English Language Journal 2011

The Benefits of ESL Community Service Project on ESL

Student Tutors
By:
Noriah Ismail, Intan Safinas Mohd Ariff Albakri
and Suhaidi Elias @Alias

The study analyses ESL students facilitators perception

regarding their involvement in a special community service
project called Project Tutor which is carried out in order
to help some primary students from a rural school to be
more interested in learning English. The project is regarded
as a win-win situation as the student facilitators themselves
are able to improve their English speaking confidence as
well as motivate them to be more involved in future
community service projects.

Introduction
Many ESL students even at tertiary level are fearful or reluctant to speak in English .
Kaufman and Lionel (2000) conclude that reluctance to communicate in English is
common place among ESL learners. Many students become literally speechless when
they are placed to speak in public. One of the reasons is they lack the skill and confidence
to do so and become apprehensive. Higher rate of communication apprehension can
impact on a persons behavior, relationships, the perception of others, occupational
choice and employment opportunities and education. Therefore ESL students should be
given the opportunities to participate in English-based activities that provide them a
chance to practice speaking in the language, especially in authentic situations.

The Benefits of Community Service Tutoring Projects

Involving university students in a community service project such as one which

provides a cross-age tutoring service to some primary school students is a good move
which can bring some positive outcomes not just to the tutees (the primary school
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students) but to the tutors (the university students) involved as well, especially in terms of
their communication skills in English.

Evidently cross-age tutoring brings a lot of benefits not just to the tutees but to the
tutors as well. Greenwood et.al (1988) emphasized three commonly cited benefits which
are the learning of academic skills including language communication, the development
of social behavior and classroom discipline.

One of the reasons cross-age tutoring works may be that tutors and tutees speak a
more similar language than do adult teachers and students. According to Hedin (1987) the
tutees who are being taught by a peer or someone closer in age to them feel freer to
express opinions, ask questions and risk untested solutions. The interaction between
instructor and pupils is more balanced and lively; therefore, this then stimulates the tutors
to communicate well with the tutees. The feeling of being accepted by their tutees
encouraged the tutors to speak using the target language and this will significantly
improve their speaking performance.

Researchers have discovered significant beneficial effects on the English

language skills achievement of tutors (Rekrut, 1992). The language areas being examined
include English speaking skills with a marked improvement in terms of grammar,
comprehension (task fulfillment), acquisition of vocabulary and fluency (communicative
ability). The positive results were found for both short and long term tutoring involving
secondary and elementary school students.

Being able to practice using the target language such as English in an authentic
classroom situation helps to further improve the tutors language skill, particularly their
speaking performance. Therefore, the act of tutoring, particularly cross-age tutoring
among ESL students should be looked upon as a valuable alternative to language
teaching and as one of the means in enhancing ESL students English performance,
especially in terms of their speaking skill.

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A study on the benefits of community service was carried out on some university
students (Astin and Vogelgesang :2001). The students who work on the community
service are found to produce better academic performance especially in social studies
including English communication. The subjects are also found to be very motivated to be
involved in future projects on community service as they have experience a marked
improvement in their social and communication skill.

Eyler and Giles (2000) suggests that students involved in community service are
more likely to be intrinsically motivated to increase their level of involvement in the
community which helps to enhance their communication skills. Therefore, community
service projects such provide students with an opportunity to learn beyond the bounds of
the traditional classrooms and give them ample chance to increase their skill.

Overall, extensive research in the area of English speaking performance relating

to cross-age tutoring is still few and far between, particularly in ESL context. Therefore
the study hopes to gain further insights into this particular area.

Noriah et al (2006) conducted a study which assessed the impact of community

service on tertiary students ESL speaking performance. The study was in the form of pre
and post-test research in which a group of student facilitators from UiTM Johor were pretested on their speaking skills. The samples were evaluated based on MUET (Malaysian
University English Test) speaking components. The subjects were then involved in the
universitys community service project on cross-age tutoring that required them to
provide English lessons for some selected primary school students. After the project, the
subjects were asked to sit for a post-test. The results revealed a significant improvement
in terms of the student facilitators task fulfillment, communicative ability as well as the
overall speaking performance of the students.

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The Research
The objectives of the study is to analyze ESL student facilitators perceptions of
cross-age tutoring (a community service project) and to discover how it benefits
them. The project was organized by UiTM Johors. The students facilitators were 22
undergraduate students from the university who volunteered for the cross-age tutoring
project. The project requires the student facilitators provide English lessons for some
selected primary school students from Sek Keb Melayu Raya, Johor for two hours
once a week for a duration of four months. After the project the subjects were asked
to answer a set of questionnaires and some interview questions to analyze their
feelings regarding their involvement in the community service project and how it
benefits them in terms of their ESL speaking and communication skills and their
attitude towards the language. The students were also asked to record their thoughts
and feelings in an essay form which was analyzed qualitatively.

Findings and Discussion

The major findings from the questionnaires reveal that:
1. 95.5% of the students agree that the community service project was useful as it
gave them a chance to speak English in an authentic situation.

2. The majority of the students (72.2%) claim that after the project, they have more
confidence to speak in English.

3. The Tutoring Project also makes them (91%) feel more motivated to improve
their spoken English.
4. With the success of the project, the students (77.4%) feel more interested to join
in a similar project in future.

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Analysis of the data from the interview revealed that most of the students feel that the
community service project is beneficial to them.

1. In terms of the benefits of the community service projects, the students reveal that
the project gives them a chance to speak English in an authentic situation:

The project gave me a chance to practice speaking in front of real students, real
audience.

After the project I feel my spoken English is so much better. It gave me a chance
to improve my speaking skill when I taught the students.

It is one way that we can practice our English speaking skill.

2. The students mentioned that the project makes them feel less afraid and more
confident to speak English:

Before the project I was not confident to speak. After teaching the students for
more than a month I feel that I can manage to say a lot of things in English
without being afraid to be laughed at.

I need to face more than 20 students every time I teach English. Their level is
lower so I feel more confident. It helps to boost my confidence to speak English
with others now.

Even though I still speak broken English but I no longer afraid to talk in English
now.

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3. The students feel that by facilitating the students, they are able to improve their
speaking skill:

It is a win-win situation for the students as well as to us. I think I also improve
my English when I do a lot of revising and planning for the class I need to teach.

I feel that being the facilitator and tutor in the project has help me become more
competent in the speaking skill.

Yes, I think it has helped me improve my public speaking skill. I was a poor
public speaker before.

4. The student tutors also claimed that they become more motivated to speak in
English and improve themselves after the project:

Most of all, I feel more motivated to speak and try to improve myself after the
project.

The good thing about the project is I become more interested to speak and my
speaking has become more better.

Its great the way it encourages me to speak more.

5. In addition to speaking skill the student facilitators also mentioned that being the
tutors for the project helps them to improve their overall communication skill:

During the project we were given a lot of guidance and tips on how to
communicate well with the students.

Being the tutor can training us to improve our overall communication skill.

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It helped me to improve my interpersonal and communication skill with others.

6. The students claimed that their attitude towards speaking has improved after the
project:

The project helps to change my attitude towards speaking. Before I think it as not
so important compared to writing skill. Now I understand.

Before I am lazy to speak and feel I no need to improve until after I graduate, noe
I know it is very important to be good English speaker.

After the project I feel more motivated and interested to speak more and improve
myself.

Conclusion
Every ESL tertiary students should be given a chance to enhance their English
speaking skills through authentic speaking activities that will help them to be
more fluent and also confident to face the public once they graduated. Speaking
practice within the classroom context is insufficient, whats more if it is meant
only for exam purposes. Therefore, getting ESL students to be involved in a
community service projects that can encourage them to communicate well is a
very good move as the study as proven. Whats more if it stimulates the students
desire to contribute to the society and turn them into more responsible and caring
future generation.

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References:
Astin, A. & Vogelgesang, L. 2001. How Service Learning Affects Students : An
Executive Summary U.S.A : Higher Education Research Inst. Inc.
Astin, A & Sax, L. 2001. How Undergraduates are Affected by Service
Participation. Journal of Student Development , 39, 251-263.
Eyler, J. & Giles, D.2000. Wheres the Learning in Service Learning? San
Francisco C A: Inc.
Greenwood, C.R. ; Dcarta, J. J. ; and Hall, v. The Use of Peer-Tutoring Strategies
in Classroom Management and Educational Instruction. School Psychology
Review. 17 , 258-275.
Hedin, D. 1987. Students as Teachers: A Tool for Improving School. Social
Policy. 17, 42-47.
Kaufman, B and lionel, M (2000). Accelerating Communicative Competence in
English Through Peer Tutoring. English Department. Online.
http://wwwkaufman@cuhac.upr.clu.edu.
Noriah Ismail, Kamalanathan Ramakrishnan, Zaira Md.Nor and Intan Safinas
Ariff Albakri. Enhancing English speaking performance of student facilitators
through cross-age tutoring: A community service project. The Sixth Malaysia
International Conference on English Language Teaching (MICELT).
Universiti Putra Malaysia. Hotel Equatorial Melaka. May 8-10 May, 2006.
Rekrut, M.D. 1992. Teaching To Learn: Cross-Age Tutoring To Enhance strategy
Acquisition. San Francisco, CA.

Biodata:

1.Noriah Ismail is a lecturer at the Academy of Language Studies UiTM

Johor Branch.
Expertise and research area: ESL Writing and Research on ESL
Contact:
No 2 Taman Sulir Pekan Jabi 85000, Segamat Johor.
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Tel : 019-7151412 (H/P)
: 07-9352179 (O)
e-mail : noriah135@johor.uitm.edu.my

2. Intan Safinas Mohd Ariff Albakri is a TESL lecturer at UPSI

Expertise and research area : ESL research and material development.
Contact:
Tel : 605 4506506 (O)
e-mail : safinas@upsi.edu.my

3. Suhaidi Elias @Alias is a lecturer at the Faculty of Business and

Management UiTM Johor.
Expertise and research area : Research on education and learning.
Contact:
No 2 Taman Sulir Pekan Jabi 85000, Segamat Johor.
Tel: 03 7494600 (H/P)
07 9352141 (O)
e-mail ; suhaidi27@johor.uitm.edu.my

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