Symposium on Teacher Education and Action Research
Rewriting Boundaries: Integrating English and Science Classes Using the PREP Method in Writing Short Essays
This
paper is an action research that gauged the effectiveness of an intervention
designed to make students use the organizational pattern PREP (Point, Reason,
Evidence and concluding Point) Method learned during English classes, in short
essays in summative assessments of Science classes. The intervention process is
aimed to solve the problem of making students purposely use language arts
skills mastered during English class in content subjects through a more
purposeful level of subject integration.
Following
the genre – based approach to teaching writing, the English teacher treated the
writing of short essays as responses in summative tests as a genre, meaning its
characteristics were fleshed out and practiced using the PREP Method.
Consequently, in the Science class, the teacher highlighted the advantage of
using the PREP method in answering summative assessments (particularly, in the
laboratory experiment sheets and fourth quarterly exam). Implemented during the
last weeks of the final grading period, the intervention process was clipped
into a period of three weeks and was focused on a single Grade 9 class.
The
results showed that the intervention clearly worked since it made the students
use the PREP Method on their own volition and without prompts in a major
examination. Albeit limited in scale, the research showed that making learners
use language arts skills in content subjects can be achieved only if content
teachers are willing to work closely with language arts teachers in developing
materials and activities that would allow students to see language as a tool in
mastering content.
Can academic writing become learner-centered? Reflections on the pedagogy of writing in the university
Rommel Chrisden Rollan Samarita (De La Salle University, Manila & San Beda College, Alabang)
This participatory action research revisited the writing pedagogy in the Basic Research Skills/English for Specific Purpose course—ENGLRES—an academic writing program offered by the Department of English and Applied Linguistics (DEAL) to undergraduate students of De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines. Using a needs analysis questionnaire, the study documented the learning needs and preferences of 120 university students in academic writing. The survey revealed that among numerous English lessons and skills involved in the academic writing program, students considered (1) topic selection, (2) editing, and (3) thesis statement, as needs in the course. In addition, students preferred (1) writing exercises, (2) conferencing sessions, and (3) library visits in the program. The findings were consistent with the responses of selected students in focused group discussions and the accounts of selected professors in one-on-one interviews on writing pedagogy. With this context, the research considered topic selection as site of intervention and the suggested learning activities as inputs to materials design. The study utilized a teaching module which contains lesson plans, worksheets, and assessment tools on topic selection. Forty (40) university students served as participants in the intervention, which ran for 2 weeks. After delivering the module, the intervention yielded positive results. The study reported (1) the positive attitudes of students on the learning activities, (2) the high scores of students in 3 writing exercises on topic selection, and (3) the noteworthy evaluations of students and professor on the intervention. The study confirmed the pedagogical assertions of Spratt (2001), Lambert (2001), and Nunan (1988) that students’ needs and preferences are at the forefront in reforming the general design of, and the ruling practices in language classrooms. This research poses the possibility of a learner-centered academic writing curriculum as an emergent site in the theory and practice of second language writing.
Enhancing Reading Comprehension Through Culturally Relevant Texts and Literature Circles: An Action Research
Dannah Neriah L. Tan (De La Salle University, Manila)
This paper reports on the results of an action
research that explored the relationship between reading comprehension and
cultural relevance of text along with use of literature circles for a group of
eight (8) tenth-grade high school students in the Philippines. Cloze tests were
first administered to the participants to determine the reading level of the selected
texts, which were found to be at the independent reading level, an important
prerequisite for literature circles. Reading comprehension was measured by the
previously mentioned Cloze tests alongside reading comprehension tests, unaided
story retelling, and journal writing. To help define and determine the cultural
relevance of texts from the perspective of the participants, the Cultural
Relevance Rubric adapted from Ebe (2011) was used. The results of data
gathering, including the reading comprehension and cultural relevance scores of
the participants, suggest that while participants were able to relate to the
stories, there was no significant relationship between reading comprehension
and cultural relevance. In spite of this, improvements in reading comprehension
of the participants were observed, mainly from the results of journal writing
and personal observation. The level of cultural relevance was found to be
affected by how closely participants felt the text mirrored events of their
personal life. The use of literature circles was met with positive responses
and were cited by the participants to be very effective for learning and
improvement. Aspects of cultural relevance as seen in the study, as well as
implications for text selection and use of literature circles, are also
discussed.