Essay types: Title 1 Title 2 Title 3 Expository: Comparison and contrast: Descriptive: YEAR 2007 2012 2012 Future

tense Past-tense Present tense PROBLEMS Lack of English language proficiency cultural or linguistic problems Need longer class time to write; Not familiar with topics; Difficult when writing academic essays REASONS

RESEARCH Voon Foo Musa, Lie, & Azman

Marlyna Maros, Tan Kim Hua, and Khazriyati

2007

Nor Hashimah Jalaludin et al.

2008

diff procuring ideas for essay outlines; - construct sentences in L1 before translating to english; - constantly hv to refer dictionaries; - academic essays require synthesising, paraphrasing, citing; - no exposure to academic writing when at school the learners L1 interference have difficulties in using correct English grammar in their writings. Three most frequent errors are wrong use of articles, subject-verb agreement, and copula be. The study claims that although not all errors are due to mother tongue interference, a large number of errors identified suggest interference of the Malay grammar. the - students have problems with linguistics differences are affixes and plural inflections shown to be one of the as these linguisticsvariables major factors influencing do not exist in Malay students language. inability to successfully - The study also confirms that acquire English literacy. the differences inthe syntactical structures between the Malay and English language contribute

Saadiyah Darus and Kaladevi

2009

Students have problems in applying correct grammatical rules in their writings -

Siti Hamin Stapa and Abdul Hameed Abdul Majid Razianna Abdul Rahman

2006

2005

use of Bahasa Malaysia in teaching writing promote better writing literacy among limited proficiency English learners L1 promotes English writing

to thewrong use of copula be, subject-verbagreement and relative pronouns. thestudy maintains that, apart from the linguistics obstacles, the social surroundings such asunenthusiastic attitude, lack of interest towards learning the language and theenvironment that do not encourage learners to use the language have worsened the effort of acquiring the language. identify common grammatical errorsmade by the students are SubjectVerb agreement and wrong use of singular and plural forms. In addition, wrong application of verb tense, inappropriate word choice andprepositions are common among the participants. Findings of this study imply that students have not yet mastered basic grammatical structures even though they have gone through 10 years of learning English. - use of L1 promotes ideas generating activities among limited proficiency ls -

students resort to explain an incomprehensible or difficult English passage using Bahasa Malaysia and the translation facilitates their comprehension of the English text.

Mohd Sofi Ali

2008

reports that teachers in his case study primarily use Bahasa Malaysia to teach

Nambiar, Noraini Ibrahim and Pramela

2008

Koo

2008

English because of the pressure to get good grades in examinations. show that language learning strategies are still underutilized and underdeveloped among the participants and this poor use of learning strategies could account for the students weaknesses in reading English text Blames exam-oriented system tht we have

Ambigapathy

2002

Ministry of Education

2003

Ambigapathy

2002

Hazita Azman

2009

teachers tend to concentrate on the teaching of grammar and neglect the communicative aspects of language learning in their teaching students are required to - This eroded communicative learn too many competence grammatical skills, which - hence emerged a new class are then tested via of students who could pass examinations examinations and continue to the tertiary level without actually being able to use the English language productively in a communicative event classroom teaching is highly characterized by teachercentred approaches and chalk-and-talk drill method drilling using past-year examination questions, work sheets and exercise books English literacy among English language learning is Malaysian learners presented as are highly conceptualized learning a set of language through school mechanics with fixed ways of experience using the language; isolated from its communicative use. It is presented as a neutral set of language systems; to be learned and mastered for

specific classroom situations. Ahmad Mazli 2007 Muhammad Nambiar Zaira Abu 2008 Hasan

Ls are found to have limited vocabulary knowledge and weak at understanding long sentences or sentences with difficult words asserts that literacy practices that emerge from within this context will continue to produce learners who look at knowledge as learning of a fixed body of information which can be regurgitated and applied without much comment and critique.

insufficient vocabulary knowledge inevitably affects the learners performance

Rosemala Ismail Koo

2008

Causes of limited English proficiency: English is viewed as a difficult subject to learn. Learners depend on the English teachers as authorities. English is used only to answer teachers questions and spoken during English class. Learners tend to depend heavily on translation and dictionary use to find meanings. There is a lack of support to use English in the home environment and the community. Learners are found to have limited vocabulary as English reading materials are not always available. Learners display unwillingness and lack of motivation to learn English as they do not see the immediate need to use the language. Learners have inadequate or insufficient exposure to the language as there is a limited opportunity to use English outside the classrooms. English is not perceived as an important medium for communication as they use Bahasa Malaysia both for academic and personal interactions. Learners express unwillingness and high anxiety to use English to communicate despite acknowledging that English is important for their future. There is a mismatched between policy and practice in the

Malaysian ELT curriculum; the policy as envisaged in the school curriculum cannot be fully implemented in schools because of the over-riding concern for examination.

Source: Ambigapathy (2002; 2006); Fauziah Hassan & Nita Fauzee Selamat (2002), Mohd Sofi Ali (2008), Naginder (2006), Noor Hashimah Abdul Aziz (2007), Razianna Abdul Rahman (2005), Rosemala Ismail (2008), Zaira Abu Hasan (2008).
In writing this part of your research paper, keep in mind the following: Clearly describe the framework, concepts, models, or specific theories that underpin your study. This includes noting who the key theorists are in the field who have conducted research on the problem you are investigating and, when necessary, the historical context that supports the formulation of that theory. This latter element is particularly important if the theory is relatively unknown or it is borrowed from another discipline. Position your theoretical framework within a broader context of related frameworks, concepts, models, or theories. There will likely be several concepts, theories, or models that can be used to help develop a framework for understanding the research problem. Therefore, note why the framework you've chosen is the appropriate one. The present tense is used when writing about theory. You should make your theoretical assumptions as explicit as possible. Later, your discussion of methodology should be linked back to this theoretical framework. Dont just take what the theory says as a given! Reality is never accurately represented in such a simplistic way; if you imply that it can be, you fundamentally distort a reader's ability to understand the findings that emerge. Given this, always note the limitiations of the theoretical framework you've chosen [i.e., what parts of the research problem require further investigation because the theory does not explain a certain phenomena].

Conceptual Framework vs theoretical framework Conceptual framework After formulating the theoretical framework, the researcher has to develop the conceptual framework of the study. A concept is an image or symbolic representation of an abstract idea. Chinn and Kramer (1999) define a concept as a complex mental formulation of experience. While the theoretical framework is the theory on which the study is based, the conceptual framework is the operationalization of the theory. Conceptual framework is the researchers own position on the problem and gives direction to the study. It may be an adaptation of a model used in a previous study, with modifications to suit the inquiry. Aside from showing the direction of the study, through the conceptual framework, the researcher can be able to show the relationships of the different constructs that he wants to investigate. 1. The conceptual framework is the schematic diagram which shows the variables included in the study. 2. Arrows or line should be properly placed and connected between boxes to show the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. 3. All the independent and dependent variables should be clearly discussed and explained how these would influence the results of the study. Theoretical Framework The theoretical framework of the study is a structure that can hold or support a theory of a research work. It presents the theory which explains why the problem under study exists. Thus, the theoretical framework is but a theory that serves as a basis for conducting research. 1. The theoretical framework consists of theories, principles, generalizations and research findings which are closely related to the present study under investigation. It is in this framework where the present research problem understudy evolved. 2. Authors of these theories and principles should be cited. As much as possible research findings and theories should be correct. Formulating the Theoretical Framework Purpose: 1. It helps the researcher see clearly the variables of the study;

2.

It can provide him with a general framework for data analysis;

3. It is essential in preparing a research proposal using descriptive and experimental methods. Based on the foregoing example, how should the theoretical framework formulated? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Specifies the theory used as basis for the study Mentions the proponents of the theory Cites the main points emphasized in the theory supports his exposition of the theory by ideas from other experts; Illustrates his theoretical framework by means of a diagram; and, Reiterates his theoretical proposition in t