“Advances
and challenges on vocabulary and syntax factors in ESL students in Costa Rica”
The
education in Costa Rica has been described as (Schwab & Sala-i-Martín, 2013-2014) : “a high-quality
educational system (20th place) that provides a skilled labor force,
as well as a relatively high rate of technological adoption and business
sophistication”. The recent improvement has been achieved through (CONARE, September 2013) : “improvement on
funding, expansion on access opportunities, the academic offer was partially
renovated, new provisions were adopted in favor of students and a process of
decentralization of management began to apply on primary schools and high
schools”[1]. Consequently,
while improvements and advances has been deployed in Costa Rica for the past 5
years; challenges still persist in development plans, the percentage of
desertion and inclusion/penetration and most important, on the quality of
contents on syntax and vocabulary as
English as Second Language.
Grammar
is the principles or rules for speaking according to the form and usage of a
language. Syntax is the internal
structure of language, including the order in which the elements of a language
can occur and the relationships among the elements in an utterance. Grammar is the branch of linguistics dealing
with the form and structure of words (morphology), and their interrelation in
sentences, called syntax. The study of
grammar reveals how language works, an important aspect in both English
acquisition and learning. This is also
very important when teaching an ESL student how to really use the English
language appropriately and effectively.
Grammar can be taught both implicitly and explicitly. When grammar is taught in context, an
implicit manner, students practice the grammar learned in a lesson by using it
in a natural, communicative situation.
Explicit teaching of grammar may be needed when the features of English
grammar is very different from way it is expressed. Some parts of English grammar that is
difficult for ESL students to understand are word order, determiners,
prepositions, auxiliaries, conjunctions, and phrasal verbs. Explicit teaching of grammar is more formal,
focusing on written language studies, while implicit teaching of grammar is
more informal and practiced in social situations through conversation. Either approach is important to evaluate and
use when teaching ESL students, also taking into account how each ESL student
is going to learn differently. Once a
teacher decides the best way to teach an ESL student, the way to appropriate
assess an ESL student also needs to be decided.
Appropriate assessment of speaking skills will tell a teacher whether
the lesson has been effective and if any other supports are needed for an ESL
student to succeed. (SLP/ELL, 2011)
The
responsibility that the educators and teachers have in Costa Rica with the
students is a challenge that we have to achieve due the improvements made in
Costa Rica and the results that this objectives have reached.
Besides,
the literacy rate on Costa Rica for 2011, for adults and youth is more than 90%
according with UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Another improvement that
educational system has achieved is the support of the institutions that are not
related directly with education but provides an additional sponsor. (Navarro,
2013)
Through
the years the system has been evaluated several times and modifications have
been applied. The educational system performance has received several
investigations, specifically with curriculum, pedagogic methods, promotion,
repetition and exclusion.
Hence, the importance of
consider the contents and have modifications if necessary in order to
accomplish with international standards, it is exposed (Navarro, 2013) : “The modification
in the Costa Ricans’ legal systems need to be hand-in-hand with the reforms in
the educational system”; so the quality will be improve and the students will
have access to superior education and quality of life.
According with Jennifer
Himmel, it is very important to create and manipulate new language objectives
for their lessons to improve the ESL process.
One principle that
teachers of English learners can begin to apply immediately is creating and
posting language objectives for their lessons. Many teachers are familiar with
using content objectives to identify what students will learn and be able to do
in the lesson. However, they are less likely to include language objectives
that support the linguistic development of their students. Implementing
language objectives can be a powerful first step in ensuring that English
learners have equal access to the curriculum even though they may not be fully
proficient in the language. This is because the second language acquisition
process requires opportunities for the language learner to be exposed to,
practice with, and then be assessed on their language skills. (Himmel, 2013) .
As well she concludes that another way
to improve learning and development could achieved through SIOP Model.
Although language objectives can be
implemented in any lesson design approach, they are especially congruent with
sheltered instruction and the SIOP Model. Since language objectives ensure that
teachers meet the unique linguistic needs of English learners, they are
sometimes easier to implement in the context of instructional practices
espoused by the SIOP Model. (Himmel, 2013)
The results concludes
that there is not only one specific area of improvement, thus the necessity to
have a diversity focus on area. In order to achieve a successful action plan, the
citizens and government need to work together to reassure their educational
objectives and priorities, so a sustainable, significant
and ethically development can be reached.
References
CONARE. (September
2013). Estado de la Educación Costarricense - Programa Estado De la Nación.
San Jose: Editorama S.A.
Himmel, J. (2013). Colorin Colorado. Retrieved
from Language Objectives: The Key to Effective Content Area Instruction for
English Learners: http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-objectives-key-effective-content-area-instruction-english-learners#top
Navarro, D. M. (2013, August ). Questioning the
Costa Rican Education system. Retrieved from Academia:
http://www.academia.edu/4182720/Questioning_the_Costa_Rican_Education_system
Schwab, K., &
Sala-i-Martín, X. (2013-2014). The
Global Competitiveness Report.
Ginevra: World Economic Forum.
SLP/ELL. (2011, March 8th). ELL speaking skills.
Retrieved from Blogspot:
http://ellspeakingskills.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-is-grammar-and-syntax.html
[1] “En los últimos
años hubo mejoras en el financiamiento, se ampliaron las oportunidades de
acceso, se renovó parcialmente la oferta educativa, se aprobaron nuevas
disposiciones en favor de los estudiantes y se inició un proceso de
transferencia de competencias de gestión a las escuelas y colegios” (CONARE, September 2013, page 27) This reference has been translated by the
author.
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