A study on an example of non-verbal interaction between the presenter and audience for English majored students at the School of Foreign Language

Secondly, I would like to express my thankfulness to Faculty of Graduate Studies and the lecturers at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University - Han

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

Nghiên cứu sự tương tác giữa người thuyết trình và khán giả của sinh viên chuyên ngành tiếng Anh tại Khoa Ngoại ngữ - Đại học Thái Nguyên

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111

Hanoi, 2014

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

Nghiên cứu sự tương tác giữa người thuyết trình và khán giả của sinh viên chuyên ngành tiếng Anh tại Khoa Ngoại ngữ - Đại học Thái Nguyên

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111

SUPERVISOR: DƯƠNG ĐỨC MINH, PhD

Hanoi, 2014

DECLARATION

This thesis is a presentation of my original research work Wherever contributions of others are involved, every effort is made to indicate this clearly, with due reference to the literature, and acknowledgement of collaborative research and discussions The work was done under the guidance of my supervisor, Duong Duc Minh, PhD at the University of Languages and International Studies, VNU

Student’s name

Duong Lan Huong

In my capacity as supervisor ofthe candidate’s thesis, I certify that the above statements are true to the best of my knowledge

Supervisor

Date: Hanoi, Ausgust 19 h 2014

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Firstly, I particularly acknowledge my heartfelt gratefulness to my supervisor – Duong Duc Minh, PhD for his extensive knowledge, guidance, patience, invaluable advices as well as useful comments It would have been impossible to conduct this thesis for me without his great support

Secondly, I would like to express my thankfulness to Faculty of Graduate Studies and the lecturers at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University - Hanoi for giving me a great opportunity to conduct a study on the subject of interaction in presentation

Post-Especially, I also wish to thank all lecturers of the English Department of presentation subject or other subjects that practice presentation who helped me many worthwhile lessons and essential skills on presenting in general and interaction in particular

Last but not least, I would like to send my great appreciation to all my family, my friends as well as the students who have always encourages me to complete the thesis

Ha Noi, August 2014

ABSTRACT

This study is an investigation into the non-verbal interaction between the presenter and the audience for English majored students at the School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University with the purpose of indicating factors influencing the interaction in students’ presentation This investigation is conducted

on forty fourth-year English majored students at upper-intermediate level of English proficiency in the School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University The main data collection instrument of this investigation is a questionnaire named Interaction Inventory for Language Presenting The supplemental instrument is the Process questionnaire designed mainly to gain the subjects’ background information The results of the study are analyzed and discussed to table out how students use these factors to improve their interaction skills From the results, some suggestions for students and teachers at the School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University are offered to intensify the interacting quality in presentation

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EFL: English as a foreign language

SFL: School of Foreign Languages

TNU: Thai Nguyen University

IILP: Interaction Inventory for Language Presenting Q&A: Question-and-Answer

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Topic selection and audience analysis 20

Table 2: Dealing with nervousness 21

Table 3: Using visual aids 23

Table 4: Using body languages 24

Table 5: Making interest 26

Table 6: Question-and-Answer section 28

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv

LIST OF TABLES v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

PART I INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale of the Study 1

2 Aims of the Study 2

3 Research Question 2

4 Scope of the Study 2

5 Significance of the Study 3

6 Design of the Study 3

PART B DEVELOPMENT 5

CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW 5

1.1 Fundamentals of Presentation 5

1.1.1 Definition of Presentation 5

1.1.2 The importance of Presentation 5

1.2 Interaction in Presentation 7

1.3 Factors influencing interaction in Presentation 7

1.3.1 Topic selection 7

1.3.2 Audience analysis 8

1.3.3 Organization 8

1.3.4 Stage fright 9

1.3.5 Visual aids 10

1.3.6 Making interest 11

1.3.7 Eye contact and facial expressions 12

1.3.8 Body language 12

1.3.9 Voice 12

1.3.10 Question – and – Answer periods 13

1.3.11 Language 13

1.4 Summary 14

CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY 15

2.1 Paticipants and Setting of the Study 15

2.1.1 Paticipants 15

2.1.2 Setting of the Study 15

2.2 Data Collection 16

2.2.1 Data collection Instruments 16

2.2.2 Data collection Procedures 17

2.2.3 Data analysis Procedures 18

2.2.4 Summary 19

CHAPTER 3 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 20

3.1 Findings and Discussion 20

3.1.1 Students’ preparation before the presentation (Question 1- 6) 20

3.1.2 Students’ performances in the presentaion (Question 7-12) 24

3.1.3 Students’ activities after finishing presenation (Question 13) 28

3.2 Pedagogical implications 29

3.2.1 Suggestions for students 29

3.2.2 Suggestions for teachers 31

PART C CONCLUSION 33

1 Conclusion: 33

2 Limitations of the Study 34

3 Suggestions for further Study 35

REFERENCES 36

APPENDIX 1.1 Interaction Inventory for Language Presenting (IILP) I APPENDIX 1.2 The analysis of the subjects’ responses in the IILP Questionnaire III

PART I INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the Study

In today’s world of cooperation and trading, being capable of mastering a variety of skills is more necessary than ever Among those vital skills, presentation has recently emerged as a phenomenon addressing concern of many people In the book Presentation Zen, Garr Reynold states: “The ability to stand and deliver a powerful presentation that engages each audience’s whole mind has never been more important than today Some have called our modern era “presentation generation” Presentation skills are highly expected by both employers those who look for a skillful labor force of the company and employees those who always desire for an ideal job in their life Moreover, presentation passes the range of need to become an area of interest While ones people make presentation as an assigned task, others make this simply because of their passion Not only does getting acquainted with this area help people develop in their academic careers and become much more confident but it also plays an important role in perfecting their essential skills and expanding social network

One thing which marks the breakthrough of the way the teachers teach their students and the ways the students learn things is the appearance and development of the Oral Presentation Students are asked to make presentation in many subjects Therefore, learning presentation skills is, without any doubt, very useful for students to initiatively acquire and practice the languages that they are studying As the matter of fact, for many foreign language learners, presentation is one of the most difficult tasks they encounter during their learning session; because through subjects that require students to make presentations, there are a number of problems related to presentation skills that they confront with such as overload of information, body language, interaction between audiences and presenters, illustration, etc Typically, the biggest problem that presenters are facing is the interaction with their audience; many presenters cannot lead their audiences to be interested in the speech for many reasons

The most beneficial technique in presentation to draw the attention of audiences is

to interact with them Interaction between presenters and audiences has effects and benefits to both of the parties involved in the presentation In terms of presenters, interaction brings about pleasure and motivation in presenting It helps presenters to understand what their audiences’ needs and to satisfy them by using special techniques as examples or suitable illustration, etc… Presenters feel more confident when they know exactly what they need to do In terms of the audiences, interaction makes them interested

in the presentation and closer to the presenter It is easier for listeners to understand and follow what is showed in the presentation by interacting with the presenters

Up to now, there have not been many studies on this particular problem Only studies about general difficulties in presentation were carried out This study will help students to raise their awareness of a problem that they might not have noticed before to improve the quality of presentation and language ability of students, to prepare the essential skills for their future jobs In order to study this problem in depth, this research will go into details of the presentation process to indicate the reasons why audiences are not interested in a speech and offer suggestions to enhance presentation skills with the interaction

2 Aims of the Study

The study is conducted with two aims:

The study aims at finding out the non – verbal interaction between the presenter and the audience in presentation

The result of this study may provide some suggestions for teachers and students

in applying these methods in presentation

3 Research Question

- What are non – verbal techniques that the fourth year English majored students use in presentation?

4 Scope of the Study

The study does not aim to cover all problems of the whole population among all presentation learners in Vietnam The scope of the study is limited as it is only

conducted on 40 fourth English majored students at the School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University and the key element that most influence language learners’ presentation method: Interaction

5 Significance of the Study

This study is significant for a number of reasons In order to be successful in presentation, foreign language learners need to know how to involve the audiences into their speech Otherwise, they need to know the ability as well as the needs of their audiences Subsequently, learners will select the most appropriate methods to present and to motivate audiences to follow their speech In order to do the above things, presenters need to interact with their audiences; hence, interaction is the crucial factor that makes a perfect presentation This study makes a contribution showing clearly the status of students’ presentation skills in general and non – verbal interaction skills in particular The study could be considered as a learning paradigm

in the School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University to enhance students’ knowledge and skills It indicates students’ strengths as well as weaknesses in presentation and helps them to improve interactive competence, obtain self-confidence and implement a career plan The output of this study helps teachers have better understanding of their students’ presentation capacity and could be seen as a source material that teachers can use to teach students in the School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University

6 Design of the Study

The study is organized as three parts below:

Part 1- Introduction is to clarify the reasons for carrying out this study, to

determine the aims, the scope of the study, to list the research questions and to define the significance of the study

Part 2- Development

Chapter 1:Literature Review combines both critical analysis and compendious

synthesis about a various different perspectives in published works such as theoretical articles and previous research studies related to presenting a foreign language in

general, presentation skills and roles of interaction in presentation as well as approaches to teaching English presentation in particular Subsequently, a discussion

of elements influencing the presentation process of language learners such as audiences’ ability and necessity, presenters’ controlling and presenting capacity will also be presented Finally, it analyses the previous research studies that involved strategies use in presenting a foreign language

Chapter 2 - Methodology presents the methodology for conducting the study

by data gathering, subjects, procedures and data analysis

Chapter 3 – Findings and Discussion will obtain concisely and clearly the

outcomes from the investigation including data collection and data analysis Then some problems related to presentation such as body language, visual aids, interaction skills, etc are discussed

Part C - Conclusions is followed by the results and discussion from the

investigation; and some suggestions and applications of the study for strategies for non – verbal interaction in making presentation are recommended to the fourth English major students as well as English teachers at the School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University afterwards In addition, the limitations of the study, suggestions for further studies along with conclusion are also revealed in this chapter

PART B DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Fundamentals of Presentation

In this first part of this minor thesis, the author is trying to discover all the answers for the question “What is presentation?” of all the writers in the papers related

to presentation In general, presentation is fundamentally the art of the public speaking According to Kathleen (2001, p.249) “Public speaking occurs when one person addresses a group of listeners for a specific purpose” Likewise, according to Clella

(2007, p.2), “Public speaking occurs when one person prepares and performs a speech

for a group that listens, generally without interrupting the speaker’s flow of ideas”

Accordingly, speaker presents a particular topic to a group of listeners for a specific purpose Presentation is the process of sending messages and receiving feedbacks in order to share meanings in terms of speakers and vice versa, receiving messages and sending feedbacks in terms of listeners It is the act of presenting or state of being presented, the manner of presenting, especially the organization of visual details to create an overall impression Presentation is the method of presenting: a verbal report presented with illustrative material such as slides, graphs, etc

1.1.2 The importance of Presentation

Integrating Language Skills

Presentation helps integrate the language skills, which are all equally essential

and important in the global village “The literature on teaching English has

emphasized integrating the four skills and giving them equal weight” (Al – Issa,

2006a, 2006b) While a presenter is presenting his or her work using an overhead projector (OHP), for instance, everybody else is reading the notes appearing on the slides, listening to the talk, and taking notes in preparation for asking the presenter’s questions about the topic

Practicing speaking

Knowing how to stand up and give a talk to a group of people is a rewarding skill that speakers can use throughout life Speaking is one of the least practiced and most neglected skills in almost any EFL classroom, despite its importance in people’s daily social activities and interactions (Al – Mutawa and Kailani, pp.104 –

105 1989) stress that, “learning to speak is a lengthy, complex process” and “is

more effectively achieved by speaking … in living natural English” Therefore,

presentation is an effective way to encourage the presenting students to practice meaningful oral English and the rest of the class to practice listening

Acquiring knowledge through English

According to Al – Issa (2007a), “An international and increasingly important

language such as English has multiple uses and values, and different people round the world today learn it for various purposes” This author indicates that, “Exposure

to such a language cannot be confined to a textbook or a single source” (2007b)

Learning how to use technology

Presentation is ideal tool for introducing students to advanced and sophisticated technology and training and encouraging them to use it for two significant purposes First, to bring change into the classroom, which in turn breaks monotony and adds new flavor to foreign language education Second, as (Murphy,

1997) writes “literacy, today, is increasingly electronic and telecommunicational”

(Schcolni k&Kol, 1999, p.2) which necessitates that EFL learners be knowledgeable

in using advanced technology to help them convey their message

1.2 Interaction in Presentation

What is interaction? Interaction is a kind of action that occurs as two or more objects

have an effect upon one another The idea of a two – way effect is essential in the concept of interaction, as opposed to a one – way casual effect To quote from (Pearson, 2003, p.89):

Interaction occurs as one person sending a message and a second person receiving the message and then responding with a return message, This seems to depict a conversation between two partners in which the partners sending and receiving messages In this case, the receiver cannot return a message until the speaker’s message is received

It is obvious that an interactive presentation involves an increased interchange between presenter, audience and the presentation content The use of interactive presentation can promote active language acquiring, heighten attention and motivation, give feedback to the presenter and the audience, and increase satisfaction for both

1.3 Factors influencing interaction in Presentation

1.3.1 Topic selection

To quote from (Joseph, 2000, p.285), “A suitable presentation topic should be

worthwhile and deal with matters of substance; appropriate to presenters and their audience” Accordingly, the topics should be appropriate to both presenters and their

audience They should address issues that have significant implications for the audience And they must be important enough to merit the time and attention of a group of listeners As the matter of fact, many presenters, for not understanding the audience, have chosen wrong topics for their presentation Sometimes they are too simple, sometimes they are too challenging, sometimes they are very familiar, and sometimes they are too strange… all of them are quite extreme which makes the

audience unable to follow understandably and comprehensively

1.3.2 Audience analysis

The preparation for a presentation must include gathering information about the audience and their needs It is critical that preparation efforts include some amount of

audience analysis As (Nelson, 2009) defines that, “Audience analysis is discovering

as much as possible about an audience for the purpose of improving communication with them Audience analysis is considered as a presenter’s key to success”

According to (Terrell, 2001 ; p.255), “a good speaker always considers how to connect

the audience and the message” He also gives his perspective about this step that,

“audience analysis refers to the process of identifying any information about an

audience that helps the speaker tailor the message to that particular group Audience analysis is part of the process a speaker uses to create a message appropriate for a specific audience” The more presenters know and understand about their audience and

their needs, the better presenters can prepare a presentation to assure that presenters meet the audience’s needs

1.3.3 Organization

A well – organized outline is something very important for any successful presentation When the presenters organize their ideas, they derive a variety of benefits Organization will help presenters remember their ideas more easily The presenters will be less likely to forget a carefully organized presentation than they would with a disorganized one Organization will also contribute to the presenters’ credibility The audience is more likely to see the well – organized speaker as more competent, more knowledgeable and more in control of the information in the presentation Also, a well-organized presentation is more likely to be believed If speakers present a poorly organized presentation, their listeners will find them less believable at the end than they did at the beginning of the presentation.(Stephen,

2004, p.203) gives evidence that, “Using a clear, specific method of presentation

organization can boost the presenters’ confidence; improve their ability to deliver a message fluently and interact with their audience more effectively”

Most presentation is organized following a general three part structure – an introduction, a body, and a conclusion Introduction is the first part of the presentation; its function is to arouse the audience, acquaint them with the topic and

to lead into the main ideas presented in the body The body is the largest part of a presentation in which the presenters place their arguments and ideas, their substantiation and examples, and their proofs and illustrations The goal of this part

is to convey to the audience the importance of the topic Conclusion is the last part; it summarizes the main ideas that is designed to induce mental or behavioral change in the audience and provides a clear ending of the speech in an interesting way

1.3.4 Stage fright

One of the major concerns of any presenters in making presentations is stage

fright As (Lucas, 2004, p.9) states that, “Stage fright is anxiety over the prospect of

giving a presentation in front of the audience” Actually, most people tend to be

anxious before doing something important in public This is perfectly normal (Steve,

2000, p.7) A practical guide to better speaking that, “anxiety is a natural state that

exists any time people are placed under stress Giving a presentation will normally cause some stress”

Normally, in terms of students, there are several reasons causing stage fright to students before giving a presentation Students may fear of being stared at, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown or even lack of practice From these reasons, it is understandable that most students experience tension when they have to speak to a group Although presenters may not like the way they feel when they are nervous, stage fright can have an advantage If presenters can turn the nervous energy caused by stage fright into speaking energy, they can make their presentation better Presenters can force the nervousness to work for them rather than against

them As (Stephen, 2004, p.11) has the same idea, “Rather than trying to eliminate

every trace of stage fright, presenters should aim at transforming it from a negative force into positive nervousness It is still nervousness, but it feels different Presenters are no longer victimized by it; instead, they are vitalized by it They are in

control of it” In order to deal with nervousness and turn it from a negative force into

a positive one, presenters need to acquire speaking experience, have a careful preparation, think positively, focus on relaxing, know that most nervousness is not visible, not expect perfection, and use the power of visualization

1.3.5 Visual aids

While verbal support are vital for explaining and illustrating the ideas in presentation, the presenters also should look for visual support for its several advantages that can make their presentation more interesting and understandable

(Pace , 2003, p.500) gives the definition of visual aids that, “They are any items that

can be seen by an audience for the purpose of reinforcing a message” People tend to

learn and retain more when they both see and listen Some messages are more effectively communicated through sight, touch, smell, and taste Using visual aids when they reduce complexity for easier understanding and when they support the message better than words Research by (Hamilton, 2005, p.191) suggests that,

“research shows that oral information alone is not as effective as oral information

coupled with visual aids”

There are various types of visual aids but a competent presenter needs to know the pros and cons of each type to select the right ones for his or her purposes right after

he or she has identified places where support is helpful Several visual aids could potentially make their ideas more understandable, although one type is often better

than another (Clella 2007; p.210) points out that, “the key is to choose the best

support, not the kind that is easiest to create” As there are many types of visual aids

in presentation such as objects, models, charts, photographs, graphs, drawings, diagrams, maps, overhead projectors, chalkboards or whiteboards, handouts, even people, etc The intention of this study is only to focus on the most frequently used visual aid of students at SLF, TNU - slide projectors

Slide projectors

With the rapid development of the internet nowadays, using slide projectors becomes more and more convenient to presenters Using them, the presenters can

enlarge and display in image on a screen so that everyone can see it clearly Using slide projectors has other advantages As (Stephen, 2004, p.330) states that,

“transparency is a visual aid drawn, written, or printed on a sheet of clear acetate

and shown with a projector” Transparencies are simple and inexpensive to make;

they are easy to store and transport; also they come in colors Presenters can make slides from photographs or special film downloaded from the Internet They are good for projecting high – quality images with excellent color reproduction Presenters can also use transparencies to present drawings, graphs, and charts They are easy to create and produce a strong visual image

1.3.6 Making interest

One of the methods that presenters use to interact with their audience is making interest and gaining attention It will be easier for presenters to convey their message more effectively if their audience is interested in their presentation The following sections discuss some common methods to grab the audience’s attention by (James,

1995, p.127)

1 Quotation: Quotation can provide a lively beginning and add credibility to the

presentation

2 Arousing audience curiosity: The presenters can begin their presentation by

saying something curious or stimulating and open about their topic and what they are going to do

3 Inviting audience to participate: The presenters can ask questions and

invite audience members to raise their hands and answer

4 Humor: A joke or funny statement serves to relax the audience The presenters

can use humor to begin most kinds of presentation but it should also relate to the topic

5 Rhetorical question: A rhetorical question is one requiring no answer from

the audience It should not be answerable be a simple yes or no

6 Role – play: A presenter can invite some of the audience members to

pretend as dramatis persona and audience have opportunity to play the roles of

people in certain situations

7 Startling statement: A startling statement grabs the audience members’

attention by shocking them or making them think about something in a way they had not considered

1.3.7 Eye contact and facial expressions

Eye contact refers to making a visual connection between presenters and

audience As far as (Jane, 2001, p.310) is concerned, “If the presenters do not look at

the audience, they will lose their audience’s attention and respect, the goal is to give each and every audience member the sense that the presenters connected to their audience” Good eye contact communicates a variety of emotions, involvement and

interest Eye contact, or how long the presenters gaze or look at someone, is an especially powerful interaction tool

13.8 Body language

Body language is a kind of personal delivery style It refers to the nonverbal messages that the presenters communicate during a presentation Body language can support the presenters to convey their messages more effectively and actively Body language includes gestures, movement and posture (Galvin, 2001)

1 Gesture: Gestures are movements of the head, shoulders, hands, or arms that

presenters use to describe or emphasize a point

2 Movement: Movement is what presenters do with their entire body during a

presentation Movement gives the presenters’ body a chance to dissipate nervous energy

3 Posture: Posture is the position of the presenters’ body as they sit or stand

Good posture conveys assurance and hopefulness

1.3.9 Voice

Voice of presenter has the capacity for great variety and advantages Varying vocal qualities adds interest and meaning to the messagesof the presenters The vocal characteristics of rate, volume, clarity, etc All affect a presenter’s delivery (Stephen, 2004)

1 Rate: Rate is the speed at which a person speaks The presenters need to

consciously control their rate of speaking to be understood by all There are several reasons why speakers deliver a message too quickly

2 Volume: Volume is the loudness or the softness of the speaker’s voice

Volume is the measure of how loud or soft the voice is A presenter must adjust the volume of his or her speech to overcome outside interference or to compensate for the size of a room and audience

3 Clarity: Clarity refers to the clearness of a speaker’s words It includes

articulation and pronunciation

1.3.10 Question – and – Answer periods

Some presentations allow for a question-and-answer session The Q&A period

is an important way for listeners to get clarification and further information; vice versa, the presenters can effectively reinforce their message by interacting with their audience through this session Presenters should prepare for this session and for handling the questions when they are presented with them As (Pearson, 2009,

p.168) states that, “In advance of the Q&A period, presenters should consider

possible questions that other might ask Once the presenters have determined some

of the likely questions, they can prepare thoughtful and thorough responses to the questions” From these answer, the presenters can practice a succinct response that

captures the essence of their rejoinder

1.3.11 Language

Competent presenters take pride in their use of language They work to create

a message that is meaningful and memorable Presenters are concerned with getting the meaning across in a vivid way In order to make sure the audience understands the message, the presenters try to use language is accurate, clear, appropriate, and original (Cooper, 1999)

1 Accuracy: The meaning will be more accurate if presenters use words that

are concrete and specific, rather than abstract and general

2 Clarity: The purpose of presentation is to clarify ideas, not to make them

harder to understand If the presenters speak with clarity, they can state their ideas in a clear, understandable way

3 Appropriateness: Presenters must use language that is appropriate to the

topic, the listeners, and the situation

4 Originality: Competent presenters need to find original ways to say

something familiar

1.4 Summary

In summary, through the review of literature in this chapter, it can be seen that presentation is fundamentally the art of the public speaking; its definition is also presented in the first part of the chapter It is necessary to study presentation, especially with foreign language students based on the importance of presentation that is indicated follow by the definition A clear perspective on the interaction between presenter and audience during the presentation skill is discussed and its role

in making a successful presentation is absolutely clear and undeniable The emphasis

of this chapter is to clarify factors influencing the interaction in presentation like topic selection, audience analysis, visual aids, body language, making interest, etc Being aware of these factors, the competent presenters can apply them as the efficient strategies to effectively interact with their audience as well as make a successful presentation These strategies also help the presenters build their presentation skills and reinforce their performance

CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY

In this section, the methods used in conducting the research are described The chapter starts with research questions, clear description of subject, data collection instrument, data gathering procedures, data analysis At the end of this chapter is a conclusion

2.1 Paticipants and Setting of the Study

2.1.1 Paticipants

The study was undertaken with the participation of 40 students in 2 classes The number of years they spent on English study was almost ten years or more Especially, the learners had completes aleast 5 semesters at university

2.1.2 Setting of the Study

The study is conducted with one group of 40 fourth-year students of the year 2010-2014 The setting is chosen for the following reasons: (1) they have finished the presentation course; (2) many of them have practical experience in presentation Therefore, to some extent, they are already aware of the importance of presentation However, the fourth-year students are not professional presenters, so obviously they

do not have a wide knowledge about presentation skills Their responses are mainly based on the experiences that they have accumulated through the past presentation course at the school

At the time of the study, all of subjects had at least five years of English learning experience at secondary schools, high schools where they mainly had been taught grammar and vocabulary, and three years at university to study and practice the four main language skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking) Most of modules that students study in the fourth year have requirements for the students’ presentation

in the process of studying but there is only a module that mainly focuses on teaching presentation skills, the subject “Oral presentation in English” There are 45 periods were dedicated specifically to presentation; in other words, students had 3 periods (150 minutes) for presentation a week

2.2 Data Collection

2.2.1 Data Collection Instruments

Questionnaire was chosen as the major instrument for this study The responses are gathered in a standardized way, so questionnaire is more objective, certainly more so than interviews Generally it is relatively quick to collect information using a questionnaire Potentially information can be collected from a large portion of a group This potential is not often realized, as returns from questionnaire are usually low However return rates can be dramatically improved if the questionnaire is delivered and responded to in class time

Questionnaire is practical and can be carried out by the researcher or by any number of people with limited affect to its validity and reliability The results of the questionnaire can usually be quickly and easily quantified be either a researcher or through the use of a software package When data has been quantified, it can be used

to compare and contrast other research and may be used to measure change Positivists believe that quantitative data can be used to create new theories or test existing hypotheses

Questionnaire can be analyzed more scientifically and objectively than other forms of research Questionnaire is easy to analyze Data entry and tabulation for nearly all surveys can be easily done with many computer software packages Questionnaire is familiar to most people Nearly everyone has had some experiences completing questionnaires and they generally do not make people apprehensive The questionnaire consists of one sections

The questionnaire used in the study has thirteen questions mainly focusing on how students interact with their audience in the stage during presentation In other words, the focus of this questionnaire is to investigate what methods students use to interact with the listeners in their presentation In fact, the IILP questionnaire concentrates on factors influencing interaction in presentation process like audience analysis, gesture, eye contact, facial expression, voice, Q&A, delivery style, making interest, visual aids, etc In the IILP questionnaire, five choices provided for the