An investigation into perceptions and practice of extra curricular activities by teachers and students in efl classrooms of upper secondary schools at thai hoa, nghe an

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC VINH LÊ THANH NGỌC AN INVESTIGATION INTO PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICE OF EXTRA — CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES BY TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN EFL CLASSROOMS OF UPPER SE

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO

ĐẠI HỌC VINH

LÊ THANH NGỌC

AN INVESTIGATION INTO PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICE

OF EXTRA — CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES BY TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN EFL CLASSROOMS OF UPPER SECONDARY

SCHOOLS AT THAI HOA, NGHE AN

LUAN VAN THAC SĨ KHOA HỌC

NGANH LL & PPDH MON TIENG ANH

Vinh, 2013

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO

ĐẠI HỌC VINH

J/4.T€ Thààu View

LÊ THANH NGỌC

AN INVESTIGATION INTO PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICE

OF EXTRA — CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES BY TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN EFL CLASSROOMS OF UPPER SECONDARY

SCHOOLS AT THAI HOA, NGHE AN

NGANH LL & PPDH MON TIENG ANH

MA SO: 60.14.10

LUAN VAN THAC Si KHOA HOC

NGUOI HUONG DAN KHOA HOC:

TS TRUONG VIEN

Vinh, 2013

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I hereby acknowledgement that this study is mine The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true, are used with permission from associates and have not been publisheed elsewhere

Author

Le Thanh Ngoc

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My thesis hardly succeeds without the help of other people Therefore, I wish to express my propound gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Truong Vien for his professional guidance and great supports without which my work would have never been completed

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my lectures of English Faculty and Post Graduate Office of Vinh University of Foreign Language Department foe ccreating convenient conditions in doing this reseach and during my learning process at my M.A course

I am grateful to The Principal Board and my colleagues at Thai Hoa High School have created favorable conditions and given me so much help for me to finish my thesis and M.A course; and also to the groups of teachers and gifted student at Thai Hoa High School who have cooperated and share experiences while I am conducting the questionaires, interviews and observation to collect data for my study

1.6 Organization of the study

CHATER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 What are extra — curricilar activities?

2.1.1 extra — curricular activities for the individual

2.1.2 extra — curricular activities for the collective

2.2 Reasons for organizing extra — curricular activities

2.3 Characteristics of extra — curricular activities

2.4 How to organize extra — curricular activities?

Page

ii lli-V

vi vii Vill

What are the bebefits?

2.4.1 English Clubs

2.4.2 English Games

2.4.3 English Songs

2.4.4 English Quizs and Puzzles

2.4.5 Trips and Excursions

3.4.1 Data analysis from questionnaire

3.4.2 Data analysis from interview

3.5 Procedure

3.6 Chapter summary

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards extra — curricular

activities

4.1.1 Teachers’ attitudes towards ECAs

4.1.2 Students’ attitudes towards ECAs

4.1.3.Teachers’ judgements on students’ attitudes towards

extra — curricular activities

4.2 Types of ECAs organized in High Schools of Thai Hoa

4.3 Preparation and organizing of extra - curricular activities

4.3.1 Organizing of extra - curricular activities

4.3.2 Preparation of extra - curricular activities

4.4 Factors that facilitate and obstruct the work of organizing

extra - curricular activities

4.4.1 Factors that facilitate the work of organizing ECAs

4.4.2 Factors that obstruct the work of organizing ECAs

4.5 Outcomes of extra - curricular activities

4.5.1 Students’ gains in extra - curricular activities

4.5.2 Students’ suggestions on extra - curricular activities

4.5.3 Teachers’ desires in extra - curricular activities

4.5.4 Benefits of extra - curricular activities to teachers

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION

5.1 Summary of the findings

5.2 Implications of the study

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ECAs : Extra - curricular activities

OHP : Overhead projector

: Students’ attitudes towards ECAs

: Rate the types of ECAs used in classroom Chart of time organizing ECAs in a semester Chart of time organizing ECAs in off-days Chart of the topics of ECAs

Chart of the teachers’ response to students’

mistakes in ECAs

Chart of the original of ECAs Chart of Students’ purpose when taking part in ECAs

Chart of factors facilitate organizing of ECAs Chart shows students’ difficuties when joining

Teachers’ attitudes towards ECAs

Students’ attitudes towards ECAs

Students’ view of ECAs Teachers’ judgements towards ECAs Types of ECAs

Time to organize ECAs The topics of extra - curricular activities The role of teacher in ECAs

How is English used in ECAs How are students’ mistakes responsed?

Original of ECAs’ contents Students’ preparation before joining ECAs Students’ purpose when taking part in ECAs Factors facilitate organizing of ECAs

Factors obstruct organizing of ECAs Difficulties when taking part in ECAs Factors obstruct organizing of ECAs Students’ achievements from ECAs

Table 4.5.3 : Teachers desires in organizing ECAs 85

ABSTRACT

Together with classroom activities, extra-curriculuar activities (ECAs) play a significant role in improving students’ communicative competence of English This research investigates the organizing of out-of-class activities The subjects of the study are teachers and students of Thai Hoa, Tay Hieu, Dong Hieu upper — secondary schools in Nghe An province The research focusses on the following

points: (1) Teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards ECAs, (2) Types of ECAs

organized in classrooms of English in upper — secondary schools of Thai Hoa town,

(3) Preparation and organizing of ECAs, (4) Factors that facilitate or obstruct the

work of organizing ECAs, (5) Outcomes of ECAs The findings show that all the teachers and the majority of students have positive attitudes towards ECA Students

of the 3 schools have chances to take part in different kinds of ECAs among which English club, English quizzes, English songs practice and performances and English games are widely organized It is revealed by the investigation that ECAs are thoroughly prepared and organized However, teachers and students have to confront some difficulties among which the lack of expense and facilities is typically recorded Besides, teachers have some other difficulties in organizing and students in participating in ECAs The research also demonstrates that both

teachers and students assume that ECAs are beneficial to them All in all, via the

investigation, we have a full insight into the reality of the organizing of ECAs

Accordingly, sugestions are made with the hope that ECAs are later on better organized

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

FT his chapter first specifies the rationale of

the study Then, the aims and significance of the research are states, followed by the research questions and indended scope of the study The chapter ends with the structure of the study

1.1 Rationale

"The ideal setting for teaching a language is, of course, the country where it

is spoken natively By residing in that community and being forced to use the language for communication, the full impact of a language as the chief means of communication in a culture is brought out Lacking this setting the next best thing

is to create the atmosphere of the second culture through proper decoration of a classroom, a lounge and/or when possible, a house Agreements to speak only the second language and to be active in language clubs can be realized with varying

degrees of success", asserted Robert Lado (1964 : 49) That is, in his viewpoint,

one crucial thing to boost English learning is to promote a linguistic and cultural environment like language clubs In a culture where English is taught as a second language, though classroom activities are of great significance, it is not sufficient

Inside class, the amount of time for English is very limited and is almost spared for introcducing and presenting language items students haven't got many chances to practise using English In this case, extra-curricular activities (ECAs) are an ideal compensation because they furnish students with the environment to apply and experiment the newly - learned knowledge of the target language Inside class students are accompanied by teachers and are pressed by structured programs Out -

of - class activities are good opportunities for them to be independent learners, to escape from the class routine as well as to adopt new knowledge of English Mary Underwood (1987 : 44) said: "by organizing a class library or an English club you can provide your students with the possibility of extending their knowledge and interests outside the classroom as well as giving them an opportunity for genuine

communication

Furthermore, ECAs meet the demand of students' variety of learning styles and learning strategies It is true that some students like the way they are kept inside classroom, under the control and care of teachers They find is safe to learn

in such an environment However, others may learn effectively in a stimulating and less formal environment - the one in which ECAs take place

All the above - mentioned reasons prove that ECAs are very needful to English learners and it's equally essential to do a research project on them Through this research we hope to have clear insight into oganizing of ECAs in some Upper Secondary schools in Thai Hoa town, Nghe An province Still, the research is done with the expectation that its results can be afterwards applied to better the work of organizing ECAs

1.2 Research aims

Deriving from the reasons mentioned above and all things about ECAs that many reseachers focused, I have decided to do this thesis with the hope to contribute to specify the following aims:

- tocollect real data to know teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards ECAs.

- To classify the types of ECAs organized at some upper — secondary schools in Thai Hoa town — Nghe An province

- To find out the preparations and organization of ECAs as well as to specify the factors that faciliatate or obstruct the work of organizing ECAs

1.3 Research significances

Via the investigation, we have a full insight into the reality of the organizing

of ECAs Accordingly, sugestions are made with the hope that ECAs are later on better organized

1.4 Research questions

To attain the aims, the research is an attempt to find answers to the following questions:

1 What are teachers' and students' attitudes towards extra-curricular activities?

2 What kinds of ECAs are organized in classrooms of English in Upper - Secondary schools in Thai Hoa town, Nghe An province ?

3 How are ECAs prepared and organized ?

4 What are the factors that facitilitale or obstruct the implementation of ECAs ?

5 What are the outcomes of these ECAs ?

1.5 Scope of the study

The research is carried out by the help of 20 teachers and 140 students from Thai Hoa, Tay Hieu, Dong Hieu high schools in Thai Hoa town — Nghe An province (each school has only 7 English teachers) in the time of 8 weeks The final product is research has a full insight into the reality of the organizing of ECAs

1.6 Organization of the study

The research is clearly divided into 5 chapters apart from the table of contents, references and appendices

Chapter 1 presents the rationale, aims, significance, research questions, scope and organization of the study

Chapter 2 sets out a review of literature of the relevant materials It also clears the definition of ECAs, reasons for organizing and characteristics of ECAs; especially is the steps to organize ECAs and the bebefits that it bring to

Chapter 3 explains how the study is designed, how data are collected and what methodology is used to carry out this study

Chapter 4 focuses mainly on the results of the study including the statistical analyses related to the teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards ECAs; types, outcomes, preparation, organization and the factors facilitate or obstruct the work

of organizing ECAs

Chapter 5 sums up the results of the research and suggests some implications for organazing ECAs

Reference and appendices can be also found at the end of the thesis

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 What are ECAs ?

ECAs are defined, in the Oxford Student's Dictionary of Current English, as activities that take place "outside the regular course of academic work or studies" at

a school or university

Ngo Van Phusdc (1999) also asserted that all activities organized outside school time are named ECAs This is a very basic type of learning activity and is carried out with specific plan and purpose Also, ECAs to his viewpoint are a continuation of classroom activities, aiming to form and develop personality of students

In classroom of English, any activities in English that take place outside classtime are regarded as ECAs ECAs in English can be categorized into two types: ECAs for the individual and ECAs for the collective

2.1.1 ECAs for the individual

ECAs for the individual are activities that a student himself chooses to do for his own needs and interests outside the language classroom in order to gain new knowledge or to get progress in English On carrying out investigations on different learners of English as a foreign language, Nunan (1991 : 173) and Pickard (1996)

mentioned some ECAs of individual as follows:

* Having someone who is proficient in the language to speak with in order to learn the language sufficiently well

* Taking part in conversation exchanges with foreigners who want to practise the language of the learner (Nunan, cited in Brownrigg, 2001 : 6)

* Conducting dialogue journals over the Internet with a native speaker or writing to pen - friends (Nunan, cited in Brownrigg, 2001 : 6)

* Reading newspapers, magazines and books in English as well as listening to an English language news and weather broadcast on the radio and television

* For sheer pleasure, listening to songs and singing songs, watching movies with subtitles, reading interesting novels and all other media including advitisments and booklets as well

2.1.2 ECAs for the collective

ECAs for the collective are organized and planned ones A large number of students may join together in one activity held at school or a certain prearranged place There are normally the leaders who are in charge of the conducting and the organizers who take on organizing English clubs, English quizs, English games, English oral competitions, meetings with students of English speaking countries are

a few extra - curricular for the collective to name

In this research, an investigation in done into the latter type - that of ECAs

for the collective

2.2 Reasons for organizing ECAs

According to Mary Underwood (1987 : 44), "Extra activities, conducted outside lesson times, can make a significant contribution to maintaining a good atmosphere in the classroom If a greater command of English is seen to open the way to interesting activities, your students will take a more positive attitude to their

Nunan (1991) pointed out that all of the subjects who he had surveyed agreed that formal classroom instruction is not sufficient despite the diverse

contexts and environments in which English is learned He also stated that these English learner found motivation, a preparedness to takes risks, and the determination to apply developing language skills outside the classroom the most helpful things in their learning of English

Students who learn English as a second language suffer from the lack of exposure to the community using the language (i.e the target community) What is more, the amount of time spared for the learning of English language in class is not much As a result, it has been suggested that Upper-secondary Schools should take every advantage to organize the practice of the target language outside school time (Phuong phap giang day ngoai ngu o truong pho thong, 1986)

Also, when comparing instructed and natural settings for language teaching, Lightbown and Nina Spada (1993 : 69) wrote: "Most people agree that learning a second language in a natural acquisition context or "on the street" is not the same as learning in the classroom Many believe that learning "on the street" is more effective This belief may be based on the fact that most successful learners have had exposure to the language outside the classroom"

Further, ECAs are advantageous in that they bring a number of benefits to students Hoang Manh Phu (1987) made a list of advantages of ECAs to students as

* ECAs meet the demand of student's variety of interests They give students opportunity to further their discovery of more knowledge and to escape from the rigid, compulsory program

* ECAs boost the activity and encourage the creativeness in students

Last but not least, the organization of ECAs satisfies students in terms of their learning styles and learning strategies Students learn English in many different ways or they have different learning style preferences Some of them learn well from handling, touching or working with things They are tactile learners Other learn from hearing words spoken or conversing with other people They are auditory learners Kinesthetic learners learn best by actively participating in activities, field trips which bring them a lot of learning experiences Students who have group learning style learn effectively through working with others Those with global learning style learn more effectively through concrete experience and through interaction with other people Likewise, extraverted learners learn more easily via concrete experience, contacts and relationships with others (Reid, 1998) Class work, as we know, fails to involve all students' ways of learning So, extending learning environment beyond the context of the classroom is a good idea

to cover such various learning styles and strategies For example, field trips can involve students of kinesthetic and tactile styles in learning through real and interesting things; or vistits to places in the community like bookshops, drugstores, monuments or museum can be helpful to these types of learners

* ECAs suit interests and likings of students, therefore, knowledge gained is valid and of great use

* ECAs require a complex, thorough preparation in terms of content, form, time, place, facilities and procedure

Besides, ECAs are abundant in terms of form and content They are usually organized in large settings which cause not less difficulties in the managing and evaluating process (Ng6 Van Phusc, 1999)

2.4 How to organize types of ECAs and what are the benefits

2.4.1 English clubs

In countries where English is taught as a foreign language, English club is a popular and familiar kind of ECAs An English club is a place where learners have

a chance to use English personally and communicatively In the article with the title

"How to run a successful English club", Malgorzata Zdybieuska (1986) divided an English club into three stages: a preparation session, a club meeting and a follow-

up

2.4.1.1 The preparatory session

In this stage, there is a discussion among organisers about the form of the meeting, topics, necessary facilities Choosing topic for a club is very important Topics should be related to the learners' general interests in order to stimulate communiation or exchange of ideas

2.4.1.2 The club meeting

This is the stage when club activities take place In an English club, all the activities are learner-centred ones Some of them can be: song learning sessions, language games, quizzes, poetry reading and writing, drama, role-play, group work, video shows, talks and mini lectures These activities should be operated in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere so as to encourage the maximum participation of club members Also, it's a must to create an ambience as different as possible from

the classroom routine This can be done in a number of ways such as using visuals aids, theatrical props, lightning effects and background music The element of fun and humour can also make a good contribution Here, there is a change in the role

of teachers They no longer act as masters of language, correcting mistakes and giving marks Instead they become language advisers and assistants

2.4.1.3 The follow-up

This stage is spared for consolidating knowledge and developing further interest The follow-up can be carried out under the form of reading relevant materials and discussing in the classroom or collecting ideas on interests and needs

of the club members for the organizing of a new club meeting A display of the products of the club is necessary to attract other students to participate the club

* It is a place where students can meet their friends and enjoy themselves The club

is equally important for the teachers in that

* It provides field practice for young teachers who would like to acquire some experience in managing larger groups at various language levels

* It is a break from the classroom routine

* Tt teaches how to work in a team.

* It allows sharing of the teaching experience and testing newtechniques

* It is an excellent occasion to make friends with your learners

2.4.2 English games

According to Byrne (1986 : 100), " Games may be defined as a form of play governed by certain rules or conventions They are meant to be enjoyed wherever they are played In the language classroom, however, games are not just a diversion, a break from routine activities They must also contribute to language proficiency in some way by getting the learners to use language in the course of the

game"

In his viewpoint, there are two types of games that can do this: accuracy- focused games and fluency- focused games

2.4.2.1 Accuracy- focused games

Accuracy- focused games assist students to improve their mastery of a particular item or items of language: sounds, spelling, vocabulary, grammatical items Games of this kind are normally played with the students divided into teams, small groups or pairs The purpose of accuracy- focused games is to reinforce and extend what has already been taught However, the enjoyment of the context gets the learners so involved in the game that they do not know they are

practising language pattern or patterns

An example of accuracy- focused games is the guessing game - " glug" In this game, one of the players thinks of a verb, the other players try to find out what

it is by asking questions using the invented verb "' glug” or "diggle" to replace the

unknown verb For instance:

A: Are you glugging now?

B: (who has chosen the verb wash): No

C: Do you glug a lot?

B: Quite often, yes

D: Do you like glugging?

B: I don't mind it!

E: Do you glug before you come to school?

B: Of course!

F: Have you always glugged?

B: Yes For most of my life (etc.)

(Donn Byrne, 1986 : 103)

The game provides students with a chance to practise using a variety of verb

forms (tenses, infinitives, gerunds)

2.4.2.2 Fluency- focused games

Fluency- focused games are different from accuracy- focused ones in that the practice of language is not the principal goal Here, learners themselves are required to use language as best as they can to achieve a certain task when playing Fluency- focused games are subdivided into two types: the information gap and the opinion gap

2.4.2.2.(a) The information gap

In this type of game, players have to complete a task either by sharing or eliciting information from other player Participants usually work together

The game " Describe and Draw" is a typical example In this game, one player describes to the other player a picture which they are not allowed to see The listeners have to draw the picture They may ask questions or discuss among themselves The game can be ended up with further talk when comparing the original picture and its version

2.4.2.2.(b) The opinion gap

This type of game concerning the ability of using language of players themselves so as to persuade other players Different from fluency- focused games, there is of course competition amongst players instead of collaboration

The game "Use it” is an example of opinion gap type game The first set of cards contain pictures that symbolize occupations The second set of cards contain pictures of the objects that players have to use in connection with their occupations To play, each player takes an occupation card, an object card and says how he will use it in his work If the other players are satisfied with what he says then come comments and questions In this case, the player is permitted to keep the card If the statement of the player is not persuasive enough to other players, then

he must put the card back on the table Thus, in order to win the game players should think and use language in a clever way For example, if the player who has chosen the occupation of teacher picks up an object card which shows a box of matches and can not find an "obvious" use, he might say: I need them because I am

nervous and I smoke a lot or I need them to burn homework with (Burne, 1986 :

* Explain the game carefully: Each game is governed by a set of rules which players must follow Rules can be presented in oral or written form and mother tongue is used if necessary

* Provide adequate rehearsal: the game should be tried out on a " let's- see- how- it- works" basis especially when students play the game for the first time

* Monitor students' performances: teachers can be at the centre of the game at the

start, but let the students take charge of the game as soon as possible Students may consult teachers as they go round to observe but generally teachers shouldn't interfere with the game while it is in progress

* Provide feedback: Teachers tell students how well they have done by giving points for each correct answer and writing the scores upon the board

Playing English games is beneficial to students David Cross ( 1991 : 153 - 163) assumed that " through games, learners practise and internalize vocabulary, grammar and structures Motivation is enhanced, too, by the play and the competition An added benefit is that the learners' attention is on the language They acquire language unconsciously, with their whole attention engaged by the activity, in much the same way as they acquired mother tongue" Still, he asserted that games help make language learning enjoyable Playing with words is certainly not a loss of learning time On the contrary, on concentrating and listening intensively, students can acquire a great deal of language

In addition, according to Wright, Betteridge and Buckby (1984 : 1), language is effectively learned in meaningful situations When participating in games learners are amused, angered, challenged, intrigued and surprised which stimulate them to use language meaningfully: Thus " the meaning of the language they listen to, read, speak and write will be more vividly experienced

and, therefore better remembered" What's more, they claimed that "Games can

be found to give practice in all the skills ( reading, writing, listening and speaking) in all the stages of the learning sequence ( presentation, repetition, recombination and free use of language) and for many types of communication (e.g encouraging, criticizing, agreeing, explaining)

2.4.3 English songs

"Teachers and students find singing songs entertaining and relaxing Songs offer a change from routine classroom activities" ( Henry Chi Fai Li 1998 : 8) Songs are used by majority of English language teachers all over the word

Geogre Drivas (1990 : 30), Henry Chi Fai Li ( 1998 : 8 ) and Akis Davanellos

(1999 : 13) found songs useful for many reasons:

* Songs are invaluable tools to develop students' abilities in listening, speaking, reading and writing and can be used to teach a variety of language items such as sentence patterns, vocabulary, pronunciation, rhythm, adjectives and adverbs

* The song " Old Macdonald" is the favourite song of all ages As asserted by W.R Lee ( 1986 :47), the song " is a lively reminder of farmyard vocabulary and the of almost any domestic or farm animals can be worked in

Old Macdonald had a farm,

E-I-E-I-O,

And on that farm he had some ducks,

E-I-E-I-O,

With a quack- quack here

And a quack- quack there,

Here a quack, there a quack,

Everywhere a quack- quack,

Old Macdonald had a farm

E-I-E-I-O

Pitches: DE GAB

5 - Purple Belt

Old MacDonald Had A Farm

4 measures (16 beats) introduction on recording Traditional

In other verses Old Macdonald had a dog ( bow - wow), a cow (moo - moo),

some geese ( hissing sounds), some turkeys (gobble - gobble), some bees (buzzing sounds), some sheep ( bleating sounds), some pigs ( grunting sounds), ect

* Songs provide a nonthreatening atmosphere for students who usually are tense when speaking English in a formal classroom setting and makes it easier for even the shyest learners to participate in the task

* Songs can introduce language in a meaningful context

* Songs can reinforce language already learnt

* Songs are highly memorable It seems that songs lodge in both our short and longterm memory so they are a relatively easy way to remember quite long chunks

of language (Murphey 1990, citied in Davannellos, 1999)

* It is part of the outside world making the lesson more meaningful and comprehensible

* Songs are fun and will create an impression on the learners

Besides, it was claimed that " English songs and rhymes give insights into the culture They are authentic texts, so they are motivating The students will

often go home and show off to their parents and probably teach the song to their brothers and sisters." ( In service training workshop on communicative English language teaching for junior high school teachers, 1996 : 105)

What's more, as demonstrated by David Cross ( 1991 : 164), " when students

sing or recite, they automatically assume command of the prosodic features of the language The prosodies are stress, rhythm, intonation and syllable length- features

In addition, in David Cross ( 1991 : 164) point of view, students are able to

assume command of the prosodic features of the language ( i.e stress, rhythm, intonation and syllable length) as they sing or recite songs According to him, " these patterns are among the most difficult aspects of language for students to

master."

Songs can be organized in a number of ways Drivas ( 1990 : 30 - 31) suggested nine activities used with songs Each activity goes with a specific kind of linguistic practice:

2.4.3.1 Ordering

Teachers choose a number of vocabulary items that match the level of students These items can be word forms: lexical fields or specific sounds, students' duty is to listen and put these words in the order they appear in the song Though simple the task may be, it trains students to listen intensively and for specific

information

2.4.3.2 Listening bingo

Again vocabulary and grammar ( past tenses, part participles) are focused in this activity Teachers make a list of at least 12 items and write them on the board, students have to draw a nine box grid and put one word they like in each box When listening to the song they cross out all the words This is also focused on intensive listening

2.4.3.3 Writing verses

Teachers choose a verse containing the intended language pattern and ask

students to create as many alternative verses ( with the same rhythm) as possible The activity may end up with performances of each group

2.4.3.4 Spot the errors

Teachers write or dictate beforehand the lyrics of the song with certain changes Students are then asked to take note of the changes as they listen to the song The focus is on intensive listening

2.4.3.5 What's the story?

Students are given a list of questions prepared by teachers The questions are based on the content of the song and it is better if they range from the factual questions to subtle inference questions Teachers should let students first present their suggestions, then, ask them to answer the questions after listening to the song

A summary of the song or a report may round up the activity Thus, this activity aims at guided writing

and make notes of the reasons, teachers hand out the two cards

Student A: boyfriend Student B: girlfriend

You do not want her to leave You think this is your only chance You do not feel ready to move for a career but you would like him You think she does not love you to come with you

enough and that she only cares Fie does seem to share your

about money Try to convince her to enthusiasm

stay You think he does not care enough

2.4.3.8 Reordering

Teachers put the verses on the board or dictate them to students in a jumbled order, students are asked to reorder the words before teachers play the song This helps students have a global understanding of the content of the song

2.4.3.9 Singing aloud

Get students involved in the music by encouraging them to hum, tap or clap with the beat of the song or some particular word or sound The practice of the song may begin with the class as a whole and then different groups in turn Singing aloud aims to practise pronunciation, stress and rhythm

2.4.4 English quizs and puzzles

Like other types of ECAs, English quizs and puzzles are beneficial to students in much the same way According to Slobodan Juric (1993), organizing an English quiz is an excellent way to stimulate students’ interest in English and to make school life more interesting and lively In addition, he assumed that " excellent students do not have much competition in their classes, so they tend to think that they know it all and so get lazy English quiz provides them with competition."

The organization of English quizs and puzzles are various Below are some suggested activities for English quizs and puzzles organizing:

Activity 1: Word puzzle - Honey comb

¬ A place to catch an airplane

A woman may wear this in bed

Large prickly fruit with yellow flesh

Two lines of hair on the forehead

A non- edible fungus

A very popular sport

Piece of furniture for storing things

Saturday and Sunday

Owner of rented accommodation

10.A sleeveless jacket

11.Place where you get washed

12.A container for your holiday clothes

13 You tie them to keep your shoes on

Activity 2: Crossword puzzle - Thanksgiving

the season after summer

a large orange vegetable

the first inhabitants of the North American continent alarge bird which is often eaten during holiday meals

relatives

where you can find a football game

Activity 3: English quiz - What is it?

(Slobodan Juric, English Teaching Forum, 1993 : 31)

It's on your neck

Without them, you can't listen to music

When you lose them it will not be easy for you to eat

You can't eat if you don't open it

It's between your head and your body

It works day and night If it stops, you die

Without them, day and night are the some for you

They are in your shoes

It's in the middle of your face

Trips and excursions

According to Mary Finocchiaro (1958:166 - 167), "class visits to places of interest in the school and in the community are excellent media for clarifying vocabulary and concepts and for functionalizing learning" In his opinion, through trip experiences language skills are developed a great deal From the preparation phase, teachers and students may engage in discussion in English He listed twelve activities that teachers can get students involved in the use of English before the departure:

Discussing practices of social behaviour on the trip

Discussing safety precautions

Planning expenditures for fare, meals and admission fees

Setting time for departure and arrival

Arranging meeting places

Making inquiries about the route to be taken

Writing letters to parents asking for consent

9 Arranging for a special speaker or conference

10 Planning question which will be asked of personnel

11 Writing out some of information in facts above

12 Planning for notes or outlines to be taken while on the trip

Montgomery and Eisenstein ( 1985, cited in David Nunan, 1988) shared the same idea with Mary Finocchiaro They organized excursions to environment in which language had to be used for communication and come to a conclusion that trips

1

are linked to language practice via the following steps:

Students listen to a tape recording related to the focus for the week and complete listening comprehension exercises

Students, in small group, work through a variety of oral exercises

These exercises lead into the development of a task related to the forthcoming field trip ( Tasks can include interviews, hypothesis testing, the gathering of evidence, etc.)

The field trip is undertaken During the trip, learners encounter a range of natural language and engage in a question and answer session with a host

from the site

students complete an evaluation sheet to determine how much they have

In the fact that there are many researches of ECAs and the following is some

researchers and their studies:

Mahoney and Cairns (1997) looked at the positive connection to school that participating in extracurricular activities created among students whose prior commitment to the school had been marginal They discovered that a wider choice

of activities resulted in a stronger effect because students’ individual needs and interests were more likely to be met So Extracurricular activities appeal to student interests

Posner and Vandell (1999) studied the participation of elementary school students in after-school programs and found that such programs can provide low- income students with experiences similar to those of middle-class students with

access to a rich array of lessons (for example, in dance, music, and art), sports, and tutoring

McNeal (1995) indicates that extracurricular participation provides previously marginalized students with access to a more “elite” stratum of the student population and exposes the students to peers who have better attitudes toward school They encourage peer interaction

Extracurricular activities instill a less competitive focus in participants, foster

a more cooperative environment, and may therefore encourage students to stay in and complete school (McNeal, 1995) They promote cooperation

Research supports the notion that high-quality extracurricular activities build relationships between students and the competent, responsive adults who supervise

such activities (Mahoney, 2000; Posner & Vandell, 1999) They build student-adult

relationships

Mahoney (2000), who extended the work of Posner and Vandell (1999) to

focus on adolescents in after-school activities, determined that effective youth activity programs are highly organized and encourage increasingly complex skill building for participants They provide structure and challenge

Participating in an extracurricular activity connects students more deeply to the school, its faculty, a peer group, and school values (Mahoney, 2000; Mahoney

& Cairns, 1997) Further, Jordan and Nettles (1999) found that adolescents who

participated in structured activities supervised by positive adult role models were more likely to make personal investments in their schooling that might, in turn, motivate them to excel academically They connect students to school

Davalos, Chavez, and Guardiola (1999) studied the effects of participation in

extracurricular activities on Mexican American students and found that those involved in such activities were more likely to stay in school than their uninvolved peers

Sorge, Newsom, and Hagerty (2000) studied the positive effects of minority student participation in extracurricular activities Their research supports previous studies that showed that exposure to extracurricular science activities has a positive impact on students' science attitudes They draw students—especially minorities and women-to science

Research by McLure and McLure (2000) supports the notion of a positive relationship between out-of-class science accomplishments and in-class science achievement Students who have the opportunity to participate in experiential, science-related extracurricular activities in a nonthreatening environment feel competent, particularly when adults are available to offer suggestions, support student inquiry, and provide enrichment activities A budding interest in science

stimulates further academic coursework in science, which in turn can lead to

students acquiring even greater science knowledge, skills, and interest

So, most of the researches are carried out by foreigners with many aspects

that involve to ECAs However, there is a little thesis of ECAs found in Vietnam,

especially about organizing ECAs for English in high schools My thesis ensures the reality and the new in learning and teaching English in Vietnam nowadays

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES

Chapter 3 gives a look into methodology and procedure of the research Thus, the research approach, the subjects of the research, the data collection method, data analysis and procedure of doing research are presented in details

3.1 Research approach

The research approach is a combination of qualitative and quantitative

methods Data is collected from interviews, questionnaires and observation,

analyzed by statistical techniques and presented in tables and charts Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used to supplement each other to collect the best data These two methods are applied to explain the information and analyze the statistics collected from questionnaires and other instruments

According to McMillan and Schumacher (1993) qualitative method is usually used to collect information from a large number of people with a variety of purposes Therefore, with this method, data from many students and teachers can

be collected in a short time From the data, statistics can be described and

measurement scales are done to reveal the reality of ECAs in EFL classrooms of upper - secondary schools at Thai Hoa, Nghe An Statistics, tables and graphs are often used to report the results of these methods Most quantitative data in this study were gathered through questionnaires

However, since this research is about ECAs in EFL classrooms of upper - secondary schools at Thai Hoa, Nghe An, the data from the questionnaires cannot reveal all the nature of this phenomenon Qualitative method can help because it emphasizes on understanding by analyzing people’s words, actions and records In addition, using interview and observation, the researcher can come to an in — depth verbal description of the phenomenon As Mc Millan and Schumacher (1993) say, qualitative method is used to investigate behavior as it occurs naturally in

noncontrived situation (p.37.) These methods are designed to help researchers understand the meanings people assign to social phenomena and to explain the mental processes underlying behaviors Measurement tends to be subjective but it

is used to triangulate the collected data of the research

books in summers of 2006, 2007 and 2008

The second group consists of 140 students of three schools who are randomly chosen from different classes to fill the questionnaires for the study All

of them have been learning English for 5 — 7 years

In this researcher paper, students are chosen as subjects of the study because

of the following reasons:

- Firstly, these students had studied 4 years in junior high school with the innovation of new textbooks from 6" form to 9" form and have been learning English for at least 1 year in senior high school, so they have knowledge and experience in studying English

- Through the study, we can know students’ needs of ECAs in teaching and learning English Through questionnaires and interviews, the researcher can know

what the weak and strong points are of the use of ECAs in English classrooms at high schools of Thai Hoa town

3.3 Data collection methods

In order to carry out the purposes suggested through the researche questions,

the thesis has to base on the methods: questionnaires, informal interviews,

observation These three instruments were chosen for the following reasons:

- Firstly, with questionnaires, a large amount of information and data from many students and teachers can be collected in a short time and it can be carried out

in an easy and inexpensive way

- Through interview and observation, teachers can get to know more about teachers’ and students’ attitudes and to confirm the information collected from questionnaires was reliable Especially, this can be a good way for the researcher to get more insights into the issues investigated

3.3.1 Questionnaires:

A questionnaire is relatively economical and can ensure anonymity It has standardized questions which can be written for specific purposes Questionnaires can use statements or questions, but in all cases the subject is responding to something written It is the most widely used techniques for obtaining information

from subjects (McMillan & Schumacher, 1993, P.238)

The questionnaires were used because of the following good reasons:

+ Questionnaires are familiar to most people Nearly everyone has had some experience in completing questionnaires and they generally do not make people apprehensive

+ The questions and answers are gathered in a systematical way, so questionnaire are more objective because there are no verbal or visual clues to influence the respondent

+ Generally it is relatively quick to collect information using a questionnaire Thirty seven students took part in this research so it is hard and time — consuming

to use the other alternative methods

+ In the questionnaire, questions are arranged thematically so responses, with this method, are easily compared and analyzed Hence, the researcher finds it easier

to explain the findings, discuss data and draw logical conclusions With a clear instruction, questionnaire can get participants to self — complete

Questionnaires are chosen as a verified method of gaining data for needs analysis Two questionnaires are administered to the subjects: questionnaire for teachers (see appendix C including 11 questions, appendix D including 10 questions, appendix E including 11 questions) is delivered to the teacher respondents Questionnaire for students (see appendix F including 9 questions) given to the student respondents At the beginning of the questionnaires, a short but clear explanation about the nature of the study was also given The questions are under the form of both multiple — choice and open — ended, so that we can be active

in collecting needed information All the questions in the surveys are written in English and translated into Vietnamese to be sure that the participants can understand the questions and answer them in the right way All the questionnaires were distributed and returned completely The questions in both Questionnaires focused on the following issues:

- The necessary of ECAs in EFL classrooms

- Types of ECAs organized in classrooms

- The time when extra — curricular activities are organized

- Students’ attitudes when participating in ECAs

- The role of teachers in ECAs

- Factors obstruct and facilitate the organization of ECAs

- Topics used in ECAS

3.3.2 Interview: