Language Learning Support Section

Abstract

R & D Background

Purpose & Design

Action Plan

Findings & Analysis

Implications

Remarks

> Findings & Analysis

The evaluation of this project is based on the data collected through the observations the teachers made, the students’ work, as well as the discussions with the teachers involved in the project.

Motivation and attitude to reading

On the whole, the students found the materials interesting and motivating. Some read all the stories in the anthology in just a few days and asked for more after the teachers briefly highlighted the stories in it. Some students expressed that they felt more confident in choosing appropriate English books to read by themselves and they are now more willing to take the initiative to read during their free time than before.

An excerpt from a student’s reflection

Language skills and SBA performances

Many students felt that the materials could help them to develop their reading skills. They showed improvement in their word choice and content in presentations and writing. Some believed that they were able to express themselves more adequately with the new vocabulary and phrases introduced in the module.

An excerpt from a student’s reflection

An excerpt from a student's writing showing his attempt in applying the new words he acquired in the module.

The teachers also noticed students’ improvement in writing stories. In the examination during which students were asked to write a fractured fairy tale, many students were able to demonstrate a clear plot structure and creativity in their stories. More students chose to write their stories from the first person point of view which seldom occurred in their previous stories.

A student’s fractured fairy tale written from the first person point of view

Students were able to deliver a presentation of reasonable length about the stories they read in the SBA-type formative assessment tasks. More students showed an improvement in the content of their presentations in which they could give a summary of the story in a few sentences and tailored the rest of their presentations according to the question given to them. Some students were able to make use of the knowledge they gained from the short stories module, such as twists and characterisation, to enrich the content of their presentations and they displayed more confidence in speaking in front of an audience.