Abstract:
The main purposes of the study were: 1) to investigate whether the 4 teaching/learning techniques (Tutorial/Direct: DTT, Tutorial and Individualized: TIT, Problem-based: PBT, and Integrated-skill: IST) had significant effects on English learning achievements, 2) to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques, 3) to investigate some significant covariant variables that had effects on the participants' achievements, and 4) to find a set of variables that could be used as criteria for the selection of course participants. The subjects of the study were 65 students from the English intensive course during the summer of 1984. Based on a predetermining cutting-score of a set of standardized proficiency tests, they were divided into 2 categories: high ability and low ability. There were 33 participants in the former and 32 in the latter which were subdivided into 4 equal groups. The differences among the groups were statistically insignificant in their listening, reading, writing and grammatical skills as indicated by F-tests (p= .05). Each group was exposed to a teaching/learning technique by a set rotating instructors. The instruments. 3. The participants' pretest scores had significant effects on their achievements especially on their listening skills grammatical structures. The English proficiency of the upper secondary school teachers had significant effects on the participants' reading ability. Some other fifteen related variables such as study habits, language aptitudes, motivation, etc. had no effect on the participants' learning ability. 4. Significant variables that could be used as a set of appropriate selection criteria were reading, listening, grammar and writing skills. Their significant weights were 65%, 42%, 21% and 19% respectively. Motivation, age commuting time between home and class, height, weight, and number of years of English language instruction were insignificant for discriminatory purposes. However, the afore-mentioned variables when combined with the first set were a good combination of criteria that could be used to classify participants into groups with 96.92% accuracy