“Advances and challenges on vocabulary and syntax factors in ESL students in Costa Rica”

“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 (20^th 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

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[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.