STUDENTS' (AT MODERN

LANGUAGES PROGRAM AT

ECCI) EXPECTATIONS IN

WAYS TO IMPROVE THEIR

ORAL SKILLS

Diana Angarita, Marcela Medina and Tatiana Murcia

Introduction

Being bilingual allows having more knowledge and opportunities to be more competitive in the current globalization.

The modern languages program at the “Escuela Colombiana de Carreras Industriales” (ECCI) university has 872 students in the Technical and professional cycle. Nevertheless, in spite of receiving most of the subjects in English, however the lack of conversational fluency is remarkable.

Structure of the project.

Formulation of the problem

What expectations do students at Modern

Languages Program at ECCI hold about the

activities they might find in an English Club in order

to improve their oral skills?

Rationale

The need for a second language has become increasingly evident in various sectors of the Colombian society and it represents a requirement for communication and the access of the social and labor market. Students acquire a better conceptual knowledge in some areas than in others (speaking, listening, writing and reading). But they do not get optimal fluency in the second language to exercise in a real context when it is required. Students of modern languages of the ECCI University express that their level of fluency in speaking English is not the best and for this reason this proposal reflects the need to practice the English language conversational ability.

Some of the activities that take place in the classroom as a learning tool can be used in a different context, in real, not simulated situations that improve oral skills.

Project Reach

This project aims at exploring expectations that students hold about ways to improve the oral skill. According to the program the English level of those students should be in the range of A2 to B2 of the Common European Frame of Reference (CEFR).

General Objective

Explore students’ (at Modern languages program at

ECCI) expectations about the activities they might

find at an English club in order to improve their oral

skill.

Specific Objectives

Identify the students and

some professors’ interest

to improve their oral

skills, through surveys

and interviews based on

the procedures outlined

by the qualitative

research methodology.

Propose activities to

practice and improve

oral proficiency in the

English language.

Frame of Reference

The Ministry of National

Education (MEN) formulated

the National Bilingual

Program 2004-2019,

including new standards of

communicative competence in

a foreign language with the

Common European Framework

as a national and

international reference. The

program aims to improve the

communicative competence in

English, in the entire education

system.

Historical Framework

Theoretical Framework

Communicative Competence: ability of a person to behave effectively and appropriately in a given speech community.

Sociolinguistic Competence: ability to produce and understand linguistic expressions appropriately in different contexts of use.

Status of the participants

Relationship between them

Communicative intentions

Communicative event in which they are participating

Rules and conventions that regulate interaction.

S.P.E.A.K.I.N.G Model

This model assist the identification

and labeling of components of

linguistic interaction, in order to

speak a language correctly, it is

necessary not only to learn its

vocabulary and grammar, but also

the context in which words are used.

This model shows that it is very

important take into account the

context, the environment, the scene,

the audience and the purpose in

order to speak a language properly.

Conversation Theory

Learning is by nature a social phenomenon where

the acquisition of new knowledge is the result of the

interaction of people who participate in a dialogue.

Situated Theory of Knowledge

knowledge is an active relationship between an agent and the environment, and learning occurs when the learner is actively involved in a real context.

Listening comprehension process

INTERPRETATION

EVALUATION

ANSWER

RECEIVING

Why music could improve oral skills?

Pop songs have a simple and repetitive language; therefore songs are easier to learn.

Pop songs have emotional attributes that involve the listener.

The vocabulary is similar to conversations.

The association of emotions is critical, and the songs are a way to express feelings that are difficult to express.

Research Design

The main purpose of this work is to explore expectations that students hold about ways to improve their oral skill.

According to: Tamayo, Descriptive research is used in order to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon being studied.

Based on that we used two data collection instruments such as semi structured survey with closed question format and interviews with open question format.

The type of study is a qualitative case study research, in order to obtain favorable results and make recommendations regarding the improvement of oral skills of students of modern languages of ECCI University

Stages of Research

First step

The problem is determined and the objectives are

proposed

Second step

Theoretical framework is developed which theories

and concepts are collected and analized.

Third step

The type of study is defined

Fourth step

- Determination of population.

-Sample selection

- Data collection

Fifth step

- Data analysis

-Suggestions and conclusions

Population and Instrument

The surveys were performed in the Escuela Colombiana de Carreras Industriales (ECCI) which has a population of 872 students of the Modern languages program.

Out of the 80 students surveyed of Modern Languages Program at ECCI, 30% are male and 70% are female, their age range is between 18 and 29 years old.

Diagnostic

NEITHER 12%

BASIC 25%

ELEMENTARY 29%

INTERMEDIATE

15%

ADVANCED 19%

ORAL ENGLISH LEVEL

Diagnostic

YES 56%

NO 44%

ATTEND A PLACE WHERE SERVICES ARE OFFERED IN ENGLISH

Diagnostic

24%

20%

19%

22%

15%

WHAT ACTIVITIES WOULD YOU LIKE FIND IN AN ENGLISH CLUB

KARAOKE COFFEE BAR FILM FORUM

TERTULIAS STORYTELLING

Conclusions

According to what expectations do students hold

about the activities they might find in an English club

in order to improve their oral skills, we can conclude

that the most appropriate ways for them are…

Suggestions

Certainly the activities proposed, are activities commonly used in classrooms as a learning tool, but it is possible that these same activities have better results because of their relaxed environment.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR

ATTENTION