Can I evaluate the effectiveness of classroom lessons and activities based on student perception and is this perception connected to certain student characteristics such as age, gender, nationality and level of education?
Debra Blaine, RIRAL
TABLES : GOALS and FREQUENCY survey information
back to Debra Blaine's report narrative
GOALS A1 I am learning English to get a job.
| yes | % | no | % | ||||
| AGE | 20-36 | 9 | 90% | 1 | 10% | ||
| 44-69 | 5 | 56% | 4 | 44% | |||
| SEX | male | 3 | 50% | 3 | 50% | ||
| female | 11 | 85% | 2 | 15% | |||
| YEARS of EDUCATION | |||||||
| 4-8 | 8 | 89% | 1 | 11% | |||
| 9-14 | 6 | 60% | 4 | 40% |
The 20-36 age group was more interested in employment then the older age group.
Older students may find that jobs are more difficult to come by whereas younger students may have an easier time finding employment.
Women were more interested in getting jobs than men.
Those with 4-8 years of education were more interested in finding jobsthan those with higher levels of education.
Students with more education may have different goals for their futures (GED, college, career).
GOALS A4 I am learning English to enter a job training program.
| yes | % | no | % | ||||
| AGE | 20-36 | 6 | 60% | 4 | 40% | ||
| 44-69 | 6 | 67% | 3 | 33% | |||
| SEX | male | 2 | 33% | 4 | 67% | ||
| female | 10 | 77% | 3 | 23% | |||
| YEARS OF EDUCATION | 4-8 | 5 | 56% | 4 | 44% | ||
| 9-14 | 7 | 70% | 3 | 30% |
Both age groups had close yes percentages
More women than men were interested.
Students with more education responded "yes". These students may realize that job specialization is necessary for future employment.
GOALS A5 I am learning English to enter college in the future.
| yes | % | no | % | ||||
| AGE | 20-36 | 7 | 70% | 3 | 30% | ||
| 44-69 | 3 | 33% | 6 | 67% | |||
| SEX | male | 2 | 33% | 4 | 67% | ||
| female | 8 | 62% | 5 | 38% | |||
| YEARS of EDUCATION | 4-8 | 3 | 33% | 6 | 67% | ||
| 9-14 | 7 | 70% | 3 | 30% |
Younger students were more interested then older students;
These students have more time to pursue a college education.
Women responded with a higher percentage than men.
Students with higher levels of education answered yes 70%;
These students may feel more able to see college in their future.
A6 I am learning English to help my children with their schoolwork and communicate with their teachers.
| yes | % | no | % | ||||
| AGE | 20-36 | 5 | 50% | 5 | 50% | ||
| 44-69 | 4 | 44% | 5 | 56% | |||
| SEX | male | 2 | 33% | 4 | 67% | ||
| female | 7 | 54% | 6 | 46% | |||
| YEARS of EDUCATION | 4-8 | 3 | 33% | 6 | 67% | ||
| 9-14 | 6 | 60% | 4 | 40% |
Younger and older students were not very far apart here, however, more women answered yes than men.
Many female students, married or single, have told me that they are usually the ones to communicate with their childrens' school and help them with their homework. This is probably why this is an important goal for this group.
Students with higher levels of education responded yes 60% of the time. These students may feel better qualified to help their children with homework.
GOALS A7 I am learning English to become a citizen
| yes | % | no | % | ||||
| AGE | 20-36 | 8 | 80% | 2 | 20% | ||
| 44-69 | 2 | 22% | 7 | 78% | |||
| SEX | male | 3 | 50% | 3 | 50% | ||
| female | 7 | 54% | 6 | 46% | |||
| YEARS of EDUCATION | 4-8 | 2 | 22% | 7 | 78% | ||
| 9-14 | 8 | 80% | 2 | 20% |
The 20-36 age group responded "yes" 80% of the time while older students responded "yes" 22% of the time. Younger students may feel more confident about passing the test.
Those with more education said "yes" 80% of the time. These students may understand the pros and cons and political implications of citizenship more fully.
It may have been a good idea to also ask each student how long they've been in the U.S. and see if there was any connection here.
GOALS A8 I am learning English to be more independent.
| yes | % | no | % | |||||
| AGE | 20-36 | 10 | 91% | 1 | 9% | |||
| 44-69 | 8 | 89% | 1 | 11% | ||||
| SEX | male | 5 | 100% | 0 | 0% | |||
| female | 12 | 92% | 1 | 8% | ||||
| YEARS of EDUCATION | 4-8 | 8 | 89% | 1 | 11% | |||
| 9-14 | 9 | 100% | 0 | 0% |
Understandably, all categories showed a very high percentage of yes answers to this question.
FREQUENCY OF ENGLISH A10 Do you speak English at home?
| yes, a lot | % | sometimes | % | never | % | ||
| AGE | 20-36 | 1 | 10% | 6 | 60% | 3 | 30% |
| 44-69 | 2 | 22% | 6 | 67% | 1 | 11% | |
| SEX | male | 1 | 20% | 3 | 60% | 1 | 20% |
| female | 2 | 15% | 8 | 62% | 3 | 23% | |
| YEARS of EDUCATION | 4-8 | 3 | 33% | 5 | 56% | 1 | 11% |
| 9-14 | 0 | 0% | 7 | 70% | 3 | 30% |
All groups responded sometimes with a higher percentage than yes or never.
This is understandable since people communicate in their own language at home.
FREQUENCY OF ENGLISH A11 Do you speak English at work?
| yes, a lot | % | sometimes | % | never | % | |||
| AGE | 20-36 | 3 | 30% | 5 | 50% | 2 | 20% | |
| 44-69 | 1 | 11% | 6 | 67% | 2 | 22% | ||
| SEX | male | 1 | 17% | 4 | 67% | 1 | 17% | |
| female | 3 | 23% | 7 | 54% | 3 | 23% | ||
| YEARS of EDUCATION | 4-8 | 0 | 0% | 8 | 89% | 1 | 11% | |
| 9-14 | 4 | 40% | 3 | 30% | 3 | 30% |
Again, most students do sometimes speak English at work.
Many jobs that ESL students have do not require a lot of communication. Also, many nationalities seek each other out during work lunch breaks and coffee breaks. They speak English only when they have to communicate with supervisors, office staff, etc.
The only interesting thing here was that students with less education responded yes more than those with higher levels. I'm not sure why this is true. It may have to do with these students not wanting to make mistakes.
FREQUENCY OF ENGLISH A12 Do you speak English on the phone?
| yes, a lot | % | sometimes | % | never | % | |||
| AGE | 20-36 | 3 | 30% | 5 | 50% | 2 | 20% | |
| 44-69 | 2 | 22% | 6 | 67% | 1 | 11% | ||
| SEX | male | 2 | 33% | 2 | 33% | 2 | 33% | |
| female | 3 | 23% | 9 | 69% | 1 | 8% | ||
| YEARS of EDUCATION | 4-8 | 3 | 33% | 4 | 44% | 2 | 22% | |
| 9-14 | 2 | 20% | 7 | 70% | 1 | 10% |
Sometimes was the answer of choice. Women responded sometimes more than men. It is often said that women talk more.
Those with higher levels of education responded sometimes 70% of the time. This may be a confidence issue, though I'm not really sure why this is true.
FREQUENCY OF ENGLISH A13 Do you speak English with your friends?
| yes, a lot | % | sometimes | % | never | % | |||
| AGE | 20-36 | 1 | 10% | 6 | 60% | 3 | 30% | |
| 44-69 | 1 | 11% | 8 | 89% | 0 | 0% | ||
| SEX | male | 0 | 0% | 5 | 83% | 1 | 17% | |
| female | 2 | 15% | 9 | 69% | 2 | 15% | ||
| YEARS of EDUCATION | 4-8 | 2 | 22% | 6 | 67% | 1 | 11% | |
| 9-14 | 0 | 0% | 8 | 80% | 2 | 20% |
Sometimes was the top answer here.
I was surprised that in a social situation, students would choose sometimes over never (unless their friends are English speaking). I should have made the question more specific.
FREQUENCY OF ENGLISH A14 Do you speak English in your community?
| yes, a lot | % | sometimes | % | never | % | |||
| AGE | 20-36 | 0 | 0% | 9 | 90% | 1 | 10% | |
| 44-69 | 2 | 22% | 6 | 67% | 1 | 11% | ||
| SEX | male | 1 | 17% | 3 | 50% | 2 | 33% | |
| female | 1 | 8% | 12 | 92% | 0 | 0% | ||
| YEARS of EDUCATION | 4-8 | 2 | 22% | 6 | 67% | 1 | 11% | |
| 9-14 | 0 | 0% | 9 | 90% | 1 | 10% |
Again, sometimes had the highest percentage in all groups.
The younger students spoke English more than the older group. Older students may use younger children (friends, relatives) to act as translators or may seek out community services that speak their language.
Students with more education did this more than those with less education; these students may know how to access services better.