improving speaking skills through skype

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH GRADUATION THESIS B.A DEGREE IN ENGLISH STUDIES IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILLS THROUGH “SKYPE” Supervisor : Nguyễn Thanh Bình, M.A Student : Nguyễn Thị Huyền Ngân Date of birth: 21/11/1991 Course : K16A11 (2009 – 2013) HANOI, 2013 DECLARATION Title: Improving speaking skills through “skype” (Graduation paper submitted in Partial Fulfillment for B.A Degree in English) I certify no part of the above report has been copied or reproduced from any person’s work without acknowledgement and that the report is originally written by me under strict guidance of my supervisor. Date submitted: Ha Noi, April 26 th , 2013 Student Supervisor ………. …………… Nguyen Thi Huyen Ngan Nguyen Thanh Binh, M.A ACKNOWLEDGEMENT During the process of completing this graduation paper, I have received much of help, encouragement and support. First of all, I would like to give my profound gratitude to my supervisor – Mrs Nguyen Thanh Binh, who has given me a lot of useful suggestions and guidance. Mrs Nguyen Thanh Binh supplied me with many valuable books concerning with the topic of my graduation thesis. I would have never completed my research without her help. Also, I am very grateful to all the teachers at the Faculty of English and Modern Languages, Ha Noi Open University for their interesting and useful lectures which have built in me a firm foundation with immense ideas for the fulfillment of this paper. In particular, my special thanks go to my parents who have, as it always goes, encouraged and support me so much in all respects. They have given good conditions for me to study and complete my graduation paper. Last but not least, I should also express many thanks to my dear friends who have shared with me a lot during my studies and my research work as well. Ha Noi, April 2013 Nguyen Thi Huyen Ngan TABLE OF CONTENTS Improving speaking skills through “skype” PART A : INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale It is widely accepted that English has become an essential part in various fields of life. The global language of English is used in not only politics, tourism, computing, diplomacy but also music, television programme, and even on the internet. Not only that, there are more websites made in English than anywhere else.Many countries have taken it on as a second language. According to BBC, about 1,500,000,000 people in the world speak English and another 1,000,000,000 are learning it. 75% of the world’s letters and postcards are written in English. Almost all international organizations and competitions are using English as the main language. In Vietnam, English has been a compulsory subject in many schools and universities. However, Vietnamese students are studying English in passive resistance. They just concentrate on grammar and neglect others skills, especially speaking skill - an integral part in the process of learning English. Nevertheless, the reasons why Vietnamese students are not good at speaking skills are not only their sense of studying but also limited speaking environment, teachers’ teaching methods and practicing speaking English. With the purpose of helping the English learners to aware some of difficulties and factors affecting speaking skills, since then propose some strategies to improve students’ English speaking skills through software named “Skype”, the author conducted the study about “improving speaking skills through “skype”. 2. Aims of the study The study is to aim at introducing a new way for learners to improve speaking skills through “skype”. The study also gives out some purposes as follows : Nguyễn Thị Huyền Ngân – K16A11 1 Improving speaking skills through “skype” - To give an overview and outlook of “skype” in the process of learning English - To prove the benefits of using “skype” to improve speaking skills - To propose some tips to apply “skype” in the process of learning English 3. Scope of the study Due to the limitation of time and the length of the thesis, the study is only concentrate on some common difficulties in learning English speaking skills of Vietnamese learners and some strategies to improve English speaking skills through “skype”. 4. Research questions In this paper, the author is going to answer these questions: - What is speaking? - What difficulties do you have when speaking English? - What have you done to develop English speaking skills? - Have you ever applied “skype” to improve English speaking skills? 5. Methods of the study The paper has used some research methods: - Collecting data via survey questionnaire and classroom observation - Analyzing materials in libraries, books, websites and data collected - Presenting data and drawing conclusions, since then propose some recommendations to enhance English speaking skills. 6. Design of the study The study is composed of 3 main parts, each of which focuses on a Nguyễn Thị Huyền Ngân – K16A11 2 Improving speaking skills through “skype” particular issue: - Part A: introduction - Part B: development consists of four chapters: Chapter 1: literature review, gives an overview of speaking definition, its importance and factors affecting speaking skills Chapter 2: in this chapter, the paper introduces “skype” as a useful tool for improving speaking skills. Chapter 3: describes methods used to collect data of the research and then analyze data collected to find out some common difficulties of Vietnamese learners in English speaking skills. Chapter 4: recommendations for Vietnamese students of English in improving speaking skills through “skype”. - Part C: conclusion References Appendix Nguyễn Thị Huyền Ngân – K16A11 3 Improving speaking skills through “skype” PART B : DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW Language is an extremely important way of interacting with the people around us. We use language to let others know how we feel, what we need, and to ask questions. We can modify our language to each situation. There are four skills we need for complete communication when learning a language: listening, speaking, writing and reading. However, as Nunan (1995) comments that the single important aspect to learn English successfully is by mastering speaking skills. So, what is speaking? It will be presented in details in the following parts. 1.1. Definitions of speaking There are many definitions of speaking. According to Nunan, he states that: “Speaking is the ability in using oral language to explore ideas, intentions, thoughts, and feeling to other people as the way to make the message clearly delivered and well understood by the hearer”. (1995) Together with this idea, speaking definition is mentioned by Merrian, the author of “Webster Online Dictionary” (2002): “Speaking is uttering words or articulating sound with ordinary voice. Speaking is the way to convey thought, opinion, emotion orally, or to express oneself.” This means speaking is performing thoughts, feelings, attitudes and so forth understandably through using words. Meanwhile, speaking, from Bygates’s point of view, is: “A skill by which learners are most frequently judged and through which Nguyễn Thị Huyền Ngân – K16A11 4 Improving speaking skills through “skype” they make and lose friends. It is the vehicle par excellence of social solidarity, social ranking, of professional advancement and of business. It is also the medium through which much language is learnt.” (1987:1) He also emphasizes “speaking is not only knowledge about language, it is a skill which cannot be developed without adequate training and practice.” (Bygate, 1987:3) . Speaking is the most effective tool to communicate with each other. In daily life, we have to face with many complicated situations which require us to solve cleverly. Moreover, speaking also shows speaker’s level. Therefore, a successful speaker is a person who must be good at choosing the reasonable form of speaking and knows how to express opinions. In short, it’s impossible for learners to be successful in speaking with the basic knowledge of the language such as: vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation,…without any practice. Continuing with that concept, Brown also comments that: “Speaking is an interactive process of contructing meaning that involved producing information. Its form and meaning are dependent on the context, in which it occurs, including the participants themselves, their collective experience, the physical environment and the purpose of speaking.” (1983:17) This means that when speaking, we need to take notices of factors affecting successful communication such as: the content we are talking about, the person we are talking to, the context of the communication, the reason why we are taking part in this communication, the way we express ideas in our minds and so on. Furthermore, Finocchiaro (1974:2) persuades us that all normal human beings are able to speak and no tribe is found without an oral language. From this, it is belived that speaking is a language skill that is absolutely possessed by every normal human being. The ability to speak can be seen from daily activities. He also said that all languages are a very essential instrument that Nguyễn Thị Huyền Ngân – K16A11 5 Improving speaking skills through “skype” enables speakers to state their existence and others ask something, express agreement and refusal. Thus, oral language is considered principle. To sum up, speaking is considered as the most important skill of the learner, most of the time the proficiency of this skill judges the knowledge of the learner of the second language. Even though, the development of this skill is not an easy task for anybody, there are many aspects that have to be taken into account in the learning process, the learner must be active and dynamic practicing and exchanging patterns that are important in the development of the skill. 1.2. The importance of speaking skills 1.2.1. Importance of speaking skills in communication We have established the importance of communication skills in any and all aspects of our lives. What one needs to remember is that communication is a two-way process involving the speaker and the listener. Communication can only be considered effective if both aspects are achieved successfully. Every single day, we are given opportunities to speak. At home, we interact with family members and neighbors. We ask driving directions from passersby. We converse with the waitress at the local pub. At work, we talk to colleagues and superiors. We discuss business issues and concerns during business meetings. We educate customers on products and services being offered. Indeed, such skill is being utilized anywhere and everywhere. Now imagine if a person does not possess good speaking skills. It would be very difficult to express thoughts and ideas to others; it would be almost impossible to gain understanding from these people if we cannot even convey our message clearly and accurately. People with below average communication skills, particularly speaking skills, will have difficulty presiding over gatherings, whether social, personal, or business-related. It is either that he does not know how to put his thoughts Nguyễn Thị Huyền Ngân – K16A11 6 [...]... 13 Improving speaking skills through skype CHAPTER II: USING SKYPE IN THE PROCESS OF LEARNING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS As we can see, software skype is available for many countries, learners can study a lot of languages, especially speaking skills via skype However, due to the limitation of time and the length of the thesis, the author just focus on enhancing English speaking skills through skype ... University In the next chapter, the author will suggest some recommendations for students to improve their English speaking skills via skype CHAPTER IV: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STUDENTS IN IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILLS THROUGH SKYPE Nguyễn Thị Huyền Ngân – K16A11 31 Improving speaking skills through skype As mentioned in the previous chapter, English is very interesting and powerful for its specificity However,... their speaking skills, to learn different accents by talking to each other This part is going to explain why skype is the useful tool for improving speaking skills There is a speaking assessment criteria to scale, assess and improve a person’s speaking skills A person can increase and assess the level of his speaking skill by looking at some basic parts of speaking We also can see how useful skype ... improve speaking skills Most of them believe that the most effective ways to help them enhance speaking skills are group work and Nguyễn Thị Huyền Ngân – K16A11 30 Improving speaking skills through skype native speakers They said when working in group, it enhances a sense of identity, belonging, knowledge and skills, and then group is thought as place where relationships from and develop Through. .. ease with which a language learner performs in one of the four core language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing Although the concept of fluency Nguyễn Thị Huyền Ngân – K16A11 11 Improving speaking skills through skype relates to all four language skills, it tends to be most closely associated with speaking Speaking fluency is: “The ability to link units of speech together with facility... K16A11 22 Improving speaking skills through skype 3.2 Data analysis 3.2.1 Students’ attitude towards English speaking skills Table 1: 1 How often do you speak English? Number Percentage (%) A B C D 2 Always Often Sometimes Rarely How important are speaking skills to you? 7 30 20 3 12 % 50 % 33 % 5% A B C D 3 Very important Rather important Little important Not at all How much are you interested in speaking. .. of skype such as its basic features, benefits in learning English, since then introduces skype as a useful tool to improve speaking skills Each part has been presented logically basing on the materials collected from other sources of documents like books, assignments and from the internet so as to cover all parts of the paper Nguyễn Thị Huyền Ngân – K16A11 21 Improving speaking skills through skype ... relating criteria such as how important speaking skills are The second part is focused on main factors affecting speaking skills, which provides some vital factors contributing to success of speaking The third part is an introduction of software skype – to enhance English speaking skills Finally, the author of this thesis also expressed personal ideas about speaking and its importance The chapter... their English skills Such methods can include learning from textbooks, reading newspapers and magazines, listening to English music, watching English speaking television, and attending English learning classes These are various ways to improve speaking skills; however, one effective method of improving speaking skills is immersing yourself in an English speaking environment Being in an English speaking. .. applied to develop their English speaking skills Table 5: 12 Which speaking form do you want to use in the class to improve your speaking skills? Number Percentage (%) A B C D 13 As a whole class Group work Pair work Individual What way do you often do to improve speaking skills outside class? 1 40 17 2 2% 67 % 28 % 3% A B C D Join English speaking clubs 13 22 % Practice speaking individually 15 25 % . speaking skills, since then propose some strategies to improve students’ English speaking skills through software named Skype , the author conducted the study about improving speaking skills through. K16A11 1 Improving speaking skills through skype - To give an overview and outlook of skype in the process of learning English - To prove the benefits of using skype to improve speaking skills -. Huyền Ngân – K16A11 13 Improving speaking skills through skype CHAPTER II: USING SKYPE IN THE PROCESS OF LEARNING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS As we can see, software skype is available for