THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY GRADUATION PAPER A study on difficulties in speaking skill of first year English majored students in Thuongmai University Supervisor Ms Vu Thi Thanh Hoa Student Ng[.]
THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY - - GRADUATION PAPER A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES IN SPEAKING SKILL OF FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS IN THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY Supervisor : Ms Vu Thi Thanh Hoa Student : Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang Class : K54N6 Student code : 18D170293 Hanoi, 2022 ABSTRACT In the context of globalization, English is of great importance in all aspects of our lives, especially as an L2. Apart from reading, writing, and listening abilities, speaking skill is vitally important for a foreign language student to properly learn English inasmuch as regardless of any language, the ultimate goal of conquering that language is to communicate, speak and use that language fluently As a result, the study aims at finding out the difficulties in speaking skill of first-year Englishmajored students in Thuongmai University and suggesting some strategies and possible solutions that they can apply to enhance their speaking skill Specifically, the study aims at finding the difficulties encountered when it comes to their English speaking skill The researcher uses the quantitative method to the research The data collection instruments such as questionnaires were given to 100 first-year students majoring in English at Thuongmai University so as to collect specific data for the study The problems that students have with speaking skills were discovered as a result of the questionnaire findings Moreover, the study aids them in finding out the possible solutions to deal with these problems Keywords: Speaking skill, difficulties, first-year English-majored students i ACKNOWLEDGMENT In fact, there is no success without the support or assistance, whether more or less, directly or indirectly from others First and foremost, with the deepest gratitude, I would like to send to my supervisor, Mrs Vu Thi Thanh Hoa for her valuable and constructive suggestions as well as her patient guidance, enthusiastic encouragement, and useful critiques during the planning and implementation of this research The study would not have been finished on time and successful without her invaluable assistance In addition, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the teachers in the English Faculty at Thuongmai University for their dedicated knowledge I would also love to thank first-year English-majored students who have willingly engaged in the study Their participation has been paramount in the completion of the research Furthermore, I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to all the authors of the books, magazines, and other materials listed in the reference part for their ideas Although there have been many attempts to explore, my graduation paper still has many shortcomings owing to my limited knowledge Therefore, I hope to receive comments and suggestions from you in order to enhance my experience Last but not least, I wish all of you good health, happiness, and success Sincerely thanks! Hanoi, April 14th, 2022 Trang Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGMENT ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES .vi CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1 Rationale 1.2 Previous studies 1.2.1 The study in the world 1.2.2 The study in Vietnam 1.3 Aims of the study 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Research methodology 1.7 Organization of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definition of speaking skill 2.1.1 The concepts of skill .6 2.1.2 The definitions of speaking skill 2.2 Types of speaking skill 2.3 The purpose of speaking skill 2.4 The importance of speaking skill 10 2.5 Aspects of speaking skill 11 2.6 Difficulties of speaking skill of English learners .13 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS 18 3.1 Methodology 18 3.1.1 Research question 18 3.1.2 Research settings and participants 19 3.1.3 Data collection instruments .19 3.1.4 Data analysis .20 iii 3.2 Findings and discussions 20 3.2.1 Students’ background information 20 3.2.2 First-year English-majored students’ attitudes toward speaking skill 22 3.2.3 First-year English-majored students’ difficulties in English speaking skill 26 3.2.4 Solutions to improve students’ English speaking skill 33 CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS .36 4.1 Recommendations 36 4.1.1 Recommendations for students 36 4.1.2 Recommendations for teachers 37 4.2 The success of the study .39 4.3 The limitation of the study 39 4.4 Further suggestions for the study .40 CONCLUSION .41 REFERENCES I APPENDIX III iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS No Abbreviation English full form Vietnamese meaning TMU Thuongmai University Trường Đại học Thương Mại L2 Second language Ngôn ngữ thứ hai Dr Doctor Tiến sĩ e.g example Ví dụ v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES No Subject Names of tables, charts and diagrams Page Figure 3.1 Students’ years of learning English 20 Figure 3.2 Students' English speaking proficiency 21 Figure 3.3 Students’ attitudes toward learning speaking skill 22 Figure 3.4 The importance of learning English speaking 23 Figure 3.5 Students’ attitudes toward the level of difficulty of English 24 speaking skill Figure 3.6 Frequency of practicing English speaking skill 25 Figure 3.7 Students’ participation in speaking skill in class 26 Figure 3.8 General difficulties in practicing English speaking skill of 27 first-year students Figure 3.9 Usage of mother tongue in English speaking skill 29 10 Table 3.10 Students’ vocabulary problems in speaking English 30 11 Table 3.11 Students’ pronunciation problems in speaking English skill 31 12 Table 3.12 Students’ psychological problems with English speaking skill 32 13 Table 3.13 Solutions for freshmen to improve their English speaking skill 34 14 Figure Students’ attitudes toward solutions’ teaching methods of 35 3.14 teacher Figure Students’ suggestions for teaching method of their teachers in 3.15 class 15 vi 35 CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY This chapter explains the study's rationale as well as the previous studies Furthermore, it includes some of the most crucial aspects of the research, which are the aims and research questions of the study, followed by the scope of this research and the research methods Finally, the study's organization would highlight the study's structure Rationale In the modern world, it cannot be denied that language is an indisputable aspect of our society's rich culture, in particular, of the globe's cultural richness in general To keep up with the global requirement in today's world, which is known as the international community, we must have knowledge and understanding of English as an international language Therefore, universities offer English classes; tourists utilize English as a common language all around the globe English certificates have become an output standard for university students, especially for English-majored students Furthermore, English is also seen as a competitive advantage when applying for a job or getting a promotion As a result, an increasing number of individuals spend their devoting time learning English For English-majored students, learning English speaking is one of the mandatory subjects at Thuongmai University's Faculty of English However, it is hard to accept English-majored freshmen students when they pronounce English poorly Some students even avoid conversing with others, but the more English learners fear making mistakes, the less fluently they will speak Freshmen, in particular, who came to practice and had to converse in English, ran into a bit of trouble with speaking English since they were unfamiliar with new university learning techniques Instead of learning English grammar and theory to prepare for tests as they did in their high schools, students would have to work in groups and give presentations in English on most subjects, thus they have experienced several challenges Therefore, as a researcher, I would like to present the thesis title: “A study on difficulties in speaking skill of first-year English-majored students in Thuongmai University” in order to identify the difficulties that students face and the factors that contribute to these difficulties as well as suggest some solutions to assist them better 1.2 Previous studies It is apparent that researchers on the same subject provided a wealth of beneficial assistance for my research: 1.2.1 The study in the world First of all, the research titled "An analysis of students’ problems in speaking English daily language program at Husnul Khotimah Islamic Boarding school” by Natalia Rahayu was undertaken with the support of 19 students at Husnul Khotimah Islamic Boarding School The research instruments applied were interviews and observation These instruments were used to get the data of students’ difficulties in speaking English language programs on a regular basis from secondyear students After conducting interviews and observations, the researcher indicated that students at Husnul Khotimah Islamic Boarding School faced numerous challenges as a result of internal and external factors such as a lack of understanding of grammatical patterns, incorrect pronunciation, the limitation of vocabulary, minimum opportunities, mother tongue use, infrequent practice and less discipline, fear of making mistakes and environmental factors Besides, they also have psychological problems such as a lack of motivation and barely practicing English These results showed that students still have a lot of trouble speaking English, so the teacher can give them effective ways to address their problems Secondly, "Problems and difficulties of speaking that English language students encounter at Al Quds Open University" by Dr Ahmed Maher Mahmoud Al Nakhalah also considerably adds to the research Indeed, the researcher observed during his career and while teaching the graduation project and other courses at AlQuds Open University that students had some difficulties and problems in speaking while introducing and discussing their projects This study was carried out at Al Quds Open University in Gaza Branch The participants consisted of 14 fourth-grade students to find out related the difficulties that they face in their speaking skill The data for the research was gathered using two methods such as observations and interviews The observation was carried out to find out students’ participations errors in grammar and pronunciation and fluency in speaking skill activity The interview was conducted to know the students’ participation difficulties in grammar, pronunciation, and fluency in speaking skill activities, factors that hinder students from speaking, and the causes of problems and strategies to overcome them 1.2.2 The study in Vietnam First and foremost, the research “Some common errors in English speaking classes of English-majored freshmen at Tay Do University, Vietnam” is one of the essential domestic studies contributing to this thesis It aims at finding out some common errors that English-majored students at Tay Do University often encounter when studying speaking English classes The thesis, in particular, would be a useful reference with possible solutions that would assist English majors in minimizing their errors The participants of this study were 90 English-majored freshmen who studied in three disparate classes of English linguistics namely 14A, 14B and 14C at Tay Do University Questionnaires and statements were used in this study to attain the thesis' aims; the questionnaire, in particular, had questions and 20 statements In addition, Nguyen Xuan Minh's research “Effective methods to improve speaking skill for English major freshmen at Haiphong Technology & Management University” is a prior study linked to this thesis subject Indeed, it was done to English-majored freshmen at Haiphong Technology and Management University using a qualitative method The data from the survey assisted in identifying difficulties that English-majored freshmen confront throughout their speaking process The survey was expanded and detailed based on their experiences so that they could recommend good ways to help people learn how to speak better 1.3 Aims of the study The goal of the research is to find out English speaking difficulties encountered by the first-year English Faculty students at Thuongmai University Rather than serving just to complete the graduation thesis, the researcher has found it intriguing in the project implementation Accordingly, the three main purposes of the study are summarized below: ... know a language Anyone who understands a foreign language may communicate in that language 2.1.2 The definitions of speaking skill Speaking is regarded as one of the most vital skills in acquiring... data of students? ?? difficulties in speaking English language programs on a regular basis from secondyear students After conducting interviews and observations, the researcher indicated that students. .. practicing English speaking skill 25 Figure 3.7 Students? ?? participation in speaking skill in class 26 Figure 3.8 General difficulties in practicing English speaking skill of 27 first- year students