Nhận thức của giáo viên về việc sử dụng bài hát tiếng anh để dạy phát âm tại một số trường tiểu học ở thành phố huế

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES NGUYEN THI DUNG TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF USING ENGLISH SONGS TO TEACH PRONUNCIATION AT SOME PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN HUE CITY MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, Hue University of Foreign Languages HUE, 2016 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES NGUYEN THI DUNG TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF USING ENGLISH SONGS TO TEACH PRONUNCIATION AT SOME PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN HUE CITY MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 60.14.01.11 SUPERVISOR: HOANG TINH BAO, Ph.D HUE, 2016 i BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ HUẾ NGUYỄN THỊ DUNG NHẬN THỨC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG BÀI HÁT TIẾNG ANH ĐỂ DẠY PHÁT ÂM TẠI MỘT SỐ 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 HOÀNG TỊNH BẢO HUẾ, 2016 ii STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY 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: 06/07/2016 Signature Nguyen Thi Dung iii ABSTRACT This thesis aims to investigate the use of English songs to teach pronunciation at some primary schools in Hue city It attempts to explore teachers' perceptions of employing songs in teaching pronunciation; the reality of using English songs in teaching pronunciation at some primary schools, and then the researcher offers some suggestions to enhance pronunciation teaching skills through songs In order to obtain reliable results, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used The data were collected through questionnaires and interviews, and then analyzed according to statistical frequency and percentage (presented by means of tables and charts), while transcripts of the interviews are quoted and analyzed qualitatively The results from the study show that most English teachers investigated were fully aware of the importance of using English songs to teach pronunciation However, in reality not all teachers have used songs to teach pronunciation and not all songs used were appropriate Besides, the findings of the research show difficulties the teachers and students face in the process of using English songs to teach pronunciation for young learners Based on a detailed discussion, some suggestions and implications were made in the hope that the teachers will improve their English classes by using English songs Limitations and suggestions for further research were also included iv During the thesis writing time, I fortunately received the help of many people, and I am extremely grateful to them First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Hoang Tinh Bao, for his precious knowledge and experience, the enthusiastic and helpful instructions and for his expert guidance and patience throughout every stage of the development of this research I am thankful to all teachers as well as pupils at the primary schools in Hue city I worked with, namely Trương An, Phuoc Vinh, Vy Da, Tran Quoc Toan, Phu Hoa, Thuan Hoa, Tay Loc, Nguyen Trai, Thuan Thanh, Phu Thuan, Vinh Ninh, Phu Cat, Le Loi, Phu Binh, Phu Hiep, Quang Trung, Phuoc Vinh, Ngo Kha, Huong So, Ly Thuong Kiet, Truong An, An Cuu, Ngu Binh for v providing me with the most favorable conditions to collect the needed data Besides, my special thanks are extended to all librarians at the college of foreign languages for their enthusiasms Last but not least, I would like to express my deep thanks to my family and friends for their tireless support and belief in me to complete this research TABLE OF CONTENTS v Pages CONTENTS SUB COVER PAGE i SUB COVER PAGE ii STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY iii ABSTRACT iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v TABLE OF CONTENTS .vi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study 1.2 Aims and objectives of the study 1.3 Significance of the study 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Organization CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW vi 2.1 An overview of English pronunciation 2.2 Pronunciation 2.2.1 The definitions of pronunciation 2.2.2 The areas of pronunciation .7 2.2.3 The important of teaching pronunciation 2.2.4 Approaches to the teaching of pronunciation 10 2.2.5 Factors affecting teaching English pronunciation 12 2.2.6 An overview of songs in teaching English 14 2.3 Songs’ characteristics 15 2.3.1 Motivation 15 2.3.2 Memorable characteristics 16 2.3.3 Variety of new words .16 2.3.4 Pronunciation 17 2.3.5 New grammar structures .17 2.3.6 Cultural aspects 17 2.4 Young learners in acquiring a foreign language through songs 18 2.4.1 Definition of young learners 18 2.4.2 Characteristics of young learners in acquiring pronunciation through songs 19 2.4.3 Techniques and activities for teaching pronunciation 21 2.4.4 Balance of productive and receptive skills .22 2.5 The benefits of using songs to teach pronunciation for learners in Vietnamese context 22 2.6 Some difficulties of using songs to teach pronunciation for young learners 23 2.6.1 For young learners 23 2.6.2 For teachers 24 2.7 Previous studies 25 2.7.1 In the world .25 2.7.2 In Vietnam 25 2.8 Summary 28 vii CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 29 3.1 Research design 29 3.2 Research sites 30 3.3 Participants 30 3.4 Instruments 31 3.4.1 Questionnaires 31 3.4.2 Interviews .32 3.5 Data collection procedure 33 3.5.1 Preparation 33 3.5.2 Implementation .33 3.6 Data analysis 34 Chapter 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 35 4.1 Data analysis from teachers 35 4.1.1 The reliability of the questionnaire .35 4.1.2 The mean score of the questionnaires for teachers 35 4.2 Results from interviews 42 4.2.1 Teachers’ perceptions of teaching pronunciation and using English songs in teaching pronunciation .42 4.2.2 How English songs have been used in teaching pronunciation .44 4.2.3 Difficulties in designing and using English songs to teach pronunciation 45 4.2.4 Some solutions to overcome the difficulties in using English songs to teach pronunciation 46 4.3 Summary 47 Chapter 5: CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS 48 5.1 Summary of the key findings 48 5.1.1 Teachers' perceptions on using English songs to teach pronunciation at some primary schools in Hue city 48 5.1.2 The reality of using English songs to teach pronunciation at some primary schools in Hue city 49 5.2 Contributions of the study 50 viii 5.3 Implications of the study 50 5.3.1 For teachers 51 5.3.2 For young learners 52 5.3.3 For administrators and textbook designers .53 5.4 Limitations of the study 53 5.5 Recommendations for further studies 54 5.6 Summary 54 REFERENCES 55 APPENDIX1 58 APPENDIX 63 LIST OF TABLES Pages Table 3.1: Background Information on Teacher Participants 31 Table 3.2: Summary of questionnaires .32 Table 4.2: The mean score of clusters .36 Table 4.3: Verfifying the supposition of the mean score of the overall 37 Table 4.4.What are the effects brought to young learners when you use songs to teach pronunciation 38 Table 4.5.What characteristics of young learners you think are suitable for using songs to teach pronunciation? 39 Table 4.6 What criteria of songs you base on to choose a song to teach pronunciation 40 Table 4.7 What are the challenges to you in using songs to teach pronunciation? .41 Table 4.8 What are the obstacles from young learners in learning pronunciation through songs? 42 ix Volume 51 No Oxford University Press Hewings, M (2004) Pronunciation practice activities: A course book for teaching English pronunciation Cambridge University press Isenberg, Joan P and Jalongo, Mary Renck (1993) Creative Expression and Play in the Early Childhood Curriculum United States of America: Macmillan Publishing Junqueira, L., & Liu, D (2010) Intelligible Pronunciation: Towards an Approach Focused on Classroom Instruction Kelly, G (2000) How to teach pronunciation Longman Lai, T T (2010) The Use of Song in Teaching Pronunciation to 11th Form Students at Nguyen GiaThieu High School Ha Noi University of Languages and International Studies Mai, A N (2012) The Impact of English Songs on the English Vocabulary Retention of Students Grade at Nguyen Tri Phuong Junior High School in Hue Hue University, Hue city Millington, N.T (2011) Using Songs Effectively to Teach English to Young Learners Language Education in Asia, p134-141 Morley, J (1991) The pronunciation component in teaching English to speakers of other languages TESOL Quarterly, 151-174 Morley, J (1991) The Pronunciation Component in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages TESOL Quarterly, n.21, v.3, p.481-520, 199 Orlova, N F (1997) Developing Speech Habits with the Helps of Songs Language Teachers Form, 35 (3), 41 Available from http://exchanges.state.gov/form/vol/vol35/no3/p41 html#page top Park, J K (1997) Teaching English in Korea and Korea TESOL Kotesol Conference Available from http:// www.kotesol.org/publications/tec/tec pdf/tec 9075.pdf 56 Phan, N L (2009) Using English songs in teaching Grammar to Grade students at Pham Van Dong Junior High School in Hue city M.A Thesis Hue College of Foreign Languages Ramos L, Hernandez A.I.J and Guijarto A.J.M (2008) New Trends in English Teacher Education University de Castilla -La Mascha Scarcella, R & Oxford, R L (1994) Second Language Pronunciation: State of the Art in Instruction System 22 (2), 221-230 Shen, C (2009) Using English Songs: An Enjoyable and Effective Approach to ELT Journal of English language teaching, (1), 88-94 Walker, L (2001) Creative ideas for the TESOL classroom Teacher's Edition: a publication of the English language institute, 5, -10 Wieczska, A (2005) Music in ELT Clickoszalin monthly: the English teacher training college of Koszalin, Poland Available from the website: http:// www.tu.koszalin.pl/nkja/teachingzone.htm Yates, L (2002a) Fact sheet- What is pronunciation Adult Migrant English Program Research Centre, Australia Retrieved March 9, 2013, from: http://www.nceltr.mq.edu.au/pdamep/factsheets/01Pronunciation.pdf Yolly, Y (1975) The Use of Songs in Teaching Foreign Language Modern Language Journal, 59, p.11-14 Ytreberg, L H (1990) Teaching English to Children New York: Addison Wesley Longman Limited 57 APPENDIX1 QUESTIONNAIRES (For teacher at some primary schools in HUE) This survey aims at investigating into the use of English songs to teach pronunciation at some primary school in Hue city All data collected in this questionnaire is only for research purposes Please read following questions carefully and answer them by putting a tick in the boxes and spaces Your additional ideas are highly appreciated since they contribute qualitatively to the researcher's study I/ Personal information: Age: .Gender: Nam Nu You are teaching at the grade: The number of students in your class: The number of English periods per week you teach: How long have you been teaching English? A Less than years B 5-10 years C 11-15 years D More than 15 years Have you ever taught pronunciation for young learners through English songs? Yes No 58 II/ Teachers' perceptions in using English songs to teach pronunciation for young learners Strongly Disagr disagree ee neutral agree strongly disagree A What are the effects brought to young learners when you use songs to teach pronunciation? Learners have motivation to perceive the lesson effectively Music helps the teachers and learners share the same interest and get closer together Learners can improve memory in acquiring English lessons Learners know the variety of new vocabulary Learners can master the exact pronunciation Through songs, learners can study new grammar structures Learners can develop four language skills, especially listening, speaking, and writing Learners can understand cultural aspects of the English-speaking countries Using songs helps students be funny and break down their boredom 59 B What characteristics of young learners you think are suitable for using songs to teach pronunciation? 10 Children have short attention span and getting easily bored in the learning process Songs are used to capture children's attention and break down boredom 11 Children are active and curious They want to discover the World through songs and telling stories 12 Children like to learn through play Listening to songs and singing along in each lesson make them enjoy their studying 13 Children want to listen to music and try to imitate to sing along 14 Children's own understanding is through hands, eyes, and ears Teachers use gestures to explain the lyric, then children observe and imitate their action 15 Children want to be praised After listening to song, they can sing it again well Praise from their teacher will encourage and arouse interest of children's learning English a lot 60 C What criteria of songs you base on to choose a song to teach pronunciation? 16 The aims of each lesson 17 The rhythm and lyrics relevant to particular lessons 18 The level of children: simple, easy to listen and understand Songs should have repetitive lyrics or a chorus which is easy to learn and listen 19 The time allotted 20 The new vocabulary, grammar structures, and interesting content of songs D What are the challenges to you in using songs to teach pronunciation? 12 You don't have enough experience to use songs 22 It is difficult to find an appropriate song for every lesson topic and level of students 23 It is difficult to use songs in a crowded class 24 It is lack of time to teach pronunciation by using songs 25 Using songs to teach pronunciation causes a lot of noise and discipline problems to surrounding classes 61 E What are the obstacles from young learners in learning pronunciation through songs? 26 Learners easily neglect and forget to focus on the lesson 27 There are some strange grammar structures in the lyric of songs 28 The rhythm of the songs is very fast to teach 29 The influence on sound of musical instruments in songs is difficult for learners to listen to the lyric of song V.* Your additional ideas: ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………… Thank you for your enthusiastic cooperation! 62 APPENDIX INTERVIEWS (for teachers) Mục đích bạn sử dụng hát tiếng Anh để dạy phát âm gì? Tại bạn thích sử dụng hát tiếng Anh để dạy phát âm tiếng Anh? Điểm mạnh trẻ em giúp sử dụng hát tiếng Anh để dạy phát âm thành công gì? Những đặc điểm hát để tăng cường học phát âm tiếng Anh cho trẻ em ? Tiêu chuẩn hát tiếng Anh mà bạn vào để chọn hát phù hợp với giảng dạy gì? Trong số lợi ích việc sử dụng ca khúc tiếng Anh để dạy phát âm trường tiểu học thể kết câu hỏi điều tra, bạn nghĩ rằng: '' Người học phát triển bốn kỹ ngôn ngữ, đặc biệt ghe, nói, viết " quan trọng nhất? Trong thực tế, phản ứng trẻ em bạn dạy phát âm qua hát? Bạn sử dụng hát tiếng Anh để dạy phát âm? Những loại tài liệu sử dụng? Vấn đề việc sử dụng hát tiếng Anh để dạy phát âm mà bạn thấy khó khăn ? Hầu hết người tham gia chia sẻ thách thức việc sử dụng hát để dạy phát âm Bạn cho biết thách thức với bạn gì? Bạn cho tơi số gợi ý để cải thiện việc dạy phát âm tiếng Anh qua hát? 63 Reliability Scale: What are the effects brought to young learners when you use songs to teach pronunciation Case Processing Summary N Cases % Valid a Excluded Total 50 100,0 ,0 50 100,0 a Listwise deletion based on all variables in the procedure Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha N of Items ,738 Item Statistics Mean Std Deviation N A.1 4,28 ,730 50 A.2 4,18 ,629 50 A.3 4,18 ,661 50 A.4 3,94 ,740 50 A.5 3,68 ,587 50 A.6 3,30 1,403 50 A.7 4,36 ,749 50 A.8 4,72 ,497 50 A.9 3,72 1,051 50 64 Item-Total Statistics Cronbach's Scale Mean if Scale Variance Corrected Item- Alpha if Item Item Deleted if Item Deleted Total Correlation Deleted A.1 32,08 15,708 ,274 ,735 A.2 32,18 17,253 ,034 ,763 A.3 32,18 13,906 ,707 ,674 A.4 32,42 12,942 ,815 ,649 A.5 32,68 15,528 ,422 ,717 A.6 33,06 10,262 ,622 ,679 A.7 32,00 15,878 ,232 ,742 A.8 31,64 17,704 -,030 ,763 A.9 32,64 11,745 ,691 ,653 Scale: What characteristics of young learners you think are suitable for using songs to teach pronunciation Case Processing Summary N Cases Valid a Excluded Total % 50 100,0 ,0 50 100,0 a Listwise deletion based on all variables in the procedure Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha N of Items ,612 65 Item Statistics Mean Std Deviation N B.10 4,26 ,487 50 B.11 3,80 ,782 50 B.12 4,10 ,763 50 B.13 4,78 ,418 50 B.14 4,50 ,505 50 B.15 4,72 ,497 50 Item-Total Statistics Cronbach's Scale Mean if Scale Variance Corrected Item- Alpha if Item Item Deleted if Item Deleted Total Correlation Deleted B.10 21,90 3,602 ,250 ,601 B.11 22,36 3,133 ,200 ,653 B.12 22,06 2,302 ,612 ,421 B.13 21,38 3,506 ,395 ,561 B.14 21,66 3,290 ,412 ,546 B.15 21,44 3,476 ,312 ,581 Scale: What criteria of songs you base on to choose a song to teach pronunciation Case Processing Summary N Cases Valid a Excluded Total % 50 100,0 ,0 50 100,0 a Listwise deletion based on all variables in the procedure 66 Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha N of Items ,623 Item Statistics Mean Std Deviation N C.16 4,68 ,471 50 C.17 4,56 ,705 50 C.18 4,88 ,328 50 C.19 4,22 ,418 50 C.20 4,40 ,700 50 Item-Total Statistics Cronbach's Scale Mean if Scale Variance Corrected Item- Alpha if Item Item Deleted if Item Deleted Total Correlation Deleted C.16 18,06 1,935 ,621 ,459 C.17 18,18 1,579 ,506 ,493 C.18 17,86 2,776 ,081 ,669 C.19 18,52 2,296 ,395 ,569 C.20 18,34 1,821 ,350 ,600 67 Reliability Scale: What are the challenges to you in using songs to teach pronunciation? Case Processing Summary N Cases Valid a Excluded Total % 50 100,0 ,0 50 100,0 a Listwise deletion based on all variables in the procedure Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha N of Items ,706 Item Statistics Mean Std Deviation N D.21 3,98 ,553 50 D.22 4,04 ,880 50 D.23 4,38 ,490 50 D.24 3,98 ,685 50 D.25 3,88 ,718 50 Item-Total Statistics Cronbach's Scale Mean if Scale Variance Corrected Item- Alpha if Item Item Deleted if Item Deleted Total Correlation Deleted D.21 16,28 4,410 ,251 ,729 D.22 16,22 2,869 ,556 ,622 D.23 15,88 4,434 ,302 ,713 D.24 16,28 2,940 ,804 ,501 D.25 16,38 3,547 ,457 ,661 68 Scale: What are the obstacles from young learners in learning pronunciation through songs Case Processing Summary N Cases % Valid a Excluded Total 50 100,0 ,0 50 100,0 a Listwise deletion based on all variables in the procedure Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha N of Items ,769 Item Statistics Mean Std Deviation N E.26 3,32 1,571 50 E.27 3,42 1,090 50 E.28 3,86 ,926 50 E.29 3,82 ,919 50 Item-Total Statistics Cronbach's Scale Mean if Scale Variance Corrected Item- Alpha if Item Item Deleted if Item Deleted Total Correlation Deleted E.26 11,10 4,704 ,805 ,579 E.27 11,00 6,694 ,847 ,566 E.28 10,56 11,353 ,071 ,906 E.29 10,60 7,918 ,753 ,645 69 Descriptive Statistics N Minimum Maximum Mean Std Deviation Cluster_1 50 3,33 4,78 4,0400 ,46913 Cluster_2 50 3,67 4,83 4,3600 ,34562 Cluster_3 50 3,80 5,00 4,5480 ,34478 Cluster_4 50 3,20 4,80 4,0520 ,46036 Cluster_5 50 1,60 4,00 2,8840 ,71153 Valid N (listwise) 50 70