...CHALLENGES STUDENTS FACE IN LEARNING ESSAY WRITING SKILLS IN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MANGA DISTRICT, NYAMIRA COUNTY, KENYA BY NYANG’AU BENARD NYASIMI E55/CE/14078/2009 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF EDUCATION IN THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION KENYATTA UNIVERSITY JULY 2013 * DECLARATION This thesis is my original work and has not been presented for degree in any other university. Signature: ______________________________ Date: ________________________ BY NYANG’AU BENARD NYASIMI E55/CE/14078/2009 We confirm that this thesis was carried out by the candidate under our supervision as university supervisors. Signature------------------------------------------------------ Date-------------------------- Dr .Sophia. Ndethiu. Department of Educational Communication and Technology. Kenyatta University. Signature------------------------------------------------------ Date------------------------- Dr. John. Kimemia. Department of Educational Communication and Technology. Kenyatta University. * DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my loving wife Zipporah Nyasimi and our sons Philemon Siko and Enock Ongeri . * ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I wish to acknowledge the support of those individuals who made it possible for a successful completion of this work. Special thanks go to my supervisors Dr. Sophia Ndethiu and Dr. John. Kimemia for the support, guidance...
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...In the essay, “Aria:Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood,” Richard Rodriguez exposes the readers to the nature of being bilingual and living in America. Richard Rodriguez not only emphasizes the sound of language but also the context behind it. Through his paragraphs, he goes into depth about the education system, the public, private, and intimacy language, and how much coming home has changed over the years for him. In his essay, “Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood”, Rodriguez uses anecdotes, strong arguments, and his own voice to successfully argue that bilingual education is impractical, and a child using their native language as well as English in school and public life is not needed. In the first chapter, Rodriguez talks about the struggles of growing up in a Mexican home but when he leaves his house, he enters a whole new world. Using anecdotes Rodriguez states, “I was a bilingual child, a certain kind - socially disadvantaged - the son of working-class parents, both Mexican immigrants” (Rodriguez 322). Rodriguez uses many anecdotes like this throughout the essay to persuade his readers that being bilingual isn’t an advantage. As a child it can be very difficult going to a school where English is the primary language, and so Rodriguez felt that his native language was one that was private. His language was not socially acceptable by others and so he felt that he was obligated to learn the public language which was English. And until he learned English he didn’t feel welcomed...
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...CSM 104 Research Essay Why you should learn Spanish before you learn French? Speaking a new language helps you to get to know another people and culture, as language and culture go hand in hand. Because language simultaneously is defined by the world around us, learning another language opens one's mind to new ideas and new ways of looking at the world. While most of us can't hope to learn the languages of more than one or two cultures other than that of our own, those that we can learn help us to learn how other people learn and think. In North American, most people choose French and Spanish as their second or third language. Many people believe that Spanish is actually more useful than French, and obviously the foreign language most spoken and studied--by far--in the North America is Spanish. Compare with French, Spanish can offer a wealth of literature of Latin language, both modern and traditional. For example, when you are reading a Latin American websites, you may find that you could gain a sense of how other people think and fee if you know Spanish. As a matter of fact, both of the languages belong to the Latin group of languages. Hence, they show some similarities too. On the one hand, French is spoken by the country of France in the continent of Europe. On the other hand, Spanish is spoken in the country of Spain in the continent of Europe. However, French and Spanish are two languages that show enormous differences between them when it comes to the pronunciation...
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...Hayakawa’s essay ethos are applied numerously through out. Through out S.I’s essay he refers to his own experience about being an American immigrant along with the interest group he created that gives his credibility. For example, S.I. explained to the audience “several years ago, I helped to establish U.S. English, a Washington D.C.- based public interest group that seeks an amendment to the U.S. constitution declaring English our official language…” (paragraph 3). S.I. also specifies about his own experience of being a Japanese immigrant and knowing the important that learning English is. He mentions “I am keenly aware of the things that blind us as Americans…” (paragraph 4). Also, S.I. states “As a former U.S. senator from California…” (paragraph 17) The usage of his experiences, explaining to the audience the interest group, and referring to his previous senator position gives S.I. his credibility. Ethos are particularly important when writing about this subject because if S.I. didn’t have credibility no one wouldn’t consider his point of view. Having credibility is about the subject connects the audience to the author and gives the reader a sense of understanding. 2. S.I starts his argument by relating back to to World War II when immigrants had trouble interacting with English speakers. He then follows up with his argument about making English the official language and why English should be. Also, tells the problem of why students aren’t learning English. Then continues...
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...Jose Santos Professor McGuire English 111 26 July 2014 Bilingual, Bilingualism, and a Forgotten Language In the essays “Aria: a Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood” written by Richard Rodriguez and “Loss of Family Languages: Should Educators Be Concerned” written by Lily Wong Fillmore, the authors are concerned about immigrants forgetting their native languages as they get Americanized. Both authors are targeting a mature audience of immigrants, which have come to America to become citizens. Both authors use concerned tone with hopes that their audience will want to contribute to change. Furthermore, Fillmore draws her evidence from stories of other writers’ essays. Rodriguez, on the other hand illustrates his evidence from personal experiences and memories of his life while growing up. This essay exemplifies the differences and similarity of the evidence used, tones, styles, and the intended audiences. Fillmore’s and Rodriguez’s evidence are similar and different, in their support of the idea of bilingual education in schools. Fillmore’s evidence differs from Rodriguez’s as she uses statics, research, and other writer’s quotes as her support. She uses this Supreme Court’s ruling to show that the court believes immigrants require assistance staying bilingual, “… Lau v. Nichols held that these children must be provided instructional help to overcome the linguistic barrier…” (Fillmore 260). She also cites the story of a Chinese immigrant family that falls apart as the kids...
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...In his essay “Viva Bilingualism” James Fallows argues that America should not fear bilingualism. As learning two languages is possible and English will remain strong. His idea about bilingualism is great, that [B]lilingualism is possible and natural(261). But his essay is not much convincing. Even though he provides many claims to prove his point but overall his argument is not effective because of lack of relevant supporting details for his claims and use of informal tone. Fallows uses many relevant ideas to support his claims. But still, he lacks in giving relevant supporting details for his claims. According to him learning two languages is possible (260). He supports his claim by giving an example of Scandinavians and Swiss who grew up in a place where many...
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...of Languages, Linguistics & Literature DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH CONCEPT PAPER For Seminar Paper By JUVELLE S. CRISTOBAL MAT – ELA June 16, 2012 1st Semester, 2012-2013 A. Title B. Introduction * Rationale * Research Questions C. Review of Related Literature * Foreign References and Related Studies * Local Context and Related Studies D. Methodology * Respondents * Data Gathering Procedure * Research Design * Data Analysis E. Timetable for Research F. References TITLE A Syntactic and Comparative Analysis of Phrase Structure Rules Used in the Written Diagnostic and Term Composition of Freshmen Computer Secretarial Students in Bulacan Polytechnic College (Obando Campus) INTRODUCTION Rationale It is said that language learning is the product of formal instruction and it comprises a conscious process which results in conscious knowledge ‘about’ the language, for example knowledge of grammar rules. Although ‘language learning’ is considered less important than language acquisition, most of what is learned has been coming from the formal teaching in school. It is also said that the acquisition of grammatical structures follows a ‘natural order’ which is predictable. For a given language, some grammatical structures tend to be acquired early while others late. It can be derived that language learning could also be predictable and that grammatical structures are learned in an orderly manner controlled by the series of language teaching...
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...The importance of learning English English is the most widely used language in the world. Therefore, having great English skills will have numerous advantages. Luckily, I have realized the importance of learning English and worked hard on it since I was a child. However, 13 years of learning English experience didn’t lead me to success, but being a person who can hardly communicate in English and definitely unable to write an essay. Once I came to the USA, I knew that I had made too many mistakes in learning English. Those mistakes are translating English into different languages, don’t learn vocabulary as much as I can, and don’t read and write enough. First of all, every language is unique. They usually have different grammar and use of vocabulary, which means learning English by translating it into different languages will lead to an inevitable defeat. For example, I have worked hard on learning a lot of vocabulary by translating them into Chinese. I thought it was a good idea to build up my vocabulary in order to read and write better. However, those translation processes were hugely disappointing. At that time, I failed to express my idea accurately by those translated vocabulary. As a consequence, good grade and improvement seemed untouchable. Also, when I either wrote or read, I had to use Chinese to think about the passage. As a result, I didn’t do it well and did it very slowly. When I came to the USA, I desperately and completely stopped translation. Just a year of time...
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...Argumentative Essay: Why is it so Important to Know More than One Language We live in a multilingual world that is becoming increasingly globalized and it is therefore very important to know more than one language. There are three main reasons for this: an additional language can help you progress in your career, you gain an awareness of other cultures, and it helps increase our understanding and knowledge of our own language. More and more job advertisements are now specifying that they want second, third, and even fourth languages in some cases, and knowing more than one language opens up your prospects in a highly important way. Furthermore, as more and more companies begin to trade internationally, people are frequently beginning jobs for which they need no language skills, but then being asked to relocate abroad, or offered a promotion that requires language skills. Therefore, it helps with career enhancement. Some people refute this claim by saying that there are plenty of other jobs available, but this is simply not the case anymore with the global recession and more countries being international. The second reason that it is important to know more than one language is that it increases cultural awareness and allows you to communicate with different people. All good methods of learning languages also entail learning about another culture, especially when your language skills get to a higher level. This awareness allows people from different nationalities and religions...
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...Cheng Cai Sheila Knight EH100 04/04/12 My English learning experience I was born in a non-English family. I started to learn English when I was in primary school in China. After that, I became gradually interested in this new language and, nowadays, my English level is continuing to improve. From my English learning experience, I have really learned many valuable things. First, it helps me realize not to give up halfway when facing difficulties. Also, it helps me know that I must take everything seriously. Thus, English actually has a significant effect on my life. Studying in the primary school was happy and easy for most of the pupils. For me, it was different. When I heard that I had to learn English in primary school, I was surprised and a little frightened. I was just a Chinese boy and I did not know the knowledge of reading and writing in Chinese very well. How could I learn a new foreign language? I still remember my first English class, and it was really a great challenge for me. In the class, the teacher taught us to say "Good morning" and "Good afternoon." At first, the teacher read the words slowly, and I knew how to pronounce them. Then the teacher asked us to read the sentences one by one, but I suddenly felt nervous and forgot how to read them. When it was my turn, I just read them ambiguously. After class, I felt ashamed, and I did not have confidence to learn English anymore. When I came home and told my mother what had happened,she encouraged me and...
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...Educator Guide to the 2014 Grade 7 Common Core English Language Arts Test THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Regents of The University MERRYL H. TISCH, Chancellor, B.A., M.A., Ed.D. ................................................................ ANTHONY S. BOTTAR, Vice Chancellor, B.A., J.D. ............................................................... ROBERT M. BENNETT, Chancellor Emeritus, B.A., M.S. ....................................................... JAMES C. DAWSON, A.A., B.A., M.S., Ph.D. .......................................................................... GERALDINE D. CHAPEY, B.A., M.A., Ed.D. ........................................................................... HARRY PHILLIPS, 3rd, B.A., M.S.F.S. .................................................................................... JAMES R. TALLON, Jr., B.A., M.A. .......................................................................................... ROGER B. TILLES, B.A., J.D. ................................................................................................... CHARLES R. BENDIT, B.A. ..................................................................................................... BETTY A. ROSA, B.A., M.S. in Ed., M.S. in Ed., M.Ed., Ed.D. ............................................. LESTER W. YOUNG, Jr., B.S., M.S., Ed.D. .............................................................................. CHRISTINE D. CEA, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. .......................
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...An essay is usually a short piece of writing. It is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can be literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition of an essay is vague, overlapping with those of an article and a short story. Almost all modern essays are written in prose, but works in verse have been dubbed essays (e.g. Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism and An Essay on Man). While brevity usually defines an essay, voluminous works like John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Thomas Malthus's An Essay on the Principle of Population provide counterexamples. It is very difficult to define the genre into which essays fall. Aldous Huxley, a leading essayist, gives guidance on the subject: Like the novel, the essay is a literary Abstract This article will examine the reasons why it is important both linguistically and psychologically to build a vocabulary quickly when learning a foreign language. The article asserts that very little can be achieved or learned in a foreign language with a small vocabulary and that by building a sizable vocabulary quite quickly one can soon be able to function adequately. You may also wish to look at http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/95/feb/meara.html Introduction It is obvious that in order to learn a foreign language one needs to learn many many words. But how many? Educated English native...
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...Example assessment & marking criteria |Assessment type: |Learning portfolio | |Subject: |EML110 English Curriculum: Understanding Language and Literacy | | |This subject introduces foundational concepts about language and literacy as sociocultural practices, and theories and models of language acquisition and early literacy | | |development. Students will explore contextual factors that impact language and literacy development such as cultural and linguistic diversity, and the influence of | | |globalisation and new technologies on literacy teaching and learning. Students will critically engage with English Curriculum documents to understand the intent and | | |organisation of English through the strands of language, literacy and literature. Students will develop core practices related to collecting, analysing and interpreting | | |data in order to understand children's early language and literacy experiences in a range of contexts. They will connect these experiences to pedagogical...
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...1) The Spanish title of the essay allowed me to believe that this essay will have some connection with the Spanish language or the Hispanic culture. When we translate the title of the essay it means “I can speak Spanish.”. Therefore, I thought it will be about her frustration and journey of learning a new language, or fitting into the Hispanic culture. Reading the essay further reviled that not knowing Spanish or having the Spanish accent made it easier for her to fit in with the students in her school, but my first thought about the essay was not relevant to any part of the essay. 2) Beginning the essay with this anecdote allows the reader to know this essay could be about someone’s journey and frustration about learning Spanish. It interested...
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...Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Networking in English Language Learning POSTED ON AUGUST 3, 2013 Social Networking in Language Learning Introduction The world of technology and communication has changed rapidly during this millenium era. We can not avoid that and as a matter of fact we will be lag behind if we do not follow it. Information Communication and Technology or ICT has become the major role to bring the world into a more modern and develop. ICT has also shaped the world to be more dynamic than ever before. The world of education get the effect on the rapid changes of ICT. Education now have to adapt with the ICT, if not then there will create gap within education and the society. The education world now is also getting more improve by using ICT. Social Networking or Social Media such as facebook, twitter, WhatsApp and other alike is also product of the development in ICT. According to Wikipedia.com Social Media in Language Learning (SMLL) links interactive social media channels to language learning. This enables students to develop communication and language skills. Social media consist of interactive forms of media that allow users to interact with and publish to each other, generally by means of the internet. (Wikipedia.com). Not many people realize that social media that are used by so many people in the world can be used for language learning. Social media provides the learner with the possibility of participating in actual, real-time, relevant...
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