EXERCISES OF RESEARCH METHODS

1. Were the following studies qualitative or quantitative? Tick the appropriate box. A teacher developed some innovative listening materials for low level learners. She used these materials with a range of classes, and believed that they were significantly superior to the traditional materials which were used in her school. However, her colleagues were skeptical. Therefore, she carried out a study. She had two ways to collect data. 1. She surveyed the students through interviews and questionnaires, and obtained their subjective impressions. In addition, she asked a colleague to become a participant observer in her classroom and made a record of the teaching and learning going on. If she collected data in this way, was her study qualitative or quantitative ? 2. She randomly assigned the students to two groups. One group used the traditional materials and the other group used the innovative materials. Besides, she gave the students two tests, a pre-test and a post-test, to check both group at the beginning of the term as well as the end. Then she compared the scores to test her hypothesis of the superiority of the innovative materials. If she collected data in this way, was her study qualitative or quantitative ? 2. Read the following extracts from TESOL articles and answer the questions below This article presents the results of an investigation into the place of English in the curriculum in several countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The study indicates that the emergence of English as a global language is having considerable impact on policies and practices in all countries surveyed. However, it also reveals significant problems, including confusion and inconsistency, at the level of policy, particularly regarding the issue of age of initial instruction, inequity regarding access to effective language instruction, inadequately trained and skilled teachers, and a disjunction between curriculum rhetoric and pedagogical reality. Despite the apparent widespread perception that English is a global language, relatively little systematic information has been gathered on its impact on educational policies and practices in educational systems around the world. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of English on educational policies and practices in countries in the AsiaPacific region, particularly Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. These countries were chosen because they represent a range of contrasting characteristics and features, from

developed to developing, ex-colonial to independent, large to small, and culturally diverse to culturally cohesive. ...I first collected and analyzed published policy statements, documents, and programs drawn from a number of sources, including recent books, articles, government reports, syllabuses, and curriculum documents. I obtained these materials in several different ways. Some were publicly available; others were provided by informants. These documents provided a backdrop for more detailed data collection through guided interviews with informants. The second source of data was guided interviews with 68 informants, the majority of whom I had met in the course of teaching and researching in the region over many years. In other instances, regional officials from the British Council and the United States Information Service provided me with contacts. The informants represented different positions, interests, and perspectives within the educational sectors of their respective countries, including academics/teacher trainers, ministry officials, publishers, and teachers.... (From Nunan, David. Tesol Quarterly, Vol 37, No 4, Winter 2003) 1. What is the research aim of the study? ................................................................................................................................... . 2. What is the population and the sample of the study? ................................................................................................................................... .3. What is the data collection method of the study? ................................................................................................................................... . 3. Write the details of following sources in order in a list of references 1.For a book Name of author: Year of publication: Title of publication: Place of publication: Publisher: . 2.For a journal article Name of author: Alan Berreta Year of publication: 1990 Title of publication: Implementation of the Bangalore Project Title of journal: Apllied Linguistics Volume number: 11 Issue number: 4 David Allwright 1988 Observation in the Language Classroom London Longman

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Page number(s):

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4. Write specific instruction for each question in a questionnaire below .

Example: Question: Did you watch television last night? Yes [ ] No [ ]

Response selected from one of two alternatives Instruction: Tick the appropriate box

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS

This questionnaire aims at surveying the issues of teaching listening in "Tieng Anh 10" at Dao Duy Tu High School in Quang Binh province. Your contribution is of great value to my research. The data collected will be served the study purpose only, not for any others. Please answer the questions by circling the option you choose. You may choose more than one option or give your own opinions in some questions. Thank you for your kind cooperation. ********** Please provide your personal information Name (optional):............................................. Gender:

Male Female

Age: ........................................................... How long have you been teaching listening? .................................................................... Have you attended any workshops on Listening Teaching? a. Yes b. No

1. How important are high school listening teaching skills? Response selected from one of FOUR alternatives Instruction: a. Very important b. Important c. Not very important

d. Not important. 2. What are the reasons?

Response provided by the informant Instruction: ............................................................................................................................................. 3. Do you find it difficult to teach listening? Response selected from one of four alternatives Instruction: a. Very difficult b. Difficult c. Not very difficult d. Not difficult 4. What are the reasons? Response provided by the informant Instruction: .............................................................................................................................................. . 5. If your answer is No, which stage is often omitted? Response selected from one or two of three alternatives Instruction: a. Pre-listening b. While-listening c. Post-listening 6. Why is it omitted? Response selected from one or two of FOUR alternatives or your own opinion. Instruction:

a. Time limitation

b. Students low interest in this stage c. It is not necessary

d. Others (please specify): ................................................................................................... 7. How often do you organize pre-listening activities? Response selected from one of four alternatives Instruction: Tick the appropriate box

Pre-listening Activities Prediction Vocabulary presentation Discussion Using visual aids( pictures/photos) Guiding questions Games Others

Very often

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

8. How often do you teach your students listening skills or strategies? Response selected from one of four alternatives Instruction: a. Very often b. Sometimes c. Rarely d. Never

9. How often do you organize work arrangements in your listening class? Response selected from one of four alternatives Instruction:

Work arrangement Individual work Pair work Group work Collective work

Very often

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

10. What facilities do you use in listening lessons? Response selected from one or more among alternatives or your own opinion Instruction: a. Radios b. Cassette recorders c. Audio tapes/ CD d. Video e. Computers f. The internet

g. Others (please specify): 11. What problems in your listening teaching remain unsolved? Response provided by the informant Instruction .

12. In your opinion, what can be done to make the listening lessons at grade 10 more interesting and effective? Response provided by the informant s Instruction: . 5. Write research questions for each of the following research topics

Adapting the current ESP coursebook for Computer Science Students at Vinh University
Research Questions:

The study is to answer the following questions: 1. What are advantages of using ESP coursebook for Computer Science Students? 2. What are the difficulties when Computer Science Students learn ESP coursebook? 3. What are the suggestions for Computer Science Students develop ESP terms? 1. what are the main obstacles in adapting the current ESP coursebook? 2. How can the ESP coursebook be adapted effectively? 3. What are the students and teachers reactions concerning the adaptation of ESP coursebook?

Sample Units for ESP Students of Construction at College of Urban Works Construction
Research Questions: In order to attain the above aims, the study tries to answer the following questions:

b. Designing Some

1.What is the main purpose of Designing Some Sample Units for ESP Students of Construction at College of Urban Works Construction? 2. What is suitable content for Designing Some Sample Units for ESP Students of Construction at College of Urban Works Construction? 3. What is the situation in learning of the ESP Students of Construction at College of Urban Works Construction? What are the integrated components to be tailored/factored in to the designing of ?