Session Information
11 SES 02 A, Increasing Students' Subject Knowledge and Developing Language Proficiency
Paper Session
Contribution
Since the students of the high school continue to study all the profile subjects in English after completing the basic school, it is more difficult for them to study in English. Each year, when analyzing the results of the final summary evaluation of 12th-grade students, it was determined that the majority of students do not understand the command words in chemistry, biology, physics, and informatics, some terms, and the meaning of dialect words found in context. To this end, in the course of studying the methods of light learning of the subject in English, we decided that it is better to consult with English experts and try one of the most common methods of their use "parallel text". In the vast majority of articles and books published in Scholar.google.com, the definition of parallel text is a text within its translation. Based on the research of world-class scientists and educators:
Michael Cysouw and Bernhard Wälchli (2007) highlight the role of parallel texts in facilitating theorists' work, transcribing texts like the "Biblical" in 400+ languages.Alex M. Kushnir (2018) emphasizes accessing master-level translations using parallel texts for a deeper understanding.MOHSEN GHADESSY and YANJIE GAO (2000) mention the importance of parallel texts for designing dictionaries and teaching translation methods.
Yudina (2022) notes the use of parallel texts in learning Russian and provides an example in physics.
Among the articles listed above, some authors prioritize not providing a full translation version of the script during task compilation. Therefore, we decided to take into account the level of knowledge of students before using the method of "parallel text". The study was attended by high school students with a basic and average level of English. In the study, educational materials in physics were given in two different directions. First, an English translation of team words and some terms was offered for students who were constantly confused about the meaning of team words. In the second direction, 70-80% of the context of the assignment was translated for students with very low English levels, and command words and keywords were underlined. The reason we gave the text is that when the students studied in English, the translation in their native language was given so that they could not search the context for a long time. It is noted that many world-class teachers and psychologists adhere to this direction. According to experts who use the method, it is not necessary to provide a full translation of the parallel text to avoid the risk of students becoming dependent on translation in their native language, rather than the context given in English. Another solution to avoid ingenuity, interactive lessons were organized, where students discussed the material in English, and teachers drew attention to the importance of working independently with English texts. Particular attention was paid to the quality of translation of educational materials. It was noted that the translation not only accurately represents the meaning of the original, but also adapts to the level of language proficiency of students. That is, by the level of education of students, the level of assignments was given.
The main objective is to assess parallel texts' effectiveness in enhancing understanding of physical concepts in English. The study aims to address issues like command word comprehension, terminology understanding, and English language difficulties. Key questions include the impact on students' understanding of physics concepts and the effect on language achievements and motivation.
The study also highlights the importance of accurate translations adapting to students' language proficiency levels. Interactive lessons and discussions in English aim to prevent dependence on native language translations.
Method
To implement this study, we used surveys, interviews, and analysis of the results of Term1. According to the results of Term 1, students' grades in Physics were not satisfying. The quality of knowledge in physics in the 1st quarter amounted to 45%. Having reviewed the results of Term 1 marks, it was determined that the students had a poor understanding of context. Students were surveyed to determine the reasons for the lower grades in Term 1. As a result of the survey, 82% of students reported that they do not fully understand the meaning of assignments given in English in physics. He suggested confusing the meaning of team words, often difficult under Section B, and a written translation of some physical terms by the teacher. As part of the study aimed at improving the understanding of physical concepts by students studying in English, they were interviewed to assess the effectiveness of the method. The interview was conducted with a group of students. The questions were related to the frequency of use of the method, its impact on the understanding of physical concepts and language progress, changes in the attitude towards studying, and interest and interest in the learning process. Most of the students noted that the method of parallel text helped them to better understand physical concepts. The students noted that the presence of native texts next to English versions makes it easier to understand complex topics and terms. Several students noted the improvement of their English language skills, in particular, filling out the scientific terminology and academic dictionary fund. Almost everyone who participated in the interview noted that the use of parallel texts was interesting for the reading process, contributed to better participation in the reading process, and increased their motivation to study physics. Most of the students noted that they began to use parallel texts not only in classes but also in their training, which allowed them to get deeper into the material. The students noted that this method makes it easier to remember new terms, reduces the stress of reading, and makes the learning process interesting and attractive. This not only improved their language skills but also increased their level of knowledge of physics as a whole.
Expected Outcomes
Students’ feedback showed there was a significant change in their progress in the study of the subject, the results of the quality of education in the second quarter amounted to 90%. Learning Objectives in Term 2 may have been influenced by the increase in the quality of education as a result of life-related factors, but we think that the influence of the method is more significant. Students’ academic achievements significantly improved. However, there were some difficulties in the study. Students become addicted to their mother tongue too dependent on translation, and there was a side of not making enough effort to understand English-language material. As a solution we suggest to gradually reduce the use of the native language in parallel texts by encouraging students to pay more attention to English text, marking only by underlined command words and offering alternatives to rare terms. Another challenge was the waste of time and resources. We offer to use of ready-made resources, increasing the quality of materials, as well as the exchange of materials with other partners. We hope feedback from students, team control and the results of the survey will confirm the effectiveness of the method used and the answers to our research question. We plan to apply this method to our lower classes in the following quarters. We are confident that this short-term study of the high estuaries has reached its goal. We can confidently say that this method will allow our students to develop academic literacy, prepare for international exams, and learn the subject in another language easily and quickly. In the future, we plan to study the impact of this method on different aspects of pupils' academic performance, the impact on the development of other skills, as well as its effectiveness in subjects that are related to physics.
References
1.Michael Cysouw & Bernhard Wälchli Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Deutscher Platz 6 D-04103 Leipzig cysouw@eva.mpg.de . “Parallel texts: Using translational equivalents in linguistic typology”. (2007). 2.Alex M.Kushnir (2018). “Parallel texts” as a metodical universal... 3.A.N. Yudina Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution «International Center of Education «Interdom» named after E.D. Stasova» THE METHOD OF READING PARALLEL TEXT AS ONE OF THE EFFECTIVE WAYS TO STUDY PHYSICS IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. (2022). 4.Michael Barlow. Pages: (106–115), DOI:https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004485204_008. “Parallel Texts in Language Teaching”. (2000). 5.William A. Gale Kenneth W. Church I AT&T Bell Laboratories Murray Hill, N.J., 07974 gale@research.att.com. “Identifying Word Correspondences in Parallel Texts”. (1991). 6.Jisong CHEN1 , Rowena CHAU2 , Chung-Hsing YEH3 School of Business Systems, Faculty of Information Technology Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia. “Discovering Parallel Text from the World Wide Web”. (2004). 7.Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics 46(3), 2010, pp. 349–365 © School of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland doi:10.2478/v10010-010-0018-2. “NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE MODELS IN ELT: ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, AND THE IMPLICATIONS OF ACCENT PARALLELISM” (2010). 8.Kunstová, Adéla, Univerzita Karlova, Filozofická fakulta. “The position of scene-setting adverbials in English and Czech. A comparison on the basis of parallel texts” (2013).
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