English Grammar Proficiency of Secondary Level ...

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English Grammar Proficiency of Secondary Level Student Teachers Of Puducherry Region

Volume 1 || Issue 1 - Jan. 2011


English Grammar Proficiency of Secondary Level Student Teachers Of Puducherry Region K. Ezhilrajan, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, Vinayaka Missions University

Abstract English is so widely spoken in the world of today and hence it is often been referred to as the global language, the lingua franca of the modern Era. While English is not an official language in many countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a second language around the world. English is one of the Indian languages, but the role it plays on the national educational scene is disastrous. There is a craze for English medium education in the country. The demand is to open preprimary and primary English classes. It must be remembered that English, as a supplement to mother tongue education is a strength. In order to teach a language, a teacher should know the nature of what he is teaching. In fact, he should be thoroughly acquainted with the facts of the language. In this course, we expect to give you a comprehensive view of English grammar, with detailed discussions of the areas, which are likely to present specific problems to the language teacher. Hence forth an attempt was made to find the potentiality and caliber the present Primary Level student teachers possess towards English grammar proficiency to sew the same in the younger minds.The investigator‘s general objective of the present study is to find out the English grammar proficiency of Secondary Level student teachers in Puducherry region. The specific objectives are to find out English grammar proficiency based on the sub-variables gender, Medium studied and parental education. An English grammar proficiency tool was created and standardized covering various aspects of English grammar. They study was administered to 300 samples of Secondary Level student teachers randomly selected from various colleges using simple random sampling. It is found that English grammar proficiency of Secondary Level student teachers is low. It is found that there is no significant difference between the sexes of Secondary Level student teachers and parental education below and above high school in English grammar proficiency. It is also found that there is a significant difference between English and Tamil medium Secondary Level student teachers in English grammar proficiency. Introduction Language is a vehicle of communication and a mean of social transmission of cultural heritage from one generation to another. It is an important aspect of human growth. It is a tool of social progress. India is a multi-lingual nation. For several years, English has functioned as a common language for this country. But, even before independence, the rules of the country had to make certain decisions about the use of English and that of the Indian languages. Since English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to as a global language, the lingua franca of the modern Era. While English is not an official language in many countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a second language around the world. Some linguists believe that it is no longer the exclusive cultural sign of “native English speakers”, but is rather a language that is absorbing aspects of cultures worldwide as it continues to grow. Books, magazines and newspapers written in English are available in many countries around the world. English is also the most commonly used language in the sciences. In 1997, the Science Citation Index reported that 95 % of its articles were written in English, even though only half of them came from authors in English-speaking countries. Grammar in English Language www.ijerei.com/index.php?view=article&catid=34%3Aenglish&id=66%3Aenglish-grammar-proficiency-of-secondary-level-student-teachers-of-puducherry-regio…

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Grammar: English grammar has minimal inflection compared with most other Indo-European Languages. Case marking has almost disappeared from the language and mainly survives in pronouns. The patterning of strong versus weak verbs inherited from its Germanic origins has declined in importance in modern English, and the remnants of inflection such as plural marking have become more regular. At the same time, the language has become more analytic, and has developed features such as modal verbs and word order as rich resources for conveying meaning. Auxiliary verbs mark constructions such as questions, negative polarity, the passive voice and progressive tenses. The Learner’s Grammar: The purpose of learner’s grammar is to teach that learner of a language, how to use the language correctly. Obviously such a grammar is written for those who do not have the necessary command of the language. a learner’s grammar should enumerate the facts of the language. It should tell the students what is grammatical and what is not, to teach them how to acquire the grammatical patterns and give them enough practice in the use to accept the patterns. The grammars written by Doven and Martin, Stanned Allen, Pit Corder, F.T. Wood etc., are learner’s grammar. The Linguistic Grammar: The purpose of linguistic grammar is to construct a scientific theory which will explain the facts of the language while learner’s grammar simply says that we use a ‘do’, while we convert sentence like “They teach Well.” into interrogative sentence “Do they teach well?” A linguistic grammar must explain, on the basis of scientific theory, why a “do” is used in such sentences. The Teacher’s Grammar: The purpose of the teacher’s grammar is to help the teacher to teach the language for his students. It is obvious that the teacher should know whatever, the learner must know and something more in addition. In this sense, a teacher’s grammar is something like a more detailed and exhaustive learner’s grammar. We can say that a teacher’s grammar share the properties of both the learner’s grammar and the linguist’s grammar. Facts of English Language In order to teacher a language, a teacher should know the nature of what he is teaching. In other words, he should be thoroughly acquainted with the facts of the language. In this course, we expect to give you comprehensive view of English grammar, with detailed discussions of the areas, which are likely to present specific problems to the language teacher. Acquaintance with the facts of the English grammar will help you in framing syllabuses, in constructing experiences, and above all in doing better job of classroom teaching. Objectives of the Present Study General Objective: To study the English grammar proficiency of Secondary Level student teachers of Puducherry region. Specific Objectives: To find out the English grammar proficiency of: Male and female Secondary Level student teachers, English and Tamil medium Secondary Level student teachers, and Secondary Level student teachers whose parental education is below and above high school. Hypotheses of the Study There is no significant difference between male and female Secondary Level student teachers. There is no significant difference between English and Tamil medium Secondary Level student teachers. There is no significant difference between Secondary Level student teachers whose parental education is below and above high school. Sample of the Study The investigators selected 300 Secondary Level student teachers probability based cluster sampling technique. Tool Used The English grammar proficiency tool, constructed and standardized by the investigator himself was used by the www.ijerei.com/index.php?view=article&catid=34%3Aenglish&id=66%3Aenglish-grammar-proficiency-of-secondary-level-student-teachers-of-puducherry-regio…

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investigators to evaluate the present problem. Descriptive Analysis Max. Score: 250 Variable

Group

N

Mean

SD

English Grammar Proficiency

Sec. stu. Trs.

300

98.25

26.90

Male

46

94.93

26.29

Female

254

98.85

27.02

English medium

80

107.91

28.02

Tamil medium

220

94.59

25.70

Below High Sch.

175

99.14

26.93

Above High Sch.

125

97.02

26.92

Sex

Medium of Study

Parental Education

Differential Analysis Max Score: 250 Category

N

Mean

SD

Male

46

94.93

26.29

t

0.91* Female

254

98.85

27.02

English Medium

80

107.91

28.02 3.87

Tamil Medium

220

94.59

25.70

Par. Edu. above X Std.

175

99.14

26.93 0.67*

Par. Edu. below X Std.

125

97.02

26.92

Result Not Significant Sig. at 0.01 level Not Significant

* - Not Significant at 0.01 level Findings English Grammar Proficiency of Secondary Level student teachers is low. There is no significant difference between male and female Secondary Level student teachers. There is significant difference between English and Tamil medium Secondary Level student teachers. There is no significant difference between Secondary Level student teachers whose parental education is below and above high school. Suggestions Student teachers can be given practice to speak in English irrespective of their groups. English is the international language, so it should be made compulsory. Dialogue method can be followed in classroom in order to make students and student teachers speak in English. Student teachers can be asked to speak about any topic of their own everyday for a few minutes in their class. www.ijerei.com/index.php?view=article&catid=34%3Aenglish&id=66%3Aenglish-grammar-proficiency-of-secondary-level-student-teachers-of-puducherry-regio…

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REFERENCES Anastasi, A. (1988). Psychological Testing (sixth edition). New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company. Duncan, S.E. & De Avila, E.A. (1988). Examiner's Manual: Language Assessment Scales Reading/Writing (LAS R/W). Monterey, CA: CTB /McGraw Hill. Duran, R.P. (1988). Validity and Language Skills Assessment: Non-English Background Students. In H. Wainer & H.I. Braun (Eds). Test Validity. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Wheeler, P. & Haertel, G.D. (1993). Resource Handbook on Performance Assessment and Measurement: A Tool for Students, Practitioners, and Policymakers. Berkeley, CA: The Owl Press.

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