A formal evaluation on plenty to say a speaking skill book and adaptations for second degree students at hue college of for foreign language

TABLE OF CONTENT CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Topic 1.3 Research aims 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Outline of the thesis CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Needs Analysis 2.1.1 The definitions of needs 2.1.2 Types of needs 10 2.1.3 Needs Analysis 11 2.2 Basic information about the in-service EFL program in Hue University – College of Foreign Languages 12 2.2.1 Objectives 12 2.2.2 Learning time 13 2.2.3 Adult learners as participants in the program 13 2.2.4 Curriculums 13 2.3 Teaching Speaking skill 14 2.3.1 Definition of speaking 14 2.3.2 Definition of teaching speaking 15 2.3.3 The importance of speaking skill 15 2.3.4 Activities for teaching speaking skill 16 2.3.5 Teaching speaking in Asian context 19 2.3.6 Materials for teaching speaking skill 20 2.4 Textbook and its role in a language program 21 2.4.1 Definition of textbook 21 2.4.2 The role of textbook in a language program 21 2.5 Materials evaluation 24 2.5.1 Purposes of materials evaluation 24 2.5.2 Types of materials evaluation 25 2.5.3 Criteria for materials evaluation 26 2.6 Materials adaptation 27 2.6.1 Definitions 27 2.6.2 Reasons for adapting 27 2.6.3 Techniques for adaptation 29 2.6.4 Framework for materials adaptation 30 2.6.5 “Plenty to Say” in speaking classes at Hue College of Foreign Languages 31 2.7 Previous studies 32 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research design and Approach 36 3.2 Participants 36 3.3 Materials 37 3.4 Instruments 37 3.5 Data analysis 39 3.6 Procedure 39 3.6.1 Piloting the questionnaires 39 3.6.2 Administering the questionnaires 40 3.6.3 Interviewing participants 40 3.6.4 Analyzing collected data and suggesting some adaptations 40 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 4.1 Needs analysis 42 4.1.1 Reasons and purposes 42 4.1.1.1 Reasons for learning 42 4.1.1.2 Purposes of using English 43 4.1.2 Students‟ necessities 44 4.1.2.1 Background knowledge 44 4.1.2.2 Strengths in speaking 46 4.1.3 Students‟ lacks 47 4.1.4 Students‟ wants 48 4.2 The textbook evaluation 49 4.2.1 Reliability of teachers‟ and students‟ data 49 4.2.2 Descriptive statistics of teachers‟ and students‟ total mean scores 50 4.2.3 Descriptive statistics of teachers‟ and students‟ cluster mean scores 51 4.2.4 Practical considerations, Layout, and Design 52 4.2.4.1.Practical Considerations 52 4.2.4.2 Layout and Design 54 4.2.5 Content 56 4.2.5.1 Activities 57 4.2.5.2 Language 61 4.2.5.3 Subject and content 63 4.2.6 Overall consensus 65 4.2.7 Evaluation on the textbook‟s sections and activities 67 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 5.1 Strengths and weaknesses of “Plenty to Say” 69 5.1.1 Strengths 69 5.1.2 Weaknesses 70 5.2 Implications and suggestions 73 5.3 Suggested sample units 78 5.4 Limitations and suggestions for further research 95 REFERENCES APPENDICES CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale English teaching-learning programs, due to many reasons such as job requirement as well as needs to get to a higher level in education, have become an essential part in education in Vietnam With the issue of Circular Letter No 08/2009 of Ministry of Education and Training on Master training program, which made either IELTS or TOEFL certificate or a BA degree in English a prerequisite, a great number of learners have enrolled in English training courses In that context, second degree training program in Hue College of Foreign Languages seems to increase its enrollees considerably However, due to various reasons, there is a fact that the learners of this second degree training program not reach the standard which is required for participants of the program After finishing the course, these learners are expected to have wide knowledge about four English skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing Among these four skills, it is easy to see that most second degree training program‟s learners have low ability in speaking skill In the attempt to find out the reasons for this fact, I see that apart from internal factors from learners, the subjective reasons which come from the curriculum also need to be taken into consideration As proved by many researchers, materials play a vital role in acquiring a language Tomlinson (1998:xi) defines materials as „anything which is used to help to teach language learners‟ According to his definition, materials can be in the form of a textbook, a workbook, a cassette, a CD-Rom, a video, a photocopied handout, a newspaper, a paragraph written on a white board; anything which presents or informs about the language being learned As for Wright (1987), the goals of a teaching-learning process can be set and achieved with the support of the materials More specifically, Dudley-Evans, A and M J St John (1998), when referring the significant role of materials, focus on four main points Firstly, materials are source of language In their views, in some situations, where English is a foreign language, materials play a crucial role in exposing learners to the language, which implies that the materials need to present real language as it is used, and the full range that learners require Secondly, materials are viewed as a learning support With the role of learning support, materials need to be reliable and consistent as well as to have some recognizable pattern To enhance learning, materials must involve learners in thinking about and using the language Thirdly, materials need to be challenging yet available For Dudley-Evans, materials must contain concepts and knowledge that are familiar but they must also offer something new, a reason to communicate and to get involved Fourthly, materials must be used as a reference Materials support as a source for self-study and selfexplanatory They suggest that materials need to take into account of different learning styles and allow the learners to explore the language in the most appropriate ways However, materials can also have unexpectedly counterproductive effects on both teachers and learners Allwright (1982) considers textbooks as inflexible tool which controls teachers‟ methods and imposes external objective on students Another shortcoming of textbooks is that they are actually too contrived and artificial in their presentation of the target language Prodromou (1988) and Alptekin (1993) even think that learners of a language may refuse to learn since they are forced to be in the situations, provided in learning materials, which are not familiar to them Though textbook is an indispensable part of a teaching-learning program in Vietnamese context, it is obvious that no one single published material perfectly matches all teaching-learning situations Consequently, the act of evaluating materials in order to make adaptations should be carried out As Low (1987, p 21) reminds, “teachers generally need to screen materials, in order to predict their suitability for particular classes” Through identifying strengths and weaknesses in textbooks, optimal use can be made of strong points, and weak points can be adapted or substituted from other sources of materials (Cunningsworth, 1995) This implies that it is important for teachers to evaluate, select, and adapt teaching materials to meet their teaching and learning needs in order to maximize learners‟ learning potentials “Plenty to Say” published by Longman has been used as a speaking skill textbook for both in-service students and regular students for several years However, except for oral comments of teachers and students on the textbook, no formal evaluation on the book has been carried out Together with the fact about the speaking skill level of second degree students, a formal evaluation on “Plenty to Say” was decided to make with the attempt to find out its strengths and weaknesses The findings of my research will set lights into the quality of the corresponding activities in the textbook to be applied in the semesters to come 1.2 Topic A Formal Evaluation on “Plenty to Say”: A Speaking Skill Book and Adaptations for Second Degree Students at Hue College of Foreign Languages 1.3 Research aims The purposeful evaluation on this textbook and the subsequent adaptations aim to provide myself as well as my colleagues with a closer look at its strengths and weaknesses Based on this formal evaluation, my research aims at suggesting some adaptations on this textbook in ways that make it congruent in the English learning and teaching context in second degree training program at Hue College of Foreign Languages 1.4 Research questions Considering all reasons for conducting a formal evaluation on “Plenty to Say”, this study aims to answer the following questions: To which degree does “Plenty to Say” fit in the English speaking teaching and learning setting in second degree training program in Hue College of Foreign Languages with reference to students‟ needs? What adaptations should be made for effective teaching and learning of the textbook? 1.5 Outline of the thesis The thesis consists of five chapters Chapter I introduces the contexts and purposes of the study Chapter II presents a discussion of the literature relating to major elements in the study Chapter III provides the research methodology and chapter IV displays findings and discussions The thesis ends with chapter V which gives a brief summary of the coursebook‟s strengths and weaknesses, suggests some adaptations to improve it, and points out some limitations of the research and from that gives suggestions for further research CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Needs Analysis 2.1.1 The definitions of needs As the learner is at the heart of any teaching program (McDonough, 1984), knowing what their needs are is important to course designers As pointed out by Hutchinson (1987), a course should be based on the analysis of learner needs because anything that can motivate and help learners find the purpose and interest in what they are doing in the course is useful Depending on what kind of “needs” is referred, the term “needs” is explained differently As for Widdowson (1981, as cited in Robinson, 1991), “needs” can be referred to students‟ study or job requirement that is what students have to be able to at the end of the language course While Widdowson thinks of “needs” as an external motivation, Berwick (1989) links the term to individual matter He refers “needs” to personal aims which means what students want to gain from a language course Looking at “needs” with a far different view, Robinson (1991) interprets needs as lacks that is what students not know or cannot in English All those ways of understanding are synthesized in Hutchinson (1987) “Needs”, in his view, is analyzed in terms of necessities, lacks and wants, as explained in more detail later Despite different ways in understanding the term “needs”, it cannot be denied that “needs” has an essential role in a process of course design Being aware of this role and sharing the same view on what “needs” is with Hutchinson (1987), the set of questionnaire for students is designed to get a further understanding about what second degree learners have to know before attending the course, what they still need to reach the target proficiency in speaking, and what they want to achieve from the course 2.1.2 Types of needs Since it is defined differently, the classification of “needs” also varies In this part, only the following types of needs are taken into concern: objective needs and subjective needs, target needs and learning needs Objective and Subjective needs Dudley-Evans and Jo St John (1998) state that objective needs is seen as derived by outsiders from facts, from what is known and can be verified And subjective needs is derived from insiders and corresponds to cognitive and affective factors Those facts and internal factors are specified in Robinson (1991) According to Robinson, when analyzing objective needs, different kinds of factual information about learners are taken into account: how they use language in real-life communication situations, as well as their current language abilities and difficulties Subjective needs, as for his suggestion, can be grouped into factors such as personality, confidence, attitudes, learners‟ wants and expectations, and learning styles Target needs and learning needs Target needs focuses on the learner language needs, which specifically means what students have to be able to at the end of the language course Dudley-Evans and Jo St John (1998) refer target needs to objective, perceived and product-oriented needs Hutchinson (1987) classifies target needs into necessities, lacks, and wants “Necessities” is what students have to know in order to function effectively in the target situation “Lacks” may be understood as the target proficiency needs to be matched against learners‟ existing proficiency “Wants” is what the learner needs In other words, “wants” refers to subjective needs or the needs perceived by the learner It, therefore, can be said that what the leaner really wants or feels they need is related to their motivation 10 B PAST SIMPLE Past simple: was and were I/he/she/it was at home you/we/they were at home I/he/she/it wasn't (was not) at school you/we/they weren’t (were not) at school Positive form Negative form Was I/he/she/it friendly? Question form Were you/we/they Yes, I/he/she/it was Yes, you/we/they were No, I/he/she/it wasn't No, you/we/they weren’t Short answers Past simple: regular and irregular verbs a Regular verbs Usually we add –ed to the verb I/you/he/she/it/we/they worked, wanted, finished, listened, played, watched Other spelling rules: Verb Rule Example Ends in –e (live) +d She lived in France Ends in a consonant + double the final consonant He stopped work at 5.30 vowel + consonant (stop) and add -ed Ends in consonant + y change -y to -ied (study) b Irregular verbs Many common verbs have an irregular past form: go – went, have – had, meet – met, know – knew 87 I studied economics We use the Past simple to talk about: - a finished single action in the past My parents met in 1970 The film started at 7.30 - a finished state in the past Kate had a happy childhood We lived in a small city - a repeated action in the past She always phoned me on Sunday They went swimming every day When we use Past simple, we often say time of the action: in 1970, at 7.30, on Sunday 88 UNIT 2: JOBS Time allotted: periods Objectives: After the lesson, students are going to be able to: - Gain some new vocabularies about careers - Have the basic understanding about and can basically use question words - Describe their careers with some adjectives - Express some personal information and compare with the others VOCABULARY A Directions: Draw a line from words to their definitions A) firefighter 1) a person who serves your food to you in a restaurant B) doctor 2) a person who fixes electrical wiring C) teacher 3) a person who keeps people safe from crime D) barber 4) a person who builds things, for example: houses E) carpenter 5) a person who treats sick people F) farmer 6) a person who paints things G) mechanic 7) a person who cuts hair H) electrician 8) a person who teaches in a school (to children or I) scientist adults) J) policeman/policewoman 9) a person who puts out fires K) waiter/waitress 10) a person who does scientific work L) painter 11) a person who fixes mechanical problems 12) a person who grows food B Write the jobs according to the gender of the person doing them Male Female Both Businessman Businessperson 89 Air hostess / stewardess Flight attendant Actor No Salesman Nurse No Policeman Policewoman Postman Mail carrier YOU AND ME  Interview you partner: Find out if your partner’s got a job When finish, change your roles If the answer is yes, find out: If the answer is no, find out: - what his/her job is - what job he/she would like to have - what hours he/she works - if there is a job he/she doesn‟t like to - some details about his/her place of work - if he/she would like to work full time - about the people he/she works with or part time - if there is anything he/she doesn‟t enjoy about the job 90 Useful language Asking for information: - Do you have any job?/ - What‟s your job? / - What you do? - How many hours you work/spend on your work a day? - What‟s your office/room at work like? - Is your office/room at work + adjective? - Are your colleagues + adjective? - Do you like/love/enjoy your job? - What you like/love/dislike/hate about your job? Providing information - I‟m a(n) ………/ - My job is ……… / - I work as a(n)……… - I spend + time on my work / - I work + time a day - My office/room at work is + adjective - Some of my colleagues are + adjective, but some are + adjective - I like/love/dislike/hate…………  Choose one of the jobs above but not tell your partner what the job is Your partner is going to ask maximum of five questions to find out what job you’ve chosen The questions must be Yes/No questions and must not include the words in the job’s definition Suggested information to put questions: You can ask - if he/she works inside or outdoors - if he/she works alone or with others - if he/she stands or sits most of the time - if he/she talks a lot or a little - if he/she needs any equipment to his/her job AN INTERVIEW FOR A JOB (no adaptations) 91 PICTURES TO TALK ABOUT A Match the pictures with the names of the jobs B Work with your partner to find out which of the jobs mentioned above these words go with? has regular working hours has uniform work alone away from home _ work inside noisy _ dangerous dirty _ well-paid boring _ _ Useful language Asking for opinions - Do you think ……… is ………./ has … ? - Why you think that….? Presenting opinions - I think ……… is …… because………… - I agree with you - No, I don‟t think so As for me, … 92 CLASS TALK Report your groups’ opinions about the jobs in “Picture to talk about” Useful language Presenting the results - We all think that… - Most/All/Some of us think that … - We didn‟t agree that… - I was the only one who thought that… LANGUAGE SUMMARY A One-word questions Ask about things What‟s your name? Mary Which you prefer, London or Paris Paris? Ask about people Who‟s your English teacher? Ms Baker Ask about places Where you come from? France Ask about time When did you come to London? Two weeks ago Ask about manners How did you come here? By plane Ask about reasons Why you like Paris? Because it‟s my home city We use what if there are many possible answers What‟s your favourite colour? Blue 93 We use which if there are only a few possible answers Which is easier, Japanese, Chinese, or English? English, I think B Compound (two-word) questions We can make compound questions with what and which Classification What kind/sort/type of food Italian food you like? Time What time does the train leave? At 6.30 Colour What colour is your car? Green Choices Which shirt you like best? I really like the yellow one We can make compound questions with how Distance How far is your home from here? About kms Frequency How often you have English Three times a week classes? Time duration How long are your lessons? One and a half hour Description How fast is your computer? Very fast Amount How much bread have you got? Not much How many cigarettes you About five a day smoke? Age How old is your daughter? She is seven REMEMBER We use how many for countable nouns and how much for uncountable nouns 94 5.4 Limitations and suggestions for further research Conducted as a formal evaluation on the textbook, this research has faced some limitations First, some students and even teachers did forget many parts of the book because the students used “Plenty to Say” only once and the teachers‟ use of the book is too limited As a matter of fact, confusions about some statements in the Evaluation form were unavoidable Second, due to the limited use, the teachers admitted that they did not really experience what those activities were actually like They often based on the topic and designed their own tasks for learners without reference to activites available in “Plenty to Say” With the purpose of maximize the effectiveness of teaching and learning speaking skill for this group of high level educational background (32% were postgraduate students) , there is a need for further research in the future on a larger scale for comprehensive conclusions 95 REFERENCES ENGLISH Allwright, R (1982) What Do We Want Teaching Materials for? 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