Recursos

The correlation between teacher training and the listening assessment practices is analyzed with regard to teachers in the Costa Rican educational system. The results of a workshop on theory of listening assessment and guidelines provided by the Ministry of Public Education suggest that these testing practices can be improved with training that unifies official guidelines and listening assessment theory.

This research sought to explore the connection between a small-group intensive reading comprehension project and students’ performance in two sample English national exit exams (ENEEs) developed by the Ministry of Public Education, Costa Rica. The data were gathered from an intervention plan that combined the theoretical principles of schema theory, scaffolded reading comprehension, and intensive reading. The study adopts an action-research approach and uses a mixed design that combines quantitative and qualitative data in the analysis and interpretation of results. Participants included twelve students from a public high school in the Western Area of Costa Rica who needed special preparation for the ENEE, which narrows the research scope down to this population only. The data collection techniques included two sample ENEEs, field notes, and research artifacts. Findings reveal positive effects of scaffolded reading comprehension on student ENEE performance, but also they warn that generalizations to larger populations are not possible. The study yields implications at theoretical and practical levels, and it calls for further investigation as a way to tackle the limitations identified.

is qualitative study explores the perception of eight seventh-grade teachers from academic schools in the western region ofCosta Rica about implementing the action-oriented approach (AOA). As the main objective, the researchers sought to assess thepronts. e results show a favorable perceptionof the approach, yet the individuals could not clearly define the AOA for they perceived the materials, the student, and theteacher’s roles as strengths; and tests, materials, and planning as weaknesses. e continuities and variations were not tied to theapproach and the most salient innovations were the teacher’s guide and the mini-project. e researchers concluded that thereexist discrepancies between the participants’ understanding of the AOA and the actual tenets of the approach.