Factors affecting oral presentation skills of english majored sophomores at tay do university

TAY DO UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF LINGUISTIC AND LITERATURE A RESEARCH ON FACTORS AFFECTING ORAL PRESENTATION SKILLS OF ENGLISH MAJORED SOPHOMORES AT TAY DO UNVERSITY Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang M.A Student’ name: Phan Thi Xuan Dao Student’code: 1652220201087 Class: English 11A June, 2020 A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My research could not be finished without the help of many people I would like to express my deep gratitude to all those who helped and supported me to complete this research First of all, I would like to send my sincere thanks to Tay Do University, especially the teachers of Faculty of Linguistics and Literature for bringing me the opportunity to conduct this research Secondly, I want to express my profound gratefulness to my supervisor, Ms Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang, for her precious advices and enthusiastic guidance during the process of conducting this study She was always willing to help me correct every mistake in my research, provide me many useful references and give me judicious directions to lead my research to the right direction My research could not be completed successfully without her enthusiastic assistance Thirdly, I am very thankful to Ms Ly Thi Tra My and Mr Thai Cong Dan for spending their valuable time on taking part in the teachers’ interview Their supporting information was very precious and meaningful to my research Next, I am grateful for the assistance of the students from two classes English 13A and English 13B at Tay Do University for spending their time on joining in the questionnaire and students’ interview Without their participation, the present thesis would have been impossible Finally, I would express a deep sense of gratitude to my family for supporting me the best condition and encouraging me throughout the years of studying This is a motivation that helped me finish this thesis i A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i TABLE OF CONTENTS ii TABLE OF FIGURES AND TABLES vi ABSTRACT vii CHAPTER IN TRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Research aims 1.3 The signification of the research 1.4 The organization of the research CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 The definition of presentation 2.2 Types of presentation 2.3 The importance of oral presentation skills 2.4 Factors affecting oral presentation skills 2.4.1 Background knowledge 2.4.2 Psychology 11 2.4.2.1 Anxiety 11 2.4.2.2 Motivation 12 2.4.3 Linguistic factors 13 2.4.3.1 Grammar 13 2.4.3.2 Vocabulary 14 2.4.3.3 Pronunciation 15 2.4.4 Preparation 17 2.4.4.1 Content and ideas 17 2.4.4.2 Visual aids 18 2.4.4.3 Practice 19 ii A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University 2.4.5 2.5 Teachers’ role 20 Related studies 22 CHAPTER RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 25 3.1 Research question 25 3.2 Hypothesis 25 3.3 Research design 25 3.4 Research participants 26 3.5 Instruments 26 3.5.1 Questionnaire 26 3.5.2 Interview 27 3.5.2.1 Interview for students 27 3.5.2.2 Interview for teachers 28 3.6 Data analysis 28 3.7 Procedures 29 CHAPTER RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 30 4.1 Results from questionnaires 30 4.1.1 Participants’ general opinions about oral presentation skills 30 4.1.2Participants’ opinions about some factors on oral presentation skills 34 4.1.2.1 Background knowledge 34 4.1.2.2 Psychological factors 36 4.1.2.2.1 Anxiety 36 4.1.2.2.2 Motivation 37 4.1.2.3 Linguistic factors 38 4.1.2.3.1 Grammar 38 4.1.2.3.2 Vocabulary 39 4.1.2.3.3 Pronunciation 40 4.1.2.4 Preparation 41 4.1.2.4.1 Contents and ideas 41 4.1.2.4.2 Visual aids 42 iii A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University 4.1.2.4.3 Practice 43 4.1.2.4.4 Teachers’ roles 44 4.2 Results from interviews 45 4.2.1 Interview from students 45 4.2.2 Interview from teachers 46 4.3 Discussions 47 CHAPTER CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS, LIMITATION, AND RECOMMENTDATIONS 50 5.1 Conclusion 50 5.2 Implications 51 5.3 Limitations 51 5.4 Recommendations 51 REFERENCES viii APPENDIX A xv APPENDIX B xx APPENDIX C xxii iv A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University TABLE OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 4.1 Students' awareness about the difficult level of oral presentation skills 30 Figure 4.2 Students' awareness about the importance of oral presentation skills .31 Figure 4.3 The participants’ oral presentation ability .33 Figure 4.4 Factors affecting students’ oral presentation skills 34 Table 4.1 Participants’ practicing time about oral presentation skills 32 Table 4.2 Students’ opinion about background knowledge 35 Table 4.3 Students’ opinion about anxiety 36 Table 4.4 Students’ opinion about motivation 37 Table 4.5 Students’ opinion about grammar .38 Table 4.6 Students’ opinion about vocabulary 39 Table 4.7 Students’ opinion about pronunciation .40 Table 4.8 Students’ opinion about contents and ideas 41 Table 4.9 Students’ opinion about visual aid 42 Table 4.10 Students’ opinion about practice .43 Table 4.11 Students’ opinion about teachers’ roles 44 vi A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University ABSTRACT Oral presentation is a form of communication which is intended to convey certain ideas, messages and information It has become a part of most courses that usually used in higher education or university Nonetheless, making a presentation in fact, especially in English, sometimes becomes a big challenge task for a large number of students Thus, the research "Factors affecting presentation skills of English majored sophomores at Tay Do University" was conducted to find out possible factors that students might encounter in making presentations The participants in this study were 80 English majored sophomores at Tay Do University In the study process, questionnaire and interview were used as the instruments to collect the data The results of the research show that English majored sophomores at Tay Do University faced the factors in terms of background knowledge, linguistic factors, psychological factors, preparation and teachers' roles in the presentation process vii A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University CHAPTER IN TRODUCTION In this chapter, the researcher would like to present the rationale of the thesis, the aim and significance of the study andfinally the organization of the thesis 1.1 Rationale In this era of globalization, English is now playing an indispensable role and is an international language widely used in many countries around the world as a mean of communication to help people from different countries and languages communicate with others Besides, it is a golden key that has an importantfunction in many aspects of life such as in politics, business, trade and diplomatic relations Moreover, English cannot be separatedfrom the development of technology, science, economics, and education In Vietnam, English is one of the necessary requirements to many people in the work place and in the life Especially, using English fluently is a great advantage to help the owner get a dream job with a high salary in an international working environment Nowadays, besides courses to improve knowledge, there are many soft skillsinclasses to develop yourself In addition, the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, English presentation skill is also one of the essential skills for students Hedge (2000) advised that learners should develop knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, and necessary communication skills at the same time to improve their language proficiency, particularly in presentation According to Hou (2008), learners’ success in handling presentation skills will reinvigorate them in learning spoken English, thinking logically and innovatively, and improving context awareness and confidence The best way to assess proficiency in communication is through oral presentations Therefore, to become a successful person, learners need not only intellect, knowledge, thinking but also good presentation skills These will help learners build confidence in the crowd, effectively communicate information, A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University attract the attention of listeners and especially have the opportunity to progress at work Nevertheless, writing presentation content is difficult, even harder to implement and present it to the audience to hear and understand In fact, the presenter does not simply hold a paper to read but theserequire the speaker to have enough knowledge, vocabulary and confidence to present Therefore, these skills may be complex and difficult to learners who learn English as a foreign language in a language other than their mother tongue Morita (2000) saw oral activities such as challenging and complex presentationsin terms of interaction and mental processes and suggested more researches to be conducted Moreover, most English majored sophomores at Tay Do University have difficulties in presenting successfully and giving effective presentations They lack background knowledge because they have little or no previous connection with these skills Because of psychology, students feel embarrassed or stressed when they are required to present in front of the class In addition, it is difficult for students to correctly master phonetics, grammar structure and countless vocabulary Other difficulties such as preparation, personal characteristics and experience also pressure on them If students lack these factors, English presentation skills will always be a big problem For those reasons, the researcher decided to conduct a research on "Factors affecting oral presentation skills of English majored sophomores at Tay Do University" to explore and provide an overview of the difficulties for learners during the oral presentation process In addition, it also helps students identify their own problems and create motivation for students to overcome the obstacles 1.2 Research aims The research aims to investigate factors affecting oral presentation skills of English majored sophomores at Tay Do University The purpose of this study is to support students to find out solutions to solve their problems in the process of A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University making a presentation Also, the findings can be useful for teachers to reflect their teaching methods which are appropriate for their students 1.3 The signification of the research The results of the present research can be meaningful in both of theoretical and practical aspects For theoretical significance, it will provide valuable information and make suggestions for later concerned researchers For practical significance, it can serve as a premise for learners and teachersto make suggestions and methods to improve presentation skills Thanks to the findings, the thesis also helps learners and teachers in having the right focus when they learn and teach presentation skills 1.4 The organization of the research This research includes five chapters consisting of (1) Introduction, (2) Literature review, (3) Research methodology, (4) Research result and discussions, and (5) Conclusion, Implications, Limitations, Recommendations for further Research Chapter onepresents the rationaleof the research, the aims and significance of the study and the organization of the thesis Chapter twosynthesizes the definition of presentation, types of presentation, the importance of oral presentation skills and factors affecting oral presentation skills Chapter threeindicatesthe research methodology,shows research questions, mentions the hypothesis, the research design and introduces research participants, introduces and explains the instruments of the study and the procedures of the research Chapter fourshows the results collected from the questionnaires and interview questions on factors affecting oral presentation skills of English majored A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University Chivers & Shoolbred (2007) A Student’s Guide to Presentations (Making your Presentation Count) Athenaeum Press Gateshead Chuang, Y Y (2010) A study of using Task-based Approach to teach EFL speaking Journal of National Formosa University, 29(4), 37-52 Dan, C (2006) How can I Improve My Student's pronunciation? 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In your opinion, is oral presentation skill difficult? a Yes b No What you think about oral presentation skills? a Very important b Important c Normal d Slightly important e Not important xv A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University How often you practice your presentation skills? a Never b Only when you have a presentation c In free time d Every week e Every day How is your oral presentation competence? a Very good b Good c Normal d Bad e Very bad Which difficulties you often encounter when giving presentations?(more than one answer is accepted) a Background knowledge b Psychology factors (anxiety, motivation) c Linguistic factors (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation) d Preparation (content & ideas, visual aids, practice) e Teachers’ role Part (Please read the following statements and mark () in suitable column to express your opinion.) Statements 6.Due to lack of background knowledge, you cannot make a presentation well xvi SA A NI D SD A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University When you have a lot of background A Background knowledge knowledge, you can convince the audience easier When standing in front of the crowd, you feel uncomfortable and anxious When you are anxious, you cannot present well B Psychological 10 You need to be motivated to factors overcome the difficulties when making presentations 11.Being able to choose your favorite topic motivates you to give a better presentation 12 You often make mistakes about grammar in making presentation 13 You meet trouble in choosing appropriate grammar structures to deliver your message to the audiences 14 Poor vocabulary limits your oral C Linguistic factors presentation ability 15 Without vocabulary, you cannot express your ideas easily 16.Because of your past pronunciation xvii A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University habits, you usually make mistakes in pronunciation 17 You cannot pronounce correctly with all vocabulary because some words are difficult to pronounce 18 You feel confused because presentation topics are strange to you 19 Lack of ideas makes the presentation boring and unattractive 20 You know how to use audio-visual aids to support your presentation D Preparation 21 The use of visual aids to make your presentation more engaging and successful 22 The more practice you have, the more opportunities you will have to memorize and train your voice 23 Practicing many times before your presentation helps build your confidence 24 You can make a presentation easier with the guidance and advice from your E Teachers’ roles teacher 25 Teacher's evaluation after each presentation gives you xviii a lot of A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University experience for the next time Notes: SA = Strongly Agree; A = Agree; NI= No idea; D= Disagree; SD= Strongly Disagree THANKS FOR YOUR KIND HELP! xix A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University APPENDIX B INTERVIEW FOR STUDENTS My name is Phan Thi Xuan Dao and I am currently an English majored senior at Tay Do University I would like to give my thanks to you for spending your precious time helping me with this interview questions This interview is one of the instruments for my research about “Factors affecting on Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University” The data collected will be very necessary and useful to my study Your personal information will be kept confidential Thank you for your cooperation Student’ name: _ Class: Age: _ Gender: Male  Female  Is oral presentation skill necessary in real life? Why? _ _ _ _ _ _ What factors affect your oral presentation skills? (background knowledge, psychological factors, linguistic factors, preparation or teachers’ roles) _ _ _ _ xx A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University _ _ Do the teachers play an important role in your presentation? Why? _ _ _ _ _ _ In your opinions, what should you to improve your oral presentation skills? _ _ _ _ _ THANKS FOR YOUR KIND HELP! xxi A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University APPENDIX C INTERVIEW FOR TEACHERS Dear my teacher, My name is Phan Thi Xuan Dao and I am currently an English majored senior at Tay Do University I would like to give my thanks to you for spending your precious time helping me with this interview questions This interview is one of the instruments for my research about “Factors affecting on Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University” The data collected will be very necessary and useful to my study Your personal information will be kept confidential Thank you for your cooperation What factors your students usually face in making a presentation? (background knowledge, psychological factors, linguistic factors, preparation or teachers’ roles) _ _ _ _ _ _ In your opinions, teachers need to tell students clear criteria and instructions before they have their presentation? Why? _ _ _ _ xxii A research on Factors affecting Oral Presentation skills of English majored Sophomores at Tay Do University _ _ What you often before and after your students make presentations? _ _ _ _ _ _ What suggestions you give your students to improve their oral presentation skills? _ _ _ _ _ _ THANKS FOR YOUR KIND HELP! xxiii