Abstract

The study examines oral communication transitions from primary to elementary English. At the end of primary school, the Pakistani government set an English oral communication standard for all public and private school students. Descriptive study. Convenient sampling and approaching respondents. District Okara elementary schools kept this study. Selecting all Okara primary schools was impossible. District Okara chose 12 urban and rural primary schools. The research sampled 120 students. All students took 25 questions. An analysis of English oral communication ability (EOCS) audio recorder transcribed data. SPSS and Excel 2010 analysed data. Descriptive and inferential statistics analysed and interpreted data. Statistics included descriptive and inferential. Frequency and T-test. Pakistan's government may help elementary school teachers improve kids' English oral communication. The government may change myths and curricula to improve English oral communication.

Key Words

Transition, Successful, Primary Level, Elementary Level, English Oral Communication Skills

Introduction

Successful transition means a move from one level to another level with achievement or competency on specific objectives of the syllabus and curriculum. Standards of oral communication skills have been set in the curriculum of Pakistan at the primary level. The social academic standards of spoken language enable students to proficiently communicate in both formal and informal settings. The convention of demonstration is founded upon the process of selecting competencies, standards, and objectives for student learning.

This study examines the phenomenon of

group dynamics wherein individuals verbally disclose their identities to fellow members. The students would be able to engage in conversation and take turns according to the situation. Textbooks are the main source in the education system regarding learning the English language in Pakistan. According to the national curriculum with respect to English learning whether books are able to improve English skills or not but are forcedly taught in schools (Panezai & Channa, 2017).

In this research, it was observed how much schools and curriculums are trying to make successful transitions for 6th-class students. This research is about finding problems that are hurdles for students to have a successful transition like Losing friends, unfamiliar teachers and inconvenient learning environments (Jack, 2008). The students from rural backgrounds do not have competent teachers to teach oral communication skills in the English language. The conditions of teaching English oral communication are not well-equipped in rural areas. (Warsi, 2004)

The English language is called the language of lingua franca in the world and all over schools and colleges in Pakistan. English is the most used language and official all over Pakistan that?s why it is suggested everywhere to improve the teaching methodology of teaching oral communication skills of English from beginner level to meet the international educational standards. There are many projects introduced to meet this challenge in Pakistan (Khan, 2007)

Transition is a natural phenomenon in each student?s academic career. Students move from class to class to the next level and complete their educational career step by step. English is an international language and the improvement of English oral communication skills is an important part of learning and understanding of modern studies. Jilani Warsi (2004) presented a study that explored the aspects that made students good at performance and made a successful transition from primary to elementary level in the development of English oral communication skills. It was observed that students in Pakistan having a degree of graduation are unable to communicate orally in the English language which is a big hurdle in their career of success regarding job and development of confidence in practical life. Why do students feel tension to speak English even at a higher level? In this study, we researched whether the transition of oral communication skills was successful at the primary level or not successful. The primary level is called the base of educational career for all students all over the world.

Objectives

1) To assess the successful transition from primary to elementary level in English oral communication skills.

2) To compare the successful transition from primary to elementary level in English oral communication skills between male and female students.

3) To compare the successful transition from primary to elementary level in English oral communication skills between rural and urban schools.

Literature Review

Transition and Transfer both wards are used to move from one school level to another level within the school or at the same location or to another school at any other place between different times. (Graham and Hill, 2002; Galton, Gray and Ruddock, 2000). There are a lot of research articles produced by the longitudinal research specifically 4 are having same relevance to this EPPSE (Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education Project) project regarding transition. The analysis of results explained that most of the students showed a positive change in their attitude and settled perfectly in their next schools. Many of the students were doing their work well and feeling good after this transition. A questionnaire was used to obtain data and information was gathered to observe if there is any kind of change in their behaviour and attitude. Some of the students reported increasingly boring and stressful work (Evangelou, 2008).

The research on 500 hundred families in England highlighted some of the factors that affected transition for example socio-economic status and characteristics of family background and kind of gender. All participants agreed on this point there should have been an improvement for a smooth transition from the primary level to the secondary level (Dockett and Perry, 2004).

Another brief research on transition outcomes was conducted on students with disabilities it was on school life to adult life experiences that defined a lot of suggestions on the self-determination of students to face a transition. The principals encourage them by the motivation of self-determination to accept challenges and give them some directions. Motivation for self-determination was given to the students through these steps

1. Support them in choice making

2. Support them in the exploration of possibilities

3. Promote rational risk-taking

4. Promote problem-solving

5. Help them for self-advocacy

6. Facilitate for growth of self-esteem

7. Develop their ability for goal setting and perfect planning skills

8. Assist youth about to be aware of their disabilities.

References are given in curricula and some other Web sites of Google Scholar (Kochhar, Bryant & Greene, 2009).

All parents, students and school members are involved to face this challenge regarding successful transition. To understand a school should plan to make all stakeholders understand this process and satisfy them for a successful transition. Schools should make a plan to make a successful transition and all stakeholders also should support students in this process, this was the main focus of the article at all (Coffey, 2013).

The study also focused on the emotional level and behavioural levels of difficulty and also the problems of students are same who pass through a transition. This research also showed that students were not much capable in their academic carrier or they failed in academic studies and social communities in their institutes(Terenzini, Rendon et al, 1994). Emotional intelligence and social background played an important and good role in this successful transition that made this move enjoyable for the students (Parker, Duffy et al, 2005).

The improvement of oral communication is very necessary for the scope of school success by all means. It looks very logical that oral communication proficiency gives the confidence to learn more and more and it also enhances the sense of acquiring for understanding different concepts. It has been observed all over the world that oral communication is called an important skill for a better future and is associated with high standards of society (Genesee, Lindholm, Leary et al, 2005).

The term "research in hand" is commonly understood to refer to the cultivation of proficiency in the English language, as well as the attainment of a high degree of precision in communication. The initial concept pertains to the effective delivery of spoken communication without inducing stress, while the subsequent concept pertains to the proper utilisation of English grammar and phonology. According to Alwright (1994), the "learn-by-doing approach" in education involves active participation from both teachers and students. This approach emphasises the importance of communication between speakers and listeners, as the listener's response to the speaker's communication is integral to the learning process.

In a research paper published on the topic of English oral communication skills for Jordanian students. This study highlighted problems of students regarding the development of their English oral skills for example lack of experience with teachers, problems in mythology and lack of motivation towards English oral communication. This study also focused on strategic methods to develop oral communication skills (Rababah, 2002).

English has a dominant influence in Pakistan it is the language of officials, media and political discourse like in other rising nations. Now a day?s discussion of “Education for all” enhanced the value of English regarding teaching and learning English in Pakistan. Modern people called the English language a passport to achieve success and be active in society. For the progress of any country English is important because it is taken as a lingua franca (language of business)of the world(Shamim, 2011).

A researcher suggested that conversation on a daily basis and maximum interaction in a classroom especially for listening comprehension. To observe the relationship between oral communication by listening skills with other skills of the English language 1800 participants from Iran were examined in International English Language Testing System (IELTS) in the city of Tehran which showed a close correlation in listening comprehension and in proficiency of English oral communication skills (Jakobovits, 1970).

Methodology

The proposed study would seek an analysis of English oral communication skills after the successful transition from primary to elementary level. All the sixth-class students of public elementary schools were the population of this research who were taking classes in different male and female public sector schools in Tahsil Okara. The sample size is concluded by a convenient sampling technique. For this purpose, 10 schools from urban and 2 schools from rural areas were selected. the test was conducted with the permission of principals. 10 students from each school were selected to conduct a test. Students were not forced to participate in the test, only those were included who willed to. 10 boys' schools and only 2 female schools were allowed conveniently to conduct tests. A total number of female students of the sixth class (n =20) and male students of the sixth class (n=100) were participants in this research. In female schools, it was not easy to get permission to conduct tests so only 2 schools were allowed conveniently conducting tests at the permission letter of the District Education Officer of District Okara.

 The information or dataset. The data was obtained utilising an audio recording device known as the English Oral Communication Skill (EOCS) analysis and subsequently transcribed. The data underwent analysis using MS-Excel 2010 and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The utilisation of both descriptive and inferential statistics was employed for the purpose of analysing and interpreting the data. The data were analysed in two distinct parts, namely descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The utilisation of frequency distributions was employed to depict the characteristics of the students.

The study utilised a four-point rating scale to gather responses, and an independent sample T-test was employed to determine any significant differences in demographic variables at the nominal level.

Results and Discussion

Demographic Characteristics

This section explains the demographics of the participants according to the gender distribution, locality-wise distribution, frequency, percentage, valid percentage and cumulative percentage of the respondents with respect to the research objectives of the study.

Table 1

Gender
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Female	20	16.7	16.7	16.7
Male	100	83.3	83.3	100.0
Total	120	100.0	100.0

 Table 1 represents that the majority of participants (n=120, 83.3%) were male students, while (n=20, 16.7%) were female students. This percentage represents that male students were greater than female students regarding English oral communication skills after a successful transition from primary to elementary level students

Table 2

Locality
	Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Urban	80	66.7	66.7	66.7
Rural	40	33.3	33.3	100.0
Total	120	100.0	100.0

 Table 4.2 shows that 80 (66.7) urban students were able to communicate in English orally after successful transition from primary to elementary level and 40 (33.3) rural students were able to communicate in English orally after successful transition from primary to elementary level.

Table 3

Factors	N	Min.	Max.	Mean	S.D
Introduce yourself and others	120	3.20	4.00	3.96	0.14
Needs, Feelings and Ideas	120	1.20	4.00	3.04	0.59
Make Polite Requests for Personal Reasons	120	1.00	4.00	2.19	0.67
Express Joy	120	1.00	4.00	2.41	0.74
Agree or Disagree	120	1.80	4.00	3.50	0.51

 The above table describes that the mean value of "Factor 1: Introduce yourself and others” which is (M=3.96), means most of the students fully answered about factor 1. (See Table 4.3)
The mean value of “Factor 2: Needs, Feelings and Ideas” is (M=3.04), which shows a maximum number of students fully answered about factor 2 (See Table 4.3).
The mean value of “Factor 3: Make Polite Request for Personal Reasons” is (M=2.19), which shows most of the students could not understand Factor 3. (See Table 4.3) The mean value of "Factor 4: Express Joy "is (M=2.41), which shows a large number of students could not understand factor 4 (See Table 4.3).
The mean value of "Factor 5: Agree or Disagree "is (M=3.50), which shows that a garter number of students fully answered about factor 5 (See Table 4.3).

Table 4

Variables	Gender	N	M	S.D	t	df	Sig.
Introduce yourself and others	Male	100	3.98	0.09	3.249	118	.002
	Female	20	3.87	0.27
Needs, Feelings and Ideas	Male	100	3.17	0.55	5.930	118	.000
	Female	20	2.41	0.33
Make Polite Requests for Personal Reasons	Male	100	2.29	0.67	3.863	118	.000
	Female	20	1.69	0.45
Express Joy	Male	100	2.52	0.75	3.999	118	.000
	Female	20	1.84	0.29
Agree or Disagree	Male	100	3.59	0.48	4.794	118	.000
	Female	20	3.04	0.40

 Table 4 shows an independent sample t-test was applied for gender-based mean differences.

Responses about Factor 1 “Introduce yourself and others”

First factor “Factor 1: Introduce yourself and others” has the mean value and standard deviation of male (M=3.08, SD 0.09) and female (F=3.87, SD 0.27) as t (118) =3.249, p=.002 (See Table 4)


Responses about Factor 2 “Needs, Feelings and Ideas”
The second factor "Factor 2: Needs, Feelings and Ideas" has the mean value and standard deviation of male (M=3.17, SD 0.55) and female (F=2.41, SD 0.33) as t (118) =5.930, p=.000 (See Table 4)


Responses about Factor 3 “Make Polite Request for Personal Reasons”
Third factor “Factor 3: Make Polite Request for Personal Reasons” Make Polite Request for Personal Reasons” has the mean value and standard deviation of male (M=2.29, SD 0.67) and female (F=1.69, SD 0.45) as t (118) =3.863, p=.000 (See Table 4)


Responses about Factor 4 “Express Joy”
The fourth factor "Factor 4: Express Joy" has the mean value and standard deviation of male (M=2.52, SD 0.75) and female (F=1.84, SD 0.29) as t (118) =3.999, p=.000 (See Table 4)


Responses about Factor 5 “Agree or Disagree”
The fifth factor "F5: Agree or Disagree" has the mean value) and standard deviation of male (M=3.59, SD 0.48) and female (F=3.04, SD 0.40) as t (118) =4.794, p=.000 (See Table 4)

Table 5

		F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
Introduce yourself and others	„r?	-	.274**	.223*	.123	.157
	Sig.		.002	.014	.181	.086
Needs, Feelings and Ideas	„r?		-	.533**	.611**	.465**
	Sig.			.000	.000	.000
Make Polite Requests for Personal Reasons	„r?			-	.521**	.416**
	Sig.				.000	.000
Express Joy	„r?				-	.335**
	Sig.					.000
Agree or Disagree	„r?					-
	Sig.

 There is an insignificant positive relationship found between "factor 1: Introduce yourself and others” and “factor 5: Agree or Disagree" (r=.157) (See Table 4.6). The results showed that there is a significant positive relationship found between "Factor 2: Needs, Feelings and Ideas” and “Factor 5: Agree or Disagree” (r=.465). (See Table 4.6). There is a significant positive relationship found between "factor 3: Make Polite Request for Personal Reasons” and “factor 5: Agree or Disagree” (r=.416). (See Table 4.6). There is a significant positive relationship found between "factor 4: Express Joy” and “factor 5: Agree or Disagree” (r=.335) (See Table 4.6).

Suggestions

These are some recommendations based on results which may enhance the quality of oral communication skills of primary-level students.

1. For a significant improvement in the oral communication skills of the pupils in Pakistani rural and urban primary schools, a direct method of teaching is recommended at the primary level.

2. The results of the research are pointing out that students should be taught in the direct method. They try to speak English but they are not fluent to answer the questions. First, they try to understand the sense of sentences then try to speak therefore; they are unable to speak English fluently. The Direct method of teaching English may help them to speak English fluently.

3. Classroom actives to improve oral communication skills are highly recommended for students of primary level. In Tahsil Okara teachers are teaching English by books that are based only on reading and writing. Students do not learn oral communication skills because of this old method of teaching. Classroom activities may give them a chance to improve their oral communication skills.

4. The English curriculum must be included speaking modules at the primary level. It is recommended at the primary level there is a need to include speaking modules to practice English orally.

5. The curriculum designed for primary-level students does not have enough modules regarding oral communication skills so students are unable to improve their English oral communication skills as much as they need to improve in the modern age.

Future Research

1. Social and psychological demographic variables' effects may be investigated in future research work.

2. To observe the level of achievements of any level in education, science, and management the study of successful transition would help to improve these standards of studies and point out its problems.

References

• Dockett, S., & Perry, B. (2004). What makes a successful transition to school? Views of Australian parents and teachers. International Journal of Early Years Education, 12(3), 217– 230.
• Galton, M., Gray, J. E., & Ruddock, J. (1999). The Impact of School Transitions and Transfers on Pupil Progress and Attainment. DfEE London.
• Jilani, W. (2004). Conditions under which English is taught in Pakistan: An Applied Linguistic Perspective Preceptor, Institute for English Language Programs, Harvard University, 51 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
• Evangelou, M., Taggart, B., Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., & Siraj- Blatchford, I. (2008). What makes a successful transition from primary to secondary school.
• Khan, H. (2007). A NEEDS ANALYSIS OF PAKISTANI STATE BOARDING SCHOOLS SECONDARY LEVEL STUDENTS FOR ADOPTION OF COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING. School of Arts & Education of Middlesex University, London.
• Panezai, S. G., & Channa, L. A. (2017). Pakistani government primary school teachers and the English textbooks of Grades 1–5: A mixed methods teachers- led evaluation. Cogent Education, 4(1), 1269712.
• Shamim, F. (2011). English as the language for development in Pakistan: Issues, challenges and possible solutions. Dreams and realities: Developing countries and the English, language, 4(4), 291-31.