Abstract.
This paper is a professional thesis and it is about a computer software called COMPASEL, it was designed
for identifying and learning English grammar structures for technician students
in Telematics Division at Technological
University of Nezahualcoyotl. Because of the importance of the English
language to TUN's students as a professional technician; Telematics' English
foreign language program is fundamental in every step of their learning process,
not only as a regular subject, but for a practical skill in order to interact
with standard international activities in telecommunications. Those
careers hold in Technological University of Nezahualcoyotl provide a major
professional tasks that our country require nowadays, as a result, English
subject is one of the most essential elements to contribute such goal.
This proyect was the result of several observations in which students presented problems in english grammar basic structures: affirmatives sentences,negative sentences, interrogative sentneces, etc. Several diagnostic test were applied in order to stablish the most common " problem grammar structures". After identifying those structures, it was planned and applied certain tasks for helping those students who were having problems in identifying and producing structures (above mentioned). However, time for covering the english program, activities for communicative competence tasks were found not enough to help these students.
Because of the moderm infraestructure presented during 1996-1998 in Telematics, computers were focused as easy and effective tool to solve these problems in a short period of time. No computer sotfware was found adecuated in those days for these specific tasks.
COMPASEL was designed and evaluated as the most accurate tool for Telematic's students problem.
Introduction.
Telematics career started working on Jan. 1996 and it offers, to graduates, a
variety of opportunities in telecommunication, web design, installing networks,
providing technical services and computing field to those graduate students
who decided to join into this challenge. Never the less, English course is part
of this commitment. In this case, English course consists of two levels, "
English one and two". The period, which is reported in this
essay, is from September 1996 to May 1998.
This essay is based on a specific problem focused on English grammar domain in
order to develop four skills. This problem was notorious into students and
it was detected during the period of January to august 1996.
During this time, I applied some diagnostic test, based on the content of
English grammar from the telematics' English syllabus, to the students in order
to identify what I thought it was a common mistake amount them.
Objective.
This proposal was planned to help the telematics students to identify and
practice grammatical structures include them into the English contents as a
foreign language during September 1996 to may 1997.
Development.
Most of my research is based on C.A.L.L. (Computer Assisted Language
Learning); theorical background in Learning English as a Foreign
Language (EFL); drill and practice exercises. As a
result, a computer software was designed called COMPASEL, this computer
software was designed in order to help these students to learn English grammar
structures based on theorical elements in language learning as well as C.A.L.L. They
practiced and identified English grammar structures as many times as the
students considered it was enough to (this process was guided by the teacher in
charge).
Telematics? students worked and practiced COMPASEL from 3 to 9 pm after they finished their regular classes. The practice done by these students took no more than 20 minutes
per student, so in this period of time, these students increased their practice
from 1 to 5 times as long as they used COMPASEL. Three groups of at least 20
students each practiced during January to august 1998. 75 per cent of the
students from these three groups obtained 8 from 10 points during this period of
time. In compare with the diagnostic exams applied in those groups before
COMPASEL was used, the students could not be competent in grammar domain.
Conclution.
Identifying and practicing English grammar structures using COMPASEL increased students' recognition of grammar structures in advance: the students could be able to practice grammar structures after and before the class planned. In other words, students could use structures before the contents were presented in class.
Before
the students use COMPASEL, they had a lot of preblems in order to recognize
grammar structures during class: the students only practice in class and in
some tasks assigned as a homework. The following results show that the students could not be competent in
grammar recognition at the end of the course. Graphics
The following results were optained
by appliying some diagnostic test and the end of each course, and four groups were selected ramdonly for this purpose; diagnostic exams were based on the content of
English grammar from the telematics' English syllabus.
Four groups were selected, during the period of September 1996 to may 1997, the problem was notorious into students.
Below graphic shows the results from those students in which were applied diagnostic exams.
For the other hand, while the students were using COMPASEL everyday during the course, ( not at the end as diagnostic exams were applied), grammar structures became familiar to students, and these were practiced previously. Some of these structures were used by the students into activities: pair work, collaborative tasks, individually participation, etc.
Above graphics presents the result obtained from three groups which practiced and identified structures at least five times during the week from January to august 1998. This task was done, by the students, for about four months. During this period of time, COMPASEL helped to recognize and understand grammar structures previously. As a result, I noticed that the students developed themselves a technique and a stratergy of using grammar in writing and speaking activities, in which the majority of the students could not be competent, based on the content of the english course.
