Date of Award

Spring 8-1-1999

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology

First Advisor

Leslie Barratt

Second Advisor

Betty Phillips

Third Advisor

Robert George

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of authentic tasks and conventional tasks on ESL students' achievement in grammar. In order to accomplish the purpose of this study two 3-day grammar units on the simple present and simple past were created for ESL students at the high beginner/intermediate level. Each unit had an authentic and conventional version. The sample consisted of 45 ESL students in grades six through 11 in public schools in Indiana. Two treatment groups were formulated based upon the treatment received. Group A consisted of the students who received the authentic version of Unit 1 and the conventional version of Unit 2; and Group B consisted of the students who received the conventional version of Unit 1 and the authentic version of Unit 2. Students' scores on the unit posttests determined student achievement in grammar. Data were analyzed using t-tests for independent measures to assess differences between the means of Group A and Group B. In addition, t-tests for paired samples were used to ascertain differences within Group A and within Group Bon Unit 1 and Unit 2. A pattern developed from the results of the statistical analysis showing that when either Group A or Group B received the authentic version of a unit, they performed significantly better on the authentic portions of the posttests; they performed similar to the group that received the conventional version of the unit on the conventional portions of the posttest; and they scored better, not significantly however, on the combined score of the authentic and conventional posttest items. These results indicate that changes in iv teacher pedagogy and in assessment practices are needed. Language pedagogy and assessment that focuses on authentic tasks inherently addresses the needs of ESL students by allowing individual qualities to be a part of the language learning process. Educational implications for language pedagogy and recommendations for future research are discussed.

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