LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 14:11 November 2014
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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A Comparative Analysis of Speaking Skills in English of Secondary
Level Students from Schools Affiliated to PSEB and CBSE in
District Barnala, Punjab

Priya Rani, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D. (Research Scholar)
Dr. Shivani Thakar, Ph.D.

Abstract

In this paper, the performance of secondary level learners from ten schools affiliated to Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in district Barnala, Punjab with regard to speaking in English was examined and compared. 200 participants (100 each from schools affiliated to PSEB and CBSE) of grade 10 from ten schools (5 each from the two boards, and 20 students per school) were selected through random sampling procedure. The data, in the form of audio-recordings, was collected by administering a variety of questions to them regarding their day-to-day life. The analysis of the data was done on the basis of five components- Pronunciation, Grammar, Vocabulary, Fluency, and Comprehension. A significant difference in the performance of learners from the schools affiliated to the two boards was observed when ‘t-test’ was applied to the data. Furthermore, the performance of the students from the two boards in five sub-skills of speaking was analysed by comparing their average scores against each skill.

Key words: Speaking skill, ELT, PSEB, CBSE.

1. Introduction

In the present scenario of globalization, knowledge of English is considered as a gateway for participation in national and international life. English is so widely used all over the world that it can no longer be considered as 'owned' by any single nation. Its popularity can be estimated from a prediction that “by 2010, a surge in English language learning will include one third of world's people” (Graddol 34). Everybody wants to acquire proficiency in English to get academic advancement and social elevation. People who are able to communicate in English are more likely to win a coveted position of authority and carve a place of eminence for themselves. On the contrary, those who lack expression in English are relegated to backward positions as Kiran Karnik, president NASSCOM also states, “Today only twenty five percent of India’s technical graduates and ten to fifteen percent of other graduates are employable at once.” According to him, the reason behind the unemployment of a sizable percentage of graduates from reputed institutes may be their inability to speak English fluently.

In the case of majority of third world countries where English is not the mother tongue, people still strive to attain proficiency in it for growth in their professional lives which, by no means, is a simple task. A glaring difference can be observed in the way, and at the speed at which people develop proficiency in their mother tongue and in a foreign or second language. They develop communication skills in their mother tongue effortlessly while using it in their daily lives, but it is not so in case of a foreign language which has different semantic and syntactic norms as compared to one’s mother tongue.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Priya Rani, M.A., M.Phil.
Lecturer (English)
Government Multipurpose Secondary School
Patiala-147001
Punjab, India
lect_priya26@rediffmail.com

Dr. Shivani Thakar, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor (English)
Department of Distance Education
Punjabi University
Patiala-147002
Punjab, India
shivanidde@gmail.com

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