Topic IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILLS FOR STUDENTS IN CLASS THE ASIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Speaking fluently is one of the ambitions that English learners desire to achieve. For learners who learn English as a foreign language (EFL) or learn English as a second language (ESL), this aim is not that easy, they might have to face with a lot of difficulties and need to find appropriate learning methods to make them enjoy their learning process. The objectives of this study are investigating the English speaking difficulties, troubles that secondary school students (grade 7) at The Asian International School (AHS) – Cao Thang Campus have; then, the researcher will reveal some effective teaching methods and practical solutions for teachers to solve these problems and support students improving their speaking abilities. Using the descriptive and analytic methods, the population in this study is 38 students from two classes 729 and 730 at The Asian International School (AHS) – Cao Thang Campus in the year 2019

Ho Chi Minh City – 2019 GRADUATION THESIS Major English Language Topic IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILLS FOR STUDENTS IN CLASS 7/29 AND 7/30 – THE ASIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (AHS – CAO THANG CAMPUS) Instructor: Nguyen Thanh Tuan, M.A Student: Nguyen Thi Tuyet Chi ID: 97011501077 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Bachelor’s Thesis submitted entitled: “IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILLS FOR STUDENTS IN CLASS 7/29 AND 7/30 – THE ASIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (AHS – CAO THANG CAMPUS)” In terms of the statement of requirements for Thesis in Bachelor’s programs issued by The Saigon International University (SIU) Ho Chi Minh City, July 2019 NGUYEN THI TUYET CHI RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I am NGUYEN THI TUYET CHI, hereby asseverate that this presented Graduation Thesis is exclusively prepared by me without any copies from other works I also verify that the thesis is only prepared for my academic requirement not for any other purposes It might not be used with the interest of the opposite party of the corporation Ho Chi Minh City, July 2019 NGUYEN THI TUYET CHI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I had received many helps when I completed my Graduation Thesis Keeping in mind, I would like to express my deepest sense of gratitude and special thanks to Mr Nguyen Thanh Tuan, M.A, whose encouragement, guidance and willingness motivated me from the beginning to the end and supported me to finish this work On the one hand, I am using this opportunity to express my gratitude towards The Saigon International University (SIU) for providing me a professional learning environment and facilities On the other hand, I would like to give the appreciation from the bottom of my heart to all professors in the English Language major for giving enthusiasm and sympathies to teach and lift me to be a better student as I am today Moreover, my limited knowledge, shortcomings and mistakes cannot avoid so I expect to receive helpful advices from professors to make this study more perfect Besides, I am very grateful for the helps and supports from the managers and teachers at The Asian International Schools (AHS) By giving favorable conditions, I had a lot of opportunities to work, experience and investigate my study Last but not least, I also extend my special thanks to students of class 7/29 and 7/30 for joining in my research and giving me a great deal of valuable information which contribute the study In conclusion, I truly hope this study will make senses to the secondary school students/ teachers at AHS in general, and to the class 7/29, 7/30 in specific in improving English Speaking skills INSTRUCTOR’S COMMENTS …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… Mark:……………………………… Signed:…………………………… ABSTRACT Speaking fluently is one of the ambitions that English learners desire to achieve For learners who learn English as a foreign language (EFL) or learn English as a second language (ESL), this aim is not that easy, they might have to face with a lot of difficulties and need to find appropriate learning methods to make them enjoy their learning process The objectives of this study are investigating the English speaking difficulties, troubles that secondary school students (grade 7) at The Asian International School (AHS) – Cao Thang Campus have; then, the researcher will reveal some effective teaching methods and practical solutions for teachers to solve these problems and support students improving their speaking abilities Using the descriptive and analytic methods, the population in this study is 38 students from two classes 7/29 and 7/30 at The Asian International School (AHS) – Cao Thang Campus in the year 2019 Keywords: English Speaking skills, EFL, ESL, difficulties, solutions _ NGUYEN THI TUYET CHI ID: 97011501077 Course: Class: 15DTA Major in English Language The Saigon International University (SIU) TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Statement of the Problem Purpose of the Research Significance of the Research Research Questions 5 Limitation 6 The Scope of the Research CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Definitions of Key Terms 1.1 What is English Speaking skill? Review Previous Work 1.3 Some Difficulties of Secondary School Students in English Speaking skills 10 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 18 Research Design 18 Research Procedures 18 Participants 19 Sample Selection 21 Material Techniques 21 Data Selection 22 Reliability and Validity 22 Summary 23 CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 24 Results from the questionnaire 24 1.1 Research question 24 1.2 Research question 25 1.3 Research question 3: 27 1.4 Research question 28 1.5 Research question 29 1.6 Research question 30 1.7 Research question 32 1.8 Research question 33 Summary 35 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 36 Conclusion 36 Recommendations for Further Research 37 Summary 37 REFERENCES 38 APPENDIX 41 LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: Students’ perceived the most difficult skills in English subject p.25 Chart 2: Students’ interests in learning English Speaking lessons p.26 Chart 3: Students’ frequency of English speaking at school p.27 Chart 4: Students identified the most difficulty in English speaking p.28 Chart 5: Students’ opinion whether environment is the most important factors helping them improve speaking skills p.29 Chart 6: Students’ views about the integration of listening skills and speaking skills p.30 Chart 7: Students indicated the best way to develop English Speaking skills p.32 Chart 8: Students indicated the most effective teaching aids to enhance their speaking abilities p.34 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AHS: The Asian International School SIU: The Saigon International University EFL: English as a Foreign Language ESL: English as a Second Language CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Statement of the Problem It is the fact that English is the global language or the international language According to a quick Google search, there are 1.5 billion people reported to speak English – make up 20% of the Earth’s population However, just about 360 million people around the world speaking English as their first or mother language (Lyon, 2017) In addition to being globally spoken, English is by far the most commonly studied foreign language all over the world Speaking is the second of the four language skills which are Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing They said that speaking is one of the most challenging, exciting, and positive learning experiences that English learner may ever have Moreover, through speaking skills learners will have a lot of opportunities to improve knowledge, selfconfidence, critical-thinking skills, listening skills, organization thoughts, use of posture and voice, and improvement in giving and accepting constructive criticism In addition, people have more changes and able to success in many careers in many fields when they have good or excellent English speaking skills It might be difficult for people who learn English as a second language (ESL) to speak naturally and fluently They may find it is their greatest fears to communicate or talking in English As the secondary students learning in International environment, class 7/29 and 7/30 of The Asian International School (AHS) – Cao Thang Campus have been told to have better opportunities and environment in learning English After 12-week internship being English teacher, working, researching and investigating with students in these classes, this study proposes some difficulties of class 7/29 and 7/30 - AHS in Speaking skills and some specific solutions to solve these problems Purpose of the Research With the important of speaking skills mentioned above, this study is researching the factors behind common speaking difficulties that face secondary school students at class 7/29 and 7/30 - The Asian International School (AHS) – Cao Thang Campus Besides that, it seeks to investigate some effective solutions and teaching methods that teacher can apply in the lectures to solve students’ speaking difficulties, as well as improving theirs abilities in speaking English Significance of the Research Considering as one of the productive skills that studiers should improve, speaking is very important and very challenging skill As secondary school students who learn English as a second language, communicate fluently in English might hard to a large number of students in class 7/29 and 7/30 - The Asian International School (AHS) – Cao Thang Campus This is my recent research, which indicates some difficulties of these students in speaking process and some specific solutions to solve these problems Research Questions Based on the problem statement mentioned above, this study is an attempt to find answers to the following questions: What are the difficulties that the students of class 7/29 and 7/30 – The Asian International School (AHS) – Cao Thang Campus have in English Speaking skills? Why they have these problems? What are effective solutions that help these students improve their abilities in English Speaking skills? Limitation This study is a result of 12-week internship and research at The Asian International School (AHS) – Cao Thang Campus The present work will not cover all of the secondary students of AHS, due to time limit and other factors This research is just focuses on two classes 7/29 and 7/30 The Scope of the Research This work focuses on students in two classes 7/29 and 7/30 – The Asian International School (AHS) – Cao Thang Campus, which includes 38 students This study is using useful techniques and procedures to find out the difficulties and solutions for the students of class 7/29 and 7/30 – AHS in English Speaking skills To obtain correct results, descriptive analytical methodology and a questionnaire are used CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW In this chapter, the researcher will present the theoretical backgrounds which relevant to the core and objectives of the study In addition, the definitions, theories and significances of English Speaking skills are first described Thus, following some relating studies and resources from many reliable authors, the factors causing difficulties and specific solutions in English speaking will be shown This chapter ends with the conceptual framework of the study Definitions of Key Terms 1.1 What is English Speaking skill? 1.1.1 What is Speaking? According to Oxford learner’s dictionaries, the definition of speak includes talking to somebody about something, having a conversation with somebody In another definition, speak is to describe or mention, people speaking of/about something/somebody Mohammed (2015) defined speaking is the delivery of language through the mouth The author stated in his study: “To speak a particular language, people make sounds or voices by many parts of the body, which consist of the lungs, vocal tract, vocal chords, tongue, teeth and lips” Beside that, speaking language is also supported by non-verbal communication such as body language (gestures, eye-contact or facial expressions) At least one listener can be required in this vocalized form of language The conversation is called a “dialogue” when two or more people talk or speak to each other In this form of dialogue, the speech can transfer naturally from one person to another In addition, in a presentation or speech, people can also plan, prepare or rehearse On the other hand, people can even speak to themselves without partners/ listeners Speaking can be formal or informal: - Formal speaking is typical used in academic or business situations, or in talking with people for the first time - Informal speaking often occurs in daily/ normal situations when talking with family, friends and people who the speakers know well 1.1.2 What is English Speaking skill? Brown (1994) pointed out that speaking is an interactive process of conducting meaning, which involves producing, receiving and processing information Mohammed (2015) defined in his research that speaking is considered as one of the most important and challenging skill as well as the most common way to building and creating interpersonal relations Nadir (2016) stated that besides knowing well some specific points of language like vocabulary, pronunciation, grammars or structures, English learners need to improve their speaking skills abilities as far as speech habits to gain success of any exchange Speaking skills are the ability to talk at any time and in any situation To have good speaking skills, speakers need to use public techniques and practices As a result of having good speaking skills and verbal power, people are able to express or transfer their means, ideas, opinions or wishes Thus, they are able to establish, gain good connection with others, and become sociable 1.2 Difficulty definition Difficulty is generally not being easy, or being hard to do, overcome or understand (definitions from Cambridge Dictionary) A difficulty is also a problem, a thing that is hard to accomplish, deal with 1.3 Solution definition According to Business Dictionary, solution can be understood as ways to solve problems or deal with difficult situations A solution can be either simple or complex and may require few resources or many resources Review Previous Work It is the fact that speaking skills are very essential For people who speak English as their mother language or as their second language, speaking skills might be the most challenging skills they might ever experience Following these facts, this research conducts common difficulties that secondary school students (class 7/29 and 7/30 – The Asian International School – Cao Thang Campus) have in English Speaking skills and specific solutions to solve these problems, which be shown in the following paragraphs 2.1 The Importance of English Speaking skills According to Mohammed (2015), speaking skills are considered as a fundamental skill which essential for people success in life Additionally, learners can figure out their improvements in language learning by judging how better they feel in their spoken English abilities As Wilson (1979) claimed students who good at transfer their opinions, ideas or thoughts into words have been found to be more successful in school The author also stated that as a result of fluency speaking skills, students can enhance their abilities in other language skills such as listening, reading and writing skills because when learners listen, read or write, they apply what they have already known about the language orally Moreover, Wilson (1979) said that through speaking/ talking, students are able to explore knowledge and reveal themselves Speaking plays an important role for people to explore their own selves and clarify their identity Taking part in conversations, presentations or speech, learners are able to express their points of views, speak up their own thoughts or opinions confidently Moreover, speaking also help people accomplish the challengeable situations through develop range of skills, strategies, attitudes, agencies, self-worth, learning management and personalizing learning (Jehan, 2014) Mohammed (2015) explained that mastering in English speaking is required for professional purpose such as doing international business, diplomatic jobs and for higher studies Jehan (2014) said that good speaking skills assist people in their life a lot; for example: travel, career success, promotion, scholarships, international meetings/ events/ conferences 2.2 Some Difficulties of Secondary School Students in English Speaking skills 2.2.1 Lack of environments Hiphiphurahura (2017) defined that the environment is the very first reason that causes difficulty for students in speaking English Bad environment does not support the students speak frequently The environment here means any places and people around students, such as schools, families, teachers, parents, friends, or the people outside the 10 class Making this more clearly, students practice speaking English not only at English classes, but also at anytime and at anywhere like outside the classes, at home or in daily life Shiva (2018) stated that: “The environment plays a huge role while learning English” In non-English environment, learners may learn bad habits if they speak regularly with speakers who cannot speak English really well, so that they ought to be careful and find a good environment to learn English 2.2.2 Lack of confidence According to Berger (2015), the degree of confidence, called self-confidence, is the trust or faith that people have in themselves and their abilities Self-esteem is the opinion people have in themselves Dornyei (2011) stated that student’s lack of confidence usually occurs when they realize that people they talk to cannot get their means or when they not understand others speakers Building student’s confidence is an important part, so teachers should also learn both theories and practical experiences on how to build the student’s confidence 2.2.3 Lack of vocabulary It is the fact that vocabulary plays an important role in learning language and is one of factors that support students for mastering language, these statements are supported by Hornby (1953) in Yuniarti (2011), “vocabulary is the vital aspect of the language” Moreover, River (1970:462) believes that “it would be impossible to learn a language without vocabulary” 11 Without vocabulary, students cannot communicate well, or cannot understand the conversation clearly In addition, vocabulary is an essential element of language for learners to build up communications, expand their ideas or send their messages to people they talk to It proves that more vocabulary learners have, the better speaking skills they attain In contrast with the explanations above, there are many secondary school students who still have troubles with vocabulary Lacking of vocabulary, some students could not understand the tasks/ exercises, they still ask their teachers to translate the tasks/ questions into their first language (Vietnamese) On the other hand, some students could understand what others say but they could not respond to them by speaking English In the recent study, Eva (2017) said that: “When the students try to speaking English in a good way they must master the vocabulary as much as they can They have to memorize it and to memorize the vocabulary is not easy” Asking the students from two classes 7/29 and 7/30 of The Asian International School (AHS) about learning vocabulary, they responded that they feel lazy and quite difficult to memorize the words A numerous students reported that they were interested in English speaking, but their vocabulary was limited 2.2.4 Fear of making mistakes According to American Psychological Association, shyness is the tendency to feel awkward, worried or tense during social encounters, especially with unfamiliar people Normally, shy people may have negative feelings about themselves and worries about how others view or judge them 12 With regard to the fear of making mistakes, Borwen (2005) stated that some shy students are caused by their personalities that they are very quiet As a result, the learners often feel shy and tend to scare or nervous when making conversation in English because most of them find it very threatening In other study, Saurik (2011) identified that some English learners feel scare when practice speaking, they afraid that they will make lot of mistakes when they talk These students are also afraid of being laughed or being misunderstood by friends or people they talk to due to low abilities and bad speaking skills 2.2.5 Pronunciation mistakes Following up a study by Tien Dung (2014), he stated that: “Vietnamese speakers come across various difficulties in learning English pronunciation” There are a lot of difficulties that Vietnamese students could face with In his study, he said that: “The complications of vowels, particularly between tense and lax vowels in English can be tough to learn On the other hand, the differences between consonant positions, consonant clusters, word and tones lead Vietnamese students of English to meet a large number of difficulties” Therefore, pronunciation is a huge problem for Vietnamese students in learning and communicating in English According to Trung Hieu (2011), most of Vietnamese students know English grammar very well, and even get high marks in examinations In contrast, their speaking or communication skills are not very good They tend to avoid speaking in English because they are afraid of making pronunciation mistakes 2.3 Solutions to Improve English Speaking skills 13 ... Chi Minh City – 2019 GRADUATION THESIS Major English Language Topic IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILLS FOR STUDENTS IN CLASS 7/29 AND 7/30 – THE ASIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (AHS – CAO THANG CAMPUS) Instructor:... CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Bachelor’s Thesis submitted entitled: ? ?IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILLS FOR STUDENTS IN CLASS 7/29 AND 7/30 – THE ASIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (AHS –... world Speaking is the second of the four language skills which are Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing They said that speaking is one of the most challenging, exciting, and positive learning