English Language Program Level 6-001 By Kevin Ruiz Yachay Tech, Ecuador
My english journey By KEVIN RUIZ Yachay Tech English Language Program L6-001 Teacher: Gabriela Villavicencio July, 25th Imbabura, Ecuador
TABLE OF CONTENTS PORTFOLIO LETTER RESPONSE ESSAY RESEARCH ESSAY INTERPRETATION ESSAY ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT REFLECTIONS THANK YOU LETTER
PORTFOLIO LETTER
Kevin Ruiz Yachay Tech University Imbabura, Ecuador July 25, 2016 Dear Portfolio Reader, My name is Kevin Ruiz. It is a collection of my principal and best work in English, and it is a clear proof of all skills and abilities that I got during level six in Yachay Tech’s English Language Program. My portfolio is shaped by four essays, a reflection and a final research project. These essays show what my strengths and weaknesses are, how my writing has grown between the essays, and what I still need to improve on. Anyway I am very proud of my whole work during level six, and I hope that it will be interesting for you. At the beginning of level six, I was a little bit nervous but with confidence, because although I am not the best writer and speaker, through the levels four and five my personal skills in writing and speaking had improved thanks to my hard and constant work. I knew that all those things would not be enough for level six, so I needed improve several things such as my distribution of time for assignments, vocabulary and grammar. So those were the new challenges that I posed me for that semester. My writing work had some problems at the beginning. I have learned important and valuable things from my first essay to my last one, and for that reason I can say that every one of them have improved the way that I write. For example in my first and second essays I learned the right way to write sentences with the right tense and also be clearer with my ideas, it means content of essays. The third essay always was one of the most
memorable things that I made, because it was a collaborative essay. It was about “The Scream” and we chose that topic, because all of us saw it as a curious and awkward way of art. Fourth essay was very difficult for me, because I had to write it in a sheet of paper and I was used to write essays in my computer. That day was very difficult, because I did not carry a pencil to the class, so I had several white marks in my work. About speaking, this always scared to me, not only by the fact of speak clear or have eloquence but the fact of speak in front of people, because I always got nervous, when I did it. The assignments included five expositions and in the first one I learned to control myself, I mean do not get nervous. Through the other expositions I got more experiences, which actually help me to improve my speaking every day. Now I am very close to finish level six, and for me it is important mention to people who were with my in this journey. So I am going to start with my teacher, as she said “Learning is born of love”, and for me it means that the passion and conviction to do something have a relationship with how much you like to do it. For that reason this phrase inspired me, because I really like English, and every one of her teachings made me a better speaker, listener, writer and reader, because when you learn something that you like you do not really learn new thing, just discover something that you already know. I also need mention to my classmates, although I am not a close friend of every one of them, I can say that they helped during this journey. They were who, through a constructive critique, made me realize of what are points that I need to improve. They are also I know that I still need to improve my knowledge, because the learning is something that never ends. Clearly this level will always be an important step in my career, because thanks to this I have improve my skills by myself, it means that I do not
try to do it better than another but I just trying to make it better than myself. Every person and thing I met in this path helped me to be who I am right now. Thank you so much for reading my portfolio, I will hope that find it interesting and in certain way it could be helpful for you.
Sincerely, Kevin Ruiz
RESPONSE ESSAY
Running head: KNOWLEDGE OF OTHER LANGUAGES
1
How does the knowledge of other languages affect your perception and critique of the world? Kevin A. Ruiz Yachay Tech University L6-001 April 25, 2016
KNOWLEDGE OF OTHER LANGUAGES
2
How affect knowledge of other languages on your perception and critique of the world? Bilingual or polyglot people have a great flexibility at the moment to understand the reality. As Samuel Johnson said “Language is the dress of thoughts”. Seen from this point of view and according to Boroditsky (2009) “The importance that we put on our actions and their consequences vary depending on the language we use”, thus it is important the way which present the words because they shape our language. Language which we speak affects not only language per se, but also the control that we have on our notions and concepts. Therefore the linguistic mode which we understand the reality. Things like perception and critique are communicated by words through what we say, so one more the language is the presentation which we give to our ideas or opinions. The variations could be positives or negatives, and for that reason it can improve or worsen our capacity of base the dialect in our linguistic notions. “Variation of language is an important aspect at the moment to communicate our critique” (RBC.2014, March). It means we could think of several choices, everyone in different languages. This could be misunderstood and at the same time be a negative variation, for example let’s suppose that we speak Spanish and English and analyze a problem in both languages, but at the end we choose the option which was thinking in English. In this moment we could start to analyze things, inside our minds, only in English the most part of time, thinking that this will always give us the best answer. Then this changes the way which our brain works because we are telling it that represses that part of our minds which think in Spanish. So if we consider superficially a specific language as the best, it would mean believe that a language is better than other, and the truth is that every one of them have their respective points, which expand or minimize our perception and therefore our critique.
KNOWLEDGE OF OTHER LANGUAGES
3
On the other hand, it means as a positive variation, we can state that people interpret the reality from different linguistic levels. According to Lewis (2014a) “Language is merely how you give voice to what you experience, not a determining force on what you experience”. So language do not force us to take determined skills or capability just for the fact of speak it or even have a little knowledge about it. Rather domain of language can to become us people with several aptitudes and competences which are given by our representation of our linguistics levels. “The effect of language on thought is an empirically testable question”(Lewis, 2014b), after all, linguistics levels do not about properties related articulatory of words, but how we develop our proficiency to react to reality, and that moment we check that language is an experimental issue that is to say empirical . Hence language can give us a better vision about techniques which we will use to answer to life experiences. Thus, the specific variants of the language or languages that we use affect the importance and provision of our actions, which disturb directly the costs and results of these. A determined language could be give us the best answer of a problematic and for this, think in this as the best is not a coincidence. Language is not really that provide us a solution; it because our aptitudes and competences are represented as the speech of experience, and not as experience itself. So, our analysis and opinion of the world, although affected by language in a positive or negative way, have an important influence in our actions, but at the same time it does not limit them; after all, language in general is a particular ability to express thoughts and feelings through the word. It is therefore just the means by which our perception is formed, and subsequently it will trigger the consequences of our actions.
KNOWLEDGE OF OTHER LANGUAGES
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References Boroditsky, L. (2009). How does our language shape the way we think? Edge, 19(2), 1-8 Lewis, K. (2014, August 21). Does Language Affect Thought? [Philosophy talk: community of thinkers]. Retrieved from http://www.philosophytalk.org/community/blog/karenlewis/2015/04/does-language-affect-thought Raising Bilingual Children. (2014). Pros and Cons of Raising Bilingual Children. Retrieved from: http://www.raising-bilingual-children.com/basics/info/pros-cons/
RESEARCH ESSAY
Running head: ILLITERACY
1
Illiteracy in Ecuadorian indigenous people: customs and causes Kevin A. Ruiz Yachay Tech University L6-001 May 19, 2016
ILLITERACY
2
Illiteracy in Ecuadorian indigenous people: customs and causes Illiteracy is one of most common problems in Ecuador actually, although through the years it has been declining, it has not completely disappeared yet. As Marcus Garvey said “The crowds make to nation and race. If the crowds are illiterate, that's sentence race, for those who are judges in their existence”. A great part of the thought of indigenous people is governed by their customs, therefore and like they are who choose their educational path, the customs can be a stronger factor to decide if they go to school or not. When we talk about customs is necessary have in mind that who state customs in towns like indigenous’ are ancient people as parents and grandparents. Seen from this point of view the ancient thoughts affect not only to the generation who shape them, but also to future generation who will grow up with ideas that will be transmitted by theirs predecessors. The information before mentioned allows to state that in general a town where its customs are the principal base to take a decision, like Ecuadorian indigenous town, will be a factor that will promote or will stop the impulse to study. Social stigma is a great disapprobation of ideas, beliefs or thoughts which go against the normal customs or traditions. “The education of social stigma explores personal beliefs and all the levels of interaction and intervention” (Mason & Whitehead, 2005). Of all the factors which decrease the interest to study for indigenous people, social stigma is the most intriguing because this comes directly from the affected person; therefore somehow the reactions of others spoils our own identity. The dynamics of social stigma affect straight to people who want to go to school, the specific purpose of social stigma is directly related to features or dispositional characteristics. So people who have a social stigma due to the environment in which they grow up, tend to devalue their own individuality and consequently they limit themselves in everything that they do.
ILLITERACY
3
It is important to note that all indigenous illiteracy people do not go to school for the same reason. According to IGWIA (2014): “Indigenous peoples’ acute educational marginalization is closely connected to a number of interlinking factors, such as, ethnicity (social stigma and institutionalized discrimination), traditional practices (including early marriage), and a lack of access to basic services due to their geographical isolation”. One of the more interesting reasons of illiteracy in indigenous people is institutionalized discrimination which has relationship with customs and traditions of this town. Institutionalized discrimination refers to the unjust mistreatment which generally goes against of cultural standards set. In the major of cases this kind of discrimination is taken as unintentional due to an established paradigm in people by their predecessors. The stereotype is established by people who is considered normal by society, but all it does is take into account the opinion of the crowds. According with an educational point of view, perspectives, beliefs and values of indigenous people are not integrated with the academic structure. So a lack of criterion generates a lack of education. Indigenous people live with ideas based on a necessary and basic way of survive, which is focused to make a simple and quiet lifestyle, but instead this way of survive make them be little or nothing related with their environment. According to Sheng (2015) the relation of this way of survive and education for indigenous people is: “Elders and community members are not involved in setting the direction or educational goals of the school”. It means that every indigenous person have make his and her life to have the necessary through the hard work, but at the same time they forget that times and people changes. For that reason is totally impossible live unrelated with the community members of all the world and activities in which they engage as education; especially when it is a stronger factor which improve the knowledge and have full control of your abilities.
ILLITERACY
4
There are many indigenous people established around the world, every one of them live surrounded by several and different cultures. Although their customs have been changed gradually through the years and due to the influence of different folks, the social stigma seems to be indestructible due the strong ideas which come from predecessors of this town, and that will change forever the way in which these people see the education. Social stigma is strongly related with the lifestyle of indigenous people, especially because it governs their life, not caring for those affected if this improves or worsens your current situation. The general idea of this problem is that the current generations think that if their parents did not need to study, it will not be necessary for them to do either. Taking the above and carrying to a more general level, we can establish that for indigenous towns in Ecuador, their lack of studies, writing or reading is not deficiency of knowledge or retardation. The transmission of their values, information, traditions and connection with environment does not need a written or printed medium, for indigenous people is sufficient comply with their functions trough the words it means in an oral way.
ILLITERACY
5 References
Whitehead, E. & Mason, T. (2005). Stigma and Social Exclusion in Healthcare. Routledge, 13(3), 289-291 International Work Group For Indigenous Affairs. (2013). Indigenous peoples and formal school
education:
constraints
and
concerns.
Retrieved
from:
http://www.iwgia.org/culture-and-identity/indigenous-peoples-and-education Sheng, Y. (2015). Indigenous Education: Language, Culture and Identity. Springer, 2(4), 5657
Running head: THE SCREAM
0
INTERPRETATION ESSAY
Running head: THE SCREAM
1
The Scream Yamileth J. MuĂąoz, Kevin A. Ruiz, Ivette T. Chicaiza Yachay Tech University L6-001 June 19, 2016
THE SCREAM
2 The Scream
"Sickness, insanity and death were the angels that surrounded my cradle and followed me all my life". (Munch, n.d). This was one of the most important phrase that Edvard Munch used to justify the psychological-themed style in his work. There was several events which had powerful effects on the life of Munch, but one of the most significant was the death of his mother, who died when he was a child. (Biography.com Editors, n.d). His paintings always have shown a strong conviction toward to the tragedy, so the vast majority of his work have been represented through the expressionist movement. The most important painting was "The Scream", which was painted in 1893 and represents a strong feeling of fear and desperation, so we consider it is due to the author had a difficult life and it is expressed through this character with a silent scream. (Shabi, 2013). In general to define this painting we have to consider three relevant aspects such as the color, the shape and the meaning interpretation. These features make Munch paintings peculiar and unique representations of disaster and misfortune. Wording here let you know about important features about The Scream painting and how the color, shape and meaning make relevant this famous work. The work of Munch, as is characteristic of expressionism, shows strong and intense feeling, which are in perfect contrast with the colors. Munch seems to use contrasting elements to achieve a balanced composition. The straight lines seem to balance the curved lines, and, at the same time, the cold colors appear to balance the warm reds and yellows� (MVLP, 2001). According to this and as is common, in the artistic field, feeling like desperation, preoccupation and fear are represented through dark or cold colors. This painting also shows warm colors, which in this case, give support to the intention of the work, because colors like orange and red represent passion and conviction for something or someone. So for an adequate interpretation of this painting must be taken into account that warm colors give emphasis, it means greater
THE SCREAM
3
strength, to feeling which are represented by cold colors, such as depression and anxiety. Definitely the author is extremely sagacious to create a harmonic contrast to improve the expressivity level of the painting, making it a peculiar combination of opposite colors. This is a painting which has just curvaceous and linear shape. It is simply a figures combination but with a deep meaning. It is in two dimensions with width and long. The main figure that the paint has is a person who is giving a scream of despair, which is in the center of the picture. It is a painting which have a curvaceous geometric lines with two figures behind the screamer, those figures looks like two people with hat walking in the screamer direction. The screamer is next to the pier, figure that is aligned with the paint and is the one which doesn’t have curvaceous shape. Shabi, K., (2013). “The Scream” painting is mainly about misfortune as many of his paintings where personal tragedies, illnesses and failures were the principal ingredients that make up his creative work. Looking at this painting we can considerer it as a visual autobiography because as Munch said (n.d): “My sufferings are part of myself and my art.”, for these reason when he painted it, he based on a daily situation that he lived when he was young. The twisted character of unknown sex on this painting has mouth and eyes open that express a horror scream due to the recreation of a vision that he had when he was walking with two friends at melancholic sunset. This situation allowed him to create a new piece of art where the main character was set of elements of this day, such as "air turned to blood", "faces of my comrades became a garish yellow-white.", and "a huge endless scream through nature", wrote Munch in his diary. Vickers, H., (2013). Clearly the most important thing for artists is the message that they try to communicate to their spectators. About “The Scream”, is one of the most famous pieces of art around the world due to it was the pioneer of expressionism movement. The painting tries to show the deepest and darkest feelings circling in Edvard Munch’s mind and what troubled him during
THE SCREAM
4
his life, through of a silent cry of despair. It makes especial reference to color, shape that create a harmonic combination, which establishes the perfect point between tragedy and misfortune. Finally, there are many ways to interpret a piece of art because of different objective and subjective points of view, but the meaning of this will be the same if we understand what the authors want to express.
THE SCREAM
5 References
Biography.com Editors, (n.d). Edvard Munch Biography. The Biography.com website. Retrieved from: http://www.biography.com/people/edvard-munch-9418033 Media and Visual Literacy Project. (2011). The Scream by Edvard Munch. Retrieved from: https://screamforcoke.wordpress.com/scream/ Shabi, K., (2013). Meaning of The Scream (1893) Painting by Edvard Munch: Art Analysis. Retrieved from: http://legomenon.com/meaning-of-the-scream-1893-painting-by-edvardmunch.html Vickers, H., (2013). The Scream was inspired by a Peruvian mummy. Archaeology. Retrieved from:
http://www.peruthisweek.com/news-the-scream-was-inspired-by-peruvian-
mummy-101707
CENSORSHIP IN SCHOOL
0
ARGUMENTATION ESSAY
CENSORSHIP IN SCHOOL
1
Censorship in schools is detrimental for students, because foments the social stigma Kevin A. Ruiz Yachay Tech University L6-001 June 30, 2016
CENSORSHIP IN SCHOOL
2
Censorship in schools is detrimental for students, because foments the social stigma “The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen”. Censorship is a restriction on free expression based on keep traditional ideas, which are not according with go against a stereotype. In a school, the students and even their teachers categorizing to others according their ideas of what is wrong or right. Controversial topics as race and sexuality are not discussed in a school, because according to teachers and managers, it could generate bewilderment in them. Do not talk about a problem, do not make it disappear, it just shape in student’s mind, the idea of what is unknown is bad. Censorship do not let to get information about something and it makes that people attribute a category, which generates a negative answer. Therefore censorship foments the social stigma through the ignorance, and at the same time it creates a gap between the interaction and relationships of students. In “The role of censorship in school” (2005), Ken Petress states that “racial issue understanding and protection against racial slurs are one issue that frequently suggest some level of censorship (…)”. Hence, establishing of censorship, does not eliminate the problem, but triggers a high grade of nescience, which promotes the categorization. What should be censored in school? It is an important and significant question, at which does not give a clear answer. “Men are very rare creatures: half of them censorship what practice and the other half practice what censorship”. According with this phrase by Benjamin Franklin, the men does not have idea about what ideas he should speak or what ideas keep in silent. Putting this in the school context, the idea of censorship is not clear for teachers, because when they try to ignore a hassle, they can increase it. The principal issue for censorship in a school in the fact of try to eliminate offensive factors, but how can be seen in statement of Petress, the offensive factors just even could be the same censorship.
CENSORSHIP IN SCHOOL
3
The idea of something different and unique turns into the idea of something bad. “A major objection to this concern revolved around the question of how children would react to the concept of asking good questions and seeking in appropriate ways answer being censored due to others’ hurt feelings”. (Petress, 2005). Here appears the interaction with others students, because students which are submitted to ideas of censorship think that anything that they say could be misunderstood by other person at which they have categorized as different according to the ideas that have been imposed by others. Social Stigma can be interpreted as the idea of categorizing something due its trait, behavior or characteristics. This is the ides of racial issue through censorship, because no information, trigger no criterion; it means the categorization is a natural answer, for students, to ban on something specific. Ken Petress (2005), in his article mentions to an experiment made by Kenneth Clarks, a renowned psychologist in which he tries to see the reactions in students, which have been educated with the ides of censorship. The topic for his investigation was “Does skin color make difference? The authorities do not allow to do it, because according to them, it could be confuse for students, due their little knowledge about the topic, it means, they will answer the question with the idea of censorship. Therefore, censorship is not just a way to ignore a specific problem, but also a way to increase it.
CENSORSHIP IN SCHOOL
4 References
Petress, K. (2005). The role of censorship in school. Journal of instructional psychology. Vol. (32), 243-252.
Running head: DROPOUTS FROM YACHAY TECH
1
FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT
Running head: DROPOUTS FROM YACHAY TECH
1
What is the relationship between the curriculum of Yachay Tech and the dropouts from the students? Kevin A. Ruiz Yachay Tech University L6-001 July 07, 2016
DROPOUTS FROM YACHAY TECH
2 Abstract
This research paper define studies about the relationship, which students think that exists, between dropouts from college and curriculum of it. The purpose of it is explain what are the reasons, because students think that dropouts are one of the common problems in a new university like Yachay Tech. So with the information found through surveys and interviews directed to students, it has presented the results of if students consider that relationship as existent or non-existent and also which are their arguments or ideas to foment or reject their point of view, it means the reasons which cause their stance about this problem. Once that the problem is stated, this paper will focused in the repercussions of this problem for students. Resulting the repercussions with two principal and different notions, by one side shall be deemed the positive notion that trigger in a beneficial issue, because according the point of view of students a general and fundamental curriculum make them have an overall vision about the circumstances in which they are going to develop their knowledges and strengthen their learning. On the other side this investigation going to demonstrate a negative aspect of the same problem, it means how this issue can be harmful for students from an academic point of view. So to show a common viewpoint, this paper will illustrate both sides of the problem, especially focused in the negative repercussion that in this case are the dropouts and how these are an indirect products of the demotivation of students caused by disliked subjects.
Keywords: dropouts, curriculum, benefits, subject, repercussions
DROPOUTS FROM YACHAY TECH
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Dilemma in Practice The University of Millennium, Yachay Tech, is one of most promising institutes of investigation and development of technology, due to it instruct students in scientific disciplines in several sciences. Its curriculum is not exactly focused just in one science, because during the first four semesters, the students, take common subjects in several disciplines like: mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics. It is a special and unique characteristic of Yachay Tech, as it believe in decentralized education, it means is not necessary focus in only one science in the scientific field; for that reason, the university, supports the idea of general instruction at least in the beginning of a career. Here is when problems appear, due to the fact that not all subjects are suitable for students because their preferences. This fact can trigger in a series of negative consequences; I am going to focus especially in dropouts, it means what is the impact of subjects and disciplines in the permanence or dropout of the students. I chose this issue, due to it is one of the most common problems in Yachay Tech, because for students this fact could have two repercussions: if they have more subjects, they will develop a better perception to choose a career; and on the other hand they will be forced to leave the university to study what they want. For to know which are the reactions of students I am going to apply two tools: surveys to get an quantitative answer, it means how many student students think that exists a relationship between subjects and dropouts, and interviews to get an qualitative answer to know what are the issue that make the students have their respective ideas.
DROPOUTS FROM YACHAY TECH
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Literature Review In recent years, several universities of millennium have been built in Ecuador by the government. They are oriented to change the productive matrix of Ecuador through of strengthening of human talent, having in mind that knowledge as a raw material which has no limits. Yachay Tech is one example of them, because it is based in technological and experimental models of knowledge, looking for the development of the sciences as principal goal (Yachay City of knowledge, 2014). About the development of sciences, it is not focused in a certain kind of science because the curriculum of Yachay Tech in its four semesters, considers the most important and basic subjects for every main science. “The philosophy behind the choice and structure of academic units originated considering the applied areas related to the needs of strategic industries of Ecuador, available resources and plans to develop such resources.” (Yachay Tech, 2016). In this context appears the concept of societal curriculum because it is creating new and interesting viewpoints to form a public and personal opinion. This kind of curriculum aims to improve the quality of life of a society through the learning of things which affects to that society, in this case Ecuador. While it is true that the societal curriculum improve the abilities of a person to get a common well being, it also can be harmful to the person who is taking it. This kind of curriculum does not have in consideration your personal interests, because it just teach you what is written in a paper. According to Owen (2013), a written curriculum: “Is simply that which is written as part of formal instruction of schooling experiences”. So in this point the problem begins to be clear, because need and interest are not the same. An area of interest promote a behavior constantly motivated, motivation is part of a normal state, not have to look abroad. Although all sciences have in common an experimental process, they are not study the same, for example is not the same study the structure of an atom and calculate the derived of a function.
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In “A Comparative Study of Dropout Rates and Causes for Two Different Distance Education Courses”, Athabasca University (2004), claims that in sum, it was the students’ “wrong choice” that led to their decision to discontinue their studies. Referring to the career with the word “choice”, it means that at the moment to choose a career, the students do not have in mind the importance of this selection. For that reason a wrong lection lead to a little interest for a career, here appears an important academic aspect, because one of most common reason for dropouts are academic reasons; and in this case a wrong academic curriculum can trigger and negative answer for students such as temporary suspension and in an extreme case the dropouts. This shows that the career and subjects which are related to it, are an important factor at the moment to leave or stay in university. Due to the little interest in subjects that are not liked by students, it starts to decrease their grades and for that reason the students start to think that they are not qualified enough. It has been argued that the principal reasons for dropouts are familiar and personal problems, contrary to the idea, in this paper, that state to the dropouts as results of a problem with the subjects of the university. In “Why Students Drop Out,” National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University (2009), argues that the principal factors are problems related with familiar surroundings and personal difficulties. To explain this, is necessary to have in mind an important event in the life of a young person, such as the fact of getting a job, it means do not have enough time to study and therefore not being able to perform both activities at the same time. Due to the fact that this kind of problems are typical in the life of a person who start to study in college, the idea of opposition is understandable. Nevertheless, at the moment to study, an excellent learning depend of motivation, and if it does not exists, a student not even consider the idea of continuing study.
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Therefore, the curriculum of Yachay Tech, it gives several options at the moment to offer the careers, but one time in the campus will have subjects that come from different sciences; in some cases subjects that you do not like because they are not interesting for all students. It can have many repercussions in the decision from students of study or not, because as it was mentioned before, learning depends of motivation. Thus taking the factor of motivation as source of interest to learn, appears a relationship between the dropouts from university and its curriculum. In the previous paragraphs have been displayed that exists a sequence for dropouts for curriculum case, it means a wrong election leads to a little interest, a little interest leads to bad grades, bad grades leads students start to think that they are not qualified enough and it leads to dropouts from college. So a necessity is not a sufficient reason to study, but an interest impulse yourself to keep priorities in perspective, it means the “right choice� of a career will be an important and significant factor which will support the permanence in college.
DROPOUTS FROM YACHAY TECH
7 Application
A descriptive research design was used for this investigation, two different sources were used for data collection. The first source of data came from ten surveys, directed to twenty students, which presented questions about the election of a career, problems with subjects that do not like to students, and the relationship between dropouts and subjects of Yachay Tech; all of them are designed to get quantitative answers, it means to know apparently how many students think that this relationship exists and if it is harmful to permanence or abandonment of University. The second source came from interviews with five students of Yachay Tech, which look for qualitative answers, it means to know what the reason are because students think that not all subjects are necessary, and why the curriculum affects to grades, and therefore the permanence or abandonment of college. The first and second sources of information were applied to students of second, third and fourth semester, also the survey was focused especially to students who are repeating subjects and student who do not. This is to get a general perspective of the situation, it means get information from people who have been longer in Yachay Tech, and the same way people who have been affected for a subject that they do not like, and for that reason they are repeating a subject. On the other hand, get information from people who have never repeated a subject, because these people can contribute with positive aspects of the relationship between and dropouts. The plan of action to apply this tools, will be focus in make interview to students who are repeating a subject to get an interview, due they almost a complete perspective, it means they are able to see both scenarios, and therefore they have better reasons to support or reject the idea of dropouts and curriculum. Surveys are more oriented to students who have never
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repeated a subject, because for them their grades, apparently, have not been affected by curriculum. The interviews and surveys are planned by the following schedule:
Resources
Activities
Time MONDAY (May/June) 30th
TUESDAY 31th
14:00
THURSDAY 2nd
FRIDAY 3rd
Interview 2 (Audio Recording) [Cellphone]
10:30
12:00
WEDNESDAY 1st
Complete and correct the survey
Analysis and organization of data [Audio Recording] Interview 1 & 2 (Video Recording) [CellPhone, Sticky notes]
Interview 4 &5 (Audio Recording) [Cellphone] Application of surveys (to 20 students) [Surveys, pens and computer]
16:00
Table 1: Schedule for application of surveys and interviews to Yachay Tech’s students
One important aspect to highlight is the duration of interviews and surveys. Interviews will be apply during thirty minutes every one, this is to get accurate information, it means just necessary data and do not let the interviewed ramble with his answer. Physical surveys will be apply simultaneously to ten students giving them maximum ten minutes to solve it, to get concise answers, electronic surveys will be send 2nd June at 4.00 p.m., and they will be take in account only until 5:00 p.m., worth mentioning that interviewed will be warned of the specific time that they will have to do the survey.
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The format of survey will be the following:
Final Project´s survey of Level 6 What is the relationship between the curriculum of Yachay Tech and the dropouts from the students? Semester: English´s level: Repeating a subject: yes/no Do you know what you want to study in Yachay Tech? o Yes o No You consider that the subjects which do not have relationship with the career what you want are necessary: o Yes o No Take subjects that you do not like decrease you grades: o Yes o No If you lose more than one subject that you do not like, you would leave the university? o Yes o No Do you think in general that the curriculum of Yachay Tech is a factor which influence in the dropout of your studies? o Yes o No
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The format for interview will be the following:
Interview What is the relationship between the curriculum of Yachay Tech and the dropouts from the students? Semester: English´s level: Repeating a subject: yes/no 1) Have you decided already what major you want to choose? 2) Do you consider that the subjects which you are taking in every semester are strictly necessary for you? 3) Are there any benefits about taking them every semester? 4) Is there any subjects of the curriculum of Yachay Tech that affect your grades? 5) Do you think that the drop-outs from this university have any relationship with the curriculum?
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11 Results
Quantitative results This results came from the surveys, a total of twenty people were interviewed to get this information. The responses were the following:
Chart 2: Answers from five questions of surveys.
The first question of survey was about to if students have or not a chosen career. From twenty interviewed students, only twelve of them (60%) have idea of what they want to study, while eight students (40%) do not have any idea of what career they want. Second question tried to establish a relationship between needs and subjects liked by students. So fifteen students (75%) think that subjects which are not related with a chosen career are not necessary, it means subjects should not be taken mandatorily. While five students (25%) think that these subjects help them to get a general perception of careers in Yachay Tech and therefore more information to choose one. Third question was about grades, exactly the connection between bad grades and subjects which are not liked or interested by students. Thirteen of them (65%) answered that bad grades are caused especially by that kind of subjects, on the other hand seven students (35%) answered that no, it means their bad grades are caused by other reasons.
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Fourth question was about repercussions of bad grades, that is to say bad grades lead them to repeat more than one subject. Seven students (60%) answered that if they lose several subjects that they do not like, they leave the university, while thirteen students (40%) marked “no�, to show that repeat subjects is not an impediment to continue with their studies. Fifth question established a connection between dropouts and curriculum of Yachay Tech, seventeen students (85%) answered that in fact exists a connection; while only three students (15%) answered that the curriculum of Yachay Tech do not affect to permanence or abandonment of it. Qualitative results In this part I am going to mention the possible reason for the previous answers from surveys, I am only going to consider the principal information obtained from interview. The next diagrams shows which were the most relevant aspect from interviews:
How are considered the subjects of curriculum by students? Beneficial
40%
45% 15%
It is not neccesary know things that I do not like A factor which decrease the grades
Chart 3: Percent of view of subjects from curriculum.
Benefits and Harms 35% 65%
Subjects demotivate students to stay in college subjects help us to choose a career
Chart 4: Subjects improve or worsen a decision.
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In the previous charts was showed that a 40% of interviewed students think that the general subjects from curriculum are beneficial for them, a 45% said that is was not necessary know things that they never will not to use and finally a 15% said that they consider that kind of subjects like a factor which decrease their grades. Therefore there is a representative percent of opinions from students that demonstrate the little motivation to continue in a college where they are forced to study something that they do not like, and also we can perceive that they also consider that this kind of subjects are responsible by their bad grades. Another important fact that was determined through these interviews was how are the perceptions of these subject for student, it means, was determined a positive and negative answer from students. Positive one was that they said that if they take several subjects which do not have an apparently relationship between them, it can help them to get a strong perspective of science and to know what is the best career for them. On the other hand and how I state in my research questions, they said that a relationship between dropouts and curriculum of Yachay Tech is evidently, due to the fact of those subjects generate a strong factor disinterest for things that they do not like and most important those subjects represent an impediment to keep their hard work focused in their interests, objectives and goals.
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14 Reflections
How student of Yachay Tech this project had an important impact on me, because it is vital know if the future subjects in higher semester could affect me in anyway; or they can be useful for me, I mean help me to have my career selection clearer. Since the professional point of view this project helped me to get a common vision of my educational environment, it means to know that in the future career, I am not always going to study subjects, which are my favorite, due the fact that in science every subject is related to others, and for that reason is important think about like a unity and not like one by one. Especially because I chose to study a scientific career. This investigation can be used to inform to students of Yachay Tech, the repercussions that have studying in the scientific field, especially focused in the fact of this kind of problems with disliked subjects can trigger a series of events that in the worst case can force you to leave your studies. Finally this kind of investigation show both sides of the problems, on one side it shows the benefits of take several subjects that are liked by us, because they help us to get a career according to our abilities and needs. On the other hand it also shows a prejudicial factor as dropouts. So have in mind both sides can help to decide if a career in scientific field is appropriate for a determined students.
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15 References
National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University (2009). Why Students Drop Out. Retrieved from: http://dropoutprevention.org/ Owen W. (2013). The second principle, types of curriculum. Retrieved from: http://thesecondprinciple.com/instructional-design/types-of-curriculum/ Yachay, City of knowledge. (2014). Development of science in Ecuador. Retrieved from: http://www.yachay.gob.ec/ university of milenium. Yachay Tech. (2016). Mission of the university according its school and careers. Retrieved from: http://yachaytech.edu.ec/ Xenos, M. (2004). A Comparative Study of Dropout Rates and Causes for Two Different Distance Education Courses. Athabasca University, 19-24.
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16 Appendices
REFLECTIONS SOME PHOTOS OF MY EXPERIENCES IN LEVE L6-001
THANK YOU FOR READING MY PORTFOLIO. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING IT AS MUCH AS I HAVE ENJOYED WRITING IT
SINCERELY,
KEVIN RUIZ