Friday, October 7, 2011
Example of Action Research
ABSTRACT
This research looks at the problem of writing among the students of Year 5 SJK(C) YU MING. Basically when conducting this research, I have always put the priority of trying to find ways on how to improve the skills of writing sentences among the 8 students of Year 5. These students are going to sit for the 2012 UPSR examination.
From the earlier observation from the results of pre-test, worksheets and homework checking. I found that the students are failed to write the correct simple sentences . To solve these problems, several activities are given to the students to improve the writing skills. After they know well on vocabulary they will be guided to improve their writing skills. Continuously teaching and learning will help students to have confidency and interest on their English learning. This will encourage them to write short essays (Section C) in future. After researching, 75% of students had mastered in writing skills in English.
Thus, I find this action research has helped me in assisting the students especially in preparing them for not only the monthly tests, mid-year test but also the UPSR English paper.
1.0 Reflection on Previous Teaching and Learning
I have been teaching Year 5 English since I started my teaching career. From my observation, writing is a very complex skill to get my target group to master it. Therefore, most of my target group found it difficult to construct correct sentences in their monthly test, examination even in their daily homework. The problems among my students are having tenses errors in sentence constructions, having problems to add and use new words including adjectives and adverbs appropriately and creatively, having difficulties to show variety in sentence patterns and structures, having a number of single word errors in use of conjunctions, prepositions and subject-verb-agreement, having unclear, incoherent sentence structures and sometimes with total distortion, little or no meaning. Based on those factors, I need to do some improvements to my target group and make sure that they will construct their own simple sentences without guidance anymore. The weaker students will learn more how to create their own sentences meanwhile the good students will produce more quality sentences in future.
2.0 Research Focus
This research is focusing on the writing skills from the basic of subject, verb and object. This research is important to help the students to write the correct sentences in English.
3.0 Research Objectives:
3.1 General objectives
To improve the writing skills of writing simple sentences of the students.
3.2 Specific objectives
- To assist the students in constructing simple sentences (Subject + Verb + Object)
- To assist the students to construct the correct simple sentences.
4.0 Target Group
The target group consists of 8 students from Year 5. This group of students is weak in constructing correct sentences.
5.0 Action Implementation
5.1 Problem Observation
5.1.1 Observation
I made observation on pupils during teaching and learning session. This target group was evaluated during marking their exercises book, homework and pre-test.
5.1.2 Pre-Test
The pre-test are used to examine how far the 8 students from my target group had mastered in writing skills. This pre-test had been done before the action plan and pupils have to answer in the question papers.
5.2 Analysis of the Problem
5.2.1 Observation
As an English teacher in a rural primary school, English Language has been identified as the problematic subject. Most students find English subject difficult due to the lack of interest and poor command of English. The most difficult part for the students is the writing skills. Writing is an important skill in learning. Many approaches and techniques have been adopted to teach and hence improve writing skills but, the writing performance of the students is still unsatisfactory. The problem lies in the fact that my students have a poor command of the language and as such are unable to apply the rules of grammar in their writing. Subsequently, this would lead to confusion and incompetence in using the language. For the purpose of this study, I believe that my students need to internalize grammar rules first, as this would provide them with a basic foundation which would in turn help them improve their competence in English and contribute especially towards students’ enhancing their writing skills.
| No. of students | Grade | Percentage |
| 0 | A | 0.00% |
| 0 | B | 0.00% |
| 2 | C | 25.00% |
| 4 | D | 50.00% |
| 2 | E | 25.00% |
Based on the analyse the pre-test that have been done on 2.4.2011, showed that only 25% of the students passed the test. There were no students who get grade A and grade B. Majority of them got grade D and grade E.This is because the students are not master in writing skills.
5.3 Plan-in-action
According to the data and information collected from early observation, I will make sure suitable activities which need to be carried out, teaching and learning materials used in the activities.
5.3.1 Suggestion of activities
i. To recognize basic structure of simple sentences (Subject + Verb + Object)
ii. To construct simple sentences correctly.
5.3.2 Materials used in the activities
I. Evaluation (Pre-test)
II. Worksheets (8 sets)
III. Evaluation (Post-test)
5.3.3 Instrument and Observation Steps
I. Mark from previous test
II. Interview questionnaire for the selected students
III. Exercises to test students’ standard in constructing simple sentences.
5.4 Implementation and observation / Evaluation
5.4.1 Implementation of Activity One
Students are given worksheets which consist of 3 sets activities. The contents of the activities are to recognise the basic structur of simple sentences (Subject + Verb + Object).
I. Put the words / phrases into the correct place.( Subject = pronouns / nouns ,Verb = simple present tense, present past continuous tense, simple past tense , future tense, Object = nouns / pronouns, place, time)
II. Arrange the sentences
III. Fill in the table
· Observation
From the worksheets , I found out that students are more prefer to do the exercises as it is more easier to be understand and suitable for their standard. Actually, the students are able to differentiate the subject, verb and object.
· Reflection
I had found out that this activity are efficient because most of the students are able to fill in the blanks correctly.
5.4.2 Implementation of Activity Two
Students are given worksheets which consist of 3 sets activities. The contents of the activities are to construct simple sentences.
I. Put the given words into the table
II. Fill the suitable word according to the picture
III. Write out the correct sentence
· Observation
The students were able to fill in the blanks with the correct words. Some of them were facing problems when they wanted to fill in their own words based on the pictures given. The teacher was forced to give them some tips to help them.
· Reflection
I felt very happy as most of the students in the group were able to do the exercises in correct way and confident. However, some of the students were less confident in using their own words to construct the sentences. I needed to give them some tips as their guidance.
5.4.3 Pre-test And Post-test
| No. of students | Grade | Percentage |
| 0 | A | 0.00% |
| 1 | B | 12.50% |
| 3 | C | 37.50% |
| 3 | D | 37.50% |
| 1 | E | 12.50% |
Achievement of students in pre-test
| No. of students | Grade | Percentage |
| 0 | A | 0.00% |
| 2 | B | 25.00% |
| 4 | C | 50.00% |
| 2 | D | 25.00% |
| 0 | E | 0.00% |
Achievement of students in post-test
Based on the analysis in pre-test and post-test, there were an increasing numbers of the students who passed in these tests after carrying out the activities.There were 75% of students who passed the post-test while only 50% who passed in pre-test. It showed that the students had improved very well after going through all the activities.
5.5 Reflection on the Research
From this action research, it was showed that those activities were efficient in helping the students to increase their skill in constructiong simple sentences. Those who were still weak in constructing simple sentences were due to their negative attitudes in English subject . They will success if they changed their attitudes.
6.0 Suggestions for Future Research
Based on my action research, I believed that those mentioned activities can stimulate the interest and fun of students in constructing the sentences correctly.
After the students had mastered the writing skill, the future research will be more focused on the section C in paper 2 as its questions are more complicated.
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