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Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1. Rationale of the study
Nowadays English language has gained its significance among a number of foreign
languages such as French, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, etc in the world as well as in
Vietnam. The importance of English has been realized in Vietnam because English is
considered to play a crucial role on the path of industrialization and modernization of the
country. Therefore, English is now taught in almost every school, college, university and
language centre all over the country.
One of the main tasks assigned to foreign language teaching at school is that of training
students to be communicatively competent. In an industrialized and modernized society, and in
the time of globalization, communicative competence is required in the spoken as well as
written form. It means communication can be conducted orally or in written documents. In
many fields of life, being able to speak English is a necessity. For high school leavers, a good
oral communicative competence in English may enable them to get a scholarship in a
university in an English speaking country such as in the USA, in Britain, in Australia and so
on, which is believed to ensure a much brighter future for them. Moreover, high school leavers
who can speak English are easier to find a job with quite a big salary in a foreign company or a
joint venture one, or to do an oversea job. Especially, graduates of a good command of English
whose basic knowledge is what they obtain at school have a great deal of chances to be offered
a good job with a big salary in a both state and private company. Thus, it is obvious that being
able to speak English brings about a better career prospect.
At GiaLoc senior secondary school, like at many other high schools in Vietnam,
English has been a compulsory subject in secondary curriculum for many years. The fact is
that, due to the demand of the senior secondary school graduation and university entrance
examinations, the students' focus is on grammar and vocabulary, which means little attention
has been paid to speaking skill.
Besides, teaching English at school is mainly performed with a traditional method- the
Grammar Translation method, which focuses mainly on grammatical and vocabulary items. As
a result, students who are passive recipients become structurally competent but
communicatively incompetent.
While speaking may be a necessity for school leavers, and may serve as a “keystone”
in successful communication, evidence shows that too many school students are unwilling to
take part in speaking activities in class. This may be caused by many factors, among which is
the lack of motivation.
Motivation is one of the key issues in language teaching and it has long been believed
to have a good impact on success or failure of a language learner. Skills and techniques to
motivate students to practise the four basic skills, especially speaking skill, are essential for
language teachers. Many researchers in the world namely, Gardner (1985), Ellis (1997),
Littlewood (1998), Zoltan Dornyei (2001) and so on, have investigated what motivation is and
what dimensions of motivation have effects on second language learning. In Vietnam, there
have been a few studies on motivation of learners in English learning both in general and in
particular skills such as speaking, listening, reading and writing. Yet no researcher has
conducted investigation into the development of motivation in speaking skill for senior
secondary school students in rural areas such as at GiaLoc senior secondary school.
1.2. Aims of the study
This study is carried out to meet the following aims:
1. To investigate the current English speaking teaching and learning situation at Gia
Loc senior secondary school.
2. To identify the motivation and factors making the students reluctant to speak in
class.
3. To give an insight into the speaking teaching techniques used to motivate the
students to take part in speaking activities.
4. To suggest some realistic and appropriate class teaching techniques to help the
students better their speaking skill.
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1.3. Scope of the study
In order to improve speaking skill for students at GiaLoc senior high school, the
teachers can make use of a variety of techniques and a number of things should be done.
However, the researcher's intention is only to overview a brief of current situation of English
teaching and learning speaking English in grade 11 and to identify the factors making the
students reluctant to speak, to study some techniques used by the teachers to see if they
workable, and to make some suggestions on useful techniques to help the students better their
speaking skill .
1.4. Methods of the study
To achieve the aims of the study, both quantitative and qualitative methods are used
and the following tasks are involved:
- Collecting data for the analysis from 186 students grade 11.
- Collecting data for the analysis from eight teachers teaching English in the school.
- Interviewing eight students for further information of the study.
All comments, remarks, recommendations and conclusion are based on the data
analysis.
1.5. Design of the study.
This minor thesis is divided into five chapters.
The first chapter, INTRODUCTION, presents the rationale, the aims, scope, methods
and design of the study. Definitions of terms are also presented in this chapter.
The second chapter, REVIEW OF LITERATURE, presents various concepts most
relevant to the research topic such as definition of motivation, motivation in L2 learning, types
and importance of motivation, and factors affecting motivation in L2 learning. Furthermore,
the following are also included in this chapter: definition of speaking, the importance of
speaking, approaches to develop speaking skill, the teaching of speaking in rural area and at
senior secondary school.
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Chapter three, METHODOLOGY, provides the methodology underlying the research
which includes the general information about the study subjects, the teaching and learning
speaking situation at GiaLoc senior high school. This chapter also focuses on the methods of
data collection.
Chapter four, PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA, gives a detailed
presentation of data and a detailed description of data analysis. Some explanations and
interpretations of the findings of the study are also presented.
Chapter five, PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONs AND CONCLUSION, provides the
summary of the findings, emphasizes the implication of the study in which certain techniques
for improving speaking skill to the students at GiaLoc senior high school are suggested. In
addition, this chapter also points out the limitations of the study and provides some
suggestions for further studies.
1.6. Definitions of terms
Since terms used in special education are often somewhat unique to the area, the terms
relevant to this research are defined as below:
Aptitude: refers to learners’ ability to learn an L2.
EFL: stands for English as a foreign language.
Global motivation: refers to a general orientation to the goal of an L2 learning.
Instrumental motivation: refers to the desire to obtain something practical from the
study of an L2.
Integrative motivation: can be seen as an orientation of a successful learner who shows
an interest in people speaking the target language, the culture and customs in that society.
( Falk, 1987 )
Extrinsic motivation: refers to learners' reasons for language learning which derives
from the influence of some kinds of external incentives (Ur, 1996)
Intrinsic motivation: refers to learners' interest in language learning activities (Ellis,
1997)
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Integrative motive: a broad concept which includes attitude, integrativeness and
motivation.
L2: refers to a target language that learners aim to master. The L2 in this study refers
to English as a foreign language which is taught at GiaLoc high school.
Learner preference: implies a learner’s natural, habitual, preferred way of absorbing,
processing and retaining new information and skills.
Learning strategies: are the ways learners use to accumulate new L2 items and
automate existing rules.
Motivation: implies an internal force or reason for an action. It describes a person’s
willingness to attempt to reach any goal.
` Motivation in L2 learning: can be defined as a combination of effort and desire to
achieve the goal of language learning plus a favorable attitude towards learning the language.
( Gardner, 1985 )
Physical conditions: refers to the classroom, the classroom size, desks, chairs, tables
and etc.
Proficiency: shows the learner’s ability to perform well in L2 learning.
Target language: refers to the language that learners are trying to master other than
their mother tongue.
Teachers: refers to the teachers who teach English at the school.
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CHAPTER 2: review of literature
Chapter 2, Review of Literature, presents some of the most important issues in the
theories of motivation for teaching language in general and teaching speaking in particular,
and speaking, namely, theoretical background and the nature of speaking.
2.1. Theoretical background of motivation
2.1.1. Definitions of motivation.
There have been so far many researches on the theory of motivation which have
generally come to a conclusion that motivation is an abstract concept used to describe the
willingness of a person to expand effort to reach a particular goal.
Some scholars and psychologists of the first half of the 20
th
century determined two
interior factors of motivation, instincts and drives, which are of great importance in our lives.
However, in the second half of the 20
th
century, researchers found that self- actualizing
tendencies are the central force in motivation in people. Maslow (1970), analysises two
groupings of seven levels of basic needs. They are deficiency needs including physiological,
safety, belongingness and love, and being needs consisting of cognitive, aesthetic and self-
actualization. Williams and Burden (1997) points out
"Motivation is concerned with such issues as why people decide to act in certain ways
and what factors influence the choices they make. It also involves decisions as to the
amount of effort people are prepared to expand in attempting to achieve their goals."
(1997: 119).
The concept of motivation has recently been seen differently “How individual s’
conscious attitudes, beliefs, and interpretation of events influence their behaviour.”
(Dornyei: 2001). He states, “ Motivation explains why people decide to do something, how
hard they are going to pursue it and how long they are willing to sustain the activities.”
(2001: 17)
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2.1.2. Motivation in second language learning
Motivation is not only a vital but also a highly complex factor determining success
or failure in L2 learning. Therefore, the concept of motivation in L2 learning has been studied
by a number of authors. Keller (1984) (quoted in Ellis, 1994) defines "interest" as one of the
major components of motivation in foreign and second language learning. Nonetheless,
Gardner (1985) sees the important role of effort and desire to achieve the learning goal
“Motivation in the present context refers to the combination of effort plus desire to achieve the
goal of learning plus favourable attitudes towards learning the language. (1985:10)”
Similarly, Ellis (1997) emphasizes the role of attitudes and effective states Motivation“
involves the attitudes and effective states that influence the degree of effort that learners make
to learn an L2. (p 75)”
Meanwhile, Littlewood (1998), sees the complex combination of motivation from
many different components:
In second language learning as in every other field of human learning, motivation is
the crucial force which determines whether a learner embarks on a task at all, how
much energy he devotes to it, and how long he perceives. It is a complex phenomenon
and includes many components: the individual s drive, need for achievement and’
success, curiosity, desire for stimulation and new experience , and so on. ( 1998: 53 )
In addition, it is the need and drive to communicate with others in a new language that
provide strong motivation for most learners (McKay and Tom, 1999:2)
However, Gardner and Lambert (1972), two dominant researchers of the social
psychological approach, propose that the broad concept of the “integrative motie” consists of
three main components: attitude, integrativeness and motivation.
There are some other new approaches the researchers of which wish to make close the
gap between theories of motivation in educational psychology and in the L2 field. The
researchers of this period added some new elements to the concept of L2 motivation. In his
framework of motivation, Dornyei (1994) classifies three levels: language level, learner level
and learning situational level, and in each level there are some different elements (Adapted
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from Dornyei, 2001). Moreover, Marion Williams and Bob Burden (1997), propose a detailed
framework of L2 motivation with the Internal and External motivational influence. They
analyse nine internal factors as follow: intrinsic interest of activity, perceived value of activity,
sense of agency, mastery, self-concept, attitudes, affective states such as confidence, anxiety
and fear, developmental age and gender. The external factors consist of human factors such as
parents, teachers, peers, feedback, rewards or punishments, the learning environment and the
boarder context(Adapted from Dornyei, 2001)
2.1.3. Types of motivation in second language learning
Gardner and Lambert (1985:10) distinguished integrative and instrumental as two
types of motivation. Besides, researchers have added some other kinds such as resultative,
intrinsic, extrinsic, global, situational and task motivation.
* Integrative motivation . This type of motivation occurs when learners wish to identify
with the culture of the L2 group. When speaking the target language, learners admire the
culture and have a desire to become familiar with the society in which the language is used
(Falk, 1978). It is, therefore, the interest in the people and culture of the language that create
student motivation in L2 learning and this type of motivation lies in the realm of intrinsic need.
* Instrumental motivation. This is characterised by the desire to obtain something
practical from the study of L2 (Hudson, 2000). Ellis (1994) states "Some functional reasons
such as to pass an examination, to get a better job or to get a university place motivate
learners to learn an L2 because it opens up educational and economic opportunities for
them." (1994:75)
Instrumental motivation, therefore, occurs when learners need the target language as an
instrumental to get a particular goal such as getting good marks in the tests or exams, a
university place or a reward, a job or a pay rise, and it is the reflection of an external need.
* Resultative motivation. Motivation is not only the cause of achievement, it is also the
result of learning. Learning success may encourage learners to learn better. Ellis (1994) points
out that the relationship between motivation and achievement is an interactive one and "A
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high level of motivation does stimulate learning, but perceived success in achieving l2 goals
can help to maintain existing motivation and even create new ones." (1994: 515)
*Intrinsic motivation. This type of motivation plays a vital role in most learners' L2
learning success or failure. For many learners, the reason for learning an L2 is the "interest in
the culture and the target language group" or the "positive attitudes towards the target
language group" while for some others it is the interest in learning tasks. Teaching methods
and learning activities may attract them, arouse and maintain their interest in doing the tasks.
In short, intrinsic motivation "Involves the arousal and maintenance of curiosity and can ebb
and flow as a result of such factors as learners' particular interests and the extent to which
they fell personality involved in learning activities." (Ellis, 1994:76)
*Extrinsic motivation derives from the influence of some kinds of external incentives,
including the influence of the teacher, the learner's desire to please significant people or their
wish to succeed in an external exam, or peer group influence, which are different from the
wish to learn for its own sake or interest in learning tasks.
* Global motivation. Brown (1994) defines global motivation as a general orientation to
the goal of an L2 learning which may be affected by such factors as previous education, social
factors as well as the teacher's attitudes.
* Situational motivation refers to the learning context: classroom, total environment
assumed to be influenced by teacher action. Brown (1994) distinguishes the difference in
situational motivation according to the situation in which learning takes place. Thus the
motivation in the classroom setting differs from that in natural setting.
* Task motivation. This motivation occurs when learners are performing some
particular tasks in learning performance. An attractive task designed by the teacher in class
may encourage learners to invest their effort and energy in.
2.1.4. The importance of motivation in second language learning
The overall findings of the researches on motivation are that positive attitude and
motivation are closely related to success in L2 learning (Gardner, 1985) . According to Caroll
(1962) , motivation decides the amount of time a learner will spend on the task of language
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learning. She claims: “ The more motivation a learner has, the more time he or she will spend
learning an aspect of a second language” (Carol, 1962).
Labonde (1982) also makes a conclusion that motivation is an important factor that
helps to determines the level of proficiency achieved by a learner.
Finegan (1999:568) sees the vital role of integrative motivation in L2 learning
"Integrative motivation typically underlines successful acquisition of a wide range of registers
and a native-like pronunciation." Besides, Ellis (1994:513) finds that learners with Integrative
motivation were more active in class and were less likely to drop out.
Motivation not only plays an important role in learning, it helps the teaching as well.
Lite, (2002) confirms "Motivation is the backbone of any classroom. When the students are
motivated, the teacher can perform his/her job the best." (2002, Jan.)
Norris-Holt (2001) also points out "Motivation is an important factor in L2
achievement." (2001, Jun.)
2.1.5. Factors affecting motivation in second language learning
2.1.5.1. Learners' factors
* Intelligence: refers to performance on certain kinds of tests (Lightbown & Spada,
1999:52)
*Aptitude: According to Lightbown and Spada (1999:53) aptitude consists of:
(1) the ability to identify and memorize new sounds
(2) the ability to understand the function of particular words in sentences.
(3) the ability to figure out grammatical rules from language samples.
(4) the ability to memorize new words.
* Personality: Lightbown and Spada (1999) list a number of personality characteristics:
extroversion, inhibition, self-esteem, empathy, dominance, talkativeness and responsiveness.
In general, researchers have drawn a conclusion that personality has a great influence on the
success of second language learners.
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[...]... the school rules 3.2 Subjects of the study The subjects of this study consist of 194 participants placed into two groups: The first group involves 186 students grade 11 randomly chosen at GiaLoc senior secondary school They have been learning English for at least nearly two years (some learnt English at junior secondary school, but some did not) The other group has eight teachers aged from 25 to 50... skill, is known to have two main types of conversation namely, dialogue and monologue, which are rather different In monologue, you give uninterrupted oral presentation while in dialogue you interact with one or more other speakers for transactional and international purposes It is noticeable from the two productive language skills that speaking is different from writing in both processing conditions and... much as possible Second, there is tremendous peer pressure both among the teachers and among the students, not to speak English outside the classroom In fact, if one spoke in English, one would be thought unusual, isolated and even a show-off Third, there has so far been no-one who is a native English speaker coming to our school as supervisor, which means 20 the students have no real condition to use... helps to identify who knows or does not know a language Pattison (1992) points out that when people mention knowing or learning a language, they mean being able to speak the language In a social context, social roles are likely to be taken by those who learn and know how to speak, but not by those who do not have this skill It cannot be denied that speaking deserves as much attention as or even more attention... the classroom, including the classroom size, chairs, desks, tables, lights, boards and even bulletin boards, affect students' motivation either positively or negatively In addition, the decoration: posters, flowers, funny objects also has a strong influence on the classroom atmosphere More importantly, the ownership of the classroom among students should be created as "Personalising the classroom can... investigation, the findings and recommendations of the research under the light of the above discussed theories 19 Chapter three: methodology 3.1 An overview of the research site GiaLoc senior secondary school, the research site, situated in the centre of GiaLoc town, Hai Duong province, was established in 1961 It has for many years been the most reliable address for students and parents of the district... Presentation and analysis of data 4.1.1 Kinds of motivation possessed by the students at GiaLoc Senior Secondary School in learning speaking English There are several types of motivation in L2 learning discussed in chapter 2 The concentration of this study, however, mainly focused on the following: integrative, instrumental, resultative, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation Questions Options A B C D E Tại sao... importance of being motivated during the whole lesson They all focused on the importance of making students' interest arouse in the warm-up stage, which is ignored by some teachers For them, their motivation raised in initial stage served as a 'kick-off' step towards the enjoyment of all the other stages The following were some of their opinions: + "Em nghĩ rằng gi o viên nên t o hứng thúchohọc sinh. .. (Norris-Holt, 2001) Norris-Holt also emphasizes the importance of an interesting text in helping to create motivation among students in the classroom "They can create a great deal of interaction and help to motivate students to develop their language skills"(Norris- Holt, 2001) Normally, at secondary school, a series of the grammatical items to be taught in any one year is listed However, it does not imply that... the nature of speaking 2.2 The nature of speaking 2.2.1 Definitions of speaking Bygate defines " Oral expression involves not only the use of the right sounds in the patterns of rhythm and intonation, but also the choice of words and inflections in the right order to convey the right meaning" (cited in Mackey, 1965:266) According to Brown and Yule's (1983) spoken language consists of short, fragmentary . development of motivation in speaking skill for senior
secondary school students in rural areas such as at Gia Loc senior secondary school.
1.2. Aims of. methodology
3.1. An overview of the research site.
Gia Loc senior secondary school, the research site, situated in the centre of Gia Loc
town, Hai Duong