Demand_for_Esl

BUSINESS STATISTICS | Demand for ESL | What’s behind the drive' | | August 30, 2009 Research Paper based on use of Likert Survey, and Statistical Analysis | TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH..…………………………………………………………..3 PROBLEM STATEMENT……………………………………………………………………....3 PURPOSE STATEMENT……………………………………………………………………….4 RATIONALE OF TOPIC……………………………………………………………………….4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS..……………………………………………………………………4 POPULATION………………………………………………………………………………….5 HYPOTHESES: NULL AND ALTERNATIVE……………………………………………….5 RESEARCH DESIGN………………………………………………………………………….5 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT………………………………………………………..6 DATA ANALYSIS…………………………………………………………………………6 -10 ASSUMPTIONS………………………………………………………………………………11 LIMITATIONS………………………………………………………………………………..11 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY…………………………………………………………..……..12 REFERENCE………………………………………………………………………………….13 Introduction to Research Study: I live in Los Angeles and I have met more foreigners here than I have Americans. Presently, I moved to a place where there are about 12-14 English schools (English as a second language) within a two mile radius of where I live. Since many of the students come from abroad to learn English in Los Angeles many of the schools offer assistance to students who are moving here for the first time. They offer housing, student visa assistance and immigration assistance, (meeting 911 patriot act requirements) transportation to/from the airport and, finding employment as well. Anyway, I am interested in finding out whether or not the main reason most foreigners go abroad to learn English, is for employability. Some of them have stated that since, in their respective countries, there are not a lot of opportunities to use English, i.e., not many English speaking people to talk to, they come to LA to learn English and practice their English as well. Problem Statement: There is existing research (among US firms, institutions) that already show the improvements in employability comes from improvements in training and communication skills like learning English. By conducting interviews and offering surveys to the foreign students studying English at the various schools in Los Angeles I hope to gain first hand, insight into the differing reasons that they may have for wanting to come to the US to learn English. By directly interviewing or surveying prospective students I hope to gain further insight into the nature of the demand for ESL programs from students coming from abroad. There are many reasons of why foreigners want to learn/study English. Not all of which are purely for career or work related objectives. The various ESL schools and programs that they offer are not necessarily vocational in nature. The foreign students may go back home with slightly improved English skills like conversation, reading and writing. Their respective jobs at home may not require English usage. Interviewing the ones who need/want to learn English in hopes of career advancement would seem to be relevant choice here. These types perhaps would be the most promising in terms of feedback-- the ones most positively motivated to learn English. Purpose Statement: The purpose of this research is to find out why there are so many ESL schools and programs, and the students who go to them and what their various reasons and justifications are for going. By delving deeper into their own personal motivations, I hope to understand better of what drives the demand for ESL schools, programs, and ultimately the demand for learning English. Has English become the universal or global language' The Information or insight obtained could be helpful in making recommendations in international related businesses or fields such as ESL schools and programs. Rationale of Topic: The rationale of the topic is to determine the nature of the demand for ESL language schools. Find the problem areas and make necessary recommendations based on the findings with reference to future trends in teaching as well. Research Questions: Will ESL students go on to four year universities or colleges in the US' Among ESL students will English language usage be a factor in their place of employment' Hypotheses: Null and Alternative Forms: Null Hypothesis - Ho1: There is no significant percent showing that 50% of ESL students are planning on attending four year universities/colleges within the U.S. Alternative Hypothesis- Ha1: Ho1: There is a significant percent showing that 50% of ESL students are planning on attending four year universities/colleges within the U.S. Research Design Likert scale questionnaire based on seven questions regarding enrollment in an English as a Second Language (ESL) private school-- plans for future enrollment in US universities/colleges, and future employment related questions were asked. ESL students of various age, background, and nationality (however no inquiry was made into this) were asked to fill out the questionnaire. This type of questionnaire is qualitative in nature with values ranging on a sliding scale from 1 to 5. 1 being strongly dis-agree to 5 strongly agree. The survey data will be further consolidated from the five categories into two main categories: the strongly agree”5” and”4” and “1”strongly disagree and “2” with the “3” values given an undecided or neutral value—so actually there are three categories. Data collection Instrument Data was collected using Likert Scale questionnaire/survey, Excel spreadsheet was used to tabulate results. The tools for statistical analysis of the data will be primarily focused on MS Excel, the Distribution charts (T-Charts).     . Data Analysis Using the Z distribution, and the .10 level of significance for the Null Hypothesis Ho1. I surveyed 30 respondents from various ESL schools within a 2-3 mile radius. The sampling was conducted using a Likert survey. The responses were further grouped into two groups the group that strongly agrees and the one that strongly disagrees. Two Questions relating to the Hypothesis question were asked from a sample of 30 persons. Based on the analysis, Accept the Null Hypothesis Ho1.Or. We cannot reject the Null Hypothesis Ho1: that there is no significant percent showing that 50% of ESL students are planning on attending four year universities/colleges within the U.S. The answers from the Likert survey were used to test the Null Hypothesis. Listed below Two questions from the survey and Likert data tabulated into Z test of the Ho1 Hypothesis. And accompanying graphs Chart 1, Chart 2. I am studying English to receive the TOEFL certificate in English or other similar certificates. And/or to meet the English language requirements of attending a college or university within the USA. Strongly Disagree | | | Undecided | | Strongly Agree | |   |   |   | |   |   | |   | | 12 | | | | 5 | | | 13 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Exhibit 1 Ho: | p | ≠ | 50% |   |   | Fail to reject Ho: | Accept Ho |   |   | Ha: | p | = | 50% | | | | | | | |   |   | | | | | | | | | | |   | n=30 | | | | | | | | | | |   | 0.10 | significance level | | ∂p | = | sqrt[(pHo)(qHo)/n] | | Z = | (.43-.50)/.0904 |   | | | | | | | | | | |   |   | | | | | | sqrt[(.43*.57)/30] | | | -0.773 |   |   | | | | | | | | | | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | 0.090388 |   |   |   |   |   | Has your English improved since enrolling in an ESL school' Strongly Disagree | Undecided | Strongly Agree | 7 | | 7 | | 16 |   | | | | | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Exhibit 2 Ho: | p | ≠ | 50% |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Ha: | p | = | 50% | | Fail to reject Ho: | Accept Ho | | |   |   | | | | | | | | | | |   |   | | | | ∂p | = | sqrt[(pHo)(qHo)/n] | Z | = | (.53-.50)/.0911 | n=30 | | | | | | | | | | |   | 0.10 | significance level | | | | sqrt[(.53*.47)/30] | | | 0.32930 |   |   | | | | | | | | | | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | 0.09112 | |   |   |   |   | | | | | | | Chart 1 | | | | | | Chart 2 Data Analysis Continued: Since the data collected affirms the Null Hypothesis statement that there is not sufficient percentage of 50% of ESL student s who are planning on attending four year universities/colleges within the U.S. --what this means is that acceptance of the Null Hypothesis is acceptance of the fact that there less than the desired amount of 50% of ESL students who plan on going on to four year universities or colleges. We cannot reject this Null Hypothesis since the z test criteria fall within the acceptance zone of the Null Hypothesis. Taking a look at the first chart, and related data 13 out of 30 or only 43% students interviewed responded to “strongly agree” when asked if they were studying to meet US universities English language requirements. In terms of the Null Hypothesis it is readily apparent that this evidence corroborates or affirms the Null Hypothesis Ho1 that does not equal 50%. We can further corroborate this information by also looking at the chart—chart 1 is the chart that corresponds to this first question. The z value falls well within the acceptance region which is -.7743 which is inside the critical z value of -1.64 or 90 percent confidence interval or .10 significance level as well. The second question asked in the survey had much better response however. When asked in the Likert Survey If the students English has improved since enrolling in an ESL program, 16 of the 30 sampled responded “strongly agree” or 53%. One would tend to think that here maybe we can reject the Null Hypothesis Ho1. However, looking at the Chart, Chart 2 we see that the Z value is to the right of the 0 line and has a value of .3293 or 32% which is also in the acceptance zone based on the Z tables. Assumptions: Assumptions of this study are that students from lower or second tier private ESL schools will respond the same as students from first tier or ESL schools offering accreditation . Because data has not been collected from first tier ESL private schools, the assumption is that they will respond the same way as 2nd tier students. The responses gathered in the lower tier might not be as reflective of the higher tier ESL school where it is more likely to find a higher percentage of student furthering their education in U.S. four year Universities or Colleges. Limitations: With the time constraints of four weeks total for the entire process, the limitations of this study were numerous including the one mentioned above. Having more time to survey upper tier ESL schools the data included in the study would have given the report more detail about trends. Also because of the limited time, the reasons for what further motivates students to come abroad were not studied. Several other questions were asked as part of the Likert Survey questionnaire. However, due to time constraints, they were not worked into a second Hypothesis question or statement. The people who are here for work related purposes, learning English represent another major group studying English abroad, and as mentioned earlier it was not given ample consideration in this discussion. Significance of Study: “English is still the mandatory foreign language. Virtually all South Koreans taking Chinese lessons have also studied English, although many have had difficulty mastering it.(from LA times article By Barbara Demick2004)” English is also the mandatory foreign language in Japan and many other Asian countries as well. Some Japanese politicians have been quoted as saying that English fluency/comprehension will be a competitive factor in their nation’s economy as well. So many of the ESL students, that I have interviewed are rather week with English conversation skills. However, it is interesting to note, that there are so many here, in all these ESL Schools that are equally packed with these students. What drives the demand' Ironically, within our own country, not foreign born, but born here are also students categorized as “English Language Learners” Where English is not their primary language even though they are born here and going to U.S. public schools. According to an article they represent about a third of the students in our schools. References Levin, Richard I. (1998). Statistics For Management 7th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Publishing. American Educational Research Association (2004). English Language Learners: Boosting Academic Achievement. Essential Information for Education Policy, 2(1). Washington, D.C. Varghese, Manka M.