Lồng ghép việc thảo luận về các chủ đề gây tranh cãi vào hoạt động nói để tăng cường sự tham gia của học sinh trong các giờ học Tiếng Anh Một nghiên cứu hành độ

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES  ---TRẦN THỊ PHƯƠNG NGA INTEGRATING DISCUSSIONS ON CONTROVERSI

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES



-TRẦN THỊ PHƯƠNG NGA

INTEGRATING DISCUSSIONS ON CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS INTO SPEAKING ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION

IN ENGLISH LESONS: AN ACTION RESEARCH AT THE INDUSTRIAL

ECONOMICS AND TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE

(Lồng ghép việc thảo luận về các chủ đề gây tranh cãi vào các hoạt động nói để tăng cường sự tham gia của học sinh trong các giờ học Tiếng Anh: Một nghiên cứu

hành động tại trường CĐ Công Nghệ và Kinh Tế Công Nghiệp)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

Ha Noi, 2014

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES



-TRẦN THỊ PHƯƠNG NGA

INTEGRATING DISCUSSIONS ON CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS INTO SPEAKING ACTIVITIES TO INCREASE STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION

IN ENGLISH LESONS: AN ACTION RESEARCH AT THE INDUSTRIAL

ECONOMICS AND TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE

(Lồng ghép việc thảo luận về các chủ đề gây tranh cãi vào các hoạt động nói để tăng cường sự tham gia của học sinh trong các giờ học Tiếng Anh: Một nghiên cứu

hành động tại trường CĐ Công Nghệ và Kinh Tế Công Nghiệp)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology

Supervisor: Assoc Prof, Dr Le Hung Tien

Ha Noi, 2014

DECLARATION

I hereby state that I TrầnThịPhươngNga, being an M.A candidate of the Faculty of

Post-graduate Studies, ULIS, VNU, certify my authorship of the study entitled ―Integrating discussions on controversial topics into speaking activities to increase students’ participation in English lessons – an action research at the Industrial Economics and Technology College (IETC)‖ The thesis is the study of my own research and the

substance of the thesis has not, wholly or partially, been submitted for a degree to any other universities or institutions

Ha Noi, August 2014

TrầnThịPhươngNga

Also, my special thanks are sent to my colleagues and my beloved second-year students in two classes, K6A-KT and K6A-KTD at the Industrial Economics and Technology College for their participation in as well as their strong support for the research with comments, useful materials and classroom observation opportunities without which my work would have not been completed

Last but not least, I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to my family and all of my close friends for their love, care, encouragement and financial as well as spiritual support for me to fulfill this thesis

Ha Noi, August 2014

TrầnThịPhươngNga

ABSTRACT

Students at the Industrial Economics and Technology College (IETC) often neglect themselves from speaking activities for a number of factors including inadequate vocabulary, incorrect pronunciation and insufficient confidence Controversial topics are proved to encourage students to think critically and speak actively Therefore, the author

of the study decided to conduct an action research to integrate discussions on controversial topics into speaking activities The action research was carried out among 47 second-year students of Accounting and Electrical Technique classes with the aims of increasing students‘ participation and changing their attitude towards speaking The research was conducted through seven steps with data collected from observation, pre and post intervention questionnaires, interviews and students‘ reports The result of the study shows that total amount of participation increased significantly; students participate more voluntarily and confidently Moreover, their attitudes towards speaking changed when they expressed their willingness, interest and agreement on the benefits of controversial topics

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Participants‘ description

Table 2: Total supporting ideas for each topic

LIST OF CHARTS

Chart 1: Frequency of participation in class K6A-KT

Chart 2: Frequency of participation in class K6A-KTD

Chart 3: Level of volunteer to speak in class K6A-KT

Chart 4: Level of volunteer to speak in class K6A-KTD

Chart 5: Degree of participation before intervention

Chart 6: Degree of participation in class K8A-KT during the intervention Chart 7: Degree of participation in class K8A-KTD during the intervention Chart 8:The frequency of ideas per person in class K8A-KT

Chart 9:The number of ideas per person in class K8A-KTD

Chart 10: The benefits of controversial topics

Chart 11: Level of confidence after the intervention

Chart 12: Students‘ feeling about controversial topics

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Declaration i

Acknowledgements ii

Abstract iii

List of tables and charts iv

Table of contents v

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale for the study 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Research questions 3

4 Scope of the study 3

5 Methods of the study 3

6 Significance of the study 4

6.1 Theoretical significance of the study 4

6.2 Practical significance of the study 4

7 Design of the study 4

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 5

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

1.1 Teaching Speaking Skills: 5

1.1.1 Definition of speaking 5

1.1.2 Components of speaking skill 5

1.1.3 Characteristics of a successful speaking activity 7

1.2 Action research 8

1.2.1 Definition of action research 8

1.2.2 The stages of an action research 9

1.3 Discussion 10

1.3.1 Definitions of discussion 10

1.3.2 Purposes of classroom discussions 11

1.3.3 How to have a good classroom discussion 11

1.4 Controversial topics 12

1.4.1 Definition of controversial topics 12

1.4.2 Definition of discussion on controversial topics 13

1.4.3 Controversy, conflict and debate 13

1.4.4 Advantages of using controversial topics 14

1.4.5 How to deal with controversial topics 15

1.5 Definition of classroom participation 16

1.6 Related studies 16

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 19

2.1 Setting of the study 19

2.1.1 The teaching and learning condition 19

2.1.2 Description of material used 20

2.1.3 The teachers 20

2.1.4 The students 20

2.2 The participants 21

2.3 Action research procedures 21

2.3.1 Initiation 22

2.3.2 Preliminary investigation 23

2.3.3 Review of research questions 23

2.3.4 Intervention 24

2.3.5 Evaluation 26

2.3.6 Dissemination 26

2.3.7 Follow-up 26

2.4 Data collection instruments 26

2.4.1 Classroom observation 26

2.4.2 Questionnaire 27

2.4.3 Interview 27

2.4.4 Students‘ reports 27

2.5 Procedure of data collection 28

CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS 29

3.1 Research question 1 29

3.2 Research question 2 32

3.3 Research question 3 37

PART C: CONCLUSION 41

1 Summary of findings 41

2 Concluding remarks 42

3 Limitations of the study 42

4 Recommendations 42

REFERENCES 44

APPENDICES .I

PART A : INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study:

It is of no suspicion that English has become an international language for decades It has been considered a means of international communication and the most common instrument

to interlink countries worldwide This results in an increasing demand of learning English

as a foreign language To learn English communicatively, listening and speaking skills should take a predominant position However, in most primary, lower secondary and upper-secondary schools in Vietnam, English learning limits itself at grammar introduction and writing but neglects the importance of listening and speaking skills, especially speaking Therefore, students learn English passively; they keep silence, listen, take notes and hesitate to express their ideas orally Because students learn and are taught in a passive way, they can hardly express their own viewpoints due to lack of vocabulary, poor pronunciation and inadequate confidence

At IETC, most students are at considerably average and low levels They rarely take part in classroom activities except for being urged to give their own words Hence, speaking lessons do not work well because only some are willing to take part in oral activities while most of the others keep silent or are incapable of expressing their own opinions They are not interested enough to involve in speaking activities This results from both sides -teachers and learners The teachers introduce a new language in a traditional method which focuses mainly on grammar and writing During speaking lessons, it has been found out that students, for some reasons, lack confidence to speak or even neglect classroom activities A preliminary investigation shows that normally the students spend only 20 to

40 percent of their time participating into classroom activities and a similar number remain silence unless they are asked to speak The most frequently found problem in learning speaking skill is the influence of their native language Other obstacles are the lack of motivation, vocabulary, enjoyment to practice the foreign language Of these obstacles, motivation seems to be a leading factor helping increase the number of participation among students Once they have a given motivation, they will be ready to speak The author of this research has considered the problem and does believe that one of the main discouraging factors is that they are not given the right topic which can activate their

motivation to speak The choice of appropriate speaking topics which can break the berg of silence is therefore of crucial importance.

Controversial topics have been proved by many authors to be beneficial in increasing students‘ participation Although some teachers avoid controversial topics during class time, it is indeed a potential issue in that it motivates students to think critically and encourage them to speak actively The use of controversial topics has been proved by many authors to be an effective technique to encourage students to speak Teaching the pros and cons of controversial issues in a structured conflict format can help "focus student attention," increase motivation, "produce higher levels of cognitive reasoning," "produce higher levels of achievement and retention," as well as increase "levels of creativity and divergent thinking" and "students' self-esteem." ( Johnson & Johnson 2009) Many authors have implemented research studies on the use of controversial topics and they certainly bring about positive outcomes Oulton, Day, Dillon, & Grace (2004) believe that the ability

to engage in a constructive discussion of controversial topics fosters an appreciation of opposing viewpoints and is a key element of good citizenship

Accordingly, the author of this study has taken these problems into consideration and

decided to conduct an action research entitled: Integrating discussions on controversial topics into speaking activities to increase students’ participation in English lessons – an action research at the Industrial Economics and Technology College (IETC)

2 Aims of the study:

This study is an action research It aims at:

- Investigating the current situation of speaking learning and teaching at IETC to see the level of participation and possible factors obstructing students from expressing their viewpoint orally

- Investigating the effectiveness of integrating discussions on controversial topics into speaking activities to see how the learning motivation and participation increase and how students‘ communicative competence is improved

-Proposing further recommendations for other teachers on teaching methods so that controversial topics can be used more frequently due to their advantages

3 Research questions:

This study is an action research which investigates the current situation of speaking learning among students and examines the degree of participation into speaking activities and the change in students‘ attitude before and after the interference Therefore, there are three research questions to be raised:

1 How actively do students participate in speaking activities before and after the intervention?

2 What accounts for the degree of their participation?

3 What is the students‘ perception of the advantages of controversial topics?

4 Scope of the study:

This research has a broader scope and it is impossible for the writer to handle all existing problems Therefore, the writer limits the scope of the study To intensify students‘ participation in speaking activities the teacher can apply a variety of methods and techniques However, in this study, the researcher only focuses on the use of motivating topics which are controversial to increase students‘ participation In terms of language skills the author of this study only concentrate on speaking skill integrated with other language skills In terms of participants, there are a lot of students of alternative majors at IETC However, the action research is carried out on 47 students of Accounting and Electrical Technique in their second semester because the writer is assigned to take responsibility of the two classes at the time

5 Methods of the study:

The research is conducted basing on both qualitative and quantitative approach

Firstly, quantitative approach is utilized to investigate fully the degree of participation in speaking lessons before and after the integration of discussions on controversial topics and the number of participants and responds in each activity Secondly, qualitative approach aims to investigate students‘ attitude towards speaking and how beneficial they can explore about the use of controversial topics The data underlying the research questions, therefore, can be collected by means of:

- Questionnaires

- Interviews

- Classroom observation

Besides, students‘ observation sheets are also collected as an useful tool to investigate the effectiveness of discussions on controversial topics

6 Significance of the study:

6.1 Theoretical significance of the study

- It is expected that this research can be used as a reference for other researchers who intend

to conduct a research on using controversial topics as a tool to increase students‘ participation in English speaking activities

- Hopefully, the findings and recommendations of the study can be of some help for English teachers in the adaptation of alternative techniques to improve students‘ speaking skill

6.2 Practical significance of the study

It is expected that the study is beneficial for both the teacher and the students during and after the action research is carried out:

- By preparing for discussion of controversial topics in class and organizing class activities, the teacher will become more knowledgeable, energetic and motivated

- The students will be encouraged to think critically and actively

- Other teachers will adopt similar activities when they explore the advantages of the activities used by their colleagues

7 Design of the study:

The study is divided into three main parts as follow:

Part A- Introduction: This part presents the rationale, the aims and the research

questions, the scope, significance as well as the methods and design of the study

Part B- Development: This part comprises three chapters

Chapter 1 – Literature review: In this chapter, relevant literature regarding speaking skill,

discussion, action research and controversial topics are reviewed

Chapter 2 – Methodology: In this chapter the context of the study is introduced, the

problem is identified, the plan of action is presented, and explanations are given to instruments of collection, as well as data and data collection procedure

Chapter 3 – Data analysis and discussions: The data is interpreted, research questions are

answered and major findings are discussed in this section

Part C– Conclusion: In this part, the main points of the study as well as the findings are

summarized The limitations of the research and recommendations for further studies are also presented

Besides, the list of references and the appendixes are also parts of this study

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW

1 1.Teaching speaking skills:

1.1.1 Definition of speaking:

Speaking can be understood differently by different authors or researchers According to Chaney(1988:13), speaking is ―the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts‖ Fowler & Thompson (2000) share the same view that speaking is ―the action of conveying information or expressing one‘s thoughts and feelings in spoken language‖ According to another researcher Brown (1994:103), speaking is ―an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information‖ In a related study, Bygate (1987:3) had a detailed definition which states that ―speaking is the skill by which learners are most frequently judged and through which they make and lose friends It is also the medium through which much language is learnt‖ Orwig (1991:1), on the other hand, defines speaking as the productive skill in the oral mode It is complicated and involves more than just pronouncing words Nunan (2003:48) think that ―speaking is the productive oral skill It consists of producing systematic verbal utterance to convey meaning.‖

From the above definitions of speaking, it is obvious that speaking is one of the basic and crucial skilsl that students have to learn so as to communicate inside or outside the classroom Moreover, when students are able to express their ideas orally in a confident and comfortable way, they can interact better in real daily situations

1.1.2 Components of speaking skills:

According to Canale & Swain (1980: 27-31) and Canale (1983:22-25), speaking includes four components which are grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic competencies Grammar competence includes knowledge of phonology, orthography, vocabulary, word function and sentence formation Sociolinguistic competence includes knowledge of sociocultural rules of use and deals with the use of appropriate grammatical forms for different communicative functions in different sociolinguistic contexts Discourse competence involves learners‘ mastery of understanding and producing texts in

the modes of listening, speaking, reading and writing It deals with cohesion and coherence

in different types of text Strategic competence refers to compensatory strategies in case of grammatical or sociolinguistic or discourse difficulties

From Syakur (1987:3-5) point of view, he claims that speaking is a complex skill because

at least it concerns with components of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and fluency The description is as follows:

 Pronunciation is the students‘ way to utter English well and it deals with phonology There are two features of pronunciation; phonemes and supra segmental features A speaker who constantly mispronounces a range of phonemes can be extremely difficult for a speaker from another language community to understand (Gerard, 2000:11)

 Grammar concerns with how to arrange to correct sentences in conversation The utility of grammar is to learn the correct way to gain expertise in a language both in oral and written form Heaton (1978: 5) states that grammar involves student‘s ability to manipulate structure and to distinguish appropriate grammatical form in appropriate one

 Vocabulary means the appropriate diction which is used in conversation Without having a sufficient vocabulary, one can‘t communicate effectively

 Fluency and accuracy: Fluency can be defined as the ability to speak fluently and accurately suited with professional necessity Basically, being fluent means being able to keep the language coming Fluency in speaking is the aim of many language learners Signs of fluency include a reasonably fast speed of speaking and only a small number of pauses and ―ums‖ or ―ers‖ These signs indicate that the speaker does not have to spend a lot of time searching for the language items needed to express the message (Brown 1997: 4)

1.1.3 Characteristics of a successful speaking activity:

In order to organize speaking activities successfully, it is essential to identify the characteristics of a good speaking activity Klippel (1985:3-4) thinks that an effective speaking lesson needs to have three features:

a Message oriented communication which indicates the moments in foreign language when target language is used as a vehicle of communication

b It has learner – centered activities in which students‘ feelings, purposes and ideas are the focus

c In speaking lesson, active learning, cooperation and empathy which emphasize the students‘ active participation in the speaking process

According to Ur (1996:120), a successful speaking activity needs to have four typical characteristics:

a Learners talk a lot: As much as possible of the period of time allocated to the activity is

in fact occupied by learners talk This may be obvious, but often most time is taken up with

teacher talk or pauses

b Participation is even: Classroom discussion is not dominated by a minority of talk

active participants All get a chance to speak and contributions are fairly evenly distributed

c Motivation is high: Learners are eager to speak because they are interested in the topic

and have something new to say about it, or they want to contribute to achieve a task objective

d Language is of an acceptable level: Learners express themselves in utterances that are

relevant, easy comprehensible to teach other and of acceptable level of language accuracy

1.2 Action research:

1.2.1 Definition of action research:

The term ―action research‖ can be defined by many authors, researchers and linguists It can be seen as ―the systematic collection and analysis of data relating to the improvement

of some aspect of professional practice‖ (Wallace,1998:1) or simply a ―small-scale intervention in the functioning of the real world and a close examination of the effects of such intervention.‖ (Cohen and Manion,1994:297) Hopkins (1985: 32) suggests that the combination of action and research renders that action a form of disciplined inquiry, in which a personal attempt is made to understand, improve and reform practice Ebbutt (1985: 156), too, regards action research as a systematic study that combines action and reflection with the intention of improving practice Cohen, Manion and Morrison(1994: 186) define it as ‗a small-scale intervention in the functioning of the real world and a close examination of the effects of such an intervention Kemmis & Taggart (1988: 16) define

action research as ―a group activity‖ and ―a form of collective self-reflective enquiry undertaken by participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of the own social or educational practices, as well as their understanding of these

practices and the situations in which these practices are carried out.‖ Sharing the same

viewpoint, Sagor (1992:7) says that ―action research is conducted by people who want to

do something to improve their own situation‖ and that ― action researchers undertake a study because they want to know whether they can do something in a better way‖ It can be concluded from these different opinions that in general action research is collaborative and

it aims at changing things

1.2.2 The stages of an action research:

According to Lewin (1946:34), an action research is conducted based on seven stages: Stage 1: Identifying, evaluating or formulating the problem

Stage 2: fact finding to draw a full picture of the situation to clarify the nature of the problem

Stage 3: A critical review of the problem in stage two Usually, in this stage, the researcher generates hypotheses which attempt to enlighten some of the facts of the problem

Stage 4: Gathering relevant information to test hypotheses proposed in the previous stage Stage 5: Discussions, negotiation and decisions of on the selection of research procedures Stage 6: Determination of circumstances and methods of data collection, classification and analysis; monitoring the task and considering the choice of evaluative procedures

Stage 7: Interpretation of data collected and the overall evaluation of the research

Nunan (2001:2-3) also divides the research process into seven steps with some differences: Step1: Initiation - A problem triggers the idea of action research

Step 2: Preliminary investigation - Baseline data are collected to help understand the nature

of the problem

Step 3: Hypotheses - A hypothesis is formulated after reviewing the initial data

Step 4: Intervention - A number of strategies are devised and applied

Step 5: Evaluation - An assessment is carried out to evaluate the intervention Some steps may be repeated

Step 6: Dissemination - A report of the research is published Ideas emerged from the research are shared

Step 7: Follow-up - Alternative solutions for the problem are continually investigated Sagor (1992:8), however, indicates that there are only three steps for an action research to

be carried out, which are:

Step 1: Initiating action

Step 2: Monitoring and adjusting action

Step 3:Evaluating action

In conclusion, different writers can choose among alternative steps by different researchers In this research study, the author decided to follow seven steps by Nunan (2001) because the sequence of the steps fully and specifically reflects her action research procedures

1.3 Discussion:

1.3.1 Definition of discussion:

According to Parker (1997:18-21), discussion is ―competent deliberation that is rooted in knowledge‖ It can also be understood as a thoughtful consideration of relationships involved in the topic or the problem under study These relations are to be analyzed, compared, evaluated and conclusions are drawn Discussion is an interactive endeavor, and reflective dialogue engenders listening and responding to ideas expressed by one's peers ( Harwood, Angela & Carole 1990:2) On the other hand, Larson (2000: 54-55) says that discussion is an engagement in and a practice of the activities of thought and communication According to Larson (1997) citing Wileen & White (1991), discussion is characterized as a structured conversation among participants who present, examine, compare and understand similar and diverse ideas about an issue Discussion can also be thought to be a useful teaching technique for developing higher-order thinking skills (skills that enable students to interpret, analyze, and manipulate information) ( Larson 2000:662)

1.3.2 Purposes of classroom discussions:

According to Barton and Alan (2007:2), students who regularly take part in classroom discussion are more likely to: Vote in later life, support basic democratic values, take part

in political discussions, follow political news in the media, be interested in the political process and have confidence in their ability to influence public policy Classroom discussions has twopurposes: (1) discussion as a method ofinstruction, where the purpose

is to help engage students in a lesson by encouraging verbal interactions; and (2) discussion competence as the subject matter (as the desired outcome of instruction andan end in itself) (Larson 2000:662) Gall (1985) points out that discussion is an effective way

to promote higher-level thinking, develop student attitudes, and advance student capability for moral reasoning (cited by Larson 1999: 125)

1.3.3 How to have a good classroom discussion:

Students' enthusiasm, involvement, and willingness to participate affect the quality of class discussion as an opportunity for learning Your challenge is to engage all students, keep them talking to each other about the same topic, and help them develop insights into the material (Davis 1993:1)

Early investigations of the effects of discussion indicated that students who participated in classroom discussions often reported more positive political attitudes and higher participation in political activities (cited by Harwood, Angela& Carole 1990:8) According

to experts, for discussion to be effective in the classroom, teachers must know how to allow the students to take control of the discussion, but at the same time, direct and instruct the students in how to have meaningful discussion This would obviously be important, because students must know how to have a discussion and where they are going with the discussion for the discussion to be useful and meaningful to them In reference to the teacher‘s role in classroom discussion, Dillon (1979) states that students have a propensity

to elaborate more fully in response to their peers‘ comments or questions than to those of the teacher This seems logical, since students are more likely to debate and discuss various subjects and materials with an individual on their intellectual level rather than with

an individual who they feel is on a higher, more advanced intellectual level, such as their teacher Larson (1997) points out that teachers have multiple conceptions of classroom

discussion; and a number of factors influence the type of discussion they use ( cited by Larson 1999:125)

Productive classroom discussions—those that enable students to invent, create, imagine, take risks, and dig for deeper meanings—can only take place in a climate in which students feel safe to offer their ideas Teachers can create such a climate by being mindful of the essential conditions of interactive teaching (Wassermann 2010) She also suggests some tips for a successful classroom discussion:

- Listen, attend and apprehend

- Clarify what students mean

- Give students time

- Appreciate students‘ ideas

- Accept lack of closure

-Balanced classroom instructions

1.4 Controversial topics:

1.4.1 Definition of controversial topics:

A controversial issue can be defined as an issue on which there is disagreement (Harwood, Angela & Carole 1990:2) Controversial is a word that is used as a noun to refer to a dispute, argument or debate which concerns a matter in which there is a strong disagreement Controversies unlike most disputes are usually carried by the press or public Controversy, conflict, and disagreement are integral elements of college teaching, and all instructors must anticipate controversy and plan to use it productively (Barton and Alan 2007) According to Frost (2013), there is nothing like a controversial topic to get the blood flowing through your veins, and nothing like defending your corner of the moral landscape against the opinions of others who ―just don‘t get it!‖ Controversy lights up tired lecture halls, and treads provokingly through the pages of dissertations the world over Johnson and Johnson (1988:59), on the other hand, state that controversy is a type of academic conflict that exists when one student‘s ideas, information, conclusion, theories and opinions are incompatible with those of another and the two seek to reach an agreement

1.4.2 Definition of discussion on controversial topics:

A controversial issues discussion is defined as reflective dialogue among students, or between students and teachers, on which there is disagreement ( Harwood, Angela & Hahn, Carole 1990:2) Freeley & Steinberg (2005) argues that discussions on controversial topics refer to the process of considering multiple viewpoints and arriving at a judgment, and its application ranges from an individual using debate to make a decision in his or her own mind to an individual or group using debate to convince others to agree with them

1.4.3 Controversy , conflict and debate:

According to Johnson and Johnson (1988:61), controversy and debate share a lot of similarities when they both derive conclusions by categorizing and organizing information and experiences Moreover, they are challenged by opposing views, the correctness of own views are uncertain and they cause active representation and elaboration of position and rational However, these two authors also point out that controversy has high espistemic curiousity while that of debate is moderate The same things occur with conceptualization and productivity when the these of the former is high but of the later is moderate

Conflict involves incompatible activities; one person‘s actions interfere, obstruct, or in some way get in the way of another‘s action (Deutsch, 1973) Although conflicts can emphasize differences in expectations, coordination, and preferences, nearly all conflicts involve ideas and have intellectual aspects For example, angry persons were found to manage their conflicts more effectively when they open mindedly discussed their evidence and interpretations for why they were angry (Tjosvold & Su, 2007)

Originally, we had assumed that controversy was a special kind of conflict that was likely

to be constructive (Tjosvold, 1985; Tjosvold & Johnson,1977); similarly, researchers have argued that task conflicts are productive, whereas relationship conflicts are disruptive (Jehn, 1997) Research to be reviewed indicates that how conflict is managed, not the kind

of conflict, directly affects its dynamics and outcomes Conflict and controversy should be clearly distinguished from competition defined as incompatible goals Traditionally, conflict has been defined in terms of divergent goals and opposing interests, but people in cooperation can and often do disagree (Tjosvold, 2006) In addition, considerable research

indicates that taking a competitive approach to controversy makes it difficult to develop constructive dynamics and outcomes (Tjosvold, 2007)

1.4.4 Advantages of using controversial topics:

It is undeniable that using controversial topics is useful in that they motivate students and encourage students to think critically and actively Learning and discussing controversial issues in school helps students become more informed and more active citizens Sharing the same viewpoint Johnson, Johnson, & Smith (1997) and Oulton, Day, Dillon, & Grace (2004) believe that the ability to engage in a constructive discussion of controversial topics fosters an appreciation of opposing viewpoints and is a key element of good citizenship The benefits of engaging students in controversial issues discussion are well-established in international scholarship Encouragingly, there is empirical evidence that such efforts can succeed and that classroom discussions, in which several sides of an issue are explored and

in which students feel comfortable expressing their views, are associated with a range of positive outcomes (Barton and Cully 2007:1) Teaching the pros and cons of controversial issues in a structured conflict format can help "focus student attention," increase motivation, "produce higher levels of cognitive reasoning," "produce higher levels of achievement and retention," as well as increase "levels of creativity and divergent thinking" and "students' self-esteem." (Johnson & Johnson 2009:237-239) Carolyn (2007:83) cites that debating a controversial subject improves listening and public speaking skills, enhances appreciation for the complexities of a controversial subject, and challenges prior beliefs (Bell, 1982) On another study, Carolyn and Joseph (2007:87) have found out that the students enjoyed the debate and believed that it helped them discuss sensitive or controversial topics more easily Half of the students who participated

in the debate believed that being an effective speaker and working with their teammates led

to a feeling of empowerment Harwood, Angela & Hahn, Carole(1990:3-4) also point out some tips for a successful performance of teaching controversial issues, which are selecting issues, preparing students for discussion, providing adequate information sources, establishing an open discussion climate, maintaining focus and direction, ensuring intellectual balance, encouraging equal participation and the expression of teacher‘s personal view Torney-Purta, Lehmann, Oswald & Schulz‘s seminal 2001 international study on citizenship education revealed how open discussions of controversial social issues

have a positive impact on the democratic commitments of youth Feldman, Pasek, Romer and Jamieson‘s studies from 2007 and 2008 as well as McDevitt and Kiousis‘ 2008 study also demonstrated that classroom discussions on current events and controversial issues lead to a measurable increase in the following areas: critical thinking, tolerance, civic

knowledge, political interest, confidence, social integration and intentions to vote

1.4.5 How to deal with controversial topics:

To make the discussions work well, the teacher has to choose an appropriate technique to keep the controversy under control Controversy may result in positive or negative consequences depending on whether the context is cooperative, the level of group members‘ social skills, and group members‘ ability (Johnson & Johnson 2009:230) In her report, Fournier (2013: 3-4) suggested that to run a successful controversy, it is necessary

to encourage participation by having students choose the topics up for discussion and allowing students to have a say in the topics of discussion; have students write down their views before engaging in discussion; start with small group discussions Starting discussions of controversial issues in small groups allows students to test out their opinions before facing the whole class The topics used for discussions should reflect the real world According to Clarke and Silberstein (1997:51), classroom activities should parallel the real world as closely as possible He has high approval of content-based instruction in which there is interaction between the learners Moreover, meaningful and purposeful interaction

is created through the use of language and the best way for it to be created is by using content as the driving force of classroom activities Harwood, Angel & Hahn, Carole (1990:4) state that conducting beneficial discussions of controversial issues is an art that requires skill and practice Teachers must pay careful attention to preparation for discussions, and the role they will take during the conduct of the discussion to ensure that interaction can be fruitful They also suggest tips for running a good controversial topics discussion including: selecting issues, preparing students for discussion, providing adequate information sources, establishing an open discussion climate, maintaining focus and direction, encouraging equal participation and the expression of teacher‘ personal views Other authors Johnson & Johnson (1988:61) suggest four stages of a good controversy ( a discussion on controversial topics) are choosing the discussion topic, preparing instructional materials, structuring the controversy and conducting the

controversy They also cited Johnson‘s (1981), Johnson and Johnson‘s (1982) words that to manage controversy constructively, students need collaborative and conflict management skills (1988:62)

1.5 Definition of classroom participation:

Heyman and Sailors define class participation as a form of active learning in which students publicly discuss the course material (2011:605) These two authors also cite that classroom participation has been shown to improve critical reading and understanding of material (Dancer and Kamvounias 2005; French 1992), increase classroom engagement (Elliot 1993), advance active learning (Bean and Peterson 1998; Peterson 2001; Petress 2006; Wooldridge 2008), improve work habits (Turner and Patrick 2004), enhance a variety of professional skills (Hayes and Hayes 1973;Kamvounias 1996; Lord and Melvin 1994; Wooldridge 2008) and liven up dry material (Magel 1996) (p.605) Participation can also be seen as an active engagement process which can be sorted into five categories: preparation, contribution to discussion, group skills, communication skills, and attendance (Dancer & Kamvounias, 2005, cited by Kelly A Rocca 2010:187) Participation also has been defined as ‗‗the number of unsolicited responses volunteered‘‘ (Burchfield & Sappington, 1999:290) Wade (1994:237) consider the ‗‗ideal class discussion‘‘ as one in which almost all students participate and are interested, learning, and listening to others‘ comments and suggestions Participation is a way to bring ‗‗students actively into the educational process‘‘ and to assist in ‗‗enhancing our teaching and bringing life to the classroom‘‘ (Cohen, 1991:699) According to Petress Ken effective student class participation involves students being actively engaged, supportive of each other, and civil

in their exchanges (2006:821)

1.6 Related studies:

A lot of research studies about teaching speaking skills have been conducted so far It can not be denied that a successful speaking lesson requires students to have adequate motivation so as to have sufficient participation into classroom activities Therefore, various kinds of techniques have been implemented by different types of researches in alternative contexts Hung (2008) wrote a thesis paper on the use of group-work and questioning technique to increase students‘ participation in communicative activities

Similarly, Thuy (2005) experimented cooperative learning as an approach to improve speaking skills The use of stimulation in speaking class was taken into consideration by Huong (2006) and Binh (2008) Besides, discussion, information-gap activities and role-play have been found effective in improving speaking ability and learning motivation Mai (2004), Hanh (2008), La Huong (2011) studied the use of group discussion in teaching speaking In addition, other people carried out action and experimental researches on the use of information-gap activities ( Trang 2005, Huong 2009, Ngoc 2010, Hường 2011) and role-play ( Thủy 2011, Phấn 2011, Oanh 2011, Huyền 2010, Hằng Nga and Thúy Nga 2009) to improve speaking skill Whatever techniques are available, the choice of speaking topics is apparently important since an appropriate topic can enhance and motivate students; thus increasing classroom participation Although using controversial topics while teaching has been proved to bring about positive outcomes, hardly can I find a research on the integration of discussion on controversial topics into speaking activities to increase students‘ participation However, among a series of MA theses in the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies – ULIS-VNU, Ha Noi, two people have taken into consideration the topics for teaching oral skill which determine students‘ participation or neglect during class

time Hieu (2009) conducted an action research on enhancing students’ motivation to speak English in the class through discussion of real-life issues However, the researcher of this

study raised topics which are non-controversial, so the students‘ motivation can not be fulfilled Sharing a great concern about the important role of controversial topics to enhance students, Dinh Vo Thuy Duong (2011) experimented the use of debate topics to increase students‘ participation in speaking classes at national Economic Technical College However, debate and controversial topics are more or less different as shown previously by Johnson and Johnson (1988:61) This study is a quasi-experimental research during which the researcher is an observer instead of a practitioner She together with another teacher observed the two classes in a number of weeks to see how the level of participation among students varies before and after the experiment (p.15) The main variables to be used and analyzed then are Time on-task and Time off-task which limits the representation of figures (p.27-30) Her tables and figures mostly focus on these two variables, making triangulation hard to be attained However, in order to gain the validity the two classes were separately experimented with debate technique (p.15) The data of the

research were collected by means of classroom observations, questionnaires and follow-up interviews.(p.18)

The procedures of the experiment can be described as follows: First, the researcher and another teacher in turn observed the two classes before the experiment, using the observation sheets suggested by Wajnryb (1992) Second, a survey questionnaire was distributed to find out more about the factors affecting their participation in classroom speaking activities Then five students in each class were randomly chosen and interviewed

to know more about the related factors After that, the researcher met and discussed with the teachers about their evaluations of the students‘ participation and techniques to increase the students‘ participation After four weeks the researcher and another teacher observed the two classes noting down the students‘ participation in terms of their ‗time-on-task‘ and

‗time-off-task‘ Then the researcher chose and interviewed randomly five students The researcher also met and interviewed the two teachers of these classes (p.17-18) Because this is a quasi-experimental research, Dinh Vo Thuy Duong does not directly interfere the procedure of using debate to increase students‘ participation This clearly differentiates my study which is an action research where the researcher is a practitioner

In conclusion, although a lot of researchers show much of their concern about how to increase students‘ participation in speaking activities through a variety of techniques including debates, the study carried out by Dinh Vo Thuy Duong (2011) itself differs from

my study in that it is an experimental research during which the researcher is an observer Moreover, the study by Duong collected data mainly from time on-task and time off-task;

other data supporting for the effectiveness of debate topics were not shown clearly

CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY

In the previous chapter, the literature related to the topic has been reviewed as a theoretical basis for the study In this chapter, four main categories are addressed The first one is the setting of the study, which describes the students‘ learning context and learning materials and an overview of the teachers and the students at The Industrial Economics and Technology College The introduction of the action research participants lies in the next part The three very important parts of the chapter which are action research procedures, data collection instruments and data collection procedures are discussed in turns at the end

of the chapter

2.1 Setting of the study:

2.1.1 The teaching and learning condition:

The study is carried out at IETC, a newly-founded college located in Pho Yen, a northern district of Thai Nguyen province IETC, which has been in existence for 8 years, consists

of totally about 200 teachers of all subjects and majors and approximately 4000 students at present The College has changed its name three times When it was first established in

1968, it entitled Basic Vocational School In this stage, a majority of the students were trained to work for Power Construction Installation Limited Company No 4 after graduation Because of its training goal, in its later stage, it was then named Power Construction Installation College, which is now called IETC Because it is a newly-born college, most of the teaching staffs are at considerably young age The average age of the teaching staffs is approximately 35 years old This College addresses four main majors which are Accounting, Finance and Banking, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Information Technology and Construction For each major, students are required to attend totally 210 obligatory periods of English (equivalent to 14 credits), 150

of which are their basic English for communication and the rest 60 of which belong to their Major English The first 150 periods are studied during the first semester and the first term

of the second semester The other 60 periods are included in the last term of the second semester The College has a laboratory room where 20% of the first 150 periods are required to be learned However, in fact the lab is old-fashioned and it is rarely used

2.1.2 Description of material used:

The course book is New Headway Elementary – The Third Edition by Lize and Joan Soars published by Oxford University Press There are 14 units lasting for 150 periods with various topics familiar to daily life such as jobs, food, shopping, leisure activities, future plans, hobbies and holidays The book provides students with general knowledge of all fields: grammar, vocabulary & pronunciation and the four skills reading, listening, writing and speaking Each unit ends with everyday English concluding of integrated language skills, and mainly focuses on speaking The textbook is designed toward communicative teaching, so speaking and listening are either separated or integrated with other skills within the book The book requires students to be able to talk about personal information and communicate with others in terms of everyday life issues

2.1.3 The teachers:

The teaching staff at IETC consists of over 150 people, approximately 10% of which either own or are joining a course for PhD, 70% of which are Mas of all subjects and majors and about 20% of which have a Ba certificate The English group is composed of 10 teachers whose age ranges from 27 to 37 Two of them graduated from Hanoi University of Teachers‘ Training, the other two teachers graduated from Faculty of Foreign Language Studies, Vietnam University, Hanoi and the rest are former students at Thai Nguyen Teachers‘ Training University Of the English group, three teachers own Master degrees, the same number are taking part in a course for this degree and due to graduate this August The teachers are qualified, energetic, responsible and sympathetic

2.1.4 The students:

The students of IETC come from different provinces in northern and middle areas Two fields of Banking and Finance, and Accounting gain the domination by female students meanwhile other fields like Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, and Construction are dominated by male students Most of them are at average and under average levels In general, their English proficiency level is low and of mixed ability Many of them come from remote regions of rural areas where they did not have many chances to learn English at high schools Hardly can they communicate in English because some of them have studied English for only three years A small number

insists that they studied other language but English before Thus, the students often feel shy

or afraid of making mistakes because of their limited language competence resulted from poor vocabulary, incorrect pronunciation and inadequate confidence Consequently, the students usually keep silent and are unwilling to take part in class activities That is the reason why for a majority of students, using English to communicate is a tough challenge

2.2 The participants:

The participants of the study come from two classes of different majors 25 students specialize in Accounting, and 22 students in Electrical Technique A majority of the accounting class are female and all of Electrical Technique class are male A brief description of gender division among the two classes can be seen in the following table:

Electrical Technique Class 22 22 (100%) 0 (0%)

Table 1: Participants’ description

Although the participants specialize in different majors, they learn English in the same class at one time, for different classes are grouped together to learn common and non-majored subjects at the beginning of each term 25 students in accounting class are talkative They contribute to the lessons more frequently and confidently because of their better language proficiency A quarter of them experienced an entrance exam to university with English and they learn English with pleasure and interest 22 students in Electrical Technique, on the other hand, are naughty and energetic However, they do not highly appreciate English as a main and important subject For them, they have to learn the subject because it is an obligatory one and their main goal is to pass mid-term and final exams Therefore, some of them regard the learning of English as a great challenge

2.3 Action research procedures:

This action research will be carried out with seven steps according to the seven steps of an action research cycle by Nunan (2001), which are:

Step 1: Initiation (The idea of an action research is figured out through observation)

Step 2: Preliminary investigation (Data from pre-intervention questionnaires and informal

interviews are collected and analyzed)

Step 3: Review of the research questions

Step 4: Intervention ( Discussions on controversial topics are integrated into speaking activities)

Step 5: Evaluation (post-intervention questionnaires and informal interview are in use) Step 6: Dissemination

XD and K6A-CNTT, she discovered a disappointing reality that whatever major they specialize in, only 5% to 10% of them participated in classroom activities frequently, and around 20% to 30% were relatively involved in speaking activities though they were still reluctant as contributing their own ideas Disappointingly, most of the students (up to 60%

to 70%) kept silent during class time These students tried to hinder themselves from any involvement Thus, speaking lessons often fail in terms of participation

This induces the researcher to have a plan of action in hope of improving the current situation of learning English, especially speaking skill at IETC

2.3.2 Preliminary investigation:

A survey questionnaire was delivered among 47 students at K8A-KT and K8A-KTD The result of the questionnaire shows that although most of students said they like learning English (36 out of 47, equivalent to 85.71%), only 34.04% of them found the subject manageable, the other 65.96% agreed upon its unmanageability Of all the four skills, speaking appeared to be the most challenging one with 38.10% agreements, the percentage for writing, reading and listening in turns were 26.19%, 19.04% and 16.67% In addition, the answers also pointed out that up to 63.83% of the participants never or rarely took part

in class activities and the other 36.17% said that they sometimes or usually involved in The result of the survey was even more disappointing when students stated that they never had a word during speaking lessons (this accounts for 28.57%) or were reluctant to speak if called (62.29%) Less than 10% of them volunteered to speak during speaking activities This result presented an apparently disappointing situation of learning speaking through a low level of participation frequency The reasons for the poor participation were also answered by the students, including poor vocabulary (59.52%), poor grammar (59.52%), poor pronunciation (52.38%), uninteresting topics (28.57%) and shyness (26.19%)

Moreover, informal interviews with students before the intervention were carried out to explore their attitude towards speaking and problems faced by students in speaking lessons The result showed that most students were aware of the importance of speaking skill for some different reasons such as getting a good job in the future, communicating with foreigners, getting good marks in the college, or studying abroad Despite its important role, speaking activities were said to be unattractive The students listed out the typical factors discouraging them from speaking activities such as, topics, limited vocabulary and grammatical structures, poor pronunciation, shyness, unfriendly teammates and unequal language proficiency in working group

Therefore, the researcher decided to have an action plan by an intervention The procedures of the intervention can be shown in the part that follows

2.3.3 Review of the research questions:

Before the intervention is done, it is necessary to review the three research questions in order that the data collection procedures do not travel in the wrong direction:

1 How actively do students participate in speaking activities before and after the intervention?

2 What accounts for the degree of their participation?

3 What is the students‘ perception of the advantages of controversial topics?

2.3.4 Intervention:

The intervention was carried out in a number of stages:

Stage 1: Preparing for the activity

Controversial topics were suggested and students were given time to consider the topics for discussion Students were encouraged to search information to support the ideas from their own experience, on the internet or through any possible tools Normally, if the researcher intended to raise a controversial topic for group discussion in the following lesson, she would ask students for their self-preparation at home before the speaking activities really work The researcher, on the other hand, had a careful and thorough preparation for the topics in terms of both sides of a problem with the help of multiply available sources A serious consideration of each controversial topic enabled her to run the activities successfully and to avoid conflicts when one group came to dominate another

Stage 2: Raising controversial topics

The controversial topics were raised before or usually after in-book speaking activities The course consists of totally seven units with 75 periods divided equally in eight weeks Consequently, each week accounts for approximately 10 periods The intervention was done during 6 weeks from 28th April to 6th June There are 5 suggested controversial topics for discussion during the intervention Because it is the first unit of the course, unit 8 handles the integration of controversial topic discussion at the end of speaking activities In unit 9 and unit 11, the controversial topic discussion was placed after fixed speaking activities in the book In unit 10 and unit 12, however, it was placed before in-book speaking activities Here are some suggested controversial topics:

-Unit 8: How long ago?

Controversial topic 1: Computers are harmful for teenagers Agree or disagree?