The implementation of direct method in teaching speaking skill to grade 8 students at ms nga daily english center

MINISTRY OF FINANCEACADEMY OF FINANCE ---Student: Phạm Thị Hồng Nhung Group: CQ57/51.01 GRADUATION THESIS TOPIC: “THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DIRECT METHOD IN TEACHING SPEAKING SKILL TO GRADE

MINISTRY OF FINANCE

ACADEMY OF FINANCE

-Student: Phạm Thị Hồng Nhung Group: CQ57/51.01

GRADUATION THESIS

TOPIC:

“THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DIRECT METHOD IN TEACHING SPEAKING SKILL TO GRADE 8 STUDENTS AT

MS NGA DAILY ENGLISH CENTER”

Hanoi – 2023

“THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DIRECT METHOD IN TEACHING SPEAKING SKILL TO GRADE 8 STUDENTS AT

MS NGA DAILY ENGLISH CENTER”

Hanoi – 2023

I, Pham Thi Hong Nhung, hereby declare that this thesis “The implementation of

Direct method in teaching speaking skill to grade 8 students at Ms Nga Daily English Center” is composed solely by myself as the product of my own original

research If this declaration is found to be untrue, disciplinary measures can beimposed

I confirm that when I use information from the other’s work, the sources are cited aswell

Hanoi, May 22nd , 2023 Signature

This research is conducted to investigate the current situation of implementingDirect method in teaching English speaking skill for grade 8 students at Ms NgaDaily English Center. 

The main purposes of this research are to investigate how Direct method isimplemented in teaching speaking skill to grade 8 students at Ms Nga Daily EnglishCenter; identify the effectiveness and limitation of using Direct method during theprocess of teaching and learning at Ms Nga Daily English Center; and eventuallygive some recommendations for both teachers and students in order to improve theeffectiveness of the application of Direct method

To conduct the study, two types of data were collected - desk-based research dataand qualitative data The desk-based research was conducted to provide cleardefinitions of speaking skill and the Direct method Qualitative data was collectedthrough in-depth interviews and observation field notes The data was collectedfrom two groups - grade 8 students and all English teachers at Ms Nga DailyEnglish Center The collected data indicated that the implementation of Directmethod considerably improved grade 8 students’ speaking skill

First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, M.APham Phuong Oanh, for her devotion and patience in guiding and supervising meduring the process of my thesis writing

Secondly, my sincerest thanks go out to my beloved family and friends, who alwaysbestow upon me an unconditional love and constant support

Finally, I would like to give my special thanks to my participants from grade 8 of 4classes S7, S8, S9, S17 and 4 teachers at Ms Nga Daily English Center Withouttheir support and co-operation, this research would not have been possible

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figure 2 Ms Nga Daily English Center’s logo 17Table 2.1 Problems of students when learning through Direct method 29Table 2.2 Things students want teachers to do to improve the process of learningand teaching English speaking skill through Direct method 30

LIST OF CHARTS

Chart 2.1 Time spent in studying English speaking through Direct method bystudents 27Chart 2.2 Students' emotions towards learning English speaking through Directmethod 28

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ABSTRACT ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES iv

LIST OF CHARTS v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

INTRODUCTION 1

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

1.1 Speaking skill 4

1.1.1 Definition of speaking skill 4

1.1.2 Types of speaking skill 5

1.1.3 Components of speaking skill 6

1.1.4 Importance of speaking skill 7

1.2 Teaching speaking skill 7

1.2.1 Definitions of teaching speaking skill 7

1.2.2 Methods of teaching speaking skill 8

1.3 Direct method 10

1.3.1 Definitions of Direct method 10

1.3.2 Principles of Direct method 10

1.3.3 Teaching techniques of Direct method 11

1.3.4 Advantages and disadvantages of Direct method 13

1.3.5 The application of Direct method in language teaching 14

1.4 Characteristics of young learners in learning English 15

1.4.1 Cognitive development of young learners 15

1.4.2 Social development of young learners 15

CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY 16

2.1 Research questions 16

2.2 The current situation of teaching and learning English speaking skill at Ms Nga Daily English Center 16

2.2.1 Students at Ms Nga Daily English Center 17

2.2.2 Teachers at Ms Nga Daily English Center 17

2.2.3 Course books and materials 18

2.3 Participants 18

2.3.1 The students 18

2.3.2 The teachers 18

2.4 Data collecting instruments 19

2.4.1 Classroom observations 19

2.4.2 Interview 19

2.5 Data collection procedures 21

2.6 Data analysis 22

2.6.1 Results from classroom observations 22

2.6.2 Result from the interview 23

2.7 Discussion 30

2.7.1 Achievements 30

2.7.2 Limitations 31

CHAPTER 3: RECOMMENDATIONS 33

3.1 Recommendations to the teachers 33

3.2 Recommendation to the students 34

3.2.1 Speaking English every day helps reduce shyness when speaking English 34

3.2.2 Learn new words and grammars to enlarge vocabulary 35

CONCLUSION 37

Summary of the study 37

Limitations of the study 37

Suggestions for other researchers 38

REFERENCES 39

APPENDIX 1 41

APPENDIX 2A 43

APPENDIX 2B 44

1 Rationale of the study

It is undeniable that multilingualism is becoming increasingly vital in today'sworld Indeed, the ability to speak a foreign language allows us to interactwith people from different nations and gain valuable knowledge aboutdiverse cultures all around the world English is the most-spoken languageworldwide including native speakers and non-native speakers, and it isbelieved to play a crucial role in every aspect of life, such as employment,global communication as well as international business

From both a linguistic and psychological standpoint, speaking appear to bethe one that is the most challenging for English language learners It is a factthat the act of teaching and acquiring speaking skill has long been neglecteddespite its significance The Vietnamese educational system places a strongemphasis on coaching tests with too much attention to grammar andvocabulary, whereas spends an insufficient amount of time on teachingspeaking skill As a result, numerous Vietnamese students struggle tocommunicate in spoken English, regardless of achieving high marks inacademic examinations This fact highlights the need for more successfulmethods that allow learners to fully develop the 4 foundational English skills

in general and speaking skill in particular

To help students easily comprehend the language and use it in their dailylives, teachers nowadays are experimenting with a variety of approaches,strategies, and techniques while teaching English One of them is Directmethod, which was developed as a response to the Grammar-Translationmethod It is based on the student's participation when speaking and listening

in a foreign language in daily conversations As a result, there is a great deal

of oral communication and spontaneous language usage yet littleconcentration on grammar Although this approach has been used in teaching

and learning English at the Ms Nga Daily English Center, no studies havebeen done to determine its effectiveness.

For the above reasons, the study “The implementation of Direct method in

teaching speaking skill to grade 8 students at Ms Nga Daily English Center” is conducted to investigate the effectiveness and limitations when

implementing Direct method in teaching speaking skill to grade 8 students at

Ms Nga Daily English Center

2 Aims of the study

The research aims to: Firstly, investigate how Direct method is implemented

in teaching speaking skill to grade 8 students at Ms Nga Daily EnglishCenter Secondly, identify the effectiveness and limitations of using Directmethod during the process of teaching and learning at Ms Nga Daily EnglishCenter Finally, give some recommendations for both teachers and students

in order to improve the effectiveness as well as minimize the limitationswhen implementing of Direct method

3 Scope of the study

Due to the limitation of time, the researcher only focuses on the process ofusing Direct method in teaching English speaking skill to Grade 8 students at

Ms Nga Daily English Center The study was conducted at Ms Nga DailyEnglish Center from 10/02/2023 to 15/5/2023

4 Methods of the study

Desk-based research data and qualitative data were collected to carry out thestudy The desk-based research was used to clarify some definitions relating

to speaking skill as well as Direct method, and the qualitative method wereadopted in the form of in-depth interview transcripts and observation field

notes The data was gathered from two research subjects: Grade 8 studentsand all English teachers at Ms Nga Daily English Center.

5 Organization of the study

The study is divided into three chapters:

The introduction represents an overall knowledge of the rationale, aims,

scope, methods and organization of the study

Chapter I - Literature review: discusses the theoretical background that is

relevant to the study such as definitions of speaking skill, the importance ofspeaking skill, some effective ways to improve speaking skill, the generalknowledge of Direct method and characteristics of young learners

Chapter II - The Study: shows how Direct method is implemented in

teaching speaking skill to grade 8 students at Ms Nga Daily English Center,the effectiveness and limitations of using it in teaching speaking skill

Chapter III - Recommendations: offers some recommendations to teachers

and students in implementing Direct method in teaching and learningspeaking skill

Conclusion - Summarizes the main issues and concluding remarks of the

study

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter primarily focuses on the definitions of several terms associated with speaking, teaching speaking, and the Direct method In addition, characteristics of young learners when learning English are mentioned.

1.1 Speaking skill

1.1.1 Definition of speaking skill

Speaking has a wide range of definitions that have been presented by variousdictionaries and researchers According to Oxford English Dictionary, speaking is

“the action of conveying information or expressing one's thoughts and feelings inspoken language” Speaking is also defined as "the process of building and sharingmeaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts"(Chaney, 1998 in Kayi, 2006)

Speaking is one of the four foundational skills of language learning (along withListening, Reading and Writing) It is a tool for language learners to communicatewith others in order to attain certain objectives or to convey their thoughts,intentions, and points of view

Additionally, speaking is the most often used language ability in practically everysituation Rivers (1981) conducted a study on the use of language outside theclassroom and discovered that speaking is used twice as much as reading andwriting combined

As mentioned by Brown (2001), “the successful of language acquisition is almostalways the demonstration of an ability to accomplish pragmatic goals throughinteractive discourse with other speakers of the language.” In other words, speaking

is more than just communication or interaction; it is also the process of deliveringinformation in a clear and intelligible way

1.1.2 Types of speaking skill

In this study, the researcher wants to present five basic types of speaking skill whichare previously pointed out by Brown (2004) The five types are as follows:

1.1.2.1 Initiative

In the imitative stage, learners are only required to parrot back what was stated tothem in a way that is clear and understandable The main purpose is to makelearners concentrate on certain elements of language structure rather thanconstructive interaction

1.1.2.2 Intensive

It is defined as the production of short stretches of oral language intended todemonstrate competence in a certain grammatical, phrasal, lexical, or phonologicalconnection Examples of intensive performance include direct responded tasks,reading aloud that includes reading paragraph, practicing the dialogues in pairs andlimited picture-cued tasks

1.1.2.3 Responsive

Responsive involves interaction and test comprehension, but only at a very lowlevel of short dialogues, standard greetings, small discussions, simple requests andcomments This is a type of short response to questions or comments posed by theteachers or students, providing instructions and suggestions

1.1.2.4 Interactive

Interactive means that the length and complexity of the interaction which sometimesinclude multiple exchange and/or multiple participants

1.1.2.5 Extensive

Speeches, oral presentations, and story-telling are examples of extensive oralproduction tasks in which the opportunity for oral participation from listeners iseither limited or completely eliminated.

1.1.3 Components of speaking skill

As stated by Brown (2004), there are at least five components of speaking skill.Those components are as follows:

1.1.3.3 Pronunciation

Students can talk more clearly by pronouncing their words correctly Pronunciationfocuses on the phonological process, which is the part of grammar that consists ofthe components and principles that define how sounds change and pattern in alanguage

1.1.3.4 Vocabulary

The appropriate diction in communicating is referred to as vocabulary If studentsdon’t have a sufficient vocabulary range, they cannot successfully communicate orconvey their opinions both orally and in writing Furthermore, a lack of vocabulary

is indeed an obstacle that prevents learners from learning a language, since verylittle can be said without grammar and nothing can be delivered without vocabulary

1.1.4 Importance of speaking skill

Among the four core language skills, speaking skill is believed to play more vitalrole in communication Indeed, English is the language which connects people fromdifferent regions, cultures, and nations Chastain (1988) considered speaking as

“one important element in developing each language skill and conveying cultureknowledge”

1.2 Teaching speaking skill

1.2.1 Definitions of teaching speaking skill

According to a previous study of Nunan (2005), it is believed that languageteaching was seen as helping learners develop “linguistic competence" - that is,helping students master the sounds, words, and grammar patterns of English

According to Kayi (2006), the act of teaching speaking skill to ESL learners can bedefined as follows:

Firstly, to teach students how to produce the English speech sounds and soundpatterns Secondly, to teach students how to use word and sentence stress, intonationpatterns and the rhythm of the second language Thirdly, to teach students how touse select appropriate words and sentences according to the proper social setting,audience, situation and subject matter Fourthly, to teach students how to organizetheir thoughts in a meaningful and logical sequence Additionally, to teach studentshow to use language as a means of expressing values and judgments Last but not

least, to teach students how to use the language quickly and confidently with fewunnatural pauses, which is called as fluency.

1.2.2 Methods of teaching speaking skill

According to Kayi's previous study (2006), there are numerous methods which can

be implemented by teachers to encourage speaking activities in the classroom

1.2.2.1 Discussions

In their discussion groups, students will have to share their own thoughts about atopic, or identify solutions for some certain problems Students can participate inagree/disagree discussions Firstly, the teacher should divide students into groups offour or five Next, for a given time period, each group works on their topic anddemonstrates their opinions to the class It is important that group members taketurns speaking Finally, the class votes on the winning group that best supported theideas This practice encourages critical thinking and quick decision making, andstudents learn how to explain and justify themselves properly while disagreeingwith others

1.2.2.2 Role-play

Another method for getting students to speak up is role-playing Students act outplenty of social situations and pretend to be certain particular social roles Duringrole-play activities, the teacher informs the students about who they are and whatthey believe or feel

1.2.2.3 Simulations

Role-playing and simulations are somewhat similar, but simulations are moreelaborate than role-playing Students can bring objects to the classroom to create arealistic setting during simulations activities in the classroom For example, if astudent is playing a soccer player, he will bring a ball to execute some soccermoves

1.2.2.4 Information gap

Students are required to work in pairs for this activity One student will haveinformation that the other partner does not, and they will share their informationwith each other The task cannot be done if the partners do not share the knowledgethat the others need Therefore, information gap activities are extremely beneficialsince everyone gets the opportunity to practice speaking in the target language

1.2.2.5 Brainstorming

Students can generate ideas on a specific topic in a limited amount of time One ofthe benefits of brainstorming is that students are not judged for their own points ofview, so they are more willing to presenting new ideas

1.2.2.6 Storytelling

Through this activity, the teacher can address students' speaking abilities as well asgain the class's attention Students can either summarize a story they heard fromsomeone else or generate their own stories to share with their classmates Not onlydoes storytelling promote creative thinking but also assists students in expressingtheir ideas in the structure of beginning, development, ending, characters andthemes that a story must include

1.2.2.7 Picture describing

Students can be divided into small groups for this task, and each group is given adifferent picture Students discuss the image in their groups, and then arepresentative from each group summarizes the image to the entire class Thisactivity will effectively enhance students' creativity and public speaking abilities

1.2.2.8 Interview

Students can conduct interviews with lots of people on different topics Doinginterviews with people enable students to improve their public speaking skills not

just in class but also outside of class Moreover, each student can interview oneanother and "introduce" their partners to the class.

1.3 Direct method

1.3.1 Definitions of Direct method

Direct method, also known as Natural method/Anti-grammatical method, is one ofthe most widely implemented methods of teaching foreign languages Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Direct method as a teaching method that seeks todispense with theoretical discussion and historical considerations in favor ofconcrete observation and practical experience Specifically, it is about teaching alanguage through dialogue and reading in the target language without the use oftranslation or formal grammar instruction

Another definition stated by Larsen-Freeman and Anderson (2011) is that Directmethod has one basic rule: No translation is allowed It means that the teachershould not translate when he or she teaches about the materials

According to Setiyadi (2006), Direct method is a method of language trainingdeveloped by Charles Berlitz and Francois Gouin which was created in response toproblems concerning the Grammar-Translation method

1.3.2 Principles of Direct method

By using the target language as a medium of instruction and communication in thelanguage classroom and by avoiding the use of the first language and translation as

a methodology, the Direct method represents a major change from the Translation method The focus of early education is shifting from literary language

Grammar-to spoken common language According Grammar-to this method, learning a language issimilar to learning a first language, and the language-learning process is frequentlyexplained in terms of an association's psychology

Richards and Rodgers (1986) stated the principles of Direct Method are as follow:

Firstly, classroom was conducted exclusively in the target language.

Secondly, only everyday vocabulary and sentences were taught

Thirdly, oral communication skills were built up in a carefully graded progressionorganized around question-and-answer exchanges between teachers and students insmall, intensive class

Fourthly, grammar was taught inductively

Next, new teaching points were introduced orally

Furthermore, concrete vocabulary was taught through demonstration, objects, andpictures, whereas abstract vocabulary was taught by association of ideas

Additionally, both speech and listening comprehension were taught

Finally, correct pronunciation and grammar were emphasized

1.3.3 Teaching techniques of Direct method

Larson-Freeman and Anderson (2011) explains various useful techniques forteaching English by applying Direct method:

1.3.3.1 Reading aloud

Students take turns reading aloud passages, scenes from plays, or dialogues Aftereach student has had a turn, the teacher clarifies the section's meaning usinggestures, illustrations, real-world situations, instances

1.3.3.2 Question and answer exercise

This exercise is only done in the target language Students are given questions andmust respond in full sentences in order to master new terminology and grammaticalstructure They have the chance to both ask and answer questions

1.3.3.3 Getting students to self-correct

This class's teacher had students self-correct by asking them to choose betweenwhat they said and an alternate option he provided There are, however, differentmethods for encouraging students to self-correct A teacher, for example, couldsimply repeat what a pupil has just said, adopting a questioning voice to indicate tothe student that something was wrong Another option is for the teacher to repeat thestudent's words, pausing immediately before pointing out the errors The studentrealizes that the following word is incorrect

1.3.3.4 Conversation practice

The teacher asks a series of questions to the class in the target language, which thestudents must understand in order to appropriately respond The teacher questionedeach student in the class about themselves The questions have a certaingrammatical structure The same grammatical pattern was afterwards used by thestudents to ask their own questions to one another

1.3.3.5 Fill-in-the-blank exercise

There are no explicit grammatical rules applied, and all the elements are in thetarget language The grammatical rule that students needed to complete the blankswould have been inferred by them from examples and practice in prior lessons

1.3.3.6 Dictation

The teacher reads the passage three times The first time the teacher reads it at anormal pace, while the students just listen The second time he or she reads thepassage phrase by phrase, pausing long enough to enable students to write downwhat they have heard The last time the teacher again reads at a normal speed, andstudents check their work

1.3.3.7 Map Drawing

An untitled map with geographical features was handed to the students The teacherthen instructed the students to "Find the mountain range in the West" and cross the

mountain range with the phrase "Rocky Mountains." The teacher providedinstructions for all of the geographical features of the United States so that, if thestudents followed them correctly, they would have a wholly labeled map When theteacher had sketched a map on the chalkboard, the pupils told him to do the samewith it Every student might take a turn explaining how to locate and identify onegeographical landmark to the teacher

1.3.4 Advantages and disadvantages of Direct method

1.3.3.1 Advantages of Direct method

Wae-Useng (2017) demonstrates the benefits of Direct method as follows:

Firstly, it makes the learning of English interesting and lively by establishing directbond between a word and its meaning

Secondly, it is an activity method facilitating alertness and participation of thepupils

Thirdly, according to Macnee, "It is the quickest way of getting started" In a fewmonths over 500 of the commonest English words can be learnt and used insentences This serves as a strong foundation of further learning

Fourthly, due to application of the Direct method, students are able to understandwhat they learn, think about it and then express their own ideas in correct Englishabout what they have read and learnt

Moreover, psychologically it is a sound method as it proceeds from the concrete tothe abstract

Additionally, this method can be usefully employed from the lowest to the highestclass

Lastly, through this method, fluency of speech, good pronunciation and power ofexpression are properly developed

1.3.3.2 Disadvantages of Direct method

According to Wae-Useng (2017), Direct method has certain drawbacks:

Firstly, there are many abstract words which cannot be interpreted directly inEnglish and much time and energy are wasted in making attempts for the purpose.Secondly, this method is based on the principles that auditory appeal is stronger thatvisual But there are children who learn more with visual than with their oral- auralsense like ears and tongue

Thirdly, the method ignores systematic written work and reading activities andsufficient attention is not paid to reading and writing

Fourthly, since in this method, grammar is closely bound up with the reader,difficulty is experienced in providing readers of such kind

Next, there is dearth of teachers trained and interested in teaching English in thismethod

Furthermore, this method may not hold well in higher classes where the Translation

Last but not least, in larger classes, this method is not properly applied and teaching

in this method does not suit or satisfy the needs of individual students in largeclasses

1.3.5 The application of Direct method in language teaching

Norland and Terry (2006) stated how to apply Direct method in language teaching

as follow:

Firstly, the teacher should show a set of pictures that often portray life in thecountry of the target language Secondly, the teacher describes the picture in thetarget language Thirdly, the teacher asks questions in the target language about thepicture Fourthly, students answer the questions as best they can use the targetlanguage Next, pronunciation is corrected, but grammatical structure is not.Additionally, students may also be asked to read a passage in the target language

Furthermore, the teacher asks questions in the target language about the reading.Finally, students answer questions as best they can use the target language.

1.4 Characteristics of young learners in learning English

Teachers must thoroughly understand the cognitive and social aspects of younglearners, since it will have a significant impact on a variety of factors in teachingEnglish for young learners, including teaching techniques, lesson plans, learningmaterials, and how they interact with their students

According to Pennington (2009), the following traits of young learners in generaland grade 8 students in particular should be considered by teachers are as follows:

1.4.1 Cognitive development of young learners

By the age of 13, most kids have begun to develop the ability to grasp symbolicideas and logical concepts Indeed, some previous studies suggest that brain growthslows throughout these years because learners' cognitive skills develop moreslowly; yet, these skills may be improved The majority of students, in general, havecharacteristics such as being curious and eager to acquire new knowledge thatappears to be beneficial to them, being concerned with themselves and how they areperceived by their peers, enjoying solving "real-life" problems, or resists adultauthority and asserts independence

1.4.2 Social development of young learners

Most secondary school students hold opposing beliefs as a result of their shiftingroles within their family structure and the growing influence of classmates.Generally speaking, a great number of students have the following characteristics:having a strong desire to belong to a social group, being influenced by peer pressureand group conformity, prefering active learning tasks that require communicationwith peers over passive learning activities; and requiring gentle support andguidance from adults

CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY

This chapter begins by presenting the research questions The objective of this study

is to look into the implementation of Direct method in teaching English to grade 8 students at Ms Nga Daily English Center Moreover, chapter 2 includes an in-depth analysis of the data acquired during the research.

2.1 Research questions

It is significant that in order for English teachers to start implementing severalteaching techniques in the classroom, they must understand the benefits andchallenges that these methods bring, as well as how effective they are in contrast toother materials in terms of foreign language teaching

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness and limitations faced byEnglish teachers who apply Direct method to teach speaking skill The study alsointends to increase teachers' understanding of what makes direct method appropriatewhile teaching English to students

For the above reasons, this study clarifies three following questions:

Question 1: What is the current situation of implementing Direct method in teachingspeaking English for grade 8 students at Ms Nga Daily English Center?

Question 2: What are the effectiveness and limitations of using Direct method inspeaking activities?

Question 3: What are some recommendations for teachers and students whenimplementing Direct method at Ms Nga Daily English Center?

2.2 The current situation of teaching and learning English speaking skill at Ms Nga Daily English Center

Figure 2 Ms Nga Daily English Center’s logo (source: Ms Nga Daily English

Center’s Facebook page)

2.2.1 Students at Ms Nga Daily English Center

Ms Nga Daily English Center is an English center which operates under VietnamBEN Edu JSC It has nearly 600 students, ranging from kindergarten to high schoolfrom the age of 5 to 17 Students at Ms Nga Daily English Center have beenstudying in kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools and high schoolslocating mainly in Dong Ngac Ward, Thuy Phuong Ward, Xuan Dinh Ward and CoNhue Ward Students will be divided into different classes according to their ageand their level of proficiency in English

2.2.2 Teachers at Ms Nga Daily English Center

Ms Nga Daily English center includes sixteen English teachers, ranging from 24 to

44, eleven native teachers and five foreigners They have all spent at least two yearsworking in plenty of schools located in Bac Tu Liem District and they have a strongdesire to learn how to successfully teach English Six of Vietnamese teachers havereceived a Bachelor's Degree in English and one has completed a five-year Englishtraining program All of the foreign teachers are from the USA and Philippines

Although coming from different nations, they are all polite, supportive andenergetic.

2.2.3 Course books and materials

Ms Nga Daily English Center uses various high-quality course books and materialsthat is suitable for each age group All these course books are from well-knowneducational publishers, namely MacMillan, Cambridge and Oxford

Each syllabus is divided into sections in each book based on the number of lessonsper week and lessons in each session There are 12 units, which correspond to 12intriguing themes and are meticulously created to align with school curriculum Thenew textbook's content is organized into topics, and each unit discusses one topicrelated to daily life, which is highly valuable and practical

The grade 8 students, who are the subject of the study, are taught CambridgeEnglish Key English Tests

2.3 Participants

To collect more data for the study, the researcher chose grade 8 students andteachers in Ms Nga Daily English Center to perform the classroom observationsand the interviews The participants are as follows:

2.3.1 The students

Forty grade 8 students from four classes: S7, S8, S9 & S17 at Ms Nga Daily werechosen to take part in the classroom observation sections and interviews Themajority of students shared a common background since their permanent residencesare in Hanoi and they have been studying English for about 4 years Theyparticipated in this report throughout their second semester According to the results

of prior exams conducted in Ms Nga Daily English Center, most of them had verypoor proficiency despite having studied English for more than 4 years

2.3.2 The teachers