Designing a syllabus for grade 9 students at nguyen tri phuong junior high school in hue city for a star scholarship english test preparation

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES -o O o - DESIGNING A SYLLABUS FOR GRADE STUDENTS AT NGUYEN TRI PHUONG JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN HUE CITY FOR A* STAR SCHOLARSHIP ENGLISH TEST PREPARATION FIELD OF STUDY: THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 60.14.10 MASTER IN EDUCATION Hue, 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Pages SUB COVER PAGE STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TABLES OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS ABSTRACT CHAPTER - INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Research aims 10 1.3 Research questions 10 1.4 Research significance 10 1.5 Structure of the thesis 11 CHAPTER - LITERATURE REVIEW 12 2.1 Previous studies 12 2.2 Syllabus 14 2.2.1 Difference between syllabus and curriculum 14 2.2.2 Types of syllabus 16 2.2.2.1 Functional/ notional syllabus 16 2.2.2.2 Structural/ grammatical syllabus 17 2.2.2.3 Situational syllabus 18 2.2.2.4 Task-based syllabus 18 2.2.2.5 Skill-based syllabus 19 2.2.2.6 Content-based syllabus 19 2.2.2.7 Mixed/ layered syllabus 20 2.2.2.8 Theme-based syllabus 21 2.2.3 Syllabus design 23 2.3 Needs analysis 24 2.3.1 The process of needs analysis 26 2.3.2 Kinds of needs 26 2.3.2.1 Target needs 27 2.3.2.2 Learning needs 28 2.3.3 Effects of needs analysis on ESP syllabus 29 2.4 Selecting themes and planning thematic units 29 2.4.1 Topics or Themes selection 30 2.4.2 Topics or Themes grading 31 2.4.3 Thematic units planning 32 2.5 Material design 33 2.6 A* Star Scholarship and the structure of the selection test 34 2.6.1 A* Star Scholarship 34 2.6.2 The structure of the selection test 34 CHAPTER – METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES 36 3.1 Research approach 36 3.2 Research subjects and site 36 3.3 Methods of data collection 37 3.3.1 Questionnaires 38 3.3.2 Interview 41 3.3.3 Class observation 41 3.4 Data analysis 42 3.5 Procedures 42 3.5.1 Questionnaires administration procedure 42 3.5.2 Interview procedure 43 3.5.3 Research steps…………………… ……………………………………43 3.6 Conclusion 44 CHAPTER - FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 45 4.1 Data analysis from teachers 45 4.1.1 Teachers’ perceptions of the tests and students’ performance 46 4.1.1.1 Teachers’ perceptions of students’ listening and speaking skill…… 47 4.1.1.2 Teachers’ perceptions of the reading comprehension texts 48 4.1.1.3 Teachers’ perceptions of the writing skill 48 4.1.2 Teachers’ advice for students on the four skills 50 4.2 Data analysis from students 52 4.2.1 Students’ perceptions of the A* Star selection test 52 4.2.2 Students’ difficulties in doing the selection test 53 4.2.3 Students’ experience and preparations for the test 54 4.2.3.1 Students’ experience and preparations for the Listening and Speaking skill 55 4.2.3.2 Students’ experience and preparations for the reading skill 55 4.2.3.3 Students’ experience and preparations for the writing skill 56 4.2.3.4 Students’ experience for the overall preparation 56 4.3 Interview…………………………………………………………………….57 4.3.1 Teachers’ responses to the English selection test 57 4.3.1.1 Students’ common mistakes in the interview 57 4.3.1.2 Teachers’ suggestions 59 4.3.2 Students’ responses to the English selection test 62 4.3.2.1 The difficulties students met during the test 62 4.3.2.2 Students’ suggestions 64 4.4 Sample syllabus for grade gifted students at NTP School………….… 66 4.4.1 Target learners and other contextual factors…………………………… 66 4.4.2 Approaches, goals, objectives of the syllabus………………………… 67 4.4.3 The syllabus for grade gifted students 68 4.4.4 Sample units for grade gifted students 70 4.4.5 Description of experimental teaching 70 4.4.5.1 Responses of teachers 71 4.4.5.2 Responses of students 74 CHAPTER – CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS 80 5.1 Research questions 80 5.2 Summary of key findings 80 5.3 Implications 83 5.3.1 For administrators at NTP School 83 5.3.2 For teachers at NTP School 84 5.3.3 For grade students 85 5.4 Contributions of the Study 85 5.5 Limitation of the Study 86 5.6 Further study 87 5.7 Concluding reflection 87 REFERENCES 88 APPENDICES Appendix A: Questionnaire for teachers Appendice B: Questionnaire for students Appendice C: Feedback sheet Appendix D: Questions for interview Appendix E: Observation sheet Appendix F: Sample units Appendix G: Reliability analysis of the questionnaires for teacher Appendix H: Reliability analysis of the questionnaires for students LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ESP QA QB QC TOEFL IELTS NTP RI MCQs: N : English for Specific Purposes : Questionnaire A : Questionnaire B : Questionnaire C : Test of English as a Foreign Language : International English Language Testing System : Nguyen Tri Phuong : Raffles Institution : Multiple choice questions : Number SPSS : Statistical Package for the Social Sciences SD M ean : Standard Deviation : Mean Score SEAMEO : The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization LISTS OF FIGURES Page Figure 2.1 Needs analysis…………………………………………………… Figure 2.2 The Needs Assessment Cycle……………………………………… LISTS OF TABLES Table 3.1: Research subjects Table 3.2: Research methods Table 3.3: Summary of clusters for teachers Table 3.4: Summary of clusters for students Table 4.1: The reliability of the questionnaire……………………………………… Table 4.2: The mean score of the questionnaire for teacher Table 4.3: Teachers’ perceptions of the tests and students’ performance Table 4.4: Teachers’ perceptions of students’ listening and speaking skill Table 4.5: Teachers’ perceptions of the reading comprehension texts Table 4.6: The mean score of teachers’ advice for students…….………………… Table 4.7: Teachers’ advice for students on the four skills Table 4.8: Mean score of questionnaire for students……………………………… Table 4.9: Students’ perception of the A* Star selection Test…………………… Table 4.10: Students’ experience and preparations for the listening and speaking skill…………………………………………………………………… Table 4.11: Students’ experience and preparations for the writing skill………… Table 4.12: Students’ experience for the overall preparation………………… Table 4.13: Target learners……………………………………………………… Table 4.14: The type of tests and evaluation…………………………………… Table 4.15: The English Syllabus for grade students at NTP School………… Table 4.16: The viewpoints of NTP teachers on the lessons ………………… Table 4.17: Teachers’ suggestions to improve the quality of teaching and learning…………………………………………………………………………… Table 4.18: The level of English proficiency of grade gifted students………… Table 4.19: The viewpoints of grade gifted students on the lessons…………… LISTS OF CHARTS Chart 4.1: Teachers’ perceptions of the writing skill Chart 4.2: Teachers’ advice for students on overall preparation ………………… Chart 4.3: Students’ difficulties in doing the selection test……………………… Chart 4.4: Students’ experience and preparations for the reading skill………… Chart 4.5: Teachers’ comments on the experimental teachings ………………… Chart 4.6: Students’ suggestions to improve the quality of teaching and learning… ABSTRACT This thesis aims to investigate the current needs of A* Star Scholarship in Singapore A syllabus is designed to meet the needs and then some thematic units for grade gifted students at Nguyen Tri Phuong Junior High School are developed The data are collected by means of questionnaires and interviews Seventy-five questionnaires are delivered and returned, and nineteen interviews are conducted with two groups of participants: 14 NTP students in Raffles and Raffles teachers The findings reveal the purpose, the current needs of A* Star Scholarship, the format and the themes frequently used in the tests Besides, the ex-students and Raffles teachers give worthy experiences and advice After taking many factors into consideration, theme-based syllabus is chosen as the most suitable to the current needs for grade students at NTP School Limitations and suggestions for further research are also included in the hope that more convincing and reliable conclusion will be drawn out in the field of teaching and learning English to take A* Star Scholarship in Singapore CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale In the time of globalization, English is becoming the “accepted international language of technology and commerce” (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987, p23); people everywhere are learning it enthusiastically As Tran (2000) remarks, “more and more countries are making their lingua franca to communicate with the rest of the worldnot only with native English-speaking but also non-native English speaking countries in international setting” (p.26) In fact, English is so widely spoken and referred to as the "lingua franca" of the modern era In Vietnam, since the economic open-door policy pursued by the Government has increased the demand for English- speaking people who are expected to be the main source to lead Vietnam keep up with developed countries in the world, English has been stressed as one of the most important subjects in high school education in Vietnam Following with globalization, many students are also seeking for better education in English-speaking countries namely the United States, United Kingdom, Canada or Singapore, where the education systems have been recognized for years Thus, the need of learning English is even more emphasized In an interview with Vietnam News (2004) about the situation of English language education in Vietnam and opportunities for Vietnamese students today, Assistant Professional Do Huy Thinh, Director of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Regional Training Centre, claims that globalisation, since its interception, has changed the world Nations, cultures and races start mixing with the others, and education is no exception More and more chances are now opened up for students from any countries to study in other more well-developed education environment This is incredibly popular in Vietnam nowadays Integrating with this trend, Nguyen Tri Phuong Junior High School in Hue City and Raffles Institution in Singapore as premier secondary schools in Vietnam and Singapore respectively, have an added responsibility to develop students with a global outlook Nguyen Tri Phuong Junior High School is one of the old famous schools that has large number of intelligent students It is the unique junior high school in Hue City where students are carefully selected through a strict entrance exam and their academic performance in their primary education Raffles Institution (RI) which was founded in 1823 grew to be a beacon of educational excellence that attracted the best from all walks of life regardless of race or creed in Singapore, and from overseas [72] Thanks to the cooperation of Nguyen Tri Phuong (NTP) Junior High School with Raffles Institution, many NTP students have received the A* Star Scholarships to pursue their secondary education in Singapore According to the feedbacks from previous batches of students who are studying in RI, the education in Singapore is indeed a good chance for Vietnamese students as they integrate with many international friends and learn to be more independent Albeit with the keen interest of the students in this scholarship as well as their effort to prepare for the selection, only 25 students, including 16 boys and girls, were chosen in the past six years This number is relatively low in comparison with other cities like Hanoi, Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh City [73] As a teacher at this school, who is doing research on A* Star Scholarship, I would like to specially design an English syllabus which will help gifted students who are potential but lack English proficiency to take up the scholarship Basing on the experience of the previous batches of students and teachers from Raffles Institution, this research aims to design an appropriate syllabus which helps to boost the four skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing – for the future students in order to better prepare them for the selection of the A* Star Scholarship This research is carried out by investigating the current needs, to design an ESP syllabus and to develop some sample units for grade students at Nguyen Tri Phuong 3 The woman insisted that the lost child (take) to store's information desk so his parents could be paged The nutritionist recommended that Sally (reduce) She told me that the government (regulate) her daily fat intake the airline industry I don't know if that is true The sign at the pool recommended that you (swim) after eating a large meal John insists that Sarah (invite) to the wedding; otherwise he will not attend I think it's an interesting fact that she (come) from Estonia Exercise 2: Fill in the blank with a suitable idiomatic expression The children are old enough to…………… themselves He left home without…………….anybody I ……………having deceived her She was furious that she was being……………… I tried to run after her but I couldn‟t…………… her UNIT 2: PLANTS SECTION A: READING Activity 1: Warm up: Group works Answer the questions a What kinds of plants you know? b How many parts does a plant consist of? Activity 2: Vocabulary teaching - photosynthesis (n): This is a process by which green plants turn carbon dioxide and water into food using energy obtained from light from sun - starch (n): It is a white carbohydrate food substance found in potatoes, four, rice, etc.; food containing this - chlorophyll (n):This is the green substance in plants that absorb light from the sun to help plants grow - pigment (n): coloring material used as paint or dye; colored substance in cells Activity 3: Reading PLANTS Plants are living organisms consisting of innumerable tiny cell They differ animals in many ways but the most important difference is that plants can build up valuable organic substances from simple material The most important part of this building process, which is called photosynthetic, is the production of carbohydrates such as sugars, starches and cellulose Photosynthetic In photosynthetic a special green substance called chlorophyll uses light energy (normally sunlight) to change carbon dioxide and water into sugars (carbohydrates) in the green parts of the plant The daily amount of photosynthetic is limited by the duration and intensity of sunlight The amount of carbon dioxide available is also a limiting factor Shortage of water and low temperatures can also reduce photosynthesis The cells which contain chlorophyll also have yellow pigment such as carotene Crop plants can only build up chlorophyll in the light and so any leaves which develop in the dark are yellow and cannot produce carbohydrates Oxygen is released during photosynthesis and the process may be set out as follows: (energy) chlorophyll Carbon dioxide + water + oxygen n CO2 Carbonhydrates + H2O (light) = (CH2O)n + nO2 carbohydrates + This process not only provides the basis for all our food but also it supplies the oxygen which animals and plants need for respiration The simple carbohydrates such as glucose, may build up to form starch storage purposes, or to cellulose for building cell walls Fats and oils are form from carbohydrates Protein material, which is an essential part of living cells made from carbohydrates and nitrogen compounds Task 1: Understanding the text and answer the questions a What is the main difference between plants and animals? b What decides how much photosynthesis takes place in a day? c What is the reason for crop plants having yellow leaves? d What will be formed after the photosynthesis? Task 2: Dealing with vocabulary a Look at the first paragraph and say what these words refer to: - line 1: they - line 3: which b Look at paragraph again and say what words in the text have the same meaning as: - very small - cannot be counted - not complicated c Look at the paragraph and say what words have the same meaning as: - length of time - alter - quantity d Look at paragraph again and say what words have the opposite meaning to: - cannot be obtained - increase - excess e Look at paragraph Which words correspond to the definition? - a tiny unit of living matter - something made up of two or more combined parts - a body - building substance which is important for good health Task 3: Finding interesting things Teacher uses 3-2-1 strategy to check their understanding, and heighten students‟ engagement with text * things you discovered…………… * interesting things………………… * question you still have…………… SECTION B: LISTENING Activity 1: Listen to a conversation between students and a professor What is the conversation mainly about? a some new plants in the Amazon Rainforest b some new animals in the Amazon Rainforest c how to protect the Amazon Forest d a trip to Amazon Forest According to the professor, Amazon Forest is a Amazonia b Amazon Jungle c Both A and B d none is correct What the students think about the Amazon rainforest? a The forest is dangerous b The forest is wonderful c The forest needs to be protected d This is an old forest What does the professor imply when he says this: a The Amazon rainforest was short-listed in 2008 as a candidate to one of the New7Wonders of Nature b The rainforest likely formed during the Eocene era c Deforestation has declined significantly in the Brazilian Amazon since 2004 d In 2005, parts of the Amazon basin experienced the worst drought in one hundred years Why does the professor mention the helicopter? a To take a trip to the Amazon rainforest b To rescue people c To prepare for the next lesson d To buy a plane Activity 2: Listen again and answer the questions: What are they going to next week? How will they go? What are they going to prepare? What are students‟ opinions about environmental conservation there? SECTION C: SPEAKING Activity 1: Discussion What are the differences between plants and animals? * Plant and animal comes down to cell structure Plants Animals - have a tough, cellulose wall - able to move - cannot move - animals take in oxygen and give off - have chloroplasts that photosynthesize carbon dioxide as a byproduct matter from carbon dioxide and sun - complex nervous system - take in carbon dioxide to help create - as animals take their carbon from plant material and give off oxygen as a organic substances byproduct - fixed growth - use the energy from the sun to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into simple sugar to build its body - plants take their carbon from the air - most plants can grow indefinitely, branching out in many directions Activity 2: Discussion How to protect plants and animals? Ss work in groups of students and a conversation or a play SECTION D: WRITING Activity 1: Task 1: Draw a growth process of a plant basing on the text Task 2: Writing a summary of the text Activity 2: Writing a report T gives a text of Bach Ma National Park Supposing that Ss have gone to Bach Ma Now they write a report of what they observed in Bach Ma Useful Expressions * Introduction - The aim/ purpose of this report is to …… - In order to/ to/ So as to prepare this report, I visited… * Reporting impressions and findings - it seems/appears that… - It is interesting/ surprising/strange that… - I find it interesting to… - The study/ visit confide that… * Summing up - In conclusion, - In sum/ In brief/ Briefly - To sum up/ In short - In general/ Generally speaking… * Making a recommendation - In my opinion/ I think that - According to me - I would like to say that… - I would recommend that… Bach Ma National Park (Vietnamese: Vườn quốc gia Bạch Mã) is a protected area in central Vietnam, near the city of Hué Bach Ma National Park is situated in the Annamite Mountains and is one of the wettest places in Vietnam Its mountains are composed mainly of granite, and the topography of the park is generally very steep It covers 220 km² and comprises three zones: a strictly protected core area, an administrative area and a buffer zone As of 2004, the park is being considered for expansion in order to create a larger protected area that will create a corridor from the border with Laos to the sea It was first protected as a series of forest reserves in 1937, and was declared a protected area by the government of South Vietnam in 1962 In 1986 the area was established as a national park The forests of the park, like Cat Tien National Park, suffered from the use of defoliants like Agent Orange during the Vietnam War The main vegetation type is moist evergreen forest and montane forest, as well as areas of scrub and grassland where human disturbance has been high The mammal fauna of the park is not well-known, though historically held important species such as Asian Elephant, White-cheeked Gibbons and Red-shanked Douc langurs It also protects important bird species, ezpecially Vietnamese endemics such as the Crested Argus, the Annam Partridge, as well as the previously considered extinct Edward's Pheasant SECTION E: LANGUAGE FOCUS Activity 1: Word forms Complete the following sentences, using appropriate forms of the words in parentheses Ecotourism helps provide finds for …………………………… (conserve) An ounce of ……………… is better than a pound of cure (prevent) Fire should be kept away from national parks for the ………………of rare plants and animals (protect) The plants in this park are in an excellent state of ………………(preserve) I‟ll call the airline and make a………………for my trip to Hanoi next week (reserve) Activity 2: Pronunciation CONSONANT CONTRAST [ð] AND [d] CHARACTERISTICS sound Voicing Duration [ð] than voiced continuant [d] Dan voiceless stop SENTENCES WITH CONTEXTUAL CLUES (initial) (medial) (final) I don‟t DARE to go THERE Are THOSE the men who DOZE? By THEN he‟ll be in the DEN He LOATHES carrying big LOADS How does this BREED manage to BREATHE? MINIMAL SENTENCES (initial) (medial) (final) 10 When will THEY/DAY come? It‟s forbidden to THOSE/DOZE in class That teacher LOATHES/LOADS his students They SOOTHE/SUED him Rabbits BREATHE/BREED quickly MINIMAL PAIRS Initial than – Dan their – dare then – den they – day though – dough Medial other – udder worthy – wordy writhing – riding father – fodder lather – ladder Final sheathe – she‟d lathe – laid seethe – seed loathe – load teethe – teed SPEAKING AND LISTENING PRACTICE Sit with a partner Briefly take turns practicing the minimal pairs Points as you say each one Your partner should listen for correct pronunciation Take turns choosing minimal sentences and saying each with one of the sounds You partner should listen and point to which sound he/ she heard POST TEST [ ð ] = When you hear the sound [ð] as in than, write [ d ] = When you hear the sound [ d ] as in Dan, write If you hear, “than – than – Dan,” you should write: – – If you hear, “breathes – breeds – breathes,” you should write: – – Example 1…… Example 2………… Activity 3: Grammar Task 1: Some special cases of Passive Voice Imperative sentences: Form: Active: Verb + Object + adjunct Passive: Let + O + be + PP + adjunct Ex: Pay the money here Let the money be paid here Causative form Form: Active: S + have + O1 + bare inf + O2 Active: S + get + O1 + to – inf + … Passive: S + have / get + O2 + PP Ex: I had him cut my hair yesterday = I got him to cut my hair yesterday I had/ got my hair cut yesterday Verbs of perception Form: Active: Passive: Ex: S + V + O + bare-inf/ V-ing S+ passive form + to-inf He saw her coming She was seen to come Verbs of opinion (say, believe) Form: Active: Passive: S1 + V + (that) + Clause (S2 + V + O2) It + passive + that clause S2 + passive + to-inf/ to have + PP Ex1: People said that he was a thief It was said that he was a thief = He was said to have been a thief Ex2: People said that she had gone to Ho Chi Minh City It was said that she had gone to Ho Chi Minh City She was said to have gone to HCM City need/ want/ require + to-inf S + need/ want/ require + V-ing / to be + PP Ex: Someone ought to plant the trees The trees need planting/ to be planted Task 2: Exercise Rewrite the sentences so that the meanings stay the same: ……………………………………… No one has signed the cheque They said that napoleon died from poison ………………………… People think that someone murdered Mr Smith ………………………… Someone ought to plant the trees We smell the fish frying ……………………………………… ……………………………………………… Task 2: Exercise Use the words in brackets in the passive voice: He (think)………………to have attacked a young boy in the park I hate (stare)…………….at by other people So far, he (not see)………………anywhere You (give)……….a big surprise by all the members in your family You (see)………… to come in my house days ago? SECTION F: HOMEWORK Exercise1: Turn these sentences into the opposite voice ………………………… He objects to people laughing at his appearance They don‟t let children play with matches ………………………………… We have had some problems at the university recently I don‟t believe that this play was written by Shakespeare …………………… ………………… Do they make those tractors in this country, or they import them? Exercise 2: Supply the correct word form He got rid of the ………… by opening the window (smell) The cost of …………must be paid by the buyer (carry) How ……… of you to break that cup (care) You must take ………….for him because he has been ill (allow) His long ………….made us bored and sleepy (speak) ……… Appendix G RELIABILITY ANALYSIS OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS Scale: ALL VARIABLES Reliability Statistics Cronbach's N of Alpha Items ,756 25 Item-Total Statistics Scale Cronbach's Scale Mean Variance if Corrected Alpha if if Item Item Item-Total Item Deleted Deleted Correlation Deleted Q1 89,2667 63,067 ,153 ,759 Q2 89,5333 64,552 ,041 ,769 Q3 88,3333 61,524 ,496 ,741 Q4 89,2667 68,495 -,171 ,799 Q5 88,4667 64,695 ,060 ,764 Q6 88,5333 60,124 ,538 ,736 Q7 88,8000 60,743 ,309 ,748 Q8 87,8000 61,600 ,571 ,740 Q9 88,7333 51,210 ,817 ,701 Q10 88,2000 67,600 -,138 ,770 Q11 87,8000 65,743 ,058 ,759 Q12 88,5333 68,552 -,245 ,772 Q13 89,3333 59,810 ,432 ,739 Q14 88,9333 60,924 ,339 ,745 Q15 88,3333 60,524 ,338 ,745 Q16 88,6667 53,524 ,832 ,707 Q17 87,8667 63,838 ,296 ,750 Q18 88,3333 62,667 ,370 ,746 Q19 88,5333 59,695 ,580 ,734 Q20 88,2000 65,171 ,302 ,753 Q21 88,6000 57,971 ,632 ,728 Q22 88,1333 60,267 ,586 ,735 Q23 87,9333 62,495 ,488 ,743 Q24 89,8667 63,267 ,075 ,771 Q25 88,4000 59,543 ,486 ,737 Scale Statistics Std N of Mean Variance Deviation Items Reliability Statistics Cronbach's N of Alpha Items 92,2667 66,495 8,15446 25 Descriptives statistice Descriptive Statistics Minimu Maximu N m m Mean MEANQUS 15 3,00 4,32 3,6907 Valid N 15 (listwise) Std Deviation ,32618 Teachers’ perceptions of writing skill N =15 Q15 (good essays in terms of format) Q16 (good essay in terms of language use) Q19 (making mistakes in using expressions) Q21.(meeting difficulties in using discourse markers) Q22 (various types of essays) M (SD) 3.93 (0.96) 3.60 (0.98) 3.73 (0.70) 3.67 (0.81) 4.13 (0.63) Min-Max 2-5 2-5 2-5 2-5 3-5 Mode 4 4 Overall preparation N =15 Q7 (asking experienced students and teachers for advice before the exam) Q11 (practicing managing the time well for each section) M (SD) 4.40 (0.51) Min-Max 4-5 Mode 4.13 (0.63) 3-5 Appendix H RELIABILITY ANALYSIS OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha N of Items ,821 25 Item-Total Statistics Corrected Item- Cronbach's Scale Mean if Scale Variance Total Alpha if Item Item Deleted if Item Deleted Correlation Deleted Qu 88,08 87,404 ,343 ,816 Qu 89,33 91,353 ,178 ,824 Qu 90,03 87,512 ,251 ,825 Qu 88,08 93,046 ,250 ,818 Qu 88,23 94,487 ,108 ,823 Qu 88,23 89,871 ,373 ,814 Qu 88,70 86,164 ,545 ,806 Qu 88,68 84,430 ,613 ,803 Qu 89,03 79,102 ,796 ,791 Qu 10 89,08 89,046 ,468 ,811 Qu 11 89,60 95,426 ,009 ,829 Qu 12 88,55 97,844 -,152 ,829 Qu 13 88,63 87,984 ,522 ,808 Qu 14 88,78 91,307 ,228 ,820 Qu 15 88,30 87,754 ,523 ,808 Qu 16 88,38 85,933 ,530 ,807 Qu 17 88,33 88,481 ,509 ,809 Qu 18 88,70 89,241 ,347 ,815 Qu 19 88,75 87,782 ,547 ,808 Qu 19 88,75 87,782 ,547 ,808 Qu 20 88,18 93,225 ,168 ,822 Qu 21 88,35 89,105 ,477 ,811 Qu 22 88,28 87,538 ,550 ,807 Qu 23 88,25 90,859 ,315 ,816 Qu 24 88,13 93,753 ,169 ,821 Qu 25 88,60 89,477 ,307 ,817 Scale Statistics Mean 92,30 Variance 96,421 Std Deviation 9,819 N of Items 25 Descriptive Statistics N Minimum MEANS 40 Valid N (listwise) Maximum 2,36 Mean 4,32 Std Deviation 3,6920 ,39278 40 Students' perception Descriptive Statistics N Minimum cluster_student_viewpoints 40 Valid N (listwise) Maximum 2,36 Mean Std Deviation 4,36 3,6839 ,40532 40 Mean Std Deviation Students' experience Descriptive Statistics N Minimum Clusters2 40 Valid N (listwise) Maximum 2,40 4,40 3,7100 ,46288 40 Students’ difficulties N =40 Q.3 (Singaporean accent) Q.6 (vocabulary items in reading texts) Q.9 (expression in essays) Q.16 (misunderstanding in interview) Q.20 (long and difficult reading texts) M (SD) 3.92 (0.97) 4.08 (0.77) 3.27 (1.19) 3.92 (0.97) 3.32 (1.10) Min-Max 1-5 2-5 1-5 1-5 1-5 Mode 4 4 Students’ experience and preparation for reading skill N =40 Q.10 ((similar reading format to TOEFL text)) Q.17 (practicing answering with different types of reading questions) M (SD) 2.88 (1.00) 3.22(0.77) Min-Max 1-5 1-5 Mode 3 ... 2.2.3 Syllabus design A language teaching syllabus involves the integration of subject matter (what to talk about) and linguistic matter (how to talk about it); that is, the actual matter that makes... facilitate the process of analyzing as well as interpreting research data of MA students majoring in Theory and Methodology of ELT In the terms of course books for international examination preparation, ... category of syllabuses This type of syllabus is considered to be taken a broader approach than the grammatical one 2.2.2.2 Structural/ grammatical syllabus Ur ( 199 6) assert that a grammatical