What are the students’ self-reflections on their current English learning situation?
What kind of English learning difficulties and problems do Taiwanese sixth grade students encounter? What are their English learning strategies?
As for this research question, there are two sections discussing this issue in detail.
First, sixth grade students’ self-reflections on their English learning are revealed. Then, their English learning difficulties and strategies are presented as well.
Sixth Grade Students' Self-Reflections on Their English Learning
This section answers the third research question about students’ self-reflections on their current English learning. The students filled out self-reflection questionnaires before taking the tests. They were asked about their opinions on English pronunciation, listening, reading, speaking, and spelling ability.
Figures 1.5. to 1.9., respectively, show the results of the students’ self-reflections on the following: English pronunciation, English listening, English reading skills, English
speaking ability, and English spelling ability. In each chart, the numbers one to four represent the degrees of ease or difficulty with which the students reported learning a particular ability: 1 “very easy,” 2 “easy,” 3 “difficult,” and 4 “very difficult.”
The English education policy in Taiwan aims at equipping students with basic abilities in English listening and speaking. English reading and writing are considered sub-skills. In this study, many students reported having spent a large amount of time practicing English or learning it after school. Their self-reflections provide the author with a more complete view of their current English learning.
Figure 1.5. Students’ self-evaluations of their English pronunciation ability. N = 82.
They rated their own English pronunciation. As the pie chart shows, almost half of the students believed it was easy to develop their English pronunciation ability. Conversely, slightly more than half believed English pronunciation ability was not easy to cultivate. As pronunciation is a very basic and necessary ability, many students did not think it was difficult to learn.
Then, Figure1.6. is a pie chart of the students’ opinions on developing English listening ability.
21%
51%
18%
10%
Figure 1.6. Students’ self-evaluation of their English listening. N = 82.
As elementary schools emphasize English listening and speaking ability, English listening is considered a basic skill. Accordingly, most of the students in this study indicated that English listening was “easy,” and some even reported it was “very easy.” Only a few said it was a very difficult skill. As the pie chart shows, most of the students were confident in their English listening. This likely reflects the elementary school curricula that emphasize English listening skills and encourage teachers to conduct various listening activities in class.
Next, the author will discuss the students’ self-reflections on their English reading ability. As Figure 1.7. shows as bellow:
Figure 1.7. Students’ self-evaluations of their English reading ability. N = 82.
13%
38%
32%
17%
25%
56%
13%
6%
Figure 1.7. shows that the students were evenly split in their thoughts about English reading, with half regarding it as difficult and half calling it easy. This may indicate that their English reading ability was divergent. The reasons will be discussed later. Then, as the emphasis in elementary school, English education is to develop students’ English listening and speaking abilities, it is also possible that the curriculum lacks adequate instruction on English reading ability. Another possible explanation is the particular situation of the sixth grade students in this study, who were faced with the task of connecting what they had learned in English classes to what they would study next in junior high school. They may have felt stressed or nervous because they still encountered many unknown words in English articles, and there were additional grammar rules for them to comprehend and memorize. Perhaps for this reason, their opinions differed so widely. Figure 1.8. presents the results of the students’ self-reflection on English speaking ability.
Figure 1.8. Students’ self-evaluations of their English speaking ability. N = 82.
Many students regarded English speaking as “easy” or “very easy.” Compared to the self-reflections on English listening ability, the student responses showed that many more students deemed English speaking as a difficult skill to acquire. In addition, some thought English speaking was very difficult because they were not able to utilize English grammar rules and various expressions when they spoke. Others mentioned that they could only understand word meanings but could not use English expressions in oral communication.
They were frustrated by their inability to express their ideas in English. Because the students had not learned many grammar rules, they were unable to use such rules well in their oral task. Finally, Figure 1.9. shows the breakdown of the students’ English spelling
16%
41%
32%
11%
and word decoding skills.
Figure 1.9. Students’ self-evaluations of their English spelling ability. N = 82.
According to the pie chart, although some students thought English spelling was a difficult skill, just under half regarded it as easy. Currently, phonics instruction is widely used in elementary school English classes. The textbooks contain various sections on phonics, and elementary school students are encouraged to compare the differences of varying sets of sounds. This kind of training can assist them in understanding how to pronounce each letter sound well and connecting each letter to its sound(s). It benefits the students in their English learning because knowing the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make is a basic step in learning English.
However, some students in this study claimed English spelling was not easy. They misspelled words by leaving letters out or writing them in the wrong order. In addition, the students mentioned that they had to write and spell English vocabulary words repeatedly in order to memorize them. As a result, they could write the English words but pronounce them accurately.
In conclusion, there are five dimensions of English learning: pronunciation, listening, reading, speaking, and spelling/decoding. English education policy has been in effect for Taiwanese elementary schools for a long time. The data analysis suggests that sixth grade students in Taiwan regard English listening as an easy skill to acquire, thinking of it as a basic, beginning-level ability. This belief corresponds with English education policy in Taiwan, which introduces English listening and speaking skills as the very first abilities that elementary school students are expected to develop. However, the students in this study
13%
44%
26%
17%
held a different view of English speaking ability. Some found it difficult to advance their English speaking ability: For example, even though they had studied English for years, they could not think of appropriate expressions when holding conversations in English. In addition, some students felt nervous or shy about speaking English with foreigners because they could not easily pronounce certain words or utilize grammar correctly.
The data in the figures above indicate that English reading ability is also a difficult skill. English learning encompasses various dimensions of learning, such as words,
semantics, and grammar rules. Because of this, English reading ability may require students to have more English knowledge and skills.
In summary, the students held different opinions on their English learning. English education policy in elementary schools should encourage students to be adventurous so that they can identify the difficulties they face in English learning and work to resolve any issues. Moreover, parents and English teachers have to be aware of the current status of students’ English learning and provide the help they need to learn English effectively in elementary school.
Sixth Grade Students' English Learning Difficulties and Strategies
This section addresses the issue that Taiwanese sixth grade students encounter various difficulties and problems in their English learning. The author can classify their responses regarding these issues into the following categories: grammar, spelling and vocabulary, reading, listening, speaking, and pronunciation.
First, some of the students regarded English grammar learning as difficult owing to the large number of rules they had to memorize in order to form sentences. Further, many students did not know how to utilize grammar rules in their English learning because they just memorized them without practicing their application. Therefore, they did not master the skill of forming sentences. In addition, the students saw English spelling and vocabulary learning as an annoying problem. They were frustrated that one incorrect letter in a word could make the entire word wrong, and they felt stressed by the task of memorizing English words. Therefore, memorizing and spelling English vocabulary was not easy for them.
English reading is closely related to English reading comprehension and the ability to read out words in English articles. Some students in the study described that they were able to understand the meaning of individual words or phrases but could not grasp the overall meaning of the article. They felt pressure to learn more English vocabulary, as they still did
not know many words, and English reading comprehension plays an important role in junior high school English education. Others students believed their English reading comprehension would influence their performance in English composition. A few worried about having to write English compositions in junior high school.
In regard to English listening ability, some students claimed they could understand the meaning of each word but not the overall meaning of the sentence.
Then, they also regarded English pronunciation and speaking as difficult, for the following reasons: First, some students felt nervous or stressed when speaking English with foreigners because they were not confident that their English pronunciation was
comprehensible enough. In addition, some of them reported knowing the meaning of certain words but not being able to apply phonics rules to pronounce them correctly.
Overall, the data showed that some of the students saw English learning as easy, and enjoyed it; however, others pointed out their difficulties in English learning, which are areas of future exploration.
Next, the author investigated the students’ English learning tactics and strategies.
Surprisingly, almost half of the students reported that they did not use any particular learning strategy. This may indicate that although the students had difficulties learning English, they did not know how to solve their problems. Therefore, English teachers may need to coach their students in appropriate ways to study. Meanwhile, the students who reported that they did use specific learning strategies listed methods such as listening to English, reading, memorizing vocabulary, practicing pronunciation, and speaking, among others.
Many students sought to advance their English listening ability through media (e.g., listening to English radio programs and/or watching English TV programs). They
considered that practicing English every day would help. They read English articles or books, including e-books, to improve their English reading ability or searched online for word meanings and to confirm English grammar rules. They utilized their time well and reviewed English lessons and grammar rules often.
In addition, the students described their own methods of memorizing English
vocabulary and practicing pronunciation. For example, some reported writing vocabulary words as a strategy for memorizing them, perhaps for an upcoming test. Another strategy was to use homonyms and pictures as aids. This allowed them to associate the unfamiliar
English words with more familiar things. Phonics rules also aided their English pronunciation and helped them to memorize or spell English words correctly. Some students believed they needed to communicate with others in English to practice their English speaking. They turned to their family members or went to the cram school to chat with native English speakers. Therefore, students need opportunities to practice what they have learned in English class on different occasions.
Attending cram school is the main strategy the students used to improve their English skills. Cram schools offer classes to develop English skills and are also a place for students to practice using English. Therefore, parents choose to send their children there to improve their English ability. However, it is hoped that English teachers and parents can help
students find or develop their own methods or strategies for English learning. By doing this, the students can overcome their English learning difficulties to learn English smoothly in the future.