Academic Achievement Essay

pedantic Achievement This unit volition do you delectation your prior knowledge to help you figure what you argon indi buttt practice demoing for a specific object coiffe decisions al close the relevance of a text in terms of reading purpose read selectively in order to use appropriate shoaling from the text. The topic of this unit concerns factors that whitethorn lead to emendment in donnish transaction among students. It is based on triplet major interrogation projects carried out in the United States. The influence of class size on faculty member achievement (157159). designate 1 Predicting text contentedness Think close what factors can have an influence on the schoolmanian achievement of the students in a school, college, or university. Look at the pursual dip of practicable influences and rate the thinkings on a scale of 15 (1 = very little influence, 5 = very strong influence). go on academic performance Resources available (e. g. , computers, l aboratories, textbooks) Teacher level (qualifications, experience, etc. ) Student motivation Rating 1. 3 Add and rate several(prenominal) of your take ideas. Then equalize your list and ratings with a first mate. Focus task.Your reason for reading Text 1-1 is to get some background information to help you spell out the next es verbalise. English for academic use up 18 schoolman Achievement 1 Task 2 registering for a purpose 2. 1 Look guardedly at the act of Text 1-1. Do you think that the text forget be utilitarian for writing an assignment about academic achievement? Sh ar your conclusions with another(prenominal)(prenominal) student. commemorate the introduction to Text 1-1 (lines 166). As you read, try to drag up your mind about how helpful this text expertness be for your purpose. When you have ruined reading, circle and complete the following sentence.2. 2 Task 3 see selectively 3. 1 Read the subheading (lines 6768) and think about your stimulate whimsey on the issue. Do you think that littler class sizes help to improve academic performance? Circle your answer thusly write adept reason for your choice below. 3. 2 Below are some notes that have been made by another student on Text 1-1. Read lines 67117 and study the points mentioned in the text. a) b) c) d) e) f) g) Reading & Writing 3. 3 Read lines 6972. What does anecdotal mean? Try to guess the meaning of this word by flavor carefully at the totally sentence.If the ideas in this paragraph are anecdotal, think about how seriously you should take them into account when writing your assignment. 19 3. 4 Read lines 97117 and underline specific information from this paragraph that you might use to help in the completion of the Focus task. Think about 3. 5 how useful you think this paragraph might be in relation to the Focus task whether you think the sources are reliable. With a partner, compare and justify your choice of information for all four questions. Task 4 Identifying the w riters purpose 4.1 Read lines 118192 and decide on the main functions of this section of text from the choices assumption below. For each choice, rate the function from 05 depending on how sure you are (5 = very sure). Study tip It can be very stabilizing to recognize wherefore the writer has written a text, or a section of a text, i. e. , what the function of the text is. Function a) To persuade the readers to accept a certain(p) point of view. b) To explain the importance of use research information instead of anecdotal explanations. c) To survey the importance of the research carried out into the effect of classroom size on academic achievement.d) To describe the research method used in various parts of the US into the effect of classroom size on academic achievement. 4. 2 What is the function (or functions) of Figure 1 Milestone studies in class size (page 159)? a) to summarize the content of the text b) to outline the content of certain relevant research c) to explain the importance of the STAR project d) to compare the data from research about class size Rating Task 5 Understanding referencing in texts Referencing in a text is a sort of linking words and ideas together, thusmaking the text more(prenominal) cohesive and easier to understand.The following activeness will provide practice in this distinguished skill. 5. 1 Look at line 119 of Text 1-1. What information or idea in the text do the words these witnessings refer to? a) The US Department of Education b) The National Assessment of Educational Progress c) Project STAR Study tip An rough-and-ready reader makes use of referencing in a text to profits a clear taste of what the author wishes to convey. 20 English for academic study Academic Achievement 5. 2 What other words or phrases (lines 119148) refer to the same data?a) b) 5. 3 (line number (line number ) ) 1 What reasons do the writers give for ignoring the data? Complete the list below, using a similar note form. a) b) c) d) e) 5. 4 What factors, according to the writers, made Project STAR better than other poorly knowing studies? Complete the list below, using a similar note form. a) b) c) d) e) Text 1-2 A case study Shining star (p. 160) Task 6 Reading a text for closer understanding (1) 6. 1 What general point is made in the premier paragraph of Text 1-2 (lines 111)? Find a short phrase that best summarizes this conclusion.Reading & Writing 21 21 6. 2 In the second paragraph, which of the following put ons of littler classes do Finn and Achilles (1990) identify in their review of the project? Answer true or false and add the line number from where you found the answer. a) Better academic performance in small-sized classes. b) Students benefit at an early stage in small classes. (line number (line number ) (line number ) ) ) c) Students later continue to perform well in normal-sized classes. ) d) Average students make the most progress. e) Minority groups gained the most significant benefits.(line number (line number f) On average, ethnic minority students improved by one-fifth of exemplification deviation. (line number ) 6. 3 In the final paragraph, which of the findings of Finn and Achilles (ibid. ) in Ex 6. 2 does Hanushek comment on? Put a check ( ) when Hanushek nurses and a cross ( ) when he disagrees. Write N/A if Hanushek does not mention these findings. a) b) c) d) e) f) 6. 4 To what extent do you feel that the analyses of Project STAR will help you with the Focus task? Rate your opinion 05 (0 = not at all). Discuss your answer with a partner.Text 1-3 The Asian paradox Huge classes, gamey scores (p. 161) Task 7 Reading a text for closer understanding (2) 7. 1 Discuss with a partner or in groups what you know about academic performance in developed Asian countries, and how academic success is achieved. Read lines 165 of Text 1-3. As you read, telephone to highlight ideas that might be useful for the Focus task. What is your understanding of the Asian paradox? What one w ord in the text (lines 1735) gives a reason for this Asian paradox? 7. 2 English for academic study 7. 3 22 Academic Achievement 7.4 Find other short phrases in the rest of the paragraph (lines 3548) that might provide further reasons for the apparent academic success of Japanese students. 1 7. 5 Having read the text, have you found any information that might be useful for the Focus task? Task 8 Thinking critically about the text 8. 1 Look at the list of possible influences on academic performance in Task 1 (page 18). Are in that location any new influences you want to add to the table, and any you want to delete? Influence on academic performance Rating 8. 2 If you added any influences to your table, what rating would you give them, on a scale of 15?Task 9 Making use of the text You now have some information that whitethorn help with the Focus task that you will be given in order to complete Unit 1 of English for academic study Writing, if you are studying that course. Reading & W riting Decide now if, and how, you can use the information in Texts 1-1, 1-2 and 1-3. 23 Unit summary In this unit you have thought about using your prior knowledge to help you understand what you are reading and made decisions about the relevance of a text in terms of reading purpose. You have learned to identify the writers purpose and to read selectively in order to use appropriate information from the text.1 Complete this summary about the reading skills you practiced in the first unit with some of the words from the box. understanding meaning expertly prior human action critically predictions subheadings selectively purpose It is easier to read a text if you have some knowledge of the topic that the text is about. This will help you to make and will give you a , which you always need when you read. Knowing why you are reading and what you are looking for will help you to both approve a text and focus on it better. Reading the and any there might be will help you to quickly kn ow if you want to read a text and how useful it will be to you.It is important to read , especially if you are short of time. Some parts of a text will provide the information you need man other parts will be less important. You will usually read a text quickly first to get a general idea of what it is about and then read more carefully for closer and to be able to think about the content. 2 Look at these possible topics of a reading passage. How some(prenominal) prior knowledge do you have of each topic? Mark each topic as follows L I know a skunk about this topic, so I could make plenty of predictions.S I know something about this topic, and so I could make a hardly a(prenominal) predictions. N I know very little or nothing about this topic, so I wouldnt be able to make any predictions. a) change magnitude traffic congestion in major cities b) special education for children with learning difficulties c) the growth in the popularity of baseball in Asian countries d) the int elligence of dolphins e) the origins of development of report card making English for academic study For weave resources relevant to this unit, see www. englishforacademicstudy. com/us/student/reading/links 24 1 1. 1 Academic Achievement.This unit will help you think about the aims of academic study, and how to achieve them learn about the different stages of the writing service identify and learn how to bed with difficulties in academic writing learn how to consider the knowledge and expectations of your reader think about different approaches to the administration of your ideas. Task 1 Thinking about academic success The following questionnaire, Ex 1. 11. 14, will help you think about your views on the meaning of academic success and aspects of academic writing. You will then be able to discuss your views with the rest of the class.What is the aim of academic study? (Please check ( ) one or more. ) to meet intelligent concourse to reckon having a career or future job t o disc everyplace more about theories and certain known facts to discuss philosophy to enjoy learning to change members of society to exchange ideas that are intellectually stimulating* to develop personal growth to contribute to the social and economic development of society to pass examinations to gain a higher-level degree to improve cooperation between different members of world society * intellectually stimulating encouraging the mind to develop further 1.2 How important is it for you as a student to develop the following characteristics while studying at university? (Check ( ) H for High importance, M for culture medium importance, L for Low importance. ) H M L knowing your strengths and weaknesses thinking about how to further develop your abilities thinking about how to approach a particular task using a logical, reasoned approach to study approaching your orbit in depth being interested in finding things out learning how to study communication results successfully Study tip Working with information is a good way of helping you develop ideas.Doing a questionnaire is one example of this, but you can do this yourself by setting clear goals for reading text, e. g. , having several clear questions you would like to answer. Reading & Writing 83 1. 3 What is academic writing? (Please check ( ) one or more. ) a mechanical exercise groups of grammatically correct sentences the clear expression of ideas, knowledge and information a form of self-expression a way of exploring, addressing and expressing academic issues a way of communicating results or information.1. 4 To write well academically, how important are the following? (Check ( ) H for High importance, M for Medium importance, L for Low importance. ) H M L reading a address studying grammar studying vocabulary imitating other writers writing a lot inviting others to comment on your writing going back and thinking again about what you have written rewriting repeatedly until you are satisfied understa nding the process of writing meeting the needs of your reader 1. 5.How important do you think the following are when writing academic texts? (Check ( ) H for High importance, M for Medium importance, L for Low importance. ) H M L grammatical correctness spelling and punctuation (using periods, commas, etc. ) an appropriate style overall organization vocabulary good ideas good use of sources (appropriate citation, bibliography) relevance of subject content English for academic study response to the task 1. 6 In which of the following ways can you support your ideas when writing academic texts?using personal anecdotes* using facts using statistics 84.Academic Achievement using examples using the news using information from books, articles, reports, the Internet using analogies** using the views and attitudes of others using research data * anecdote a short, a good deal amusing account of something that has happened ** analogy to make or draw an analogy between two things is to show t hey are alike in some way 1. 7 Which of the following contribute to successful academic writing?Presenting information clearly and precisely analyzing questions and issues clearly and precisely distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant material recognizing key assumptions* identifying competing points of view demonstrating excellent reasoning and problem-solving abilities adopting a critical stance** understanding the context for which you are writing * assumption if you make an assumption that something is true, you accept it is true without any real proof or evidence ** critical stance to take a critical stance is to have a strong viewpoint on something subsequently examining and judging it carefully 1.8 When persuading your professor or other members of your academic community that your argument is valid, how important are the following? (Check ( ) H for High importance, M for Medium importance, L for Low importance. ) H M L analyzing questions stating facts reasoning your argument logically from facts explaining key terms using language appropriate to a particular subject area using other points of view tostrengthen your argument or research demonstrating the weaknesses of other peoples arguments acknowledging the limitations of your own argument or research supporting your argument with examples frequently summarizing your argument referring to well-argued conclusions 1.Reading & Writing 85 1. 9 Should you always think of academic writing as communicating with another person? Why/Why not? 1. 10 What do you do, or what do you concentrate on, when you are given a writing task a) while you are still writing your first gulping? b) when you have finished your first draft? c) before you hand in your final draft? 1. 11.What typeface of academic writing have you done in the past? 1. 12 What difficulties do you have with writing in English or in your own language? 86 English for academic study Academic Achievement 1. 13 What do you do when you have difficu lties? 1 1. 14 Do you enjoy academic writing? Why/Why not? When you have finished the questionnaire, compare your answers with those of other people in your group. Discuss your answers, and keep notes of the discussion. Do you find that you all have very similar views and experiences? Or are your views and experiences very different? Are there any general trends among students in the group? secular adapted from White, R. V. (1994). Writing English for academic study series and Richards, R. (2001). Presenting critical thinking as a study strategy for UK higher education. Text 1 Academic achievement (pp. 157161) You will have an opportunity to read these extracts from articles in the Scientific American during this stage. This will help you identify information that is relevant to the title of your essay.Task 2 Microskills Planning The essay that you will prepare in this unit is on the following topic Before you begin writing, you should spend some time thinking about exactly what t he question is asking you to write about generating ideas about the topic this is called brainstorming organizing your ideas into a plan. Reading & Writing As part of this preparation, you should read Texts 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3 to identify relevant information. You might as well find that some of the ideas generated by the questionnaire and discussion in Task 1 will help you. 87 2.1 Discuss what you think the key words are in the essay question a) with a partner b) with the whole group and your instructor. 2. 2 Spend five minutes writing down all the ideas you can think of that are relevant to the essay topic.Write notes, not complete sentences, so that your ideas flow. The order of your ideas is not important at this stage. Study tip Discuss the ideas you have written in Ex 2. 2 a) with a partner b) with the whole group and your instructor. 2. 3 2. 4 Decide which of your ideas you are going to use in your essay. Writing down ideas quickly in note form is a very good way of unlocking your understanding. As long as you let your ideas flow and dont try too hard, you will be affect by what you already know. a) To help you, ask yourself these questions about your readers What knowledge about academic study do they already have? What do you think they are interested in reading about in your essay? b) When you have decided which ideas you are going to include, organize them into a logical order in a plan. You may want to develop some of the ideas further and you may want to add a new idea. Group together ideas that seem to run low to the same paragraph. Think carefully about the order in which you will arrange the paragraphs. 2. 5 Discuss your plan with your partner. When you look at your partners plan, ask yourself What is the overall idea in the essay? Does the plan follow a logical sequence of ideas?Are the ideas grouped effectively into paragraphs? Is the main idea clear in each paragraph? How many paragraphs will the essay contain? If the answers to the se questions are not clear from looking at your partners plan, ask her/him to explain. Perhaps the plan needs to be changed or developed more. Note Remember your plan is your guide when you think more and start writing, you may need to change it, so keep evaluating it. 2. 6 Think about your partners comments on your plan and try to improve it. Write the first draft of your essay. At this stage, you should try to write between 400 and 600 words.Study tipIt is always helpful to get another opinion. This will not solo help you improve your essay writing, but also get you used to the idea of modifying and redrafting that is so important in university study. 2. 7 English for academic study 88 Academic Achievement 2. 8 When you have finished your first draft, find another student who has also finished and exchange drafts. a) Read your partners draft carefully. Respond to the questions on the Peer Evaluation Sheet for Unit 1 on page 141 of this book. b) When commenting on your partners dr aft, remember that constructive criticism is more helpful when giving advice.The phrases below for making polite suggestions should help you to express your comments in a constructive manner. 1 heavy(a) Peer Feedback PHRASES FOR MAKING POLITE SUGGESTIONS It might be a good idea if you It might be a good idea to I agree with you, but you could Right, but you could This is/Thats good, but you could My advice would be to Do you think a better approach might be to ? Why dont you ? How about this? Perhaps you could Maybe it would be better to I think it would be better if you Can I/May I make another suggestion?I would recommend that you Have you thought about (verb + ing) ? What about ? Remember Peer feedback should be supportive and helpfulprovide constructive criticism. Task 3 Microskills Introductions 3. 1 Quickly write down what you think are the important points to include in an introduction to an academic essay. Reading & Writing 89 3. 2 Discuss your ide as and explain why you have chosen these points a) with a partner b) with the rest of the class. Study tip EAS Writing contains suggestions for individual work as well as pair, group, and class discussion. Make full use of this varied interaction to develop your ideas. 3.3 Answer the following questions a) What function or purpose does the introduction of an essay have? b) What should an introduction contain? 90 English for academic study Academic Achievement 3. 4 Look at the following sentences from an introduction to an essay on The problems of population growth. a) Decide which would be the most logical order of these sentences 1 This growth has created many problems, especially in the gravid cities. This essay will discuss the situation that has led to the development of these problems and describe some of them. The population of the world has been growing rapidly over the last cardinal years.It will then suggest some possible solutions to the problems and evaluate their viabi lity. The problems include housing, pollution, unemployment, and food and water shortages. b) Compare what you think with another student and also say why you decided on the order you chose. c) Together with your partner, try to identify an obvious pattern to the introduction and decide what the function of each sentence is. 3. 5 Read carefully the following five introductions for an essay entitled Academic success in ones own culture and try to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses.% % ( %, & % ( ) %& , &( % % % & % ( % (% & ) %, & ( &,& & ( %, ( &,& & % % % %, & & && , & ( &( && % && & & % & , &( & % % & % ) %& & ,( % & ,( &( ,(% ) %, , % & , % &( & %, % * ) % & &( & % % &( , & & & && , * & % & %& % & , % &( && ) %, , * & & ) &( && & , / ( &&0 & & , & , % 1& * % ( & * ,1& (% % % % & & &( & %& & (% &( && % $( % & % % % & &( , & & % &( % % ( & & ( / &( && 0 (% ( &,& % ( (% * ,& & (% &( &1 &( && % % & && , * & % &( && * % %& Reading & Writing 91 ( & & %& % ( ) & , ( % % ( % % ) , + ( % , %) % ( (% ( & & && , * & % ( &,& % & &( && (% ( %, , %& & % ( & & & % & * & , ) % &,& ( &(% &,& & %& *( % &* % & $( & & $( & . * &% % & &( && . & & & & * &* % & % ( % % ( ) %& , % & % & & , & & & , % & % % & &( &1 ((% , % % & % % % , * &( && % ((% % % ( & * % % & (& , % , & & (& ( ( & & % % % , ( % % % && & + & % ) &( , % % , & % & % ( & & & & , % &( , &( & & && , & ) &( , % & % ( &( && (% ( (% Edited extracts from authentic student material 3. 6 Imagine you are writing an essay on the following three topics. Write a suitable introduction for each one of them. (Note that you are not going towrite the whole essay. ) a)The education system in ones own country. b) Traveling bro adens the mind. Discuss. c) The rapid development of electronic communications may mean that people will have fewer social skills. Discuss. 3. 7 When you write the second draft of your essay What are the aims of academic study and how can they be achieved? make appropriate changes to the introduction, and other parts, according to your peer feedback session. Study tip Spend time on your introduction as it plays a crucial role in the essay. It should provide the reader with a clear indication of the main areas you are going to discuss.92 English for academic study Academic Achievement 1 Unit summary In this unit you have reflected on your attitudes and approach to academic writing skills. You have thought about the different stages of the writing process and practiced planning, writing a first draft, and giving peer feedback. You have also looked at how to write effective introductions to your essays. 1 Match the words and phrases in the box to their definitions below. They are all p rocedures and techniques that form part of the writing process. drafting brainstorming peer feedback organizing ideas adopting a critical stancea) Generating and noting down initial ideas about a topic without ordering them b) Putting ideas together in a logical sequence c) Deciding on and expressing your viewpoint after examining and judging possible opinions d) The process of writing and putting your essay together. Most essays will have two or more drafts and will be revised and edited after each draft. e) Comments on your essay from other students 2 Complete the sentences below on writing an academic text using some of the words from Ex 1. a) When you are given a writing task, it is important to start by b) When you write the first draft you should.c) Before you hand in your final draft 3 After working on this unit, write down ways in your notebook of how you improved your knowledge of academic writing. Reading & Writing For web resources relevant to this unit, see www. englishf oracademicstudy. com/us/student/writing/links 93 Academic Achievement Text 1-1The influence of class size on academic achievement 1 THE INFLUENCE OF CLASS SIZE ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT Education is a pillar of modern society and the subject of endless, often passionate arguments about how it can best be improved. In the U. S. , there is heated 5 debate following revelations that the countrys secondary schoolstudents perform poorly relative to many Asian and European students. The news coincided with increasing concern over the nations urban and 10 lower-income suburban schools, too many of which are languishing at achievement levels far below those of middle-class and upper middle-class suburban schools.Of all the ideas for improving education, 15 few are as simple or attractive as reducing the number of pupils per teacher. With its uncomplicated appeal and lack of a big, powerful group of opponents, class-size diminution has lately developed from a sub20 ject of primarily academic interest to a key political issue.In the United States, more than 20 states and the federal authorities have adopted policies aimed at decreasing class sizes, and billions of dollars have been 25 spent or committed in the past few years. The demand for smaller classes is also growing in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and even Japan, whose record of secondary school performance is the envy of 30 most other developed countries. The most obvious drawback to class-size reduction is the huge cost. It requires more teachers, more classrooms, and more classroom equipment and resources.These 35 expenses can dwarf the price of alternative schemes, such(prenominal) as test teachers or increasing their pay as a means of attracting better candidates. The state of California, for example, has been spending more than 40 $1. 5 billion annually over the past several years to reduce class size to 20 or fewer for children in the four- to seven-year-old bracket. On the other hand, if smaller classes really do work, the economic benefits could be huge. 157 Reading & Writing Text 1-1 The influence of class size on academic achievement cont. 158 English for academic study smaller classes.Finally, some analysts believe that the very youngest age group in smaller classes are more likely to develop good study habits, higher self-esteem and possibly other beneficial cognitive traits which may very well persist for years, even 95 after the students have gone back to more normal-sized classes. One way investigators have attempted to analyze the effects of class size is by reviewing existing data, such as records kept by the light speed U. S. Department of Education. These show that between 1969 and 1997, the average number of pupils per teacher in American public and private elementary schools fell from 25.1 to 18. 3, a compensate of gravider than 105 27%. In secondary schools, the number also fell, from 19. 7 to 14. 0. Of concern, however, is the fact that despite these ste ep drops in pupil-teacher ratios, the improvement in academic performance was negligible. Data 110 from the National Assessment of Educational Progressa series of tests that is the only United States-wide indicator of student knowledge in reading, mathematics, science WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS and other subjectsshow no significant OF SMALLER CLASS SIZES? 115 gains.In some specific age and subject categories, such as 17-year-olds and science, Educators have a multitude of explanations performance actually decreased slightly. for why smaller class sizes might be expect70 ed to improve academic performance, although frequently the ideas are anecdotal. WHAT THE RECORD SHOWS Fewer students in the classroom seem to translate into less noise and disruptive However, these findings do not necessarily 75 behavior from students, which not only gives the teacher more time for class work but 120 mean that class size makes no difference.For a variety of reasons, most researchers, also more freedom to engage students creincluding the writers, pay little attention to ativelyby, for example, dividing them into these figures (Figure 1). For instance, groups for specific projects. In addition, schools strive for more than just high test 80 smaller classes make it more likely that the teacher can give greater individual attention 125 scores they also usually try to keep their dropout rate low. In fact, the dropout rate to struggling students. Smaller classes also for students aged 1624 fell from 15 to 11 allow teachers to encourage more discuspercent over the period.Because dropouts sion, assign more writing, and closely examgenerally come from the low end of the 85 ine their students written work. In other words, often of the benefit of reduced class 130 achievement distribution, a reduction in dropout rate could be expected to pull down size may depend on whether the teachers average test scores in the upper grades. adapt their methods to take advantage of They would accrue not ju st from the benefits of a better-educated manpower but also from other sources, such as the avoided medical costs and sick days of a healthier, more informed populace.The surge of interest in smaller classes 50 has spurred fresh analyzes of the largest, most conclusive study to date, which took place in Tennessee in the late 1980s. At the same time, new data are flowing from 55 various initiatives, including the California program and a smaller one in Wisconsin. These results and analyzes are finally offering some tentative responses to the questions that researchers essential answer before 60 legislators can come up with policies that make educational and economic sense Do small classes in fact improve school achievement? If they do, at what age level do they accomplish the greatest good?What kind of 65 students gain the greatest benefit, and most importantly, how great is the benefit? 45 90 Academic Achievement Text 1-1 The influence of class size on academic achievement cont. 1 FIGURE 1 MILESTONE STUDIES IN CLASS SIZE PROJECT STATE STUDENTS PARTICIPATING APPROX. COST SMALL CLASS SIZE KEY FINDINGS STAR 198589 Tennessee 10,000 $12m 1317 Significant performance benefit of 0. 2 standard deviation larger gains for minority pupils Small performance gain of about 0. 05 to 0. 1 standard deviation no greater gains for minorities Significant performance advantage of 0. 2 standard deviation larger gain.