An evaluation of the learning outcomes of Adamson University's Learning English Assistance Program (LEAP) and its relationship to some variables and operative goals of the English Department

• Main Author: Yasa, Sinforosa Griño
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 1983
• Subjects: English language > Study and teaching > Filipino speakers.
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/1293
• Institution: De La Salle University

Chapter I explains that this work is an attempt to evaluate the learning outcomes of Adamson University's Learning English Assistance Program (LEAP) for freshmen during the first semester of the schoolyear 1982-83 in relation to the type of high school they graduated from, their course choices, sex, age, and family income and their attitudes to some operative goals of the English Department such as the method of instruction, the faculty, and the instructional materials used.It aims to answer the questions hon how the performance of LEAP I students compare with the Non-LEAP students in relation to the variables mentioned, the factors associated with or related to the performance of the students under the LEAP I program, and how the students feel about certain aspects of the program compared with the feeling of Non-Leap students on the same aspect. From these questions, 12 null hypotheses to be tested were constructed.It is the first work on evaluation of the LEAP I program and has no previous information to work on. It hopes to contribute in the improvement of the teaching and learning of the English language in Adamson University through more systematic procedures for developing more effectively the programs already existing.Only the College Scholastic Aptitude Test (CSAT) and the grades in English were used as instruments of measurements.Chapter II presents the related literature to this study as reviewed from foreign and local sources.The researches on gains in achievement showed the use of diagnostic testing of post secondary reading abilities as instruments for identifying specific strengths and weaknesses. Local studies showed positive correlation between vocabulary and students' grades: also shown were the gains achieved on grammar acquisition differentiated from the entry level.On the type of high school they graduated from, a description of the characteristics of a typical American adolescent was included to study more the nature of beginning college students rather than a statistical treatment of them. In local context, Sibayan's study showed preference for sending children to private religious schools rather than public and private non-religious institutions for reasons of discipline and English as the medium of instruction.On studies for course choices, ability and socio-economics levels were common determinants in choosing a college course. Studies showed that boys go to courses that require more skills training and the girls choose to become teachers and housewives.Studies on course choices have been related to specific learning skills and tasks needed in these courses especially in reading on the physical, biological, social and animal sciences.Studies on sexes showed girls to be better language learners and better achievers than boys.Age to be factor in language learning has been found to be a primary cause for disability to respond to language instruction and that vocabulary level is related to age.Studies on family income have demonstrated that lower income facilities score lower on intelligence and academic achievement.Studies on attitudes were found useful to find out the readiness of respondents for a remedial activity, and for course developers in the local scene to consider how the learning of English and Pilipino can be affected by the attitudes of parents, children and teachers alike.Chapter III presents the theory in the measurement of achievement as that observation of learning events that occur closely in time and in the same place is insufficient and that an extra ingredient called 'reinforcement' is necessary for any permament change to occur. It also rests on the fact that severe language disability needs a longer period of time for treatment as it is a relatively chronic illness. The theory on attitudes is based on the principle that attitudes -- can be used in conjunction with situational and dispositional variables to predict and explain reactions of the person to that class of objects. Chapter IV analysed and interpreted the data, with some guidelines to evaluate the merits of the presentations which were the use of the non-directional (two-tailed) test, the .05 level of significance, the grades and data on attitudes treated as interval data with converted grades all subtracted from 6. The 12 tables presented the findings summarised as: All the null hypotheses were accepted except the variables on age which had a significant correlation with the English achievement under the LEAP I and Non-LEAP programs.Chapter V presents the conclusions and recommendations.