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ABSTRACT CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the research 1.2 Aims of the research 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the research 1.5 Organization of the research 1.6 Summary of Chapter CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Contextual factors affecting foreign language teaching and learning in Vietnam 2.2.1 English language teaching in Vietnam 2.2.2 The English curriculum at high schools in Viet Nam 2.2.2.1 The English curriculum is reflected in the introductory pages of the Highschool English Series 10, 11, 12 2.2.2.2 Specific objectives is reflected in the introductory pages of the Highschool English Series 10, 11, 12 2.2.2.3.The English Textbooks at high schools in Viet Nam (Standard program) 2.2.2.4 The English curriculum at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City 2.3 Motivation 2.3.1 Definition of motivation 2.3.2 Types of motivation 2.3.2.1 Integrative and Instrumental Motivation 2.3.2.1.1 Integrative Motivation 2.3.2.1.3 Instrumental Motivation 10 2.3.2.3 Instrumental motivation vs Integrative motivation 10 2.3.2.2 Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation 10 2.3.2.2.1 Intrinsic motivation 10 2.3.2.2.2 Extrinsic motivation 10 2.4 Attitude 10 2.4.1 Definition of Attitude 10 2.4.2 Motivation and Attitude 11 2.5 Beliefs on foreign language learning 11 2.6 Difficulties in learning a foreign language 11 2.7 Conclusion 11 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 12 3.1 Introduction 12 3.2 Research approach 12 3.3 Participants 12 3.4 Research methods 12 3.4.1 Questionnaire for students 12 3.4.2 Interview 13 3.4.2.1 Interview for administrators 13 3.4.2.2 Interview for teachers 13 3.4.2.3 Interview for students 13 3.5 Document analysis 13 3.6 Data analysis 13 3.7 Conclusion 13 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 14 4.1 Introduction 14 4.2 Findings and discussion 14 4.2.1 Research question 14 4.2.2 Research question 14 4.2.2.1 Motivational factors 16 4.2.2.2 Demotivational factors 16 4.2.2.3 Teachers’ roles in the teaching and learning of English as a second foreign language 17 4.2.2.4 Language factors 17 4.2.2.5 Textbook factors 17 4.2.3 Research question 18 4.2.3.1 Administrators’ views 18 4.2.3.2 Teachers’ views 18 4.2.3.2.1 The attitudes of the learners towards the learning of English as a second foreign language 18 4.2.3.2.2 Advantages and disadvantages learners encounter due to the linguistic features of French and English 19 4.2.3.2.3 Learners’ motivation in learning English as a second foreign language 20 4.2.3.2.4 The methods to motivate learners in learning English as a second foreign language 20 4.2.3.2.5 The teaches’ roles in teaching English as a second foreign language 20 4.2.3.3 The students’ views 21 4.3 Some suggestions from the teachers and the students for improvement 22 4.3.1 Some suggestions from the teachers 22 4.3.1.1 To Schools 22 4.3.1.2 To English teachers 22 4.3.1.3 To students 22 4.3.2 Some suggestions from students 22 4.3.2.1 To Schools 22 4.3.2.2 To English teachers 22 4.4 Conclusion 22 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS 22 5.1 Summary of the findings 22 5.1.1 The students’ levels of English proficiency and their choice of English as a school subject in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City 22 5.1.2 The students’ perceptions of teaching and learning English as a second foreign language in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City 23 5.1.3 The advantages and difficulties encountered in teaching and learning English as a second foreign language in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City 25 5.2 Implications 27 5.2.1 For teachers 27 5.2.2 For students 28 5.2.3 For schools 29 5.3 The limitations of the study 30 5.4 Recommendations for further research 31 REFERENCES 32 ABSTRACT This thesis aims to investigate the reality of teaching and learning English as a second foreign language in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City The data were collected by means of students’ questionnaire, interviews for administrators, teachers and students One hundred and ten questionnaires were distributed to students and returned, nineteen interviews were conducted with administrators, teachers and students In French classes at the two high schools above The results show the striking difference in students’ levels of English proficiency and their choice of English as a school subject and the students’ perceptions of teaching and learning English as a second foreign language Most of the teachers and students were well aware of the importance and necessity of teaching and learning English and realized that the learning of English was useful in the students’ studying at present as well as in the future However, the teachers and students encountered many advantages and disadvantages in teaching and learning English Based on the results, it is suggested that teachers need to equip themselves with adequate knowledge of English so that they can improve their effectiveness of their methods in teaching this second foreign language Besides, teachers need to spend more time preparing meaningful lessons plans before class, use many techniques in teaching the four skills, provide many kinds of exercises relating these skills for students and make them familiar with these daily exercises and feel interested in practicing with the four skills In addition, teachers need to share experience each other and collaborate in teaching this subject in reality Moreover, the administrators of schools need to create more favorable conditions, provide more facilities such as tape recorders, functional classroom, and teching equipments in order to encourage teachers to teach English in a more useful and interesting way CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the research Nowadays, English plays an extremely important role in our modern life Since the beginning of the 21st century, in the international integration trend, English has become increasingly important and essential to the development of each country, and of each individual Following the open policy, all staff members in companies, schools, etc… are required to have a deep knowledge of the economic and political situation of other countries and seize the current development of the world Foreign languages which are English in the first place with its commercial role and the second French have contributed largely to this development As a tool of knowledge transmission, English is considered to be of great importance in the general education at school and now, the students occupy an important place in foreign language learning in general, especially English Obviously, in Vietnam, English language learning is becoming popular, and it is a compulsory subject - a second foreign language in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City Yet, despite its apparent utility as a lingua franca or a world language (Brutt-Grifler, 2002), and the fact that students must pass examinations in it to graduate, many students are failing to learn it successfully On the other hand, the involvement of a second foreign language in general education requires teachers to work hard to motivate students in learning English 1.2 Aims of the research The research aims to investigate the reality teaching and learning English as a second foreign language in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City Therefore, the study will be carried out for the following purposes: - identify the motivation and understand the attitudes and expectations toward teaching and learning English as a second foreign language, - find out the advantages and difficulties encountered in teaching and learning English as a second foreign language, - propose measures on how to improve students in second foreign language learning, and give the implications for the teaching and learning of English as a second foreign language in these classes 1.3 Research questions The study seeks to answer the three following questions: What are the students’ levels of English proficiency and their choice of English as a school subject? What are the students’ perceptions of the teaching and learning English as a second foreign language in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City? What are the advantages and difficulties encountered in teaching and learning English as a second foreign language in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City? 1.4 Scope of the research The research will be carried out at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City The participants in the study are the principal, the vice principal, the head of the foreign language department, teachers and 60 students who are teaching and learning English as a second foreign language in French classes in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades at Quoc Hoc high school; and the head of the foreign language department, teacher and 50 students who are teaching and learning English in French classes in the 10th and 11th grades at Nguyen Hue high school in Hue City 1.5 Organization of the research 1.6 Summary of Chapter CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Contextual factors affecting foreign language teaching and learning in Vietnam 2.2.1 English language teaching in Vietnam The language teaching and learning situation in Vietnam was surveyed in Nunan (2003) According to this survey, the school year runs for 30 weeks, from September through May Children begin elementary school at the age of and spend years at that level before graduating to junior high school at the age of 11 or 12 It is here that they begin studying English as a compulsory subject for four 45minutes periods a week In senior high school (Years 10,11,12); English is also compulsory, although the number of periods per week drops from four to three The above data represent the number of lessons prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training In practice, however, considerable variation exists For example, in Ho Chi Minh City, schools may teach up to periods a week in English In addition, there are schools that specialize in English, where students may study the subject for as many as 14 periods a week The globalization of English has had a considerable impact on policy and practice in Vietnam I t can be said that English has become a must for success in both studying and working One of the most common requirements in job advertisements is proficiency in English (another is computer skills) Since 1986, the year the government began to apply its open door policy, language centers have mushroomed all over Ho Chi Minh City and other big cities and towns English is also compulsory at university level and it helps both students and workers to gain scholarships to go abroad (Nunan, D 2003) 2.2.2 The English curriculum at high schools in Viet Nam 2.2.2.1 The English curriculum is reflected in the introductory pages of the Highschool English Series 10, 11, 12 2.2.2.2 Specific objectives is reflected in the introductory pages of the Highschool English Series 10, 11, 12 2.2.2.3 The English Textbooks at high schools in Viet Nam (Standard program) English textbooks 10, 11 and 12 were compiled based on the standard of English in High School set by the Ministry of Education and Training, and was theme-based The English program in high school education is developed among six main themes, repeated with extensions from grade 10 to grade 12 Each book includes 16 lesson units and review articles were compiled in the form of TEST YOURSELF paper Each unit represents a specific theme and includes the following: A Reading, B Speaking, C.Listening, D.Writing and E Language focus review article is presented in the form of Test Yourself and it will be done after each major topic is specified in the standard program of the Ministry of Education and Training The Test Yourself is designed to help students self-test capability and their understanding after they have completed to units (it means that after 10 to 15 lessons) and to help teachers have the basis of reference to design one test to students 2.2.2.4 The English curriculum at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City An academic year includes 37 weeks x periods/week = 105 periods (Phan phoi chuong trinh mon Tieng Anh, to Ngoai Ngu, truong THPT chuyen Quoc Hoc va THPT Nguyen Hue Hue) Semester I: from unit to unit 8, in which: - first periods: Study Guide and first test - Unit begins from period - Each unit is taught in periods (including four skills: reading, speaking, listening, writing and language focus) - After each units (after unit and unit 6) there is Test yourself (in which: grade 10: period; grades 11, 12: periods Test yourself + Practice Test), a test and period to repair that test - After unit 8, there is Test yourself, periods of review, a final test of semester and period to repair that test Semester II: from unit to unit 16, in which: - Unit begins from period 57 - Each unit was taught in periods (including four skills: reading, speaking, listening, writing and language focus) - After each units (after unit 11 and unit 14) there is Test yourself (in which: grade 10: period; grades 11, 12: periods Test yourself + Practice Test), a test and period to repair that test - After unit 16, there is Test yourself, periods of review, a final test of semester and period to repair that test Particularly, according to the regulation of The Department of Education and Training in Thua Thien Hue Province , the students in French of the grades 10, 11 and 12 should learn English as a second foreign language and they only learn periods a week 2.3 Motivation 2.3.1 Definition of motivation Motivation is defined as the feelings of the learner toward the particular target language, its culture and the individual pragmatic reasons for learning a foreign language (Horwitz, 1990) 2.3.2 Types of motivation 2.3.2.1 Integrative and instrumental motivation 2.3.2.1.1 Integrative motivation Crookes & Schmidt (1991) identified motivation as the learner's orientation with regard to the goal of learning a second language It means learner's positive attitudes towards the target language group and the desire to integrate into the target language community 2.3.2.1.2 Instrumental motivation Brown (1994, p 153), cited in Gardner and Lambert (1972) showed that “Instrumental motivation refers to motivation to acquire a language as means for attaining instrumental goals: furthering a career, reading technical material, translation, and so forth” 2.3.2.1.3 Instrumental motivation vs Integrative motivation 2.3.2.2 Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation 2.3.2.2.1 Intrinsic motivation Brown (1994, p.155) showed the definition of intrinsic motivation by Edward Deci (1975, p 23): Intrinsically motivated activities are ones for which there is no apparent reward except the activity itself People seem to engage in the activities for their own sake and not because they lead to an extrinsic reward… Intrinsically motivated behaviors are aimed at bringing about certain internally rewarding consequences namely, feelings of competence and self-determination 2.3.2.2.2 Extrinsic motivation Ryan & Deci, (2000) showed that “Extrinsic motivation is a construct that pertains whenever an activity is done to attain some seperable outcome Extrinsic motivation thus contrasts with intrinsic motivation, which refers to doing an activity simply for the enjoyment of the activity itself, rather than its instrumental value” 2.4 Attitude 2.4.1 Definition of Attitude Likert (1932, p.9), cited in Gardner (1980, p.267), defines the term attitude as “ an inference which is made on the basis of a complex of beliefs about the attitude object” Then, Gardner (1980, p.267) elaborates on Likert’s definition by defining attitude as “ the sum total of a man’s instinctions and feelings, prejudice or bias, preconceived notions, fears, threats, and convinctions about any 10 did not concentrate on the lessons, or did not have a positive attitude to learn this subject Most of the students did not have a positive attitude or focus much in learning this second foreign language and they only learned it because of incentive points or pressure from their parents Only a few students really enjoyed this course (Teacher & 4, interviewed April 10th & 14th, 2012) 4.2.3.2.2 Advantages and disadvantages learners encounter due to the linguistic features of French and English Compared to English as a first foreign language, the teaching of English as a second one encounters more difficulties For example, learners pronounce the English words similarly to French Moreover, they often make mistakes in the word order in a sentence (adj, adv, verb, ) In contrast, this teaching has benefits: learners can guess the meaning of new words in English with their knowledge of French Compared to English as a first foreign language, the teaching of English as a second foreign language face to the difficulties For example, learners pronounce English into French In contrast, the teaching of this subject also have some advantages: learners can guess the meaning of new words in English thanks to their knowledge of French Because of some similarities in words’ form of these two foreign languages (about 50%), the students can guess the meaning of new words in English quickly Moreover, there are some differences about pronunciation of these two foreign languages, so the students usually make mistake in pronouncing many words between them and they feel difficult in developing listening and speaking skills in English The students have a average level in reading comprehension and writing skills in English (Teacher 5, interviewed April, 14th, 2012) All of the teachers give some ways to overcome the difficulties above and make use of the advantages from French during their teaching process At first, I try to show the difference of the order of words in two languages After that, I ask them to read frequently in English by comparing these two languages through the words having the difference in pronunciation but resemble in writing In addition, I make them often listen to tapes in English For reading comprehension, I not explain the English words with the same 19 writing in French which students can guess the meaning (Teacher 3, interviewed April 10th, 2012) 4.2.3.2.3 Learners’ motivation in learning English as a second foreign language All of the English teachers said that most of the students learning English to get only the bonus points at the end of the school years Because it does not affect directly and crucial to the learning outcomes of students, with or without the bonus points are also good; so, most of them learning English to finish their tasks, they not spend time focusing on this subject, they only learn to get the bonus points (Teacher 4, interviewed April 12th, 2012) 4.2.3.2.4 The methods to motivate learners in learning English as a second foreign language Most of the teachers gave the same solutions to motivate learners in learning English by creating many intereting games related to their lesson, giving activities in pairs and groups, applying new teaching methods and encouraging them by good points I usually create many interesting games related to their lesson, provide quick and run exercises to plus points for them (Teacher 1, interviewed April, 7th, 2012) and etc,… 4.2.3.2.5 The teachers’ roles in teaching English as a second foreign language Most of the English teachers had the same opinions in keeping a good relationship between them and their learners Most of the teachers want to create an close relationship with their students They also want to change their teaching methods appropriately and create comfortable atmosphere in their language classroom They really cared about their students, tried not to be strict with them, encouraged good students, motivated weak students and gave fair assessment Moreover, they understood the difficulties and gave their students better conditions to motivate them in learning this subject First, the teacher must be fair in the evaluation Close with the students, 20 create a comfortable atmosphere and not too serious The teacher really cares about their students, encourage good students and motivate weak students Face to errors caused by the learners, analyze them to recognize their shortcomings It is necessary to create a good ambiance in the classroom (Teacher 2, and 5, interviewed April, 9th, 10th & 14th, 2012) 4.2.3.3 The students’ views The survey results showed that the students have many advantages but there are also various difficulties in learning English as a second foreign language This has a direct impact on the quality and effect of teaching and learning process The students said about their awareness of the similarities and differences between English and French that make the advantages and difficulties for their learning process of English as a second foreign language that: English is a language relatively easy to learn, the learning of English as a second foreign language does not encounter many difficulties Both these two languages have many similarities about grammar and vocabulary, they can complement each other In other words, the learning of French as a first foreign language makes the learning of English as a second one easier and vice versa, the learning of a second foreign language helped to complement knowledge and skills for the learning of the first foreign language (Student 1, & 3, interviewed April, 16th, 2012) Besides, most of tthe students gave some similar ways to overcome the difficulties from the subject French Learning foreign languages in general or French in particular, the students encounter many difficulties To learn well, they not only have aptitude in learning these languages but also needing work hard, desire to explore and have a good memory They have to to practice them everyday (Student 1, & 3, interviewed April, 16th, 2012) Finally, when asked to comment on the students’ choice of English as a compulsory or an optional subject, most of the students said that they like learning English as an optional subject to create comfortable feelings and excitement for their studying English should be an optional subject to create comfortable feeling for us when studying If obligate the students that not like to learn this subject or they 21 don’t have aptitude in learning foreign language, they will not feel comfortable when studying it (Student & 5, interviewed April, 17th, 2012) 4.3 Some suggestions from the teachers and the students for improvement 4.3.1 Some suggestions from the teachers 4.3.1.1 To Schools 4.3.1.2 To English teachers 4.3.1.3 To students 4.3.2 Some suggestions from students 4.3.2.1 To Schools: 4.3.2.2 To English teachers 4.4 Conclusion CHAPTER CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS This chapter contains four sections The first section summarizes the main findings The second section addresses the implications for teachers, students and schools The third section introduces the limitations of the study as well as some suggestions for further research in the last section 5.1 Summary of the findings The research is carried out with the aim of investigating the reality of teaching and learning English as a second foreign language in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City Therefore, suggestions and solutions to improve the English 10 students from these high schools The survey is carried out by qteaching and learning are extremely important results of the research The research is also included administrators, English teachers and 1uestionnaire and interviews, thoroughly analyzed with charts and percentage 5.1.1 The students’ levels of English proficiency and their choice of English as a school subject in French classes at Quoc Hoc and 22 Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City The results reflect the students’ levels of English proficiency are quite different There was an imbalance of the students’ level of English proficiency in the same grade In 110 surveyed students, the level of “fairly good” occupied the most proportion (20% - 64%) and level of “beginners” were the least (0%-6.7%) Besides, the number of levels of “know a little” and “average” were also quite high, with 4%-53.3% and 16%-25.7% At the same time, the level of “good” occupied only a small percentage, from 0% to 16% The results also reflect the students’ choice of English as a school subject Most of the students (85.7%-100%) at these high schools had chosen to learn English as a second foreign language Only a few of the students did not care this issue (8%-14.3%) The result obtained allowed us to conclude that those students seem interested in learning English In addition, all of the students wanted to learn English as an elective subject with a very high percentage, from 70% to 96% At the same time, only a small number of learners liked learning English as a compulsory subject after learning French as a first foreign language (4%-30%) In short, the result from the survey showed that a number of the learners did not like to choose English as a compulsory subject 5.1.2 The students’ perceptions of teaching and learning English as a second foreign language in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City English is a compulsory subject and as a second foreign language after French as a first one at these high schools Most of the students have recognized that they must learn this subject However, some of them really eager to learn English because they realized the importance of this language in society at present as well as their future careers while the other only learning it because of reward points or their parents’ force Indeed, only a few students really 23 excited about this course because they found that it is really important in the present life as well as in the future They think that it is as important and necessary as a first foreign language, so they need to learn these languages Meanwhile, the other students only learn it because of bonus points, their friendship or their parents’ force Only a small number of percentage of the students satisfied with this course Moreover, motivation to learn English of the students at these high schools include both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation Indeed, for one hand, many students interested in learning English to gain the pleasure, it is the intrinsic motivation On the other hand, they want to learn English because of bonus points or their parents’ force This means that they learn English because of the extrinsic motivation and both types of motivation exist in the survey results Anyway, these factors more or less influence their learning motivation that they learn English because of their friends or bonus points However, this effect diminishes when they go to the upper grades – 11th and 12th grades At the same time, teachers play a very important role in motivating them to learn English better because there is about 46.7%-80% of the students who like their English teachers Moreover, about 6.67%-15% of the students interested in learning English because their teachers create excitement in the classroom In addition, the reason “the students have too many subjects at school” constitutes a huge obstacle to their learning of English as a second foreign language 66.7%-100% of the students at these high schools have the same opinion about this issue A large number of the students said that they not have time to learn English, 53.3%-86.7% Another reason is that a small percentage of the students, 8%-20% not pay attention to the purpose of learning English as opposed to 35%-53.3% of the students that they are not interested in learning this second foreign language because their 24 teachers are too strict Furthermore, a majority of the students (71.4%-93.3%) satisfied with the bonus points at the end of the school year This means that the bonus points seems like a good solution to encourage them to learn this subject The results reflects that most of the students not realize the importance of English as a second foreign language and not have a positive attitude in learning this foreign language at school Many students feel that they are not interested in and actively participate in the activities in the classroom Some students not pay attention to listen to their teachers’ lectures, and sometime even absent frequently In short, most of the students in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City not have a positive motivation and attitude in learning English as a second foreign language 5.1.3 The advantages and difficulties encountered in teaching and learning English as a second foreign language in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City Most of the students have learned French as a first foreign language, so they can learn English as a second one easier, especially in grammar and vocabulary They realized that there are many similarities in terms of grammar and vocabulary in these two foreign languages Indeed, grammar is not a major difficulty because of the students have learned French, then English grammar is relatively simple with them The difficulty on vocabulary depends on the learning methods, attitudes and sense of each student, not by they had learned French which affect their English learning Accent is the most difficulty for them when pronouncing English Because of the difference about accent of these languages, the students in French classes found that English listening is a difficult skill Moreover, both teachers and students did not pay much attention to the listening and speaking skills at these second foreign language classes The 25 difficulty in pronunciation affected the students’ determination in practicing the speaking skill Besides, the students’ practice in the reading comprehension and writing skills is normal and the teachers just focus on developing some forms of short and simple writing The teachers were often not interested in teaching these classes The schedule arrangement accordingly is also a difficult problem because these French classes usually have a quite heavy schedule Therefore, the department of English usually assign the young, enthusiastic teachers to teach these classes to promote, stimulate the English learning of the students They instructed their students to practice their English from easy to difficult levels, from simple to complex levels and they reduced the requirements of the tests to motivate students interested in learning this subject Furthermore, the difficulty is due to the lag in English learning because the students’ levels of English proficiency are only know a little and average Besides, the program distribution is not reasonable that some of the lessons contain a lot of knowledge for teaching while the content of some other lessons are opposite Compared with English as a first foreign language, the teaching of English as a second one faced more difficulties For example, the learners pronounce English into French, they often confused the order of words in a sentence (adjective, verb, adverb, etc.) Moreover, following the program, the students in French classes must learn the same English textbook with the students in English classes; while, they learn English as a second foreign language only periods per week, the other students in English classes learn this subject periods per week So, the students in French classes will not keep with the program in the textbook of English as a first foreign language, and they will have to continue learning the program of the new textbook when they go to the upper grade, they will not understand the content of the last lessons in the old textbook last 26 year However, the teaching of English as a second foreign language is also useful that the students can guess the meaning of the new words based on their knowledge about the French language The opinions of a group of interviewed students at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools said that the advantages and difficulties that they encountered in the learning of English as a second foreign language, especially when they have learned French as a first one They agreed that the grammar and vocabulary of these two languages have some similarities There are some words that have the same ways of writing and meaning English vocabulary can complement for French vocabulary However, because of writing structure of these two languages is opposite, sometimes the students make mistake in learning this skill Thus, the survey results showed that the students have many advantages but there are also various difficulties in learning of English as a second foreign language This has a direct impact on the quality and effect of teaching and learning process 5.2 Implications With the findings of the research, the following implications are suggested to help teachers and students overcome difficulties faced during the teaching and learning of English as a second foreign language These suggestions aim at bringing about the effective solutions in order to improve the English teaching and learning in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools 5.2.1 For teachers Firstly, teachers should have a test input to grasp their students’ levels of English proficiency From that, they will repair appropriate lesson plans, teaching methods as well as tests for their students Besides, teachers should find some more interesting information relating to the content of the teaching lessons to help their students understand more their lessons 27 Secondly, teachers should introduce and guide students with learning strategies, methods and techniques in each skill so that they can master the four skills and learn more effectively Thirdly, teachers should spend more time to explain grammar points and vocabulary together with motivating, realistic and simple examples to their students carefully Fourthly, teachers should not teach entirely follow the textbook content and should adapt from the following ways so that it is more relevant to the students’ levels of English proficiency: Adjust some activities and tasks to be more appropriate to their real teaching classes Skip the themes and tasks which did not gain their student’ interest Add some themes which will relate to their students and give some similar topics relating to Vietnamese culture Create some more different activities and more exciting games that are appropriate to the particular classes Provide more information relating to cultural aspects and political life of the countries which are mentioned in some texts in the textbook such as customs, traditions, regions, human and animals life, etc Should let students have more time practicing four main skills, especially speaking and listening skills in class Should use more activities and funny games to make the lessons more interesting Fifthly, teachers should implement different types of activities and tasks to motivate and encourage their students in learning English in class Finally, teachers should teach English lessons with modern facilities such as electronic lesson plans, projectors, etc to motivate their students in learning 5.2.2 For students The success of English lessons in the classroom demands not only teachers’ attempt but also students’ To overcome difficulties in learning English as a second foreign language and to be a good 28 foreign language learner, it is very important and necessary for students to carry out the following basic principles: Firstly, students should be aware of the importance and necessity of learning and using English as a second foreign language at school as well as their future careers Secondly, students need to have positive motivation and attitudes toward English learning and participating in many different activities actively in the classroom as well as in school and society Thirdly, students should attend school regularly and homework frequently, review the old lessons and prepare the new lessons at home so that they can understand the lessons in the classroom more easily and effectively Fourthly, students should practice the English skills more at home, especially speaking English more frequently outside class, listening to the English tape or English programs on the television, internet or radio regularly to improve the speaking and listening skills Fifthly, students should cultivate this foreign language to be able to acquire and practice in class as well as communicate with foreigners more effectively Finally, students should ask their teachers or friends if they not understand well the English lessons in the classroom 5.2.3 For schools In order to help the teachers and students improve the teaching and learning of English as a second foreign language, administrators should realize the important things as follows: First, administrators should organize to test the new students to grasp their levels of English proficiency so that they distribute the program with appropriate and more effective teaching methods Second, administrators should increase the number of sessions per week by at least periods a week so that the students have the 29 opportunity to cultivate the language more frequently and catch up with the textbook program At the same time, they have conditions to practice and the teachers have enough time to check the activities in class Third, administrators should assign the young and enthusiastic teachers that have passion for English to attract the large number of students with passion for this subject Fourth, administrators should change the methods of testing and assessment to be more appropriate and should have a consistency between the training, testing and final examination Fifth, administrators should invest and equip classroom with adequate facilities to cater for the English teaching and learning process such as projectors, computers, cassette players, portable tables and chairs, etc to easily organize pairs and groups activities in the classroom Sixth, administrators should oorganize seminars for teachers and students to share experience, views of teaching and learning to improve the quality of teaching and learning of English as a second foreign language at school Finally, administrators should propose to the Ministry and the Department of Education and Training publish the textbooks for English as a second foreign language courses 5.3 The limitations of the study Because of the limitations of ability, time and other factors, this research has faced some unavoidable shortcoming as follows: Firstly, most of the students not concerned much on studying English as a second foreign language, so their perceptions might not be really accurate as expected Secondly, the number of the students questionnaire or interviews are not as sufficient as expected Moreover, the research was carried out in a short period of time Therefore, the data results not reflect the 30 reality of teaching and learning English as a second foreign language accurately in general Thirdly, teachers and students admitted that they only have just gone through over two third of the activities and tasks in the textbook Therefore, the students cannot have a complete knowledge of English and make them feel discouraged in learning this subject Moreover, they did not really experience what those activities were like and how complex they were Fourthly, the investigation about this reality is new-fangled, so the data analyzed to explore the students’ perceptions as well as the advantages and difficulties that their teachers and them encountered in the teaching and learning process of English as a second foreign language are unsatisfactory Finally, the result may be more convincing and interesting if the researcher has more time as well as more updated documentaries on the issues under the study 5.4 Recommendations for further research This survey was conducted to investigate the students’ perceptions in teaching and learning English as a second foreign language and the advantages and difficulties that they and their teachers encountered in teaching and learning this subject in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools in Hue City only Future research with all students and teachers of English at other high schools should continue to analyze the students’ needs, advantages and difficulties in teaching and learning English program as well as the English Course’ aims of the schools from the administrators, teachers and students’ perceptions This will serve as another view to understand the reality of the process of teaching and learning English as a second foreign language in French classes at Quoc Hoc and Nguyen Hue high schools 31 REFERENCES Ajzan, I (1988) Attitudes, personality and behaviour Chicago: Dorsey Press Baker, C (1992) Attitudes and language Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Brown, H.D (1994) Principles of language learning and teaching 3rd edition Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents 299pp Brown, H.D (1996) Principles of Language and Teaching Korean Language Edition Brutt-Griffer, J (2002) World English: A Study of its 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