A JtOUO'W-UP STUDY OfS STU'DfNTS WHO COMPt.ETa> A CCOORS!
tN THE TEACHING Of SECONDAAY ENGUSH AJ MfMOR.tAl UNIVERSITY OF NfWFOUN'DlA.NO
BETWEEN 1962 AND 1972
CENTRE FOR NEWFOUNDLAND STUDIES
TOTAL OF 10 PAGES ONLY MAY BE XEROXED
(Without Author's Permission)
GERTRUDE W. E. GOSSE
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..OW~U~, STU~Y
QFSTUDEN~S
WHO COMPLETED A COURSE IN THE·TEACHING OF SECONDARY ENGLISH ,"
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AT MEMOniAL·UNIVER&ITY OF' NEWFOUNDLAND
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BETWEEN 196.2 AND 1972
A THESIS P~SENTED TO·
7'H'E FACULTY 'OF EDUCATION ,
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~MORIAL UNIVERSITY OF NEWFOUND~ND '
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·IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF ·THE .REQUIRE~NTS ~OR THE DEGREE .
MASTER OF. 'EDUcATION
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· . . . ,. · BY·
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©~ERT;Uo~' ~·
E. GOSSE •. MARCH 1974.
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ABSTRACT ,. · ~~ . -,- .
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pur.pose of}]lis~ stu·d; ~
was.tWO":'fol~::-
to ascertain .. _..)----·
the location of...---al-r-the students who between 1962 and ·.1972
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~ted/a ~articluar course ifl the ~eaching of English at the secondary" level, with a view to finding out ·i f they are
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teachi~
the'~ield
of English;_ .and secondlyto d~term1ne -thJ-·impact -wh1ch this course ·has had on the teaching .of English at the high school level. ·
Questionnaires were· mailed to 304 persons·.. The
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information re.cei ved was . compi;I.~d in the following manner •
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. Questions pertaining to· the respondents' personal and pro-..
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.. . '· fessional background, p~esent position,· and plans for the
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·future were. set out in tabular form using frequency an~
percentages. The response~ ·to t.he second part of. the
questionnaire which asked the respondents to express their opinion of the course were set out' in contingency table~·and
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a chi square was computed. _ Eighb~e.n hypotheses were formulated and the significanceJlevel
which respondents made for
· · _placed in an A~pendix and
was set.at ~OS. All recommertdations
imprOve~nt
of the_c~
werethose recommendations which were_
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mentioned. most freque,ntly appear in .the main body -of this report;
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' Findings" . ~ev~alec( ap ac~ptanc~ . ' of the· null hypotheses ··c
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inf. at·h~t but two cases. Both of these co~cern t~e effectiveness~course.
There was a _signifi9ant difference in responses· given by thOse .. whotei.c~
EngliSh onlY a_nd.thos~
wpeach .I • •
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English a~d other subjects; and also between responses given by . the .~espondents' ·, - ~ho took. the course during a . s~er and
~hose ·wh~ took'the course during' an academic year.
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In· addition to the mailed questionnaires, 23 of the· ..
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s~~je9t~ were. interviewed.at Mlmor~al ~niversity during the Summer Session of 1973. Nine df
~hese
were non-respondents.In the -case of.the 14 respondents a rank order correlation
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cqefficient was computed in order to find out the relations~ip
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a,. }?etween respons.e·s. gi-ven in May 'and those given· the '..,second tlme.
A p (rho) of • 82 was determined. Answers given by non-.respondents
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W,~re COinP.~rable to those Of responden~S •. ·.
.· One of th~- major ·criticisms of, ~he course was ·that · too much material was included and ther~fore not ,eno~gh time
a·vailab_le each main ~ Readin-g
was for in depth study qf topic. 1
was a topic which 107 ·respondents. said heeded greater emphasis •.. The phonol~gy of English was I least understpod by 72. resp,ondents.
• A re.ason given. for· this was 1ack of l~ng~istic ·background. ·
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,_ The main·. p~-in_t which comes ·thr~ugh in. this. stud] i~
the necessity·fQr .a revision of tne preparation program for.
teachers-of ·Engl~sh. A single methods. course is not sufficient~
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.More required courses must be made par~ of the student's program.
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Among these
~hould . be
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included Reading i.n the ·high school,
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Adolescent Literature, and ·two bas~c ''· cours·es in 'Linguistics.
Furth~r. research \ha. s been suggested in th~ fiel.d of
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English as well, as ·othe:z:-1 subjects /are~s •.. Suclf_ proje9ts ·as comparative studies·,. in....;·service'
·.t~ainirl~
forE~gli sh
teachers, ·• . ' ' f,' ' ' /! 11 ' •
.· ·. and_ Junior''High
School~ ,;~fograms,~;:b~ul·d. revea~
very worthwhile• I /lr• • • : ,' ll • ' '
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information. ' : ! J ·
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APPROVAL SHEET
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~CKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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. The· writer .w_ishes to ~hank the many, people who
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~e~ped m~ke this study pos~ible.
The staff of .the Registrar's. Office, the Graduate
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Studies Office and the Alumni Offic·e of Memorial University
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were most helpful in supplying ~formation concerning
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·former students. 1.
Nr·. _Bruce Caravan of. the Departmen,t of Education _ provided ·school·
addre~ses
forre::;po~de~ts
who are ·teachers.• 1:
The writer appreciates the ~time given by employees of other government departments and the'vocational· school
·lread office _on ker~yme~ting Road.
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' .A sp-ecial word of thanks
,• must beJ g i yen to the_ numerO\lS residents o""f-sb JOfll)1S to whom phone _calls _ were made .in an effort to l.ocate
- ~orne
ofth~ . r~ondents. :
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. - Several r7sidents·_ in other· parts of Newfoundland vpry ·
. , . . . · .. kindly responded to letters which were _maile-d concerning
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._.,:The writ_e~ is grateful •for the co-op~ration
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given by~. ~he respondents who participated in... . ' ,, .this study. ..
The ·writer als·o wishes to_th-ank ~h~ members ·of·.
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her ·thesis' . committee who' took time· from their busy schedules
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to
p~ovide
guidanceand ' sug~estions
during the preparatioh6 - . '
of this work~
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. DEDICAT_ION
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TO 'MY ·P~RE~TS
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TABLE OF.CONTENTS.
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ABSTRACT
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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DEDICATION
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LIST OF TABLES
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Chapter
1 • INrr;RODUCTION
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BACKGROUND
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PROBLEM AND PURPOSES .
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-LIMITATIONS
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. HYP~THESES AND QU.E'STIONS.
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· ·Hypotheses Concerning Respondents'
~itudes Towards the Course •• , ••
-If/potheses Concer~ing the Effectiveness· of the Course •· ••
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Quest: ions
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Recommendations
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Attrition Rate I •-
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DEFINITIONS
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• It • • • • • • • • • • • •REVIEW OF ~LATED RESEARCH AND LITERATURE.
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Pre-Service ""l'rograms ••••
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Single. Course Evaluation.
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,"4 Summary
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Viii
Chapt~r
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I • Pag~3. METHOD OF INVESTIGATION ... . . · •••
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\, · •• 14 DESCRIPTION OF 'SUBJECTS ••••••••• .' ••••••• 14.... ,. . ·.!
DES~RIPTION OF INSTRUMENT ' •••••••••••• ~ ••.
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PROCEDURES AND METHOD OF ANALYSIS · · · · • · · !. 15
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4. ANALYSIS- OF· DATA I •••••••••••• · •••••• ~~~_:.:~ ••••
RESPONSES TO SECTIONS A, B
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AND C •t~~~( .. · ..
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'HYPOTHESES AND.QUESTI?NS
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· ·Hypotheses ·.concerning !3.oth :t.-}.1.& .
· Respondents" Attitudes Td~rds the Course and the Effectiveness of the
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Course . . . : ,. ..•.. . • . ... . • . . . , .. ~ ...• ·
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65·5. ANALYSIS OF DATA .·II .•• ~ ••••••••••• ••• •• ·• ·• •••• - ' 83
"a COMMENTS IN . SECTIONS A . . . I . B I AND '
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·Positive reaction •••.••••• · •...•. • •• ~ •. 84
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comments- section
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~ 86 SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT .•••••••••• :--.-•. · 86.
. t~. · INTERVIEW . .: . . • . . • • •.. • • • . • . • ' ••. · . . . • • • . • · •• 89 Interview with Respondents ••• ~·~··· . 89
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":'·1 Interview with Non-'Respondents .•••.. ·~ .•
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.·91 - Criticisms of course ••••••••.•.•••.. · .· 92
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6. SUMMAhY~-~ONCLUSIONSI AND 'RECOMMENDATIO~~ •• 95
. SUMMARY
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95 Purposes .... . . . ~ ... · . . . ""• . . . . . ~· .. · 9 5
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Procedures and Method ••• : ••••••••• ~ •· .'. 95
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Findings . . . ';. . . . ~ . . . ~ .. ·96.
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Chapter
CONCLUSIONS REC:O~NDATIONS
~urther · Res~arch
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'BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES •••••••••••••••••
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...L,IST OF·TABLES
Table' . ,•
·1. Respondents by_ Sex
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'2. Respondents by 'Pla-ce of Residence Accqrding - to'. Size of cornmurlity ••••..••.•...••• : ....•.
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3. Occupat~ons . . . •, of Respondents •• . . ~ ••••.• ; . . . :21 -4. Size of Schoo\_ in. Which Respondents Who A:re
·' Teach-ers· Taught During the Yea,r· 1972-1973
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5. Degrees and Diplomas Held by ·Respondents_ •• "·'· ·
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6. Teaching Certi-ficates _. . /' ·Held by.-·Rt:rspondents •• ., • I ' - 7. Major. Subjects ~_ndiqat~d .. by ·Respondents . : ••
8. Number. of Semeste'r Cours~~ in. Respondents • Major Subj~cts . . . ... • . . . • ..•... . . . ~ ..•
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; 9. Teaching :fvf:ethods Studied by Respondents, .• ·• ~- · 10. University Courses Studied by Responde~ts -?r
~ Who Registered As Part-Time Students . .
• Dur1ng '• 1972 1973- 1 •••••••• , ' . ' ·~ •.••.••••.•.••••• I
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' ,- ··'11. Last Year in Which ~spondents Attended . summer Session . . . ·· . . · . . . ·~ . ... . . ; . . 12. Categocy of Student· Wh.ile Taking English
Methods. Co.ur.se, Education 413 or 414 or
. L., 4140 &' 41~1. __ •.• .• •. •• • •••••• · • .- ••• ." •••• •. • •• • .• ;
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13 •. 1 ~fa>spons es · Given Concerning the Teaching of _
· . •-M1Reading at the High. Schoo'! Level •••••••••
14. -Response.s Given ·concerning .the Taking. of A _
~ · Course in Ado\Lescent Li teratur:e •••• ·}~ •• _._.
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15. Responses Given-concerning Whether ~
-Respondents Are Work±flg Towards Another.
·- ~~·?9hit;tg· <7ertifiqate
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., .t' .f . . I • - I
Ye_~r~ -~f
TeachingE'xperien~e _ ~espo~~e~t~
..Had at. Present ••..••..•.•••••.••• ~ .•••••••
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·' 18 • .Nuritber "of Other. Education: cours.es ·Pertaining ·.
· to .t_.he TE~hi>ng"'of .E?g-lish Taken by
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Responde11-ts . , . ~. -~ .•• · •.••.•••• ·. ". · ••••.•.••.
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Number of Linguistics Courses· Ta:Ken by . .•
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~spondents *\ • • • • • • • • • • • • ~ ._ • • • • • • • • • • ~ • • • • • •
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Reasons: Given for. Tal:d~g the course •. : ·•· ••• .' ••
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21 ·(a)' ,Re,gpo.J?.~es Concerning Whel ther Re,sponden:ts ·•.
b"'s
Have Taken-Gradu,ate courses • .- •• ·• '• •• 1• • • • _,
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21 (b) Responses Concerning Whether Res.poildents
:..Intend to Take Graduate ·Courses • . . . .• . • . . . ·36.
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Responses Concern~ng__Whether Respondents·
· · Changed Field of Study fn Undergraduate . ,. . .
. P ro gram . · . • • . . . . . • . . . . .. · . • . ~ . . • . . . . ,.. • . . . . . . . .
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23. Becisions Made by. Respqndents Who Change_d·
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24 (a) Perce11tage of. Time ·Spent in Engl.ish . · • ·
. cl_assroom.~y ~es~on?e~t·s: .•. : •••.•• ~- ··~·. ~ ~ .. -3·a· , - ~. -1'•
24 (b) ,Whe'ther PerceJYtage of Ti.me Spe~ t .. in· ··'
~ En_glish' Classqrooin is Sa tis. factory ... "'~' '38 •' ·.'
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24 (c) Subjects Respondents Taught :&esl.Cj\e-5 ·· · · · ·
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...., ·· ng 1S~· • • • • • • .•.• • • • • • · •• • . • • • • •.• • • • • • ·.• •• · ,_ . .
r •
.. 24 · (d) Whethe~ Respo'n'dent~ 'Fo~nd. Teaching , .. · · . . · Subjects Besides ·Engl-ish .Sat.isfactory' • .' "· 39
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24 . .<eL Weaknesses Identified by Re~po~dents .• ~ ... •'_ · .. 40.
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25 ·.(b)
Time· Sp~nt. cin E~gl;i;sh ·by. Respondents · . · Teach,i.ng. Varied·. Subje'Cts· , • ~· .-. ~ •• ; -. · •• ~ • ~.
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Ave~age Length of English Periods"Given
by ReS,POnde.nts W}lo Teach. Variedo ·: o . ·Subjects ... ' · . . . . 0 • ~~ . . . . • ... • · · ·. ·. . • ~ . · · · -'· ~ · ·
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26 (a) -sub)ect Areas· Given by Spe.dialist .Teachers·.
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26 (b) Whether English Taught .. by· Spec;;ia1i_st . ·.·
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26 (c) Grade in W)'lich En.glish is ·Taught by . ,. ·· .. Specialist Teache.. .
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26 (d) Time Per week Spent· in ·English .classroom · .
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