TEACHERS PERCEPTION ON ASSESING PUPILS ORAL SKILL (READING ALOUD) IN RURAL PRIMARY SCHOOL.

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

TEACHERS PERCEPTION ON ASSESING PUPILS ORAL SKILL (READING ALOUD) IN RURAL PRIMARY SCHOOL.

1. INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we will be looking on the background of the study, problem statement, research objectives, research questions, significance of the study, limitation of the study and operational definitions

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Reading aloud is a planned oral reading of a book or printed literary composition,

usually related to a theme or topic of the learnt lesson (The Elementary Science Integrations Projects, 2010). It can be used to engage the student listener while developing background knowledge, increasing comprehension skills, and fostering critical thinking. Reading aloud can be applied to model the use of reading strategies that aid in comprehension. Reading aloud the good books; a book which draws you in with the first chapter and keeps your attention throughout, can become a tradition and favourite activity in the classroom. According to Elizabeth Kennedy, 2008, a good book is a picture book in which the illustrations are as important as (or even more important than) the words in telling the story. One of the most important things teachers can do in preparing their students for success in the classroom and in comprehending their reading is to read aloud with them (The Elementary Science Integrations Projects, 2010). Beth Hurst, Kathleen B. Scales, Elizabeth Frecks, Kayla Lewis in the article "Sign Up for Reading: Students Read Aloud to the Class" in The Reading Teacher magazine suggest that giving students the opportunity for daily reading aloud activities gives them practice, which improves their reading. They suggest having a reading list of students so that a different student reads each day in class. There are many benefits which the students can get from the reading aloud activities. Firstly, the students build listening and comprehension skills through discussion during and after reading. Secondly, they can increase their vocabulary foundation by hearing words in context and also, they can improve their memory and language skills as they hear a variety of writing styles and clarify their understanding. Fourthly, the students can gain information about the

TEACHERS PERCEPTION ON ASSESING PUPILS ORAL SKILL (READING ALOUD) IN RURAL PRIMARY SCHOOL.

world through reading aloud. They also will develop individual interests in a broad variety of subjects and they develop imagination and creativity; the better way to build skills which foster inquiry (The Elementary Science Integrations Projects, 2010). For me, reading aloud is very important in education, especially in primary school. It is important because it will trigger the natural curiosity of students especially when they are reading narratives book. Reading out aloud is an excellent method of improving an ESL student's reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills (Paul Kuehn, 2012). It could improve proficiency in all four language skills. Without reading out aloud, reading can be a quite boring passive skill. By reading out aloud, the students use the language in an active manner, and English lesson becomes more interesting and exciting. This is especially the case when the student has a teacher reading articles and stories that make the language come to life through intonation, stress on words, tone of voice, and all the theatrics; ways of behaving or of doing something that are intended to make people notice you rather that to achieve a particular aim (MacMillandictionary.com, 2012), involved in reciting a movie script. The students who read out aloud have also improved their vocabulary and writing skills. By reciting words, expressions, and sentences, a student is more likely to remember and understand the language than by just passively glancing at it. If a student reads out aloud, he or she improves sentence structure fluency. This is done by grouping the correct number of words with both the subject and predicate of a sentence. If this is done, it will carry over to writing and assist the student in writing better sentences and paragraphs (Paul Kuehn, 2012). So, in order to ensure the reading aloud is successfully carried out among the students, the assessments of reading aloud should carefully be done. It should be assessed because the teacher needs to ensure the comprehension and how the students see and express their reading through pronunciation. An assessment of reading aloud can measure a student's strengths and weakness in pronunciation. Assessment tests can confirm whether that student is gifted (naturally born or environment) in reading the text above their reading level or not. This can justify placement in an advanced reading group or enrichment class. Secondly, an assessment test may also help students to find out about their weaknesses. A student may believe she understands certain reading material only to find out she is not up to grading standards. Such testing can be particularly useful in elementary school, when the opportunity to get guidance is much easier. Students in Year 1 to Year 6 in primary school may just need a bit of help with reading rather than facing greater cognitive deficits as they approach secondary school. Thirdly, a standardized assessment can help identify pedagogical methods that really work. The teacher may discover that previously thought-out theories pertaining to specific
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TEACHERS PERCEPTION ON ASSESING PUPILS ORAL SKILL (READING ALOUD) IN RURAL PRIMARY SCHOOL.

educational practices do not work in actual practice. This can help improve education in the primary grades as teachers switch to more effective teaching methods. Fourthly, social promotion is the practice of promoting children to the next grade even though they have not mastered grade-appropriate material. An assessment test can provide written proof that the student is not ready to advance to the next level in certain assessment and may need extra help. The teacher may decide to do extra activities for reading aloud to catch up to his peers and earn a true promotion. Lastly, standardized assessment testing can help school district officials decide where best to allocate educational resources. The teacher may discover that students are not reading at grade level (ehow.com, 2012). Based on the result of reading assessment, some teachers in certain school may decide that it makes sense to start an after-school program (extra-class) focusing exact attention on student weaknesses or even offer bonuses for teachers who can help students do better academically.

TEACHERS PERCEPTION ON ASSESING PUPILS ORAL SKILL (READING ALOUD) IN RURAL PRIMARY SCHOOL.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

Assessment is an integral part of the teaching and learning process. As outlined in the Irish Primary School Curriculum (1999), it is through assessment that the teacher constructs a comprehensive picture of the short-term and long-term needs of the child and plans future work accordingly (Primary School Curriculum, 1999, p.17). The primary purpose of assessment is to assist teachers in enhancing their pupils learning by providing information about their knowledge, their understanding of concepts and their mastery of skills, with a view to planning learning programmes for each pupil (INTO (Irish National of Teachers Organization), 1997, p.67). According to the NCCA (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment) guidelines, assessment is that part of the learning process where the learner and the teacher can evaluate progress or achievement in the development of a particular skill, or in the understanding of a particular area of knowledge(NCCA, 2007). As such, it is an integral part of teaching and learning in all areas of the Irish Primary School Curriculum. It is about the gathering of information on the learning process of each child, over time, by the teacher, and the using of that information to shape future planning of work. As stated in the guidelines, Assessment is the process of gathering, recording, interpreting, using and reporting information about a childs progress and achievement in developing knowledge skills and attitudes and it is about building a picture over time of a childs progress and /or achievement in learning across the Irish Primary School Curriculum (NCCA, 2007, p.7). This view is supported by OLeary in his definition of educational assessment as the process of gathering, recording, interpreting, using and communicating information about all aspects of a learners development (social, emotional, physical, cognitive) to aid decision making (OLeary, 2006). Based on above explanations, it is a concrete proof that assessment is important in education. Malaysias education have experience a dramatic growth since 2011, where the education system has been changed from Kurikulum Berasaskan Sekolah Rendah (KBSR) to Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah (KSSR). KSSR, a new assessment system is the improvement of KBSR, the current centralized examination. In KSSR, a Standard Performance Document is built as a teachers guidance in improving the school assessment aligning to Guidance Performance Standard. The Guidance Performance Standard is the process of attaining the information about how far the students know, could do and then demonstrate well what he/ she have learnt throughout the year.
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TEACHERS PERCEPTION ON ASSESING PUPILS ORAL SKILL (READING ALOUD) IN RURAL PRIMARY SCHOOL.

One of the elements in the KSSR that need to be assessed in the performance standard is reading aloud. These assessments have to be carried out in order the student to pass a lower band and move to the higher band. According to Annisa Nor Jettey, 2006 in her study, English Language Teachers Perception And Management Of Learners Oral Communication Apprehension revealed that oral language does not play a part in the determination of grades, thus the development of the speaking skill was not given equal emphasis in the language classrooms and thus further marginalizing oral communication apprehension learners. Thus, it lead to the issues of assessing the reading aloud skill, where many of the teachers in rural primary school did not assess pupils enough in oral skill especially in reading aloud. Sometimes, they just give mark to pupils without assessing it. Why these situations happen? All teachers know how important these assessments should be carried out. They were informed about it during attending the KSSR course. There is one part of the course informing the importance of carrying out all the assessment in standardized test, including reading aloud. According to a study done by Weir (1994), teachers have indicated negative feelings towards the school-based oral English assessment. They have complained that it is being imposed on them and also about time constraints. During the preliminary study some teachers expressed the same feelings that the school-based oral English assessment has been imposed on the teachers and also that it is too time consuming. They have to concentrate on the teaching and learning process as well as assessment at the same time. Based on the study done by Hamzah Md.Omar and Paramasivan Sinnasamy (Universiti Malaysia Sabah), in Between the ideal and reality: teachers perception of the implementation of school-based oral English assessment, they found that the teachers are faced with time constraints and handling large numbers of students but at the same time they have indicated a positive perception towards the implementation of the School based Oral English Assessment. There is no reason teachers should ignored reading aloud assessment as it is as important as writing assessment. Given the situation, it is time, a serious action should be taken in studying the possible reasons why these situation happen through teachers perception on assessing oral skill (reading aloud) especially in rural primarily school.

TEACHERS PERCEPTION ON ASSESING PUPILS ORAL SKILL (READING ALOUD) IN RURAL PRIMARY SCHOOL.

1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

This study aims to explore a rural primary school English language teachers perspective on assessing the reading aloud. This finding will help a) To investigate teachers perception on assessing pupils oral skill proficiency in reading aloud in rural primary school. b) To identify differences of teachers perception on assessing pupils oral skill proficiency in reading aloud in rural primary school in terms of teachers years of teaching experiences and level of educations. c) To explore factors that contributes to teachers perception on assessing pupils oral skill proficiency in reading aloud in rural primary school.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This study seeks to answer the following research objectives: 1. What are teachers perceptions toward assessing pupils oral skill proficiency in readin g aloud in rural primary school? 2. Are there any differences in teachers perceptions toward reading aloud assessment between teacher with less than five years teaching experiences and teacher with more than five years teaching experiences? 3. Are there any differences in teachers perceptions toward reading aloud assessment between teacher with different level of education (Diplomas, Degrees and Master)? 4. What are the factors that contribute to teachers perception assessing pupils oral skill proficiency in reading aloud in rural primary school?

TEACHERS PERCEPTION ON ASSESING PUPILS ORAL SKILL (READING ALOUD) IN RURAL PRIMARY SCHOOL.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Although there is no concrete evidence that shows the teachers differences in years of teaching experiences and their level of educations leads to the ignorance of assessing the reading aloud in standardized test, the findings are important to find out whether both of these statements are the contributing factors to this problem. If the results show that these factors contribute to their ignorance, some serious action should be taken for improvement. Secondly, these findings are important to find out the level of awareness among teachers on this problem and how importance reading aloud assessment in teaching and learning. This study will benefit the District Education Officer and State Education Officer to conduct any reinforcement courses in helping all the teachers by reminding them on the importance of assessing the oral skills. Thirdly, by this study, the factors that contribute to this problem will be known and will be counter to reduce it. Lastly, with the result in hands, hopefully, some actions will be taken to defeat this problem as to improve students education and improving Malaysias education in the future.

TEACHERS PERCEPTION ON ASSESING PUPILS ORAL SKILL (READING ALOUD) IN RURAL PRIMARY SCHOOL.

1.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

There are a few limitations that the researcher will face in conducting this study. Firstly, this study should be conducted by taking all the samples from each primary school in area in Terengganu which included seven district areas, Besut, Marang, Kuala Terengganu, Hulu Terengganu, Setiu, Kemaman and Dungun. Due to limitation in time and cost, the researcher will conduct it in one district area only, which is Besut. So, there is possibility of inaccurate result to represent all the sample will be gain. Secondly, not all rural primary school in Besut have English-option teacher (majoring in TESL). Some of the school in Besut have only non-option English teachers and none English-option teachers at all. So there will be unbalance distribution of sample taken where there are possibilities that certain school are not included as well. There also possibilities in which 4 samples are taken from one school, while 1 or 2 samples from other school. This is due to the scattered English-option teacher in rural primary school in Besut. Thirdly, due to the limitation of times to collect information and the cost of carrying out the research, the research will face difficulties to distribute questionnaires to all possible school in Besut. There are 54 primary schools in Besut. The researcher would not be able to cover up all this school due to limitation of social connection and time. So, the researcher will only distribute questionnaire to the school that she can reach out. Fourthly, the readiness of samples to participate and give the accurate and honestly in answering surveys questions. Some of them are not ready to accept their weakness thus lead them to give inaccurate answer; the answer that covering their weakness. There will be possibility that inaccurate result will be collected. Hence, the researcher should plan the question survey carefully in order to avoid from having other problems.

TEACHERS PERCEPTION ON ASSESING PUPILS ORAL SKILL (READING ALOUD) IN RURAL PRIMARY SCHOOL.

1.7 OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS

Below are the terms and its definitions with respect to this research or study:-

a) Oral skill It is the ability to speak well. More specifically, ability to articulate ones knowledge and understanding, use language creatively, use and present material effectively in spoken form, whether in one's own language or a foreign language, in the latter case, to display a command of structure, appropriate pronunciation, use of register, and range of vocabulary. (Mondofacto.com, 2009)

b) Reading aloud A planned oral reading of a book or printed literary composition, usually related to a theme or topic of the learnt lesson (The Elementary Science Integrations Projects, 2010)

c) Assessment The process of gathering, recording, interpreting, using and communicating information about a childs progress and achievement during the development of knowledge, concepts, skills and attitudes. (NCCA, 2007)

d) Educational Assessment as the process of gathering, recording, interpreting, using and communicating information about all aspects of a learners development (social, emotional, physical, cognitive) to aid decision making (OLeary, 2006)

e) Perception
(From the Latin perceptio, percipio) is the organization, identification, and

interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the environment.[1] All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs (Wikipaedia.org, 2013)

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