The efectiveness ò voa learning english in improve speaking skills for english máo ò hong duc university

HONG DUC UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES GRADUATION THESIS SINH VIÊN: NGUYỄN THỊ NHUNG MÃ SV: 1164010042 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF VOA LEARNING ENGLISH IN IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILLS FOR ENGLISH MAJORS OF HONG DUC UNIVERSITY THUYẾT MINH Supervisor : Đang Thi Nguyet, M.A Student KHÓA : LêLUẬN Thị Hong ĐỀ CƯƠNG TỐTTuyet NGHIỆP Class : K20B - FFL - HDU Chuyên ngành: Kế toán Course : 2017 - 2021 Mã số: 401 “Thực trạng số giải pháp hoàn thiện kế tốn Ngun vật liệu Cơng ty Cổ phần Tư vấn Đầu tư Xây dựng Thăng Long” Thanh Hoa, June 2021 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First of all, I would like to show my deep gratitude to all lecturers at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Hong Duc University for their valuable lectures which laid the foundation for my thesis I would particular like to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor, M.A Dang Thi Nguyet, for her patient guidance, suggestion and supervisor through my research I would also like to thank all students at Faculty of Foreign Languages who have created good conditions for me to have the most favorable opportunities to conduct this study I am grateful to my dear classmates at K20B class, who are usually beside me to help, encourage and give me strength and beliefs in the most difficult situations Last but not least, I would like to express my debt to my parents, my sisters and my brother for their everyday encouragement and support throughout my study in Thanh Hoa Thanh Hoa, May 2021 Lê Thị Hồng Tuyết ii ABSTRACT It is a common knowledge that learning materials play an important role in students‟ language learning They are also needed for students to improve their language skills Being a student majored in English, who has been learning English skills for many years, the question “What kind of materials should students use to improve their general knowledge and speaking skills?” has come into my mind for a long time And this is a chance for me to find the answer to that question However, due to the limit of time and knowledge, I have conducted a minor thesis with the hope to discover the effect of using VOA Learning English – one of the authentic source of materials to improve English speaking skills The thesis consists three parts namely introduction, development and conclusion Part one - introduction introduces the rationale, focus, objectives, research questions,scope, methods and design of the study Part two - development intends to set up the framework of the study It focuses on the theory of the nature of language skills and communication Some discussions on definitions, purposes of using VOA Learning English as a kind of language learning materials are presented This part also presents the local situation in the FFL, Hong Duc University, with a brief description of speaking learning conditions, students and course books used for learning English speaking skills Additionally, this part describes the research methodology that includes the description of the subjects, setting, data collection instruments procedures and the discussion and analysis of the data Part three - conclusion reveals the implication and suggestion for learning VOA Learning English as a kind of language learning materials and recommendations for further research iii TABLE OF CONTENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENT iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS viii PART ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2.Focus of the study 1.3.Aims of the study 1.4 Objectives of the study 1.5 Research questions 1.6 Scope of the study 1.7 Methods of the study 1.8 Design of the study PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW Theorical background of speaking skills 1.1 Definition of speaking skills 1.2 Nature of language skills and the oral communication 1.3 Elements involved in speaking a foreign language 1.4 Phrases in learning English speaking skills 1.4.1 The presentation phase (Pre-speaking state) 1.4.2.The practice phase (While-speaking state) 1.4.3 The production phase (Post – speaking stage) Materials for learning English speaking 2.1 Definition of learning materials 2.2 Authentic materials 10 iv 2.2.1 Definition of authentic materials 10 2.2.2 The advantages and disadvantages of authentic materials 11 2.3 Sources of authentic materials 14 2.3.1 Literature 14 2.3.2 Computer software 14 2.3.3 The Internet 15 VOA Learning English 15 3.1 Definition of VOA Learning English 15 3.2 Some fast facts of VOA Learning English 16 3.2.1 VOA Broadcasts 16 3.2.2 VOA and Technology 16 3.2.3 VOA Learning English – a kind of authentic materials 17 3.2.3.1 Benefits of VOA Learning English in learning speaking 17 3.2.3.2 Purpose of using VOA Learning English in learning English skills 17 3.2.3.3 The process of using VOA Learning English in learning English speaking skills 18 CHAPTER II: DEVELOPMENT OF THE STUDY 21 The overview of learning situation 21 1.1 An overview of FFL, Hong Duc University 21 1.2 Students‟ background and needs 21 1.3 Description of participants in the study 22 1.4 Learning materials 23 1.5 Using VOA as a kind of learning English speaking skill materials 26 1.5.1 The syllabus integrated VOA 26 CHAPTER III: DATA COLLECTION AND DISCUSSION 30 The effectiveness of VOA Learning English to students‟ speaking skills 30 1.1 Students‟ improvement in English speaking skills 30 1.2 Students‟ attitude towards VOA Learning English 33 v 1.2.1 Satisfaction 33 1.2.2 Difficulties 34 1.2 For the teacher 37 Limitation and Recommendation for further study 37 Conclusion 38 REFERENCES 39 APPENDIX 41 APPENDIX 1: STUDENTS‟ QUESTIONNAIRE NO.1 41 APPENDIX 2: STUDENTS‟ QUESTIONNAIRE NO.2 44 APPENDIX 3: STUDENTS‟ QUESTIONNAIRE NO.3 46 APPENDIX 4: TEACHER‟S QUESTIONNAIRE 48 APPENDIX 5: PRE - TEST 50 APPENDIX 6: POST – TEST 51 APPENDIX 7: MARKING SCHEME FOR ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS 52 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS VOA : Voice of America FFL : Faculty of Foreign Languages ELT : English Language Teaching M.A : Master of Arts ESL : English as a Second Language EAL : English Additional as a Language FL : Foreign Language FM : Frequency Modulation MW : Medium Wave vii LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS Table Table 1: Students‟ response to the frequency of using different kinds of materials to learn speaking skills (question from students‟ questionnaire) 25 Table 2: Experimental program 29 Table 3: The effectiveness of VOA Learning English 30 Table 4: The results between experimental group and control group from pretest and post-test 32 Table 5: The difficulties of the students when they use VOA Learning English 34 Chart Chart 1: Self-assessment of English speaking ability of the students 23 Chart 2: The results of the students after using VOA Learning English 31 Chart 3: The attitude of the students for VOA Learning English 33 viii PART ONE: INTRODUCTION There are eight sections in this part The rationale section presents a base of theoretical, pedagogical and contextual grounds, which serve as a foundation for the study The focus of the study is lined in the second section Then, it is followed by aims and objectives of the study, research questions and scope of the study The two final sections of this part include methods and design of the study 1.1 Rationale After the historic upheaval, Vietnam‟ economy, politics and culture have been undergone extensive changes Thanks to the open-door policy, Vietnam has diplomatic relationship with all over the world English becomes an indispensable means of communication with the rest of the world and it is the most important international language because it provides ready access to the world relationship and world trade Since then, English has become a compulsory subject in Vietnam curriculum, its teaching and learning have been paid much attention Nowadays, in Viet Nam, English has been taught and learnt widely People learn English for many reasons: getting a better job, travelling, reading books, magazines or newspapers in English, improving knowledge, being teachers of English, etc The communicative approach in language learning has become more and more predominant in recent years all over the world In Viet Nam this approach has been used popularly for learners‟ four language skills, especially speaking skills It is also recognized that in the recent years, in the fields of second language acquisition (SLA), researchers have been more interested in studying the learning product and in the development of communicative competence than that of linguistic competence (Chen, 1990) This tendency has resulted in much research studies on the learning tasks and learning materials as well as on learners‟ characteristics and teachers‟ proficiency and classroom methodology To improve their speaking skills, there are many classroom learning techniques such as pair-work, group – work, role play, improvisation, pantomime, interviewing, presentation, …as well as many various kinds of language teaching materials such as authentic materials, public materials and supplementary materials have been used They are all effective techniques and useful materials At Hong Duc university, students of English usually use these techniques and materials to learn speaking skills However, they only use the materials that are designed for speaking sections in course books or text books or they sometimes use some pieces of new cut from English newspapers Being a student of English, the author is very interested in speaking skills and she has been learning speaking skills for nearly four years She usually wants to improve this skill herself and to make something new for her best friends and classmates The matter is, one day, she went to class with the hope to share some hot new information with her friends about what has happened in the world A question has always appeared in my mind “How to encourage classmates with the fresh information to enrich their knowledge?” From that day, the author has spent time accessing internet and she discovered that a kind of materials that helps language learners widen their knowledge and develop their speaking skills effectively is using VOA Learning English Learners may use the information they hear or read from VOA Learning English to enrich their oral presentation By this way they can improve their speaking skills, listening skills and also reading and writing skills The author decides to focus on learning material, as this an aspect of evaluation that nearly all students at sometimes, even if it is only an informal basis Following the tendency mentioned above and to answer my question, the study is intended to investigate the effectiveness of using VOA Learning English in improving English speaking skills for the second year English majors at Hong Duc University, based on theoretical, pedagogical and contextual grounds 1.2.Focus of the study The study focuses on investigating effectiveness of using VOA Learning English as a kind of extra learning materials used outside classroom in improving students‟ English speaking skills communicative classroom tasks in the lessons of speaking skills employed by language teachers to enhance the effect of using it as a means to provide comprehensible input in learning speaking skills 1.3.Aims of the study The study aims to apply VOA Learning English as a kind of outside class language learning materials in learning English speaking skills to second year English majors at Faculty of Foreign Language at Hong Duc university 1.4 Objectives of the study The study attempts to: - Review the theoretical literature on English speaking skills, English language materials, and VOA Learning English as a kind of authentic learning materials; Conclusion It is apparent that students at Hong Duc University often encounter difficulties in speaking lessons One of these is searching better materials to learn speaking Students often find it hard to express their ideas because they lack information and general knowledge Therefore, they feel inconfident and afraid of speaking Being a student who also learn speaking to English majors, the researcher has considered these difficulties and has decided to conduct this study So far, the three research questions have been answered through the results of the data analysis These data indicate a very positive prospect and effect of using VOA Learning English in speaking lessons Using VOA Learning English was highly appreciated by the students in the study The researcher did this study with the hope to provide her colleagues a better view - point about using VOA Learning English to learn speaking and it also her small contribution to the quality of learning speaking skills at Hong Duc University 38 REFERENCES Alejandro, G Martinez (2002 ) Authentic Materials: An Overview Mexico City Brown, J D (1988) Understanding Research in Second Language Learning Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Brown, Gillian and Yule, George (1983) Teaching the Spoken English Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Brown, H Douglas (1994) Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy Prentice Hall Regents Brumfit, C.J % Johnson (1984) Communicative Approach to Language Teaching Oxford: Oxford University Press Bygate, Martin (1987) Speaking Oxford University Press Canale, M & M Swans (1980) Approaches to Communicative Competence Regional Language Center David, S (1999) Internet Activity Workbook Longman Duclurey, G (2000) The Internet and the Language Classroom Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 10 Edwards, C (2005) Teachers Exploring Tasks in English Language Teaching Palgrave 11 James Dean Brown and Theodore S Rodgers, 2002 Doing Second Language Research Oxford: Oxford University Press 12 James, P (2001) Teachers in Action Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 13 Johnson, K (2003) Designing Language Tearching Tasks Palgrave 14 LeLoup, J W., & Ponterio, R (2000) Creating Standards-based Activities Integrating Authentic Materials from the WWW SUNY Cortland 15 Littlewood, W (1981) Communicative Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 16 McGrath (2002) Materials Evaluation and Design for Language Teaching Edinburgh New York: 17 Nunan, David (1989) Designing tasks for the Communicative Classroom Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 18 Nunan David (1995) Language Teaching Methodology A Textbook for Teachers Phoenix English Language teaching 39 19 Nunan, David (1992) Research Methods in Language Teaching Cambridge University Press 20 Sanderson, P (1999) Using Newspapers in the Classroom Cambridge University Press 21 Seliger, H W & Shohamy, E (1989) Second Language Research Methods Oxford University Press 22 Sperling, D (2004) The Internet Guide for English Language Teachers Cambridge University Press 23 Teeler, D; Gray P (2000) How to Use the Internet in ELT Longman 24 Tomlinson, B (ed ) Developing Materials for Language Teaching London: Continuum 25 Tomlinson, B (1998) Materials Development in Language Teaching Cambridge University Press 26 Underwood, M (1987) Effective Class Management- a Practical Approach Long Man 27 Widdowson, H.G (1978) Teaching Language as Communication Oxford: Oxford University Pres Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 28 Widdowson, H.G (1990) Aspects of Language Teaching Oxford: Oxford U.P 29 Woodward, T (2001) Planning Lessons and Courses Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Websites: http://www.cortland.edulflteachlwksp/nysaflt2000.html http://enzinearticles.coml http://www.3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/bymonth.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/communicatel http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianl http://www.cortland.edulflteachlflteach-res.html#collections http://voalearningenglish.com http://voalearningenglish.comlenglishlportal.cfm 40 APPENDIX APPENDIX 1: STUDENTS’ QUESTIONNAIRE NO.1 This survey questionnaire is designed for my research into “The effectiveness of VOA Learning English to improve speaking skills for English majors of Hong Duc University” Your assistance in completing the following items is very appreciated I promise that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data I Some of your personal information: Name: …………………………………………… Sex: ………………………………………… Age: ………………………………………… II Questions: Do you think you are satisfied with the speaking syllabus and textbook you are learning to English? If “YES”, please state your idea ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… If “NO”, please state your idea ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… Do you use extra materials for learning speaking skills? If yes, how often? Please circle the letter a, b, c or d, a Always b Usually c Sometimes Never Do you have any difficulties in your learning English? If “YES”, please write what they are and why …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… 41 d If “NO”, please write your reason ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… What kind of materials you usually use for your speaking practice? Please tick (v) the most appropriate column for each item Materials Usually Often Sometimes Rarely Never Textbooks Newspapers Films Video tapes with speaking activities Cassettes with news recorded VOA Learning English Pictures Magazines Poems 10 English songs 11 Workbooks 12 Photocopied handout accessed from Internet What kind of material above you think is the most effective to help you carry out speaking lessons? …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………… 42 Do you think that VOA Learning English should be used to increase your speaking ability? Why? …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………… Thank you very much for your assistance! 43 APPENDIX 2: STUDENTS’ QUESTIONNAIRE NO.2 (Before using VOA Learning English to learn speaking skills in the speaking lesson) This survey questionnaire is designed for my research into “The effectiveness of VOA Learning English to improve speaking skills for English major students at Hong Duc University” Your assistance in completing the following items is very appreciated I promise that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data From question to question 5, please tick (v) the appropriate answer How long did you study English before entering Hong Duc university? a years b years c More than years Why you want to learn English? a To become an English teacher b To go abroad c To communicate with English speaking people d To find a good job e Other: ……………………………………………… How often you take part in English speaking activities in speaking class? a Always b Usually c Sometimes d Rarely What factors make you feel nervous when learning speaking skill? a Lack of confidence b Lack of vocabulary c Lack of knowledge d Lack of speaking skills 44 What factors make you feel like taking part in speaking activities in speaking class? a Working with your partner b Teacher‟ s appropriate teaching materials c Others: ……………………………………………… How familiar are you with the following kinds of materials? Please tick (V) in one of the following five numbered column? a You know very well b You know quite well c You not know very well d You know a little e You not know at all Thank you very much for your assistance! 45 APPENDIX 3: STUDENTS’ QUESTIONNAIRE NO.3 (Before using VOA Learning English to learn speaking skills in the speaking lesson) This survey questionnaire is designed for my research into ““The effectiveness of VOA Learning English to improve speaking skills for English major students at Hong Duc University” Your assistance in completing the following items is very appreciated I promise that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Please tick (v) the best answer that the best reflects the extent to which you agree with each of the following statement: Using VOA Learning English materials in learning speaking skills can help you Strongly agree Agree No sure Disagree Strongly disagree Increase your confidence in speaking Get a lot of information Enrich your general knowledge Be interested in learning speaking Improve your listening and reading skills With ability to deal with real-life situations Up-date the fresh information quickly Improve your pronunciation Be more create and active Improve your vocabulary In general, are you interested in the use of VOA Learning English in speaking lessons? a Yes Reason: 46 ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… b No Reason: ………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………… c No idea Do you think VOA Learning English should be used widely in learning speaking lesson? a Yes Reason: ………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………… b No Reason: ………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………… c No idea Thank you very much for assistance! 47 APPENDIX 4: TEACHER’S QUESTIONNAIRE (After students use VOA Learning English to learn speaking skills in the speaking lesson) This survey questionnaire is designed for my research into ““The effectiveness of VOA Learning English to improve speaking skills for English major students at Hong Duc University” Your assistance in completing the following items is very appreciated I promise that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Please tick (v) the best answer that the best reflects the extent to which you agree with each of the following statement: Using VOA Learning English materials in learning speaking skills can help your students Very much A lot A little Not at all Improve pronunciation Boost grammar/ structure Level up the vocabulary Strive the students’ fluency In general, are you interested in the use of VOA Learning English in speaking lessons? d Yes Reason: ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… 48 e No Reason: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… f No idea Do you think VOA Learning English should be used widely in speaking teaching lesson? d Yes Reason: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… e No Reason: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… f No idea Thank you very much for assistance! 49 APPENDIX 5: PRE – TEST Part 1: Social interaction – minutes (15 points) Let‟s talk about your free time activities - Do you have much free time? Why? - What you in your free time? - Do you listen to music? If yes, what is your favorite kind of music? / If no, why not? Let‟s talk about your family - Can you tell me something about your family - Who you love the most in your family? Why? - What you usually with your family? Part 2: Solution discussion - minutes (20 points) Situation: A group of you friends is planning a trip from Thanh Hoa to Da Nang Three means of transport are suggested: by train, by plane, and by coach Which mean of transport you think is the best choice for them? Part 3: Topic development - minutes (15 points) Topic: Reading habit should be encouraged among teen - What is the difference between the kinds of book read by your parents‟ generation and those read by your generation? - Do you think that the government should support free books for all people? - In what way can parents help children improve their interest in reading? 50 APPENDIX 6: POST – TEST Part 1: Social interaction – minutes (15 points) Let’s talk about your hobbies - Do you have any hobbies? What are they? - Who you often … with? Why? - Do you often travel? In your opinion, what are the benefits and drawbacks of travelling? Let’s talk about your best friend - Do you have any best friend? Who are they? - Can you tell me something about your best friend? - Do you think that your best friend is very important in your life? Why? - Do you believe in cross – sex friendship? Why? Part 2: Solution discussion - minutes (20 points) Situation: Your sister is going to study abroad She wants to buy some English books but she doesn‟t know what to choose Give some suggestions and choose the best one for her Part 3: Topic development - minutes (15 points) Topic: Internet affects both advantages and disadvantages to people - What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the internet? - Do you think that parents should prevent children from using the internet? - In what way can parents help children use the internet effectively? 51 APPENDIX 7: MARKING SCHEME FOR ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS Category Pronunciation (2.5 points) Scoring Criteria cooperation (2.5 points) (2.5 points) range (2.5 points) Score score Using appropriate stress and intonation 1.25 clear development of the thesis Transitions are clear and create a succinct and flow that clearly relate to a focused thesis Using abundance of various supported materials and visual aids Grammatical score 1.25 Using relevant language and materials Lexical resource Students’ Using understandable pronunciation Having logical organization with the Coherence and Maximum Using correctly structures Using both simple and complex grammatical sentence Total Points 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 10 52