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NAMIBIA UNIVERSITYOF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
FACULTY OF HUMAN SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND LANGUAGES
COURSE NAME:ENGLISH FOR ACADEMICCOURSE CODE: EAP5115S BURBOSES
DATE: JUNE 2018 MODE: FM
DURATION: 3 HOURS MARKS: 100
FIRST OPPORTUNITY EXAMINATION QUESTION PAPER
EXAMINERS: Mr T. Chunga
Mr A. Ndlovu
Ms E. /Ucham
Mr B. Kamwi
Ms J. Brandt
MsT. Kavihuha
Ms Y. Lyamine
Ms A. Mieze
Mr J. Lasso Rey
Mr M. Silume
Ms. J. Hunter
Ms N. Manyame
Ms R. Nekongo
Ms T. Kanime
Dr A. Straus MODERATOR: Dr T. Frans
INSTRUCTIONS 1. AnswerALL the questions.
2. Write clearly and neatly.
3. Number the answersclearly.
PERMISSIBLE MATERIALS1. Examination paper
2. Examination script
THIS QUESTION PAPER CONSISTS OF 12 PAGES (INCLUDING THIS FRONT PAGE)
SECTION A: READING [50]
Read thefollowing research article and answer the questions below.Thearticle has been
adapted for assessment purposes.
Akdeniz Language Studies Conference 2012
The impact oflistening strategy instruction on academic lecture comprehension: A case
of Iranian EFL learners
Khaled Moradi* Department of English, Takestan branch, Islamic Azad University,
Takestan, Iran
1. Introduction
A.With increasing numbers of students applying for admission into English-medium
universities and colleges, academiclistening skills in English are critical to their academic
success. Lecturing is the most common methodofinstruction in higher education (Scerbo,
Warm, Dember, &Grasha, 1992; Long & Richards, 1994; Morell, 2004). Griffin and Cashin
(1989) estimated that 75% of college courses include lectures as a methodofinstruction.
B.Research similarly suggests that these skills are what college students have to be
equipped with to complete their academic studies smoothly (Flowerdew, 1994, 2005).
Effective listening comprehension skills are essential for students’ academic success
(Benson, 1994; Dunkel, 1991; Flowerdew, 1994; Vandergrift, 2004). Various literatures
have highlighted the importanceof explicit training to improve students’ academiclistening
skills (O’Malley & Chamot, 1990; Oxford, 1996; Hyon, 1997; Swan, 2011). The purpose of
this study is to prepare such students for academic study. During lectures in English, EFL
students are faced with greater difficulties than native speakers because EFL students have
to comprehendsubject matter delivered in English as well as contend with other obstacles
that a lecture could create, such as understanding the lecturer’s accent, and speed of
delivery. EFL students also have to contend withthedifficulty of listening and taking notes
at the sametime, as well as processing visual aids such as presentation slides or textbooks.
This leads to comprehensiondifficulties when EFL studentslisten to academic lectures.
2. Literature review
C.The theoretical framework which underpins learning strategies is rooted in cognitive
psychology and information-processing theory (Anderson, 1980). More recent research on
language learning strategies has shownthat what makes a successful L2 learner and useris
more dependenton the learner’s choice of strategies for a given task or situation (Cohen,
1996b, 1996c; Chamot and El-Dinary, 1999; Khaldieh, 2000; Vandergrift, 2007) rather than
the actual strategy.
D.A numberof studies in listening research support this statement. For example, O’Malley,
Chamot and Kiipper (1989) used verbal protocol methods to compare thelistening
strategies of effective and ineffective high school ESL students, as well as to see whether
the strategies students used paralleled Anderson’s (1985) three theoretical phases of
listening comprehension. They found that effective and ineffective listeners varied as to
the strategies they chose to use during the various phasesoflistening comprehension.
E.Moreeffective listeners made greater use of both bottom-up and top-downprocesses,
while less effective learners becamefixated on individual word meanings. With regard to
listening strategies, O’Malley and Chamot’s (1990) taxonomy ofcognitive, metacognitive
and social-affective strategies and Vandergrift’s (1996; 1997) refined version have to date
gained widest acceptance among researchers. Numerous studies have examined more-
proficient and less-proficient listeners, and findings indicate that more-proficientlisteners
use a wider variety of strategies with greater flexibility, frequency, sophistication, and
appropriateness to meet task demands (Chien and Wei, 1998; Goh, 2002; Smidt and
Hegelheimer, 2004), and employ superior configurations of strategies compared to less
proficient listeners (e.g. Vandergrift, 1997; 1998; 2003). In asimilar vein, Vandergrift (2003)
comparedlistening comprehension strategies of seventh-grade, Canadian French students
ranging from moreto less skilled. Students were instructed to think aloud while listening
to several French texts. Vandergrift found that the more skilled listeners used more
metacognitive strategies, such as comprehension monitoring, than the less skilled
students. The less skilled students were found to use moretranslation as they listened.
Chamot (2005) states that descriptive studies have "confirmed that the good language
learners are skilled at matching strategies to the task they were working on, whereasless
successful language learners apparently do not have the metacognitive knowledge about
task requirements needed to select appropriate strategies” (p. 116).
F.The premise that promoting the use and developmentoflistening strategies through
explicit instruction is conducive to helping learners become moreefficient, effective and
autonomous listeners is evident in recent literature on L2 listening pedagogy (e.g.
Flowerdewand Miller, 2005; Lynch and Mendelsohn, 2002; Rost, 2002; Vandergrift, 2004).
Nevertheless, there are a numberof concernsrelated to listening strategy instruction. For
example, Ridgway (2000) has argued that learners do not have the cognitive capacity to
consciously activate taught strategies and listen simultaneously, and isolating individual
listening strategies for explicit instruction and determining if they are being utilized by
listeners is unrealistic. In addition, Field (1998; 2000) has pointed out that proclivity toward
listening strategy instruction and strategy use depends onan individual’s temperament;
targeting individual listening strategies for instruction may promote the use of those
strategies but may not necessarily lead to improved listening performance; and he
questions whether, following instruction, strategies can be utilized in combination and
appropriately by listeners.
G.More recently, Chen (2005) found learners reported a range of barriers encountered
during a program ofinstruction classified as affective, habitudinal, information processing,
English proficiency, strategic, belief and material, which mayinhibit the learning of listening
strategies. Despite the pedagogical and theoretical arguments, there has been little
associated empirical research conducted, and the few studies thus far have not produced
tangible and consistent findings to convincingly support or refute the efficacy of listening
strategy instruction. For example, studies reported improvementsin the use of someof the
listening strategies taught but not others (e.g. McGruddy, 1995; Rost and Ross, 1991),
listening comprehension posttest results have been mixed (e.g. Ozeki, 2000; Paulauskas,
1994; Thompsonand Rubin, 1996), or methodological concernslimit the weight of positive
findings (e.g. Carrier, 2003).
H.Such a small body of existing research on classroom-based investigations into the
development and implementation of strategy instruction to promote listening
comprehensionin general and of this genre in particular underlines that there is clearly a
need for further research to inform pedagogical practice.
3. Method
3.1. Participants
l.The participants of the study comprised 58 students, both males and females,
participating in two intact classes, which were randomly assigned to a control groups
(N=31) and an experimental groups (N=27). They wereall freshman students ranging in age
from 20 to 26, studying English as a foreign language at the department of foreign
languagesandlinguistic of Takestan University. The two groups were chosen mainly due to
their availability. The participants had studied English at school and institutes for about 8
years.
3.2. Materials
J.Six tests were used as the instruments of the study. A test of TOEFL was administered to
make sure that the participants were of the samelevel of proficiency. The test consisted
140 items in four sections: structure, written expressions, reading comprehension and
listening comprehension. Thereliability of test was estimated using Cronbach’s alpha and
was 0.81. In order to see whether the two groups were of the same levelof listening
comprehensionability, the listening sub-sections of a TOEFLpractice test (different from
the TOEFL test already mentioned above) were given to the students. The listening
comprehensiontest (general listening test) was 50-item tests, followed by some multiple
choice items. The reliability indices of the listening tests, determined by Cronbach’s alpha
were 0.75. The listening comprehension tests were taken from part C of the listening
comprehension section of TOEFL test, which is mainly composed of some monologues
followed by a number of multiple-choice items, with a pause of 12s for each item to be
answered. The listening passages ranged in length from 200 to 250 words. Strategy
instruction requires careful planning and should progress from a stage where the teacher
is explicitly and directly involved in providing input, to a stage in which the teacher has a
minimal role and the learners autonomously implement strategies (Mendelsohn, 1994).
The following strategy instruction model — based on examples outlined by Mendelsohn
(1994, pp. 41-42) — wasutilized to provide a procedural frameworkfor promotinglistening
comprehension of academic lectures. First, a background questionnaire was administered
prior to commencing the study in orderto identify and analyze factors that may influence
the extent of comprehension of academic listening. Second throughreferral to O’Malley
and Chamot’s (1990) and Vandergrift’s (1996; 1997) taxonomies of cognitive,
metacognitive and socialaffective listening strategies, the questionnaire responses, and
four metacognitive ( selective attention, self management, planning, self- evaluation), five
cognitive (Summarization, inference, elaboration, , note-taking, deduction) and three
social-affective (cooperation, question for clarification, self-motivation) strategies for
instruction were determined, and appropriate activities were developed through whichto
teach the strategies (see examples in Appendix 1). Fourth, pre-listening, while-listening and
postlistening material was prepared for the strategy instruction exercises. Fifth, integrated
and informed strategy instruction incorporating presentation, practice and review of
strategies was provided, though from week 7 most of the instruction centred on review
and practice. Sixth, the strategy instruction was evaluated through continuous classroom
monitoring and observation, and instruction varied accordingly. Lastly, at the completion
of the study, results were shared and discussed with participants in the EG in order to
further encourage the autonomoususeoflistening strategies.
4.3. Procedures
K.To begin the study, in order to ensure that four groups were similar in terms of their
general proficiency level, they took the TOEFLtest. The result of this test indicated that
there was no significant difference between the four groups, with respect to their level of
proficiency. Students attended one of two simultaneous 10-week courses for 3 hours each
week. Each lesson in week 2 to week 9 of the course was based on material drawn from
the TOEFL and the topic and academic lectures varied each week. Following a 30-minute
pre-listening stage using website material, the EG completed 90 minutes of strategy
instruction (a total of 14 hours instruction across the study) encompassing the
presentation, practice and review of strategies appropriate to the givenlistening task. This
wasfollowed by a 30-minute post-listening task. The CG did not receive explicit strategy
instruction but completed a 60-minute listening task with the samelectures, and also did
the same 30-minutepre-listening and post-listening tasks as the EG with the same material.
To measure listening comprehension gains across the study an academiclecture pre-test
and post-test were administered to both groupsin the first and last week of the study. A
pedagogical cycle encompassing three stagesreflecting real-life listening was utilized with
the EG and CG: 1) Pre-listening preparation; 2) Monitoring of comprehension; and 3)
Evaluation of performance (Field, 2000; Vandergrift, 2003a; 2003b). The CG and EG
completed the following pedagogical cycle each week, but the EG received strategy input
prior to practicing the application of strategies, feedback on strategy use and review of
strategies, whereas the CG did not receive any explicit strategy instruction, merely
completing the listening task.
QUESTION 1: READING COMPREHENSION [20]
Use your skimming and scanningskills in reading to answerall the questions.
1.1. Why should universities regard explicit training in listening skills in English as critical? (4)
1.2. Mention twodifficulties that non-native speakers of English have to contend with (para
B) that make following lectures moredifficult for them than native speakers. (2)
1.3. To what doesthe pronoun this in this statement (para D) refer? Quotefrom the
passage. (2)
1.4. Paraphrase the following sentence:
Theyfoundthat effective and ineffective listeners varied as to the strategies they chose to
use during the various phasesoflistening comprehension. (3)
1.5. Identify three listening strategies that effective listeners employ. (3)
1.6. What evidenceis there to showthat there is a need for researchin the area oflistening
strategy instruction? (2)
1.7. Choose the most appropriate meaning of each of the words below:
1.7.1 Premise (para F) (1)
(a) argument
(b) strategy
(c) research
1.7.2 Temperament(paraF) (1)
(a) physique
(b) humour
(c) personality
1.8. List 2 signal words found in paragraph K that signal a sequence pattern of text
organisation. (2)
QUESTION 2: LANGUAGE USE [10]
Read the abstract below and answerthe questionsthat follow:
Abstract
A.Non-native speakers have long been known to have trouble understanding academic
lectures. Listening to lectures is difficult, especially for students who have just entered
university. The present study was carried out to determine the effect of listening strategy
instruction on a group of Iranian EFL (English Foreign Language) learners’ listening
comprehension of academic lectures. Two groups of male and female English majors (N = 58)
participated in the study. In one group (the treatment group) the participants received 14
hoursoflistening strategy instruction consisting of the presentation, practice, and review of
listening strategies. In the other group (the control group), the students did not receive any
explicit strategy instruction. The analysis of the data revealed that the students in the
treatment group significantly outperformed those in the control group in listening
comprehension tests. The results of the present study shed more light on the influence of
listening strategy instruction on listening comprehension.
2.1. Add suffixes to the following words to change theminto adjectives. (3)
(a) Instruction
(b) Strategies
(c) Influence
2.2. Indicate whether the morphemesin brackets are inflectional or derivational morphemes
by writing either inflectional or derivational next to the word. (4)
(a) Participant(s)
(b) Present(ation)
(c) Significant(ly)
(d) Reveal(ed)
2.4. Rewrite the word treatmentand underline the free morphemein it. (2)
2.5. What is the meaning of the morphemenonas used in ‘Non-native’ in the abstract. (1)
QUESTION 3: RESEARCH ANALYSIS [20]
3.1. Which groupis the main focusof this study? (2)
3.2. What is the purposeofthis study? (1)
3.3. Describe the participants of this study. (5)
3.4. What criterion was used in choosing the participants? (1)
3.5. Explain why it was necessary to give the following tests in the procedure section. (4)
(a) TOEFL test
(b) Pre-test and post-testin listening
3.6. What languageskills were covered in the TOEFLtest? (3)
3.7. What werethedifferences between the control groups (CG) and the experimental
groups (EG)as far as the preparation for the tests was concerned? (4)
SECTION B: WRITING [50]
QUESTION 1: REPORT WRITING [15]
In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked Namibia first on the list of countries
with the deadliest roads in the world. Many reports on the causesof road accidents seem to
agree that Namibia has some of the best road infrastructure, thereby removing anypossible
blame of these accidents on the quality of the roads within the country. This means that the
road users themselves cause most road accidents in the country.
With the above information in mind, students doing Contemporary Issues at the Namibia
University of Science and Technology were asked to write a recommendation report outlining
two main causes that they think cause roads accidents in Namibia. Imagine you are one of
those students, and the report below belongs to you. However,it is incomplete. Complete it
by doing the following things:
a) Write the second body paragraph of this report numbered 2.2 (5)
b) Write the conclusion paragraph of this report (5)
c) Write the recommendation section of this report, by giving two to three well-
constructed recommendations. (5)
A report on the causes of road accidents in Namibia
1. Background
Namibia has one of the best road infrastructures in Africa. The increasing number of road
accidents is however a major concern to the nation. The World Health Organization has
ranked Namibia top ofall countries with the highest road deaths per annum (Brandt, 2014).
The National Road Safety Council recorded that Khomas region was amongst one of the
regions with the highest road accidents involving pedestriansin its statistical reports (Road
Accidents in Namibia: Statistical Reports, 2010). This report will look at the causes of these
increasing road accidents by focusing on two main causes namely; driving underthe influence
of alcohol and lack of respect for road signs. The report will also provide some
recommendations deemed necessary in reducing road accidents.
2. Causes of road accidents
2.1 Driving underthe influence of alcohol
According to Angombe (2017) drinking alcohol and driving is one of the leading causes of road
accidents in Namibia. It is a well-known fact that excessive alcohol consumption may lead to
drowsiness, impaired vision and reaction as well as poor judgment on distance and objects.If
drivers are unable to judge the distance of objects, and react quickly to oncoming hazards
accidents can happen. The National Road Council of Namibia’s report confirmed this whenit
found that 60 % of drivers that were involved in car crashes in 2016 were found to have been
driving under the influence of alcohol. One can therefore safely infer that alcohol
consumptionwhile driving is a serious threat to road users.
2.2 Lack of respect for road signs
3. Conclusion
4. Recommendations
QUESTION 2: ACADEMIC WRITING [10]
2. Write whether each of the following sentences exemplifies tentativeness,
acknowledgement, objectivity, formality or clarity.
2.1. The less skilled students were found to use moretranslation as theylistened.
2.2. Targeting individual listening strategies for instruction may promote the use of those
strategies.
2.3. The theoretical framework which underpins learning strategies is rooted in cognitive
psychology and information-processing theory (Anderson, 1980)
2.4. Successful language learners apparently do not have the metacognitive knowledge about
task requirements needed to select appropriate strategies
2.5. Research similarly suggests that these skills are what college students have to be
equipped with to complete their academic studies smoothly (Flowerdew, 1994, 2005).
QUESTION 3: PROOF READING ANDEDITING [10]
The paragraph below contains 10 errors. Identify the errors and correct them. In your answer
write the incorrect word/phrase followed by the correct word.
The harambeeprosperity plan (HPP) is a targeted Action Plan to accelerate developmentin
clearly defined priority areas, which lie the basis for attaining prosperity in namibia. The Plan
doesn’t replace, but complement the longterm goal of the National DevelopmentPlans (ndps)
and vision 2030. hpp introduces an elementofflexibility in the Namibian planning system by
fast tracking developmentin areas whoprogressis insufficient.
Adaptedfrom The HarambeeProsperity Plan 2016/17 — 2018/19 (2016, p. 6)
QUESTION 4: REFERENCING [15]
4.1. In-text citation (10)
Use the reference sources provided below to complete the in-text citation in the given text.
Spaces for reference sources are numbered within the paragraphs. In your answerwrite the
in-text citation ONLY including brackets where applicable.
A. Cameron,D. (1995). Verbal hygiene. London, England: Routledge.
10
B. Khumalo, L. (2000). Turn-taking in Ndebele: an application of conversation analysis.
Unpublished paper submitted to the Departmentof Linguistics,
Cambridge University.
G Moraru, C. (2005). Naming: memorious discourse: Reprise and representation in post
modernism. Cranbury, NJ: Rosemont Publishing.
D. Nofsinger, R.E. (1991). Everyday conversation. NewburyPark, CA: Sage.
E. Sacks, H. (1987). On the preference for agreement and contiguity in sequencesin
conversation.In: G. Button and J.R.E. Lee eds. Talk and social
organisation. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 54-69.
F, Sidnell, J. (Ed.), 2009. Conversation analysis: Comparative perspectives. Cambridge,
Enagland: Cambridge University Press.
G. Thurlow,C. (2003). Profiling ‘new’ communication technologies in adolescence.
Journal of LanguageandSocial Psychology, 22 (1), 94-103.
H. Turkle, S. (1995). Life on the screen: Identity in the age of the internet. New York, NY:
Simon & Schuster.
Conversation analysis
It is our hypothesis that the advent of the mobile phone has had an effect on the structure
and pattern of conversation in the Ndebele language.It can be argued that, as an instrument
that is more widely used in modern communication, an analysis of its effects on everyday
conversation is appropriate *(Source A). An analysis of turn-taking in normal everyday mobile
phone conversation is taken against the backdrop of previous analysis of turn-taking in
Ndebele using CA 2(Source B; Source D). CA is an empirical approach to naturally occurring
conversations. "Source D observes that in our everyday lives we notice how various
participants in oral communication become speakers. That is, how one ‘gets the floor’ as a
speakerto producethefirst ‘pair part of an adjacencypair’, or the required secondpart or to
make some other contribution. CA therefore is the analysis of the systematic properties of
the sequential organisation of the talk 4(Source C; Source H).
In analysing turn-taking in Ndebele, Knumalo (2000) applied °Source E’s modelof CA in the
discussion of the freedom of turn-taking in Ndebele. Khumalo (2000) cameto the conclusion
that turn-taking in Ndebele is to a great degree fixed. He noted that while in greetings young
people seem to have an exclusive right to the first turn, elderly people or people in
superior/authoritative positions largely dominate turn-taking. This according to °SourceF is
11
because age andsocial position licence these participants in conversation to dominate turn-
taking. Turns in Ndebele seem to be pre-allocated according to seniority. Overlaps in Ndebele
conversation are a commonoccurrence that seem to conform to CA principles. However,
according to’ Source B, p.234,silence and interruptions have their peculiarities in Ndebele.
Silence in Ndebele is viewed as a respectable phenomenonandis motivated by the belief that
once an utterance has been madeit is binding, while interruption seems to be a phenomenon
that projects control in conversation that pits elderly people against younger people. The
elderly people dominate turns and easily interrupt the younger participants in everyday
conversation °(Source G).
4.2. Reference List (5)
In the referencelist below, indicate whether each referenceis for a book, journal article,
newspaperarticle or internetarticle.
A. Thurlow,C. (2003). Profiling ‘new’ communication technologies in adolescence.
Journal of LanguageandSocial Psychology, 22 (1), 94-103.
B. Cameron,D. (1995). Verbal hygiene. London, England: Routledge.
C. Hulton, G. (2018, March 14). Piggiback- bringing a new meaning to the word. The
Namibian., p.19.
D. Sidnell, J. (Ed.). (2009). Conversation analysis: comparative perspectives. Cambridge,
England: Cambridge University Press.
E. Moraru, C. (2005). Naming: memorious discourse: reprise and representation in post
modernism. Cranbury, NJ: Rosemont Publishing.
END OF QUESTION PAPER
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