An investigation into the influence of teacher talk in english speaking classes at nguyen trai high school phu yen province

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES NGUYEN HUU THANH SON AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE INFLUENCE OF TEACHER TALK IN ENGLISH SPEAKING CLASSES AT NGUYEN TRAI HIGH SCHOOL PHU YEN PROVINCE MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 60140111 SUPERVISOR: ASSOC PROF DR PHAN VAN HOA HUE, 2013 BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO ĐẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ NGUYỄN HỮU THANH SƠN KHẢO SÁT ẢNH HƯỞNG NGÔN NGỮ TRUYỀN ĐẠT CỦA GIÁO VIÊN ĐẾN CÁC LỚP HỌC NÓI TIẾNG ANH TẠI TRƯỜNG THPT NGUYỄN TRÃI TỈNH PHÖ YÊN LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 60140111 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC PGS.TS PHAN VĂN HÕA HUẾ, 2013 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify my authority of the study project report submitted entitled AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE INFLUENCE OF TEACHER TALK IN ENGLISH SPEAKING CLASSES AT NGUYEN TRAI HIGH SCHOOL PHU YEN PROVINCE In fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of M.A in English Except where the reference is indicated, no other person‟s work has been used without due acknowledgment in the text of the thesis Hue, 2013 Nguyen Huu Thanh Son i ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the purpose, nature and quality of teacher talk in English speaking classes The way of using teacher talk has a great influence on the development of students‟ English speaking skill The study explores the habit of employing teacher talk of some of the English teachers at Nguyen Trai high school in Phu Yen province, from which we have a more general look into this reality of other high schools in Vietnam The research contains samples of empirical data, which include their interpretations related to research literature, and a more personal overall reflection of the teaching practice in English speaking classes This paper considers the proportion of using teacher talk in English and in Vietnamese and the recognition of high school students about it The present study also points how teacher talk is delivered in English speaking classes, how teacher talk motivates or dispirits language students under the forms of questions and feedback To a large extent, both analysis and reflections derive from the classroom observations, questionnaires, and interviews This paper contains some of the useful discussion on the findings and their effects on the process of developing students‟ language speaking skill These results serve as practical evidence for some important pedagogical implications ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Phan Van Hoa, whose suggestions, comments have helped me develop and complete this paper This paper could not have been finished without his critical comments and tireless help My sincere thank would be sent to Assoc Prof Pham Thi Hong Nhung, vice rector of College of Foreign Language, Hue University, who gave me helpful advice on choosing the topic I would like to thank all the lecturers at the Department of English, College of Foreign Language, Hue University for providing me with useful information and knowledge to conduct the successful study I would like to acknowledge all the teachers and students at Nguyen Trai high school, Phu Yen province, especially the students coming from three classes 10A3, 11B8, and 12C2 Their enthusiastic help is a really important factor which contributes to the completion of the study Finally, my deepest thank is to my family, my teachers and my friends who always motivate and assist me during the time of carrying out this project iii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ABSTRACT .ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .vii LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF CHARTS ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research background 1.2 Rationale of the thesis 1.3 Research aims 1.4 Research Questions 1.5 Scope 1.6 Structure of the thesis CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 Definitions of Teacher Talk (TT) 2.2 Features of Teacher Talk 12 2.3 Teachers‟ questions 14 2.3.1 Functions of teachers‟ questions 14 2.3.2 Types of teachers‟ questions 15 2.3.2.1 Procedural questions 15 2.3.2.2 Convergent questions 15 2.3.2.3 Divergent questions 15 2.4 Teachers‟ feedback 16 2.4.1 Teachers‟ correction 17 2.4.2 Teachers‟ assessment 18 2.5 Theoretical background of speaking skills 19 2.5.1 Speaking 19 iv 2.5.2 A good speaker 20 2.5.3 General outline of a speaking lesson 22 2.5.4 In-class speaking tasks 23 2.5.5 Assessing speaking 25 2.6 Background overview 25 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 27 3.1 Research site 27 3.2 Research methodology 27 3.3 The participants 28 3.3.1 Teachers 28 3.3.2 Students 28 3.4 Data collection methods 30 3.4.1 Questionnaires 30 3.4.2 Interviews 31 3.4.3 Classroom observations 31 3.5 Data analysis 32 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 33 4.1 Teachers‟ perceptions of teacher talk in language classrooms 33 4.2 How teachers use their talk in English speaking classes? 36 4.2.1 The frequency of using convergent questions and divergent questions in English speaking class 36 4.2.2 The distribution of teacher‟s questions 38 4.2.3 Assessment in teacher talk 41 4.2.4 Error correction in teacher talk 42 4.3 To what extent teacher talk affect students‟ speaking skill 44 4.3.1 The reality of using teacher talk in English and Vietnamese in English speaking classes 45 4.3.2 The advantages and disadvantages of using teacher talk in English speaking class 49 4.3.2.1 Advantages 49 4.3.2.2 Disadvantages 52 4.4 Discussion 55 4.4.1 The impact of the amount of teacher talk on English speaking 55 v 4.4.2 The effects of teacher talk in the forms of questions on English speaking skill 57 4.4.3 The effects of teacher talk in the forms of feedback on English speaking skill 59 4.4.4 The effects of teacher talk in the target language in English speaking class 60 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATION 63 5.1 Answers to the research questions 63 5.1.1 Research question 63 5.1.2 Research question 63 5.1.3 Research question 65 5.2 Pedagogical Implications for teaching English in English speaking classes 66 5.2.1 Reinforcing teachers‟ awareness of their talk 67 5.2.2 Controlling the amount and emphasizing the quality of teacher talk 67 5.2.3 Applying suitable questioning techniques 68 5.2.4 Applying suitable feedback techniques 66 5.3 Strengths, limitations and further study 69 REFERENCES 72 APPENDIX I APPENDIX II vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS TT : Teacher Talk Ss : Students S : Student T : Teacher vii tendency to use negative feedback in their language when being interviewed and observed Teacher talk in the form of error correction helps students to define their understanding of language It is an important part of the whole learning and teaching process When correcting errors, teachers should be careful that if we carry out it in an insensitive way, we can cause some undesirable effect on language students However, teachers should help students recognize their language mistakes in their communications Teachers should handle students‟ mistakes carefully and tactfully in suitable situations It is easy to see from this finding that teachers prefer using “explicit corrections” and “asking other students to answer instead” These ways of error corrections not increase the language participation of each student and prevent them from finding out their mistakes by themselves Therefore, whenever language students make any mistakes in their performance, teachers should ignore and correct them later, or provide students with some clues and help them deal with the mistakes instead The ways of error corrections are less used than others in reality of this research They need to be employed at a high rate to motivate and develop language ability of students 5.3 Strengths, limitations and further study In the process of carrying out the study, it has both strengths and weaknesses The first strong point is the time of the research which extends a period of nearly a year This is quite enough time to find out the information to answer to the given research questions Furthermore, the research is conducted on a narrow scope of three classes with 118 students, which helps the researcher to gather data fully Most of the students have an average level of reading ability They can understand the questionnaire designed just in English Next, there are only three English teachers chosen as subject teachers for being interviewed, classroom observations and answering the questionnaire Therefore, the researcher does not meet many obstacles in manipulating devised targets in this paper All of the teachers at the research site are very experienced in teaching English They show their eagerness and enthusiastic co-operation when asked to 69 the procedure for the success of this study Therefore, four research questions devised at the beginning of the study are examined carefully and thoroughly The third strong point is that the researcher has a chance to contact selected students to interview them, understanding their desire about teacher talk for the purpose of strengthening language competence in English speaking classrooms From this research, the study has reflected the reality of using teacher talk at Nguyen Trai high school and at all high schools in Vietnam so that we could have a general insight into every English speaking class and find out better, more suitably pedagogical methods The last strong point is that the researcher receives many supports from the leaders, students of three classes and all of the teachers of English from Nguyen Trai high school in Phu Yen province during the time of the research Specifically, concerning the students, most of them participate in all of the English speaking classes observed by the researcher All of these factors contribute to the accuracy and the reliability of the results of the experiment Nevertheless, this paper still has some limitations The research was conducted in three classes which are not specialized in English The researcher spent a lot of time explaining some interview questions in order to get reliable responses from them The level of English speaking skill of the students coming from three classes is unequal Some speak English very well, others are weak at this skill, causing difficulties to evaluate the data collected during classroom observations The second limitation is that class size is too large The number of students in two classes is 40, and 38 students are in the other class Hence, the class size has somewhat effects on the results of this study The limitation of the study also comes from just teachers involved in the study, which is too small a figure in comparison with over one thousand students and 10 English teachers at the research site In addition, this research just investigates three aspects of teacher talk, so this research does not provide extremely exact results From the findings, discussions and results of this study, some of the following 70 aspects deserve to be included in further research as follows: Firstly, we should carry out more case studies on a large scale about teacher talk Teacher talk is taken into consideration not only at high schools but also at language universities or colleges Therefore, more theoretical materials of teacher talk will be included Secondly, it is necessary to further researches that are concerned with the other aspects of teacher talk Finally, more efforts should be paid to help teachers understand the importance of teacher talk in foreign language classrooms, and language learners also understand the importance of the target language that teachers use in classroom, from which teachers and students can interact with each other more efficiently, more authentically in the target language To conclude, the present study examines certain aspects of teacher talk The results of this study contribute to the investigation of the influence of teacher talk in English speaking class in spite of some limitations in this research From this paper, we hope that teachers will look back at their teaching methods, modify their talk to suit their language students‟ competence, and evoke them to practice language more in the target language In addition, with proper teacher talk in language classrooms, we can encourage students to use more target language by recognizing and rewarding their efforts to participate in class in the target language The further research on teacher talk of other aspects will contribute a lot to promoting teaching quality and facilitating foreign language teaching and learning 71 REFERENCES Allwright, D & Bailey, K (1991) Focus on the Language Classroom New York: Cambridge University Press Annet, J (1969) Feedback and Human Behavior Harmondsworth: Penguin Bailey, K.M., & Savage, L (1994) New ways in teaching speaking Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Bresnihan, B & Stoops, B (1996) Three ways That Work: Oral Fluency Practice in the EFL Classroom 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(45 minutes in each period) 15-20 minutes  20 minutes  25-30minutes  35-40 minutes Thanks to teacher talk, which language skill you develop most? A listening B speaking C reading D writing According to you, how you agree with the following opinions about using teacher talk in English speaking class? (4= very important, 3= important, 2= somewhat important, 1= unimportant) Ideas 3 2 a Teacher talk helps your current language study b Teacher talk fosters speaking skills in class (4= very much, 3= much, 2= a little, 1= no) Questions Do you like practicing English speaking skill in class? Do you like teachers should interact with you in questioning and assessment? Do you like teachers should encourage you to participate during English speaking classes by putting many kinds of questions? Do you like teachers should give direct and immediate assessments after your talk? (4= very often, 3= often, 2= sometimes, 1= rarely) Questions 10 How often are you given more chances of talking and discussing in class? 11 How often is teacher talk used in English language? 12 In your opinion, the advantages of using only teacher talk in English in teaching speaking skill: (4= totally agree, 3= agree, 2= disagree, 1= totally disagree) Advantages a You feel that you are studying in a native country b You have a chance to practise speaking & listening skill c You feel that English is useful d Your ability to express in English is enhanced Other reasons: ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… 13 In your opinion, the disadvantages of using only teacher talk in English in teaching speaking skill: (4= totally agree, 3= agree, 2= disagree, 1= totally disagree) Disadvantages a Students become less confident b Students feel tense c Students find it difficult to follow the lessons d It takes teachers a lot of time to help students understand the lessons Other reasons: ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… 14 In what ways you prefer their teachers to give their talk in teaching speaking skill? You can choose more than ONE A Convergent questions B Divergent questions C Assessment D Correction E Discussion Others:………………………………………… 15 Please give your own suggestions on your English speaking classes ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… THE END THANKS FOR YOUR COOPERATION APPENDIX II QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS A Questionnaire on Teacher Talk in English Speaking Class This survey is completely confidential and anonymous The information gathered will not be used for any purpose other than collecting and analyzing data to better instruct language students Please read the instructions and complete the following questionnaire honestly and sincerely Thank you very much for your cooperation Teacher‟s name (optional): …………………………… Date: …………………………… Section I: Perceptions of teacher talk in English speaking classes How long you use your instruction in class? (45 minutes in each period) A 15-20 minutes B 20-25 minutes C 25-30minutes D 35-40 minutes How often is your instruction used in the target language? A rarely B sometimes C often D very often How important you think your language instruction helps your students in their current study? B A unimportant B somewhat important C important D very important With your instruction, which language skill students develop most? A listening B speaking C reading D writing In what ways you give their instruction in teaching? You can choose more than ONE A Interaction B Questioning C Assessment D Explanation E Correction F Discussion Others:………………………………………… Section II: Beliefs about English speaking classes Please indicate your idea by choosing an answer (from to as below) and writing the number in the space after each statement Strongly disagree Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree Strongly agree For example: Spring is the best season _1 _ This means that I strongly disagree that spring is the best season Teacher talk or teacher instruction is the most important factor in English speaking class _ In an English speaking class, students should talk more than the teacher _ The teacher should choose their instructions suitable for language competence of students _ Students should mainly practice speaking language skill with the teacher _ 10 Students should mainly have conversation with other students _ 11 Teacher talk should be used similarly for all speaking lesson _ 12 Students cannot learn authentic conversation in a classroom _ Section III: Interview Questions for Teachers Please give out your own ideas about the following matters According to you, what is the standard for teachers to meet when teaching English speaking classes? (standards) ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… What should your students be able to after finishing each language speaking lesson? (goals of speaking lesson) ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… What most of your students need in an English speaking class? (needs of the students) ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… What you expect to in your speaking classes? (expectations) ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… THE END THANKS FOR YOUR COOPERATION