A study on the current situation of using speaking skills of first year students at the english faculty, thuongmai university and some suggested improvement solutions

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY GRADUATION PAPER Topic A STUDY ON THE CURRENT SITUATION OF USING SPEAKING SKILLS OF FIRST YEAR STUDENTS AT THE ENGLISH FACULTY, THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY AND SOME SUGGE[.]

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY - - GRADUATION PAPER Topic: A STUDY ON THE CURRENT SITUATION OF USING SPEAKING SKILLS OF FIRST- YEAR STUDENTS AT THE ENGLISH FACULTY, THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY AND SOME SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENT SOLUTIONS Supervisor: Ha Thi Vu Ha (M.A) Student: Le Thi Thu Thao Class: K54N4 Student Code: 18D170185 HANOI - 2022 ABSTRACT Nowadays, English has become the most widely used language Using English fluently will bring many opportunities and is a basic condition for accessing and updating knowledge sources from all over the world In which, speaking skill is recognized as an extremely important skill This study aims to find out the current state of using English speaking skills of first-year English majors at Thuongmai University, and after the analysis process, obtain the results and data to from which to propose some effective solutions to improve this situation To conduct the study, 100 first-year English majors were invited to participate in this study Specifically, they received a survey questionnaire that asked them to fill it out with their own opinions At the same time, they also conducted personal interview questions to determine the reality of learning English speaking skills I have applied both qualitative and quantitative methods in my research with data collection tools such as questionnaires and interviews The results of the study will highlight the reality that students face when using speaking skills, in order to find out the most effective causes and solutions to improve their English speaking skills i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would want to express my gratitude to Ms Ha Thi Vu Ha, my adviser at Thuongmai University's Faculty of English When I fell into a snag or had a question about my research or writing, the door to her office was always open She always let me my own work on this assignment, but she always pointed me in the proper path when she thought I needed it I'd also want to thank the 100 first-year English majors who participated in the study project's validation survey The validation of the survey could not have been completed without their enthusiastic participation and input Finally, I want to convey my heartfelt gratitude to my parents and friends for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout my years of study, as well as during the research and writing of this thesis Without them, this feat would not have been possible Thank you very much Author Lê Thị Thu Thảo ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vi CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale .1 1.2 Previous studies 1.3 Aims of the study 1.4 Research Subjects 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Research methodology 1.6.1 The place and time of research 1.6.2 Participants 1.6.3 Methods of data collection 1.6.4 Method of data analysis .6 1.6.5 Data collection procedure 1.6.6 Data analysis and statistics 1.7 Organization of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Overview of speaking 2.1.1 Definition of speaking 2.1.2 The role of speaking skills 2.1.3 Types of speaking 10 2.1.4 Components of speaking skills 11 2.2 The main factors influencing learners’ English speaking skills 14 2.3 Problems in speaking English 16 2.4 Strategies in speaking English effectively 19 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS 21 3.1 Questionnaire findings .21 iii 3.1.1 The reality of speaking skills of freshmen at English Faculty - Thuongmai University .21 3.1.2 Difficulties in speaking English of the first-year English majored students 29 3.2 Discussion on the reality of speaking skills of freshmen at English Faculty – Thuongmai University 33 3.3 Interview findings .34 CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 36 4.1 For English faculty and teachers at Thuongmai University 36 4.2 For first-year English-major students 37 4.3 Recommendations and suggestions for TMU to help students improve their speaking skills 39 CONCLUSION 41 REFERENCES APPENDIX iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviations Meaning WTO Word Trade Organization GPA Grade Point Average MA Master of Arts TMU Thuongmai University EFL English as a foreign language v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1: The origin of the students and the students’ English learning time 21 Chart 1: The students' assessment of learning the speaking skills 22 Chart 2: Students attitude toward learning English speaking 23 Chart 3.3 Students’ evaluation their level of speaking 25 Chart 3.4 Students’ frequency of practicing English speaking skills 26 Chart 3.5 Students’ feeling in speaking English 27 Chart 3.6 Students’ participation in speaking class .28 Chart 7: The frequency of students speaking and having problems in learning English speaking skills 29 Chart 3.8: Student’s difficulties and problems faced in speaking English 30 Chart 3.9: Students’ solutions to overcome and improve their English speaking skills .32 vi CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale English has become a prominent language in the present globalization trend, as it is the official language of more than 53 countries and territories, and the second language of almost 100 countries and languages More than a billion people use it every day in practically every profession, including trade, healthcare, media, and tourism It may be argued that if someone speaks English well, they will be able to obtain a passport that will allow them to connect with the modern world in the current and future globalization age To put it another way, it is a nice gateway for each individual to develop their knowledge and thinking, generate good possibilities, and learn more interesting things in life Knowing English will also help you make more international friends because it is used as a bridge in most gatherings and forums around the world to share knowledge and experiences Because most higher-paying professions go to those who speak strong English, English is a bright light in professional growth Simply said, English is the dominant business language around the world, and students who operate in a globalized setting must be able to communicate in English According to JobStreet Kuala Lumpur statistics, people who are proficient in English earn 22 percent more than those who are not It is now hard to stay up with global standards without having a working grasp of English Because of its importance and benefits, the English language has grown in importance It allows students to reach out in an ever-changing world, giving them access to an unbelievable amount of information and insight into something new and exciting Furthermore, when Vietnam joins the WTO, studying English will become more important than ever As a result, the first requirement for Vietnamese students to be able to integrate into the international economy and exchange cultures with countries all over the world is that they have solid English abilities, particularly speaking skills The major goals of learning English, according to Nunan (2003), are to learn to talk and communicate Many foreign or second language learners, according to Richards (2008), place a high importance on developing English speaking abilities Because of the impacts from their mother tongue, the reality of using students' English speaking skills is still challenging, and their language ability or learning methods are not going in the right way, according to my research and experience It is fair to say that Vietnamese students in general, and TMU in particular, continue to struggle with English communication Therefore, in connection with helping first-year English majors to use speaking skills better, I would like to conduct a research project “A study on the current situation of using speaking skills of first-year students at the English Faculty, Thuongmai University and some suggested improvement solutions” aims to find out the English speaking status of first-year English majors and also propose solutions to contribute to solving those challenges 1.2 Previous studies In the past there have been many outstanding studies done related to this field such as: Firstly, a study on “Improving students’ speaking skill through speaking board games of grade VIII of SMP N 13 Yogyakarta in the academic year of 2013/2014” was conducted by Lia Amalia Nirmawati at English Education Study Program English Education Department Faculty of Languages and arts Yogyakarta State University The subjects of the study are students of class VIII A of SMP N 13 Yogyakarta In addition, English teachers, researchers and research collaborators have worked together to find problems in the process of teaching and learning English, thereby evaluating and reflecting on the use of actions that have been adopted The study's major data, which was gathered through interviews, was qualitatively examined, and it was backed up by other material, such as images and videos, which were also analyzed and used qualitatively For a quantitative study of student scores, descriptive statistics are used The results of the research suggest that using board games to teach speaking has enhanced students' speaking skills in a number of areas, including vocabulary, pronunciation, and reflexes, making them more confident in their ability to communicate in English Furthermore, this aids in the improvement of the student's GPA Through the board game of speaking, research is carried out to discover and solve problems associated to speaking skills Secondly, an action research project on “Enhancement of students’ English speaking in Bangladesh: theory and practices” to yield positive results improves communication at Manarat International University Studies and is conducted by Zillur Rahman, A.F.M Moshiur Rahman and Mst Kulsum Begum Towards the goal of identifying students’ strengths and weaknesses, focusing on methods of improvement and solving problems students face to improve speaking skills to research new methods in education and travel, work abroad encourages students to learn languages, develop fluency The research method is qualitative such as actual classroom observations and research papers, literary journals, semester papers, interviews, In this study, several factors related to the improvement of students’ speaking skills were pointed out and at the same time highlighted the importance of its applicability in Bangladesh Also, another study on “Three-step interview strategy to enhance speaking skill of second year college students” by Nguyen Hai Quynh, MA Thai Nguyen University of Sciences - Thai Nguyen University and Vu Thi Van, MA Viet bac Art - Culture College made This study was conducted using a semi-empirical method to determine the effectiveness of using the three-step interview strategy in teaching speaking to second-year university students at Viet Bac College of Culture and Arts Method of building a questionnaire for 40 students in two classes TNK5 and QLVHK6, in which TNK5 control group and QLVHK6 is the experimental group It has since determined the level of speaking skills of second-year university students in all respects And from the results of the study, it can be concluded that the three-step interview strategy brings positive results in teaching students’ English speaking skills 1.3 Aims of the study This study delves into the analysis of the current situation of English speaking skills of first-year students at TMU and, more importantly, offers effective solutions to help students improve their English speaking skills, specifically with the following main purposes: Firstly, the study presents the underlying theories of speaking skills to help readers have a basic understanding of speaking skills Readers will gain insight into ... academic year of 2013/2014” was conducted by Lia Amalia Nirmawati at English Education Study Program English Education Department Faculty of Languages and arts Yogyakarta State University The. .. conduct a research project ? ?A study on the current situation of using speaking skills of first- year students at the English Faculty, Thuongmai University and some suggested improvement solutions? ??... shape and meaning of the discussion are influenced by the context, the participants, and the conversation''s goal As a result, speaking has a significant impact on human-to-human communication As