Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions

Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions

ABSTRACT English is becoming more and more popular and necessary in Vietnam People use English to find high-income jobs, to communicate with friends, colleagues or foreign partners, to get closer to the world market In particular, English speaking skill is one of the important skills in learning English and in daily communication However, speaking English is still a large obstacle for everyone in general and language learners in particular The study “Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by firstyear English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions” would provide basic background about English speaking The study also indicates some difficulties that freshmen have to encounter when speaking English Based on given theories and previously related studies, the graduation paper uses questionnaire and interview as two instruments to collect data After the data collection process, the result of the research showed the reality of learning speaking of first – year English majors Moreover, the study also proposed some solutions for students and for teachers to overcome the difficulties and enhance student’s speaking skills The researcher hopes that these solutions would help first-year English majors in particular and English learners in finding suitable measures to develop speaking competence ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Throughout the process of completing this graduation paper, I have received many valuable suggestions, helpful support and guidance from my teachers, family, and friends This is the motivation and encouragement that helped me complete this graduation paper First of all, I would love to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor Mrs Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc for giving me whole-hearted assistance, thoughtful advice in the course of completing the graduation paper She has readily suggested and given me valuable advice and detailed comments about my thesis Without her encouragement and assistance, I could not have finished this thesis I also would like to show my deepest thanks to all teachers at the Faculty of English at Thuongmai University for their useful lectures and enthusiastic instructions during the four years which helped me very much in finishing this study I also want to thank the cooperation of first-year students of the English Department at Thuongmai University who have helped and supported me to collect data Last but not least, I would especially thank my family, my close friends and my classmates who supported me to complete this graduation paper Hanoi, 16th April, 2021 Student Nguyen Ngoc Tram TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL ESL HPU TMU IELTS TOEIC IPA E.g English as a Foreign Language English as a Second Language Hai Phong Private University Thuongmai University International English Language Testing System Test of English for International Communication International Phonetic Alphabet Example LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES No 10 11 12 13 14 Name Content Table 2.1 Chart 3.1 Chart 3.2 Chart 3.3 Table 3.4 Chart 3.5 Table 3.6 Chart 3.7 Table 3.8 Chart 3.9 Chart 3.10 Table 3.11 Table 3.12 Table 3.13 Language learning strategies useful for speaking skills The importance of speaking skill The students’ assessment of speaking skill The real situation of students practicing speaking English in class Difficulties related to linguistics Students’ assessment on the influence of pronunciation Students’ assessment on the influence of vocabulary Students’ assessment on the influence of grammar Difficulties related to psychology The reasons of causing anxiety and lack of confidence The reasons of causing lack of motivation The suggestions for improving speaking skills The students ‘answer of the first interview question The students ‘answer of the second interview question CHAPTER I: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY This chapter is divided into seven sections, namely the rationale, the previous studies, the aims of the study, the research subject, the scope of the study, the research methodology, and the organization of the study 1.1 Rationale In the era of Industry 4.0 and international integration is a popular trend of countries around the world and Vietnam is no exception Therefore, in order to ensure that people around the world can connect with each other more easily, we need an international communication tool to express thoughts, feelings and desires anywhere and anytime Dale Carnegie also said that “There are four ways, and there are only four ways in which we contact the world We are judged and highlighted by four touch points: what we do, how we look, what we say and how we speak.” Therefore, English becomes a global language and is gradually becoming the official language of many countries English is an important and convenient tool for connecting people, sharing information and knowledge, developing culture and economy In Vietnam, English is also considered a second language, Vietnamese children can access and learn English at the primary level, and even many kindergartens also start to teach English Moreover, English is gradually becoming one of the essential conditions in the recruitment process of many companies in Vietnam People who know English have many job opportunities and it is easy to find a job with an average - high salary However, using English fluently is still difficult for many people, including English learners Especially, in four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing, speaking is a big obstacle Although students can grammar exercises very well, can master many new words and structures, they cannot apply them in English speaking skill very well This is the reason to urge the researcher to conduct the study with the title “A study on the difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by first-year English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions” I wish to point out common difficulties in speaking English and suggest some solutions to these problems 1.2 Previous studies The researcher read some studies related to this study, which are done by other authors to find out inspiration and collect a foundation of knowledge about speaking, learning and teaching speaking skill, solutions to improve and learn speaking effectively I found that these studies would be useful during completing my graduation paper 1.2.1 International studies Rababa’h (2005) in a study “Communication problems facing Arab learners of English” stated that there are many factors that Arab learners encountered in speaking English These difficulties are often related to the learners themselves, the curriculum, the teaching strategies and the environment In conclusion, he said that using communication strategies is very useful to cope with these difficulties Lukitasari (2008) in “Student’s strategies in overcoming speaking problems in speaking class” focused on the students’ strategies in overcoming speaking problems in speaking class at the first semester students of Muhammadiyah University of Malang in Indonesia The results of her study suggested that in speaking class, the students faced some speaking problems including inhibition, lack of ideas, fear of speaking, low or uneven participation and mother tongue use Besides the study also showed that the students’ speaking skill was not good because they did not master the three elements of speaking skill namely vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation Regarding the obstacle in speaking, Lejla Basic (2011) in a study “Speaking anxiety: An obstacle to second language learning” studied the anxiety faced by learners when speaking This study was made with the participant of the Japanese foreign students at a graduate school in America He pointed out the reason which causes fear of speaking is anxiety In his study, he also highlighted the anxiety of learners when speaking and anxiety is the reason why they cannot have a good speaking skill Kamonpan Boonkit (2010) carried out a study “Enhancing the development of speaking skills for non-native speakers of English” This study aimed to enhance the development of the participants’ speaking performance and also provide more insight for teachers into alternative activities to develop speaking skills for EFL learners either in Thai or other EFL/ESL contexts The results represented that a good preparation for speaking is an effective strategy to decrease anxiety and increase speaking confidence The results also revealed that the freedom of topic choice urged the participants to feel comfortable, persuaded to speak English among EFL learners Moreover, listening to English materials frequently such as listening to music, watching movies, listening to the radio … is also a solution to improve speaking skill 1.2.2 National studies I would like to mention the study of Doan Thi Hoang Yen – a student of Thuongmai University She studied “The factors affecting English speaking competence for the first-year English majored students at Thuongmai University” The study is aimed at finding out which factors affecting to English speaking competence for freshmen and suggesting solutions to improve their speaking comprehension After analysis of data from the questionnaires and interviews, she found that there are many factors that affect the students’ speaking performance She listed out listening ability, emotions, topical knowledge and linguistic components of language and teacher’s feedback Besides, she suggested some appropriate methods for students and teachers to improve freshmen’s speaking competence In another study, Nguyen Thi Dieu Huyen (2009) examined “How to improve English speaking skill through extra-activities for the first-year English non-major students in Hai Phong Private University” In her thesis, she shows that a majority of first-year students at HPU have poor English speaking skill and suggests helpful techniques and activities with the hope to improve their speaking skill However, the study stops at suggestions for teachers and a few simple activities for the students Moreover, this study just focused on non- major students so the difficulties in this study are not particular for every student All the studies mentioned above are related to speaking skill, the obstacles in learning speaking skill as well as strategies to improve this skill However, the difficulties in learning speaking skills have not been mentioned much and not seem to go into detail yet With the attempt to help students improve their English speaking skill, the study “Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by first-year English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions” is carried out to find their difficulties in learning speaking skills and provide suggestions which are believed to be most suitable for them 1.3 Aims and objectives of the study The research is carried out with the expectation of identifying the difficulties facing the first - year English majors at TMU in learning speaking skills In order to meet the aim, the study focuses on resolving the main question: “What are the difficulties they are facing when speaking English?” Besides, after analyzing difficulties in learning speaking skills, the researcher will find the answer for the following question: “How the first-year English majors solve those difficulties in their speaking?” to help students overcome those difficulties and learn speaking skills effectively 1.4 Research subject This study will focus on the difficulties faced by the first - year students (in the 2020-2024 curriculums) of the English Department at TMU when learning speaking skill Freshmen of English Department have a total of more than 200 students divided into classes: K56N1, K56N2, K56N3, K56N4, and K56N5 (about 53 students/ class) However, due to time constraints, I focused on the difficulties that 106 students of K56N5 and K56N6 classes encounter when learning to speak English Freshmen have just passed an important exam and are still unfamiliar with the university environment Furthermore, in high school, they mainly learn about grammar and have little opportunity to practice speaking English Therefore, I think there will be some difficulties for students in learning the speaking skill For this reason, the researcher would like to conduct this study to find out the difficulties that first-year students face in learning speaking skills, thereby finding solutions to improve those problems 1.5 Scope of the study In fact, there are lots of various problems related to speaking skill However, this study only focuses on the difficulties in learning the speaking skill of first –year English majors because of limited time, resources and knowledge For this same reason, the researcher selected only 106 English major freshmen for the survey 1.6 Research methodology 1.6.1 Data collection instruments In this Graduation Paper, the researcher used a combination of the two following instruments: questionnaire and interview According Brown (2001, cited in Markey & Gass, 2005), “Questionnaires are any written instruments that present respondents with a series of questions or statements to which they are to react, either by writing out their answers or selecting from among existing answers” Markey & Gass (2005) said that questionnaire is a useful instrument which allows researchers to gather information in such a short time For that reason, the author decided to use the questionnaire to access information The questionnaire is designed in Vietnamese with 11 questions so that student can easily choose their answers and ensure they understand exactly what the researcher has mentioned According to C.R.Kothri, the interview instrument collected data related to an oral answer The interview requires the interviewer to ask questions regarding the research problem in the form available to collect information The interview aims to increase the practicality of the questionnaire Therefore, the researcher use interview instrument to gain a more objective and realistic result The interview consists of questions in Vietnamese to help students have a clearer and more specific understanding, avoiding confusion 1.6.2 Data collection procedures First of all, I will collect secondary data resources from the previous studies of many different authors to identify useful information for my study Then, I will synthesize and select the suitable factors to use for research Besides, as I mentioned, I use two instruments including questionnaire and interview to collect data for the findings of the study: 10 REFERENCE B Brown, H.D (1994) “Teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents” Burns, A., & Joyce, H (1997) “Focus on speaking” Sydney: National Center for English Language Teaching and Research Bygate (1987:7) Speaking (Language Teaching” Brown H.D (2004), Language Assessment, Principle and Classroom Practices, New York: Pearson Education Bueno, A, D Madrid and N McLaren (2006:321) TEFL in Secondary Education Granada: Editorial Universidad de Granada Brown H.D (2001:178), Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy, New York: Pearson Education Bachman, Lyle F and Adrian Palmer (1996) “Language Testing In Practice” Oxford University Press Http://www.oup.co.uk/ Berlinda Madasari (2017) “Role Playing Activity in English for Business Class for Non-English Study Program” C Chaney (1998, p.13) Teaching Speaking Activities to Promote Speaking in Second Language http//itesij.org/technique/article/teachingspeaking 10 Claire Kramsch (1993) his book “Context and Culture in Language Education” D 11 Doan Thi Hoang Yen “The factors affecting English speaking competence for the first-year English majored students at Thuongmai University” 12 Doff, A (1988:137) “Teaching English” Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 13 Dulay, Burt & Krashen (1982) “Language Two”, Oxford University Press, NewYork E 14 Efrizal, D (2012) “Improving Students’ Speaking through Communicative Language Teaching Method at Mts Jaalhaq”, Sentot Ali Basa Islamic Boarding 39 School of Bengkulu, Indonesia International Journal of Humanities and Social Science H 15 Hedge, T (2000, p.52) “Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom” Oxford: OUP 16 He, Summer X & Chen, Amanda J.Y, (2010) “How to Improve Spoken English” 17 Horwitz, Elaine K., & Horwitz, Michael B (1986) “Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety” Joann Cope Source: The Modern Language Journal, Vol 70 18 Harmer, Jeremy (2007) “How to Teach English” China: Pearson Education Limited K 19 Kamonpan Boonkit (2010) “Enhancing the development of speaking skills for non-native speakers of English” 20 Kenworthy, J (1987) “Teaching English Pronunciation”, Longman L 21 Lukitasari (2008) “Student’s strategies in overcoming speaking problems in speaking class” 22 Lejla Basic (2011) “Speaking anxiety: An obstacle to second language learning” 23 Littlewood, W (1981) Communicative language teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 24 Littlewood, W., 1984 Foreign and second language learning Cambridge: Cambridge University Press M 25 Mohammed Abdulgalil Abugohar (2018) “Difficulties Encountered by Arab Students in Pronouncing English Correctly” 26 Mahripah, S (2014) Exploring Factors Affecting EFL Learners’ Speaking Performance: from Theories into Practices Proceedings of the 3rd UAD TEFL International Conference 2014 “Materials Development in Asia and Beyond: Directions, Issues, and Challenges” English Education Department, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Yogyakarta, Indonesia N 40 27 Nguyen Thi Dieu Huyen (2009) “How to improve English speaking skill through extra-activities for the first-year English non-major students in Hai Phong Private University” 28 Nunan, D (1999) “Second Language Teaching & Learning” USA Heinle & Heinle Publisher O 29 Oxford, R L (1990) “Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know New York: Newbury House” R 30 Rababa’h (2005) “Communication problems facing Arab learners of English” 31 Ramelan (1992:13) “Introduction to Linguistics Analysis” IKIP Semarang Press 32 Richards, J C., Platte, J & Platte, H (1992, p.153) “Dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics” London: Longman 33 Rohmatillah, R (2017) “A Study on Students’ Difficulties in Learning Vocabulary” English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris T 34 Thornbury, S (2005) “How to Teach Speaking” Harmer, J (Ed) London: Longman W 35 Webster, R L (1980) “Evolution of a target-based behavioral therapy for stuttering Journal of Fluency Disorrkrs” 36 Willis, D (1990:42) “The Lexical Approach” Birmingham: Centre for English Language studies Y 37 Yi Htwe, Yi (2007) “Shyness Main Obstacle to Learning English” 41 APPENDIX (English version) QUESTIONNAIRE Hi, I am Nguyen Ngoc Tram, a senior at Thuongmai University The aim of this questionnaire is to collect information to contribute to my graduation study “A study on the difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by first-year English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions” All your personal information and your answers will be kept confident and not be used for the other purposes Thank you so much for your cooperation Question 1: How long have you been learning English? A Less than years B 5-7 years C 7-10 years D More than 10 years Question 2: How is speaking English important to you? A Not at all important B Slightly Important C Important D Fairly Important E Very important Question 3: In your opinion, English speaking skill is……… A Very difficult B Difficult C Normal D Easy E Very easy Question 4: What activity you often when teachers assign tasks for practicing speaking? (You can choose more than one answer) 42 A Actively participate B Keep silent and observe C Sleep D Talk with your friends E Others (please specify)………………… Question 5: What difficulty you have in English pronunciation? (You can choose more than one answer) A B C D E Don't know how to correctly pronounce Difficulty with liaison Influence of native language Not pay attention to ending sound Others (please specify)……………… Question 6: What problems you encounter when learning English vocabulary? (You can choose more than one answer) A B C D Lack of vocabulary Difficulty in choosing suitable words Confused word form Others (please specify)……………… Question 7: What difficulty does grammar make for you in learning speaking English? (You can choose more than one answer) A B C D E F Wrongly arranged sentence Choose from the wrong type Use two or more words with the same function in a sentence Excess elements in the sentence (preposition, article, ) Miss elements in the sentence (verbs, articles, prepositions….) Others (please specify)……………… Question 8: Do you feel unconfident, nervous when learning speaking English? (If your answer is yes, please answer question 8.1) A Yes B No Question 8.1: What makes you feel unconfident, nervous when speaking English? (You can choose more than one answer) A Fear of being ridiculed by friends B Fear of negative evaluation C Low ability in speaking English 43 D Others (please specify)……………… Question 9: Do you feel lack of motivation when learning to speak English? (If your answer is yes, please answer question 9.1) A Yes B No Question 9.1: What factors make you feel less motivated when learning to speak English? (You can choose more than one answer) A B C D E Boring teaching method The abundance of classroom activities Classroom atmosphere Lack of learning goals Others (please specify)……………… Question 10: Please rate how often the following difficulties are encountered in your speaking skills Rate on an ascending 4-point scale: 1- never, – rarely, - sometimes, - often, – always Difficulties Lack of motivation Psychologica Lack of confidence l factors Anxiety Pronunciation Linguistic Vocabulary factors Grammar Question 11: What you often to develop and improve your speaking skill? (You can choose more than one answer) Tick (x) on the solutions of your choice Linguistic factors Solutions Read newspapers and news in English to increase their vocabulary and learn their grammar Self-study pronunciation according to the table IPA Practice listening to news and programs in English to learn the correct pronunciation and enhance vocabulary Learn grammar combined with writing and speaking to master grammatical forms 44 Agree Psychological factors Speak with native speakers Others Make positive statements to reduce anxiety Use progressive relaxation and deep breathing Set a specific learning target diary Participate in English clubs Others If you choose other solutions, please write down your specific solutions: ………………………………… APPENDIX (Vietnamese version) PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT Xin chào! Mình thu thập thông tin để phục vụ cho nghiên cứu “Nghiên cứu khó khăn việc học kỹ nói sinh viên năm khoa tiếng Anh trường Đại học Thương Mại đề xuất số giải pháp” Mọi thông tin cá nhân riêng tư bạn bảo mật cẩn thận không sử dụng cho mục đích khác Cảm ơn bạn dành thời gian tham gia phiếu khảo sát Câu 1: Bạn học tiếng Anh rồi? A Dưới năm 45 B 5-7 năm C 7-10 năm D Trên 10 năm Câu 2: Bạn có nghĩ kỹ nói tiếng anh quan trọng bạn không? A B C D E Hồn tồn khơng quan trọng Hơi quan trọng Quan trọng Khá quan trọng Rất quan trọng Câu 3: Bạn đánh giá kỹ nói nào? A B C D E Rất khó Khó Bình thường Dễ Rất dễ Câu 4: Bạn thường làm giảng viên giao nhiệm vụ để thực hành nói? (có thể chọn nhiều đáp án) A B C D E Chủ động tham gia hoạt động nói Giữ im lặng quan sát Ngủ Nói chuyện với bạn bè Ý kiến khác Câu 5: Khó khăn bạn gặp phải việc phát âm tiếng anh gì? (có thể chọn nhiều đáp án) A B C D E Khơng biết cách đọc xác âm Khó khăn với từ nối âm Ảnh hưởng tiếng mẹ đẻ Thiếu trọng âm cuối Ý kiến khác Câu 6: Vấn đề bạn gặp phải học từ vựng tiếng Anh? (có thể chọn nhiều đáp án) A B C D Thiếu từ vựng Khó khăn việc chọn từ phù hợp ngữ cảnh Nhầm lẫn dạng từ Ý kiến khác Câu 7: Ngữ pháp gây khó khăn cho bạn q trình học nói tiếng Anh? (có thể chọn nhiều đáp án) A Trật tự câu xếp sai B Chọn từ loại sai C Sử dụng hai hay nhiều từ chức câu 46 D Thừa yếu tố câu (giới từ, mạo từ,…) E Thiếu yếu tố câu (động từ, mạo từ, giới từ….) F Ý kiến khác Câu 8: Bạn có cảm thấy thiếu tự tin, lo lắng học nói tiếng anh khơng? (Nếu có vui lịng trả lời câu 8.1) A Có B Khơng Câu 8.1: Điều khiến bạn cảm thấy vậy? (có thể chọn nhiều đáp án) A B C D Sợ bạn bè chê cười Sợ nhận đánh giá tiêu cực Khả nói Ý kiến khác…………… Câu 9: Bạn có cảm thấy thiếu động lực học nói tiếng Anh khơng? (Nếu có vui lịng trả lời câu 9.1) A Có B Khơng Câu 9.1: Nhân tố khiến bạn thấy thiếu động lực học nói tiếng Anh? (có thể chọn nhiều đáp án) A B C D E Phương pháp giảng dạy nhàm chán Sự phong phú hoạt động lớp Không khí lớp học Thiếu mục tiêu học Ý kiến khác Câu 10: Vui lòng đánh giá mức độ thường xuyên gặp phải khó khăn trình học kỹ nói bạn Đánh giá theo thang điểm tăng dần: 1- Không bao giờ, – khi, - thỉnh thoảng, –thường xuyên, – ln ln Các khó khăn học kỹ nói Thiếu động lực Yếu tố tâm Thiếu tự tin lý Lo lắng Phát âm Yếu tố ngôn Từ vựng ngữ Ngữ pháp 47 48 Câu 11: Bạn thường làm để vượt qua khó khăn việc học kỹ nói? (có thể chọn nhiều đáp án) Đánh dấu (x) vào giải pháp bạn lựa chọn Ảnh hưởng ngôn ngữ Ảnh hưởng tâm lý Giải pháp Đọc báo, tin tức Tiếng Anh để tăng vốn từ vựng Tự học phát âm theo bảng IPA Luyện nghe tin, chương trình Tiếng Anh để học cách phát âm nâng cao vốn từ vựng Học ngữ pháp kết hợp với luyện viết nói để nắm dạng ngữ pháp Ý kiến khác Tự động viên thân câu tích cực để giảm cảm giác lo lắng Hít thở sâu trước nói để giảm căng thẳng Đặt tiêu học cụ thể ngày cho thân Tham gia câu lạc tiếng anh Nói chuyện với người xứ Ý kiến khác Đồng ý Nếu bạn lựa chọn giải pháp khác vui lòng viết cụ thể giải pháp bạn: …………………………………………………………… 49 APPENDIX INTERVIEW (Engish version) Question 1: In your opinion, what is the biggest difficulty you have encountered when learning to speak English and why? Question 2: How does the speaking curriculum of Thuongmai University help you improve your speaking skills? Question 3: What class activities are you interested in and motivated to learn speaking skill? Transcription answer Questions Students Student Student Question Student Student Student Question Student Student Answers I find pronunciation is the most difficulty in learning speaking skills I often get confused with the pronunciation of sound pairs like / p / and / b / hay / dʒ / and /ʒ / For me, the most difficult thing is definitely the vocabulary I have a serious lack of vocabulary that makes I don't know how to express my opinions when speaking I am influenced by Vietnamese when speaking English I am very lazy to look up pronunciation in the dictionary so I often pronounce in Vietnamese style with a new English word This forms a bad habit and I pronounce a lot of wrong words even the common words I often feel anxious and not confident when speaking English because my speaking ability is not good I often not feel interested in learning to speak English in class because my classmates are not concentrating and the classroom atmosphere is very boring I find that I have more opportunities to practice speaking The topics in textbook are interesting and also related to everyday life I find it very useful in everyday communication because there are many 50 Student Student Student Student Student Question Student Student Student foreigners where I work part-time job Because the curriculum forces all students to practice speaking, so I can speak more English without being afraid of my friends teasing I find the curriculum is not really useful to me because the time to study is very short I practice more because at home I am very lazy to practice speaking I feel more motivated to learn speaking when playing games related to lesson I find role-play to be a very useful activity that can both improve speaking skills and reduce pressure while learning I think playing games related to lesson I think playing games related to the topic is like communicating class with a foreign teacher I find myself actively participating in speaking practice I find working in pair quite interesting 51 APPENDIX INTERVIEW (Vietnamese version) Câu 1: Theo bạn, khó khăn lớn bạn gặp phải học nói tiếng Anh sao? Câu 2: Chương trình học kỹ nói trường đại học Thương mại giúp bạn cải thiện kỹ nói nào? Câu 3: Hoạt động lớp khiến bạn cảm thấy thích thú có động lực học kỹ nói? Transcription answer Câu hỏi Sinh viên Sinh viên Sinh viên Câu Sinh viên Sinh viên Sinh viên Câu Sinh viên Sinh viên Sinh viên Câu trả lời Em thấy phát âm yếu tố gây khó khăn đến việc học kỹ nói Em thường bị nhầm lẫn cách phát âm cặp âm /p/ and /b/ hay /d ʒ / and / ʒ / Với em, khó khăn chắn từ vựng Em bị thiếu từ vựng trầm trọng khiến cho nói tiếng Anh, em phải diễn đạt ý Em nghĩ em bị ảnh hưởng Tiếng Việt nói Tiếng Anh Em lười tra từ điển nên em thường phát âm theo kiểu tiếng Việt với từ tiếng Anh Điều tạo thành thói quen em phát âm sai nhiều chí từ hay gặp Em thường thấy lo lắng khơng tự tin nói tiếng Anh khả nói em khơng tốt Em thường khơng thấy hứng thú học nói tiếng Anh lớp bạn khơng tập trung khơng khí lớp học chán Em thấy có nhiều hội thực hành nói Các chủ đề nói giáo trình thú vị liên quan đến sống thường ngày Em thấy hữu ích giao tiếp hàng ngày nơi em làm thêm có nhiều người nước ngồi Vì chương trình học buộc tất sinh viên 52 Sinh viên Sinh viên Sinh viên Sinh viên Câu Sinh viên Sinh viên Sinh viên phải thực hành nói nên em nói tiếng Anh nhiều mà không ngại bạn bè trêu chọc Em thấy chương trình học chưa thực hữu ích với em thời gian học ngắn Em thực hành nhiều nhà em lười thực hành nói Em cảm thấy có động lực học kỹ nói chơi trị chơi liên quan đến học Em thấy role-play hoạt động hữu ích vừa nâng cao kỹ nói vừa giảm áp lực học Em nghĩ chơi trò chơi liên quan đến học Em nghĩ chơi games liên quan đến chủ đề nói giống lớp học giao tiếp với thầy giáo nước Em thấy thân chủ động tham gia thực hành nói Em thấy thực hành nói đơi thú vị 53 ... ? ?Difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by first-year English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions? ?? is carried out to find their difficulties in learning speaking skills. .. the difficulties in learning speaking skills encountered by first-year English majors at Thuongmai University and some suggested solutions? ?? I wish to point out common difficulties in speaking English. .. speaking and the types of speaking Besides, concepts related to difficulties in learning speaking skill and speaking learning strategies are also given and analyzed 2.1 Speaking skill 2.1.1 Definition