Đề tài Writing english essays within dominant discourses in malaysian schools

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APPENDIX A 
Classroom Observation Protocol 
Date & Time: __________________________ Lesson on: _________________ 
Observation item 
Actions/Activities 
(supplemented by voices 
on the tape) 
Comments 
(on personal, theoretical, 
methodological and other 
issues) 
Was there a stress on "getting 
the right answers" or "doing it 
the right way"? 
Did the teacher stress the 
importance of English and 
writing? 
Did the teacher talk about 
outcomes or rewards of 
learning English? 
Was the teacher strict over 
using only English in 
classroom practice? 
Did the teacher accept answers 
in another language? 
Did the teacher value students' 
ideas/suggestions? 
Were there restrictions on the 
• form of the product 
• time taken 
• choice of team members? 
Was there any self or peer 
evaluation? 
Did the teacher use his/her 
authority or refer to 
rules/disciplinary system? 
Was there a stress on 
• personal accountability 
• independence 
• leadership skills? 
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Writing English Essays within Dominant Discourses 
Observation item 
Actions/Activities 
(supplemented by voices 
on the tape) 
Comments 
(on personal, theoretical, 
methodological and other 
issues) 
Did the teacher use praise and 
criticism to encourage 
learning? 
Praise/criticism was used on: 
• effort 
• progress 
• success 
• good thinking 
• good suggestion 
• good guess 
• imagination, creativity, 
originality 
• neatness, careful work 
• good behaviour, follow 
rules, pay attention 
• thoughtfulness 
• politeness 
• cooperation 
Did the teacher call upon 
students to answer questions? 
Only good students chosen? 
Did students ask questions or 
seek help from the teacher and 
peers? 
How did the teacher and 
students regard mistakes? 
Which was common: 
• You can't learn without 
making mistakes. 
• Who has the right answers? 
Did the teacher express his/her 
expectations of the task, school 
and homework? 
Was the lesson linked to moral, 
religious and other societal 
values? 
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Tan Kok Eng 
Observation item 
Actions/Activities 
(supplemented by voices 
on the tape) 
Comments 
(on personal, theoretical, 
methodological and other 
issues) 
Were the theme/s of the 
syllabus covered in the lesson: 
• people 
• environment 
• science and technology 
• social issues 
• values 
• health 
Did the teacher compare 
students' achievement 
• with one another? 
• with external standards? 
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Writing English Essays within Dominant Discourses 
APPENDIX B 
Interview Questions for Students 
1. As a Malay/Chinese/Indian, would you say that you are 
(i) old-fashioned 
(ii) religious 
(iii) superstitious 
(iv) a follower of your culture 
How else would you describe yourself as a Malay/Chinese/Indian? 
2. How important is your culture/religion to you? 
3. How does your culture/religion view English? 
4. Has being a Malay/Chinese/Indian affected your proficiency or performance in 
English? How is it so? 
5. As a teenager, would you say that you are 
(i) fun loving 
(ii) sad 
(iii) boring 
(iv) curious 
How else would you describe yourself as a teenager? 
6. As a student, would you say that you are 
(i) happy 
(ii) stressed 
(iii) smart 
(iv) hardworking 
(v) competitive 
How else would you describe yourself as a student? 
7. As an English language learner/user, would you say that you are 
(i) enjoying yourself 
(ii) confident 
(iii) worried 
How else would you describe yourself as an English language learner/user? 
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Tan Kok Eng 
8. What do you do in your free time? 
9. What do you normally do after school everyday? (e.g., homework, TV, tuition, work, 
extracurricular activities, housework, go out with friends, hobbies, ) 
10. Who do you normally mix with in school? 
11. Who do you normally mix with outside school? 
12. What is your ambition? Please give some reasons for your answer. 
13. What connection do you see between your ambition and English? 
14. What are some things (e.g., the buildings, people, school rules, etc.) about your 
school that you like? 
15. What are some of your problems in learning English? 
(a) Which area do you have the most difficulty with: reading, writing, listening and 
speaking? 
(b) Why is this so? 
(c) Can you tell me some difficulties you have in learning to write in English? 
(d) When you get a topic for writing or a type of writing task that you don't like, 
what do you do? 
16. How much does each of the following matter to your school writing? Please place 
them on a scale of 1(not important) to 7 (very important). 
 (not important) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (very important) 
(a) grammar ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 
(b) grade/marks ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 
(c) length of essay ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 
(d) ideas ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 
(e) feelings/mood ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 
Please elaborate on your answers. 
17. What kinds of writing do you do in English (e.g., essays, messages, email, netchat, 
letters, songs, poems, diary, etc.) in school and out of school? 
(a) How often do you do this? 
(b) Who do you share your writing with? 
(c) Why do you do so? 
18. How important is English to you now and in the future? 
(a) What do you use English for now? 
(b) Name some activities that you do not need English for now. 
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Writing English Essays within Dominant Discourses 
19. Would you say that you are learning English for the sake of your examinations? 
Why/Why not? 
20. What does your English teacher look out for (e.g., grammar, spelling, organization, 
content, style, vocabulary, etc.) in your compositions? 
21. Do you find the marking system helpful? Please give some reasons. 
22. If you do not have to write any essays in English, how would you feel and why? 
23. How do you think you can improve in your English writing? 
24. Does your English teacher expect a lot from you? 
25. Who else in your family use English? 
(a) What do they use English for? (e.g., for communication, work, entertainment, 
etc.) 
26. What are your parents' expectations regarding your school achievement or school 
marks? 
27. Is your family influential in your decision making about what you will do in the 
future? Please give some examples. 
28. What guidelines has your family given you regarding your choice of a career? 
29. Would you like to add further comments to the points raised in this discussion? 
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