Luận văn thạc sĩ VNU ULIS an investigation into teaching grammar in context for first year non english major students at chu van an university

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES  NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG HỒNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO TEACHING GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT FOR FIRST-YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT CHU VAN AN UNIVERSITY (Đề tài: Nghiên cứu việc dạy ngữ pháp theo ngữ cảnh cho đối tượng sinh viên năm thứ không chuyên Tiếng Anh trường ĐH Chu Văn An) MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Field: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY Code: 601410 Hanoi, 2012 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES  NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG HỒNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO TEACHING GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT FOR FIRST-YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT CHU VAN AN UNIVERSITY (Đề tài: Nghiên cứu việc dạy ngữ pháp theo ngữ cảnh cho đối tượng sinh viên năm thứ không chuyên Tiếng Anh trường ĐH Chu Văn An) MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Field: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY Code: 601410 Supervisor: NGUYỄN THỊ HUYỀN MINH, M.A Hanoi, 2012 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ESL: English as a Second Language EFL: English as a Foreign Language FonF: Focus on Form FonFs: Focus on Forms H1: The first hypothesis H2: The second hypothesis H1.1: The first minor hypothesis H1.2: The second minor hypothesis H1.3: The third minor hypothesis Ho.1: The first minor null hypothesis Ho.2: The second minor null hypothesis Ho.3: The third minor null hypothesis PPP: Presentation – Practice - Production LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1: Design of the study Table 2: Distribution of the sample Table 3: Distribution of the dependent and independent variables Table 4: Distribution of the grammar achievement tests Table 5: Schedule of grammar course Table 6: Teaching procedures for traditional grammar and in-context grammar class Table 7: The descriptive statistics on pretest scores of control and experimental groups Table 8: The inferential statistics on pretest scores of control and experimental group Table 9: The descriptive statistics on pretest and posttest scores of control and experimental group Table 10: The inferential statistics on pretest and posttest scores of control and experimental group Table 11: The descriptive statistics on posttest scores of control and experimental group Table 12: The inferential statistics on posttest scores of control and experimental group Table 13: Descriptive statistics on students‟ on-task behavior of control group Table 14: Descriptive statistics on students‟ on-task behavior of experimental group Table 15: The descriptive statistics on students‟ on-task behavior of control and experimental group The inferential statistics on students‟ on-task behavior of control and experimental group Table 16: Figure 1: Figure 2: Three dimensions of grammar teaching Students‟ on-task behavior of control group Figure 3: Students‟ on-task behavior of experimental group LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Candidate’s statement ……………………………………………………………… i Acknowledgement …………………………………………………………………… ii Abstract ……………………………………………………………………………… iii List of abbreviations ………………………………………………………………… iv List of tables and figures …………………………………………………………… v Table of contents …………………………………………………………………… vi PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study ……………………………………………… Scope of the study ………………………………………………… Aims of the study …………………………………………………… Significance of the study …………………………………………… The research questions ……………………………………………… The research hypotheses …………………………………………… Method of the study………………………………………… …… Design of the study ………………………………………………… 2 3 4 PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW Theoretical Background ………………………………………… Grammar and grammar teaching …………………………………… 1.1.1.1 Definitions of grammar …………………………………………… 1.1.1.2 The place of grammar in second and foreign language teaching …… 1.1.1.3 Dimensions of grammar teaching ………………………………… 1.1.1.4 Levels in grammar teaching ………………………………………… 10 1.1.1.5 Approaches to grammar teaching …………………………………… 12 Context and context in grammar teaching ………………………… 17 1.1.2.1 Definitions of context ……………………………………………… 17 1.1.2.2 The need for grammar teaching in context ………………………… 18 1.1.2.3 Types of context in grammar teaching ……………………………… 19 1.2 Related studies on teaching grammar in context ……………… 20 1.3 Summary …………………………………………………………… 22 1.1 1.1.1 1.1.2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com vii CHAPTER 2: THE METHODOLOGY 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.3.1 2.3.2 2.4 2.4.1 2.4.2 2.5 2.5.1 2.5.1.1 2.5.1.2 2.5.1.3 2.5.1.4 2.5.1.5 2.5.2 2.6 2.6.1 2.6.2 2.6.3 2.7 2.7.1 2.7.2 2.7.3 2.8 2.8.1 2.8.2 2.9 Design of the study ………………………………………………… Population of the study …………………………………………… Sample of the study ……………………………………………… Sample of the students ……….……………………………………… Sample of the teachers ……………………………………………… Variables of the study …………………………………………… Dependent and independent variables ……………………………… Controlled and uncontrolled variables ……………………………… Instruments of the study ………………………………………… Grammar achievement tests ………………………………………… The aims of the grammar achievement tests ……………………… The sources of designing the grammar achievement tests ………… The description of the grammar achievement tests ………………… The content validity of the tests …………………………………… The reliability of the tests …………………………………………… Classroom observation ……………………………………………… Description of the grammar courses ……………………………… The materials ……………………………………………………… The schedule ………………………………………………………… The lesson plans …………………………………………………… Procedure of the study …………………………………………… Administration of grammar achievement tests ……………………… Application of classroom observation method ……………………… Researcher‟s attendance at the two classes ………………………… Data collection and analyses ……………………………………… Data collection ……………………………………………………… Data analyses ……………………………………………………… Summary 23 23 23 23 24 24 24 25 25 25 25 25 26 26 27 27 27 27 28 28 29 29 29 30 30 30 30 31 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS, DISCUSSIONS AND FINDINGS 3.1 3.1.1 3.1.1.1 3.1.1.2 3.1.1.3 3.1.2 Results ……………………………………………………………… Results from the analyses of the grammar achievement tests ……… The test of the first minor hypothesis ……………………………… The test of the second minor hypothesis …………………………… The test of the third minor hypothesis ……………………………… Results from the analyses of the classroom observation …………… 32 32 32 33 34 36 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com viii 3.1.2.1 3.1.2.2 3.1.2.3 3.2 3.3 3.4 On-task behavior in control group ………………………………… On-task behavior in experimental group …………………………… On-task behavior of the two groups in comparison – The test of the second hypothesis ………………………………………………… Discussions ………………………………………………………… Findings …………………………………………………………… Summary …………………………………………………………… 36 37 38 39 42 42 PART III: CONCLUSION Summary of the study ……………………….……………………… Pedagogical implications …….…………………………………… Limitation of the study ……………………………… …………… Recommendation …………………………………………………… Conclusion ………………………………………………………… 43 44 44 45 45 REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………… 46 APPENDICES ……………………………………………………………………… Appendix 1: English grammar achievement test (pretest) …………… ………… Appendix 2: English grammar achievement test (posttest)…………… ………… Appendix 3: Pretest and posttest scores ………………………………… ……… Appendix 4: Classroom observation sheet ………………………………… …… Appendix 5: Data from observation sheets ………………………………… … Appendix 6: Sample lesson plan for experimental group ………………… …… I I IV VII VIII IX X LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale English language is considered as one of the most important languages because it is the language that bridges people all over the world together That is the reason why such language is introduced to teaching syllabuses of all schools in Vietnam, from primary to tertiary level At my university, English is taught as a foreign language and it is a compulsory subject for all non-English major students in their first academic year Like the other four English skills (i.e., reading, listening, writing and speaking), English grammar holds an inevitable position in our teaching curriculum However, the teaching of grammar is problematic because most of English teachers at my school still keep their traditional views on grammar and grammar instruction To be more specific, they hold the belief that grammar is a set of static rules Accordingly, they teach grammar by focusing on accuracy of form and neglecting its meaningfulness and appropriateness of use Moreover, the grammar lessons are performed in deductive manner, thus students are provided no opportunities for rule discovery One more problem is that our students are obsessed by tightly controlled mechanical practice like transformational drills and substitutions The final problem lies in the fact that EFL teachers at my university not take the most advantages of the context provided in the course book used for first-year non-major students (New-Headway Elementary and Pre-Intermediate by Liz and John Soars) when teaching grammar section; thus, our students have no or little opportunity to explore and practice grammatical items in real-life situations These problems result in our bored, disaffected students who can produce correct forms on disconnected sentences, but consistently make errors when trying to use the language in context such as short paragraph writing, dialogue completion, explanation of a grammatical meaning or function, and so on This stresses the importance of context in ESL/EFL language teaching in general and in English grammar teaching in particular As Willis (2000:5) puts it, “by learning grammar in context, students learns what native speakers really say (or write), rather than what we would like them to say” Likewise, Harmer (2007:57) suggests that “students need to get an idea of how the new language is used by native speakers and the best way of doing this is to present language in context” These factors drive me to an idea of using context to teach grammar for my students in the hope that such teaching model will help make LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com grammar instruction both effective and beneficial The study entitled “An investigation into teaching grammar in context for first-year non-English major students at Chu Van An University” is conducted in that way Scope of the study The study focuses on the teaching of English grammar for non-English major freshmen at Chu Van An University, thus, its results are not directly applied for those who are in other academic years and those of other universities In addition, the context employed for teaching grammar in this study is restricted to text, i.e., spoken and written discourses taken from the course book and from a variety of authentic sources; therefore, other types of context are not used as the input for the study What is more, the purpose of this study is to examine whether context-based approach takes effect in grammar teaching Other approaches to grammar instruction are referred as the theoretical background for the study but they are not the focuses Finally, only four grammatical categories (Tense, Modal, Conditional sentences and Passive voice) which are divided into eight grammatical items (Past simple, Present Perfect, Can, Must, First conditional, Second conditional, Passive voice in present tense and Passive voice in past tense) are taught and tested during the experiment Other grammatical categories or items lie outside the scope of this study Aims of the study The study aims at investigating the effect of teaching grammar in context in comparison with the traditional method of grammar instruction for non-English major students at Chu Van An University More specifically, the study is a randomized experiment which is designed to achieve two following aims: It tests whether in-context teaching of grammar has any effects on students‟ academic achievement in grammar It examines whether teaching grammar in context can increase students‟ participation in grammar lessons Significance of the study This study may bring four benefits to both English language teachers and their students as follows: It may help change EFL/ESL teachers‟ views on grammar and grammar instruction in a way that grammar incorporates form, meaning and function; thus, teaching grammar is not LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com merely presenting and explaining grammar features but teaching students how to appropriately use structures to express meaning It may stimulate English language teachers to employ in-context model to teach grammar for their students as an alternative to the traditional method It may change the classroom atmosphere in grammar lessons in a positive way Students may no longer find grammar lessons dry and boring They may be more involved and feel more interested during grammar learning hours It may improve students‟ critical thinking, especially when they are working with authentic discourses The research questions As stated in the part of Rationale, grammar teaching for non-major students at Chu Van An University has so many problems The first problem is that students find it easy to deal with grammar in single sentences but make a lot of grammatical mistakes when working with longer discourses This results in the second problem, i.e., the dull classroom atmosphere because students not participate in the grammar lessons From these defined problems, two research questions are raised as follows: Q1: What are the effects of in-context grammar teaching on grammar academic achievement of first year non-English major students at Chu Van An University? Q2: What are the effects of in-context grammar teaching on the classroom participation of first year non-English major students at Chu Van An University? The research hypotheses The following hypotheses were derived from the two research questions raised above: H1: Teaching grammar in context has more positive effects on the grammar academic achievement of first year non-English major students at Chu Van An University than teaching grammar in traditional method H2: Teaching grammar in context can increase students‟ level of participation in grammar lessons In order to test the first hypothesis, three minor hypotheses were postulated as follows: H1.1: There is statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the control group and the experimental group in the pretest H1.2: There is statistically significant difference between students‟ mean scores on pretest and posttest of the experimental group in favor of the posttest LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 47 Fowler, R.(1986) Language criticism Oxford University Press Fromkin, V et al (1990) An Introduction to Language 2nd edition Sydney: Holt, Rinehart & Winston Halliday, M.A.K (1985) An Introduction to Functional Grammar London: Edward Arnold Halliday, M.A.K (1991) The notion of "context" in language education In T Le & M McCausland (Eds), Language development: Interaction and development Launceston: University of Tasmania Harmer, J (1983) Teaching and learning grammar Longman Harmer, J (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching 4th edition Pearson Education Ltd Hornby, A S (2005) Oxford advanced learner’s dictionary 7th edition OUP Hopkins, D (1985) A teacher's guide to classroom research Philadelphia: Open University Press Krashen, S (1982) Principles and practices in second language acquisition Oxford: Pergamon Larsen-Freeman, D (1997) Grammar and Its Teaching: Challenging the Myths Online Resources: Digests Retrieved December 28th, 2011, from http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/larsen01.html Larsen-Freeman, D (2001) Teaching grammar In M Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language 3rd edition Boston: Heinle & Heinle 251256 Larsen-Freeman, D (2000b) Second language acquisition and applied linguistics Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 20, 165-181 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Long, M (1991) Focus on form: A design feature in language teaching methodology In K DeBot, R Ginsberg, & C Kramsch (Eds.), Foreign language research in crosscultural perspective Amsterdam: Benjamins, 39-52 Nettle, M & Hopkins, D () Developing grammar in context Cambridge University Press Nunan, D (1992) Research methods in language learning Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Nunan, D (1998) Teaching grammar in context ELT Journal 52 (2), 102-109 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 48 Nunan, D (2003) Practical English language teaching McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Nur Amin, Y (2009) The effectiveness of teaching grammar in context to reduce students‟ grammatical errors in writing Unpublished thesis State University of Malang (UM), Indonesia Retrieved October 14th, 2011, from http://karya- ilmiah.um.ac.id/index.php/disertasi/article/view/1025 Obaid, O (2010) The effectiveness of three grammar teaching approaches on the achievement of secondary school students Unpublished thesis Faculty of Education: IUG, Gaza Retrieved November 19th, 2011, from http://library.iugaza.edu.ps/thesis/90342.pdf Pei, L (2010) Teaching unreal conditional sentences through context-based approach Unpublished thesis School of Foreign studies, Suzhou University Retrieved September 10th, 2011, from http://www.doc88.com/p-992290194276.html Richards, J.C & Schmidt, R (2002) Longman Dictionary of Language teaching & Applied linguistics 3rd edition Pearson Education Limited Sperber, D & Wilson, D (1986) Relevance: Communication & Cognition 2nd edition Blackwell Publishing Thornbury, S (1999) How to Teach Grammar Pearson Education Limited England Thornbury, S (2006) Grammar Resource books for teachers Oxford: OUP Ur, P (1988) Grammar practice activities: A practical guide for teachers Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Vince, M (2008) Macmillan English grammar in context Macmillan Publishers Ltd Wainer, H & Braun, H I (1988) Test Validity New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Weaver, C (1996) Teaching grammar in context Portsmouth NH Boynton/Cook Publishers Widdowson, H G (1988) Grammar, Nonsense and Learning In W Rutherford & M Sharwood Smith (Eds.) Grammar and Second Language Teaching NY: Newbury House Willis, D (2000) Grammar - a textual approach English Teaching Professional 17, 5-10 Woods, E.G (1988) Some criteria for the development of communicative grammar tasks TESOL Quarterly LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com I APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: ENGLISH GRAMMAR ACHIEVEMENT TEST (PRETEST) Full name: ………………………….……………… Time: 60 minutes Class: ……………………………………………… Scores: ……/40 Notes: - The test paper has 03 pages - Dictionaries are not allowed Question 1: Choose the best answers to complete the following sentences by circling A, B, C or D (5 points): The Aztecs their own land of Aztlan at some time during the 12th or 13th century A leave B leaves C left D have left Esther Wenman, 30, at London Zoo for nearly seven years She is head keeper of the reptiles A works B worked C has worked D having worked Many animals see clearly in the dark but human beings can‟t this A can B can‟t C could D must If a large comet the Earth, humans would very soon die out A hit B hits C is hitting D has hit 500 million servings of Coca-Cola worldwide every year A consume B consumed C are consumed D were consumed Question 2: Match a clause in column A with a clause in column B so that it makes a meaningful sentence (5 points): A B Mozart could write music a the sea level would rise If you don‟t take an umbrella, b otherwise, you‟ll make mistakes You must be careful; c where the dead body was found If the ice at the poles melt, d before he could write words It is the place e you‟ll get wet Your answer: Question 3: Read the following short dialogues and stories and correct the underlined mistakes (10 points): LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com II Dialogues/Stories Corrections A John: Have you seen William recently? He grew a beard! _ Bill: Yes, actually I‟ve seen him last week in the supermarket I _ think the bear suits him B On October 24, 2008, the bodies of Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother found in the family's _ home on Chicago's South Side Jennifer's former brother-in-law, _ William Balfour, arrested for the murders C Susan: If you were an animal, what animal will you be? _ Mary: Nice question! I will be the dove, then _ D How is paper made? First, trees are cut down in the forest Then _ they send to the paper mill At the paper mill, a machine is _ removed the bark from the wood E Rose: Must you stay with me tonight? I hate being alone Jack: Sorry, dear I can go now _ 10 _ Question 4: Read the following situations Match the underlined grammatical forms with their appropriate meanings or functions by ticking () the best sentences (10 points): Situations Meanings/Functions Andrew has worked here since 2001 a Andrew started working here in 2001 and now he is still working here b Andrew started working here in 2001 and he doesn‟t work here anymore If I won the lottery, I‟d give up my job a He thinks he can win the lottery b He thinks it‟s unlikely he‟ll win the lottery a He walked into the room and somebody He walked into the room and was asked to sit down asked him to sit down b He walked into the room and he asked somebody to sit down Can/Could you turn the radio off now? a A request b A question of ability LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com III The government must something about all this traffic, it‟s crazy! a You think the government should that b It is obligatory for the government to that Question 5: Write a short paragraph about the following pictures, using word cues provided (10 points) (crops/harvest) (rice seeds/dry) (straw/burn) (water/plumb) field/plough Your paragraph A lot of work on the field was done during last week The crops ……………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com IV APPENDIX 2: ENGLISH GRAMMAR ACHIEVEMENT TEST (POSTTEST) Full name: ………………………….……………… Time: 60 minutes Class: ……………………………………………… Scores: ……/40 Notes: - The test paper has 03 pages - Dictionaries are not allowed Question 1: Choose the best answers to complete the following sentences by circling A, B, C or D (5 points): Louis Pasteur a professor at the University of Lille at the age of just 32 A become B becomes C became D has become At the moment, scientists agree that the world‟s climate warmer over the past 50 years A become B becomes C became D has become Many animals see clearly in the dark but human beings can‟t this A can B can‟t C could D must If everyone recycles paper, metal and glass, we so much rubbish A don‟t produce B didn‟t produce B won‟t produce C wouldn‟t produce Tea on south-facing hillsides, and twice a year A is grown/is harvested B was grown/was harvested C grows/harvests D grew/harvested Question 2: Match a clause in column A with a clause in column B so that it makes a meaningful sentence (5 points): A B Picasso learned to draw a which was built in approximately 2500 BC If you trains regularly b while I am taking these stuffs into the room? Can you open the door c I wouldn‟t get that job If I were you, d before he could speak Sphinx is a limestone statue e you can improve your performance Your answer: Question 3: Read the following short dialogues and stories and correct the underlined mistakes (10 points): Dialogues/Stories Corrections LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com V A Jimmy: Have you heard about Sally? She lost her job! Bill: Not really She has found out two days ago B On May 30, 2005, when Natalee Holloway was disappeared after leaving a bar in Aruba Five years to the day later, Stephany Flores Ramirez, 21, killed in a hotel room rented to Van der Sloot in Lima, Peru _ _ _ _ C Smith: What would happen if the Earth stops moving? Jill: I don‟t now Maybe we will die _ D The first pocket calculator was weighed almost a kilogram Its inventor was invited to trade fairs all over the world _ E Bill: You can‟t drive on the right when you are in England; otherwise, you‟ll be fined _ _ _ 10 _ Liang: Really? But I must that in my country Question 4: Read the following situations Match the underlined grammatical forms with their appropriate meanings or functions by ticking () the best sentences (10 points): Situations Meanings/Functions Quick! Get a cloth! I‟ve split my coffee a The split coffee is still on the table b The split coffee has been washed away I‟m not sure where I put the document But if I find it, I‟ll call you a She thinks she can find the document b She thinks it‟s unlikely she will find the document My bike was stolen yesterday a I know exactly who stole my bike b I don‟t know who stole my bike (At the customs) Can I see your passport, please? a A request b A question of ability Your cat is seriously ill You must take it to the vest right now a You think the person (you) should take his cat to the vet b It is obligatory for the person (you) to that LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VI Question 5: Write a short paragraph about the following pictures, using word cues provided (10 points) (coffee fruits/pick) (coffee pulp/remove) (coffee beans/roast) (roasted coffee beans/grind) Coffee powder/pack Your paragraph How is coffee powder made? First coffee fruits ………………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… ….……………………………………………… LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VII APPENDIX 3: PRETEST AND POSTTEST SCORES 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Pretest Control Experimental 20 18 25 32 28 20 25 23 19 26 25 19 23 22 22 33 22 29 32 17 30 26 18 27 25 32 26 25 19 22 23 16 32 24 28 15 34 29 19 32 22 23 25 17 34 35 26 24 18 29 17 31 14 16 24 27 29 30 33 26 Posttest Control Experimental 22 22 24 33 29 28 23 26 30 30 27 24 24 28 21 39 22 32 34 20 31 28 20 31 25 37 28 30 23 26 26 22 33 29 28 19 36 33 23 36 26 26 26 23 37 39 29 30 21 34 15 37 15 21 24 30 31 35 30 31 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIII APPENDIX 4: CLASSROOM OBSERVATION SHEET Observer: ……………………………… Class/Group: ………………………………… Teacher: ……………………………… Number of students present: …………… … Date of observation: ………………… Lesson title: ………………………………… INSTRUCTIONS The observation sheet is designed to measure levels of students‟ participation in grammar lessons Do not participate in the lessons Place yourself in an unobtrusive position in the classroom Start the observation when the students have been working together in groups, in pair or individually for or minutes Observe students one by one, consecutively, clockwise around the class Identify students by number Every seconds write down the categories best describing the observed students‟ behavior at the moment, then pass on the next student Write numbers in sequence down the data sheet Continue until all students have been observed 10 times Categories: = Student on-task: „engaged in the pedagogic work of the day” = Student off-task: “a complete lack of attention to the set task” Scan number Student 10 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com IX APPENDIX 5: DATA FROM OBSERVATION SHEETS Control Group Experimental Group W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 4 5 7 5 4 5 8 2 6 7 1 4 7 8 7 5 7 8 6 5 4 6 7 7 7 6 8 6 3 7 9 8 4 6 5 10 6 5 6 11 7 6 6 12 7 6 6 7 13 5 3 8 14 4 4 7 15 3 8 16 7 5 6 8 17 3 4 6 8 18 3 6 6 19 6 6 7 6 20 8 6 7 21 8 5 7 22 6 4 8 8 23 7 7 24 8 0 6 8 25 3 7 6 26 2 2 6 7 27 4 7 7 28 5 2 29 2 7 30 7 4 1 7 6 6 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com X APPENDIX 6: A SUGGESTED LESSON PLAN FOR EXPERIMENTAL CLASS Class: EG12 Number of students: 30 WEEK 5: THE PASSIVE VOICE IN PRESENT TENSES Date of preparation: … Date of teaching: … Objectives: At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:  Students will review the passive voice by exploring its use in the authentic texts  Students will practice passive oral production skills in the context of how to dry fruit  Students will contextualize the use of the passive by producing a short passage about method of drying fruit Teaching materials & aids 2.1 Teaching materials  Article 1: Freezing Food by Gary Garriott (plus the audio version of the article) Retrieved from http://www.51voa.com/voa_special_english/Development_Report_17543.html  Article 2: Canning Food by Gary Garriott http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/a-23-a-2005-01-02-1-1-83127367/125251.html  Video: How to dry fruit Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecH3q5H8ybQ 2.2 Teaching aids  Handouts: - Worksheet1: Excerpts from the script of article with the passive structures left out - Worksheet 2: Tape script of article  Classroom facilities: chalk, board, laptop and projector Anticipated problems: LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com XI  Students might have problems with the present perfect, present progressive passive forms  Students might have difficulty carrying out the production tasks To deal with the problem, contexts are provided with related background information Teaching procedures: Time Content Teacher’s activities Students’ activities  Greet the class  Greet the teacher  Set the scene for the upcoming listening task by asking Ss the  Listen to the situation question: “I’ve bought two kilos of meat but I can’t eat up all the meat So I must store the remains for the next day What should I 10’ Warm-up do?”  Encourage Ss to find out the answer to the question  Give answer to the teacher‟s question Suggested answer: You should freeze it/put it in the fridge  Tell Ss that they are going to listen to a recording about how to  Take out pens and paper and prepare to listen to freeze food the recording  Play the recording for the first time At this stage, ask Ss to write  Listen to the recording and note down all the down some expressions concerning the method of freezing food expressions concerning the method of freezing  Call some students to read the expressions out loud food  Now hand out the worksheet (Listen to the material and fill in  Students who are appointed will stand up and the blanks) and ask Ss to fill out the blanks with passive structures give their answers as they listen for the second time  Listen to the recording for the second time and 30’ Listening  Play the recording for the third time to check Ss‟ answers try to fill out the blanks with passive structures  When finishing the correction, ask Ss to work in group of five  Listen for the third time and check their answers and discuss the form of the passive voice in English  Work in group of five and the discussions  Call three representatives of three groups to make report on the results of their group discussion  The representatives will go to the board and  Give feedbacks and brief revision of passive form make their reports  Take a note on passive form if necessary  Hand out worksheet and ask Ss to scan the article and answer  Read the article and give answer to the question 20’ Reading the question: “What‟s the article about?” LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com XII Suggested answer: The article is about how to can food  Ask Ss to underline all the passive sentences in the text  Ask Ss to look closely at the text and have a group discussion about the meaning and function of the passive structure Provide some guiding questions for discussion: 1- Why does the author use the passive voice in these sentences? 2- Could we replace the passive sentences with the active ones? 3- What will the sentences be like if we make the change? Are there any changes in the meaning?  Call two group representatives report the results of their discussions to the class and give feedback  Give summary of the meaning and function of the passive voice 30’ Speaking  Draw a strawberry on the board (or show Ss a picture of a strawberry); ask Ss what they can to store the strawberry for long Suggested answers: You can keep it cool in the fridge You can can it You can dry it  Ask Ss to work in group of three Generate ideas of how to dry fruit  Summarize the ideas and write them on the board  Now play the video of how to dry fruit and ask Ss to note down ways of drying fruit in group  Then ask them to discuss the answers in groups  Go round the classroom for help if necessary  Underline the passive sentences in the text  Work in group and discuss the meaning and function of passive voice, basing on the suggested questions  Representative groups make their reports on the result of the discussions  Note down the meaning and use of passive voice if necessary  Give answers to the question  Work in group of three Brainstorm as many ideas as possible  Watch the video and take note  Discuss the answers in groups  Ask teacher for help on new vocabulary or LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com XIII 30’ Writing  Call two group representatives report the results of their discussions to the class  Give feedback and correction on some common errors in students‟ oral products  Ask Ss to work individually and write a short passage (100-150 words) on the method of drying fruit Encourage them to exploit the passive structure in their writing when it is appropriate  Collect and then randomly distribute the papers to Ss and ask them to peer-correction as their homework  Remind them to bring the paper back on the next lesson for discussions and comments expressions if necessary  The representatives will go to the board and make their reports  Note down the corrections if necessary  Do their writing individually  Bring friend‟s writing paper home for peercorrection LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ... luanvanchat@agmail.com grammar instruction both effective and beneficial The study entitled ? ?An investigation into teaching grammar in context for first- year non- English major students at Chu Van. .. non- English major students at Chu Van An University than teaching grammar in traditional method H2: Teaching grammar in context can increase students? ?? level of participation in grammar lessons In order... achievement of first year non- English major students at Chu Van An University? Q2: What are the effects of in- context grammar teaching on the classroom participation of first year non- English major students