Effects of implementing cooperative principle on ielts students’ speaking performance a case in the mekong delta

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAININGCAN THO UNIVERSITY LE THI HONG THO EFFECTS OF IMPLEMENTING COOPERATIVE PRINCIPLE ON IELTS STUDENTS’ SPEAKING PERFORMANCE: A CASE IN THE MEKONG DELTA MAS

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

CAN THO UNIVERSITY

LE THI HONG THO

EFFECTS OF IMPLEMENTING COOPERATIVE PRINCIPLE

ON IELTS STUDENTS’ SPEAKING PERFORMANCE:

A CASE IN THE MEKONG DELTA

MASTER OF EDUCATION PROGRAM: PRINCIPLES AND METHODS

IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION

CODE: 81 40 111

2024 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

CAN THO UNIVERSITY

LE THI HONG THO

M1622054

EFFECTS OF IMPLEMENTING COOPERATIVE PRINCIPLE

ON IELTS STUDENTS’ SPEAKING PERFORMANCE:

A CASE IN THE MEKONG DELTA

MASTER OF EDUCATION PROGRAM: PRINCIPLES AND METHODS

IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION

CODE: 81 40 111

SUPERVISOR 1: NGUYEN ANH THI,Ph.D.

SUPERVISOR 2: PHUNG VAN DE, Ph.D.

2024 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The completion of this research would not have been possible without theinvaluable support, guidance, and encouragement from many individuals andinstitutions It is with deep gratitude that I acknowledge their contributions

First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude and respect to mysupervisor, Dr Phung Van De for his valuable instruction and endless support duringthe process of conducting this study I am grateful for his great contribution to myprogress He provided not only academic advice but also moral support, helping menavigate through challenges and refine my ideas His patience and confidence to myprogress have truly been a source of inspiration Without his devoted assistance, thisthesis would not have been completed.

I also appreciate valuable supports from Assoc Prof Trinh Quoc Lap, Assoc.Prof Nguyen Buu Huan, Assoc.Prof Nguyen Van Loi, Assoc Prof Phuong HoangYen, and Dr Nguyen Anh Thi during the time I proposed my study They provided meconstructive feedback and recommendations in the very early stage of my researchproposal

I must also acknowledge Mr Ho Van Toi, the C.E.O of the centre where Iconducted the research, for his facilitation and permission for my quasi-experimentalstudy Special thanks would be given to Ms Vo Hong Yen Phuong, head of IELTS inthe centre, who gave me academic consultant for the lesson plans and materials usedduring the treatment I also thank all the staff in the centre who helped me connectpotential participants for my study

My sincere thanks would go to 24 students who were willing to participate

seriously in my study, giving valuable data for this

Most importantly, it was my family who I would like to show my gratefulness to.They inspired to the journey of this Master course, supported me mentally during thisups and downs journey

Last but not least, special thanks go to my “critical friend group” including VoThuy Duy, Dang Ngoc My Duyen and Nguyen Thi Hong Diem, being side by side with

me during the writing -up process

i

TÓM LƯỢC

IELTS được xem là một phần quan trọng trong việc đánh giá tiếng Anh ở Việt Nam.Việc tìm ra các phương pháp để hỗ trợ học sinh cải thiện bốn kỹ năng là rất cần thiết,đặc biệt là kỹ năng nói Nghiên cứu bán thực nghiệm này nhằm để xem tác động củaviệc tuân thủ nguyên tắc giao tiếp đối với khả năng nói của người học và để xem mức

độ người học tuân thủ nguyên tắc hợp tác trong bài kiểm tra nói IELTS 24 học viên từmột trung tâm ngoại ngữ ở Đồng Bằng Sông Cửu Long được chia làm 2 nhóm: nhóm

thực nghiệm và nhóm đối chứng Thực nghiệm kéo dài 8 buổi học, mỗi buổi 90 phút.

Số liệu thu thập từ bài kiểm tra trước và sau thực nghiệm chỉ ra rằng, khả năng nói củahọc viên ở nhóm thực nhiệm tăng lên đáng kể ở cả 4 tiêu chí, cho thấy mức độ hiệu quảcao hơn của thực nghiệm so với phương pháp truyền thống Kết quả cũng chỉ ra rằng,khả năng nói của học sinh liên quan đến số lượng trường hợp nguyên tắc mà học sinhtuân thủ Điều này chỉ ra nhiều ý nghĩa đối trong việc giảng dạy và học IELTS, cũngnhư các nghiên cứu trong tương lai

Từ khoá: Nguyên tắc giao tiếp, IELTS, phần 3 của bài thi nói IELTS

ii

ABSTRACT

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is an importantrequirement to evaluate English proficiency in Vietnam There is a need to havestrategies that help students improve their scores in different skills, especially speakingskills This quasi - study focused on the effects of implementing Cooperative Principle

on IELTS students’ speaking performance and the extent that students obey the fourmaxims of Cooperative Principle during the IELTS speaking test 24 students from alanguage centre in the Mekong Delta were divided in two groups, namely experimentaland control groups The treatment was in eight sessions, each lasted 90 minutes The

data from the pre-test and post-test show significantly improvement of students fromthe experimental group This is recorded statistically significant improvement in allcriteria, showing that the intervention to be more effective than using the traditionalmethod The findings also reveal the positive correlation between the students’speaking performance and the number of the instances that students follow the maxim.This implies several pedagogical implications for IELTS teachers, students and furtherresearch.

Keywords: Cooperative Principle, IELTS, speaking part 3

iii

DECLARATION

The thesis entitled “Effects of Implementing Cooperative Principle on IELTS students’speaking performance: A case in the Mekong delta ” was conducted under thesupervision of Dr Phùng Văn Đệ, Trà Vinh University I declare that the informationreported in this study is the result of my own work, except where due reference ismade The research has not been submitted for any degrees or diplomas

Can Tho, 15 August, 2024

Supervisor 1 Supervisor 2 Author

Nguyễn Anh Thi, Ph.D Phùng Văn Đệ, Ph.D Lê Thị Hồng Thơ

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i

TÓM LƯỢC .ii

ABSTRACT .iii

DECLARATION iv

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF FIRGURES ix

LIST OF ABRREVIATIONS x

CHAPTER ONE 1

INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Research aims, research questions and hypotheses of the study .3 1.2.1 Research aims 3 1.2.2 Research questions 3 1.2.3 Hypotheses 3 1.3 The scope of the study 4 1.4 Significance of the study 4 1.5 Organisation of the study 4

CHAPTER TWO 6

LITERATURE REVIEW 6

2.1 IELTS Speaking Test 6

2.1.1 Introduction to IELTS test 6

2.1.2 The IELTS Speaking Test 7

2.1.3 IELTS Speaking part 3 8

2.2 IELTS Speaking Performance 9

2.2.1 Definition of Speaking 9

2.2.2 Nature of Speaking .10 2.2.3 Speaking Content 11 2.2.4 Definition of Speaking Performance 13

2.2.5 Assessing IELTS Speaking Performance 13

2.3 Grice’s Cooperative Principle 16

2.3.1 Maxim of Quantity 17

2.3.2 Maxim of Quality 17

2.3.3 Maxim of Relation 17

2.3.4 Maxim of Manner 17

2.3.5 The Relationship between Cooperative Principle and IELTS speaking test 18

v 2.3.6 Indicators of the Maxims 20

2.4 Teaching IELTS Speaking 20

2.4.1 Teaching speaking to EFL learners 20

2.4.2 Teaching IELTS speaking 23

2.5 Related Studies 26

CHAPTER THREE 29

METHODOLOGY 29

3.1 Research Design 29

3.2 Participants 29

3.3 Intervention 30

3.3.1 Gricean maxim-based lesson 30

3.3.2 Teaching Materials 32

3.4 Instruments 32

3.5 Data collection procedure 34

3.6 Data Analysis 35

3.6.1 Quantitative data from the pre-tests and post-test 35

3.6.2 Data from the students’ responses 35

3.7 Ethical Considerations 36

CHAPTER FOUR 37

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 37

4.1 Students’ speaking performance before and after the intervention .37 4.1.1 Students’ speaking performance within the groups before and after the study 37 4.1.2 Students’ speaking performance between two groups before and after the intervention 39 4.2 Students’ observance of Grice’s maxims on their speaking performance 41 4.2.1 The observance of Maxim of Relation .43 4.2.2 The observance of Maxim of Quantity 44 4.2.3 The observance of Maxim of Quality 46 4.2.4 The observance of Maxim of Manner 48 4.3 Discussion 49

4.3.1 The effects of implementing Cooperative Principle on IELTS students’ speaking performance .50

4.3.2 The extent that students observed the four Maxims of Cooperative Principle in their speaking performance 51

CHAPTER FIVE 54

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 54

5.1 Summary of key findings 54

5.2 Implications 54

5.3 Limitations and recommendations 56

vi 5.4 Major conclusions 56

REFERENCES 58

APPENDICES 63

Appendix 1 IELTS Speaking band descriptors 63

Appendix 2 A sample test material (from Cambridge IELTS 18-test 2)……… 64

Appendix 3 Sample lesson plan in the control group……… 65

Appendix 4 Sample lesson plans used in the experimental group 69

Appendix 5 Students’ speaking raw scores in the control group 71

Appendix 6 Students’ raw score in the experimental group 72

Appendix 7 Instances of maxims students observed in the pre-test and post-test 73

Appendix 8 SPSS Raw calculation 74

vii LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 The design of the research 29

Table 3.2 Distribution and Population of the Treatment 30

Table 3.3 The Design of “Gricean Maxim- Based Lesson” 31

Table 3.4 Teaching content in both groups 32

Table 3.5 SPSS tests employed in this study 35

Table 4.1 Inter-raters Reliability 37

Table 4.2 Students’ speaking performance within the control group 38

Table 4.3 Students’ speaking performance within the experimental group 39

Table 4.4 Independent Samples t-Test of the two groups before the intervention 40 Table 4.6 Frequency distribution table for observance of Grice’s maxims on students’

Table 4.9 Correlations between Maxim of Quantity and Students’ speaking

performance before and after the treatment 45

Table 4.10 The correlation between Maxim of Quality and Speaking performance

before and after the treatment 47

Table 4.11 Correlations between Maxim of Manner and Speaking performance before

and after the treatment

LIST OF ABRREVIATIONS

CP: Cooperative Principle

EFL: English as a Foreign Language

ELT English Language Teaching

ESA: Engage Study Activate

IELTS: International Language Testing System

x

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

This Introduction chapter begins with the rationale and justifications for the research from theoretical and practical stand points, followed by a brief presentation of the significance and organisation of the study

1.1 Rationale

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) has become thestandard for evaluating English language proficiency on a global scale (Michell, 2021).

It is a standardized test that is considered valid and reliable (More & Morton, 2005;O’Loughlin, 2008; Spolsky, 1995; Weir, Hawkey, Green & Devi, 2008) It assessescandidates’ English proficiency to verify whether they are qualified for higheracademic study, or immigrants (Clampham, 1996)

The increasing number of international students who choose to attenduniversities in English-speaking countries has led to the measurement of Englishlanguage proficiency becoming a crucial aspect of eligibility requirements (Dooey &

Oliver, 2021) As a result, it is a boarding pass to the future for students as it offers

students accessto top universities and colleges all over the world (Nguyen, 2010) Inother words, it implies the view that having an IELTS certificate is beneficial forstudents who want to study abroad

In Vietnam, IELTS certificate has been considered as an important requirement

in academic learning (Dang & Dang, 2023) In 2023, many universities haveannounced that students with IELTS 5.5 will be eligible to start their major courses.Specifically, high school students with IELTS 4.0 are exempted from taking English inthe National High School Graduation Exam (MOET, 2020) As to achieve a target bandscore, the candidates need to be proficient in four skills of the IELTS, namelyListening, Speaking, Reading and Writing (Dang & Dang, 2023) Consequently, Dangand Dang (2023) indicate there remains a high demand for English proficiency in fourskills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing)

1The scores for speaking, writing, reading, and listening in the year of 2022 were5.8, 6.0, 6.4, and 6.4 (out of 9.0), respectively (IELTS, 2023) It can be seen that IELTSspeaking scores were reported to be the lowest when compared to the scores in writing,reading, and listening A study from Nguyen (2010) shows that Vietnamese candidatesexperience many challenges in the IELTS speaking test, especially part 3 (also called

the discussion part) She adds that Vietnamese EFL teachers find it challenging in

helping students in answering questions in the this part Therefore, thoroughpreparation is needed so that the IELTS Speaking test results can be maximized.Understanding exam strategies and techniques can help mitigate these obstacles,emphasizing the importance of practice and effective preparation for improving

English speaking performance (Nguyen, 2010).

In fact, the rationale also stems from the practical challenges observed in alanguage centre in the Mekong delta According to recent research conducted in thiscentre, many students struggled with the IELTS speaking test, especially in the last part

of the test (part 3) due to the requirement to express complex ideas, opinions, andjustifications Teachers who are working here stated that students’ answers in this partwere not logical enough, students hesitated, had a lot of repetition or even remainedsilent until back-up questions

In foreign settings, there are some solutions tackling this issue Rehman (2022),highlights the challenges teachers face in teaching students about preparation, such asstudent attitudes, classroom atmosphere, and apprehension Halid (2022) discusses thechallenges students face in practice, including diverse preparation methods, differingperspectives on the IELTS, speaking difficulties, and adapting responses to testduration The study suggests increased reading, collaboration, and the role of lecturers

as support systems However, further research is needed to effectively address theseissues, emphasizing the need for further investigation

One measure that can be taken into consideration is from Babajani, Ahmadianand Miri (2020) in which the role of raising students’ pragmatics awareness ishighlighted In their research, one of the significant finding is that observing the fourmaxims (Quality, Quantity, Relation and Manner) in Grice’s Cooperative Principle

2(hereafter CP) helps improve students’ speaking performance This is also explained in

a study from Wang (2022) He concluded that the four maxims are strictly related toIELTS speaking part 3 A recent report conducted by Mina (2021) confirmed theeffectiveness of being aware of following the four maxims on students’ performance.They all proposed the need and possibility of combining CP and teaching IELTSspeaking

In Vietnam, however, there was little research on specific strategies relatingCooperative Principle to help students deal with questions in IELTS speaking test,especially the discussion part (part 3) Therefore, developing a practical teachingstrategy implementing Cooperative Principle in IELTS speaking test is necessary

1.2 Research aims, research questions and hypotheses of the study

1.2.1 Research aims

This study was to gain insights into the impacts of the implementing CooperativePrinciple on IELTS students’ speaking performance as well as to identify the level ofobserving the four maxims of Cooperative Principle In other words, the aim was to see

if the number of instances that students observed during the IELTS speaking test

affected their speaking performance

1.2.2 Research questions

Proceeding from the research aims, the present study addressed the followingquestions:

1 To what extent does CP affect IELTS speaking performance?

2 How does observing maxims of the CP affect IELTS students' speaking

performance?

1.2.3 Hypotheses

The researcher’s findings of relevant literature review underpin a hypothesis thatimplementing CP has significant effects on IELTS students’ speaking performance.Furthermore, it is hypothesized that the more maxims that students obey, the higherscore they achieve

3

1.3 The scope of the study

The study investigated the impact of implementing the Cooperative Principle onthe speaking performance of pre-intermediate IELTS students during the speaking partthree of the IELTS test at a language center in the Mekong Delta In a recent surveyconducted in this centre, students found part three of the IELTS speaking test the mostchallenging, therefore, this study focused on part three of the IELTS speaking test only

to address these issues

1.4 Significance of the study

The significance of this study lies in its potential to offer valuable insights intolanguage teaching methodologies, particularly in the context of preparing students forthe IELTS exam, a crucial assessment for non-native English speakers By exploringthe effects of implementing the Cooperative Principle on students' speakingperformance, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how structured

communication strategies can enhance learners' fluency, coherence, and overalleffectiveness in part three of the IELTS speaking test.

The findings could inform curriculum development and teaching practices atlanguage centers, leading to more effective preparation programs that equip studentswith the skills necessary to succeed in high-stakes language evaluations Furthermore,the study may have broader implications for language education, highlighting theimportance of conversational principles in improving communicative competenceacross various contexts

1.5 Organisation of the study

The current research is presented in five chapters: Introduction, Literature

Review, Methodology, Results, and Discussion

Chapter one – Introduction outlines the rationale and background information in

relation to the study Besides, it includes the significance of the study and itsorganisation

Chapter two – Literature Review covers an exploration to significant terms and

underlying theoretical frameworks in accompany with a re-examination to relevant

4studies in the fields of the current research The clarifications of concepts and designsfor the intervention used in this study is also presented

Chapter three – Methodology presents the research questions in conjunction with

the method employed for the study, instruments for data collection, participants, theexplanation of intervention and the procedure of analysing data

Chapter four- Results and Discussion– presents the findings of the study informed

by the analysis of quantitative data collected from the tests and qualitative dateobtained from students’ responses Finally, it provides a summary of key findings fromthe study and discusses these in relation to results from previous relevant research

Chapter five – Conclusions and Recommendations - draws out implications,

limitations and directions for further research into the topic

CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter reviews the theories and empirical studies underlying the current study It first provides an overview of IELTS speaking construct, the assessment of IELTS speaking performance Next, there is an overview of Grice’s Cooperative Principle and its relation with the IELTS speaking test Following this, the teaching of speaking is presented together with IELTS speaking teaching methodology The chapter then ends with a review of related studies in the domain of teaching IELTS speaking using Cooperative principle.

2.1 IELTS Speaking Test

2.1.1 Introduction to IELTS test

IELTS, which can be taken in a both computer and paper format, has beenrecognised as one of the top standardized tests by several institutions globally since

1989 (Ebadi, Karimi & Vakili, 2023) It has been administered by the British Council,IDP, and Cambridge University Press to assess test-takers’ language proficiency on ascale

of 1 to 9 in four skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing Test takers with scores

of 1.0 are labeled as non-users, while those with scores of 9.0 are labeled as expertusers The purpose of the IELTS exam is to make it easier for people to work and study

in English-speaking nations (Seedhouse & Harris, 2010)

The IELTS test has two types, one for Academic purposes and the other forGeneral Training General training test is required to be taken by candidates who want

to migrate to English speaking countries or find permanent employment in Englishspeaking countries while Academic test is to determine whether applicants have

English proficiency enough to be admitted to foreign universities

Overall, the exam consists of four sub-tests including Listening - 30 mins,Reading - 60 min, Writing - 60 min, Speaking - 11-14 min The Listening andSpeaking tests are the same for both modules, while the Reading and Writingcomponents are different The Academic Reading test includes three long texts rangingfrom about 650 to 1000 words, taken from periodicals, magazines and newspapers TheGeneral Reading test contains one long narrative or descriptive text and several shortertexts,

6taken from advertisements, brochures, leaflets, etc Candidates for the AcademicWriting program are required to submit a 250-word essay and to describe and explain a150-word summary of some information that is provided as a graph, chart, diagram, ortable Writing a letter (about 150 words) and an essay (approximately 250 words) arepart of the General Training Writing assignment

The first three sub-tests (Listening, Reading, and Writing) must be completed inone day The speaking test can be done in the period of seven days before or after theother tests After taking the test, all candidates receive certificates with scores on aBand Scale from 1 to 9 Both overall band scores and scores for each test componentare reported and it indicates candidates' strengths and weaknesses of speaking ability.There is no pass or fail grade in IELTS, the institution to which the candidates areapplying informs them of the IELTS band score they require

2.1.2 The IELTS Speaking Test

Before engaging in the description of the IELTS Speaking test format, it isworth noting that the IELTS Speaking Test was not developed to assess only academic

speaking skills From its inception in 1989, it was developed to “measure general proficiency in speaking…to interact in social, survival and training or academic contexts without focusing specifically on technical or academic features of the language” (Ingram & Wylie, 1997, p.14), and this position has been maintained in the

revised IELTS Speaking Test launched in 2001

IELTS Speaking Tests are encounters between one candidate and one examinerand are designed to take between 11 and 14 minutes There are three primary parts.Each part serves a particular purpose in terms of interaction pattern, task input andcandidate output (Seedhouse & Supakorn, 2015)

In Part 1 (Introduction) candidates respond to general questions aboutthemselves, their homes/families, their jobs/studies, their interests, and a range offamiliar topic areas Examiners introduce themselves and confirm the candidate’sidentity Examiners interview candidates using verbal questions selected from familiartopic frames This part lasts between four and five minutes By responding to a variety

of inquiries, this section of the examination evaluates the candidate's capacity toconvey

7information and opinions regarding common experiences and situations, as well ascommonplace topics

In Part 2 (Individual long turn) the candidate is given a verbal prompt on a cardand is asked to talk on a particular topic The candidate has one minute to preparebefore speaking at length, for between one and two minutes The examiner then asksone or two rounding-off questions This part of the examination evaluates thecandidate's ability to speak at length (without further prompting from the adjudicator)

on a given topic, using appropriate language and coherently organizing ideas Theexamination candidates will probably be required to rely on their personal experiences

to complete the lengthy turn

In Part 3 (Two-way discussion), the examiner and candidate engage in adiscussion of more abstract issues and concepts which are thematically linked to thetopic prompt in Part 2 This part of the examination evaluates candidates' capacity to

articulate and substantiate viewpoints, as well as to scrutinize, deliberate, andconjecture concerning matters (IELTS, n.d).

2.1.3 IELTS Speaking part 3

In an IELTS speaking test, part 3 is a two-way discussion between theinterlocutor and the participant, allowing for active opinions and detailed descriptions.Participants must be able to think and speak quickly and actively in English, masterpopular issues, and respond to questions (Nakatsuhara & Khabbazbashi, 2023)

During this part, candidates are expected to use a range of language functionsfrom explaining and describing to making speculations to answer questions from thesocial perspective, which means this part is testing critical thinking capability and theexaminer strictly controls the time (Seedhouse & Nakatsuhara, 2018)

Skills in responding to questions and describing abstract ideas are essential forsuccess Correct grammar and vocabulary are also required in describing ideas orconcepts related to the topic being discussed Part 3 lasts 4-5 minutes and includesquestions already in the examiner's script or spontaneous questions based on previousanswers It is designed to assess the ability to give deeper and more detailed answersusing appropriate words, terms, and phrases

8

To excel in IELTS Speaking Part 3, candidates can employ several strategiesaimed at securing a high score (Fitria, 2024) She added that it is crucial to alwaysprovide answers, even if it necessitates a moment to gather thoughts In other words,rather than stating "I do not know," candidates can politely ask for time to considertheir response or seek clarification from the examiner Additionally, instead ofrequesting repetition of the question, candidates should ask for rephrasing to ensurebetter comprehension and enable relevant responses Furthermore, candidates shouldapproach questions from various angles to offer comprehensive answers that showcasetheir analytical skills and depth of understanding Lastly, familiarizing oneself withdifferent question types encountered in Part 3, such as opinion-based queries,hypothetical scenarios, comparisons, and predictions, allows candidates to utilizeappropriate language structures and transition words effectively By adopting thesestrategies and practicing responses to diverse question types, candidates can enhancetheir performance in IELTS Speaking Part 3, demonstrating both linguistic proficiencyand analytical prowess

2.2 IELTS Speaking Performance

2.2.1 Definition of Speaking

A number of outstanding scholars have taken the definition of speaking intoaccount (e.g., Bygate, 1987; Nunan, 1989; Burn & Joyce, 1997; Chaney & Burk, 1998;Brown, 2001; Richards & Renandya, 2002)

Speaking is claimed to be the growth of certain skills to communicate (Bygate,1987) Burn and Joyce (1997, as cited in Torky, 2006, p 30) asserted that speakinginvolves an interactively meaning construction through a process of sending, receiving,and decoding information Correspondingly, Chaney and Burk (1998, as cited in Kayi,2006) goes further by asserting that speaking is a process of constructing and sharingmeaning by using verbal or nonverbal indications in different contexts

According to Brown (2001), speaking skills manifest when an individual is able

to continue a conversation appropriately and efficiently He emphasized that successfullanguage learning reflects one's certain capability of expressions to fulfill pragmaticaims by means of an interactive discourse with other interlocutors (Brown, 2001)

9

In a similar point of view, Richards and Renandya (2002) suppose that effectivespeaking skills require the ability to apply language effectively in different socialcommunications which associates both verbal interaction and elements of speech such

as pitch, stress and intonation In addition, nonlinguistic components includinggestures, body language and expression are demanded in transferring messagesimmediately (Richards & Renandya, 2002) Bygate (1987) distinguishes knowledgefrom skills in speaking To become a successful English speaker, one is required notonly to have competent knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation but alsothe ability to use the knowledge to communicate effectively

Nunan (1989, p 32) proposed two approaches towards speaking: the bottom-upand top-down The former declares that speaking moves from simple linguistic entities

to more complex ones; on the other hand, the latter suggests the other way around, that

is, speakers scrutinize "language chunks" in discourse to figure out smaller languageunits Based on his analysis of other scholars, Nunan (1989) accumulates ten concreteskills to assure successful oral interaction: comprehensible articulation of phonologicalfeatures; mastery of varied pronunciation features namely stress, rhythm and

intonation; satisfactory fluency; information transfer and prolonging socialrelationships; turn taking ability; control of the conversation; negotiation of meaning;good listening skills; negotiation of interaction purposes; and effective use of Englishfillers.

To sum up, speaking in ELT is the productive skill of "systematic verbalutterances" to transfer meaning (Nunan, 2003, p 48) In other words, it is concludedthat, in this study, speaking is about saying and sharing the idea from our mind orallyand necessary for effective communication in daily activities in any language as basicpractising in our life

2.2.2 Nature of Speaking

Speaking is a skill which cannot be detached from other skills known asreading, writing, and listening Those skills are allocated into written and spoken skills.Reading and writing belong to written skill while listening and speaking belong tospoken one

Whereas speaking is a constructive skill and it has a close relation with listeningskill Speaking in this study is the main skill which will be researched Speaking is able

10

to deliver speech with a particular idea to other people and it may be planned or

unplanned According to Luoma (2004), there are some aspects of spoken

conversation: - Organized within the central idea

May be planned (c.g., a lecture) or unplanned (c.g., a monologue)

Applies additional obscure or generic words than written communication

-Applies fixed phrases, fillers, and wavering markers

- Includes slips and errors reflective online process

- Comprises exchange (i.e., interactions are constructed together)

- Demonstrates variation (e.g., between formal and casual speech), - Replicatesspeaker roles, speaking goal, and the situation (as cited in Richards, 2008, p 19)

Indeed, knowing the language options and the spoken discourse of speaking arevital The researcher can use the information related to the language characteristics andthe spoken discourse of speaking to know the characteristics of the students' speaking

It can be thought that every student has totally different language features and spokenconversation

It’s associated with being right and without error, especially the result of carefuleffort In this case, good pronunciation and structure can make the speaker's speechcan be understood clearly Students in school face this problem when they pronounceEnglish words This is due to their mother tongue They should get used to practicingthe sounds with a lot of practice

Fluency

Fluency means speaking by the quality of being fluent This is one of the

biggest problems of students in using English orally The speaker should transfer histhoughts

11smoothly where the speaker should not be too slow and not too fast or other listenersmay get bored or lose their attention It can be said that speakers try to use language in

a simple form by focusing on the core of the message conveyed They may useadequate grammar to make it easier to understand the meaning Speakers do not havelong pauses in searching for the perfect grammar in speaking

Comprehensibility

Comprehensibility means that each of the listeners understands the speaker’sattention and general meaning Both speaker and listener have a positive function toperform in the simple terms (because the interaction between speaker and listener is acomplex process, the speaker has to encode the message he wishes to convey inappropriate language, while the listener (on less activity) has to decode (or interpret)the message But in this research, the components of speaking that assessed wereaccuracy and fluency because adjusted to the conditions of the Covid-19 pandemicwhich requires students and teachers to opt for virtual interactions and it doesn’t allowinteraction between students so that comprehensibility cannot be seen due to onlinelearning and due to the lack of study time

Howarth (2001) considers speaking as the process of communicating opinions,ideas, information, or emotions, hence the importance of speaking assessment.Assessing speaking refers to evaluating one’s capacity of producing oral language(Fulcher, 2003), and it is considered an indispensable component of large scale, smallscale, and classroom-based assessment (Bachman, 1990).

According to Derakhshan and Nadi Khalili (2016), speaking skill comprises twomain categories: accuracy and fluency The former is considered as the correct use oflanguage components namely, grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation in speaking,while the latter is “the ability to keep going when speaking spontaneously” (Gower,Phillips & Walters, 1995) As Hedge (2000) shows, fluency is a learner’ ability tospeak coherently by linking words and sentences, utilizing stress and intonation, andpronouncing the sounds in a proper way Thornbury (2005) refers to the accuracy ofvocabulary as the employment of suitable words in fitting contexts

Fulcher (2003) believes that although both speaking and writing are thought of asproductive skills, speaking is more than mere production It involves verbal skill aswell

12Furthermore, according to Fulcher (2003), the linguistic features observed in speakingare different from those observed in writing

2.2.4 Definition of Speaking Performance

Speaking performance refers to the ability of a speaker to orally conveysomething to the listener who can catch or understand the message and givesappropriate response (Brown & Yule, 1983) It means that the speaker needs to becapable of expressing his ideas in a way that the listener can get the message across.Bachman and Palmer (1996) define speaking performance as an interaction betweenlanguage ability and the context of the conversation In this study, speakingperformance refers to the speaker’s ability to use their English language to answer thequestions in the IELTS speaking test

EFL learners’ speech is needed to be fluent, coherent, accurate in grammar andpronunciation, and enriched in lexical resource (IELTS, n.d) Accordingly, speakingperformance, in this study, incorporates Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource,Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation

2.2.5 Assessing IELTS Speaking Performance

Assessing speaking

There existed different approaches to assessing speaking; however, the recentapproaches to assess speaking might address the abilities to get messagescommunicated (Bachman, 1990) Speaking performance is complex and assessing thisskill becomes complicated as many variables come to play For example, test takers’characteristics, features of the speaking test, raters, and rubric descriptors might affect

a test taker’s speaking score (Seong, 2014; Qian, 2007) That said, in addition to thelinguistic knowledge (e.g., pronunciation, vocabulary, stress patterns, and rhythm), thestrategies and ways of using this knowledge might introduce some other variables in aneffective and successful speaking test (Fulcher, 2003)

In this study, the candidates were assessed in four criteria: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation.

Each criterion is described on a 0–9 scale, with each band denoting particular abilities

of candidates An IELTS Speaking examiner will use band descriptors (see Appendix1) to evaluate candidates’ speaking skills The examiner will carefully consider the

13descriptors and will then match them to overall performance across the four categories

by assigning a band score for each one The band scores range from 0 (the lowest) to 9(the highest) Below are the four criteria defined and detailed out by Seedhouse, Harris,Naeb & Ustunel (2014):

Fluency and Coherence refers to the ability to talk with normal levels of

continuity, rate and effort and to link ideas and language together to form coherent,connected speech The key indicators of fluency are speech rate and speech continuity.For coherence, the key indicators are logical sequencing of sentences, clear marking ofstages in a discussion, narration or argument, and the use of cohesive devices (e.g.,connectors, pronouns and conjunctions) within and between ‘sentences’ Below is a list

of key indicators of this criterion (IELTS, n.d)

Key indicators of fluency

▪ speech rate: ideally, not too slow (hard to keep links between

words/propositions in mind)

▪ speech continuity: ideally, flow of speech will not be excessively interrupted

by false starts, backtracking, functionless repetitions of words and phrases, and/orpausing during which the test taker searches for words

Key indicators of coherence

▪ logical sequencing of ‘spoken sentences’

▪ clear marking (with appropriate use of pausing, and spoken discourse markersand fillers) of stages in a discussion, narration or argument

▪ relevance of spoken sentences to the general purpose of a turn

▪ use of cohesive devices within and between spoken sentences (e.g logicalconnectors, pronouns and conjunctions)

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Key indicators of lexical resource

▪ variety of words used

▪ adequacy and appropriacy of vocabulary in relation to the requirements of:

o referential meaning (the correct labelling of things and concepts) ostyle (formal/informal)

o collocation (including idiomatic expressions)

o indicating the speaker’s attitude to content (whether favourable, neutral

or unfavourable)

▪ ability to use paraphrase (getting round a vocabulary gap by using other

words), with or without noticeable hesitation

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

GRA refers to the range and the accurate and appropriate use of the candidate’sgrammatical resource The key indicators of grammatical range are the length andcomplexity of the spoken sentences, the appropriate use of subordinate clauses, andvariety of sentence structures, and the ability to move elements around for informationfocus The key indicators of grammatical accuracy are the number of grammaticalerrors in a given amount of speech and the communicative effect of error

Key indicators of range

▪ the length of spoken sentences

▪ appropriate use of subordinate clauses within clauses and phrases ▪ complexity

of the verb phrase (correct use of auxiliaries in continuous/perfect aspect, modality andpassive voice)

▪ complexity of other phrases (use of pre- and post-modification: items beforeand after the head noun/adjective, etc.)

▪ range of sentence structures, especially to move elements around for

information focus

Key indicators of accuracy

▪ error density (the number of grammatical errors in a given amount of speech) ▪the communicative effect of error (its effect on intelligibility and precision or

Key indicators of pronunciation

▪ the ability to divide speech into meaningful utterances or chunks within

spoken sentences

▪ the appropriate use of rhythm and stress timing, and the linking of sounds,using features such as elision to produce connected speech

▪ the use of stress (e.g emphatic/contrastive) and intonation to enhance meaning

▪ the production of sounds at the word and phoneme level (e.g word stress,vowel and consonant production), and the degree of effort required of the listener tounderstand these

▪ the overall effect of accent on intelligibility

In short, the description of the band descriptors and indicators are crucial factorsfor the development of the intervention in chapter three and the discussion part inchapter four

2.3 Grice’s Cooperative Principle

In order to communicate with each other successfully, interlocutors in everydayconversations are assumed to follow certain conversational rules On the basis of this

assumption, Grice (1975) developed the Cooperative Principle, which human beingsshould conform to in order to realise successful communication He points out that CPcan improve the progress of the dialogue, help people conduct their conversations moreclearly and efficiently He also explains that it is because people who obey theCooperative Principle in their language will make sure that what they say in aconversation furthers the purpose of that conversation This purpose may evolve duringthe conversation (e.g., everyday conversations) or it might be fixed from the beginning(e.g., IELTS speaking questions) (Grice, 1975).

The Cooperative Principle was divided into four maxims, called the Griceanmaxims, which was proposed by Grice from the pragmatics of natural language TheGricean maxims explain the relationship between utterance and what istaken fromthem

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2.3.1 Maxim of Quantity

This maxim infers that speakers need to try to contribute in an informativemanner as much as it is necessary and give every piece of information that is requiredfor being able to exchange information purposefully not to miss the important parts

Do not contribute more than what is required i.e., leave the unnecessary details that arenot important in a conversation Consequently, one’s contribution of information must

be neither more nor less than what their speaking partner asked

2.3.2 Maxim of Quality

This maxim requires speakers to say what they believe to be true, and supporttheir claims with adequate evidence If they had to speak otherwise, one needs adisclaimer or some hedges to show their doubts about what they are about to utter.Based on the understanding of the quality maxim in the Cooperative Principle.According to Grundy (2019), this principle emphasizes courage in speaking, where thespeaker is expected to convey information that is true and appropriate or relevant to thecontext of the conversation

2.3.3 Maxim of Relation

Grice (1975) argued that the Maxim of Relevance demands that contributionsmade should be relevant to the discussed topic In this context, speakers are expected to

provide answers directly related to the subject at hand It means that speakers areexpected to make contributions that have a connection to or relevance to the topic orcontext of the conversation.

2.3.4 Maxim of Manner

This maxim relates to how what is said is to be said to avoid ambiguity andobscurity of expression (Grice, 1975) Clarity is at the heart of the maxim of Mannerwhich contains four specific maxims (Mina, 2021) First, one’s contributions in a talkexchange should not have obscurity i.e the language should be easy to understand andshould not contain lexical terms which equivocate the listener Second, ambiguousstructures should be avoided as the comprehension process becomes more difficult forthe listeners due to the multilevel interpretation of meaning Third, briefness is another

17maxim of clarity It means providing concise information which helps the listenersconcentrate on key elements in the conversation The fourth and last maxim is toprovide information in an orderly manner so that the listener can logically process it.The Manner Maxim within the Cooperative Principle framework suggests thatspeakers should avoid using expressions that are unclear, ambiguous, or confusing andinstead convey information in a way that is easy to understand It helps to prevent anymisunderstandings and maintain proper communication

2.3.5 The Relationship between Cooperative Principle and IELTS speaking test

Maxim of Quality

According to the band descriptors, the IELTS speaking test is not scored based

on candidates’ opinions, butstill candidates need to think and debate withrigorouslogic As Seedhouse and Harris (2010) put it, in order to obtain a high score,candidates need to provide an answer to the question and develop the topic inherent inthe question Hence, if it is possible, teachers can help and require their students toobey the maxim of quality – to discuss true cases in realities to ensure theirexpressions’ fluency and make the answer logically reasonable

Maxim of Quantity

The importance of this maxim is underscored in the IELTS speaking module; as

in each part of the speaking test, a hidden criterion exists for the amount of time that

each IELTS candidate speaks Part one of the IELTS speaking test serves as anicebreaker and comprises a series of simple questions the answers of which should not

be long In practice, however, the examiner’s questions require the candidate to provideboth a direct answer to the question and the not-too-short but not-too long development

of the topic inherent in the question (Seedhouse & Harris, 2010)

Candidates should respond to these questions with a short answer followed by areason to justify their responses; no extra explanation is needed as it would be incontrast with the purpose of this part Part two of the speaking test requires candidates

to prepare for one minute, then speak up to two minutes about a general topic in theform of a monologue Now, attending to the maxims of quantity becomes vital in thispart; since

of the test Part three is the exact opposite of Part one; in this part, test takers mustprovide adequate explanations due to the abstractness of the questions In this phase ofthe test, short answers like that of part one will not suffice and candidates’ unawareness

of this fact may adversely affect their scores

Maxim of Relation

In the IELTS test, a commonly suggested technique for test takers is if thequestion is a little unfamiliar, for instance, if the examiner’s question pertains to themost common means of transportation in a metropolis and the test taker has never been

to a metropolis, s/he can buy some time by beginning with formulaic language andthen, talk about the most common means of transportation in their city; test takers canuse an approximation technique as long as it shares a common presupposition with thequestion (Mina, 2021)

Examiners cannot penalize test takers for such answers as Relation is notexplicitly and adequately addressed in the band descriptors However, they can detectthese memorized responses which will negatively influence their grading the

candidates Moreover, examiners believed that answering the question can help theflow of a conversation and while some of them regarded IELTS as a test of “language”proficiency, most of them, while accepting the former belief to be true, mentioned thatthe “content” should make sense as well (Inoue, Khabbazbashi & Nakatsuhara, 2021).

19speaking test and prolixity must be avoided (Mina, 2021) Last but not least, she addedthat one should express their thoughts in a logical order

2.3.6 Indicators of the Maxims

In general, in order to make conversation comprehend, Grice makes a rule ofconversation which is known by Cooperative Principle There are four maxims,namely: maxim of quantity, maxim of quality, maxim of relevance, and maxim ofmanner To give effective responses, IELTS students obey the rule of conversation Inother words, they need to follow or observe the four maxims during the speaking test.After reviewing theories, the indicators of observing the four maxims in this study arepresented in Table 2.1

Table 2.1 The indicators of the four maxims

Maxims Indicators

Quality Justification of information (examples, explanation, comparison,

hypothesis, results.)Disclaimers or hedges (I don’t know but…)Quantity Provide enough information – explanation in 25-35 seconds

Relation Words, phrases related to the given topic Manner Orderly,

logic responses

Intelligibility (individual sounds, intonation, stress)

2.4 Teaching IELTS Speaking

In this part, the literature about teaching speaking is presented, followed by

detailed description of the teaching of IELTS speaking The last section is the review ofthe teaching methodology employed in this study All together is the guideline to theintervention in the next chapter.

2.4.1 Teaching speaking to EFL learners

According to Nunan (2003), teaching speaking to EFL (English as a ForeignLanguage) learners is to help learners produce meaningful utterances in a logicalsequence, express values and judgement confidently and fluently

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Figure 2.1 What is teaching speaking (Nunan, 2003)

Brown (2001, pp 275-276) proposed some principles for teachers to follow:

Use techniques that cover the spectrum of learners needs, from language-based focus

on accuracy to message-based focus on interaction, meaning, and fluency.

In other words, when choosing a teaching technique, teachers bear in mind thatthe ultimate goals are to help students to perceive and use the language along withmaking drilling as meaningful as possible

Provide intrinsically motivating techniques

Teachers need to try their best to appeal to students’ needs and interests, fortheir need for knowledge, for achieving competence and autonomy, making studentssee how the activity will be beneficial to them.

Encourage the use of authentic language in meaningful contexts.

This is a crucial part to make students use the language appropriately despite thefact that this attempt is time consuming and takes a lot of effort

Provide appropriate feedback and correction.

21EFL students totally depend on their teacher for useful feedback relating tolanguage (Brown, 2001) Therefore, teachers themselves need to take advantage of theEnglish linguistic knowledge to provide constructive feedback

Encourage the development of speaking strategies

Teachers need to raise students’ awareness of strategic competence and applythose strategies in speaking practice Those strategies are listed as follow:

- Asking for clarification

- Asking someone to repeat something (Huh? Excuse me?)

- Using fillers (Uh, I mean, Well) in order to gain time to process - Using

conversation maintenance cues (Uh huh, Right, Yeah, Okey, Hm ) - Getting

someone’s attention (Hey, Say, So)

- Using phrases for structures one can’t produce

- Appealing for assistance from the interlocutor (to get a word or phrase, for

example)

- Using formulaic expressions (How much does ….cost?)

- Using mime and nonverbal expressions to convey meaning

Orlich, Callahan, Harder, Trevisan, Brown, (2010) defined a teaching strategy

as a plan of techniques, or arrangement of exercises intended to accomplish a learningoutcome The strategies in teaching speaking can help students to develop their fluencyand accuracy in speaking to attain the purpose of the learning outcomes

According to Nunan (2003), there are some principles for teaching speaking.Some of which are described below:

1 Give students practice with both fluency and accuracy

At the beginning and intermediate level of studies, learners must be givenopportunities to improve their fluency as well as accuracy Accuracy means using thetarget language correctly and fluency is using language quickly and confidently Theteacher should not emphasize on any one aspect of speaking Rather, students shouldget practice on both accuracy and fluency.

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2 Use group work or pair work

To improve students‟ speaking, they should be given enough opportunities tospeak in class So, teacher talk time should be less and student talk time should bemore It is important for language teachers not to take up all the time According toNunan also, Employing pair work and group work can increase the amount of time thatlearners get to speak in the target language during lessons In this way, there arechances for the students to interact and practice the language with their classmates

2.4.2 Teaching IELTS speaking

The IELTS Speaking test is a component of the International English LanguageTesting System, assessing an individual's English-speaking proficiency through threedistinct sections, focusing on oral communication, comprehension, and effectivemessage conveying in English (Karim & Haq, 2014)

IELTS is a skill-based challenge for test-takers (Kurniawan & Ghozali, 2023).Kunnan (2014) reported several issues related to test fairness, with a specific focus onfamiliarity with the test format (short answer, written letter, etc.) and medium (paperbased versus computer-based) He asserted that if test-takers do not have informationabout the format of the test, the type of questions they will be asked, the criteria forassigning band scores, and strategies to successfully complete the language test tasks,they are at risk of not performing to their true potential

This underscores the importance of documenting the experiences test-takershave of preparing their language proficiency, knowledge and awareness of bestlanguage test taking practices to better understand the impact the test has on their lives.Gardiner and Howlett (2016) stated that familiarity with test formats and test items areessential for reducing anxiety and improving test score validity in standardisedlanguage tests Therefore, preparing for the IELTS, of course, will help students

alleviate some negative affective states like confusion, or anxiety.

Nevertheless, this is considered a challenging component for the candidates Infact, many candidates still lack both exam structure knowledge and test-taking skills.Teachers, as stakeholders in the preparation of IELTS test-takers, must therefore find asolution to this issue To address the issue at hand, teachers must employ strategies thatare distinct from the norm for teaching in the classroom

23Issit (2008) proposed three teaching strategies for students attempting the IELTSspeaking exam The first strategy employs a variety of self-help materials from thefield of contemporary psychology to boost confidence The second encourages criticalthinking and incorporates a variety of academic perspectives The third strategyrequires a thorough examination and application of the IELTS manual's publishedmarking criteria

Chappell, Yate and Benson (2019) outlined test preparation activities Theyproposed that these can target development in two areas: 1) language proficiency; and2) test-taking strategies Some strategies for speaking tasks are listed as followed:

• Manage your affective state: relax/be natural/be calm/be confident

• Make eye contact with the examiner

• Speak clearly/avoid pronunciation errors

• Use a range of vocabulary

• Explain/elaborate

• Ask the examiner for clarification

• Use fillers (e.g “that’s an interesting question”) to avoid pausing • Remainfocused on displaying your speaking skills and language knowledge • Use past,present and future tenses, and active and passive voice In short, this was one ofthe background literature for the lesson plan

development for the intervention The next section, the teaching method will be

The Engage phase aims to capture students' interest and motivate them to participate in the learning process The Engage phase is where the teacher gets the

students motivated, heated up, and ready to dive into the new lesson Teachers try tomake students interested by involving their emotions, attention, and curiosity.Engaging

24the students can include showing pictures, playing simple games, discoveries,discussions with the whole class, miming and acting, prompting the students to answer,using questions to get the students thinking and speaking in English, and so on Thegoal of this phase is to get the student's attention and to elicit the meaning of words ortopics that will be covered in the lesson This stage also gets the students interested inthe subject, in the classroom, in the language, and enjoying what they are doing Park(2003) states that students who actively engage with what they are studying tend tounderstand more, learn more, remember more, enjoy it more and be able to appreciatethe relevance of what they have learned It means that the more active students in theengagement process, the more effective the learning will be As teachers, it’s reallyimportant to engage students before the learning process The activities and materialsthat are used to engage students can include music, games, or simulating pictures, etc

The Study phase is where the teachers give the students the lesson planned The

study phase can consist of many activities, such as studying from texts and dialogues,example sentences, crosswords, gap-fill exercises, word searches, matching games,drilling, and so on All of them are purposely made with the students to help themunderstand and fully engulf new words or structures Harmer (2007) said that the mainfocus in the study phase is the construction of language and any aspect of languages,such as grammar or vocabulary and pronunciation This includes certain intonationpatterns, certain relative clauses, or the way in which lexical phrases are created orused At this stage, the teacher can explain the grammar of the new language, askstudents to practice pronunciation of some words, and sentences The focus here is onthe accuracy of the target language

The Activate phase is a phase where exercises or activities which are designed

to make students use language as freely and communicatively as they can (Harmer,2007) The activate phase is where the teacher practices what the students have learnedwith them The activate phase may include discussions that are for the whole class,

small groups, or even pairs, role-play, story building, tasks such as posters oradvertisements, simulations, and debates Its main purpose is to get the students to usethe word or structures learned so that the teacher knows which of the students learnedthe lesson correctly and which did not Activate phase provides an opportunity forstudents to

25practice real language for the real world It’s time for the students to have fun Thefocus of this stage is on communication and fluency

The ESA method has gained popularity due to its emphasis on studentengagement, interaction, and practical application of language skills Several studieshave demonstrated the effectiveness of the ESA method in various language learningcontexts (Zhang, 2018; Kurniawan, 2020)

In fact, the ESA method has been used as a main teaching method in thelanguage centre where the study was conducted Therefore, in this research, ESA wasemployed in both control and experimental groups The design of the lesson plans wasdescribed in detail in Chapter three

2.5 Related Studies

This section aims to propose the need to the implementation of CooperativePrinciple in IELTS speaking This begins with some studies about the use ofCooperative Principle in teaching and learning IELTS

Mina (2021) conducted a case study to investigate the role of CooperativePrinciple and nonverbal communication in the speaking module of the IELTS test.Eight IELTS students participated in this study, sat a mock test and had three sessionslasting two hours During each session, students were provided with techniques toimplement in the test They were also required to write journals to reflect what theylearned in class Finally, a second mock test was carried out to see if there were anychanges in the participants results or not The results showed that applying thetechniques could significantly improve the test takers’ performance in the IELTSspeaking module In other words, being aware of the maxims can accelerate speakingperformance In the results 37,5% of the responses followed the Maxim of Quality,Quantity and Relation Most of the answers fell under the observance of MannerMaxim (75%) This study contributed an empirical foundation for further research.However, there was not a clear lesson plan or techniques during the three sessions to

see how actually Cooperative Principle and nonverbal communication were employed.

Another study about the application of the Cooperative Principle is from Wang(2022) The study analysed the functions of Cooperative Principle in IELTS Speaking

26Teaching The results proved that in the two-way discussion part of the IELTSSpeaking test, the function of the maxim of Relation, the maxim of Quantity, and themaxim of Manner worked effectively in enhancing students to answer questions aboutabstract issues He suggested that obeying the maxim of Quality can help teachers findout and guide their students to avoid logical mistakes to make the answers reasonable

In other words, candidates can discuss true cases in real life to ensure or support theirarguments In terms of maxim of Quantity, to avoid giving too long answers that lead

to the interruption from the examiner, students can use simple sentences andsignposting to organise the structure of their answer In order not to go off the topic,candidates bear in mind obeying the maxims of Relation Finally, regarding maxim ofManner, it is advisable for the candidates not to use words that obscure the meaning.However, this study just shed some light on the use of CP in teaching IELTS speaking

in this part for students; more investigation should be done into the teaching strategies

of the EFL teachers in their speaking classrooms in order to see the impact of CP inthis part of the test, specifically

Judy (2018) analysed deeply into students’ strategic processes and their use incompleting the simulated part 3 of the International English Language Testing System(IELTS) Speaking Test This helps teachers, who are preparing students for the IELTSspeaking test, incorporate strategies with multiple purposes to best help enhance theirstudents’ performance One suggested strategy is that teachers could focus onelaborating (communication) by first helping students build their topical knowledgeand gradually moving into techniques of how to discuss a topic from general tospecific Techniques such as providing examples, explaining causes and effects as well

as using sources to support their argument could help them continue speaking in alogical, linear manner in both testing and communication contexts Although there was

no mention about the use of Cooperative Principle here, the findings were in line withthe maxims in Grice’s Cooperative Principle

In Vietnam, investigation into teaching strategies into IELTS speaking part 3 islimited Nguyen (2010) found out challenges in teaching and learning IELTS speaking