Problems encountered and strategies used by teachers in teaching english speaking skills to high school students a study at nhan viet high school

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY LAI THI THAM PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND STRATEGIES USED BY TEACHERS IN TEACHING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: A STUDY AT NHAN VIET HIGH SCHOOL Major: English language Course code: 60220201 HO CHI MINH CITY, JUNE 2020 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND STRATEGIES USED BY TEACHERS IN TEACHING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: A STUDY AT NHAN VIET HIGH SCHOOL Submitted to the Faculty of English Language in partial fulfillment of the Master‟s degree in English Language Course code: 60220201 By LAI THI THAM Supervised by LE VAN TUYEN, Ph D HO CHI MINH CITY, JUNE 2020 The thesis entitled Problems encountered and strategies used by teachers in teaching English speaking skills to high school students: a study at Nhan Viet High School was successfully defended and approved on June 30th 2020 at Ho chi minh City University of Technology (HUTECH) Academic supervisor: Le Van Tuyen, Ph.D Examination Committee Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, Ph.D Chair Tran Quoc Thao, Ph.D Reader Pham Huy Cuong, Ph.D Reader Truong Cong Bang, Ph.D Member Tran Thi Minh Phuong, Ph.D Secretary Member On behalf of the Examination Committee Chair i HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE HCMC, June 2020 MASTER’S THESIS REPORT Student name: Lai Thi Tham Sex: Female Date of birth: 02 – 09 – 1986 Place of birth: Bac Ninh Major: English Language Student code: 1841900025 I- Thesis title: Problems encountered and strategies used by teachers in teaching English speaking skills to high school students: a study at Nhan Viet High School II- Objectives and contents: - To find out the problems faced by the teachers in teaching English speaking skills to high school students at NVHS - To explore the strategies used by the teachers in teaching English speaking skills to high school students at NVHS III- Starting date: (as stated in the Decision issued by the University ) IV- Completing date: V- Academic supervisor: (full name, title) Le Van Tuyen, Ph.D ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR FACULTY DEAN (full name, signature) (full name, signature) ii CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Master‟s Thesis submitted today entitled: PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND STRATEGIES USED BY TEACHERS IN TEACHING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: A STUDY AT NHAN VIET HIGH SCHOOL In terms of the statement of requirements for Thesis in Master‟s programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee of Faculty of English Language, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology Ho Chi Minh City, June 2020 LAI THI THAM iii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, LAI THI THAM, being a candidate for the degree of Master of Arts (English Language) accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master‟s Theses deposited in the Library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master‟s Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan, and reproduction for theses Ho Chi Minh City, June 2020 LAI THI THAM iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would first like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Dr Le Van Tuyen for his patience, guidance, insightful advice, and constant encouragement through the whole research process Without his support and guidance, this thesis would never have been completed I would also like to thank Dr NGUYEN THI KIEU THU, Dr TRAN QUOC THAO and other HUTECH English lecturers for their encouragement and support so that I could complete this MA course Moreover, this thesis is not completed without the help of my lovely colleagues and students at Nhan Viet High School I would like to express my sincere thanks to all of them Last but not least, my sincere and warm thanks are for my family and friends who have supported and accompanied me during a long journey of doing my thesis v ABSTRACT Enhancing students‟ ability to speak English fluently is a desire for all English teachers in general and for high school ones in particular However, high school EFL teachers still encounter various problems although they have employed different strategies to overcome those problems Therefore, this study aims to investigate the problems encountered and strategies used by teachers in teaching English speaking skill at Nhan Viet High School (NVHS) The study involved 200 students and 06 EFL teachers at NVHS Both quantitative and qualitative data were obtained through three instruments, namely questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations For analyzing the data collected, descriptive statistics and content analysis were employed The results of the study revealed that most of the teachers experienced the problems which were caused by both context-related and student-related factors and a variety of strategies were also used by teachers in the process of teaching English speaking skills to the students at NVHS This study emphasized that understanding the problems that hinder the progress of learning English speaking skills is important for teachers to apply proper strategies in teaching speaking skills to students The study also made several suggestions for both teachers and students with the aim of contributing a small part to the teaching and learning of English at NVHS This study is expected to shed light on the implementation of teaching speaking skills in NVHS context and in other similar contexts Key words: teaching English, speaking skills, problem, strategies, NVHS vi TABLE OF CONTENT Certificate of originality iii Retention and use of the thesis… iv Acknowledgements v Abstract… vi Table of contents… vii List of tables… x List of figures xi List of abbreviations… xii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 Statement of the problem 1.3 Aims and objectives of the study .4 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Scope of the study .4 1.6 Significance of the study 1.7 Definition of terms 1.8 Organization of the thesis CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 A skill-based approach to teaching and learning English 2.2 Speaking 2.2.1 Definitions of speaking 2.2.2 The role of speaking in language acquisition 2.3 Teaching and learning English speaking skills .10 2.4 Problems faced by the EFL teachers in teaching speaking skills 12 2.4.1 Context – related problems 12 2.4.2 Student – related problems 13 2.5 Strategies for teaching English speaking skills .16 vii 2.5.1 Definitions of speaking teaching strategies 16 2.5.2 Taxonomies of speaking teaching strategies 17 2.6 Previous Studies 22 2.7 The Conceptual Framework of the Study 25 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 27 3.1 Research design 27 3.2 Research site .28 3.3 Description of the English Courses at NVHS 29 3.4 Sample and sampling procedures ………………… 29 3.5 Research instruments …….31 3.5.1 Questionnaires 31 3.5.2 Interviews 32 3.5.3 Observation 32 3.6 Data collection procedures 33 3.7 Data analysis procedures 34 3.7.1 Data from questionnaires 34 3.7.2 Data from the focus teacher interview 35 3.8 Reliability and Validity 35 3.9 Summary of the chapter 37 CHAPTER RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 38 4.1 Introduction 38 4.2 Result of the study 38 4.2.1 Problems faced by teachers in teaching English speaking skills to high school students at NVHS…………………………………………… 38 4.2.2 Strategies used by teachers in teaching English speaking skills to high school students at NVHS 46 4.3 Discussion 56 4.3.1 Problems faced by teachers in teaching English speaking skills to high viii để đóng góp vào hoạt động 25 Giáo viên đưa phản hồi sau hoạt động nói Những hoạt động lớp học học sinh 26 Giáo viên khuyến khích học sinh nghe Tiếng Anh để cải thiện kỹ nói Tiếng Anh 27 Thỉnh thoảng giáo viên yêu cầu học sinh chuẩn bị chủ đề nói nhà 28 Giáo viên yêu cầu học sinh làm clips videos việc nói ngồi lớp học 80 Appendix E TEACHER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES Questions What you think about the time for each period, class size, school‟s facilities and material used? What you think about the students‟ motivation for learning English speaking skills? Does it cause problems for you to teach English speaking in your school? Responses ( T1 – T6) T1- During the speaking lesson I cannot check all the students in class The class has 35 students The speaker does not work and the material sometimes is not suitable for students now T2- I wish there were fewer 25 students in class, if so I can have enough time for each of them The facilities in my class are quite good But the material is not interesting, I have to use other materials to support the topic as required in the textbook T3- I think I need more time for speaking periods The facilities are not good as I expected but I can use it The material used in the textbook are not new and hot for students, sometimes I have to use other sources T4- I cannot control speaking activities for student to practice especially in while speaking section There are so many students in class The Wi-Fi system is so bad, I cannot access the Internet The material is too old, the topic and context were for 20 years ago T5- I have to confess that there are too many students in each class and the time is so limited if I want all my students can practice in each period The facilities in my class sometimes have problems, I can solve it But the materials I think need to change now The information and figures are in the years of 2004 - 2007 T6 I think I need more time for speaking periods There are so many students in class The materials are quite simple There are a cassette player and a small TV in class T1- I think the students‟ motivation for learning English speaking skills is the score, students are afraid of get low mark T2- I have no difficulty in teaching speaking for students who love and interest in learning English I think the students‟ motivation for learning English speaking skills is the love for the language, they want to use the language smoothly T3- I feel very bad with the students‟ silence The 81 What you think about the students‟ difficulty in pronunciation and using correct grammar? Does it influence the students‟ anxiety and shyness in learning language? students‟ motivation for learning English speaking skills is the need Students are going to learn in foreign country so they try T4- The students‟ motivation for learning English speaking skills is the teaching method, students are fed up with learning English in traditional way, they want to access English in new way T5- The students‟ motivation in learning English speaking skills is the passion, they can follow it if they love it T6- The students‟ motivation for learning English speaking skills is the interest, they like and they act - All six teachers: students‟ motivation for learning English speaking skills causes problems in teaching English speaking T1- Pronunciation is the main reason because it is very hard to perfect if you are not the native speaker My students lack confidence in speaking English but they are confident to speak to topic in Vietnamese In Vietnam, using correct grammar is not difficult for students T2- Pronunciation influences the students‟ anxiety and shyness in learning language They are afraid of being laughed at Pronunciation is the biggest problem because it is very hard to pronounce correctly if you are not the native speaker It also depends on the area you are living Using correct grammar is not the problems for students, they have no difficulty T3- Pronunciation influences the students‟ anxiety and shyness in learning language They are afraid of being laughed at when pronounce wrongly Pronunciation makes students worried most because they cannot improve it in a short time Students learn how to use correct grammar easily, they have no difficulty T4- Pronunciation influences the students‟ anxiety and shyness in learning language They are afraid of being laughed at Pronunciation is not easy to learn, it take a very long time to be perfect They have no difficulty in learning grammars T5- Pronunciation influences the students‟ anxiety and shyness in learning language They are afraid of being laughed at by others Each region has different accent, 82 it affects pronunciation a lot Using correct grammar is not difficult for students, they can learn it very fast and apply it correctly Pronunciation influences the students‟ anxiety and shyness in learning language They are afraid of being laughed at when the use their special accent T6- Vietnam has main regions, each region has their own accent and it leads to the students‟ difficulties in learning language Vietnamese students use correct grammar easily because the teacher concentrates on it in each unit in the text book Grammar has been repeated many times in their program The students‟ anxiety and shyness in learning language is pronunciation They are afraid of being laughed at when they have different accent with others T1- I think it is the reality of studying English in What you think about Vietnam Absolutely, students want to know more the students‟ focusing on structures and vocabulary to finish the written test with structures and vocabulary high mark to pass written tests? Does T2- One-third of my students not care the speaking it cause problems students‟ lesson They just want to exercises with grammar feeling anxious and and vocabulary This absolutely causes problems tending to underestimate students‟ feeling anxious and tending to underestimate their abilities? their abilities T3- We can deny the reality of studying in VN The entrance test to university now still concentrates on structures and vocabularies T4- I start English with structures and vocabulary from the teacher from grade to grade 12, they just focus on them to teach us At the results, we passed all the test, entrance test easily but we cannot speak and listen well T5- The examination test checks only structure and vocabulary so students just want to focus on them But they can forget the vocabulary after a week Students don‟t believe that they can well other skills so they will feel anxious and tending to underestimate their abilities T6- They need that, the students need to learn more structures and vocabularies to pass the entrance test However, when moving to a new unit, the vocabulary or phrases of the last unit go with the wind 83 What you think about the students‟ linguistic knowledge? Does it cause problems students‟ lack of confidence when speaking to others? What you think about the students‟ fear of being criticized by the teacher? Does it cause problems the students‟ fear of being laughed at by other students? T1- The students‟ linguistic knowledge is not rich enough for them to use in some simple sentences Absolutely, it causes problems students‟ lack of confidence when speaking to others T2- The students‟ linguistic knowledge is the barrier for them to get the target knowledge T3- The students‟ linguistic knowledge is very poor They cannot use the word they want to express Yes it is T4- Not knowing about the linguistic knowledge, the habit, the tradition, the interest… of others is very hard to learn their language Of course, it causes problems students‟ lack of confidence T5- Know more about the language helps students a lot in learning that language It depends on the students The more they learn, the more knowledge they get Of course, it causes problems students‟ lack of confidence when speaking to others because they know very little about it, T6- Not only students but also the teachers have the same difficulty in learning linguistic knowledge There is no doubt, it causes problems students‟ lack of confidence when speaking to others They not know about their tradition, their habit… T1- The students‟ fear of being criticized by the teacher is popular, I think the solution is in the teachers‟ behaviour T2- I think the teachers‟ teaching method is very important, they can help the students confident to show their thinking without fearing of being criticized T3- Everyone fears of being criticized, students are not excluded T4- The teachers play an important role in this situation The way the teachers behave influence a lot to students T5- No one likes being criticized Especially the youth, they want to show their opinion but they scare of being criticized T6- Being criticized is the fear of everyone But if you are a good teacher, you know how to solve it T1,T2, T4, - Half of the teachers: students‟ fear of being criticized by the teacher causes problems the 84 students‟ fear of being laughed at by other students T3, T5, T6 - Half of the teachers: students‟ fear of being criticized by the teacher may be cause problems the students‟ fear of being laughed at by other students 85 Appendix F STUDENT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES Questions What does the teacher usually ask you to before a speaking activity? What does the teacher usually arrange and give you in prespeaking activity? Responses ( S1- S10) S1- Teacher asks me to learn vocabulary at home and then apply the vocabulary into speaking S2, S6- The teacher asks me to follow her With the instructions and models from the teachers, I can easily make my own practice S3, S5- She asks me to prepare the topic at home (find the Vietnamese meaning of new words, copy the unknown word into the books in advance…) S4, S7- Teacher asks us to participate in class actively She asks us arrange tables and chairs into four/five groups if we have some observations from other teachers S8- Sometimes she asks me to interview other students I love interviewing my friends, I think I will be a reporter someday S9, S10- We have to participate in some games or activities follow her guidance… S1- Teacher instructs me to use mind maps in listing vocabulary Like studying many subjects, mind maps help me to follow the topic and list enough information S2- The teacher uses few games in speaking lesson I want her give me more games in the speaking class In this way, I feel that the speaking is not boring and attracts a lot of my friends too S3- The teacher asks me to a lot of things I not have enough time to talk about the topic, every activities flow so fast Teacher also arranges some games in warm up activity S4- She guides me follow the textbook in pre-speaking activity After that I have to remember to progress in order I need to use mind maps Mind maps help me remember information systematically S5- Teachers give me some models But I want to show my own opinion to the topics, I can express myself The teacher also asks me work in pair for some activities S6- Teacher arranges some games in warm up activity S7- The teacher asks me work in pair for some activities Practicing directly with my friends I found that it helps me more confident S8- She asks some questions related to the topic, then we find 86 What does the teacher to help you to feel confident and participate in the speaking activity? How does the teacher give feedback after out what we learn Sometimes, she tells a story to start the topic or shows a short video clip related to the speaking topic in warm up activity S9- She lists a lot of vocabulary and structures for us to use in practice speaking, we apply them mechanically There are too many words to remember except mind maps, flow-chart and Venn diagrams S10- The teachers asks me to list the vocabulary I know I like the real-life topic because I can use my knowledge and share the experience that I have more vocabulary S1- She is always kind to me I think the teacher‟s attitude is very important In fact, this is what we want from the teacher and I like studying with teachers who have good relationship with students S2- She gives some models before practicing Teacher always says: “You are free to ask, don‟t be shy, speak louder, take your time, be yourself…” when hearing that I feel confident and involve in the speaking activity with her S3 – The teacher shows unpleasant I want to study in a comfortable and pleasant environment If the class is too serious, it will be boring and dull S4- She always has a lot of energy in class, she teaches with smiles on her face, and she always says: “Try more, you can it,…” S5- She moves around and supports us when I have questions, she is so kind S6- She gives some models before practicing I feel confident when I am practicing as model… S7- The teacher is quite passive, she has very few activities I am an active student I feel confident and participate more in the speaking activity when teacher designs a lot of games for us S8,S9- The teacher allows us to work in pair or in group I love interviewing my friends, I think I will be a reporter someday S10- She gives some models before practicing She says: I don‟t worry with wrong answer, she never shouts at me with what I don‟t know S1, S2, S5- She praises more than criticism I want my teacher to give me feedback in the class In this way, I feel that my teacher cares about me and I will make more effort and follow her feedback to become better 87 every speaking activity? What does the teacher to encourage you to practice English speaking out-side the class? S3, S6, S7- Before she corrects our wrong answer, she always says: “your answer is interesting but…, you have a right choice however…, I think we need more answers to choose the perfect one…” I like the teacher correct my mistakes when I am speaking because I can avoid repeating that mistakes again S4, S8, S9, S10- She remarks fairly, and never put an pressure on us S1, S2, S4- She tells us about her experience in practice speaking at Bui Vien, participates in English club at Youth Culture I think the teacher‟s encouragement is very important In fact, this is what I expect from the teacher and I like studying with teachers who are willing to support students S3, S5, S8, S9- She talks about the journey to conquer English by listening music (Westlife, M2M, the Beatles ), watching film with English subtitles…I want to study with a teacher who can inspire students in learning S6- She always says: “Practice make perfect” At a result, I have to spend a day to learn how to make clip S7- She guides us how to speaking English with siblings at home and sets rules for punishing violators S10- She encourages us by giving bonus mark So I have to find the vocabulary that related to the topic at home 88 Appendix G CLASSROOM OBSERVATION Observed class: 11B1.1 (CL3) ▪ English level: Pre-intermediate ▪ Number of students: 34 ▪ Characteristics: Most of the SS are shy and passive Date: January 2020 Unit 10: Nature in danger - speaking AIMS: This lesson aims to help SS to ▪ (Knowledge) Be aware of the plastic problem to the nature ▪ (Language) Revise vocabulary items concerning the environment ▪ (Skill) Express opinions and solutions to a specific problem OBJECTIVES: By the end of the lesson, SS should be able to: ▪ Language: - Pronunciation: know how to pronounce difficult words - Structures: understand and use structures expressing solutions ▪ Skills: - Express attitudes and be able to suggest solutions to environmental problem RECENT WORK: ▪ SS have finished part A – Reading of unit 10 APPROACH AND TEACHING AIDS: ▪ Communicative Approach ▪ PowerPoint presentation, textbook, BB, chalk, computer, LCD screen ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS ▪ Technical problems (T must arrive at classroom early to prepare and set-up computer) ▪ SS may not know how to express their opinions (T should give helps immediately) ▪ SS may be tired and unwilling to participate (T must arouse SS‟ interest from the beginning of the lesson) Teacher’s activities Students’ Content Remark activities Problems/ Strategies - Play the Pre-speaking Warm up: GAME: Who game has the best memory? - Divide class into teams - Give instruction: “Each team has to watch a video, - 15 pictures - See APPENDIX 89 - Introduce the purpose of the task - Give instructions - Give example - During watching the, teacher stands at the end of the class and look the video includes some familiar items and animals The task is to remember as much as things shown on the screen as possible But the team is not allowed to take note during watching After watching the video, each team will take turn to report back The winner is the team who has more correct answers.” - Show all the pictures again - Lead to the speaking topic While speaking Task 1: WATCH A VIDEO - Introduce the video: “You are going to watch a video that shows the relationship between nature and human actions - Ask questions around without any supports - Work groups The task attracts 60% of student participating - Watch the video - Report back - Invite SS to report back - Give comments and sum up focused points Task 2: - Ask questions - Report back Link of the video: https://www youtube.com /watc h?v=d2J2qd OrW44 Questions: What problem does the turtle face with? How you feel after watching this video? Questions: How many of you love drinking milk tea? 90 - real-life topic - Classify tasks - Personal work - Teachers repeat the students' ideas, write the key word on the board - Introduces the lesson and gives students enough vocabulary to use for their speaking activity - Get students centered - Doing task individually Creates different opportunities for the individual students to Now imagine you buy one cup of milk tea home, what will the seller give you back? - Invite SS to report back - Give comments and sum up focused points - List familiar items to lead to the speaking topic Task 3: - Divide class into groups of four - Give instruction: “Each group will find as many ways to reduce the consumption of a specific plastic item After five minutes I will call some of you to report back to the class” - Invite the representative of each group to choose the item - Show three eliciting questions - Deliver A4 papers - Walk around, monitor, prevent use of Vietnamese, give help and take notes - Invite representative of some groups to report back - Give comments and sum up focused points Post speaking - Stimulate students to - Do the task in groups - Report back contribute to every activity - Students are not interested, perhaps because they are shy, afraid of wrong, afraid being laughed; - The tasks are really practical items: cup, - After the task, the straw, plastic teacher showed the bags answer to check the students' accuracy See - Exchange, discuss APPENDIX information - Students are active but Questions: not much, only 60% - As a really pay attention student, what - Teacher moves around can you the class, instructing with to reduce the both L2 and LI for consumption students who don't of plastic understand how to it straw? - Always motivating - In family, students what can - Students work in groups parents to but mostly talks in pairs reduce the or privately consumption - Students discuss in of plastic Vietnamese, they just use straw? English when presenting - What can or teacher‟s coming the nearer government - Spend lots of time for to reduce students to speak the consumption of plastic straw? - Practical and helpful activity Students learn 91 find a video, a song or draw a poster (in pairs) about the topic: Save the nature - Give bonus marks more about after-school lesson 92 Appendix H Report on Plagiarism Check 93 94