Dtlls Research Project

Moving on, moving out: A study of students moving fromIntermediate (E3) English study to Upper Intermediate (L1)in an FE ESOL context and what happens to retention,progression and achievement.Paul GallantryDTLLS Year 2 Research assignment, June 2009

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Index

Introduction.........................................3Literature Review.................................4theories of language learning and acquisitionESOL and the Skills for Life programmeThe Learner Study key findingsMethodology.........................................5Findings...............................................6analysis of the cohortscohort achievementfailure in examsanalysis of year-by-year progressionquestionnaire resultsConclusions and recommendations........9Bibliography.......................................11 Appendix a: achievement spreadsheetappendix b: questionnaire sample and collected numbersappendix c: original research proposalappendix d: further questions raised

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Moving on, moving out: A study of students moving from Intermediate(E3) English study to Upper Intermediate (L1) in an FE ESOL context andwhat happens to retention, progression and achievement.

Introduction

The subject of this study arose from the writer's interest in an anecdotally well-attested, but rarelystudied phenomenon: Why is it that non-native language students appear to study English, andstudy it quite successfully, up to an Intermediate level, but then the number of learners whocontinue to Upper Intermediate and further not only declines, but also the rate of exam success of those who progress falters? From personal experience of being Director of Studies in a privatelanguage school, I was aware that our student cohort largely consisted of learners ranging frombeginners to intermediate, with very small numbers progressing any further. Later, working in aFurther Education context, I observed a similar pattern.While the lack of progression and success was an interesting, but not vital, subject in the contextof a private, fee-paying language school, the same issue in FE is far more important becauseprogression, retention, success and achievement have a significant effect on funding for our courses.The issue of lack of student retention, achievement and success at Level One (equivalent to anUpper Intermediate level of language study) is one that has had an impact on the EFL/ESOLdepartment at TVU Reading. By contrast, our Entry Three (equivalent to an intermediate level of language study) rates were high.The aim of this research project is to investigate this phenomenon in the specific context of TVUReading. It will first seek to ascertain the veracity of the following statements:

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Records for exam passes at Entry 3 indicate a high success rate. By contrast, successrates at Level One show a markedly lower rate.

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Few of the Entry Three students actually choose to progress to study at Level One

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Students who move on from Entry 3 to Level One have a lower prognostication for successat the higher level of study, whereas those who directly enter level one from placementtests have a greater chance of success.It will then seek to answer the following questions:

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Do the majority of students need to progress beyond Entry 3, or do they feel they need toprogress?

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How far do extrinsic and intrinsic motivations affect the need for students to progress?

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Would a restructuring of higher level provision alter the number of students who areretained and improve achievement and success?It will look at linguistic theories underpinning current teaching methodologies, in particular referringto second language acquisition (SLA), and why these may lead to an explanation of why thetransition from E3 to L1 is difficult.It will place this issue within a more specific UK context, looking at current ESOL and Skills for Lifepolicies, referring in particular to Cooke and Simpson (2008) and The Learner Study (2008), whichhas conducted research into this field in the context of adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL.This research will then refer to qualitative and quantitative data in the form of data held in successrates for students and from student questionnaires, and seek to infer information

from them inreference to the statements and questions above. Finally, this shall conclude with our findings,suggestions for these findings and recommendations. In the appendix, I will put forward questionsraised by this research that may deserve further study.

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