Nghiên cứu nhận thức và thực tiễn của giáo viên về việc sử dụng phần thưởng trong giảng dạy tiếng anh tại các trường tiểu học ở thành phố huế

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES NGUYEN THI THANH HUY AN INVESTIGATION INTO TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICE OF USING REWARDS IN TEACHING YOUNG ENGLISH LEARNERS AT SOME PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN HUE CITY MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 60.14.01.11 SUPERVISOR: TRAN QUANG NGOC THUY, Ph.D HUE, 2017 i BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ NGUYỄN THỊ THANH HUY NGHIÊN CỨU NHẬN THỨC VÀ THỰC TIỄN CỦA GIÁO VIÊN VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG PHẦN THƯỞNG TRONG GIẢNG DẠY TIẾNG ANH TẠI CÁC TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC Ở THÀNH PHỐ HUẾ LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 60.14.01.11 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: TS TRẦN QUANG NGỌC THÚY HUẾ, 2017 ii STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself Date: …./…./ 20… Signature Nguyen Thi Thanh Huy iii ABSTRACT The research is conducted to investigate teachers’ perceptions of using rewards and how they apply rewards in EFL classes for young language learners Besides, the research also aims to find out the difficulties that teachers often encounter when using rewards in their teaching Questionnaires, interviews and class observations are used to collect the data needed for analysis In this research, 40 teachers and 50 pupils from some primary schools in Hue city participated in the main study; the students were in the fifth grade and the teachers taught English for fifth grade students at the time of data collection At three primary schools in Hue city, two written questionnaires, one for teachers and one for students, were delivered; the class observation was conducted for fifteen English periods and twenty five interviews were carried out After that, the data from questionnaires, class observations and interviews were analysed and interpreted to answer the research questions Based on the results of the data analysis, teachers’ perceptions and practice of using rewards are presented The findings show a high percentage of teachers who have been using rewards in their English teaching concurred about positive effects of rewards Moreover, the teachers have creatively used different kinds of rewards in various ways to motivate their students to learn English Regarding difficulties, the imbalance between the students’ demands and the teachers’ supplies of tangible rewards is the most challenging These findings lay the foundations for some pedagogical implications of using rewards properly and effectively to motivate students in learning English and to provide teachers with some suggestions in applying rewards in English teaching iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to all my teachers at Hue University College of Foreign Languages for their valuable lectures, which laid the foundation for this thesis, their knowledge, their thoughtfulness as well as their sympathy I would particularly like to show my sincere thanks to my supervisor, Dr Tran Quang Ngoc Thuy for her scholarship, patient guidance, encouragement, and constructive supervision throughout my research Without her experienced guidance, her valuable suggestions and recommendations, my research would still be far from finished I take this opportunity to thank the leaders as well as my colleagues at Apple English Club 2001 for their help and care for me during the time I implemented the research I would also like to thank all teachers and pupils at the primary schools I visited for my data collection in Hue City I am sincerely grateful to the staff members at the Information Resource Center of Hue University College of Foreign Languages, those who have helped me with useful sources of materials I am also indebted to all my friends who have kindly given me assistance and encouragement Without them, I would have no such great motivation to complete the study Last but not least, the support extended to me by the members of my family has been immeasurable I would like to express my sincere thanks to my husband and my son, for their support and encouragement throughout my study I am also profoundly grateful to my parents, my sister and my brother for their love and encouragement during the time I was studying v TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages SUB COVER PAGE i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP iii ABSTRACT iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v TABLE OF CONTENTS vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii LIST OF FIGURES ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .1 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims of the research 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Research scope 1.5 Significance of the research 1.6 Structure of the research CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definitions of motivation 2.2 Types of motivation 2.2.1 Intrinsic motivation versus extrinsic motivation 2.2.1.1 Intrinsic motivation 2.2.1.2 Extrinsic motivation .9 2.2.2 Instrumental versus integrative motivation 10 2.2.2.1 Integrative motivation 10 2.2.2.2 Instrumental motivation .11 2.3 Rewards in education and its applications in young language learners’ classroom 11 2.3.1 Effects of using rewards in education 11 2.3.2 Types of rewards 12 2.3.2.1 Short-term rewards 12 2.3.2.2 Long-term rewards .13 2.3.2.3 Teachers’ choice: Short-term rewards or long-term rewards 14 2.4 Effects of rewards on young learners’ motivation 14 2.4.1 Characteristics of young learners .14 2.4.2 Effects of rewards on young learners’ motivation 16 2.4.3 Teachers’ roles in using rewards to motivate young learners 17 vi 2.5 Review of related studies 20 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY .23 3.1 Research methodology 23 3.1.1 Methods 23 3.1.2 Piloting instruments 24 3.1.3 Participants 24 3.2 Data collection 25 3.2.1 Questionnaires 25 3.2.2 Class observations 26 3.2.3 Interviews 26 3.2.3.1 Interviews as a data collection instrument 26 3.2.3.2 Interviews in this research 28 3.3 Data analysis 29 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 29 4.1 Teacher’s perceptions of using rewards in teaching English 30 4.2 Teachers’ practice in using rewards in teaching English .33 4.3 Difficulties in applying rewards in EFL classes .38 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS 40 5.1 Conclusion 40 5.1.1 Summary 40 5.1.2 Implications 42 5.2 Limitation and further research 43 5.2.1 Limitation 43 5.2.2 Further research 43 REFERENCES 45 APPENDIX 50 APPENDIX 55 APPENDIX 61 APPENDIX 62 APPENDIX 63 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL : English as a foreign language YLLs : Young language learners viii LIST OF FIGURES Table 4.1 Percentage of teachers’ using rewards in teaching English 30 Table 4.2 Purposes of using rewards in English teaching .31 Table 4.3 Frequency of using rewards in English teaching 32 Table 4.4 Appropriateness of using rewards in English teaching .32 Table 4.5 Kinds of rewards to be used in English lessons 34 Table 4.6 Effectiveness of using rewards in English teaching 36 Figure 4.7 Students’ feeling towards rewards 36 Figure 4.8 Students’ opinions on benefits of rewards .37 Table 4.9 Difficulties in using rewards in English lessons .38 ix CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale Motivation is one of the key factors in teaching English to people in general and young language learners (YLLs) in particular It can be defined as a driving force that pushes someone to something How to motivate students has been a topic of great interest and importance to teachers and researchers As for Bell (cited in Ames, 1990), “there are three things to remember about education The first one is motivation The second one is motivation The third one is motivation” (p 409) That is to say, for language learners of any ages, motivation plays an essential role as a key element for learning to take place Therefore, Hedge (2001), stated that “teachers need to try and understand what motivates class and learners, as well as to identify the problems that learners face” (p 393) Poor student achievement is often attributed to a lack of motivation and rewards are given in an attempt to increase student motivation Students with learning disabilities are very often unmotivated because school is one failure after another to them However, it seems that just a few researches have been done to explore exactly what motivates students in general and primary students in particular What is more, one thing should be paid much attention to is how teachers and educators can improve motivation in their students by the use of rewards It is clear that learners mainly decide what they would like to learn, but a teacher can also have positive impacts on students’ motivation to some extent There have been incidences where a learner might not be interested in learning English at the beginning, but thanks to the influence of the teacher, the situation changes For YLLs, as rewards can reinforce and at the same time anticipate young children’s willingness to learn, they are broadly used in the field of education, especially in early years’ settings, to stimulate children towards learning activities Most schools nowadays want to develop their students’ interest in life-long learning Even though there are a variety of different approaches and Walliman, N (2011) Your research project: Designing and planning your work (3rd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Wheatley, R K., West, R P., Charlton, C T., Sanders, R B., Smith, T G., & Taylor, M J (2009) Improving behavior through differential reinforcement: A praise note system for elementary students Education and Treatment of Children, 32(4), 551-571 Wilkins, D A (1972) Linguistics in language teaching London: Edward Amold Willingham, D T (2008) Should learning be its own reward? American Educator, 31, 29-35 49 APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE (For teachers) The purpose of this questionnaire is to collect information about how teachers of English think and use rewards in their classes at some primary schools in Hue City Your responses are very important to the success of the survey The data collected will be used for the purpose of research only, not for any other purposes Your cooperation is highly appreciated Please feel free to provide some information about yourself Please put a tick () in the box next to your choice * Name (optional): * Gender:  Male  Female * Years of teaching English:  1-5 years  6-10years  over 10 years Questions Please put a tick () in the box next to your choice in answering the following questions For some questions, you can choose more than one possibility Have you ever used rewards in your teaching process? A Yes B No If yes, please answer questions 2-13 If no, please answer questions 14-16 YES 50 What kinds of rewards you of often use in your English lessons? Please tick any box that is suitable A short-term rewards (directly given for students after a correct answer or a good performance) B long-term rewards (not necessarily occur directly after students’ performance) C tangible rewards (stickers, gold stars, sweets, etc.) D intangible rewards (encouragement, verbal praises, etc.) E Others (please specify): What are your purposes of using rewards in teaching process? Please tick any box that is suitable A to help students be more active in their English learning B to create a comfortable learning atmosphere for students C to make the lesson be more interesting D to attract more attention from students to the lesson E Others (please specify): How often you use rewards in your English lessons? A Always (once or more per period) B Usually (once or more per week) C Sometimes (once or twice a month) D Rarely (once or twice a semester) E Never How you think about your frequency of using rewards in your English lesson? A Very appropriate B Quite appropriate 51 C Neutral D Not very appropriate E Not appropriate at all How you give rewards in your English classes? Please tick any box that is suitable A individually B in pairs C in groups D Others (please specify): How you think about your use of rewards in English teaching? A Very effective B Quite effective C Neutral D Not very effective E Ineffective Do your students like rewards? A Yes, they like rewards very much B Yes, but sometimes they get bored C No, they don’t like rewards at all How important is the use of rewards in teaching English to your students? A Very important B Quite important C Not very important D Unimportant 52 10 What difficulties you meet when using rewards in your English lessons? Please tick any box that is suitable A Large classes B Money waste C Time consuming D Students’ behavior towards rewards E Others (please specify): 11 Do you tell your students about the rewards they will have before you organize a class activity? A Yes B Sometimes C No 12 What you think about the reaction of your students towards the rewards they have? A Very excited B Quite excited C Unexcited D Other ideas (please specify): 13 According to your observation, what kinds of rewards your students feel excited to receive? Please tick any box that is suitable A short-term rewards (directly given for students after a correct answer or a good performance) B long-term rewards (not necessarily occur directly after students’ performance) C tangible rewards (stickers, gold stars, sweets, etc.) D intangible rewards (encouragement, verbal praises, etc.) E Others (please specify): 53 NO 14 Why have you not used rewards? Please tick any box that is suitable Because: A Rewards are waste of time B Rewards are waste of money C Rewards have negative impact on students D Your classes are too large E Others (please specify): 15 What you think about using rewards in teaching English for primary students? A Very useful B Quite useful C Not very useful D Not useful at all 16 If there is a collection of rewards and guides to using this collection in English class made available for you, will you try using it? A Yes B Not sure C No ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE! 54 APPENDIX Câu hỏi khảo sát (No 2) (Dành cho học sinh)  Bảng câu hỏi nhằm thu liệu việc sử dụng phần thưởng giảng dạy tiếng Anh trường tiểu học thành phố Huế Các câu trả lời mà em cung cấp quan trọng việc khảo sát sử dụng cho công việc nghiên cứu, khơng mục đích khác Chân thành cám ơn hợp tác em Xin em vui lòng cho biết em học Lớp: Trường: Em là:  Nam  Nữ (xin đánh dấu  trước khung giới tính em) Sau em đánh dấu () vào khung trước câu trả lời phù hợp với câu hỏi Ở số câu hỏi, em chọn nhiều câu trả lời cho câu hỏi Câu hỏi Cơ giáo em có sử dụng phần thưởng học tiếng Anh chưa?  A Có  B Khơng Em nhận phần thưởng học tiếng Anh chưa?  A Đã  B Chưa Nếu nhận phần thưởng, xin em trả lời câu hỏi số đến 14 55 Nếu chưa nhận phần thưởng, xin em trả lời câu hỏi số 15 đến 17 Trong phần thưởng em thích (những) loại nào? (Em chọn nhiều câu trả lời)  A phần thưởng vật, ví dụ: ngơi sao, hình dán, bong bóng, sách vở, kẹo,  B phần thưởng vật, ví dụ: lời khen giáo, lời động viên giáo viên, tràng pháo tay bạn lớp,  C phần thưởng chỗ, sau giáo viên tổ chức hoạt động  D phần thưởng định kỳ (cuối học kỳ cuối năm học) Em nhận phần thưởng đâu?  A Ở lớp  B Ở trung tâm ngoại ngữ  C Ở nơi Những phần thưởng nảo em nhận học tiếng Anh? Em kể tên phần thưởng Phần thưởng giúp em điều gì? (Em chọn nhiều câu trả lời)  A Giải trí  B Khuyến khích em học tốt  C Thành tích em báo với gia đình  D Khơng giúp  E Ý kiến khác (em ghi rõ): 56 Em có suy nghĩ nhận phần thưởng? (Em chọn nhiều câu trả lời)  A cảm thấy thích học tiếng Anh  B cảm thấy cần cố gắng học tiếng Anh  C cảm thấy việc em cố gắng tham gia hay hoàn thành tốt hoạt động học tiếng Anh thật xứng đáng  D giải trí  E Ý kiến khác (em ghi rõ): Em có thích phần thưởng học tiếng Anh khơng?  A Rất thích  B Hơi thích  C Bình thường  D Khơng thích  E Khơng thích chút Trước hoạt động giáo viên thơng báo có phần thưởng, em thường:  A chủ động tích cực tham gia  B giáo viên mời tham gia  C đợi đến lượt  D lúc thích tham gia, lúc khơng thích thơi  E Ý kiến khác (em ghi rõ): 57 10 Khi nhận phần thưởng, em cảm thấy nào?  A Rất vui sướng tự hào  B Bình thường  C Khơng có cảm nghĩ 11 Cơ giáo có thưởng tặng phần thưởng học tiếng Anh không?  A Luôn (mỗi tiết học lần nhiều hơn)  B Thường thường (mỗi tuần lần nhiều hơn)  C Thỉnh thoảng (mỗi tháng lần nhiều hơn)  D Hiếm (mỗi học kỳ lần nhiều hơn)  E Khơng 12 Giáo viên có thường báo cho em biết em nhận phần thưởng trước hoạt động không?  A Thường xuyên  B Thỉnh thoảng  C Ít  D Khơng 13 Ý kiến em số lần giáo viên sử dụng phần thưởng học tiếng Anh:  A Quá nhiều  B Khá nhiều  C Đủ  D Hơi  E Quá  F Ý kiến khác (em ghi rõ): 58 14 Theo em, học tiếng Anh, thầy/cô nên thưởng nào? Nếu chưa nhận phần thưởng 15 Em có biết em chưa nhận phần thưởng học tiếng Anh không?  A Giáo viên không tặng phần thưởng cho hoạt động  B Em không tham gia vào hoạt động lớp  C Các hoạt động khó, em khơng hồn thành  D Em khơng thích phần thưởng giáo viên em có ba mẹ mua cho em  E Ý kiến khác (em ghi rõ): 16 Em nghĩ việc giáo viên tặng phần thưởng học tiếng Anh?  A Rất có ích cho việc học tập  B Chỉ để giải trí  C Tốn thời gian tiền  D Không quan tâm  E Ý kiến khác (em ghi rõ): 59 17 Nếu giáo viên thông báo em nhận đươc phần thưởng trước hoạt động học tiếng Anh, em có tích cực tham gia hoạt động khơng?  A Có  B Khơng  C Cịn tùy thuộc vào phần thưởng Một lần xin cám ơn em Chúc em có thật nhiều niềm vui học tập! 60 APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (for teachers) What is your opinion about using rewards in English teaching? What kinds of rewards you often use in your English classes? What is your opinion about the tangible rewards, for example, stickers, gold stars, balloons, sweets, etc.? Is it wasteful or difficult to use these rewards in your classes? Have you ever made tangible rewards by yourselves, for example, cut out a star, draw a smiling face, etc.? If there is an opinion that teachers should use more rewards in teaching English for primary students, you agree or disagree? Do you have any suggestions for this? If you use rewards to teach English for children, what kinds of rewards have you used most? Why? Do you have to prepare any rewards before entering the classes? According to you, what effects does the using of rewards in teaching English have on primary students? 61 APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (for students) Em có thích nhận phần thưởng học tiếng Anh không? Em nhận loại phần thưởng gì? Em có thích phần thưởng khơng? Nếu chọn em thích nhận phần thưởng vật (ví dụ ngơi sao, mặt cười, hình dán, bong bóng, ) hay phần thưởng khơng phải vật (ví dụ lời động viên giáo viên “Very good!”, “Well done!”, “Good job!”, “Big hand for you!”, ) Em cảm thấy sau nhận phần thưởng học tiếng Anh? Cơ giáo em có thường xun thưởng cho em học tiếng Anh? Bao lâu lần? Em có thỏa mãn với việc cô giáo thưởng không? 62 APPENDIX CLASS OBSERVATION FORM Teacher: Date: Time: School: Class: 5/ Topic: Criterion: Teachers’ practice of using rewards in English lessons - Preparation of rewards before class - Frequency of using Warm-up Presentation rewards - Rewards to be used Criterion: Students’ attitude towards reward - In class activities without reward - In class activities with reward - Attitude after getting reward - Attitude if not getting reward 63 Practice Others