II.5 - DATA ANALYSIS PROCEDURE
We analyzed first the identification cards of the 64 testees
to classify them into repeaters and newcomers groups. Then we analyzed the test
of the 62 newcomers by starting with the recognition of the meaning of modals.
We assumed that it would be easier for the students to recognize the meaning of
modals than to produce them. So we wanted to move from the simple elements to
the complex ones.
We dealt with the identification cards, the recognition of the
meaning of modals and the production of the meanings of modals separately in
order to categorize them for a statistical analysis. Powell and Connaway
(2004:232) says that statistical analysis can indicate how many persons,
objects, scores, or whatever achieved each value (or fell into each category)
for every variable that was measured. These calculations known as frequency
distributions were usually reported in tables. The reported elements were
followed by some comments or interpretations. The results are presented in the
following chapter.
CHAPTER THREE: FINDINGS
FROM OUR DATA ANALYSIS
In this chapter we shall present the different results we got
from the data we collected. We shall present first the identification items;
then, the tests properly; and finally, some probable sources of misuses and
misunderstandings.
III.1 - FINDINGS FROM THE
IDENTIFICATION ITEMS
Among the 80 papers we gave to students only 64 did the
exercises and gave the papers back. We may think that those who brought the
papers home were not able to do the tests. There are not different from those
who refused to take the papers though the exercises had been explained. Among
the 1,135 students that compose the class only 64 accepted to try our test.
They represent 5.63 % of the class. The percentage is low, that tends to show
that students avoid modals. That is the reason why they use them rarely in the
compound of the university; thence, the difficulties to have natural data with
them.
When we analyzed the identification citems, we discovered that
there were 49 boys, including 2 repeaters; and 15 girls, all newcomers.
Repeaters did not take profusely the test because they may have thought that
they already knew the modals; which is not obvious as a test on them needs to
be done to know if they do better than newcomers in modals.
As we were not concerned with the use of modals by repeaters
or with a comparative
study between repeaters and newcomers, we did not analyze the
papers of the 2 repeaters.
If we consider the participation of boys and that of girls we
remark that boys participated
more than girls. In fact, the rate of participation of boys,
regarding their number in the class, is 7.31% while that of girls is 3.22 %
since the class is composed of 670 boys and 465 girls. In this regard, we might
think that girls are more reluctant to be tested on modals than boys; that is,
girls avoid modals more than boys do. This can explain why girls did not want
to react to modals when we were attempting to have natural data of the use of
modals by first year students. We did not analyze the data separately because
we did not want to do a comparative study between boys and girls performances.
We made a common analysis of data.
III.2 - FINDINGS FROM
THE EXPERIMENT
In this section we shall present the different results we got
from the data collected. We shall present first the recognition of the meaning
of modals, then the production of modals and ultimately we shall draw some
conclusions and verify our hypothesis.
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