Students questionnaire

Any research design includes an essential aspect which consists of eliciting information in

order to know students opinions, beliefs and ideas. For that purpose, a questionnaire was applied

to the students, which is one of the most effective procedures that enable a researcher to elicit

credible information from students. Denzin (1978) and Mathison (1988) highlight the importance

of using data collection procedures in a study and by this way obtain reliable data from a variety

of sources simultaneously.

Sixteen (16) students from the Systems Engineering Program who are in second semester

of systems engineering program answered a questionnaire which purpose was to know about

their opinions regarding the English subject, and the aspects that need to be improved and their

preferences regarding English language teaching.

Results of the students questionnaire

Section two: English area

1: have you taken any other English courses besides those offered by IUCESMAG University?

Yes 6
No 10
Total 16

If the answer is yes, how many courses have you taken?

 Number of courses taken
One course 3
Two courses 1
Three courses 1
Four courses 1
Total 5

2: Do you think learning English is important for you professional profile?

Yes 16
No 0
Total 15

3: Do you practice English outside the classroom?

Yes 15
No 1
Total 15

4: Do you think the number of hours devoted for language instruction is enough to learn English?

Yes 7
No 9

5: how many hours do you practice English outside the classroom?

Less than 30 minutes 1

30 to 40 minutes 2
40 minutes to 1 hour 1
 More than 1 hour 12

Section three: Methodology

6: what kind of activities do you enjoy most in the English class?

Activity Frequencies
Individual work 6
Grammar exercises 6
Listen to english speakers 7
Songs 8
Videos 10
Group work 12
Workshops 13
Read novels, magazines or 13
comic strips

7: In which of the following skills do you find some difficulties when learning English?

Reading Writing Listening Speaking Vocabulary Pronunciatio

n
13 3 8 8 9 6

8: what strategies have you used to overcome the problems with this skill?

Reading: reading books, magazines, lyrics, practicing in Duolinguo app.

Writing: writing in chat rooms to foreign people, composing in written form some ideas about a

topic.

Listening: listening to songs, the news in English, conversations on YouTube videos and short

stories.
Speaking: nothing found.

Vocabulary: writing English-Spanish vocabulary lists, memorizing words.

Pronunciation: vocalization exercises, listening to songs and practicing the lyrics, using online

dictionaries and listening to the pronunciation of words.

9: how would you like to work in the English classes?

Activity Frequencies
Individual work 3
Pair work 13
Group work 15
In-class activities 12
Homework 7

Question 10: what suggestions do you have for the English class?

Use online platforms, reading practice, audio and videos, have more hours for English

instruction, presentations and practice songs (karaoke sessions).

Question 11: what kind of materials would you like your teacher to use in the English classes?

Materials Frequencies
Text book 4
Videos 15
Online help (computers, platforms and 13
webpages)
Novels, magazines 16
Articles 6
Analysis of the students questionnaire

After applying the questionnaire to the students, the following categories were found:

Autonomous learning

Students stated that in their free time they enjoy practicing English at home, most of them

use apps in their cell phones such as Duolinguo and others use videos, songs, read magazines,

guides and play video games to practice English outside the class. Besides revising and analyzing

the activities made during class is something they do at home. Some of the reasons students

practice outside the class is probably because they want to go abroad and to find good job

opportunities, so they consider the practice of English as something useful in their professional

lives.

Lack of hours

The majority of students considered the number of hours as scarce; provided that there are

only three (3) hours per week for English instruction. Students think that the more hours they

have for English the better the results. These results are very relevant since both teachers and

students can benefit from having more hours because there are more opportunities to teach new

strategies to the students and to practice the language in the classroom.

Difficulties in reading and vocabulary

 Students expressed they have problems comprehending texts due to the lack of

vocabulary; they sometimes argue that vocabulary is necessary to understand text passages and

listening activities and their vocabulary is limited. Reading comprehension competence has its

bases on the premise that the university has worked a lot on preparing students for Saber PRO

test. The results obtained by the students are important because the university get a good ranking

position. Besides according to the Plan de desarrollo institucional 2013-2019 Con calidad

hacia el reconocimiento como universidad a document written with the purpose of making

improvements in the different programs at IUCESMG university, it is stated the need to make

some improvements in the Saber PRO exam by teaching students critical reading strategies to

understand the English test. Thus reading comprehension skills is something that the

administrators at IUCESMAG University try to foster among students; and by applying different

reading strategies, it is feasible to make students understand not only the Saber PRO test but to

develop reading comprehension skills in general. However, there are difficulties when they try to

understand some texts due to the lack of vocabulary and understanding of some structures.

Preference on using authentic materials and team work

Following the answers given by students in which they would like to watch videos on the

internet, read articles, magazines and listen to foreign people talking; it is advisable to propose a

series of tasks and activities that are meaningful and motivating for students. In addition, students

expressed their preference on working in groups which is beneficial for the learning process since

they have opportunities to interact. Finally, it was interesting to find that our students enjoy using

online resources (video, audio, documentaries, series etc.) since they can learn a language by

using different resources that will make the class more dynamic and they participate actively in

class.
 References

Alttichter, H., Feldman, A., Posch, P. & Somekh, B. (2008). Teachers

Investigate their Work: An Introduction to Action Research across the
Profession. Routledge (2nd Ed).

Creswell, J.W. & Miller, D.L. (2000) Determining validity in qualitative inquiry. Theory into
Practice 39 (3), 124-131.

Mathison, S. (1988). Why triangulation? Educational Researcher 17(2),13-17.

Osorio, H. et al. (2013) Plan de desarrollo institucional institucin

universitaria cesmag con calidad hacia el reconocimiento como
universidad 2013-2019. Actualizado a la fecha. Derechos reservados.