Trang 1 GRADUATION PAPER PROPOSAL FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS A STUDY ON THE ELEMENTS AFFECTING SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLO
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER PROPOSAL FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS A STUDY ON THE ELEMENTS AFFECTING SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION (Nghiên cứu yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến Kỹ Nói Sinh viên năm thứ chuyên ngành Ngôn ngữ Anh – Trường Đại học Sư phạm Kỹ Thuật Hưng Yên) Supervisor: Dang Thi Huong Thao, Ph.D Student: Vu Kim Tuan Student number: 11317075 Hung Yen – 2021 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER PROPOSAL FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS A STUDY ON THE ELEMENTS AFFECTING SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HUNG YEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION (Nghiên cứu yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến Kỹ Nói Sinh viên năm thứ chuyên ngành Ngôn ngữ Anh – Trường Đại học Sư phạm Kỹ Thuật Hưng Yên) Student: Vu Kim Tuan Student number: 11317075 Supervisor: Dang Thi Huong Thao, Ph.D Hung Yen – 2021 i DECLARATION I certify my authorship of the study report entitled “A study on the elements affecting speaking skills of the first-year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education” This graduation paper is the result of my research and the substance of this graduation paper has not been submitted for a degree to any other university or institution and that if this declaration is found to be false, disciplinary measures and penalties can be taken and imposed following university policies and rules Hung Yen, May 2021 Vu Kim Tuan ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During the process of doing this graduation paper, I have received much necessary assistance, precious ideas, and timely encouragement from my teachers, family, and friends This paper could not have been completed without the help, encouragement, and support from several people who all deserve my sincerest gratitude and appreciation First of all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor – Mrs Dang Thi Huong Thao, the English teacher of the Faculty of Foreign Language, who has always been willing to give me valuable advice and suggestions so that I can complete successfully this study I also would like to take this opportunity to show my sincere thanks to all my teachers at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Hung Yen University of Technology and Education, who have handed me basic knowledge to complete this study I am so thankful to students of K18 at the Faculty of Foreign Language for their whole-heart participation in the study I would like to acknowledge my thanks to all the authors of the books, magazines, and the other materials listed in the reference part for their ideas that have been reflected and developed in the study I am equally indebted to my classmates for their suggestions and encouragement in the process of my study Last but not least, my particular thanks are given to my parents for their encouragement and support which played an important role in my graduation paper Hung Yen, May 2021 Vu Kim Tuan iii ABSTRACT Speaking is one of the four indispensable skills for English learners, especially students specializing in English However, there are many students who have some problems in speaking English This study aims investigates the elements affecting the English speaking skills and sugggest some solutions to improve the English speaking skills Qualitative and quantitative method was used to analyze and to find the solution to the problems The research was conducted at UTEHY and the population of this study was first-year English major students of FFL In order to achieve the above mentioned objectives, one hundred and twenty English major students and ten teachers in FFL took part in this research Data were gathered by questionnaires and interviews while observation during the speaking process was used to confirm students’ answers The result of analyzing elements affect toward speaking skills of students showed that speaking is the most difficult skills for students who study a foreign language It was based on three main factors influencing their speaking which related to the speakers, teachers and external features In order to deal with these issues and the desire of improving the present situation, the researcher recommended some solutions for both teachers and students to be better in teaching and learning for the first-years English major students who are learning speaking skills at UTEHY more effectively in the near future iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS - ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii LIST OF CHARTS viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study 1.2 Aim and objectives of the study - 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Subjects of the study 1.5 Scope of the study - 1.6 Structure of the study - CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 An overview of speaking skills - 2.1.1 Definition of speaking 2.1.2 Definition of speaking skills 2.1.3 The significance of speaking skills - 2.1.4 Stages of speaking 2.1.5 Aspects of speaking skills - 2.1.5.1 Fluency - 2.1.5.2 Accuracy - 2.1.5.3 Pronunciation 2.1.5.4 Vocabulary 10 2.2 The elements affecting the English speaking skills 10 2.2.1 The elements related to the learners 10 2.2.1.1 Fear of Mistake - 10 2.2.1.2 Shyness - 11 2.2.1.3 Anxiety - 11 2.2.1.4 Lack of Confidence - 12 v 2.2.2 The elements related to the teachers - 12 2.2.2.1 Teacher's role 12 2.2.2.2 Teacher's method - 12 2.2.2.3 Teacher's characteristics - 13 2.2.3 The elements related to the external features - 13 2.2.3.1 Cultural elements - 13 2.2.3.2 Classroom elements 14 2.3 Some suggested solutions to improve the English speaking skills - 15 2.3.1 Some suggested solutions related to learners - 15 2.3.2 Some suggested solutions related to teachers - 16 2.3.2.1 Change teaching methods frequently 16 2.3.2.2 Create a comfortable class atmosphere for students - 19 2.3.3 Some suggested solutions related to the external features 20 2.4 Summary - 20 CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY 21 3.1 The context of the Faculty of Foreign Languages at UTEHY 21 3.2 Overview of the situation in the current situation of teaching and learning speaking skill at UTEHY - 22 3.3 The research methodology 25 3.4 Data collection - 25 3.4.1 Data collection from students 25 3.4.2 Data collection from teachers 26 3.5 Data analysis and discussion - 26 3.6 Findings for the study - 43 3.7 Recommendation - 46 3.7.1 Recommendations for teachers 46 3.7.1.1 Recommendations about speaking lessons 46 3.7.1.2 Recommendations about materials - 46 3.7.1.3 Recommendations about learners - 47 3.7.2 Recommendations for students 47 3.7.2.1 Recommendations about study methods - 47 3.7.2.2 Recommendations for materials - 48 vi 3.8 Summary 49 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION - 50 4.1 Summary of the study - 50 4.2 Limitation of the study 50 4.3 Suggestion for further study 50 REFERENCES - I APPENDIX - IV APPENDIX XII APPENDIX XX APPENDIX - XXIII vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS UTEHY: Hung Yen University of Technology and Education FFL: Faculty of Foreign Languages viii LIST OF CHARTS Chart The elements affecting students’ speaking skills 26 Chart The elements affecting your students’ speaking skills 27 Chart The elements related to the learners affecting the learning of English speaking skill 28 Chart The elements related to your learners affecting the learning of English speaking skill 29 Chart The elements related to the teachers affecting the learning of English speaking skill 30 Chart The elements related to the teachers affecting your students learning of English speaking skill 31 Chart The activities which students are used during the speaking lesson 32 Chart The activities which teachers use during the speaking lesson 33 Chart The activities which students like using during the lesson 34 Chart 10 The activities which teacher like using during the lesson 35 Chart 11 The elements related to the external features affecting the learning of English speaking skills 36 Chart 12 The elements related to the external features affecting the learning of English speaking skills 37 Chart 13 The solutions related to learners to improve your learning English speaking skills 38 Chart 14 The solutions related to learners to improve your students learning English speaking skills 39 Chart 15 The solutions related to teachers to improve your learning English speaking skills 40 Chart 16 The solutions related to teachers to improve your studetns learning English speaking skills 41 Chart 17 The solutions related to external features to improve your learning English speaking skills 42 Chart 18 The solutions related to external features to improve your students learning English speaking skills 43 XII APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS My name is Vu Kim Tuan, I am from class TAK15.1, Faculty of Foreign Languages at Hung Yen University Technology and Education This survey questionnaire is designed for my graduation research This study is focused on: “A study on the elements affecting speaking skills of the first-year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education” Therefore, I would like to this survey questionnaire in order to complete my survey research Please select the answer by circling the first letter of each sentence and tick the checklist items or express your ideas in the blanks I would like to ensure that all the information provided by you is used for this research only, not for any other purposes Besides, to ensure your individual you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Your answer will help me a lot in the research process Finally, I really want to thank you so much for your help and cooperation!! I General information Fill or circle in the information where appropriate What is your gender? A Male B Female What is your age? …………… How long have you been teaching English? ……… year(s) What is your qualification? A Bachelor in teaching English as a foreign language B Master of Art (M.A) in teaching English as a foreign language C Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in teaching English as a foreign language D Others II The elements affecting to your students learning English speaking skills What are the elements often affecting your students learning English speaking skills? Elements Elements learners Always related to the Often Sometimes Rarely Never XIII Elements related to the teachers Elements related to external features Others What are the elements related to your learners affecting the learning of English speaking skills? Elements Strongly agree Fear of mistake Shyness Lack of Confidence Problem with grammar Lack of knowledge or ideas Having difficulty in pronouncing Having difficulty understanding in the meaning of the words which are not pronounced clearly Having difficulty understanding in speech when speakers speak too fast Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree XIV Having difficulty understanding speakers in when use various accents Having difficulty understanding related to in things linguistic features (reduced forms, slang, idioms, signal to move new sentences, paragraphs) Others What are the elements related to the teachers affecting your students learning English speaking skills? Elements Strongly agree Poor quality facilities (broken headphones, computer; …) The number of students in a class is still big Difficult to learn with noises around Visual teaching aids (posters, presentations, chart…) Others Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree XV How often does your teachers use the activities during the speaking lesson? Activities Pair work Always Usually Often Sometimes Rarely Never and group work Games Role play Story telling Questions and answers Debate Presentation Others 9.Which activities your students like in English speaking lessons? Activities Strongly agree Pair work and group work Games Role play Story telling Questions answers Debate Presentation Others and Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree XVI 10 What are the elements related to the external features affecting the learning of English speaking skills? Elements Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree agree Strongly disagree Poor quality facilities (broken headphones, computer; …) The number of students in a class is still big Difficult to learn with noises around Visual teaching aids (posters, presentations, chart…) Others III Some suggested solutions to improve your students learning English speaking skills 11 What are some suggested solutions related to your learners to improve learning English speaking skills? Solutions Strongly agree Find reliable speaking and listening sources that have the accent of native speakers such as BBC, CNN, VOA, etc Promote speaking confidence by trying to participate speaking in English activities Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree XVII whenever you can Make friends with English language learners or join English clubs from around the world Practice speaking English inside and outside the classroom every day Learn vocabulary and structures Read the news daily to get more knowledge Find materials suitable for their level Communicate with native speakers as much as opportunities to possible Seek practice speaking in real situations Take an English speaking course in language center Others 12 What are some suggested solutions related to teachers to improve your students learning English speaking skills? Solutions Strongly agree Exchange and learn skills with increase other colleagues, classroom observation, take part in Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree XVIII training courses, pedagogical training Create situations related to the topic of study, group activities, playing games to warm up, choose a variety of situations to practice speaking Do not criticize students when they make mistakes Give equal speaking opportunities to all students Encourage students with marks and rewards Ensure the health status as well as a spirit before starting the lesson, regularly interact with students, help to solve problems when they have difficulties friendly and enthusiastically Others 13 What are some suggested solutions related to external features to improve your students learning English speaking skills? Solutions Strongly agree Divide the number of students (about 15 to 20 students) in order to practice English speaking Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree XIX easily Investment policy proposal for the physical facilities regularly in the classroom including computers, speakers, projectors Each student needs seriously, exalted, and has highly made use of classroom time to practice English speaking Others 14 What other suggestions can you give to improve your students learning English speaking skills? …….………………………………………………………………………………………… ……….…………………… ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… …………………….……………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… A million thanks to you for your help and your cooperation! XX APPENDIX UNIT 4: WHAT’S THE WEATHER LIKE? Pre-Speaking: Playing “tap to the board” game The teacher can show some pictures about the weather on the board, call two students to find the characteristics described in the picture based on the request of the teacher or other students Who can touch the required characteristics more accurately and faster, you are the winner While speaking: Look in the textbook and the exercises on pages 16 to 17 Specifically, for exercises with pictures, the teacher asks students to describe weather features in the pictures What does this picture have? What is the weather like in the picture? Which type of weather you like the most in the pictures above? In addition, students work in pairs to discuss the weather for the past week, their favorite season of the year, in which they share why it's their favorite season Post speaking: Students should review vocabulary describing different weather patterns The teacher can also ask students to go home to communicate with their friends about this topic or to record a 2-3 minute video related to the topic of the weather so that the students can remember more words related to describing the weather TOPIC TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER Pre-Speaking: How often you check the weather forecast whenever planning a picnic or traveling to a certain place? After checking the weather forecast, will your plan be changed or stay the same? While speaking: - What is the weather like in your country? XXI Answer: Well, there’re four seasons in my country; they are spring, summer, autumn and winter respectively But on the whole, the weather’s typically either boiling hot or freezing cold And my country experiences a blanket of snow once in a blue moon on the whole (idiom): in general boiling hot /ˈbɔɪ.lɪŋ/ (adj): very hot freezing cold /ˈfriː.zɪŋ/ (adj): very cold a blanket of snow /ˈblæŋ.kɪt/ (noun phr.): snow covered once in a blue moon (idiom): rarely - Which months have the best weather in your country? Answer: I guess it depends on the personal taste of each person For me, I think the weather in autumn is best, because it’s when I don’t have to experience a heatwave or a gale which adversely affects my mood heatwave /ˈhiːtˌweɪv/ (noun): a period of time such as a few weeks when the weather is much hotter than usual gale /ɡeɪl/ (noun): a very strong wind adversely /ˈæd.vɜːs.li/ (adv): in a way that has a negative or harmful effect - Describe your favorite season in your country Answer: Today, I am going to tell you about my favorite season Honestly, I love all the seasons but I think my favorite is spring Usually, it starts at the end of December in our country and lasts till the middle of March The weather in Vietnam is the best during spring because you will not suffer from the excessive heat of summer or the freezing wind of winter The temperature is tolerable both day and night One of the best things about spring is that, during this poetic season, nature displays itself in beautiful green and flowers are noticed everywhere Fruit trees, such as cherry and apricot trees are in full blossom, and colourful flowers such as daffodils and marigolds bloom in parks and gardens XXII The sounds of spring are wonderful too A typical spring day will begin when some birds start their morning chorus as they look for a mate We also celebrate Tet, one of the most anticipated holidays by the Vietnamese people This is an occasion for pilgrimages, family reunions and many festivals Parties full of delicious traditional dishes are the main theme for the whole holiday of Tet suffer from: be badly affected by excessive: greater than what seems reasonable or appropriate tolerable: moderate, acceptable in full blossom: with the flowers fully open morning chorus: early morning bird songs pilgrimage: a journey to a holy place for religious reasons Post speaking: There are many other questions related to the topic of weather as well as the season of the year Students need to refer to the sample answers as well as refer to good phrases and idioms to be able to apply flexibly the answers related to the weather topic XXIII APPENDIX UNIT 7: PLAYING AND WATCHING SPORTS Pre-Speaking: The teacher can give students play mini-game of whispering by dividing the class into different teams, then the students pick up the paper that contains sentences related to the topic of sports Each student will whisper to each other, then the last one will speak aloud the result in front of the class The team that has the correct answer or closest to the original verse will be the winner While speaking: Students work in pairs, looking at the picture in the textbook and answering questions such as: How popular are these sports in your country? What other sports are popular in your country? What sports you think are the most exciting? the most boring? Moreover, students will then hear an interview involving questions on sports topics such as: what sports you like to watch? Do you watch it live or on TV? How often you watch it? It is quite difficult to listen because there are various accents in this task between the Ella, Tony, and Joanne, teachers should repeat the paragraph or support to repeat the sentence which can provide information for the answer Post speaking: Create a conversation about sports and work in pairs, students play roles between interviewer and student to ask about the questions related to the sports If there is still time, the teacher can refer to topic to teach or make the homework TOPIC TALK ABOUT THE SPORTS Pre-Speaking: Sports is a good activity that promotes health Do you often play sports? Which sport you play most? While speaking: Vocabulary: XXIV - to be a big fan of something (=like something) - to wonder for: is good for - to keep sb in shape: keep someone's (body) in balance - to relieve pain: relieve pain - to refresh one’s mind: relax, refresh mind - the king of sports (n) King sport - competitive (adj) involving competition - to take up something: what you start doing? - to lower the risk of something: reduce the risk - to have a crack at ( = to try ) - can’t imagine oneself doing something: can't imagine anyone doing what - breathtaking (adj) very beautiful Do you like playing sports? Well, I think I’m a big fan of sports Although I’m not good at it, but my favorite one is swimming You know I can often meet new people and make friends when I sports And as I think that, you know, practicing a sport regularly does wonder for my health It keeps me in shape, it helps to relieve my back and neck pains And last but not least, it refreshes my mind after a long day of hard work What sport are popular in your country? Well, I guess in Vietnam right now, it’s football I think football is considered the king of sports It’s very easy to play All you need is just a ball, a few friends and two goals, which you can always make or create by marking the ground with, you know, a piece of clothing or bags, for example And I think it’s a competitive sport, it can be very enjoyable to watch and play XXV Do you think it is important to play a sport? Of course I think it’s essential for everybody to take up a sport, because, you know, as I mentioned before Playing sports brings great benefits to your health It helps to lower the risk of modern diseases such as diabetes, obesity and heart attack Anyway, at the end of the day, your body is the only place you’ve got to live, right? So I think you’d better take good care of it What sport would you like to try in the future? Well, there are many sports that I would like to have a crack at, but if I have to choose one, that would be climbing You know, I have always dreamt of climbing Mount Fuji, which is the highest peak in Japan I can’t imagine myself reaching the summit and getting to admire the breathtaking view of the scenery below That would be absolutely amazing and I’ll be on top of the world Talk about your favorite sport Well, my all-time favorite sport is football I took up this sport when I was still a little kid, a four-or-five-year-old boy In Vietnam, it’s the most prevalent sport We often call it the king of sports Well, it’s definitely running Running is right up my alley It’s the kind of exercise I on a daily basis despite the fact that many people may find it dry and exhausting If walking counts, I think it’s my go-to choice To be honest, it’s the only option I can opt for because I don’t take a keen interest in sports in general - all-time favourite (adj): favourite of all time - take up something (phrasal verb): to learn or start to something, especially for pleasure - prevalent /ˈprevələnt/ (adj): that exists or is very common at a particular time or in a particular place XXVI - right up one’s alley /ˈæli/ (idiom): very suitable for you because it is something that you know a lot about or are very interested in - count (verb): to be officially accepted; to accept something officially - go-to choice (noun phrase): the first thing you think of - opt for somebody/ something /ɒpt/ (verb): to choose somebody/ something - take a keen interest in something (verb phrase): to be interested in something Post speaking: Students work in pairs or groups, build a conversation with the situation in the restaurant and role-play to practice with each other