PERFORMANCE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ELL) IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE THROUGH SHELTERED INSTRUCTION
ABSTRACT
Integrated science is important in the Nigerian Science Education program because it prepares students in the Junior Secondary School level for a study of core science subjects in the Senior Secondary School level, which leads to students’ interest in science oriented courses at tertiary institutions.
The study’s goal was to confirm the impact of Sheltered Instruction on ELLs’ performance in some concepts in integrated science, the performance of male and female ELLs, their attitude toward science, and students’ perception of Sheltered Instruction as an instructional strategy.
As part of an experimental research design, the study population included all junior secondary school two students in Lagos. Two complete classes were selected from Educational District 1 in Lagos State.
The instruments used to collect data included an Achievement test, a Students Attitude Scale on Science, and an oral interview with students about their perceptions of the use of Sheltered Instruction. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
It was discovered that there is a significant difference in performance between students who received Sheltered Instruction and those who did not. Based on this finding, the researcher suggests that Sheltered Instruction be used as a mode of instruction for science at all levels.
CHAPTER ONE
THE STUDY’S HISTORY
The acquisition of English language skills and proficiency has been linked to student performance in other school subjects. The importance of English as a medium of communication in Nigerian schools stemmed primarily from its utilitarian value to the larger Nigerian society. English is the official language of administration and commerce. Salami (2002).
An English language learner (ELL) is someone who is learning English after having mastered his or her native language (mother tongue). As a result, the term is used to refer to English as a second language (ESL) students in schools where English is the primary language of instruction (Wikipedia, 2011).
Although English language learners (ELL) students come from a variety of backgrounds, they share several needs. Certainly, they need to improve their English skills. They must also learn to read and write in English, as well as maintain a learning continuum in the subject areas (E.g. mathematics, science etc).
Researchers agree that mastering academic English language skills is critical for ELL students’ academic achievement and educational attainment (Ballantyne et al, 2008: Gersten & Baker, 2000: Slavin & Chueng, 2005)
Also, emphasize that poverty, language, and, in particular, proficiency in the medium of instruction are the most significant single factors influencing students’ academic performance. In the science classroom, ELL students must learn the subject matter as well as deal with language comprehension issues.
Taylor and Prinsloo (2005). As a result, teachers face the dual challenge of teaching a specific content area to ELL using English as a medium of instruction while learners struggle with English.
Language is an essential component of science and science learning.
Language was used by scientists and students to make sense of new information and to develop new ideas. Reading, speaking, writing, and listening are all essential components of scientific literacy (Norris and Philips,2003). Learning the language of science is one of the most difficult challenges that students face when learning science (Wellington and Osborne,2001).
It is critical to pay attention to the language used in the classroom in order to improve the quality of science education, and every lesson should, by definition, be a language lesson. (Shaffer 2007, Jaipal, 2001; Wellington and Osborne, 2001) To perform well, students must be able to extend their knowledge of concepts beyond basic vocabulary and engage in and manipulate appropriate discourse (Shaffer,2007).
The peculiar language demands of science pose significant challenges for students, particularly ELLs (Lemke, 2002). Science employs language in specialized ways that differ from the everyday language of many students. According to De Oliveira (2010), these language demands in science may include:
1. Technical terms and their definitions: Technical terms appear in science textbooks and are typically set in bold and defined, but some may appear without definition or the definition may be difficult to find. Furthermore, definitions may contain complex language that ELLs may not understand.
2. Conjunctions with specific roles: In science, a conjunction (e.g. or) can have multiple, targeted roles, all of which can occur within a few paragraphs: The conjunction or, for example, can introduce an explanation or paraphrase as well as a more abstract or technical term.
3. Everyday questions and words with specialized meanings: Science text paragraphs frequently begin with colloquial, informal questions but continue to provide answers in highly technical language. Words with specialized meanings in science may appear repeatedly, confusing ELLs who may only know the everyday meaning of the word.
4.Noun groups presented in a Zigzag structure: Several noun group structures appear in science texts, including head only, pronouns, nouns with pre or post modifiers, and nouns with both pre and post modifiers. Zigzag structuring entails the introduction of a nominal group in one sentence and the tracking of these nominal groups in other sentences, resulting in a Zigzag movement. Lexical content is accumulated through these complex and expanded noun groups, resulting in high lexical density. De Oliveira and Kathryn (2010)
For English language learners to succeed, they must master not only English vocabulary and grammar, but also how English is used in core content classes. Students must be able to read and comprehend expository prose such as that found in textbooks, write persuasively, argue points of view, and take notes from teacher lectures.
They must also be able to articulate their thinking skills in English, make hypotheses and predictions, express analyses, and draw conclusions.
They must, however, learn how to do these tasks, such as creating an outline format, negotiating roles in cooperative learning groups, interpreting charts and maps, and so on.
The major components of academic literacy are the combination of these three knowledge bases—knowledge of English, knowledge of the content topic, and knowledge of how the tasks are to be completed (Short, 2004).
1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
One of the current public-interest educational problems is low achievement, particularly in public examinations (Kolawole and Dele, 2002).
This low level of achievement in many subject areas could be attributed to a poor foundation in English language at the primary school level.
Several studies have found that language inefficiency invariably leads to poor academic performance (Onukaogu, 2002)
Reports from the senior secondary certificate examination (SSCE) support the language-related factors that contribute to students’ weaknesses in reading and writing, such as the inability to follow instructions, make observations, and make correct inferences, according to the WAEC Chief Examiners report (2002).
Dale and Cuevas (2002) discovered that students learning English as a second language have difficulty interpreting the meaning of logical connectors in scientific language.
According to Maleki and Zangani (2007), one of the most serious problems that ELL students face in their specific course of study is difficulty in fully grasping the contents and concepts of various subjects of the curriculum taught in the target language (English language).
This could be due to a lack of proficiency in the English language, the medium of instruction, which could have a negative impact on their overall academic achievement. As a result, the overall performance of Nigerian ESL students is heavily reliant on their command of the English language.
According to the chief examiner’s report (2000), the following issues are associated with science subjects.
-Students’ inability to express themselves well in English on scientific concepts
-Lack of in-depth knowledge in the subject areas
-Students’ inability to document observations during experiments.
-A lack of equipment and facilities to teach some curriculum topics
-Students believe that science subjects must be memorized, so they are unable to transfer their knowledge of basic concepts learned in lower grades.
-Students’ written English is poor (spelling mistakes)
-Failure to follow the instructions on the question paper
-Lack of self-confidence, resulting in copying and repeated cancellations when presenting work.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The primary goal of this study is to investigate the impact of an intervention program (the use of sheltered instruction) on improving English language learners’ performance in integrated science. Specifically, the study seeks to:
1. Evaluating the effect of sheltered instruction on ELL performance in some integrated science concepts.
2. Examining the effect of sheltered instruction on the performance of male and female ELLs
3. Evaluating the impact of sheltered instruction on students’ attitudes toward science
4. Confirming students’ perceptions of sheltered instruction as an instructional strategy.
1.4 THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE
This study will be useful in validating the impact of sheltered instruction on English language learners’ performance in some concepts in integrated science.
This study, on the other hand, will validate the performance of male and female English language learners exposed to sheltered instruction, as well as the impact of sheltered instruction on students’ attitudes toward science. It will also confirm students’ perceptions of sheltered.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Is there a significant impact of sheltered instruction on English language learners’ performance in some concepts in integrated science?
Is there a significant impact of sheltered instruction on the performance of male and female English language learners?
Is there a significant impact of sheltered instruction on students’ attitudes toward science?
1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
1. There will be no significant difference in performance between students exposed to sheltered instruction and those who are not exposed to some concepts in integrated science.
2. There is a significant difference in achievement test scores between male and female English language learners.
3. There is a significant difference in students’ attitudes toward science when they are exposed to sheltered instruction.
1.7 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
This study will be limited to Education District 1 in the state of Lagos. Similarly, students from junior secondary school two (JSS 2) will be involved in this study.
PERFORMANCE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ELL) IN INTEGRATED SCIENCE THROUGH SHELTERED INSTRUCTION
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