Factors affecting speaking skills on primary students at binh minh school in vung tau city master of TESOL

i MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY - THESIS NGUYEN DAO THI MAI TRINH FACTORS AFFECTING SPEAKING SKILLS ON PRIMARY STUDENTS AT BINH MINH PRIMARY SCHOOL IN VUNG TAU CITY Ba Ria-Vung Tau – Năm 2022 ii MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY - THESIS FACTORS AFFECTING SPEAKING SKILLS ON PRIMARY STUDENTS AT BINH MINH PRIMARY SCHOOL IN VUNG TAU CITY Submitted to the Postgraduate Institute in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL Course code: 8140111 By Nguyen Dao Thi Mai Trinh Supervised by Assoc Prof Dr Pham Huu Duc Ba Ria-Vung Tau – Năm 2022 iii CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY  I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled: FACTORS AFFECTING SPEAKING SKILLS ON PRIMARY STUDENTS AT BINH MINH PRIMARY SCHOOL IN VUNG TAU CITY In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee of Postgraduate Institute, Ba Ria Vung Tau University Ba Ria Vung Tau, May 2022 Nguyen Dao Thi Mai Trinh               iv  RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS  I hereby state that I, Nguyen Dao Thi Mai Trinh, being a candidate for the degree of TESOL accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan, and reproduction for theses Ba Ria Vung Tau, May 2022 Nguyen Dao Thi Mai Trinh  v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My special thanks are due to all those who have made great contributions to my thesis completion First and foremost, I would like to express my profound gratitude to Assoc Prof Ph.D Pham Huu Duc, my supervisor, for his valuable comments and suggestions during the whole research process His dynamism, enthusiasm, vision as well as his patience have deeply inspired me Without his support and guidance, this thesis would never have been completed Secondly, I am very grateful to the Postgraduate Institute of Ba Ria – Vung Tau University who have supported me much time to implement this thesis My sincere thanks also go to my friends and colleagues for all her help and encouragement I would like to thank the research participants who have contributed to this study Last but not least, I warmly thank my family for their countless support, greatest sympathy and unconditional love vi CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY iii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………… CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study 1.2 The aims of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Significance of the study .6 1.5 Definition of Terms: CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Review of Theoretical Literature .9 2.1 The previous studies 16 2.3 Conceptual framework 27 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 29 3.1 The study methods 29 3.2 Population 29 3.3 Instruments 30 3.4 Validity of the questionnaire and the interview’s questions 32 3.5 Data analysis 32 3.6 Reliability of the Questionnaire .34 3.7 The study procedures .35 3.8 Chapter Summary 36 vii CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 38 4.1 Results 38 4.2 Discussions 49 4.3 To sum up 57 CHAPTER CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 59 5.1 Conclusions 59 5.2 Suggestions 61 REFERENCE 63 APPENDIX: QUESTIONNAIRE 67 ABSTRACT Studying speaking skills on primary students at Binh Minh primary school in Vung Tau City are affected by many factors, which are teachersrelated factors including teachers’ language proficiency, teachers’ methods, teachers’ emotion; students-related factors including students’ language proficiency, students’ learning styles, students’ emotion; context-related factors including teaching material, practical speaking English environment, peers After investigating, the results show that there are not any problems with factors of teachers’ language proficiency, teachers’ methods, teachers’ emotion, students’ emotion, teaching material This research focused on investigating the factors affecting students’ speaking skills such as students’ language proficiency, students’ learning styles, practical speaking English environment and peers Since the classes are so crowded, students not have many chances to speak English in class with the teachers and their classmates, and they not know how to study effectively Furthermore, although almost all students who have studied English for years, their English proficiency is not good The findings indicated that the English environment in classroom and other activities could motivate the students’ interest in learning and practice English both in and out of class, and the class size could affect learning The findings also showed that with parents’ investment in time, effort and money for their children to learn English intensively, their children’s English would definitely be better The teachers would need to create various practice exercises and encourage the students to study at home with the teachers’ control to order to help them remember the lesson better And teachers’ limitation of speaking Vietnamese in class would stimulate students to interact in English more often and create a habit in English class Future research will investigate these factors for students at higher level of English CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study The ability to communicate orally and in writing is regarded as one of the most challenging aspects of language acquisition The way a new language is articulated, absorbed, and practiced is called verbal language It is critical to be able to communicate in English since it is a globally recognized language in terms of business, science, and technology Furthermore, we live in a global age, and the interconnectedness of countries necessitates the use of a global language, and no language exemplifies this better than English Communication is the ultimate goal of EFL learning process, since the purpose of a new language learning is to interact with other people in the target language If people learn a language without being able to speak in the language, they would not be considered successful learners In this era of globalization, English is undeniably very important and necessary in Vietnam, especially after Vietnam’s entering WTO Therefore, Vietnamese learners’ need to practice speaking efficiently and then communicate directly in English has increased more than ever This is especially true for Vietnamese young learners who need to communicate successfully in English in their classroom environment 59 CHAPTER CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 5.1 Conclusions This study revealed that the main speaking difficulties encountered by grade 3,4,5 students are speaking English expression, mother tongue use, class overcrowded, English speaking environment Students are unable to speak in English because they lack the necessary vocabulary items and grammar structures They also lack sentence formation skills, which result in using the mother tongue There are five main factors that contribute to the existence of these speaking difficulties: teachers’ perceptions and tacit beliefs of teaching speaking, teaching strategies, curriculum, extracurricular activities, and assessment regulation The study shows that teachers believe in the importance of teaching speaking, yet they not spend enough time for that because of the shortage of time because priority is given to the coverage of the textbook topics, which emphasize teaching reading and writing rather than speaking The teaching strategies that are used by the teachers emphasize teaching the form of the language, which is indicated by focusing on teaching grammar rules and vocabulary items Students are required to produce short accurate sentences while the communicative use of the language is almost neglected In addition, teachers think it is very important to use L1 in order to give the meaning of some words and explain the grammar rules They believe that using L1 is very 60 necessary to make sure that the students understand the meaning and get the point Besides, although it was found that grade 3,4,5 textbooks provide students with frequency of opportunities to use English communicatively, and they include sufficient tasks that are particularly designed for speaking, the way that the teachers organize classes and assign tasks to students has not met the interaction in English language acquisition so that the students can become fluent in speaking English Moreover, the classroom is the only place where most students are exposed to English Extracurricular activities that aim to improve students’ speaking skill are extremely rare in this school Because speaking skill is the only skill that is not included in the exams, it is given less teaching emphasis The focus is mainly on teaching reading, listening and writing besides grammar and vocabulary Although the teaching of speaking can be integrated into other skills like listening, reading and writing, the teachers think that time is insufficient to that, and priority is given to other skills rather than speaking because they are included in the exam and speaking is not The most important factor that affects the students’ speaking skills effectively is the class overcrowded More than 40 students in class at primary school makes the teachers confuse and feel hard to develop appropriate active teaching methods and have enough energy to help each student individually Last but not least, the restriction on homework assignment is also a barrier that 61 prevents the students from speaking English If the Ministry of Education allows homework assignments for primary school students, teachers can design speaking exercises for them to and practice with their classmates at home This way can help them study more effectively 5.2 Suggestions We completely agree with the suggestions of two supervisors and three teachers who suggest some issues to help primary students overcome the difficulties in speaking English - The school should build the speaking English environment in classroom and other activities to motivate the students’ love in English and practice English both in and out of class - The number of students in a class must be less than 30 so that teachers can take care of each student easily and effectively The class is tight and the students are crowded, which make it difficult for the teacher to cover the class and take good care of each student well - Allow teachers to be more flexible in designing their lessons Instead of teaching the entire lesson, teachers can focus on some important knowledge of the lesson to teach the students carefully and help them remember the lesson in long term memory 62 - Parents are also the main determinant of their children's English development If they invest time, effort and money for their children to learn English intensively, their children's English will definitely be better - The teachers need to create various practice exercises and encourage the students to study at home with the teachers’ control to order to help them remember the lesson better.” - Teachers should limit speaking Vietnamese in class to stimulate students to interact in English more often and create a habit in English class 63 REFERENCE Al Hosni, S (2014) Speaking difficulties encountered by young EFL learners International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL), 2(6), 22-30 Ames, C (1992) Classrooms: Goals, structures, and student motivation Journal of educational psychology, 84(3), 261 Allen, E D., & Valette, R A (1997) Classroom Techniques: Foreign Language and English as a Second Language In Andrew Cohen Assessing Language Ability in the Classroom Al-Zedjali, K (2009) Students’ beliefs about learning to speak English Researching English Language and Teacher Development in Oman,14, 122– 131.ISBN 978-9948-15-243-9 Baker, C (1992) Attitudes and language (Vol 83) Multilingual Matters Bachman, L F., & Palmer, A S (1996) Language testing in practice: Designing and developing useful language tests (Vol 1) Oxford University Press Burns, A., & Joyce, H (1997) Focus on Speaking National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 2109 64 Ehrman, M., & Oxford, R (1990) Adult language learning styles and strategies in an intensive training setting The modern language journal, 74(3), 311-327 Ellis, R (2003) Task-based language learning and teaching Oxford: Oxford University Press Haozhang, X (1997) Tape recorders, role-plays, and turntaking in large EFL listening and speaking classes China, 35(3),33 Krashen, S D (1985) The input hypothesis: Issues and implications AddisonWesley Longman Limited Krashen, S D (1987) Applications of psycholinguistic research to the classroom Methodology in TESOL: A book of readings, 33-44 Krashen, S D (1982) Child-Adult Differences in Second Language Acquisition Series on Issues in Second Language Research Newbury House Publishers, Inc., Rowley, MA 01969 Kumaravadivelu, B (2003) Beyond methods London: Yale University Press Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope (1991) Using the community language learning approach to cope with language anxiety The Internet TESL Journal, 6(11), 15 Littlewood, W (1984) Communicative language teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 65 Lukitasari, N (2008) Students’ strategies in overcoming speaking problems (Doctoral dissertation, University of Muhammadiyah Malang) MacIntyre, P D., Clément, R., Dörnyei, Z., & Noels, K A (1998) Conceptualizing willingness to communicate in a L2: A situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation The Modern Language Journal, 82(4), 545-562 Rabab’ah G (2005) Communication problems facing Arab learners of English.Journal of Language and Learning, 3(1), ISSN 1740-4983 Qashoa, S H H (2006) Motivation among learners of English in the secondary schools in the eastern coast of the UAE (Doctoral dissertation, The British University in Dubai (BUiD) Tuan & Mai (2015) Learners’ speaking performance: teaching EFL to primary student International journal of social sciences and humanities, 2(3), 187-195 Urrutia and Vega (2010) A course in language teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Willis, J (1996) A frame work for task- based learning Pearson Education Limited 66 Young, D J (1991) Creating a low-anxiety classroom environment: What does language anxiety research suggest? The modern language journal, 75(4), 426-439 67 APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE No Questions Factors related to students’ speaking skills Em thích học tiếng Anh Em học tiếng Anh từ tuổi Em thấy tự tin nói tiếng Anh Em thấy lo lắng căng thẳng nói tiếng Anh 5 Em sợ giáo viên dạy tiếng Anh Em muốn nói tiếng Anh em khơng có từ Em nói tiếng Việt em khơng nói tiếng Anh Em e ngại nói tiếng Anh Gia đình em ln hỗ trợ em học tiếng Anh 10 Em khó đặt câu tiếng Anh 68 11 Em bỏ nhiều thời gian để học tiếng Anh ngày Factors related to teachers’ role in teaching speaking skills 12 Giáo viên nói tiếng Anh lớp học 13 Giáo viên khuyến khích em nói tiếng Anh 14 Giáo viên sử dụng tiếng Việt tiếng Anh lớp 15 Giáo viên cho em hội thời gian để nói tiếng Anh 16 Giáo viên cho em đóng vai, làm việc nhóm thuyết trình 5 5 tiếng Anh 17 Giáo viên cho phép em nói tiếng Việt em khơng nói tiếng Anh 18 Giáo viên dạy cẩn thận học trước em thực hành nói tiếng Anh 19 Giáo viên dạy tiếng Anh vui thú vị 69 20 Giáo viên sửa lỗi trực tiếp em phát âm sai 21 Giáo viên đợi em nói xong sửa lỗi cho em Factors related to environment 22 Lớp em có 40 học sinh 23 Lớp em ồn 24 Em nghe trước tham gia hoạt động nói tiếng Anh 25 Bạn học em ln hỗ trợ em nói tiếng Anh 26 Lớp học em thân thiện thích giúp 5 trình học 27 Trong lớp học có TV kết nối mạng cô giáo sử dụng dạy tiếng Anh vui 28 Bạn em giỏi tiếng Anh 29 Em có nhiều hội nói tiếng Anh lớp 70 APPENDIX 2: CONSENT FORM Title of Research Project: Factors affecting speaking skills on primary students at Binh Minh primary school in Vung Tau city Name of researcher: Nguyen Dao Thi Mai Trinh Email of researcher: maitrinhsp@gmail.com Phone number of researcher: 0983030509 PROCEDURES If you agree to participate in my research, I will conduct an interview with you at a time and location of your choice The interview will last about 15 minutes With your permission, I will record the interview and take notes during the interview The recording is to accurately record the information you provide, and will be used for transcription purposes only If you agree to being recorded but feel uncomfortable or change your mind for any reason during the interview, I can stop the interview at your request at any time I expect to conduct only one interview; however, follow-ups may be needed for added clarification If so, I will contact you by mail/phone to request this PURPOSE 71 Based on the achievements of previous studies as well as the experiences of colleagues and the researcher myself in teaching English speaking skills to young learners at Binh Minh Primary school, this study aims: To identify difficulties Vietnamese teachers and young learners might encounter in EFL speaking classes of different grade groups To investigate how current teaching strategies and methods affect the young’s learning process To suggest some implications for teaching and learning in speaking classes lessen the difficulties and foster the young learners’ speaking skills BENEFITS There is no direct benefit to you from taking part in this study However, it is hoped that the research results of the study finding analysis will provide teachers and students with speaking skills in the context of Binh Minh primary school In addition, findings from the study will provide practical suggestions on what strategies and how these strategies can be effectively integrated into PBL to promote the effectiveness of students’ speaking skills in the primary school context CONFIDENTIALITY 72 Your study data will be handled as confidentially as possible If results of this study are published or presented, individual names and other personally identifiable information will not be used To minimize the risks to confidentiality, we will transcribe the recordings as soon as possible after the interview, and then destroy the recordings When the research is completed, I will save the transcriptions and other study data for possible use in future research done by myself I will retain these records for up to months after the study is over The same measures described above will be taken to protect confidentiality of this study data COMPENSATION You will not be paid for taking part in this study However, a gift voucher will be given as an incentive for your participation RIGHTS Participation in research is completely voluntary You are free to decline to take part in the project You can decline to answer any questions and are free to stop taking part in the project at any time Whether or not you choose to participate in the research and whether or not you choose to answer any questions or continue participating in the project, there will be no penalty to you or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled 73 QUESTIONS If you have any questions about the study, please contact the researcher via the phone number 0983030509 or the email address: maitrinhsp@gmail.com ...ii MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY - THESIS FACTORS AFFECTING SPEAKING SKILLS ON PRIMARY STUDENTS AT BINH MINH PRIMARY SCHOOL IN VUNG TAU CITY Submitted... CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY  I certify my authorship of the Master? ??s Thesis submitted today entitled: FACTORS AFFECTING SPEAKING SKILLS ON PRIMARY STUDENTS AT BINH MINH PRIMARY SCHOOL IN VUNG TAU CITY. .. QUESTIONNAIRE 67 ABSTRACT Studying speaking skills on primary students at Binh Minh primary school in Vung Tau City are affected by many factors, which are teachersrelated factors including