An Investigation into the Use of Teaching Aids in Teaching English at Some Primary Schools in Hue City

TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIPiii ABSTRACTiv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSv TABLE OF CONTENTSvi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONSx LIST OF TABLESxi LIST OF FIGURESxii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1 1.1. Background and Rationale of the Study1 1.2. Aims of the Study2 1.3. Research Questions2 1.4. Scope of the Study2 1.5. Significance of the Study2 1.6. Organization of the Study3 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW4 2.1. Previous Studies Related to the Study4 2.2. Theoretical Background5 2.2.1. Age in Foreign Language Learning5 2.2.2. Features of the Young Learners5 2.2.2.1. Short Attention Spans and Much Physical Energy6 2.2.2.2. Enormous Capacity for Finding and Making Fun6 2.2.2.3. Delighting in Imagination and Fantasy6 2.2.2.4. Second-language Acquisition Capacity6 2.2.2.5. Being Enthusiastic and Lively as Learners7 2.2.3. Differences between Adults and Children in Language Learning7 2.2.3.1. Adults’ Greater Capacity for Understanding and Logical Thought8 2.2.3.2. Adults Have a Longer Concentration Span8 2.2.3.3. Children Are Motivated More Easily8 2.2.4. Principles in Teaching English to Young Learners9 2.3. Teaching Aids11 2.3.1. Definition of Teaching Aids11 2.3.2. Classification of Teaching Aids12 2.3.2.1. Visual Aids12 2.3.2.2. Audio Aids14 2.3.2.3. Audio-Visual Aids15 2.3.3. Guidelines for Using Teaching Aids in the Classroom17 2.3.4. Rationale for the Use of Teaching Aids in Language Teaching18 2.3.5. The Importance of Teaching Aids in Foreign Language Teaching mentioned through the Decision No.1400/QD-TTg dated 30 September 2008 by the Prime Minister20 2.4. Summary20 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY21 3.1. Overview21 3.2. Research Design and Approach21 3.3 Participants22 3.4. Data Collecting Instruments23 3.4.1. Questionnaire23 3.4.2. Interviews24 3.5. Data Analysis25 3.6. Procedures25 3.7. Summary26 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS27 4.1. The Reality of Teaching English and Using TAs in Teaching English for Children at Some Primary Schools in Hue City27 4.1.1. The Reality of Teaching English at Some Primary School in Hue city27 4.1.2. Teachers’ Perceptions on Using TAs32 4.1.3. Teachers’ Frequency of Using TAs33 4.1.4. Purposes of Using TAs in teaching English34 4.2. The Most Commonly Used Kinds of TAs in Teaching English for Children at Some Primary Schools in Hue City36 4.2.1. The Criteria for Selecting TAs36 4.2.2. The Kinds of TAs37 4.2.3 Teachers’ Frequency of Using Concrete Kinds of TAs39 4.2.4 Students’ Fondness towards Kinds of TAs41 4.2.5. Lesson Stages with TAs Used43 4.3. The Ways of Using TAs to Teach English to Children at Some Primary Schools in Hue City44 4.3.1. The Ways of Using TAs44 4.3.2. Teachers’ and Students’ Feelings when Using TAs44 4.4. Teachers’ Difficulties in Using TAs and Possible Solutions to Improve Teaching and Learning English with the Support of TAs46 4.4.1. Teachers’ Difficulties of Using TAs in Supporting English Teaching46 4.4.2. Possible Solutions to Improve Teaching and Learning English with the Support of TAs48 4.5. Summary50 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS51 5.1. A Summary of Key Findings51 5.2. Pedagogical Implications52 5.3. Some suggestions drawn from the results of the study53 5.3.1. For the students53 5.3.2. For teachers and schools54 5.4. Limitations of the study54 5.5. Recommendations for further study55 REFERENCES56 APPENDICES59

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES DANG XUAN THAO AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF TEACHING AIDS IN TEACHING ENGLISH AT SOME PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN HUE CITY MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 60140111 SUPERVISOR: ASSOC.PROF.DR. LUU QUY KHUONG HUE, 2013 i BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ ĐẶNG XUÂN THẢO SỬ DỤNG CÔNG CỤ HỖ TRỢ GIẢNG DẠY TRONG DẠY HỌC MÔN TIẾNG ANH CHO TRẺ EM Ở MỘT SỐ TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC TẠI THÀNH PHỐ HUẾ LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 60140111 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: PGS.TS LƯU QUÝ KHƯƠNG HUẾ, 2013 ii STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby acknowledge that this study is mine. The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true, used with permission from associates and have not been published elsewhere. Author Dang Xuan Thao iii ABSTRACT This study aims at surveying the use of teaching aids in teaching English at five primary schools in Hue city including Tran Quoc Toan, Le Loi, Nguyen Trai, Thuan Thanh and Vi Da Primary Schools. Especially, this study attempts to investigate the reality of using teaching aids, kinds of teaching aids and how to use these aids effectively in teaching English. It explores the benefits and the difficulties of using teaching aids in teaching and learning English. In addition, this research finds out the possible solutions of using teaching aids to motivate and improve the English teaching and learning process. The results obtained showed a generally positive motivation of grade 4 students towards learning English with the assistance of teaching aids. Based on this study, it could be concluded the application of teaching aids in supporting English teaching and learning must be encouraged as it helps to motivate students and develop a positive attitude towards learning English. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Hearty thanks are firstly given to my supervisor, Assoc.Prof.Dr. Luu Quy Khuong for his help and guidance in a number of ways. I owe him a great deal for his valuable advice and enthusiastic guidance as well as his various supports during the conducting of my work. I am grateful particularly to teachers and the students at primary schools in Hue City for their responses to the survey I conducted. I would also like to thank all teachers in the English Department who have provided me with useful knowledge and skills throughout my years at university. Moreover, thanks are due to my close friends who helped me to collect relevant materials and gave me support as well as advice. Finally, I wish to extend my thanks to all members in my family, especially my parents, who gave me precious encouragements during my writing process. v TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP iii ABSTRACT iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v TABLE OF CONTENTS vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xi LIST OF TABLES xii LIST OF FIGURES xiv CHAPTER 1 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. Background and Rationale of the Study 1 1.2. Aims of the Study 2 1.3. Research Questions 2 1.4. Scope of the Study 2 1.6. Organization of the Study 3 CHAPTER 2 4 LITERATURE REVIEW 4 2.1. Previous Studies Related to the Study 4 2.2. Theoretical Background 5 2.2.1. Age in Foreign Language Learning 5 2.2.2. Features of the Young Learners 5 2.2.2.1. Short Attention Spans and Much Physical Energy 6 2.2.2.2. Enormous Capacity for Finding and Making Fun 6 vi 2.2.2.3. Delighting in Imagination and Fantasy 6 2.2.2.4. Second-language Acquisition Capacity 7 2.2.2.5. Being Enthusiastic and Lively as Learners 7 2.2.3. Differences between Adults and Children in Language Learning 8 2.2.3.1. Adults’ Greater Capacity for Understanding and Logical Thought 8 2.2.3.2. Adults Have a Longer Concentration Span 8 2.2.3.3. Children Are Motivated More Easily 9 2.2.4. Principles in Teaching English to Young Learners 9 2.3. Teaching Aids 12 2.3.1. Definition of Teaching Aids 12 2.3.2. Classification of Teaching Aids 12 2.3.2.1. Visual Aids 12 2.3.2.2. Audio Aids 15 2.3.2.3. Audio-Visual Aids 16 2.3.3. Guidelines for Using Teaching Aids in the Classroom 17 2.3.4. Rationale for the Use of Teaching Aids in Language Teaching 18 2.3.5. The Importance of Teaching Aids in Foreign Language Teaching mentioned through the Decision No.1400/QD-TTg dated 30 September 2008 by the Prime Minister 20 2.4. Summary 21 CHAPTER 3 21 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 21 3.1. Overview 21 3.2. Research Design and Approach 21 vii 3.3 Participants 22 3.4. Data Collecting Instruments 23 3.4.1. Questionnaire 23 3.4.2. Interviews 24 3.5. Data Analysis 25 3.6. Procedures 25 3.7. Summary 27 CHAPTER 4 27 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 27 4.1. The Reality of Teaching English and Using TAs in Teaching English for Children at Some Primary Schools in Hue City 28 4.1.1. The Reality of Teaching English at Some Primary School in Hue city .28 4.1.2. Teachers’ Perceptions on Using TAs 33 4.1.3. Teachers’ Frequency of Using TAs 34 4.1.4. Purposes of Using TAs in teaching English 35 4.2. The Most Commonly Used Kinds of TAs in Teaching English for Children at Some Primary Schools in Hue City 37 4.2.1. The Criteria for Selecting TAs 37 4.2.2. The Kinds of TAs 38 4.2.3 Teachers’ Frequency of Using Concrete Kinds of TAs 40 4.2.4 Students’ Fondness towards Kinds of TAs 42 4.2.5. Lesson Stages with TAs Used 44 4.3. The Ways of Using TAs to Teach English to Children at Some Primary Schools in Hue City 45 viii 4.3.1. The Ways of Using TAs 45 4.3.2. Teachers’ and Students’ Feelings when Using TAs 45 4.4. Teachers’ Difficulties in Using TAs and Possible Solutions to Improve Teaching and Learning English with the Support of TAs 47 4.4.1. Teachers’ Difficulties of Using TAs in Supporting English Teaching 47 4.4.2. Possible Solutions to Improve Teaching and Learning English with the Support of TAs 49 4.5. Summary 51 CHAPTER 5 52 CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 52 5.1. A Summary of Key Findings 52 5.2. Pedagogical Implications 53 5.3. Some suggestions drawn from the results of the study 54 5.3.1. For the students 54 5.3.2. For teachers and schools 55 5.4. Limitations of the study 55 5.5. Recommendations for further study 56 REFERENCES 57 APPENDICES 60 ix x [...]... currently used in teaching English at some primary schools in Hue, the effectiveness of using them as well as teachers’ difficulties in using these aids 1 during teaching process, the researcher chose to conduct the research entitled An Investigation into the Use of Teaching Aids in Teaching English at Some Primary Schools in Hue City 1.2 Aims of the Study This thesis is aimed to investigate the use of teaching. .. schools in Hue? 2 What are the most commonly used kinds of teaching aids in English language classes at some primary schools in Hue? 3 How are teaching aids used in teaching English language at some primary schools in Hue? 1.4 Scope of the Study This paper is carried out at some Primary Schools in Hue city including Tran Quoc Toan, Le Loi, Nguyen Trai, Thuan Thanh and Vi Da Primary Schools The main participants... participants will be the teachers of English and the pupils at the aboved- mentioned primary schools 1.5 Significance of the Study Even though there are a number of researches into the importance of using teaching aids in teaching English to children at primary schools, it is surprising that there is not much investigation into the reality of using teaching aids, kinds of teaching aids and how to use these... aids effectively in teaching English at some primary schools in Hue City Therefore, this research hopes to provide an insight 2 into the reality of using teaching aids in English language classes at some primary schools in Hue city The result of this study is expected to contribute to applying teaching aids in teaching English to children In theory, it hopes to find out the reality of using teaching. .. Yorio (1987) language teachers used a variety of teaching aids to make class room activities interesting and interactive Teaching aids are important in the teaching- learning process In Vietnam, the importance of using teaching aids in English teaching attracts the attention of many researchers and teachers Teaching aids are indispensable means in teaching English, especially in teaching primary school... However, the actual situation of using teaching aids in teaching English for children has not been paid attention and assessed moderately at primary schools Therefore, the researcher of this study finds it necessary to conduct an investigation on using teaching aids in teaching English at primary schools in Hue City and suggest the most appropriate and effective methods to improve the learning and teaching. .. teaching aids in teaching English, the most commonly used kinds of teaching aids as well as the ways of using these aids effectively In application, it is hoped that the implications of the study will be useful to improve the teaching and learning English at some primary schools in Hue City 1.6 Organization of the Study This paper is divided into five main chapters as follows: Chapter 1: Introduction... teaching aids in teaching English Furthermore, this thesis is carried out to provide the teachers of primary schools in Hue with some practical ways of using teaching aids to enhance the quality of English languge teaching to children 1.3 Research Questions This research tries to answer the following questions: 1 What is the reality of using teaching aids in English language classes at some primary schools. .. students at primary schools in Hue city think about the use of TAs in teaching English, the researcher has resorted to the qualitative method to explore those issues As a result, the combination of both quantitative and qualitative data would enrich the overall picture of results that the study hopes to provide 3.3 Participants In order to investigate the use of TAs in teaching English at 5 primary schools. .. Guidelines for Using Teaching Aids in the Classroom As mentioned above at 2.3.1 “Definition of Teaching Aids , teaching media is a different expression of teaching aids, but both of them are used in the modern method of teaching language Brinton (1991) assumes that guidelines for the selection, adaptation, development and implementation of media materials do not differ radically from the kind of guidelines . Teaching Aids 12 2.3 .2. 1. Visual Aids 12 2.3 .2. 2. Audio Aids 15 2. 3 .2. 3. Audio-Visual Aids 16 2. 3.3. Guidelines for Using Teaching Aids in the Classroom 17 2. 3.4. Rationale for the Use of Teaching. Physical Energy 6 2. 2 .2. 2. Enormous Capacity for Finding and Making Fun 6 vi 2. 2 .2. 3. Delighting in Imagination and Fantasy 6 2. 2 .2. 4. Second-language Acquisition Capacity 7 2. 2 .2. 5. Being Enthusiastic. Concentration Span 8 2. 2.3.3. Children Are Motivated More Easily 9 2. 2.4. Principles in Teaching English to Young Learners 9 2. 3. Teaching Aids 12 2.3 .1. Definition of Teaching Aids 12 2.3 .2. Classification