An investigation into teachers’ and students perceptions of the use of vietnamese to give instructions in english classes at college of urban works construction

LE THANH LOAN MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES LE THANH LOAN * MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING LE THAN AN INVESTIGATION INTO TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE USE OF VIETNAMESE TO GIVE INSTRUCTIONS IN ENGLISH CLASSES AT COLLEGE OF URBAN WORKS CONSTRUCTION * MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING HUE – 2014 HUE, 2014 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES -LE THANH LOAN LE THANH LOAN AN INVESTIGATION INTO TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE USE OF VIETNAMESE TO GIVE INSTRUCTIONS IN ENGLISH CLASSES AT COLLEGE OF URBAN WORKS CONSTRUCTION MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 60.14.01.11 SUPERVISOR: LE PHAM HOAI HUONG (ASSOC.PROF.DR) M HOAI HUONG (ASSOC.PROF.DR) HUE, 2014 i BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ -LÊ THANH LOAN LÊ THANH LOAN ĐIỀU TRA VỀ NHẬN THỨC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN VÀ SINH VIÊN ĐỐI VỚI VIỆC SỬ DỤNG TIẾNG VIỆT CHO CHỈ DẪN TRONG CÁC LỚP HỌC TIẾNG ANH Ở TRƢỜNG CAO ĐẲNG XÂY DỰNG CƠNG TRÌNH ĐƠ THỊ LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƢƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 60.14.01.11 NGƢỜI HƢỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: PGS.TS LÊ PHẠM HOÀI HƢƠNG PGS.TS LÊ PHẠM HOÀI HƢƠNG HUẾ, 2014 ii STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby acknowledge that this study is mine The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true and have not been published elsewhere Author Le Thanh Loan iii ABSTRACT This study mainly focuses on investigating teachers and students‟ perceptions of the use of Vietnamese to give instructions in English classes at College of Urban Works Construction Especially, this study attempts to investigate the reality of using Vietnamese to give instructions in the English classes In addition, this research finds out the possible solutions of using the mother tongue to give instructions effectively to improve the English learning and teaching process The study uses both qualitative and quantitative methodologies The data collection instruments include questionnaires, interviews and class observation The subjects participated in this study consist of 11 teachers and 90 students at College of Urban Works Construction The findings indicate that the teachers and students express their negative viewpoints on the necessity, preference and importance of the use of the mother tongue to give instructions They emphasize the disadvantages of the mother tongue instructions more than support the use of it The findings, however, reveal that in English classes, the teachers sometimes used the mother tongue to give instructions for games, exercises and classroom activities Some solutions for effective use of the mother tongue to give instructions suggested by the teachers and students are given in this study On the basis of the findings, some pedagogical implications for EFL teaching with regards to giving instructions with the help of the mother tongue as well as the suggestions for further research are provided iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Hearty thanks are firstly given to my supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Le Pham Hoai Huong for her whole-hearted guidance, valuable comments and sincere encouragement since the very beginning, without which my research is far from being complete I am grateful particularly to teachers and the students at College of Urban Works Construction, who carefully complete the questionnaires and sincerely provided me with valuable information for this research in the interviews I am also thankful to the teachers who gave me opportunities to observe their classes Moreover, I would like to thank all my close friends who helped me to collect relevant materials and gave me support as well as advice Finally, I wish to extend my thanks to all members in my family, especially my parents, who gave me a lot of love and precious encouragements during the time I conducted the study v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLT : Communicative language teaching CS : Code switching EFL : English as a Foreign Language L1 : The first language L2 : The second language TL : Target language vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages SUB COVER PAGE i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP iii ABSTRACT iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi TABLE OF CONTENTS vii LIST OF TABLES x LIST OF FIGURES xi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Research significance 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Structure of the thesis CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Definitions of key terms 2.2.1 Definitions of L1 2.2.2 Definitions of L2 2.3 Giving instructions in foreign language classrooms 2.4 The pedagogical use of L1 in EFL classes 2.4.1 How to use L1 in EFL classes 2.4.2 Advantages of L1 instructions 16 vii 2.4.3 Disadvantages of L1 instructions 19 2.5 Previous studies 21 2.5.1 In other countries 21 2.5.2 In Vietnam 26 2.6 Gaps in the literature 27 2.7 The English program at Urban Works Construction College 27 2.8 Summary 27 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 28 3.1 Chapter introduction 28 3.2 Research design 28 3.3 Research site 29 3.4 Participants 29 3.5 Data collection Instruments 29 3.6 Data analysis 31 3.7 Procedures 32 3.8 Chapter summary 32 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 33 4.1 Chapter introduction 33 4.2 Teachers‟ and students‟ perceptions of the use of Vietnamese to give instructions 33 4.2.1 Teachers‟ perceptions of the necessity of Vietnamese use to give instructions 33 4.2.2 Teachers‟ and students‟ preference for language used to give instructions in classroom 38 4.2.3 Teachers‟ and students‟ perceptions of the importance of Vietnamese use to give instructions 42 4.2.4 Teachers‟ and students‟ view on the advantages of the use of Vietnamese to give instructions 45 4.2.5 Teachers‟ and students‟ view on the disadvantages of the use of Vietnamese to give instructions 47 viii 4.3 Teachers‟ use of the mother tongue to give instructions 50 4.4 The solutions of using Vietnamese to give instructions effectively 54 4.5 Chapter conclusion 56 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDIES 57 5.1 Chapter introduction 57 5.2 Summary of the Key Findings 57 5.3 Implications 58 5.4 Limitations of the Study 59 5.5 Suggestions for Further Research 60 REFERENCES 61 APPENDICES 69 ix 11 What are the disadvantages of using the mother tongue to give instructions in the English classes? a Be not communicative b Make students less active in using English c Remove a chance for real communication between the teacher and students in classroom Others: ……………………………………………………………………………… 12 What you think about the importance of using Vietnamese to give instructions in the English classes? a Very important b Important c Somewhat important d Unimportant 13 Do you think that students’ English competence influences the use of Vietnamese to give instructions by teachers in the English classes? a Yes b No 14 Do you use Vietnamese when teaching English? a Yes b No 15 What you use the mother tongue in the English classes for? Please circle one number on the scale = very rarely = rarely = sometimes = frequently = very frequently a Explaining new words b Explaining grammatical points c Giving instructions about activities d Checking for understanding e Giving feed- back to individuals 71 f Joking with students g Managing the class h Others, please specify: ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… 16 What are the difficulties you meet when giving instructions for students in the EFL classes? a Students not understand what they need to when you give the instructions in English b Students not pay attention when you give the instructions in English and always ask you to explain in Vietnamese c It is very time- consuming when you give the instructions in English Others, please specify: ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… 17 Do you use Vietnamese to give instructions in your English classes? a Yes b No 18 How often you use the mother tongue to give instructions in the English classes? a Always b Usually c Sometimes d Rarely e Never 19 What should teachers to use the mother tongue to give instructions effectively in teaching English? a Try to use the gestures to help students understand the instructions b Avoid using the mother tongue as little as possible c Use the target language to give instructions and just use the mother tongue to explain when actually necessary d Always use the mother tongue because the important thing is that students know what they need to 72 e Give the instructions in English and after that translating into Vietnamese f Explain the instructions in Vietnamese as soon as students don‟t understand English instructions Other, please specify: ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… THANK YOU VERY MUCH! 73 APPENDIX Questionnaire B (For students at College of Urban Works Construction) This questionnaire aims to collect necessary information for my research paper on the topic: “An investigation into teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the use of Vietnamese to give instructions in English classes at College of Urban Works Construction.” Please read the questions and check in the boxes or spaces provided You may choose MORE THAN ONE box for some questions Your additional ideas are appreciated since they remarkably contribute to the study Thank you for your cooperation! I Personal information Please fill in some information about yourself Name: (optional)………………………………………………… Age: ……………………… Sex: Male Female How long have you learned English? ………………… II Questions Please tick () the appropriate options for your answers Teachers should not use Vietnamese in the classroom because a It is not useful b It is not communicative c It is not necessary d Teachers don‟t like using Vietnamese in English classes e Students don‟t like Vietnamese instructions f Others, please specify: ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… 74 Teachers should use Vietnamese when a Explaining new words b Explaining grammatical points c Giving instructions about activities d Checking for understanding e Giving feedback to individuals f Joking with students g Managing the class h Others, please specify: ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… Which languages you like to be used to give instructions in your English classes? a English b Vietnamese c Both English and Vietnamese Do you prefer your teacher to use Vietnamese to give instructions in the English classes? a Not at all b A little c Sometimes d A lot Do you understand the instructions much better if your teacher uses Vietnamese to explain? a No b Yes 10 Do you feel more comfortable if the instructions are given in Vietnamese? a No b Yes 11 Do you think that using Vietnamese to give instructions prevents you from learning English? a Not at all b A little c Sometimes d A lot 12 Do you think that English- only use instructions are difficult for you to understand what you need to do? a Not at all b A little c Sometimes 75 d A lot 13 What you think about the importance of using Vietnamese to give instructions in the English classes? a Very important b Important c Somewhat important d Unimportant 14 Do you think that your English competence influences the ability to understand English instructions from your teacher? a Not at all b A little c Sometimes d A lot 15 In your opinion, your teacher’s use of the mother tongue to give instructions in English classes is ………………… a Too much b Average c Too little 16 Your teacher often uses Vietnamese in English classes when: Please circle one number on the scale = very rarely = rarely = sometimes = frequently = very frequently a Explaining new words b Explaining grammatical points c Giving instructions about activities d Checking for understanding e Giving feed- back to individuals f Joking with students g Managing the class h Others please specify: …………………………………………… …………………………………………… 76 17 How often does your teacher use Vietnamese to give instructions in the English classes? a Always b Usually c Sometimes d Rarely e Never 18 In your opinion, what should teachers to use the mother tongue to give instructions effectively in teaching English? a Try to use the gestures to help students understand the instructions b Avoid using the mother tongue as little as possible c Use the target language to give instructions and just use the mother tongue to explain when actually necessary d Always use the mother tongue because the important thing is that students know what they need to e Give the instructions in English and after that translating into Vietnamese f Explain the instructions in Vietnamese as soon as students don‟t understand English instructions THANK YOU VER MUCH! 77 APPENDIX PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT (Dành cho sinh viên Trường Cao Đẳng Xây Dựng Cơng Trình Đơ Thị) Các câu hỏi điều tra thiết kế nhằm mục đích thu thập thơng tin cần thiết cho đề tài nghiên cứu “Điều tra nhận thức giáo viên sinh viên việc sử dụng Tiếng Việt cho dẫn cáclớp học Tiếng Anh Trường Cao Đẳng Xây Dựng Công Trình Đơ Thị” Xin vui lịng đọc câu hỏi viết vào ô trống Đối với số câu hỏi bạn chọn NHIỀU HƠN MỘT đáp án Những ý kiến đóng góp bạn góp phần cho thành công đề tài Xin chân thành cám ơn hợp tác bạn! I Thông tin cá nhân Xin vui lịng điền số thơng tin vào chỗ trống Tên: (Không bắt buộc)………………………………………………… Tuổi: ……………………… Giới tính: Nam Nữ Bạn học tiếng Anh đƣợc rồi? ………………… II Các câu hỏi điều tra Xin vui lòng đánh dấu () vào đáp án mà bạn thấy thích hợp Giáo viên khơng nên sử dụng tiếng Việt lớp học tiếng Anh a Khơng hữu ích b Khơng mang tính giao tiếp c Không cần thiết d Giáo viên không thích sử dụng tiếng Việt e Sinh viên khơng thích việc sử dụng tiếng Việt f Lý khác, xin vui lòng ghi rõ: ……………………………………………… Giáo viên nên sử dụng tiếng Việt a Giải thích từ b Giải thích điểm ngữ pháp 78 c Đưa dẫn cho hoạt động d Kiểm tra hiểu sinh viên e Đưa nhận xét cho sinh viên f Nói đùa với sinh viên g Tổ chức lớp học h Những mục đích khác, xin vui lịng ghi rõ:……………………………………… Bạn thích giáo viên bạn sử dụng ngôn ngữ đƣa dẫn? a Tiếng Anh c Cả tiếng Anh tiếng Việt b Tiếng Việt Bạn có thích giáo viên bạn sử dụng tiếng Việt để đƣa dẫn buổi học tiếng Anh khơng? a Khơng thích b Ít thích c Thỉnh thoảng thích d Rất thích Bạn hiểu lời dẫn giáo viên bạn giải thích tiếng Việt khơng? a Khơng b Có 10 Bạn cảm thấy thoải mái lời dẫn đƣợc đƣa tiếng Việt không? a Khơng b Có 11 Bạn có nghĩ việc sử dụng tiếng Việt cho dẫn cản trở việc học tiếng Anh bạn không? a Không b Một chút c Thỉnh thoảng d Nhiều 12 Bạn có nghĩ việc giáo viên sử dụng tiếng Anh để đƣa dẫn gây khó khăn cho bạn việc hiểu bạn cần làm khơng? a Khơng b Một chút c Thỉnh thoảng d Nhiều 13 Bạn nghĩ tầm quan trọng việc sử dụng tiếng Việt cho dẫn buổi học tiếng Anh? a Rất quan trọng b Quan trọng c Hơi quan trọng 79 d Không quan trọng 14 Bạn có nghĩ lực tiếng Anh bạn ảnh hƣởng tới khả hiểu dẫn đƣợc giáo viên đƣa tiếng Anh không? a Không b Một chút c Thỉnh thoảng d Nhiều 15 Theo ý kiến bạn, việc giáo viên sử dụng tiếng mẹ đẻ để đƣa dẫn buổi học tiếng Anh ……………… a Quá nhiều c Quá b Vừa phải 16 Giáo viên bạn thƣờng sử dụng tiếng Việt buổi học tiếng Anh khi: Khoanh tròn vào số mức độ sử dụng = = = = thường xuyên = thường xuyên a Giải thích từ b Giải thích điểm ngữ pháp c Đưa dẫn cho hoạt động d Kiểm tra hiểu sinh viên e Đưa nhận xét cho sinh viên f Nói đùa với sinh viên g Tổ chức lớp học h Những mục đích khác, xin vui lòng ghi rõ: 17 Giáo viên bạn có thƣờng xuyên sử dụng tiếng Việt để đƣa dẫn buổi học tiếng Anh không? a Luôn b Thường thường d Hiếm e Không c Thỉnh thoảng 80 18 Theo ý kiến bạn, giáo viên nên làm để sử dụng tiếng Việt có hiệu đƣa dẫn? a Cố gắng sử dụng cử để giúp sinh viên hiểu lời dẫn b Tránh sử dụng tiếng Việt tốt c Sử dụng tiếng Anh để đưa dẫn sử dụng tiếng Việt để giải thích thực cần thiết d Ln ln sử dụng tiếng mẹ đẻ để đưa dẫn điều quan trọng sinh viên biết cần làm e Đưa dẫn tiếng Anh sau dịch sang tiếng Việt f Giải thích lời dẫn tiếng Việt sinh viên không hiểu lời dẫn tiếng Anh XIN CHÂN THÀNH CÁM ƠN! 81 APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (For EFL teachers at College of Urban Works Construction) Do you think that English teachers should use the mother tongue to give instructions in English classes? If yes, why If no, why not? Do you sometimes use Vietnamese to give instructions in English classes? Why? What are the advantages of using Vietnamese to give instructions in English classes? What are the disadvantages of using Vietnamese to give instructions in English classes? Do you use Vietnamese to give instructions in your classes? If yes, for what purposes? How you evaluate the frequency and the efficiency of the use of the mother tongue to give instructions in your English classes? Do you have any suggestions for the effective use of the mother tongue to give instructions in English classes? If yes, what are they? 82 APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (For students at College of Urban Works Construction) Do you think that teachers‟ use of Vietnamese to give instructions helps you to the tasks well? Why? Do you like your teacher to use Vietnamese to give instructions when teaching English? When you prefer your teacher to use Vietnamese to give instructions? What are the advantages of using Vietnamese to give instructions in English classes? What are the disadvantages of using Vietnamese to give instructions in English classes? Does your teacher use Vietnamese to give instructions in English classes? What you think about the frequency of Vietnamese used to give instructions by your English teacher in your class? Do you have any suggestions for the effective use of the mother tongue to give instructions in English classes? If yes, what are they? 83 APPENDIX CÂU HỎI PHỎNG VẤN (Dành cho sinh viên Trường Cao Đẳng Xây Dựng Cơng Trình Đơ Thị) Bạn có nghĩ việc giáo viên sử dụng tiếng Việt đưa dẫn giúp bạn thực tốt hoạt động không? Tại sao? Bạn có thích giáo viên sử dụng tiếng Việt đưa dẫn không? Những thuận lợi việc sử dụng tiếng Việt cho dẫn lớp học tiếng Anh gì? Những bất lợi việc sử dụng tiếng Việt cho dẫn lớp học tiếng Anh gì? Giáo viên bạn có sử dụng tiếng Việt đưa dẫn khơng? Bạn nghĩ mức độ sử dụng tiếng Việt cho dẫn giáo viên lớp học bạn? Bạn có đề nghị để tăng hiệu việc sử dụng tiếng Việt cho dẫn lớp học tiếng Anh? 84 APPENDIX CLASS OBSERVATION SHEET Date: ……………………… Lesson:………………………… Class:……………………… Aim: To have an overall observation on how Vietnamese is used to give instructions in teaching English in English classes and the attitudes of the teachers and students towards the teachers‟ use of the mother tongue to give instructions Using the mother tongue to give instructions Giving game instructions Giving exercise instructions Giving activity instructions Giving other instructions Vietnamese – only use Giving English instructions and then, translating them into Vietnamese Using gestures to help students understand the instructions, avoid using the mother tongue as little as possible Using the target Explaining the language to give instructions in instructions and just Vietnamese as soon use the mother tongue as students don‟t to explain when understand English actually necessary instructions Always Usually Sometimes Rarely Never Yes No The ways the teacher giving instructions English- only use 85