THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY GRADUATION PAPER TOPIC A STUDY ON SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE ENGLISH REFLEX FOR FRESHMEN IN ENGLISH FACULTY OF THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY Supervisor Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc Stude[.]
THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY - - GRADUATION PAPER TOPIC: A STUDY ON SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE ENGLISH REFLEX FOR FRESHMEN IN ENGLISH FACULTY OF THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY Supervisor : Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc Student : Tran Thi Le Na Class : K55N4 Student code: 19D170238 Hanoi, 2022 ABSTRACT English is an international language, and people use it for many purposes, but its most important function is as a tool for communication Therefore, it requires people to have good communication skills to exchange messages with others However, the English reflex makes reaching that level of speaking difficult for them Many students cannot respond to questions or other people's words It even happens to students who have enough vocabulary and grammar That is why I am conducting this research and recommending some solutions to improve the English reflex Because of space and time limitations, this study is only implemented for freshmen in the English Faculty at Thuongmai University This survey collects and analyzes data using a quantitative method The survey has five main factors affecting the English reflex and some questions to evaluate their English background This study is helpful for students desiring to speak English fluently, and it is also a reference for lecturers to design a suitable method of teaching to reach the highest effect i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During the process of doing this study, I received the support of many people, including my supervisor, friends, freshmen, and lecturers in the English Faculty to complete this research Many recommendations are sent to me in order to help me achieve the highest possible grade on my graduation paper First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Mrs Bich Ngoc, for her support and direction as I complete this study Her advice and suggestions are worthy of improving the quality of this graduation paper It is not only useful for me to this research but also for other academic activities in the future Secondly, I would like to thank the English Faculty’s lectures for teaching me useful knowledge and experience to help me have a good foundation through my years at university to complete this study in the best way possible Although the pandemic prevents people from having offline classes, lectures are still enthusiastically given to give students valuable lessons Finally, I want to express my appreciation to my friends and freshmen in the English Faculty My friends gave me their experience in doing research that I have not yet tried And the freshmen participating in my survey, supported me to fill in the survey so I can have the data for this study Although I tried my best in this study, some mistakes could not be avoided I hope that the lectures will give me suggestions on how to continue to make the thesis better That is the foundation for me to have a high-quality graduation paper, which then serves as the foundation for suggestions and advice for students who may want to conduct research on this topic in the future Sincerely thanks Hanoi, November 21st, 2022 Student Tran Thi Le Na ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .v LIST OF CHARTS vi CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1 Rationale Previous studies .2 2.1 International studies .2 2.2 Vietnamese studies 3 Aim of the study 4 Research subject Scope of the study Research methodology 6.1 Research design .5 6.2 Collecting data .5 6.3 Analysing data .6 Organization of Study .6 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Some related definitions 1.1 Definitions of speaking skill 1.2 Definition of reflex The importance of speaking in communication The importance of reflex in speaking Factors affecting the English reflex .10 4.1 Vocabulary and grammar 10 4.2 Topical background knowledge 11 4.3 The habit of translating from mother tongue to the sencond language 11 4.4 Repetition 12 4.5 Learning environment 13 iii CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS 15 Participants 15 English foundation 15 Factors affecting the English reflex .21 3.1 Vocabulary and grammar 21 3.2 Topical backgound knowledge .23 3.3 The habit of translating from mother tongue to the second language .25 3.4 Repetition 26 3.5 Learning environment 27 Discussion .28 4.1 Strengths .28 4.2 Weaknesses 28 CHAPTER 4: SOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE ENGLISH REFLEX 31 Solutions for freshmen in the English faculty .31 1.1 Building a habit of often practicing speaking English .31 1.2 Cultivating vocabulary about various topics .32 1.3 Reducing to translate mother toungue into English in speaking .32 Recommendations for lectures of English faculty 33 2.1 Holding debating activities 33 2.2 Giving students more unpopular topics .34 Recommendations for university 34 CONCLUSION 35 REFERENCES .I APPENDIX III iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS No Ambbreviation English full name Vietnamese meaning TMU Thuongmai University Trường Đại học Thương mại KLEs Koreans Learning Những người Hàn Quốc học English tiếng Anh Second Language Lý thuyết thụ đắc ngôn ngữ SLA Acquisition UG Universal Grammar Ngữ pháp phổ quát L1 First Language Ngôn ngữ mẹ đẻ L2 Second Language Ngôn ngữ thứ hai IELTS International English Hệ thống kiểm tra Anh ngữ quốc Language Testing tế System v LIST OF CHARTS Chart 3.1 Participants 15 Chart 3.2 Evaluate English speaking skills 15 Chart 3.3 Time of learning English .16 Chart 3.4 Frequency of studying English speaking skill in high school 17 Chart 3.5 Level of confidence when speaking English with foreigners .18 Chart 3.6 Ability to respond in English immediately 18 Chart 3.7 Frequency of practicing speaking English 19 Chart 3.8 Time of responding other people in English .19 Chart 3.9 Compare the frequency of practicing speaking English among English backgrounds 20 Chart 3.10 Compare the time of responding among English backgrounds 21 Chart 3.11 Criteria in factor vocabulary and grammar .22 Chart 3.12 Criteria in factor topical background knowledge 23 Chart 3.13 Criteria in factor the habit of translating from mother tongue to the sencond language 25 Chart 3.14 Criteria in factor repetition 26 Chart 3.15 Criteria in factor learning environment .27 vi CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY This chapter shows a general view of the study It includes the previous studies of the English reflex, the aim of the study, the research subject, the scope of the study, and the research methodology Rationale In the era of globalization, people need a tool as a connection between countries to cooperate and develop together, and English has been chosen to be the international language It is the bridge between nations, cultures, and people around the world That is not only the key to connecting with the rest of the world, it also opens a new chapter for students to widen their minds and gain knowledge from other countries As a result, the demand for human resources who know English increases day by day Understanding that, nowadays, in Vietnam, children are taught English when they are primary school students However, many students are facing the problem that, although they have learned English for many years, they still cannot speak it with basic knowledge The reason for this fact is the shortage in teaching and practicing speaking skill Actually, the ability to speak English among children in the countryside and in cities is not equal Students in cities often are better at speaking English than those in the countryside because they have more chances to approach English educational services, and they also have a more stable foundation As humans in this era are taking a leap in developing science and technology, perhaps it will not be a barrier for students in the countryside to learn and practice speaking English Nonetheless, it can nowadays, in Vietnam, children are taught English when they are primary school students However, many students are facing the problem that, although they have learned English for many years, they still cannot speak it with basic knowledge The reason for this fact is the shortage in teaching and practicing speaking skills Actually, the ability to speak English among children in the countryside and in cities is not equal Students in cities often are better at speaking English than those in the countryside because they have more chances to approach English educational services, and they also have a more stable foundation As humans in this era are taking a leap in developing science and technology, perhaps it will not be a barrier for students in the countryside to learn and practice speaking English Nonetheless, it cannot completely improve the reality of the lack of practice of English in schools They almost study the writing language to pass the exams at school, especially, the national high school exam After years of studying English as a major at TMU, I found that many freshmen have difficulties tackling English at universities while the requirement of English as an output condition for graduation is getting higher and higher Speaking skill seems to be a challenge for many students Even though they are English majors, they still have trouble speaking because their backgrounds are different Many of them have a good foundation in grammar and writing skill, however, their ability to speak is limited It seems that they are struggling with the speaking classes and tests instead of merely studying them Depending on the reality of the problem and the need to handle it, the author decided to choose the topic "A study on solutions to improve English reflex for freshmen in English Faculty of Thuongmai University" as a research topic This study is hoped to bring some new effective methods for practicing English reflexives to enhance the ability to speak English fluently Previous studies Reflex is a part of speaking, and it helps people fluently communicate in a language To reach the goal of speaking a foreign language smoothly, it requires not only vocabulary and grammar but also reflex 2.1 International studies According to research on Korean learners carried out by Seoul’s government (2006) in "Proceedings of the International Symposium on Automatic Detection of Errors in Pronunciation Training 2012, it shows that "The average Korean spends over 15,000 hours learning English from middle school through college, and despite this incredible effort, a survey by Seoul’s city government found that 74.2% of respondents couldn’t comfortably communicate in English with foreigners." One of the barriers is pointed out: "Many KLEs have not built strong spoken-communication strategies, they often revert to actively translating from their native language to English before speaking aloud." This is related to the English reflex, which occurs when they are unable to respond immediately to others and their ability to think in English is limited In another research by Shigenori Wakabayashi (1996), "The nature of interlanguage: SLA of English reflexes," he examined experimental data on SLA of English reflexes The author mentions three points: SLA is systematic L2 learners' interpretations of English reflex are attributed to their linguistic knowledge UG is available in SLA, and SLA of the referential properties of English reflex is carried out by (re)setting parameter values Marganet Thomas (1989) did a 30-item multiple-choice questionnaire in "The Interpretation of English Reflexes Pronouns by Non-Native Speakers," and the result showed that "The second language learners not seem to transfer first language (L1) grammar into the second language (L2), nor they recapitulate the course of L1 acquisition." The problem was pointed out as being that " These second language learners have set the governing category parameter too widely without positive evidence." 2.2 Vietnamese studies According to Vu Dinh Bac and Duong Thi Hoang (2020) in the article "Using Debate Technique to improve English speaking response for the second year English major students at Thai Nguyen University of Education", this research suggests using debate technique to enhance the ability in English reflex It is said that this method can improve communication skills through critical thinking and asking questions The authors implement the pre-test and post-test between lessons, and the result shows that participants' scores are known in advance Huynh Thi Bich Van (2014) suggests in the article "Using speech activity theory to improve speaking English in class" that we should create an environment for students where they can use English naturally She also mentions using an EnglishEnglish dictionary instead of an English-Vietnamese one Creating a habit of speaking English, intentionally or unintentionally, will help students increase the frequency of using English in their daily life The repetition of using vocabulary and grammar in speaking will make quick responses; therefore, the English reflexes are enhanced step by step ... communicate in a language To reach the goal of speaking a foreign language smoothly, it requires not only vocabulary and grammar but also reflex 2.1 International studies According to research on. .. information and receive information to create meaning Transferring and receiving the message are the main targets of speaking In the book "Essential Speaking Skills," Joanna Baker and Healther... factors affecting English? ??s learners The following factors are the main reasons why many people cannot have good reflexes 4.1 Vocabulary and grammar Lacking vocabulary and grammar is a common