UNIVERSITY OF EL SALVADOR

WESTERN MULTIDISCIPLINARY CAMPUS

FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

RESEARCH WORK:

A STUDY OF THE MAIN FACTORS THAT PROVOKED SPEAKING SKILL

DEFICIENCIES THAT INTENSIVE ADVANCED ENGLISH I STUDENTS OF
LICENCIATURA EN IDIOMA INGLÉS, OPCIÓN ENSEÑANZA AT THE WESTERN
MULTIDISCIPLINARY CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF EL SALVADOR
ENCOUNTER AFTER EXCLUSIVELY RECEIVING ONLINE CLASSES IN THE YEAR
2022.

PRESENTED BY:

CABRERA MENDOZA, KATHERINE SARAI

LOPEZ QUINTANILLA, RUTH VICTORIA

MAGAÑA TOBAR, NANCY MARIELA

VARGAS AGUILAR, WENDY GUADALUPE

ADVISOR:

MSc. BLANCA ESTELA MARROQUÍN VALIENTE.

SANTA ANA, EL SALVADOR, CENTROAMÉRICA

INDEX
CHAPTER III................................................................................................................4

METHODOLOGICAL DESIGN.................................................................................4

3.1 Paradigm of Type of Study....................................................................................4

3.2 Sampling Procedure...............................................................................................5

3.3 Preliminary Phrase.................................................................................................5

3.3.1. Approaching the Field of Study......................................................................5

3.3.2 Diagnostic Study..............................................................................................5

3.3.2 Definition of the Problem................................................................................6

3.4 Planning Phase.......................................................................................................6

3.4.1 Literature Review............................................................................................6

3.4.2 Operationalization of Variables.......................................................................7

3.4.3 Data Collection Instruments............................................................................7

3.4.4 Validation of Data Collection Instruments......................................................9

3.4.5 Validity and reliability.....................................................................................9

3.4.6 Ethical aspects.................................................................................................9

3.5 Execution Phase...................................................................................................10

3.5.1 Data Collection Procedure.............................................................................10

3.5.2 Data Processing.............................................................................................11

3.5.3 Data analysis and interpretation....................................................................11

3.6 Timeline...............................................................................................................12

3.7 Budget..................................................................................................................14

3.7.1 Supplies.........................................................................................................15

3.7.2 Services..........................................................................................................16
 APPENDICES..............................................................................................................17

APPENDIX A: TEACHER’S INTERVIEW.............................................................17

APPENDIX B: STUDENTS’ DIAGNOSTIC QUESTIONNAIRE..........................18

APPENDIX C: ORAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS.................................................20

APPENDIX D: OBSERVATION CHECKLIST.......................................................21

APPENDIX E: WRITTEN TEST..............................................................................22

APPENDIX G: AUTHORIZATION REQUEST FOR DIAGNOSTIC STUDY

LETTER.................................................................................................................................25
 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGICAL DESIGN

To conduct the research “A STUDY OF THE MAIN FACTORS THAT PROVOKED

SPEAKING SKILL DEFICIENCIES THAT INTENSIVE ADVANCED ENGLISH I
STUDENTS OF LICENCIATURA EN IDIOMA INGLÉS, OPCIÓN ENSEÑANZA AT THE
WESTERN MULTIDISCIPLINARY CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF EL
SALVADOR ENCOUNTER AFTER EXCLUSIVELY RECEIVING ONLINE CLASSES IN
THE YEAR 2022” researchers must organize all the processes by which they will go through.
After describing the paradigm and design of the research, researchers included all the phases
the study will go through. The study will be divided into three phases: the preliminary phase,
the planning phase, and the execution phase. In the preliminary phase, investigators will
determine the presence of a problem or the absence of it. In the planning phase, the researchers
will select tools to develop the study, and in the execution phase, the researchers will conclude
the investigation. Besides, the study will comprise a timeline, which will help the researchers
be organized and know when each activity will be developed. 

3.1 Paradigm of Type of Study

The present study will be conducted with the quantitative paradigm since several pre-
categorized questions are closed questions. In addition, the hypothesis will be tested using
several tools that will be created objectively. These tools will provide the research data that
will be tabulated to analyze the results and then prove if the hypothesis will become true or
false. Moreover, as the paradigm will be quantitative, the type of study will be a descriptive,
explanatory one because the researchers will establish the causes of speaking skill deficiencies
in Advanced English I students. Besides, the researchers will describe the variables of the
phenomenon as well as the characteristics of the phenomenon. The study will be conducted by
means of observations, interviews, and questionnaires addressed to students and teachers.
Finally, the researchers will be detached from the studied population all the time being, and
the results of the study will be essentially free from beliefs. 
3.2 Sampling Procedure

Intensive Advanced English I group 1 encompasses 25 students, a group that is made

up of women, men, teenage girls, and teenage boys. Every group comprises people with
different academic habits, values, competencies, and skills. This group is led by 2 professors
using different didactic methodologies. Researchers followed a sampling procedure in which
researchers selected the group to study randomly from the six groups that were the total
population of Intensive Advanced English I students. Group 1 is a representative group of the
total population.

3.3 Preliminary Phrase

For making the preliminary phase, the researchers managed to approach the field of
study through actual observation. Then by conducting the diagnostic study on the established
population, the researchers defined the problem.

3.3.1. Approaching the Field of Study 

Researchers observed that First Advanced English I Students struggled with speaking
skill deficiencies after exclusively receiving online classes. From that point, researchers started
investigating the issue. They interviewed the professors in charge of the subject and group 1 to
verify that the observed problem was a problematic situation faced by students. Furthermore,
researchers found that when students were asked to participate in speaking activities during
classes, they could achieve some of the evaluated criteria; however, they did not show the
required amount of speaking skills according to their level.

3.3.2 Diagnostic Study 

In September 2019, the researchers prepared, developed, and concluded the diagnostic
study through observation. First, they determined the most suitable tools to conduct the study
by taking into account the following: a 5-question interview (Appendix A) was led by the
teacher of the population; also, a questionnaire (Appendix B) was conducted to the population
directly; also, observation of student’s classes and interview evaluations (Appendix C) was
done. All the questions and checkpoints to deliver the diagnostic study were previously
profoundly analyzed. The researchers got in face-to-face contact with the person in charge of
the group to establish a date to apply the three tools and collect the necessary data to identify
or not the existence of the problems. By considering the tutor’s answers, tabulation of the
student’s test results, and observations conclusions, the researchers started to define the
problem.      

3.3.2 Definition of the Problem

The English Advanced I students' low vocabulary level was not well understood and
defined. With the data collected in the diagnostic study, the researchers could determine the
problem and establish the problematic situation's characteristics. The researchers found that
English Advanced I students showed a low vocabulary level when participating in class and
performing their interview evaluations since it could be identified that they still had problems
to solve. These problems were observed from the observation of the student's interviews and
class participation as researchers realized that though students could apply the information
they receive in classes, students tended to use the exact words in their interviews, making their
speaking sound repetitive. Also, since students didn’t have a variety of vocabulary, they
showed difficulties in their fluency and joining their ideas correctly, making this one of the
most common observations in their grades. Other observations were students’ grammar
knowledge, spelling, pronunciation, and intonation difficulties. 

3.4 Planning Phase

To build the theoretical framework during the planning stage, the researchers went
through the procedure of conducting a literature review. The researchers searched for
information from various reliable resources at that time, which helped them operationalize the
variables. Being in control, the investigators may develop and validate the instruments to be
utilized for data collection; these instruments must be the best for gathering the required data.
As a result, the formation of ethical considerations will occur concurrently with the assurance
of validity and reliability, processes that determine the quality of the research.

3.4.1 Literature Review

To ensure and support an excellent Theoretical Framework, the researchers created it

with relevant information. The first step to collecting that important information was the
researchers searching on the net to find information regarding the phenomenon. The
researchers based the literature review on e-books, research projects, articles, and educational
platforms. The second step was essential to interview a professional in the area with questions
that helped the researchers to have broad information. After the researchers collected all the
information, it was necessary to evaluate and select the most relevant data for creating the
Theoretical Framework, which is divided into four main topics: lack of exposure to the
English language, deficiency of individual effort, technical issues, and absence of appropriate
teacher-instruction and materials. The researchers used The American Psychological
Association (APA) to cite their consulted sources. Regarding the format of the paper, the
researchers used 12 points, times New Roman, double-spaced in lines, 2.5 centimeters for the
top, bottom, and right margins, and 3 centimeters for the left one, and they used indentation at
the beginning of each paragraph.

3.4.2 Operationalization of Variables

In the operationalization, researchers had to analyze and define the measurements of

the phenomenon; that is to say, they describe each of the variables that influence the topic of
study. This operationalization was necessary to make the study variables clearly
distinguishable, measurable, and understandable for the investigation. Researchers had to
create a chart in which they stated the research question, and from that point, they came out
with the objectives, which were separated from the chart into general and specific. Afterward,
the researchers wrote the hypothesis, the units of analysis, and the population to study. Later,
the variables had to be taken out from each objective to define the indicators that were the
measurable factors that affected each variable. Finally, the researchers planned the necessary
tools as quizzes, interviews, and questionnaires, considering that each tool will measure each
indicator. Also, time was taken into consideration for administering the tools.

3.4.3 Data Collection Instruments.

The data collection instruments will help researchers measure information regarding
the speaking skills of the study participants. These instruments will be founded on the
following indicators from the operationalization of variables: social barriers, inadequate
speaking activities, class distraction, class participation, poor internet connectivity, and
scarcity of appropriate technological equipment.

The first instrument researchers prepared was a questionnaire that students from
Intensive Advanced English I will answer according to their experience. The questionnaire
(Appendix A) contains fifteen questions that address various factors that may or may not
prompt students' speaking skill deficiencies. Researchers chose to use Closed-ended questions,
and the scale of the responses will go as follows: YES, and NO. By administering this
questionnaire, researchers will have a clearer idea of the factors students feel may affect their
speaking performance.

The second instrument the researchers designed was an oral interview with open-ended
questions that will be addressed to the teacher in charge of the subject. This interview
(Appendix B) will consider the following aspects: the interactions students have in speaking
activities, the impact of cultural and social exposure on students, the influence of technological
issues on students' performance, and the assessment provided to students. This interview will
help the researchers further understand the phenomenon from an expert's perspective.  

As a third instrument, researchers elaborated an oral interview that will be conducted

with the study participants to assess their speaking skills (Appendix C). The aspects taken into
consideration to evaluate students' responses will go as follows: attention and interest, a clear
introduction, an indication of subject value, a logical outline, sufficient support, and a well-
structured conclusion. Furthermore, the scale on which the researcher will evaluate those
aspects will be from 1 to 10, with 1 meaning terrible and 10 meaning excellent.  

As a fourth tool, researchers elaborated an observation checklist (Appendix D) based

on the following aspects: fluency, coherence lexical resource, range grammatical range, and
pronunciation accuracy. This instrument will not be addressed to the population of interest but
will be used by the investigators when conducting the observational study. This observation
will help the researchers to obtain information about the learners' performance in class
participation and in-class speaking activities. 

Then, researchers created a grading speaking skill quiz (Appendix E) to evaluate

students' capacity to put knowledge into context. The results will be assessed and graded from
1 to 10 based on the following aspects: voice quality, speech rate, grammar, pronunciation,
vocabulary, and accuracy. By applying this test, researchers will measure learners' capability
to answer questions in a social context.

Finally, researchers devised a written test (Appendix F) to find out if a shortage of

vocabulary due to the online conditions affected their development of speaking skills. The test
will be divided into three parts. In the first one, learners will match vocabulary to its
corresponding definition. In the next part, they will write the definition of some vocabulary
that will be presented. In the final piece, students will create sentences using the previous
vocabulary they wrote the definitions of. The vocabulary presented in the test will be
according to their academic level. Based on the results, researchers will determine if
insufficiency of vocabulary is related to their absence of speaking skills.

3.4.4 Validation of Data Collection Instruments

The previously mentioned instruments must go through a process of observation and

analysis to guarantee their assertiveness. Moreover, this process will be accomplished by some
teachers and advisors from the Foreign Language Department of the University of El
Salvador. The researchers will ask these experts to check any faults the instruments may have
(grammar mistakes, punctuation, the questions' clarity, and the effectiveness of the tools).
Furthermore, to guarantee that the instruments are precise and truthful, the experts will be
required to provide hints or clues to the researchers so that they will modify or improve the
tools. After, the validation process will take place, and the suggested changes will be made.
Finally, investigators will be settled to administer these tools to the target population.

3.4.5 Validity and reliability. 

To guarantee that the instruments previously mentioned will gather truthful

information, the researchers will use two essential validity criteria when designing them.
Therefore, face validity and content validity will be implemented to ensure that the number of
items is equally proportional to the number of indicators and to guarantee that the instrument's
items will be based on each indicator. For instance, using both validities, the researchers will
look forward to measuring the indicators in the studied population. Moreover, the researchers
will check that all the items included in the tools are straightforward and well-structured for
the population. To secure the heterogeneity of the questionnaire responses, it will be
conducted with the students of Intensive advanced English I so that the researcher can have
more trustworthy information. The researchers will guarantee that the population is willing to
answer the instruments and give clear instructions to the study participants. Finally, all these
aspects will prompt that the information collected will be reliable.
 3.4.6 Ethical aspects. 

Ethics examines what is morally right or wrong, just or unjust. In a research

investigation, ethicality must be one of the most important aspects. In this research,
investigators will be aware of ethical aspects that will help ensure the transparency of the
work. For this, researchers will respect the ideas, values, and principles of each investigator
that comprise the team. Besides, every participant in the population of interest will be
respected regardless of their religious or sexual preferences. The researchers will ensure that
the study participants maintain their anonymity and dignity alongside the investigation
process.  

Moreover, the information gathered will be adequately managed by the investigators to

guarantee good results in the investigation. As part of this, investigators will recognize the
writers of the information that will be taken into account as part of the investigation.
Acknowledging the previous work that other researchers and scientists did is prime to
avoiding plagiarism. 

Finally, researchers will objectively process and analyze the data obtained and ask the
study participants to answer truthfully. By doing this, investigators will avoid a biased result in
the investigation. All these ethical aspects will be considered to ensure that the investigators'
work will be developed precisely.

3.5 Execution Phase

The Execution phase covers the data collection procedure, data processing, and data
analysis and interpretation. In this phase, researchers express how the data will be collected,
processed, analyzed, and interpreted. All of these will be done to prove the hypothesis.

3.5.1 Data Collection Procedure

After validating the instruments (questionnaires, class observation checklist, and

interviews), researchers will administer these tools to the studied population to gather the
necessary information for the purpose of the research. They will conduct a session to examine
students’ level of proficiency in speaking skills and to collect students’ opinions to analyze the
main factors that have provoked speaking skill deficiencies after exclusively receiving online
classes. Also, to administer the instruments mentioned above, researchers will ask the teacher
in charge of the subject permission through a letter signed by the head of the language
department and a research team representative. Moreover, during the sessions, researchers will
administer the data tools. The first tool to be used is the questionnaire to examine each
indicator of each variable presented in chapter 2; for this, research will gather information to
analyze more profound students’ problematic situations. The second tool to be used is an
interview with some students to collect data about their development in speaking skills and if
online modality has affected their development in speaking skills. It will also determine four
aspects, accuracy, pronunciation, vocabulary, and fluency. The third tool is an observation
checklist to evaluate students’ development during class time to verify the main components
of the shortage in speaking skills. The following tool is a test that will determine two aspects.
One is the students’ precision in understanding, and the second one is to reveal the student’s
knowledge and validity of vocabulary. Finally, an online quiz will be used to measure
students’ speaking skills, this quiz will have 5 questions and students will be able to choose
which question they would like to answer orally. All this data obtained from the
implementation of each of the instruments will be triangulated to support or reject the
hypothesis.

3.5.2 Data Processing

           Once the researchers have gathered the information from the data collection
phase, they will continue to the data processing phase. For instance, they will examine that all
instruments are well filled out. Besides, the researchers will organize all this data and put them
in a pie graph by using Microsoft Excel 2019 to get a more comprehensive, precise, and
efficient idea of the data analysis. By the time the researchers will have collected and ordered
the results, it will be more likely for the researchers to give evidence of the main factors that
provoked speaking skill deficiencies in intensive advanced English I students of Licenciatura
en Idioma Ingles Opción Enseñanza at the Western Multidisciplinary Campus of the
University of El Salvador in the year 2022.

3.5.3 Data analysis and interpretation 

After collecting, classifying, and organizing the information, researchers will continue
to the next step, data analysis and interpretation. The data analysis procedure will be as
follows: To start, the results of each answer from each instrument will be presented with
numbers and percentages. Second, researchers will triangulate the results; they will compare
and contrast the information obtained from the questionnaires, interviews, and observation
checklist from classes with the Theoretical Framework to see if some similarities or
differences can generate a discussion among the researchers. Finally, researchers will be able
to come up with conclusions to verify if the objectives proposed were achieved or not. After
all this, researchers will authenticate if the hypothesis was proven or refuted.
 3.6 Timeline

ACTIVITY DOER 2022 2023

AUGUS SEPTEMB OCTOBE NOVEMB FEBRUA MARC APRI
    MAY
T ER R ER RY H L
CHOOSE THE RESEAR
               
REASEARCH TOPIC CH TEAM
DEFINITION OF THE RESEAR
               
PHENOMENA CH TEAM
APPROACH THE
RESEAR
STUDY OF THE                
CH TEAM
FIELD
RESEAR
DIAGNOSTIC STUDY                
CH TEAM
STATEMENT OF RESEAR
               
THE PROBLEM CH TEAM
RESEAR
PLANNING PHASE                
CH TEAM
LITERATURE RESEAR
               
REVIEW CH TEAM
DESIGN OF
RESEAR
THEORETICAL                
CH TEAM
FRAMEWORK
OPERAZIONALIZAT RESEAR
               
ION OF VARIABLES CH TEAM
REVISION ADVISOR                
ELABORATION OF
RESEAR
METHODOLOGICAL                
CH TEAM
DESIGN
ELABORATION OF RESEAR
               
INSTRUMENTS CH TEAM
INCORPORATION RESEAR
               
OF SUGGESTIONS CH TEAM
RESEAR
VALIDATION OF CH TEAM
               
INSTRUMENTS AND
EXPERTS
RESEAR
EXECUTION PHASE                
CH TEAM
RESEAR
DATA COLLECTION                
CH TEAM
RESEAR
DATA PROCESSING                
CH TEAM
RESEAR
DATA ANALYSIS                
CH TEAM
RESEAR
FINAL PROTOCOL                
CH TEAM
 3.7 Budget

The research presents different charts containing the budget, supplies and services that
will be used during this research investigation.

No. ITEM COST AMOUNT SUBTOTAL

8 Pens $0.25 $2.00

12 Pencils $0.20 $2.40

1 Printer Ink $10.00 $10.00

1 Printer Paper $5.00 $5.00

pq

1 Stapler $2.50 $2.50

1 Staples $1.50 $1.50

pq

100 Printed pages $0.10 $10.00

200 Photocopies $0.02 $4.00

Internet $4 per week (per 6 months) $96.00

Food expenses $20 per week (per 6 months) $480.00

Transportation expenses $12 per week (per 6 months) $288.00

TOTAL EXPENSES $901.40

 3.7.1 Supplies

The following chart is to provide the supplies needed for this investigation. This chart
contains the type of supply, the cost per item, the number of items that will be used, and the
total amount of expenses.

Number of
Type of supply Name Cost/ per item Total
items

Pens $0.25 8 $2.00

Pencils $0.20 12 $2.40

Printer Ink $10 1 $10.00

Office supplies
Printer paper $5.00 1 pq $5.00

Stapler $2.50 1 $2.50

Staples $1.50 1 pq $1.50

Total $23.40
 3.7.2 Services

The following chart is to provide the budget of the services required to carry out this
investigation. In this chart we will find, the type of service, the cost, and the total amount.

Services Costs Total

Printed pages $0.10 per page (100 pages) $10.00

Photocopies $0.02 per page (200 pages) $4.00

Food expenses $20 per week (per 6 $480.00

months)

Transportation expenses $12 per week (per 6 $288.00

months)

Internet $4.00 per week (per 6 $96.00

months)

Total $878.00
 APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: TEACHER’S INTERVIEW.

UNIVERSITY OF EL SALVADOR

WESTERN MULTIDISCIPLINARY CAMPUS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

RESEARCH METHODS 2022
DIAGNOSTIC STUDY

OBJECTIVE: GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE LEVEL OF VOCABULARY

OF ADVANCED ENGLISH STUDENTS I.

DIRECTION: Answer the following questions by giving sustainable information about

all the items presented. Your information will be kept anonymous; thus, you can be
sincere.

1. In which way do you implement peer interactions when elaborating speaking

activities?
2. Do your students engage in speaking activities inside the classroom?
3. How do you think the lack of cultural and social exposure to English affects your
students' speaking skills?
4. Do you think that technology has negatively influenced students speaking skills?
5. Due to online modality and the implementation of speaking skills, in which area
do you believe students need more improvement?
6. On a scale from 1-10, how would you grade students' vocabulary, pronunciation,
accuracy, and fluency?
7. In which cases do you consider it necessary to provide feedback to your students?
8. What activities do you consider necessary to provide assessment to your students?
9. From your experience, what is the most common learning style in students?
10. If you, for example, have 50 students, how many of them do you consider will pass
the subject?
11. How many evaluations do you do per month?
 APPENDIX B: STUDENTS’ DIAGNOSTIC QUESTIONNAIRE

UNIVERSITY OF EL SALVADOR

WESTERN MULTIDISCIPLINARY CAMPUS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT
RESEARCH METHODS 2022
DIAGNOSTIC STUDY

OBJECTIVE: TO GATHER EVIDENCE RELATED TO THE STUDENTS’

SPEAKING SKILLS.

Diagnostic questionnaire addressed to Intensive Advanced English I students of

“Licenciatura en Idioma Inglés Opción Enseñanza”, semester II-2022 at the University
of El Salvador.

NOTE: THE INFORMATION IN RESPONSES OBTAINED FROM THIS

QUESTIONNAIRE IS ENTIRELY ANONYMOUS. THEREFORE, FEEL FREE TO
ANSWER HONESTLY.

INSTRUCTIONS: CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT YOU CONSIDER

GENERALITIES

Direction: Choose the box of your choice.

Gender: Female________ Male________

Age

17 - 20______

21 - 25______

Status: Single______ Married______

QUESTIONS:

1. Do your social interactions allow you to practice the English Language?

a) YES b) NO
2. Do you think that you get restricted regarding social interaction during online classes?
a) YES b) NO
3. Are the speaking practices assigned by your teachers interactive and meaningful?
a) YES b) NO
4. Are in-class speaking activities engaging?
a) YES b) NO
5. Do distractions make you lose concentration in class?
a) YES b) NO
6. Do you prefer activities such as role-plays, case scenarios, discussions, or presentations
to improve your level of speaking?
a) YES b) NO
7. Do you identify yourself with at least one of the following learning styles (auditory,
kinesthetic, visual)?
a) YES b) NO
8. Have you ever felt uncomfortable due to your teachers' correction when you
mispronounce a word?
a) YES b) NO
9. Do you think teachers are always willing to help you improve your pronunciation?
a) YES b) NO
10. Did you have issues with poor internet connectivity when in a virtual modality?
a) YES b) NO
11. Do you think that technical issues affect your development in speaking skills?
a) YES b) NO
12. When speaking activities were developed asynchronously, was it complicated for you
to deliver assignments?
a) YES b) NO
13. If your answer to the previous question was yes, was it because of excessive data
usage?
a) YES b) NO
14. Do you have a functional electronic device at home?
a) YES b) NO
15. If your answer to the last question was no, did this hinder your learning process?
a) YES b) NO
 APPENDIX C: ORAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

UNIVERSITY OF EL SALVADOR

WESTERN MULTIDISCIPLINARY CAMPUS

LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

ORAL INTERVIEW ADDRESSED TO INTENSIVE ADVANCED ENGLISH

STUDENTS

OBJECTIVE: COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT THE MAIN CAUSES

AFFECTING SPEAKING SKILL DEFICIENCIES.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Ask students the following questions to recollect data based on their opinions.

QUESTIONS:

1- Has being exclusively in an online modality limited you to practice your speaking
skills?
2- Do you consider you study enough to learn something new every day?
3- Have you ever thought that technological issues can hinder you to learn new
vocabulary?
4- Talking specifically about the speaking skill, in a scale from 1-10 how much would
you grade your knowledge?
5- Would you like to have better teacher instruction to be able to have better speaking
skills?

GRADING CHECKLIST ON A SCALE FROM 1-10

1- Attention and interest

2- Clear introduction
3- Indication of subject value
4- Logical outline
5- Sufficient support
6- Well-structured conclusion
 APPENDIX D: OBSERVATION CHECKLIST

UNIVERSITY OF EL SALVADOR

WESTERN MULTIDISCIPLINARY CAMPUS

LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

NON-PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION CHEKLIST.

OBJECTIVE: TO ASSES STUDENT SPEAKING PERFORMANCE DURING CLASS

PARTICIPATION.

DIRECTIONS: Mark with an “x” the choice of your preference based on what you have
observed during the classes.

SCALE: 5= very good, 4=good, 3=regular, 2=needs work, 1= bad

SPEAKING SKILLS 1 2 3 4 5
Fluency and Coherence
Speaks fluently with only rare repetition or self-correction;
Speaks coherently and develops topics fully and appropriately
Lexical resource and range
Express with some flexibility and appropriateness, giving
effective descriptions and expressing viewpoints on a variety
of topics.
Grammatical range and accuracy
Complex sentence use and minor grammatical occurrence.
Pronunciation
Pronounces words correctly, articulates clearly, intonates appropriately
Interaction (Listen and respond)
 APPENDIX E: WRITTEN TEST

UNIVERSITY OF EL SALVADOR

WESTERN MULTIDISCIPLINARY CAMPUS

LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

WRITTEN TEST ADDRESSED TO STUDENTS

OBJECTIVE: GRADE THEIR LEVEL OF ACCURACY BASED ON VOCABULARY,

TO SEE IF LIMITED VOCABULARY HAS AFFECTED THEIR SPEAKING SKILLS.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Part I: Match the vocabulary with the correct definition and write a–h next to the
numbers 1–8.

1. a protest a. a refusal to go to school or work because

you disagree with an employer or the
government
2. climate change b. an event where people do something in
public (e.g. shouting or carrying signs) to
show their unhappiness about something
3. a strike c. a fuel (e.g. coal, oil or natural gas)
formed from the remains of dead plants
and animals
4. the Paris Agreement d. types of energy that are available in
almost endless quantities (e.g. solar
power, wind power)
5. endangered e. the warming of the world and changes in
weather as a result
6. a coral reel f. a United Nations agreement between
countries promising to take action on
climate change
7. a fossil fuel g. (about animals or plants) at risk of
completely dying out.

8. renewable energy h. a line coral (a living thing that looks like

a rock) in the sea
 Part II: write the definition of the next words

Abnegation:
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Demagogue:

___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Vociferous:
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Largesse:
___________________________________________________________________________________
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Part III: write one sentence per each word.

Abnegation:
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Demagogue:
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Vociferous:
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Largesse:
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APPENDIX F: MINI QUIZ

UNIVERSITY OF EL SALVADOR

WESTERN MULTIDISCIPLINARY CAMPUS

LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

OBJECTIVE: GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR DEVELOPMENT

IN THE SPEAKING SKILL

INSTRUCTIONS:

Provide students 6 questions, and ask them to choose two of them to answer in an oral way.

QUESTIONS:

1- What would you consider to be your greatest achievement?

2- Can massive failures ever contribute towards a person’s success?
3- How has the internet changed the way we communicate?
4- What negative effects has the internet had on our social lives?
5- Which forms of communication will become obsolete?
6- How can we use technology in education?

GRADING CHECKLIST ON A SCALE FROM 1-10

 1- Voice quality ____
2- Rate of speech ____
3- Grammar ____
4- Pronunciation ____
5- Vocabulary ____
6- Accuracy ____________
APPENDIX G: AUTHORIZATION REQUEST FOR DIAGNOSTIC STUDY LETTER

UNIVERSITY OF EL SALVADOR

WESTERN MULTIDISCIPLINARY CAMPUS

LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT
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