Dear student,
this survey is a part of my MA studies that are done for the University of Jyväskylä. The purpose of this survey is to map out the attitudes of upper secondary school students towards English oral skills and testing them. Please read the questions and instructions carefully and answer sincerely. You do not have to write your name on the questionnaire. All answers will be handled confidentially and nobody’s identity will be revealed. All answers are valuable to the study so thank you very much for your time and trouble!
Sanna Mäntynen
Questionnaire (English version) Background information
Circle the correct alternative or write it in the given space Sex:
Your last grade in English _________
Have you participated on a course of oral skills/ spoken language in upper-secondary school?
1 Yes
2 No
1. Attitudes towards English language
A) Evaluate the importance of the following fields/components of language proficiency. How important these fields are to you? Tick the alternative that best reflects your opinion in the chart.
Not important at
B) Evaluate the importance of the following fields/components of oral skills. How important are these fields to you? Tick the alternative that best reflects your opinion in the chart.
Not
Taking others into consideration in a conversation (conversational skills) Being able to convey your message to the listener despite a few mistakes
Fluency Being able to use the kind of language
that fits the situation (different kinds of conversational situations)
C) Tick the alternative that best reflects your opinion in the chart.
1. Strongly I like English as a school subject
I like talking in English
I think that English as a school subject is boring
Knowing English is a useful skill for me English is not useful for me
Talking in English is easy for me Understanding English speech is difficult for me
Knowing English is important in my opinion
In my opinion other languages are as important as English
I will need English in the future
2. Teaching English oral skills in upper-secondary school
What do you think about the teaching of English oral skills in upper-secondary school? Tick the alternative that best reflects your opinion in the chart.
1. Strongly
disagree 2. Slightly
disagree 3. Partly
agree 4. Strongly agree There is enough of teaching of oral skills in
upper-secondary school
Exercises of oral skills done in classes give the student good enough skills to use the language outside school
The teaching of oral skills is emphasized too much in upper-secondary school
Oral skills exercises are diverse Learning oral skills is important
Too much time is used on oral exercises Grammar exercises are more important than oral skills exercises
Preparing for the Final exam in classes is more important than practising oral skills There should be more of teaching of oral skills in upper-secondary school
Oral skills exercises done in classes do not give the student good enough skills to use the language outside school
The teaching of oral skills is not important Oral skills exercises are boring
3. Using English outside school
In the chart below there are listed different kinds of activities that involve English. Tick the alternative that best reflects you in the chart.
1.
Daily 2. Once a week
or more often 3. Once a month
or more often 4. Not that often /rarely I read books, magazines or web
pages in English
I listen to music that is in English In my free time I write in English When I talk with my friends in Finnish I use English words and phrases
I write letters / e-mail in English I play games in which English is spoken
I watch TV-shows and movies that are in English
4. Testing English oral skills
A) In the chart below there are statements regarding the testing of English oral skills in upper-secondary school. Tick the alternative that best reflects your opinion in the chart.
1. Strongly Students’ oral skills should affect the grade of
the final exam
There should be a section of oral skills in the final exam
Students’ oral skills should not affect the grade of the final exam
I think that it would be important that students’
oral skills were tested in upper secondary school
It would be better if oral skills were tested separately from the final exam, even though it would affect the grade of the final exam
I think that it is not necessary to test oral skills
B) In the chart below there are alternatives on how oral skills could be tested in upper-secondary school. How good do you think that these following ways of testing are? Tick the alternative that best reflects your opinion in the chart.
Very poor Poor Good Very
good A test of oral skills that is organized at the time of the final
exam, that also affects the grade of the Final exam
A test of oral skills that is organized separately from the final exam, but which does affect the grade of the final exam
Mandatory but separate test of oral skills that does not affect the grade of the final exam
Obligatory but separate test of oral skills that does not affect the grade of the final exam
Small tests that are organized throughout upper secondary school that affect the final grade
Small tests that are organized throughout upper secondary school that do not affect the final grade.
A statement of the students’ proficiency in oral skills given by the English teacher
No test of oral skills
C) Do you think that students’ oral skills should affect their final grade? Answer freely using your own words and give reasons for your opinion.
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D) In your opinion, what would be the best way to organize the testing of oral skills in upper-secondary school? Answer freely using your own words and give reasons for your opinion.
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