Factors influencing grammar learning of in service students of english at ussh m a 60 14 10

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY - HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE FACTORS INFLUENCING GRAMMAR LEARNING OF IN-SERVICE STUDENTS OF ENGLISH AT USSH A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL by LE THI THANH LAN Supervised by Senior lecturer: PHAN THI KIM LOAN, M.A., HO CHI MINH CITY, JULY 2011 i CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: FACTORS INFLUENCING GRAMMAR LEARNING OF IN-SERVICE STUDENTS OF ENGLISH AT USSH in terms of the statement of Requirements for Theses in Master’s Programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee Ho Chi Minh City, July 14, 2011 LE THI THANH LAN i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Le Thi Thanh Lan, being the candidate for the degree of Master of TESOL, accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Library for care, loan or reproduction of theses Ho Chi Minh City, July 14, 2011 LE THI THANH LAN ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms Phan Thi Kim Loan, who inspired initial ideas for the thesis in me, devoted her valuable time to reading my thesis with great care, gave thoughtful comments and raised critical questions in completion of this thesis I am grateful to the teachers who spent their precious time responding to the questionnaires and sharing with me their teaching experience I also wish to thank the students who were responsive to the survey questionnaires and the in-depth interview The thesis could not have been completed without them My special thanks go to Ms Pham Thi Ngoc Hoa, Mr Nguyen Hoang Linh, Dr Le Hoang Dung, who gave me useful advice and helped me think through the problems at the beginning of conducting the survey Finally, I appreciate my best friends for their help in terms of references and ideas I am greatly indebted to my parents, who have always been wholeheartedly supportive and understanding so that I could devote all the time to the writing of the thesis iii ABSTRACT This thesis discusses factors which influence grammar learning of in-service students of English at USSH Data were collected through two survey questionnaires: one for teachers, another for in-service students who have just completed the grammar program; and the interview for two different groups of students: high-performing and low-performing students The problems were identified and categorized under five factors in descending order of influence: learners, methodology, materials and syllabus, learning environment, and assessment However, there is a contrast between the two groups in choice of the influence of the factor learners This factor has the most important influence on grammar learning for the high-performing students whereas the low-performing ones consider it less important than the factor materials and syllabus The results of the study also show some real existing problems in in-service grammar teaching and learning, which are (1) lack of teaching facilities for grammar teaching and learning, (2) lack of matching the meaning of English structures to their equivalents in Vietnamese language, (3) students’ low frequency of practice, (4) a problem rising from program innovation, (5) inappropriateness of materials, and (6) lack of application of grammar to speaking and writing Based on the findings of the study, the thesis contributes some reasonable recommendations to facilitating grammar teaching and learning On the one hand, learning environment should be well-equipped for teaching and learning better and more interestingly Students should be provided with the appropriate materials (coursebooks or textbooks) and syllabus On the other hand, grammar learning should be taught in the light of integrated approach It needs good input not only for presentation and practice of form and meaning but also for production in term of speaking and writing Obviously, teachers are responsible for carrying out changes of teaching methods to help students apply grammar to speaking and writing More importantly, students play a crucial role in serious practice and frequent application of what they have learned iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Certificate of originality i Retention and use of the thesis ii Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv Table of contents v List of tables ix Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1.Rationale of the study .1 1.2.Background to the study 1.3.Aims of the study 1.4 The significance of the study 1.5 Overview of the study Chapter Literature review 2.1 Definitions of grammar; the importance of grammar in English teaching and learning 2.1.1 Definitions of grammar 2.1.2 The importance of grammar in English teaching and learning .7 2.2 Perspectives about grammar teaching and learning 2.2.1 Principles for grammar teaching 2.2.2 Different points of view about grammar teaching and learning 11 2.2.2.1 Difference between traditional method and communicative approach 11 2.2.2.2 Explicit and implicit teaching 11 2.2.2.3 Teaching grammar as product and as process 12 2.2.2.4 Teaching grammar in combination of traditional structures and communicative functions 13 v 2.3 The role of materials and syllabus on grammar learning 14 2.3.1 Definition of materials and syllabus 15 2.3.2 The necessity of a coursebook in learning 15 2.4 Teaching grammar to adult learners .16 2.4.1 Differences between teaching adult learners from teaching younger learners 17 2.4.2 Some characteristics that adult learners bring to class 19 2.4.3 The importance of motivation for grammar learning 21 2.4.4 The need for integration of grammar teaching and learning 25 2.4.4.1 Advantages of the integrated-skill approach 26 2.4.4.2 Grammar and speaking 26 2.4.4.3 Grammar and reading 27 2.4.4.4 Grammar and writing 27 2.5 Local researches on grammar teaching and learning 28 2.6 Summary 30 Chapter 3: Methodology .31 3.1 Research questions .31 3.2 Research design .31 3.2.1 Subjects .31 3.2.1.1 Students 31 3.2.1.2 Teachers 32 3.2.2 Instruments: questionnaires and in-depth interview 32 3.2.2.1 Questionnaires for students 32 3.2.2.2 Questionnaires for teachers 34 3.2.2.3 In-depth interview 36 3.2.3 Data collection procedures 37 3.3 Summary 37 Chapter 4: Data analyses and findings 38 vi 4.1 Data analyses 38 4.1.1 The in-service students’ background 38 4.1.2 Factors influencing grammar learning of in-service students .40 4.2 Summary from the in-depth interview 67 4.2.1 The reasons for students’ learning result .67 4.2.2 The degree of influence of the five factors on students’ grammar learning 69 4.2.3 Other influential factors on students’ grammar learning besides the five above-mentioned factors .70 4.3 Findings 70 4.3.1 Learning environment factor: Lack of teaching facilities 70 4.3.2 Learners factor 71 4.3.2.1 Lack of matching English structures’ meaning to their equivalents in Vietnamese language .71 4.3.2.2 Students’ low frequency of practice 71 4.3.3 Assessment factor: A motivational factor 72 4.3.4 Syllabus and materials factor .72 4.3.4.1 A problem rising from program innovation 72 4.3.4.2 The inappropriateness of materials 72 4.3.5 Methodology factor: Lack of application of grammar to speaking and writing 73 4.4 Summary 73 Chapter 5: Implications and recommendations 74 5.1 Implications 74 5.2 Recommendations 75 5.2.1 To the institution 76 5.2.2 To students 78 5.2.3 To teachers 80 5.2.4 Some techniques for teaching grammar to in-service students 82 vii 5.3 Summary 92 Conclusion 93 Bibliography 95 Appendix 1: Questionnaire to students (Vietnamese version) .100 Appendix 2: Questionnaire to students (English version) 104 Appendix 3: Questionnaire to teachers (Vietnamese version) .108 Appendix 4: Questionnaire to teachers (English version) 112 Appendix 5: In-depth interview 116 Appendix 6: The in-service student respondentss’ occupation 117 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1 Grammar program to in-service students at USSH Table 3.1 Questionnaire for in-service students Table 3.2 Questionnaire for teachers Table 4.1 The in-service students’ gender, age and occupation Table 4.2 The main purposes of learning English Table 4.3 The in-service students’ and teachers’ comments on learning conditions affecting grammar class Table 4.4 The in-service students’ ideas about the influence of instructors’ attitude toward grammar teaching on grammar learning Table 4.5 The in-service students’ and teachers’ opinions about the importance of grammar learning to English learning Table 4.6 The reasons for the importance of grammar learning Table 4.7 The influence of Vietnamese language on English grammar learning Table 4.8 The influence of age (older learners) on English grammar learning Table 4.9 The influence of class attendance and participation score on grammar learning Table 4.10 The influence of final exam score on grammar learning Table 4.11 The in-service students’ views on Practical English Grammar Table 4.12 The in-service students’ views on Practical English Grammar Table 4.13 The inservice students’ views on Mosaic Table 4.14 The in-service students’ views on Mosaic Table 4.15 The in-service sudents’ and teachers’ views on the amount of time for grammar class Table 4.16 Exploration of techniques used to present a new structure Table 4.17 Exploration of techniques used in practice and production stage ix a Giai đoạn trình giáo viên bày cấu trúc ngữ pháp  Giáo viên đọc dịch cấu trúc  Cho cấu trúc đưa ví dụ minh họa  Cho ví dụ đưa cấu trúc  Cho đoạn văn chứa cấu trúc, bạn tìm gạch  Cung cấp đọc ngắn để trình bày cấu trúc cách sử dụng  Cung cấp nhiều tình để trình bày cấu trúc cách sử dụng  Sử dụng tranh ảnh để trình bày cấu trúc cách sử dụng b Giai đoạn luyện tập sản sinh cấu trúc ngữ pháp học  Cung cấp nhiều tình giúp bạn sử dụng cấu trúc  Cá nhân cho ví dụ cấu trúc với tình khác  Cung cấp tranh ảnh giúp bạn sử dụng cấu trúc  Áp dụng ngữ pháp vào nói đối thoại  Áp dụng ngữ pháp viết ngắn với đề tài giáo viên đưa bạn tự chọn  Sử dụng trò chơi  Sử dụng hát  Kể chuyện  Làm tập theo cặp nhóm  Làm tập cá nhân lớp  Làm tập nhà giáo viên không sửa  Làm tập nhà giáo viên sửa số  Làm tập nhà giáo viên sửa tất 16 Vái ý kiến đóng góp cho việc học ngữ pháp: Một lần xin cảm ơn giúp đỡ bạn 103 APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE (For in-service students: English version) Dear research participants, This questionnaire aims at collecting data for a study entitled “Factors infuencing Grammar learning of in-service students of English at USSH” Please read all the options and put an X in the boxes next to them as your answer To open questions, please write your answers in the space provided Your true answers are very important to the success of the study They are used for research purposes only and we promise that no personal information will be released Date: …………………… Part 1: Personal Data Student’s name: ………………………………… Class: ………………… Year of birth: …………… Gender:Male  Female  Occupation: ………………………………………………………………… Your main purpose of learning English is:  Traveling  Studying oversea  Serving work  Degree only  Just loving English Others: Part 2: Student’s Awareness of Grammar Learning and Factors Influencing Grammar Learning Your comments on the following factors affecting on grammar class a Class lighting is good enough yes  no  b Class is influenced by the surrounding noise yes  no  c Teaching condition is well-equipped yes  no  Your comments on teaching attitudes of instructors  Instructors are positive, active and enthusiastic  Instructors are negative, passive and unenthusiastic In your opinion, how does the above-mentioned teaching attitude influence grammar learning?  Negative  Not at all  Positive In your opinion, how important is grammar learning to English learning? Scale of importance is: 1. Unimportant 2. Slightly important 3. Undecided 4. Very important 5. Extremely important (if you choose box or in Question 4, you will move to Question 6; if box or 5, please answer Question and then move to Question 7; if box 3, move to Question 7) 104 Why you think learning grammar is important?  Learning grammar is fun  Learning grammar makes your listening skill better  Learning grammar makes your reading skill better  Learning grammar helps you speak English better and grammatically  Learning grammar helps you write better and grammatically Other ideas: Why you think learning grammar is unimportant?  Learning grammar is boring  Grammar is unnecessary in English use  Grammar is useless for other skills  Grammar is not applied to oral communication in real life  Grammar is not applied to written communication in real life Other ideas: In your opinion, how does Vietnamese language influence English grammar learning?  Disadvantaging grammar learning  Not influencing grammar learning  Facilitating Grammar learning Other ideas: In your opinion, how does the age (older learners) have an impact on grammar learning?  Difficult to remember, easy to forget  No impact  Easy to absorb Other ideas: How attendance and participating scores have influence on your grammar learning?  Having no feeling for learning  Being under pressure  Having no influence  Being in attendance regularly  Preparing lesson better  Getting better result in study Other ideas: 10 How the final exam scores affect on your grammar learning?  Putting you under high pressure to learn  Having no effect  Driving you to learn hard  Making you learn better Other ideas: 105 11 Which materials you ever learn?  Practical English Grammar (P1, for short)  Mosaic (M1, for short)  Practical English Grammar (P2, for short)  Mosaic (M2, for short) Other ideas: 12 Your comments on the materials which you choose above Agreement scale is: Strongly disagree Disagree Undecided Agree Strongly agree P1 P2 M1 M2 others 12.1 Clear layout, organization, …… …… …… …… …… instruction and print easy to read 12.2 Grammar points with clear explanation, understandable examples …… …… …… …… ….… (Good Grammar presentation) 12.3 Varied, interesting topics and tasks (encourage learners to communicate …… …… …… …… …… fluently and precisely: Good practice) 12.4 Material language appropriate for …… …… …… …… …… learners’ level 13 What you think about schedule / amount of time for Grammar class?  Very little  A little  Enough  Much  Too much 14 How have you been taught Grammar at USSH ? a Presentation stage  Using grammar translation  Presenting the form and meaning deductively  Presenting the form and meaning inductively  Asking students to identify and underline the form in passage  Presenting the form and meaning through short readings  Presenting the form and meaning through conversations  Presenting the form and meaning through situations  Presenting the form and meaning by using pictures Other ideas: b Practice and production stage  Providing many situations for students to use new structures  Asking students to give examples in different situations  Supplying pictures for students to use new structures  Asking students to apply the new structure to speaking or making a conversation  Asking students to apply the new structure to writing topics they choose or given topics  Games  Songs  Story-telling  Doing written exercises in textbooks in groups or pairs in class 106  Doing written exercises in textbooks individually in class  Doing homework and none corrected  Doing homework and some corrected  Doing homework and all corrected Other ideas: 15 In your opinion, which methods can lead you to the success of grammar learning? Agreement scale is: Strongly disagree Disagree Undecided Agree Strongly agree a Presentation stage  Using grammar translation  Presenting the form and meaning deductively  Presenting the form and meaning inductively  Asking students to identify and underline the form in passage  Presenting the form and meaning through short readings  Presenting the form and meaning through conversations  Presenting the form and meaning through situations  Presenting the form and meaning by using pictures b Practice and production stage  Providing many situations for students to use new structures  Asking students to give examples in different situations  Supplying pictures for students to use new structures  Asking students to apply the new structure to speaking or making a conversation  Asking students to apply the new structure to writing topics they choose or given topics  Games  Songs  Story-telling  Doing written exercises in textbooks in groups or pairs in class  Doing written exercises in textbooks individually in class  Doing homework and none corrected  Doing homework and some corrected  Doing homework and all corrected 16 Please contribute your opinions to better grammar teaching and learning Thank again for your help 107 APPENDIX Một số câu hỏi khảo sát (Dành cho giảng viên) Chào quý Thầy / Cô, Những câu hỏi nhằm thu thập liệu cho đề tài nghiên cứu “những yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến việc học ngữ pháp sinh viên chức ngành tiếng Anh trường ĐH KHXH&NV” Kính mong q Thầy / Cơ vui lòng bớt chút thời gian trả lời giúp câu hỏi sau cách đánh dấu  vào câu trả lời chọn (có thể có nhiều lựa chọn cho câu hỏi) Đối với câu cần ý kiến cụ thể, xin quý Thầy / Cô vui lòng ghi rõ vào khoảng trống chừa sẵn Những câu trả lời quý Thầy / Cô quan trọng cho thành công đề tài Chúng sử dụng vào mục đích nghiên cứu mà thơi xin hứa không tiết lộ thông tin cá nhân quý Thầy / Cô Chúng xin chân thành cảm ơn giúp đỡ c quý Thầy / Cô Phần I: Thông tin cá nhân Giới tính: Nam  Nữ  Học vị:…………………… Chuyên môn giảng dạy: ………………………………………………………… Thầy / Cô dạy tiếng Anh bao lâu:……………………………………… Thầy / Cô có thích dạy ngữ pháp khơng?  Hồn tồn khơng thích  thích  Khơng có ý kiến  thích  Rất thích Tại sao? Phần II: Quan điểm giáo viên yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến việc dạy học Ngữ pháp tiếng Anh cho hệ chức trường đại học XHNV Thầy / Cơ nhận xét yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến việc dạy học ngữ pháp? a Ánh sáng lớp học có đầy đủ khơng có  khơng  b Lớp học có bị tiếng ồn ảnh hưởng khơng có  khơng  c Trang thiết bị có đầy đủ khơng có  khơng  Những yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến việc học ngữ pháp sinh viên nào? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Theo Thầy / Cơ, dạy ngữ pháp có cần máy chiếu (projector) không? sao? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Theo Thầy / Cơ, thái độ giảng dạy giáo viên có ảnh hưởng đến việc học ngữ pháp nào?  Tiêu cực  khơng ảnh hưởng  tích cực Tại sao? 108 Theo Thầy / Cô, mức độ quan trọng việc học ngữ pháp nào? 1. Khơng quan trọng 2. Ít quan trọng 3. Khơng có ý kiến 4. Quan trọng 5. Rất quan trọn (Nếu chọn 1,2 trả lời câu6; chọn trả lời tiếp câu5 chuyển sang câu7; chọn chuyển sang câu 7) Vì học ngữ pháp quan trọng?  Học ngữ pháp vui  Ngữ pháp giúp bạn nghe, hiểu tốt  Ngữ pháp giúp bạn nói tốt, ngữ pháp  Ngữ pháp giúp bạn viết tốt, ngữ pháp  Ngữ pháp giúp bạn đọc tiếng Anh tốt Ý kiến khác: Vì học ngữ pháp khơng quan trọng?  Học ngữ pháp chán  Ngữ pháp không cần thiết sử dụng tiếng Anh  Ngữ pháp không giúp ích cho kỹ khác  Học ngữ pháp khơng ứng dụng vào thực tế nói tiếng Anh  Học ngữ pháp không ứng dụng vào thực tế viết tiếng Anh Ý kiến khác: Theo Thầy / Cô, tiếng Việt (ngữ pháp tiếng việt) ảnh hưởng đến việc học Ngữ pháp tiếng Anh nào?  Gây khó khăn  khơng ảnh hưởng  giúp ích cho việc học Ý kiến khác: Biện pháp giải khó khăn tiếng Việt gây Tuổi tác (người lớn tuổi) có ảnh hưởng đến việc học Ngữ pháp khơng?  học khó nhớ, mau qn  khơng ảnh hưởng  học dễ tiếp thu Ý kiến khác: Tại sao? Thầy / Cơ có cho điểm q trình học tham gia hoạt động lớp khơng?  Có  Khơng Nếu có, để sinh viên……… Nếu khơng, vì………  học  làm sinh viên không thích học  chuẩn bị tơt  làm sinh viên bị áp lực khơng học  có kết học tốt  khơng có tác động đến việc học Ýkiến khác:……………………………… Ýkiến khác:……………………………… 109 10 Thầy / Cơ dạy giáo trình Ngữ pháp cho hệ chức trường ĐH KHXH&NV?  Practical English Grammar (P1)  Mosaic (M1)  Practical English Grammar (P2)  Mosaic (M2) Ý kiến khác: 11 Thầy / Cơ có nhận xét giáo trình dạy cho sinh viên chức trường ĐH KHXH & NV? mức độ đồng ý là: Rất không đồng ý Khơng đồng ý Khơng có ý kiến Đồng ý Rất đồng ý 11.1 Bố cục cách trình bày giáo trình thích hợp, rõ ràng, dễ học 11.2 Các điểm ngữ pháp trình bày ngắn gọn, có giải thích ví dụ dễ hiểu 11.3 Giáo trình cung cấp đủ dạng hoạt động tập (khuyến khích giao tiếp lưu lốt, xác) 11.4 Ngơn ngữ giáo trình phù hợp với trình trình độ sinh viên P1 P2 M1 M2 Khác …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… ….… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… 12 Theo Thầy / Cơ, chương trình học có phù hợp trình độ sinh viên khơng?  Có  Không 13 Theo Thầy / Cô, thời lượng dành cho dạy Ngữ pháp nào?  Quá  Ít  Đủ  Nhiều  Quá nhiều 14 Thầy / Cô dạy ngữ pháp cho hệ chức trường ĐH KHXH&NV theo cách thức nào? a Giai đoạn trình bày cấu trúc ngữ pháp  Giáo viên đọc dịch cấu trúc  Cho cấu trúc đưa ví dụ minh họa  Cho ví dụ đưa cấu trúc  Cho đoạn văn chứa cấu trúc, bạn tìm gạch  Cung cấp đọc ngắn để trình bày cấu trúc cách sử dụng  Cung cấp nhiều tình để trình bày cấu trúc cách sử dụng  Sử dụng tranh ảnh để trình bày cấu trúc cách sử dụng Ý kiến khác: b Giai đoạn luyện tập sản sinh cấu trúc ngữ pháp học  Cung cấp nhiều tình giúp bạn sử dụng cấu trúc  Cá nhân cho ví dụ cấu trúc với tình khác 110  Cung cấp tranh ảnh giúp bạn sử dụng cấu trúc  Áp dụng ngữ pháp vào nói đối thoại  Áp dụng ngữ pháp viết ngắn với đề tài giáo viên đưa bạn tự chọn  sử dụng trò chơi  sử dụng hát  kể chuyện  Làm tập theo cặp nhóm  Làm tập cá nhân lớp  Làm tập nhà giáo viên không sửa  Làm tập nhà giáo viên sửa số  Làm tập nhà giáo viên sửa tất Ý kiến khác: 15 Theo kinh nghiệm giảng dạy, Thầy / Cô cho phương pháp giúp sinh viên học ngữ pháp có hiệu hơn? Một lần xin cảm ơn giúp đỡ quý Thầy / Cô 111 APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE (For teachers: English version) Dear research participants, This questionnaire aims at collecting data for a study entitled “Factors infuencing Grammar learning of in-service students of English at USSH” Please read all the options and put an X in the boxes next to them as your answer To open questions, please write your answers in the space provided Your true answers are very important to the success of the study They are used for research purposes only and we promise that no personal information will be released I appreciate for your valuable help indeed Part 1: Personal Data Gender: Male  Female  Qualification: …………………… Teaching subjects: ……………… Teaching experience: ……………year(s) How much you like teaching English Grammar?  not at all  a little undecided  much  extremely Why? Part 2: Teachers’ Opinions on Factors Influencing English Grammar Learning Your comments on the following factors affecting on Grammar class a Is class lighting good enough? yes  no  b Is class influenced by the surrounding noise? yes  no  c Is teaching condition well-equipped? yes  no  How the factors influence on grammar learning of in-service students? Do you need overhead projector to teach grammar? Why? In your opinion, how does teaching attitude of instructors influence Grammar learning?  Negative  Not at all  Positive Why? According to you, how much important is Grammar learning to English learning? Scale of importance is: 1. Unimportant 2. Slightly important 3. Undecided 4. Very important 5. Extremely important 112 (if you choose box or in Question 4, you will move to Question 6; if box or 5, please answer Question and then move to Question 7; if box 3, move to Question 7) Why you think learning Grammar is important?  Learning Grammar is fun  Learning Grammar makes your listening skill better  Learning Grammar makes your reading skill better  Learning Grammar helps you speak English better and grammatically  Learning Grammar helps you write better and grammatically Other ideas: Why you think learning Grammar is unimportant?  Learning Grammar is boring  Grammar is unnecessary in English use  Grammar is useless for other skills  Grammar is not applied to oral communication in real life  Grammar is not applied to written communication in real life Other ideas: In your opinion, how does Vietnamese language influence English Grammar learning?  Disadvantaging Grammar learning  Not influencing Grammar learning  Facilitating Grammar learning Other ideas: How to face disadvantages of Vietnamese influence? In your opinion, how does the age (older learners) have an impact on Grammar learning?  Difficult to remember, easy to forget  No impact  Easy to absorb Other ideas: Do you give attendance and participating scores?  Yes  No If yes, why? If no, why?  Learners are in regular attendance  Learners have no feeling for learning  Learners prepare lesson better  Learners are under pressure  Learners get better result in study  There is no influence Other ideas:………………………… Other ideas:…………………………… 113 10 Which materials you ever teach?  Practical English Grammar (P1, for short)  Mosaic (M1, for short)  Practical English Grammar (P2, for short)  Mosaic (M2, for short) Others: 11 Your comments on the materials which you choose above: Agreement scale is: Strongly disagree Disagree Undecided Agree Strongly agree P1 P2 M1 M2 others 11.1 Clear layout, organization, instruction …… …… …… …… …… and print easy to read 11.2 Grammar points with clear explanation, understandable examples …… …… …… …… ….… (Good Grammar presentation) 11.3 Varied, interesting topics and tasks (encourage learners to communicate …… …… …… …… …… fluently and precisely: Good practice) 11.4 Material language appropriate for …… …… …… …… …… learners’ level 12 From your viewpoint, is curriculum of Grammar subject appropriate for students’ needs and level?  Yes  No 13 What you think about schedule / amount of time for Grammar class?  Very little  A little  Enough  Much  Too much 14 How have you taught Grammar to in-service students at USSH ? a Presentation stage  Using grammar translation  Presenting the form and meaning deductively  Presenting the form and meaning inductively  Asking students to identify and underline the form in passage  Presenting the form and meaning through short readings  Presenting the form and meaning through conversations  Presenting the form and meaning through situations  Presenting the form and meaning by using pictures Other ideas: b Practice and production stage  Providing many situations for students to use new structures  Asking students to give examples in different situations  Supplying pictures for students to use new structures  Asking students to apply the new structure to speaking or making a conversation 114  Asking students to apply the new structure to writing topics they choose or given topics  Games  Songs  Story-telling  Doing written exercises in textbooks in groups or pairs in class  Doing written exercises in textbooks individually in class  Doing homework and none corrected  Doing homework and some corrected  Doing homework and all corrected Other ideas: 15 According to your teaching experience, how can we teach Grammar to in-service students more effectively and successfully? Thanks again for your help 115 APPENDIX IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW What are the reasons for your learning result? In your opinion, to what extent the five factors (learning environment, learners, assessment, materials and syllabus, methodology) have influence on your grammar learning? Rank in decending order of influence and explain your choice Besides the five above-mentioned factors, is there any other factor that influences your grammar learning? 116 APPENDIX THE IN-SERVICE STUDENT RESPONDENTS’ OCCUPATION Occupation Accountant Air traffic controller Business consultant Business people Doctor Engineer Financial counselor Freelance Hotel staff Housewife It Laboratory staff Medical worker Nurse Office staff Restaurant observer Sale and marketing staff Sale staff Salesperson Secretary Security guard Student Teacher Tour guide Tour operator Waitress Worker (No answer) Total Frequency Percent 1 1 1 1 26 1 1 1 33 1 102 3.9 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.9 1.0 1.0 1.0 25.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 32.4 4.9 2.0 1.0 1.0 2.9 4.9 100.0 117