Những phản hồi của sinh viên năm thứ hai chuyên ngành tiếng anh tại trường đại học ngoại ngữ huế vào việc nói tiếng anh theo cặp

HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES FACULTY OF ENGLISH -   - DUONG THI MINH TAM HUFL SECOND YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS’ REFLECTIONS ON SPEAKING ENGLISH IN PAIRS GRADUATION THESIS Hue, Academic year: 2016 – 2020 HUE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES FACULTY OF ENGLISH -   - DUONG THI MINH TAM HUFL SECOND YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS’ REFLECTIONS ON SPEAKING ENGLISH IN PAIRS GRADUATION THESIS SUPERVISOR: Assoc Prof Dr Le Pham Hoai Huong Hue, Academic year: 2016 – 2020 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP The study is claimed to be my own work All of data and statistics mentioned in the study are guaranteed to be authentic Duong Thi Minh Tam i ABSTRACT The research on students‟ reflections on speaking English in pairs in speaking class was carried out with the purpose of investigating students‟ perceptions and their reflections on how pair work is organized, the difficulties learners reported to face in pair-work activities A combination of both qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed in this study with the participation of 100 English majored students at HUFL The data collection methods included questionnaire with 100 students, interview and reflective journal with 10 students The results of the investigation show that the students mostly had good perceptions of the importance of speaking English in pairs The majority of students reported to have positive attitude and good behaviors during speaking English in pairs Students actively took part in speaking in pairs because of speaking opportunities and positive classroom atmosphere Besides, the study collected students‟ reflections on pair work in speaking classes It was found that students were mostly pleased about the procedure of pair work activities their teachers organized Furthermore, the study shows some major difficulties students often faced in speaking English in pairs, including students‟ proficiency, the proficiency of the partner, and psychological factors Based on the findings of the study, suggestions were given to enhance effective application of pair work in speaking classes at HUFL ii Acknowledgments Foremost, I would like to express my sincere respect and gratitude to Associate Professor Doctor Le Pham Hoai Huong, my supervisor for the continuous support and professional guidance, for her enthusiasm, immense knowledge as well as constant encouragement through each step of my research and writing of this thesis Without his guidance and persistent assistance, this dissertation would not be completed successfully I could not have imagined having a better advisor and mentor for my graduation thesis My sincere gratitude is also sent to 100 second year English majored students at HUCFL who completed the questionnaires and participated in the interviews and writing reflective journals with enthusiasm Moreover, I would like to show my thankfulness to my friends for their wholehearted help and encouragement when I dealt with the data analysis and downloaded the reference materials Finally, I am indebted to my family, especially my mother and my cousin for their encouragement and support throughout the research iii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP .i ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .iv LIST OF CHARTS vii LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF FICTURES viii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION .1 1.1 Rational 1.2 Objectives 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Significance of the thesis 1.5 Scope of the thesis 1.6 Structure of the thesis CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Definitions of key terms 2.2.1 Speaking .3 2.2.2 Pair work 2.3 Kinds of pair work 2.4 The importance of pair work interaction 2.4.1 Effectiveness of pair-work in promoting participation 2.4.2 The impact of pair work activities on learners‟ motivation 2.4.3 The impact of pair-work on leaners‟ grammatical accuracy and influency 10 2.5 Problems with pair-work interaction 11 2.5.1 The use of the mother tongue 11 2.5.2 The impact of mixed proficiency .12 2.5.3 Topic distraction 12 2.5.4 Class management 13 iv 2.6 Procedure of pair work activities in English speaking classes 13 2.7 Students‟ reflections 15 2.7.1 Definitions of reflections 15 2.7.2 Purposes of reflections 16 2.8 Related previous studies 17 2.8.1 Studies in other countries 17 2.8.2 Studies in Vietnam 19 2.9 Gaps in literature 20 2.10 Chapter summary 20 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .21 3.1 Introduction 21 3.2 Research approaches 21 3.3 Research participants 21 3.4 Data collection 22 3.4.1 Questionnaire 22 3.4.2 Students‟ reflective journal 22 3.4.3 Interview 23 3.5 Procedures of the study 24 3.6 Data analysis 24 3.7 Summary .24 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 25 4.1 Introduction 25 4.2 Second year students‟ perceptions on speaking English in pairs 25 4.3 Students‟ reflections on speaking English in pairs in English speaking classes at HUCFL 29 4.3.1 Frequency of students‟ participation in speaking English in pairs 29 4.3.2 Kinds of pair work 30 4.3.3 Pair work organization 32 4.3.4 Students‟ reflections on working in pairs in English speaking classes 39 4.3.5 Students‟ reflections on teachers‟ corrections in speaking in pairs 43 v 4.4 Students‟ difficulties in speaking English in pairs 45 4.4.1 Students‟ reflections on their difficulties in speaking English in pairs 45 4.4.2 Students‟ reflections on teacher‟s pair-work organization 48 4.5 Chapter summary 52 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS .53 5.1 Summary of the key findings 53 5.1.1 Second year students‟ perceptions of speaking English in pairs 53 5.1.2 Students‟ reflections on how speaking English in pairs is carried out in English speaking classes at HUFL .53 5.1.3 Students‟ difficulties in speaking English in 54 5.2 Limitations of the study 54 5.3 Implications 55 5.3.1 For students 55 5.3.2 For teachers 56 5.4 Suggestions for further study 58 REFERENCES 59 APPENDICES vi LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: Students‟ perceptions on speaking English in pairs .26 Chart 2: Frequency of students‟ participation in pair work activities 29 Chart 3: Kinds of pair work activities often used by students in English speaking classes 30 Chart 4: Pair-work activities organized in speaking classes 31 Chart 5: Teachers‟ activities before conducting pair work activities 33 Chart 6: Teachers‟ activities while students are speaking English in pairs .36 Chart 7: Teachers‟ activities after students have conducted pair work 37 Chart 8: The reactions of students to their partners‟ answers 39 Chart 9: How students work in pairs in English speaking classes 41 Chart 10: Students‟ reflections on teachers‟ corrections in speaking in pairs .44 Chart 11: Students‟ reflections on their difficulties in speaking English in pairs .46 Chart 12: Students‟ reflections on teacher‟s pair-work organization 49 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Students‟ perceptions of speaking English in pairs .25 Table 2: Teachers‟ activities before students conduct speaking English in pairs 33 Table 3: Teachers‟ activities while students are speaking English in pairs 35 Table 4: Teachers‟ activities after students have conducted pair work 37 Table 5: How students work in pairs in English speaking classes 40 Table 6: Students‟ reflections on their difficulties in speaking English in pairs 45 Table 7: Students‟ reflections on teachers‟ pair-work organization 48 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 A model of dyadic interaction (Storch, 2002, p.128) viii 49 Moon, J, Children learning English Oxford: Macmillan Heinemann Publishers (2000) 50 Nation, I S P., & Newton, J (2009) Teaching ESL/EFL Listening and Speaking ESL & Applied Linguistics Professional Series Routledge Taylor & Francis Group 51 Nguyen, Q T (2013) The Impact of Context on a Vietnamese Tertiary Level English Teacher's Implementation of Pair Work International Journal of Innovation in English Language Teaching and Research, 2(1), 27 52 Nunan, D (2003) Practical English language teaching New York: McGraw-Hill (2003) 53 Nunan, D (2003) Language Teaching Methodology (Practical English Language Teaching) London: Longman Publisher 54 Perone, J S., & Tucker, L (2003) An exploration of triangulation of methodologies: Quantitative and qualitative methodology fusion in an investigation of perceptions of transit safety (No NCTR-416-08.1,) 55 Phipps, W (1999) Pairwork: Interaction in the modern languages classroom Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research 56 Reid, J (2002) Managing Small-Group Learning Retrieved May 5, 2020, from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED463560.pdf 57 Reid, J., Forrestal, P., & Cook, J (1989) Small Group Learning in the Classroom Scarborough: Chalkface Press 58 Robson, C (199S) Real World Research Oxford: Blackwell 59 Roger & Gower (2005) Teaching Practice: A handbook for Teachers in training Oxford: Macmillan Education 60 Sarantakos, S (1994), Social Research London: Sage 61 Sayed, M M (2005) The effect of using multiple intelligences-based training programme on developing English majors’ orall communication skills Unpublished MA Thesis Faculty of Education Assuit University 62 Schumacher, S., & McMillan, J H (1993) Research in education: A conceptual introduction New York, NY: HarperCollins College 63 63 Scott, W A., & Ytreberg, L H (1990) Teaching English to Children Esex: Longman 64 Scrivener, J (1994) Learning teaching A guidebook for English language teachers A division of Heinemann Publishers 65 Scrivener, J (2005) Learning Teaching: A Guidebook for English Language Teachers (2nd ed.) Oxford: Macmillan 66 Silverman, D (2006) Interpreting Qualitative Data, (3thed.) London: Sage 67 Soanes, C., & Hawker, S (2009) The oxford dictionary of current English Oxford: Oxford University Press 68 Stenbacka, C (2001) Qualitative research requires quality concepts of its own Management Decision, 39(7), 551-555 69 Storch, N & Aldosari, A (2010) Learners' use of first language (Arabic) in pair work in an EFL class Language Teaching Research, 14(4), 355–375 70 Storch, N (2001) How collaborative is pair work? ESL tertiary students composing in pairs Language Teaching Research, 5(1), 29–53 71 Storch, N (2002) Patterns of interaction in ESL pair work Language Learning, 52(1), 119-158 72 Storch, N (2007) Investigating the merits of pair work on a text editing task in ESL classes Language Teaching Research, 11(2), 143–159 73 Syamsuddin (2011) A contribution of pair and group work activities to the improvement of students speaking performance Hipotesis: Jurnal Ilmu Pengetahuan, 3(1), 127-135 74 Binh, N T., & Buu, N H (2018, Septemper) Students' Attitudes towards Pair Work The international journal of humanities & social studies, 6(9), 157-162 75 Tomlinson, B (2016) SLA Research and Materials Development for Language Learning Retrieved March 22, 2020, from: https://books.google.com.bd/books?id=aRIzDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT67&dq=proble ms+with+pair+work+in+classroom&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=pr oblems%20with%20pair%20work%20in%20classroom&f=false 76 Ur, P (1981) Discussion That Work: Task-Centred Fluency Practice Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 64 77 Vargas, A., Tejada, H., & Colmenares, S (2008) Estándares básicos de competencias en lenguas extranjeras (inglés): una lectura crítica Lenguaje, 36(1), 241-275 78 Vygotsky, L.S (1987) The Collected Works of L.S Vygotsky: Volume 1: Problems of General Psychology, Including the volume Thinking and Speech (R W Rieber& A S Carton, Eds.) Retrieved December 5, 2019, from: https://books.google.com.bd/books?id=u8UTfKFWb5UC&printsec=frontcover&d q=vygotsky+1987+thinking+and+speech&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwivutygis DcAhUVXisKHciBAQ0Q6AEIJTAA#v=onepage&q=vygotsky%201987%20thin king%20and%20speech&f=false 79 Willis, J (2008) From priming tasks and target tasks to language focus and grammar Retrieved December 1, 2020, from: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/primingtasks-target-tasks-languagefocus-grammar 80 Zohairy, S (2014) Effective pairwork strategies to enhance saudi pre-intermediate college students'language production in speaking activities European Scientific Journal, 10(2) 81 Hamzah, M H., & Ting, L Y (2010) Teaching Speaking Skills through Group Work Activities: A Case Study in SMK Damai Jaya Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Retrieved March 5, 2020, from: http://eprints.utm.my/10255/2/Lu_Yee_Ting.pdf 82 Hanson, S (2017) Pair Counting to Improve Grammar and Spoken Fluency In English Teaching Forum (Vol 55, No 4, pp 24-27) US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of English Language Programs, SA-5, 2200 C Street NW 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20037 83 Soresi, S (2005) SPM®: A new approach to achieving fluency Modern English Teacher, 14(3), 39 65 APPENDICES Appendix A: QUESTIONNAIRE This questionnaire is made to investigate the HUCFL second year English majors’ reflections on speaking English in pairs The collected data is used for the research purposes only I guarantee that all information will be kept confidential Thank you for your cooperation Part 1: Students’ perceptions of the importance of speaking English in pairs For each of the following statements, please indicate your opinion by putting a tick () in the suitable column: According to you, working in pairs in speaking classes: No Items Strongly disagree Creates interesting atmosphere and enourages students to learn Gives students many opportunities to practice speaking English Reduces students‟ anxiety as communicating with their own spaces Helps students to correct each other‟s mistakes Increases fluency and accuracy on certain grammatical items Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree Part 2: Second year majors’ reflections on how speaking English in pairs is carried out in English speaking classes at HUFL Students’ reflections on speaking English in pairs in English speaking classes For each of the following statements, please indicate your opinion by putting a tick () in the suitable column: No Items Strongly Disagree Teachers often explain “why” and “how” pair work activity is conducted Teachers provide me with a model by giving an example of how to employ the useful phrases for expressing opinions, and introduced useful language before carrying out pair work Teachers often provide me with information and vocabulary about the topic mentioned before working in pairs Teachers give me time to plan ideas, vocabulary, phrases and grammar structures to be applied before they begin a task 10 Teachers walk around, check and monitor whether I am using English or not 11 Teachers often interfere with my pair‟s conversations when they discover any mistakes 12 Teachers assist me in explaining Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree No Items Strongly Disagree Neutral Disagree Agree Strongly Agree your concerns of vocabulary, ideas, pronunciation when I call for advice during pair work 13 Teachers pay more attention to less proficient pairs than the other ones 14 Teachers invite the pairs to report to their classmates 15 Teachers give feedback after students‟ performance 16 Teachers correct students‟ mistakes after students‟ performance How often you have pair work interaction in English speaking classes? A Frequently B Sometimes C Rarely D Never What kinds of pair work activities you often use in English speaking classes? A Fixed pairs: Students work with the same partner (usually the student on the left or the right) B Flexible pairs: Students keep changing partners (Students are allowed to stand up and move around the classroom freely) C Both A and B What pair-work activities are often organised in you speaking classes? Put a tick () into appropriate blanks: Interview Discussion Role play Debate Picture narrating Picture describing Other activities: (please specify) How students work in pairs in English speaking class According to you, when working in pairs, how is your peer‟s reaction to your answer? She/He A Keeps silent and gives no any ideas about my answer B Keeps track of what I am speaking and gives the opinions about my answer C Does not concentrate on what I am saying D Debates and does not listen to any ideas E Other ideas: ………………………………………………………………………………………… For each of the following statements, please indicate your opinion by putting a tick () in the suitable column: While working in pairs, No Items Strongly disagree 17 I often feel reluctant to participate 18 I often use Vietnamese to express my disagree Neutral Agree feelings which I cannot perform in English 19 I am often ashamed of wrong answers and lose face with peers 20 I will give opinions if I disagree with my peer‟s idea 21 I exchange, defend my ideas and try to explain my opinions to my peer 22 I help my peer by offering relevant vocabulary, topical ideas or correcting his/her mistakes of pronunciation, vocabulary, meanings, etc 23 We would keep quiet when the teacher came around us Students’ reflections on teacher’s feedback on students’ speaking in pairs How often your teachers correct your mistakes? A Always B Often C Sometimes D Seldom E Never Strongly agree How does your teacher correct your mistakes? Put a tick () into appropriate blanks (more than one answer will be acceptable): S/he Does not correct any mistakes Indicates there is a mistake, but not supply any information about what is wrong Indicates there is a mistake and explains why is wrong Indicates something is wrong and explicit a correct model from another student Asks the learner who makes the mistake to reproduce the correct version Part 3: Students’ difficulties in speaking English in pairs For each of the following statements, please indicate your opinion by putting a tick () in the suitable column: Students’ reflections on their difficulties in speaking English in pairs No Items Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Disagree 24 Strongly Agree I often misunderstand my peer who is weaker or more proficient No Items Strongly Disagree 25 I often feel anxious when I interact with my peer who is more proficient 26 I often deviate from the main topic and talk about something else without focusing on the core fields 27 I am not confident in speaking English in pairs 28 I get confused to present my ideas during pair work 29 I feel uneffective to speak English with lower peer because of his/her Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree No Items Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Disagree Strongly Agree lack of ideas, vocabulary and his/her talking speed Students’ reflections on teacher’s pair-work organization No Items Strongly Disagree disagree 30 I am not interested in the task or the topic under discussion 31 I have few chances to practice English speaking 32 I can not concentrate on my tasks because of noise from classmates 33 I get tense and stressed when teacher gives feedback about my presentation 34 Teachers are in a bad temper for students‟ mistakes in speaking English in pairs Thank you so much! Neutral Agree Strongly agree Appendix B: STUDENTS’ REFLECTIVE JOURNAL This journal is to collect students’ reflections on the process of speaking English in pairs You are invited to write how you work in pairs in English speaking class and what you you think about speaking in pairs in English classes The following questions help you to focus on what you will write Thank you for your cooperation How was your process of speaking English in pairs in class today? (Hơm nay, q trình nói tiếng Anh theo cặp lớp diễn nào?) ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… How did you help your peer in English speaking in pairwork? (Bạn giúp bạn học q trình nói tiếng Anh theo cặp?) ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… How did your partner in speaking classes work with you? (Bạn học làm việc với bạn lớp học nói?) ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… How did you get help from your teacher before conducting pair work and during pair work? (Bạn nhận hỗ trợ từ giáo viên trước tiến hành hoạt động theo cặp trình làm việc theo cặp?) ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… What difficulties did you face in speaking in English in pairs? (Những khó khăn mà bạn gặp phải q trình nói tiếng Anh theo cặp?) ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… Thank you so much! Appendix C: INTERVIEW What you think about the importance of pair-work activities in English speaking classes? (Bạn nghĩ tầm quan trọng hoạt động làm việc theo cặp lớp học nói tiếng Anh?) How often you have pair work in speaking class? (Bạn có thường xuyên làm việc theo cặp không?) What you to help your peer in speaking classes? (Bạn giúp bạn bạn q trình nói tiếng Anh theo cặp?) What you think about the process of pair-work organization in English speaking classes? ( Bạn nghĩ trình tổ chức hoạt động theo cặp lớp?) How you get help from your teacher before conducting pair work and during pair work? (Bạn nhận hỗ trợ từ giáo viên trước tiến hành hoạt động theo cặp trình làm việc theo cặp?) What difficulties you face in speaking in English in pairs? (Những khó khăn mà bạn gặp phải trình nói tiếng Anh theo cặp?) Thank you so much! STUDENT’S REFLECTIVE JOURNAL