How to improve scholastic accomplishment education essay

Little control in the students’ in analyzing and reasoningLimited ability in guessing correctlyNot well implemented encouragement to learnExcessive dependence on the professor for the learning processNon-sufficient knowledge of the types of intelligence the students possessNot well directed self-evaluationConsequencesHuge doubts and confusion of the students at the time to be evaluatedThe students find difficulties to understand how they learnFailings in the understanding of the skills to be evaluatedFailure to use compensatory practiceInsufficient attention paid to the classes as part of Cognitive StrategiesLimited skill in the comprehension of the languageThe students feel frustrated because they think their lack of knowledge can’t be overcome, and as a result, there is a resistance to the English language

FORMULATION OF THE PROBLEM

What is the incidence in the scholastic performance after the application of learning strategies in order to strengthen the intermediate learning and effective use of the English language of the students at …………..?

Variables

Independent:

– Application of a manual on learning strategies

Dependents:

– To strengthen English Learning at University level- To encourage the use of Cognitive, Metacognitive, Affective and Social Strategies

DELIMITATION OF THE PROBLEM

Field: Education, Facultad …………….., Universidad de GuayaquilArea: Foreign Language; EnglishAspect: High school institutionTopic: How to improve scholastic achievement by means of learningStrategies to learn L2Proposal: To design a manual on Learning Strategies

Objectives

General

To establish the importance of the application of learning strategies as a new technique in order to improve the performance of the students of the ……………….

Specific

To determine the relationship between the use of learning strategies and the improvement in the students’ scholastic achievementTo diagnose which learning strategies the students the students need the most. To update old strategies in order to get better results in learning. To demonstrate that it is possible to improve Basic English proficiency with the use innovative strategies.

EVALUATION OF THE PROBLEM

Clear: The contents of this project are going to be developed through real evidences by using the results of research done all over the world, and there will be a glossary of relevant terms. Original: it is an innovative proposal that contributes to the learning process of English at University level due to the fact that such strategies had not been considered as a solution to resolve the low scholastic achievement in the students. Feasible: I am going to create a manual which will be affordable and easy to understand by all the students of the Universidad de Guayaquil who have difficulties in learning English. Evident: The problem related to the low scholastic achievement in the learning of English at the Universidad de Guayaquil, needs to be solved as soon as possible. Specific: The research focuses on the lack of learning strategies as an education problem.

QUESTIONS OF THE INVESTIGATION

Where is the project going to be performed? When will the proposal be able to be applied? What methodology will be used? Will there be support foundations? Will the objective be able to be fulfilled? What is going to be done in order to solve the scholastic achievement? Why is low scholastic achievement happening in the learning of English in this institution? Who will be surveyed and interviewed? Which resources will be used to perform the investigation? How will the research be accomplished?

JUSTIFICATION

Learning strategies have a very important role in the human being, especially in teenagers and young adults, since such strategies will promote, facilitate, stimulate them to reach a sense of achievement in language learning, it will also provide them with a degree in self-esteem, help them live through emotions, work harder in order to reach their goals and be successful in life. Learning strategies involve a great deal of techniques that students at university level will be able to acquire. Learners are the actual agents in their use and choices. In time the students will understand that effort brigs success. These techniques have to be internalized as problem-solving tools to cope with the complex process of learning, as a result the students will be willing to pursue more challenging tasks and have a more positive attitude towards the class and therefore, they will feel less resistant to learn English as the memorization, recall and retrieval of information will be an easier task, which in turn will generate huge benefits because they will be prepared to learn and transfer such training to activities beyond the classroom, and thus make the teacher’s role more relevant as a facilitator and guide over a period of time, and therefore the students will feel motivated to learn more. This has mainly been the most important objective to develop this topic on how to encourage English learning through learning strategies, since one of the most persistent problems is the low scholastic performance and the lack of interest in the subject matter. This project will be justified by the proposal, because when the students from the School of ………….. can improve their English knowledge and reach an intermediate level, they will not find difficulties when they continue pursuing their University careers even at Post degree level as this learner training will bring them countless personal benefits.

CHAPTER II

ANTECENDENTS

THE THEORETICAL FRAME

I am interested in helping the students whose little or inappropriate learning strategies affect their scholastic accomplishment in a negative manner, so I decided to perform a stimulating project which consists of making the students aware of the fact that they can be part of their learning process by monitoring themselves, by using various strategies which will help them to strengthen their learning habits, taking into account the fact that the philosophy of Constructivism includes some forms of learning strategies. So far nobody has performed any educative project at the……………………. concerning the application of learning strategies.. In order to support this descriptive research, I am going to use the following foundations: Theoretical, Philosophical, and Pedagogical. Sociological

Theoretical

StrategyComes from the Greek word strategia which means the art of war, which has lost its old meaning at least in education, and it has to do with planning, competence, conscious manipulation and direction towards an objective. Learning strategies are high ranking mental actions used by the learner to facilitate the acquisition, storage, retrieval and use of information in the learning process. This definition can be expanded to specific actions carried out by the learner to make the learning process faster, easier, more pleasant, effective, self-directed and transferable to new situations (Oxford, 1990)Importance of strategiesA student is using a strategy when he is able to adjust his behavior (what he thinks and does) to the objectives of a task by the instructor, taking into account the context. For this reason a learner is using strategies when: There is a conscious reflexing about the objective of the taskThere is a plan on how the task is going to be done: the learner should have options to choose fromPerforms the taskDoes self-evaluation of the taskStores knowledge about the situation in which he can use this strategy, and in which way he can use it in the future and what is good about the procedure he has just done, which is called conditional knowledge.

Learning

DefinitionIt is the process in which the students acquire knowledge in all its dimensions: concepts, procedures, attitudes and values. It is the knowledge that a person acquires through everyday life experiences, in which the learner takes up what he considers most valuable. It is the process in which a person acquires or modifies abilities, dexterities and knowledge as a result of experiences, instruction or observation. It is a process in which an individual acquires dexterity or practical abilities, informative content, adopts new strategies of knowledge or action. Learning allows for changes in the way of thinking, feeling and perceiving the world. Learning experiences help us adapt and answer appropriately to changes in our surroundings. Learning does not happen at once, it is gradual and it is not compulsory. It is shaped by what we already know.

Types of learning.-

There is a variety of learning types which involve different processes and methods which interact with the academic, cultural or social context. The most relevant are: Receptive learning.- The learner only needs to understand the content to reproduce it, but s/he doesn’t discover anything. The only mental process is understanding. Learning by discovery.- The learner doesn’t receive content in a passive way, s/he discovers the contents and its relationships and re-arrange them to adapt them to his cognitive scheme. In this kind of learning the individual has to participate a lot. The instructor gives the students a set of goals which are to be reached and his role is that of a guide. Learning by repetition or rote learning.- Happens when the learner memorizes contents without understanding or relate them to previous knowledge, s/he cannot give meaning to the content. Rote learning is often used in mathematics, religion and music. Although it has been criticized, it is necessary in many situations. Meaningful learning.- happens when knowledge is so well understood by the recipient that it can relate to previous knowledge, which implies that there is a comprehensiveness of the fact learned. Tangential Learning.- the individual can self-educate if a topics is exposed to him in a context that he finds pleasing. For example after watching a documentary on dinosaurs, some may feel motivated to study Earth Sciences. Learning by observation.- Humans can learn by means of observation and imitation. If our learning process were only the results of rewards and punishment, our capability of learning would be very limited. Observational Learning.- Happens when the individual observes the behavior of a model, he can learn a procedure without actually carrying it out by means of the following stepsAcquisition.- The learner observes the models and recognizes their behaviorRetention.- The behavior of the model are stored in the memory of the observer. Exertion.- If the learner considers that the behavior of the model are appropriate and the consequences are positive, s/he reproduces the behavior. Consequent.- By imitating the model, the learner can be forced by the approval of their peers. This process implies attention and memory. Reception Learning.- The content of the learning is presented to the learner in its final form, he is only asked to internalize and incorporates the theory so that s/he can recall and retrieve later. Memoristic Learning.- Happens when the task of learning has arbitrary association, or when the subject does it in an arbitrary manner. The memorization process of data, facts and concepts has no relationship among objects of the learning. Episodic Learning.- happens when the individual changes his behavior as a result of a good or bad experience or event. For instance, fear of spiders after being bitten by a tarantula. Multimedia Learning.- happens when a person uses audio and visual stimuli to learn information (Mayer 2001)E-learning and augmented learning.- Refers of internet-computer based enhanced learning. A form of e-learning is mobile learning, which refers to the learning provided by smart phones. When the learner interacts with an e-learning environment, it is called augmented learning. Transfer of Learning.- means extending what an individual has learned in one context and extend it into another context. The extension itself and the degree of such extension of knowledge is a strong indicator of the quality of the learning experience. The ability to understand and apply what one has learned implies that knowledge has been gained to a high degree. Active Learning.- happens when students take control of their learning experience, since understanding plays a key role in learning, learners must recognize what they have understood from what they have not, and by doing so, they are applying a Metacognitive strategy as there is self-evaluation during the process. Additionally students feel more motivated to learn when they can control not only on how they learn, but also on what they learn.

Constructivism

Definition

Constructivism is a theory of learning based on the assumption that knowledge is constructed by the learner based on mental activity derived from experiences and problem solving tasks. Learners are considered to be living beings who are searching for meaning; as a result of this, they create meaning of the world through individual filters. Learners are required to be actors in the environment to acquire and test knowledge (meta-cognitive strategies)Constructivism is a theory of learning derived on the premise that learners formulate or construct their own knowledge and understanding (Savery & Duffy, 2001) based on their experiences. John Dewey believed that constructivism should engage in methods that provide exploration, thinking and reflection of the environment (cognitive strategies)The constructivist theory, individuals by exploring on their own, as well as by means of interactions with their peers. Constructivism takes into account the learner’s leading role in the personal creation of knowledge, the relevance of experience in this knowledge creation process, and the assumption that the knowledge created is subject to change in its validity as an reliable representation of reality.

Constructivism also can be used to as a theory of communication. When a message is sent by giving a statement, command or providing information, and there is no familiarity with the receiver, then the remitter has no idea as to what message was received, and you cannot give sense to the response.

Types

There are three types of Constructivism:

1. Cognitive Constructivism – constructing knowledge internally; learners learn through their past experiences and new knowledge.  (Doolittle & Camp, 1999). Learners cannot use at once the information they receive, they need to enlarge it and make it more sophisticated by means of using mental processes as assimilation and accommodation in order to adapt them to their own criteria. 2. Radical Constructivism – It is the dynamic adaptation towards viable interpretation of experiences. In this regard, the learner does not necessarily construct knowledge of a ” real” world (von Glasersfeld 1990) Everybody constructs their own realities, but there is no way of knowing if such realities are the ones intended by the sender, as a result of this there is space for infinite truths. 3. Social Constructivism – Vygotsky as the defender of this theory prioritizes that parents, teachers as well as language are the vectors by which knowledge is developed in the learner, and this is done as a result of social interaction by means of cognitive tools.

Characteristics

To conclude the characteristics of constructivist learning and teaching can be summarized as the following:

A great variety of perceptions and representations of concepts and content are presented and encouraged.

Goals and objectives are derived from the student or in negotiation with the teacher or system.

Teachers serve in the role of guides, monitors, coaches, tutors and facilitators.

Activities, opportunities, tools and environments are provided to encourage metacognition, self-analysis -regulation, -reflection & -awareness.

The student plays a central role in mediating and controlling their own learning.

Learning situations, environments, skills, content and tasks are relevant, realistic, authentic, and represent the natural complexities of the ‘real world’.

Primary sources of data are used in order to ensure authenticity and real-world complexity.

Knowledge construction and not reproduction is emphasized.

This construction takes place in individual contexts and through social negotiation, collaboration and experience.

The learner’s previous knowledge constructions, beliefs and attitudes are considered in the knowledge construction process.

Problem-solving, higher-order thinking skills and deep understanding are emphasized.

Errors provide the opportunity for insight into students’ previous knowledge constructions.

Exploration is a favored approach in order to encourage students to seek knowledge independently and to manage the pursuit of their goals.

Learners are provided with the opportunity for apprenticeship learning in which there is an increasing complexity of tasks, skills and knowledge acquisition.

Knowledge complexity is reflected in an emphasis on conceptual interrelatedness and interdisciplinary learning.

Collaborative and cooperative learning are favored in order to expose the learner to alternative viewpoints.

Scaffolding is facilitated to help students perform just beyond the limits of their ability.

18. Assessment is authentic and interwoven with teaching.

Representatives

In past centuries, constructivist ideas were not widely valued due to the perception that children’s play was seen as aimless and of little importance Jean Piaget did not agree with these traditional views, however. He saw play as an important and necessary part of the student’s cognitive development and provided scientific evidence for his views. Today, constructivist theories are influential throughout much of the informal learning sector. One good example of constructivist learning in an informal setting is the Investigative Centre at The Natural History Museum, London. Here visitors are encouraged to explore a collection of real natural history specimens, to practice some scientific skills and make discoveries by themselves. Some historical figures who influenced constructivism:         Giambattista Vico (1668–1744)         Immanuel Kant (1724–1804)         John Dewey (1859–1952)         Maria Montessori (1870–1952)         Władysław Strzemiński (1893–1952)         Jean Piaget (1896–1980)         Lev Vygotsky (1896–1934)         Heinz von Foerster (1911–2002)         Jerome Bruner (1915-)         Herbert Simon (1916–2001)         Paul Watzlawick (1921–2007)         Ernst von Glasersfeld (1917-)         Edgar Morin (1921-)

The motivation for learning

An important assumption of the nature of the learner concerns the level and source of motivation for learning. Motivation is an inner drive or desire to reach a goal. According to Von Glasersfeld (1989) sustaining motivation to learn is strongly dependent on the learner’s confidence in his or her potential for learning. These feelings of competence and belief in their potential to solve new problems are derived from first-hand experience of mastery of problems in the past and are much more powerful than any external acknowledgment and motivation (Prawat and Flodden 1994). This links up with Vygotsky ” zone of proximal development” (Vygotsky 1978) where learners are challenged within close proximity to, yet slightly above, their current level of development. By means of experiencing the successful completion of challenging tasks, learners gain confidence and motivation to embark on more complex challenges. According to (Gardner 1985) differentiated two kinds of motivation: instrumental and interactive. Instrumental: for completing a language requirement and Interactive: for integrating with people who speak the language natively. (Ausubel 1968) identified six needs or desires that construct motivation: knowledge, exploration, manipulation, activity, stimulation and ego enhancement.

Problem Solving Based Learning

Follows the constructivist pattern in which the role of the instructor is to guide and challenge the learning process; whereas, the students learn about a subject by means of experience and problem solving, in this respect the learners should be able to summarize and reflect on their own process.

The role of the instructor

According to the social constructivist approach, instructors have to adapt to the role of facilitators and not teachers (Bauersfeld, 1995). Where a teacher gives a didactic lecture which covers the subject matter, a facilitator helps the learner to get to his or her own understanding of the content. In the former scenario the learner plays a passive role and in the latter scenario the learner plays an active role in the learning process. The emphasis thus turns away from the instructor and the content, and towards the learner (Gamoran, Secada, & Marrett, 1998). This dramatic change of role implies that a facilitator needs to display a totally different set of skills than a teacher (Brownstein 2001). A teacher tells, a facilitator asks; a teacher lectures from the front, a facilitator supports from the back; a teacher gives answers according to a set curriculum, a facilitator provides guidelines and creates the environment for the learner to arrive at his or her own conclusions; a teacher mostly gives a monologue, a facilitator is in continuous dialogue with the learners (Rhodes and Bellamy, 1999). A facilitator should also be able to adapt the learning experience ‘ in mid-air’ by using his or her own initiative in order to steer the learning experience to where the learners want to create value. Viewed in this way, teaching becomes a foundation and maintenance of language in the sense that communication between the instructor and students, as well as among students. By simply presenting material, giving out tasks, and accepting just any feedback is not intended to be the most successful process of communication for competent learning. The learning environment should also be designed to support and challenge the learner’s thinking (Di Vesta, 1987). While it is advocated to give the learner ownership of the problem and solution process, it is not the case that any activity or any solution is adequate. The critical goal is to support the learner in becoming an effective thinker. This can be achieved by assuming multiple roles, such as consultant and coach. Giving advice, counseling learners on the development of learning strategies and learning objectivesDeveloping in the students a set of strategies independent from the teacher’s support and leading to individualization, self-directed and autonomous learning during formal classes and beyond. Involving students in whole teaching and learning processMaking students for their decisions and encouraging students self-assessmentRaising awareness of the use of strategies of language learningRespecting students ‘ cognitive style to match cognitive style to teaching styleCreating the circumstances in which the students become familiar and apply strategies appropriate for the type of activities to be done.

Advantages

–       Effective for the tactile/kinesthetic learner who does better with hands or activity.

–       Getting directly involved in activities helps students relate the information to their own lives.

–       Allows teachers to focus on what information is truly important.

–       Relieves time constraints to allow teachers to spend more time o topics that students show interest in.

–       Working in groups help students learn social interaction skills they will need later in life

–       Students will learn to value each other’s input and opinions.

PEDAGOGICAL FOUNDATION

Definition

Pedagogy is the art and science of teaching. The word originally comes from the ancient Greek paidagogos, the concerning the slave in ancient Greece who took children to and from school. The word ” paida” refers to young children, and for this reason some scholars like to make a distinction between pedagogy (teaching children) andragogy (teaching adults). The Latin word referring pedagogy, generically directed to describe education, is more widely accepted in use, and often the two definitions are used indistinctively.

Pedagogy is the study of being an instructor, also sometimes referred to as the most appropriate use of teaching methods, in this conception the role of the instructor should be that of a helper, guide, consultant, adviser, coordinator, idea-person, diagnostician and co-communicator (Oxford 1989)LEARNING STRATEGIES FOR L2Communication strategies had been studied only in relation to oral production. During conversation the learner has to make decisions on how to transmit and understand messages effectively and this process needs modifications and adjustments. According to Ellis:” Communication strategies are psycholinguistic plans which exist as part of a language user’s communicative competence. They are potentially conscious and serve as substitutes to production plans which the learner is unable to implement” (Ellis 1985: 182)Paraphrasing, avoidance, re-structuring, code-switching, foreignizing, literal translation are grouped under this label. The learner, who mentally plans in advance the message to be communicated, is using communication strategies. The same happens when the learner repeats the words several times before actually speaking or avoid the use of expressions that are unknown to them and finally decides to paraphrase them. Rubin and Wenden (1987) Oxford (1989), Ellis and Sinclair (1989) maintain that once the strategies that support and promote learning have been identified, learners should be taught to use them and trained to use them. However, I consider that the appropriate use of these strategies must take into account the personality type, cultural background, learning style, age, etc. As a result of this, learners should be made aware of the existence of these strategies and offer them as alternatives or possibilities and encourage them to use the set of strategies that suit them best. According to Oxford (1989) there are two main types of learning strategies:

Direct Strategies

1.- Memory Strategies (for remembering)

Creating mental imagesApplying images and soundsReviewing wellEmploying action

2.- Cognitive Strategies (for understanding and producing the language)

PracticingReceiving and Sending messagesAnalyzing and reasoningCreating structure for input and output

3.- Compensation Strategies (for using language despite the lack of knowledge)

Guessing intelligentlyOvercoming limitations in speaking and writing

Indirect Strategies

1.- Metacognitive Strategies (for coordinating your learning)

Centering your learningArranging and planning your learningEvaluating your learning

2.- Affective Strategies (for regulating emotions e. g. anxiety)

Lowering your anxietyEncouraging yourselfTaking your emotional temperature

3.- Social Strategies (for learning with others)

Asking questionsCooperating with othersEmpathizing with others

Since I consider that Rebecca Oxford’s learning strategies are the most coherent for their extraordinary form to categorize, I am going to analyze each one of them.

Direct Strategies have three components

Memory Strategies

Cognitive Strategies

Compensation Strategies

Memory Strategies are divided into:

Creating mental linkages

Grouping. Especially for vocabulary learning. Words should be grouped with a certain criteria e. g. weather: hot, sunny, rainy

Associating/elaborating. For vocabulary learning. e. g. words that have to do with summer: swimsuit, sunglasses, sunny weather, shorts, t-shirts, etc.

Placing new words into a context. In my opinion, this is the most useful of the mental linkages strategies as it challenges the learner to contextualize new words. e. g. In rainy weather it is useful to carry an umbrella. Since an umbrella protects you from the rain and it is common in rainy weather, umbrella is the most appropriate word for this context.

Applying images and sounds.-

Conclusion

Beyond the fact that there isn’t uniformity to define learning strategies for L2, there are some common characteristics: Are generated by the studentAre steps taken by the student in the learning processImprove the learning of L2 and help develop a linguistic competenceCould be visible (attitudes, steps and techniques) or not visible (thoughts and mental processes)Includes information and memory (vocabulary knowledge and grammatical rules)Allows the student to be autonomousBroadens the instructor’s roleAre directed to solve a specific problem. Include aspects that are beyond the cognitive strategyCan be taughtAre flexibleAre influenced by a variety of factorsThe strategies should be functional and meaningful. The instructional procedure should give guides on what strategies to follow, how, when and why they should be applied. The students must come to the conclusion that these strategies are good for them. There should be a connection between the task to be done and the strategy to be appliedA successful and effective instruction should generate self-confidence and auto-efficiency. The instruction should be direct, informative and explanatoryThe responsibility to generate, apply and control such strategies should be transferred from the facilitator to the students and from the classroom to activities involving L2 in the students’ personal lives. The instructional material should be clear, well prepared and generate a likeable sensation. To sum up, the teaching of learning strategies involves the task of teaching students to be strategic; in other words, to take conscious actions to reach their learning objectives while taking into account the characteristics of the task to be done, the demands of the classroom context and the students’ limitation and resources. Therefore, teaching students to think entails the students to think strategically about their learning cognitive capabilities, techniques and applying procedures which must be adapted to a specific learning situation. Rebecca Oxford’s SILL rests in its predictive and is correlative with language performance (course tests, standardized tests, proficiency rates) as well as the learners’ sensory performance which is also included in every step of the way.

SOCIOLOGICAL FOUNDATION

Learning English in a world that has become a global village cannot be ruled out. It is the primary language of global communication, business, science, technology, diplomacy and foreign policy. Learning English at university will open countless opportunities and help students to do research on articles published in this language as well as reach higher levels in their education when they travel abroad to pursue post-degree studies.

Advantages

–       University students use the internet as a valid research tool in their fields of study as there are countless virtual university libraries, and a lot of this information is written in English.

–       They are encouraged to participate in graduate and undergraduate scholarships offered by the government, which are not often taken due to their lack of mastery of the English Language.

–       Many students are also encouraged to participate in virtual classrooms and a lot of these on line programs are disserted in English.

–       Learning and knowing how to speak English fluently will empower students to interact socially and positively in seminars in and outside the protected environments of schools, as well as when they have the opportunity to travel abroad for academic purposes.

–       English is undoubtedly the most influential global language. The use of English as a lingua franca in science and technology, international affairs and the presence of the popular culture of English speaking countries worldwide is responsible for the widespread acceptance of the English language.

–       It is the second most spoken official language in the world and is the native language of the countries that have a great heft in the world. Learning English at university with no doubt will give students a competitive advantage to make their way into post-degree studies all over the world.

Conclusion

Teaching English to students at university has become a trend nowadays. At every university, English is taught either as part of the curriculum or as part of the graduating procedure. Teaching adults involves many aspects and in spite of the fact the teaching methodology used by the facilitator the leaner can influence very little, the learning strategies can be taught and implemented by the learner in every step of the learning process. Since young adults are at the peak of their learning abilities, the learning and teaching process should be suited to maximize their learning habits. One of the forms of enhancing such habits is by the application of learning strategies.

CONTEXTUAL FRAME

Dr. Jorge Carrera Andrade Public High School is located in Guayaquil, in Miraflores on 8th and Las Brisas Streets. This is an institution for female students

This institution was founded in 1976, and started its activities on May 25 of the same year, being in that time Captain Anibal Carrillo Paez the Education Secretary.

This high school carries out its activities in the afternoon shift because the building is shared with the ” Dr. Teodoro Alvarado Olea” Public high school, in the morning shift. it is a one-floor building, having 1 office for the Principal, 1 for the Vice-principal, 1 for the Secretary, 1 for the General Inspector,  and 1 for the Collector. This institution also has 31 classrooms, 2 snack bars, 2 playgrounds, 2 toilets, 1 staff room, 1 computer laboratory.

This public high school is also supported by 76 teachers where 9 of them belong to the English area.

English is taught 5 times a week, and each class lasts 35 minutes. Evaluations are daily, monthly and quarterly, through different activities in the classroom, homework, and exams.

In the present school year there are 1894 students legally registered. Most of them come to high school by bus and others walking.

LEGAL FRAME

The legal support of this project is to be found in the Constitution  of the Republic of Ecuador, Article 28, subsection 6; The General Organic Law of Education, Article 13, and the Organic Bylaw of the University of Guayaquil, which are:

A) Constitución de la República del Ecuador. Sección III: De la Educación y Cultura.

Artículo 28. Inciso 6.- Serán funciones principales  de las Universidades y Escuelas Politécnicas, el estudio y planteamiento de soluciones para los problemas del país; la creación y desarrollo de la cultura nacional y su difusión en los sectores populares;  la investigación científica, la formación profesional y técnica, la contribución para crear una nueva  y más justa  sociedad ecuatoriana, señalando para ello métodos y orientaciones.

This means that the main duties of universities and technical colleges are the research and proposal of solutions for the different problems of the country and also promote investigation and professional development.

B) Ley Orgánica General de Educación. Capítulo IV. De la Calidad de la Educación. Artículo 13.- Todas las instituciones que brinden servicios educativos ofrecerán procesos y recursos de calidad, utilizando los insumos adecuados y actualizados, que satisfagan las necesidades, objetivos de los usuarios y las demandas  de la sociedad.

This states that all educative institutions have to offer high level processes and resources as well as suitable updated materials in order to satisfy different needs.

C)  Estatuto Orgánico de la Universidad de Guayaquil. Capítulo IV. Funciones de la Universidad. Artículo 4.- De acuerdo con los fines y objetivos que propone, la Universidad cumplirá las siguientes funciones:

a)  La enseñanza  en las diversas áreas del conocimiento para formarprofesionales, investigadores y técnicos altamente capacitados con un claro sentido de sensibilidad y responsabilidad social.

b)   La investigación que permita el conocimiento de la realidad nacional y la creación de ciencia y tecnología, capaces de dar soluciones a los problemas del país.

This has to do with the objectives of the university in order to train qualified professionals, investigators and technicians, and promote the solution of problems through science and technology.

The regulation to develop the design and execution the educative projects, was approved in session of the Honorable Directive Council on 15th 1999 and ratified on February 9th of the same year.

The Directive Council arranged that the educative projects must be performed until by two undergraduates.

Among the objectives of the regulations we have:

To design and execute the educative projects by applying the scientific method to contribute the improvement of the education quality.

To contribute the integral, harmonic and permanent development of the future professionals.

To guarantee the research through technical resources to make an efficient investigation.

Terms

Throughout this project you will see the terms songs and music. They will be used in the same way as in the book songs in action, written by Dale T. Griffe, who defined them as follows: ” the word songs refers to pieces of music that have words, especially popular songs which are listened on the radio. By music is meant instrumental music, for example, symphonic, chamber, easy listening, or solo instrument such as the flute, or guitar.

Importance

Here are seven important reasons why using learning strategies in the EFL or ESL classroom is an excellent idea for both learners and facilitators• Give them Self ConfidenceMotivating foreign language learners is a constant concern of teachers worldwide, under a broad range of teaching and learning conditions and environments. One aspect virtually any language learner, of any age or profile, likes is music. Learners are usually quick to talk about their favorite music and musical artists like Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, etc.• Facilitators’ work is directed appropriatelyThe EFL or ESL teacher has a preference for music as do their learners. So whatever you, as the teacher might like, you can pass on your enthusiasm to your language learners.• Learning Strategies can be taught for life-time purposesOne frequent problem of English and other foreign language classes is finances. Costs and budgets are a sore point in almost every school district, language institute and teaching / learning situation. Music though, is most often freely available in many genres regardless of where you may be living or teaching.• There is a Wide Variety of learning strategies that can be used according to thecircumstance• Music Affects the Brain PositivelyLong-standing academic and intellectual studies have extensively demonstrated that music has a depth impact and affects the brain. This effect can either be positive or negative depending on its type. With some astute guidance, you could be sure of using music with a positive effect on your English or other foreign language learners, thus, it also gives the opportunity to learn values and make students conscious of what is right or wrong.• Music Can Enhance LearningIf you’re looking for a way to enhance your EFL learners’ experience with language acquisition, music is one aspect that is quickly and easily implemented. Classical music like the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi or Chopin and Easy-listening genres of music are well proven to enhance learning, especially in the areas of language and mathematics.• Music Motivates and Interests LearnersAsk your learners what they do in their free time and likely one of their responses will include listening to their favorite kinds of music. If you want to ” cheer up” a boring classroom, you can use music to do so in a great hurry.

LEVELS OF INVESTIGATION

The levels of this research are: ExploratoryDescriptiveExplanatory.

PROCEDURE OF THE INVESTIGATION

This procedure considers the following steps: Formulation of the problemElaboration of the theoretical frameDesign of the investigationApplication of the instruments of the investigationAnalysis and interpretation of resultsConclusions and recommendations

INSTRUMENTS OF THE INVESTIGATION

METHODS

The method is the way to reach the goal. It is also the general planning with determined criteria and which has specific goals. On the other hand, methods are the systematic procedures to achieve the development of the science or a part of it. In this case our investigation is related to the application of the observation, scientific, inductive, deductive, heuristic and itinerant methods.

Observation

The observation method involves human or mechanical observation of what people actually do or what events take place during situation. ” Information is collected by observing process at work”

Scientific

It refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. A scientific method consists of the collection of data through observation and experimentation.

Inductive

The inductive method is the process of using observations to develop general principles about a specific object.

Deductive

This method changes the way to transmit the knowledge, because here the student catches the external knowledge as concepts, principles, rules, and analyzes, compares, synthesizes and shows the results. The deductive method goes from the general to the particular.

Heuristic

The students show their own capacity to be more interactive. It is one of the best ways to work in class.

Itinerant

In this method of investigation people move from place to place as demanded by employment. It means we had to move from place to place inside the institution to obtain data.

Synthetic

A type of method of ” treating at, and working at, scientific cognitions”, opposed to the analytic method. The synthetic method goes from the composite to the simple.

Analytical

All the analysis we have to perform about the analysis results will serve to obtain the conclusions and recommendations.

TECHNIQUES

The body of specialized procedures and methods used in any specific field, especially in an area of applied science. In this work, a pedagogical technique is defined as a manner of accomplishment teaching objectives; according to how the techniques prescribe students interaction with learning resources. The techniques that are going to be applied in the investigation are: surveys and interviews.

Survey

A sampling, or partial collection, of facts, figures, or opinions taken and used to approximate or indicate what a complete collection and analysis might reveal.

Interview

It is a conversation among two or more people (the interviewer and the interviewee) where questions are asked by the interviewer especially for the purpose of obtaining information.

Sampling

It is a technique used especially when a descriptive investigation is made. It is the act of taking a small part or quantity of something that is to say a small portion of the universe.

Sample

It is a small amount of something which shows what the rest is or should be like.

Population or Universe

They are all people among directives, teachers and students of the institution.