High school EFL teachers perceptions about teaching learning strategies to EFL students = nhận thức của giáo viên tiếng anh THPT về việc dạy chiến lược cho học sinh

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY NGUYEN THI NGOC CHAU HIGH SCHOOL EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS ABOUT TEACHING LEARNING STRATEGIES TO EFL STUDENTS Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching Code: 8140111 Supervisor: LE NHAN THANH, Ph.D BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN NGUYỄN THỊ NGỌC CHÂU NHẬN THỨC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TIẾNG ANH THPT VỀ VIỆC DẠY CHIẾN LƢỢC HỌC CHO HỌC SINH Ngành: Lý luận phƣơng pháp dạy học môn tiếng Anh Mã số: 8140111 Ngƣời hƣớng dẫn: TS LÊ NHÂN THÀNH i DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP The work contained in this thesis has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university I, the undersigned, certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, my thesis contains no material previously published or written by any other person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself Binh Dinh, 2022 Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express the deepest appreciation to those who have facilitated me to complete this paper First and foremost, my gratitude goes to my research supervisor, Dr Le Nhan Thanh, for his guidance, patience, and encouragement throughout my study His technical and editorial advice was essential to the completion of this paper and has taught me innumerable lessons and insights on the workings of academic research in general I have been extremely lucky to have a supervisor who cared so much about my work Secondly, I am indebted to all the teachers of the Department of English for the useful knowledge that they taught me during the time I attended the M.A course Importantly, I would also like to thank the participants at An Khe town for their untiring supports to this research paper Without their passionate participation and input, the study could not have been successfully conducted Last but not least, I would like to express my special thanks to my family members whose strong support and encouragement have kept me going this far iii ABSTRACT Learning strategies are specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective, and more transferable to new situations Teaching learning strategies is very necessary in learning process as it is used as a way to achieve a certain goal This study aimed to explore high school EFL teachers’ perceptions about teaching learning strategies to their EFL students The study focused on their perceptions about the necessity, the benefits, and the difficulties of teaching students how to learn English The participants of the study included 40 teachers from nine high schools in a town in Gia Lai province The questionnaire was completed by forty high school teachers and the three semistructured interviews were carried out with participation of high school teachers chosen randomly The data from the questionnaire was analyzed by using Likert-type scale and regression linear statistical analysis through IBM SPSS Statistics 22 Software, and the transcripts of the interview were analyzed following content analysis to find answers to the research questions The findings of the study indicated that the teachers perceived that teaching learning strategies had a positive impact on EFL students’ academic performance and that these strategies were useful in their classrooms Based on the findings, implications are suggested for EFL teachers and educators to enhance the effectiveness of English language teaching Key words: EFL, teaching learning strategies, teachers’ perceptions iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF FIGURES ix CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aim and Objectives of the Study 1.2.1 Aim of the study 1.2.2 Objectives of the study 1.3 Research Questions 1.4 Scope of the Study 1.5 Significance of the Study 1.6 Organization of the Study CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Language Learning Strategies 2.1.1 Definitions of language learning strategies 2.1.2 Features of language learning strategies 2.1.3 Classifications of language learning strategies 2.1.3.1 Direct learning strategy 10 2.1.3.2 Indirect learning strategies 13 2.1.4 Four language skills 16 2.1.4.1 Listening skill 16 2.1.4.2 Speaking skill 16 2.1.4.3 Reading skill 16 v 2.1.4.4 Writing skill 17 2.1.5 Factors in strategy choice 17 2.1.5.1 Learner factors 17 2.1.5.2 Situational and social factors 19 2.1.5.3 Academic factor 19 2.1.5.4 Cultural background 20 2.2 Previous research related to the study and Gaps in the existing research 20 2.2.1 Previous research related to the study 20 2.2.2 Gaps in existing research 23 2.3 Summary 23 CHAPTER RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 24 3.1 Research Method 24 3.2 Participants 24 3.3 Instruments 25 3.3.1 The questionnaire 26 3.3.2 The interview 27 3.4 Data Collection 28 3.4.1 Administering the questionnaire 28 3.4.2 Administering the interview 29 3.5 Data Analysis 30 3.6 Summary 31 CHAPTER FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 32 4.1 Scale reliability Analysis 32 4.2 High School EFL Teachers’ Perceptions in terms of the necessity of teaching students how to learn English 33 4.3 High School EFL Teachers’ Perceptions in terms of the benefits of teaching students how to learn English 39 vi 4.4 High School EFL Teachers’ Perceptions about difficulties in teaching learning strategies 43 4.5 Summary 47 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 49 5.1 Conclusion 49 5.1.1 Research question 49 5.1.2 Research question 49 5.1.3 Research question 50 5.2 Limitations 50 5.3 Implications of the Study 51 5.3.1 Implications for educators 51 5.3.2 Implications for school administrators 51 5.3.3 Implications for teachers 52 5.4 Recommendations for further research 53 REFERENCES 55 APPENDICES vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ESL: English as second language EFL: English as a foreign Language LLSs: Language learning strategies FL: Foreign language viii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Definitions of language learning strategies -Takač (2008:51) Table 2.2 Features of language learning strategies - Oxford (1990:9) Table 2.3 Language Learning Strategy System (Oxford 1990:17) 10 Table 3.1 Participants’ background characteristics (Valizadeh, 2021) 25 Table 4.1 Reliability Statistics of the questionnaire 33 Table 4.2 EFL teachers’ perceptions about the necessity of teaching learning strategies 33 Table 4.3 EFL teachers’ perceptions about the necessity of teaching learning strategies 34 Table 4.4 EFL teachers’ perceptions about the importance of teaching learning strategies 35 Table 4.5 EFL teachers’ perceptions about the importance of teaching learning strategies 36 Table 4.6 Reasons for teaching learning strategies to EFL students 37 Table 4.7 EFL teachers’ perceptions about the benefits of teaching learning strategies 39 Table 4.8 EFL teachers’ perceptions about the difficulties of teaching learning strategies 44 f  c Trường không hỗ trợ đầy đủ kịp thời cho giáo viên việc dạy chiến lược học cho học sinh  d Tôi chưa đào tạo tập huấn để dạy chiến lược học cho học sinh  e Hầu hết phụ huynh không ý thức cần thiết việc giáo viên dạy chiến lược học cho học sinh  f Hầu hết học sinh không ý thức tầm quan trọng việc học sử dụng chiến lược học  g Hầu hết giáo viên không ý thức cần thiết việc dạy chiến lược học cho học sinh  h Dạy chiến lược học cho học sinh việc bắt buộc giáo viên trường  i Lý khác (xin Thầy/Cô ghi ngắn gọn lý đây) Thầy/Cơ có gợi ý đề nghị để thúc đẩy giáo viên dạy chiến lược học tiếng Anh cho học sinh khơng? Nếu có, xin Thầy/Cơ vui lịng ghi Tôi cần vấn số Thầy/Cô để biết rõ ý kiến Thầy/Cơ cần thiết, lợi ích, khó khăn việc dạy chiến lược học cho học sinh Nếu Thầy/Cô đồng ý tham gia vấn, xin vui lịng cung cấp thơng tin g Số điện thoại: …………………………………… Email: …………………………………………… Xin chân thành cảm ơn quý Thầy/Cô! h APPENDIX B: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH VERSION) This survey was conducted to collect data for the research topic: "HIGH SCHOOL EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS ABOUT TEACHING LEARNING STRATEGIES TO EFL STUDENTS" Your answers are very important for this study All data obtained is for research purposes only All information you provide will be kept confidential during the study period as well as after the end of the study You need about 15 minutes to answer the questions Thank you very much for your help! Learning strategies are specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective, and more transferable to new situations - -Section A: Demographic information Please stick () in the appropriate square (tick ONLY ONE that true of you most) Your gender:  a Male  b Female Your age group:  a 20 – 25 years  b 26 – 30 years  c 31 – 35 years  d 36 – 40 years i  e over 40 years Your highest degree:  a Bachelor’s degree  b Master’s degree Language teaching experience:  a – years  b – years  c – 10 years  d 11 – 15 years  e 16 – 20 years  f more than 20 years Section B: High school EFL teachers’ perceptions about teaching learning strategies to their EFL students Please put a tick () in the most appropriate column I High school EFL teachers’ perceptions about the necessity of teaching students how to learn English Teachers should teach English learning strategies to their students  a Totally disagree  b Disagree  c Agree  d Totally agree The teaching of English learning strategies to the students  a Very important  b Important  c Not so important  d Not important I teach English learning strategies to my students because (choose all the reasons that are right for you): j  a Teaching English learning strategies brings better benefits and outcomes to students’ English learning  b I have enough skills and knowledge to teach students how to learn English  c My students like to know and use English learning strategies  d My colleagues teach learning strategies to their students, so I have to teach learning strategies to my students  e Schools require teachers to teach learning strategies to their students  f When I was at school, I was taught learning strategies and leaning strategies helped me to learn better  g Other reasons (please write down these reasons briefly below) II High school EFL teachers’ perceptions about the benefits of teaching students how to learn English Please indicate how much you agree with the benefits of teaching students The teaching of English learning strategies improves student learning efficiency The teaching of English learning strategies makes students more interested in learning English The teaching of English learning strategies makes students more active in learning English Agree Disagree Strongly disagree The benefits of teaching students how to learn English Strongly agree how to learn English by ticking the appropriate box: k The teaching of English learning strategies makes English teaching activities more interesting and engaging The teaching of English learning strategies helps to diversify teaching and learning activities (e.g teaching and learning takes place in the classroom, at home or anywhere, anytime; students can learn with the teacher, with friends or self-study; can teach and learn a variety of skills; can personalize learning, etc.) Teaching English learning strategies is just as important as using textbooks for students Teaching English learning strategies creates additional opportunities for students to communicate with their teachers and classmates Teaching English learning strategies makes learning activities easier to Teaching English learning strategies caused me to learn harder to have more learning strategies to teach my students 10 Teaching English learning strategies makes it easier for teachers to present and convey lesson content 11 The teaching of English learning strategies supports student-centered teaching methods 12 The teaching of English learning strategies can improve students' understanding of how to learn English 13 The teaching of English learning strategies supports students' self-study skills 14 The teaching of English learning strategies enhances students' confidence in learning English 15 The teaching of English learning strategies makes English learning easier 16 The teaching of English learning strategies makes English learning faster l 17 The teaching of English learning strategies makes English learning more enjoyable 18 The teaching of English learning strategies makes English learning more self-directed 19 The teaching of learning strategies makes English learning more effective 20 The teaching of English learning strategies makes English learning easier to transition to newer situations III High school EFL teachers’ perceptions about the difficulties of teaching students how to learn English Difficulties when teachers teach learning strategies to students (choose all the reasons that are true for teachers):  a I have no trouble teaching English learning strategies to my students  b I don't know many English strategies to teach my students  c I don't have enough time to integrate teaching learning strategies to students in school instruction  d My school does not fully and timely support teachers in teaching learning strategies to students  e I have not been trained to teach learning strategies to students  f Most parents are not aware of the need for teachers to teach learning strategies to students  g Most students are not aware of the importance of learning and using learning strategies  h Most teachers are not aware of the need of teaching learning strategies to students  i Teaching learning strategies to students is not mandatory for teachers at my school  j Other reasons (please write down these reasons briefly below m Do you have any suggestions to motivate teachers to teach English learning strategies to students? If yes, please write it down below I need to interview some teachers to know more about their opinions on the need, benefits, and difficulties in teaching learning strategies to students If you agree to participate in the interview, please provide the following information Phone number: ………………………………… Email: …………………………………………… Thank you very much sir/madam! n APPENDIX C: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS The following questions will be asked during the interview: In your opinion, should teachers teach English learning strategies to their students? ………………………………………………………………………………… How you see the importance of teaching English learning strategies to students? ………………………………………………………………………………… Why you teach English learning strategies to your students? ………………………………………………………………………………… In your opinion, what are the benefits of teaching English learning strategies to teachers? ………………………………………………………………………………… In your opinion, what are the benefits of teaching English learning strategies to students? ………………………………………………………………………………… Could you tell me about the challenges and difficulties in teaching English learning strategies to your students at school? ………………………………………………………………………………… According to you, what should be done to motivate teachers to teach English learning strategies to students at school? ………………………………………………………………………………… Thank you very much sir/madam! o APPENDIX D: TRANSCRIPTS OF THE INTERVIEW In your opinion, should teachers teach English learning strategies to their students? T1 Teaching learning strategies is very beneficial in teaching in general and in EFL classes in particular It facilitates teaching and motivates our student to learn English T2 Utilizing learning strategies in my classes as EFL teacher is valuable for me and my students as well It gives them an opportunity to learn the language in a very different and effective way For me, it is a supplementary useful teaching way and it makes teaching more effective, interesting and active However, teachers should be vigilant when choosing suitable learning strategies they want to teach to their students T3 There is no doubt that learning strategy is essential in any learning process I like to apply different learning strategies in my class It is a good way to enhance learning in general No doubt that learning strategies play important role in education in general, but I like using it whenever I need it Sometimes it is very efficient, while other times I feel it is just a waste of time, so I my best to employ it when it is a source of enrichment material How you see the importance of teaching English learning strategies to students?” T1 Umm…It is really important and useful in teaching students how to learn English, it brings better benefits and outcomes to students’ English learning" p T2 For me, using learning strategies is effective in general, but is more effective for students’ way of learning than others If I want to evaluate its importance, I think leaning strategies help students to learn better T3 It is really important In my view, it is important and useful for students to be taught learning strategies because they help learning activities easier to Why you teach English learning strategies to your students? T1 Personally, I believe that teachers should teach students how to learn English in the class as it improves student learning efficiency and supports students' self-study skills T2 I just use it when I feel my students need it and it may facilitate my teaching I also use it when it adds something to them like new strategies…etc I just my best not to use it meaninglessly T3 As mentioned before, I use it whenever I find it beneficial I prefer using it because it is the best for my students and if it adds something valuable or assist my teaching process In your opinion, what are the benefits of teaching English learning strategies to students? T1 I think it brings about many benefits on students' engagement by making English teaching activities more interesting and According to students’ motivation, as I mentioned it motivates them positively Regarding their achievement, well! It may encourage them to improve their language and a q result, their achievement could be better" T2 Teaching English learning strategies creates additional opportunities for students to communicate with their teachers and classmates It is a good chance for my students to feel that they are learning and develop social skill at the same time Their social interaction when learning may motivate them intrinsic and extrinsic T3 Yes, it is an amazing tool that I use and I think it is an engaging and motivating classroom device for teaching English language As it enhances students’ learning in general, it also has its effectiveness in developing students’ achievement In your opinion, what are the benefits of teaching English learning strategies to teachers? T1 I think it brings about many benefits on teachers because learning strategies makes it easier for teachers to present and convey lesson content Moreover, the teaching of English learning strategies helps to diversify teaching and learning activities such as teaching and learning takes place in the classroom, at home or anywhere, anytime; students can learn with the teacher, with friends or self-study; can teach and learn a variety of skills; can personalize learning, etc." T2 Of course it supports teachers, and that is one of the benefits of using it in my class T3 Yes, it is an amazing tool that I use and I think it is an engaging and r motivating classroom device for teaching English language As it enhances students’ learning in general, it also has its effectiveness in developing students’ achievement Could you tell me about the challenges and difficulties in teaching English learning strategies to your students at school? T1 Actually, it really influences my time I don't have enough time to integrate teaching learning strategies to students during the class” T2 Although many teachers are aware of the need of teaching learning strategies to their students, they have not been trained to teach learning strategies to students T3 I my best to apply learning strategies when there is time for them Actually, I can’t guarantee that I know many strategies to teach my students.” According to you, what should be done to motivate teachers to teach English learning strategies to students at school? T1 First of all, we should raise high school EFL teachers’ awareness of the importance of teaching learning strategies to their EFL students This work has to be done carefully and continuously to help high school EFL teachers have a thorough understanding about the necessity, the importance, and the effectiveness of learning strategies in their teaching practice Moreover, students’ awareness of this issue should also be raised so that there will be a collaboration and support between teachers and students to realize teaching learning strategies effectively in schools s T2 Teachers need to be trained to be able to teach learning strategies to their EFL students As we all may know, training plays an important role in education Thanks to the help of training, teachers will be equipped with adequate techniques and suitable leaning strategies In that way, teachers find it easier to apply learning strategies in teaching T3 Teachers need to have more time to teach learning strategies The time amount for English in the curriculum is only periods of English lessons per week and the time given is usually not enough for teachers to cover everything Teachers normally try to complete all their lessons As a result, there is no time to teach students learning strategies and prepare them for teaching despite teachers’ preference of teaching them to their students t APPENDIX E: RAW CALCULATION- SPSS DATA Case Processing Summary N % Cases Valid 40 100.0 a Excluded 0 Total 40 100.0 a Listwise deletion based on all variables in the procedure Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha N of Items 982 20 DH1 DH2 DH3 DH4 DH5 DH6 DH7 DH8 DH9 DH10 DH11 DH12 DH13 DH14 DH15 DH16 DH17 DH18 DH19 DH20 Scale Mean if Item Deleted 58.25 58.35 58.40 58.38 58.33 58.43 58.40 58.43 58.33 58.48 58.38 58.38 58.38 58.35 58.43 58.45 58.40 58.35 58.33 58.38 Item-Total Statistics Corrected ItemScale Variance if Total Item Deleted Correlation 128.551 764 132.541 457 125.785 913 129.779 767 126.687 891 125.174 927 124.708 935 125.225 879 124.943 910 126.563 938 125.933 932 124.907 903 125.061 939 126.079 954 125.430 960 125.946 900 126.759 957 133.003 606 133.097 635 129.881 760 Cronbach's Alpha if Item Deleted 982 984 980 982 980 980 980 981 980 980 980 980 980 980 980 980 980 983 982 982 ...BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN NGUYỄN THỊ NGỌC CHÂU NHẬN THỨC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TIẾNG ANH THPT VỀ VIỆC DẠY CHIẾN LƢỢC HỌC CHO HỌC SINH Ngành: Lý luận phƣơng pháp dạy học môn tiếng Anh. .. questions to investigate High school EFL teachers? ?? perceptions about teaching learning strategies to EFL students 3.2 Participants 40 teachers from various high schools who are teaching students at high. .. perceptions about teaching learning strategies to EFL students That is the reason why the research on high school EFL teachers? ?? perceptions about teaching learning strategies to EFL students was