An Evaluation of English Proficiency of First-Year Students at Kasetsart University Using Communicative and Grammar-Based Instruction

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate and evaluate the effectiveness of communicative-based instruction and grammar-based instruction in teaching English to first-year Kasetsart University students. The subjects selected for the study were two classes of Kasetsart University first-year students registered in Foundation English I during the first semester 1999. The two classes were divided into two experimental groups taught with grammar-based text and communicative-based text respectively. Tests for students' English proficiency in the four skills were assessed before and after forty-five instructional periods. Both experimental classes were given supplementary listening exercises, but the class taught with communicative-based text was also given a grammar supplement to study outside class to prepare for the mid-term and final examinations. The computer program SPSS was used to statistically analyze the pre-test and post-test scores for means and standard deviations. Two-tailed t-tests were conducted to test the significance for each. Conclusions drawn from the study were: 1. The grammar-based instruction class made statistically significant gains in three skills namely listening, reading and speaking at the 0.05 significant level whereas no statistically significant improvement was found in writing. 2. The communicative-based instruction class made statistically significant gains in all four skills. A significant difference at the 0.05 level was found in listening, speaking, reading and writing.