be done to try to increase our students’ competence in the

listening skill and, especially, in the writing skill.

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4. FINAL REPORT ON THE INITIAL TEST - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

4.1. INTRODUCTION

We have applied this test to our 27 students who study in ICT department. They study English 2

hours a week. They are 2nd grade students.

4.2. AGE

57.1% of the students are between 18-24 years. This group of the student has the biggest

percentages of involved students. Most of these students are going on their studies to get their

post-secondary diploma. Almost none of them is married, there are some of them who are working.

39.3% of students are between 25-34 years and 0.6% of them are over 35. Some of these student

are married and have children. Moreover almost all of them are working. They are coming to the

school to get the diploma so that they may have a better position in their work, or they may run

their own business.

4.3. YEARS OF STUDYING

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There are not any students who have studied English less than 3 years. They all have studied

English at least 3 years or more. 35.7% of the students have studied English between 3or 6 years.

And 64.7% of them have studied at least 7 years or more.

4.4. PLACE OF ENGLISH IN SCHOOL CURRICULUM

Students study English 2 hours a week. The foreign language is only part of the general

curriculum and its aim is mostly to familiarize students with vocabulary and specific terms from the

domains they are preparing for and to help them improve their communication skills in a foreign

language. And as a new regulation made in 2014, 9th grade students have begun to study English

6 hours in a week.

4.5. EXTRA CLASSES

The 8 students have attended private courses and 20 students have not attended any private

classes of English. In Turkey there are many private courses where the students have the chance

to learn and improve English. They may also attend the courses provided by the government.

4.6. ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS ACCORDING TO THE PROMPTS – A

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7 students got 5 points. 3 students are younger than 25, and 4 students are between older than

25. And 3 of these students have attended private courses

20 of the students who got 2-4 points, and only 1 student got 0-2 points. These results show that

they have improved their English comparing the initial test result held before that.

4.7. USE OF ENGLISH – B

When it is compared to first initial test the students are more successful and got higher scores.

5students got maximum point, and 3 students got 2point or less. The two of students who got the

maximum points are younger than 25, and the 3 of them are younger than 35. The 2 of these

students have attended to a private English course. The students who got the minimum point in

part B have not attended any private English course and 2 of them are younger than 25, and one of

them is 34 years old.

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4.8. USE OF ENGLISH – C

Only 7students got maximum point while arranging the lines in the correct order to make a

dialogue. There aren’t any students who got 0 point. 6 students who got the maximum points are

younger than 25 and only one of them have attended to a private English course, and 1 student

who got the maximum point is 26 years old and has attended to a private English course

4.9. USE OF ENGLISH – E

Completing the instructions about how to watch a movie with the given imperatives was a task

which 4 students did correctly. 16students got 4-2 points. And 8 students got 2-0 points.

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4.10. USE OF ENGLISH – F

Rewriting the phrases in a more polite way using the given expressions was a task completed

correctly only by 2students. And only 2 students got 4 points. They had diffulty in rewriting the

given phrases in a more polite way.

4.11. READING – D

The reading text has specific vocabulary which may be difficult for students to understand.

Therefore they were not capable of answering the questions.

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4.12. LISTENING – G

There are not any students who got 4points in listening part. And only 1 student who is 25 got 3

points in this part and the student has attended to a private English course.

And 4 students got 0 point in this part and their age is 19,27,29 and 39.

4.13. WRITING – H

There are not any students who got more than 6 points. Ane only 8 students got 3-7 points in

writing part. And 6students got 6 points which is the maximum point in this part.and there are not

any students who got less than 3 points.

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4.14. CONCLUSIONS USE OF ENGLISH:

Exercise B Exercise C Exercise E Exercise F Average

Maximum results

5 students17.9%

7 students25%

4 students14.3%

1 students3.5%

4 students15%

Minimum results

3 students10.7%

21 students75%

8 students28.6%

19 students67.9%

13 students46%

- The biggest percentage of maximum results was obtained at exercise C (25%). The second

biggest percentage of maximum results was obtained at exercise B (17.9%)

- The biggest percentage of minimum results was obtained at exercise C (75%)

- The smallest percentage of minimum results was obtained at exercise B (10.7%).

4.15. CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXERCISES:

Writing H Listening G Reading D Reading A Use of English B,

C, E, F

Maximum results

0 students0%

1 student3.96%

2 students7.1%

7 students25%

4 students15%

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Minimum results

0 students0%

27 students96.4%

19students67.9%

1 student3.96%

13 students46%

-Writing is the only part where there is not any max. or min. result, all the student got points

between 3-7. (100%) Comparing the first test held last year in which students got the minimum

results in writing, the students have improved their writing and managed to write simple sentences

about themselves. It was really difficult for them to express themselves in writing and they were not

be able to create sentences correctly both semantically and grammatically. Their knowledge of

grammar and vocabulary is not sufficient to make sentences. However according to the result of

the last test, it can be said that they improve their English.

- Listening is the part where the students got the minimum result, therefore it can be said that

the students may exposure to much more listening activities. We can not compare the last test’s

result with the last test held because we could not apply the listening part due to the technical

problem. There is only 1 student who got maximum point in the last test held.

- Simple Reading in part A students got the biggest percentage of maximum result, and 7

students got 5 points, however in the previous test held the were not any students who got 5

points. And this shows that they have improved their reading and using simple past tense.

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- Reading is the part where the students got the second biggest maximum result. Only 2

students got the maximum result. And it shows that we need to do much more reading activities to

improve their reading.

- Use of English is the part in which 4 students got the maximum results .However this part of

the exam is the one in which students got their best results.

4.16. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS:

The students took this exam for the second time, so that we can see and understand their

improvement and we can compare the results of these two exams. Students who took part in this

research are adult students. They also come to our school in order to get a post-secondary

diploma. Because of being a vocational one, our school gives them a chance of running a business

with that diploma. They are adult students who had to give up their studies because of failure or

need of working. And they attend our courses to finish their studies. After that they may want to go

on their studies at university or they may have a better position in their job.

The students have improved their skills of English, however there are some skills such as

Reading and Listening. They have slightly improved these two skills. Therefore they need more

exercises to practice them.

The students who involved in this project showed improvement in their English.

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5. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS

The results on the initial test submitted for the second time in May/June 2015, present a general

picture of the English language level of adult students in the four countries: Italy, Romania, Spain

and Turkey at the end of the project.

2013 2015

On average, 86% of all the students tested in the four countries passed the exam, for only 51%

having passed it at the start of the project (2013).

ArezzoITALY

PloiestiROMANIA

TarragonaSPAIN

IstanbulTURKEY

2013 79% 82% 28% 14%2015 100% 100% 77% 68%

Current results show and improvement of the level of English in all countries. The improvement

is more significant in Turkey and in Spain where students showed very low results in 2013 but both

countries got more than half of the students passing the exam in 2015 (77% in Spain and 68% in

Turkey). The percentage isn’t so high in Italy and Romania, since these two countries presented

already quite good results at the start of the project (79% for Italy and 82% for Romania). Even

though, we must highlight that at the end of the project 100% of the students in both countries

passed the exam, being these data a notorious achievement.

The fracture between Romania and Italy and Spain and Turkey is still maintained but it has

decreased a little bit. Current results reflect how students can improve their level of English thanks

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to adult education, compared to the results to the test in 2013 where the tests were carried at the

beginning of the school year and some of these students were at their first year in adult education.

2013

2015

According to these data we have got to lower the number of low results significantly (from 37%

to 3%) but the percentage of high results has increased just a little bit (from 45% in 2013 to 51% in

2015). This is something that should be worked on and taken into account if future work in the field

of teaching English in adult education is done. Usually, adult education focuses on providing basic

skills to students who didn’t acquire them in previous levels but we should think as well about

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2013

STUDENTS THAT PASSED THE EXAM

High results Medium results Low results

2015

STUDENTS THAT PASSED THE EXAM

High results Medium results Low results

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2013

2015

Writing is the part of the test where Spain (86%) and Turkey (81%) got the minimum results in

Turkey. Italy and Romania got quite a negative percentage (46%), too. At the second time we

submitted the test to the students these results where decreased by a half in nearly all countries

(from 46% to 11% in Italy, from 46% to 10% in Romania, from 86% to 45% in Spain and from 81%

to 0% in Turkey). The improvement has been high in all countries and exceptional in Turkey where

no student got a minimum result, while 81% of the Turkish students in 2013 got low marks. Spain

should remain working hard on it since nearly half of their students got low results in this part.

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2013

2015

The listening skill wasn't tested in Turkey in 2013 because of logistics (they didn’t have a CD

available to carry out this part of the exam). They passed it in 2015 but the results were very poor

(96% got minimum results), probably due to the lack of habitude in listening since they are not

used to it. In all other countries the percentage of low results has decreased being notorious in

Spain (from 89% to 27%) and Italy (75% to 7%). These results are quite satisfying and show that

improvement has been achieved during the project period.

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2013

2015

As regards reading, the percentages of minimum results were in general quite low in 2013 and

they are still better in all countries now, except for Turkey (they went from 30% in 2013 to 68% in

2015).

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2013

2015

The smallest percentages of minimum results obtained at reading A show that students manage

to read at A1 level quite well (0% failure in Romania and Spain and only 4% in Italy and Turkey).

These results show an improvement when compared to 2013, even though they were quite good in

all countries then, as well.

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2013

2015

Use of English is the part of the test where the Turkish students got the highest percentage of

minimum results (54%), followed by the Spanish students (39%) in 2013. These figures have

improved in both countries (45% in Turkey and 21% in Spain that obtains the same results as Italy

in 2015). Romania has obtained excellent results in that part and none of the Romanian students

got low marks in those exercises (having decreased from 16% in 2013 to 0% in 2015).

As we highlighted in the previous report, these results show that adult students are generally

familiar with these types of exercises and they manage to solve tasks at A2 level.

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After comparing results from 2013 to those from 2015 we see a significant improvement in

English communicative competences in the four schools that have been working in the project.

This is what stats show. Of course, not only the project has had a positive impact on the

teaching/learning process in our schools but there are other factors that have to be taken into

account: 2015 test was carried out at the end of the school year, while 2013 test was carried out at

the beginning of school year; most of the students who sat for the test in 2015 where different from

those who sat for it in 2013 (having the latter finished their studies in June 2014); and so on. These

are things to be considered when assessing the results and cannot be ignored when drawing

conclusions.

Even though, it doesn’t underestimate the value that the project has had for the four institutions.

On the one hand, carrying out these tests, made us aware of our own weaknesses and, as well,

comparing our results with those from all the partner institutions helped us to figure out where we

are and what must be improved. Talking about it with colleagues that have, or don’t have, the same

problems helped us to enrich our resources and learn from different types of teaching, from

different systems of education, and so on.

On the other hand, the new materials have tried to cope with the weaknesses we found in our

students and as well in the materials we used so far and having the chance to use them in the

classrooms has helped the teachers to deal with these weaknesses. The materials we designed

and used are thought specifically for adult students, the topics we chose tried to deal with the

interests we have observed our students have and they focus on English as language of

communication in Europe and not only as the language of the UK or USA, as most of published

materials do. This latter fact helps to raise the consciousness of European citizenship.

There are, as well, many no-stats tokens that have to be taken into consideration, as well. But

these we mean the self-confidence that the students who have had the chance to speak in English

with foreign people have gained, the motivation to learn English that rocketed in nearly all the

students that have had the chance to participate in mobilities, the awareness of the importance that

English as a language of communication among European citizens has, etc.

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REPORT AUTHORS

Monica ANDREILiceul Tehnologic de Servicii "Sfantul Apostol Andrei"

Maurizio BONATESTAIstituto Statale d'Istruzione Superiore "Buonarroti - Fossombroni"

Yolanda CABRÉ SANSCentre de Formació d'Adults Josepa Massanés i Dalmau

Alessandra GATTESCHIIstituto Statale d'Istruzione Superiore "Buonarroti - Fossombroni"

Rafael GUINOVART BELLMUNT,Centre de Formació d'Adults Josepa Massanés i Dalmau

Nazan GÜVENİnönü Teknik ve Endüstri Meslek Lisesi

Yildiz SALIH İnönü Teknik ve Endüstri Meslek Lisesi

Kezban Sevda YIYITİnönü Teknik ve Endüstri Meslek Lisesi

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