Students' attitudes towards learning to speak English at Ly Thai To high school = Nghiên cứu thái độ học nói Tiếng Anh của học sinh trường THPT Lý Thái Tổ, Bắc

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** BÁ THỊ HIỀN STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS LEARNING TO SPEAK ENGLISH AT LY THAI TO HIGH SCHOOL, BAC NINH (Nghiên cứu thái độ học nói Tiếng Anh học sinh trường THPT Lý Thái Tổ, Bắc Ninh) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Hanoi, 2012 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv TABLE OF FIGURES vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Methods of the study 1.6 Significance of the study 1.7 Design of the study CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Attitudes in language learning 4 2.1.1 Definition of “attitude” 2.1.2 Roles of learners‟ attitudes in language learning 2.2 Speaking 2.2.1 Concepts of speaking in foreign languages 2.2.2 The role of speaking in foreign language teaching and learning 2.2.3 Characteristics of a successful speaking lesson 2.2.4 Approaches to teaching and learning speaking skills 2.2.5 Factors affecting students‟ participation in speaking activities CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 11 15 3.1 The setting 15 3.2 The textbook 15 v 3.3 The participants 15 3.4 The data collecting instruments 16 3.5 Data collection and analysis procedure 17 CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Data analysis of students‟ questionnaire 19 19 4.1.1 Students‟ general attitudes towards learning English 19 4.1.2 Students‟ attitudes towards learning to speak English 20 4.1.3 Students‟ opinions about factors affecting them in learning to 27 speak English 4.1.4 Students‟ attitudes towards teacher‟s teaching method in 29 speaking lessons 4.1.5 Students‟ expectations to learning to speak English 31 4.2 Data analysis of classroom observations 33 4.3 Data analysis of teachers‟ interviews 37 4.4 Chapter summary 38 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS 39 5.1 Summary of findings 39 5.2 Suggestions for teachers 40 5.3 Limitations and suggestions for further studies 42 5.4 Conclusion 43 REREFENCES APPENDICES Appendix 1: Survey questionnaire for students Appendix 2: Classroom observation sheet 44 I I XI Appendix 3: The observed lesson plan XII Appendix 4: The observed lesson plan XIV Appendix 5: Interview questions for teachers and transcription Appendix 6: A sample lesson plan XVII XX vi TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: Students‟ general attitudes towards learning English 19 Figure 2: Students‟ favorite English lessons in the classroom 20 Figure 3: Students‟ awareness about the importance of English speaking 21 Figure 4: Students‟ evaluation of English speaking lessons in class 22 Figure 5: Students‟ assessment of speaking topics in the textbook 23 “Tieng Anh 10” Figure 6: Students‟ frequency of feeling unwilling to speak English 24 in the classroom Figure 7: Students‟ preference in practicing speaking English in class 25 Figure 8: Students‟ self-judgment about their English speaking ability 26 Figure 9: The things students in the speaking class 27 Figure 10: Factors affecting students‟ English speaking learning 28 Figure 11: Students‟ attitudes towards teacher‟s teaching method in speaking 30 lessons Figure 12: Students‟ expectations to learning to speak English 32 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study Among the four language skills known as listening, speaking, reading and writing, speaking skill is considered the most significant one that most learners of foreign languages need to achieve because it shows learners‟ proficiency in that language Pattison (1992) also shows that when people mention knowing or learning a language, they mean being able to speak the language Being an English teacher, the researcher thinks that speaking should be paid much attention to in the process of teaching and learning However, the fact at the researcher‟s school is that students have poor ability to speak English although they have been learning English since they were in grade or They speak English badly even in English speaking lessons They often feel unconfident and confused when their teachers ask them to speak English They regularly find it difficult expressing their ideas in English and even some students cannot speak anything except “sorry, I don‟t know” This problem is also mentioned by the researcher‟s colleagues when they usually tell her that in their speaking lessons students are very lazy and not participate much in speaking activities Therefore, this problem needs improving to help students in her school have better English speaking ability For such reasons, the researcher conducted this study to investigate the students‟ attitudes towards learning to speak English and the reasons why they had these attitudes By doing the study, she can know more about her students‟ expectations for learning English speaking skills at her school so that she could give some suggestions which might be useful for teachers and students at Ly Thai To high school to develop speaking skills for their students 1.2 Aims of the study This study is aimed at: - finding out Ly Thai To high school‟s students‟ attitudes towards learning English speaking skills and the reasons why they had such attitudes - giving some suggestions useful for Ly Thai To high school‟s teachers to develop their students‟ speaking skills 1.3 Research questions The above aims of the study can be realized by answering the following research questions: (1) What are Ly Thai To high school‟s students‟ attitudes towards learning English speaking skills? (2) Why they have these attitudes towards learning to speak English? 1.4 Scope of the study As stated above, the study was designed to find out the students‟ attitudes towards learning to speak English Because of limited time and experience, the study was not carried out on a large scale The study, therefore, was restricted to the 10th graders at Ly Thai To high school only 1.5 Methods of the study To conduct the study, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used, involving the survey questionnaire, the classroom observations and the interviews First, the survey questionnaire was delivered to students to investigate their attitudes towards learning to speak English Then, the classroom observations and the interviews with some English teachers were conducted to get supplementary information Finally, the results obtained from the questionnaire, the classroom observations and the interviews were discussed and analyzed to with a hope for providing some useful suggestions for teachers to develop speaking skills for their students 1.6 Significance of the study The study is conducted with the expectation that its results will be useful for students and teachers of English at Ly Thai To high school The study will help teachers understand more about their students‟ attitudes towards and expectations for their learning to speak English Based on the findings, some suggestions are given to the teachers to help them improve their students‟ speaking skills Hence, it could be a considerable contribution to teaching and learning English speaking effectively and enjoyably at Ly Thai To high school 1.7 Design of the study This thesis consists of five main chapters: Chapter one is the INTRODUCTION including the rationales, the aims, the research questions, the scope, the methods, the significant, and the design of the study It shows the reason why the author decided to choose this study and the methods for the fulfillment of the study Chapter two is the LITERATURE REVIEW It is aimed at exploring the theoretical background for the thesis It will focus on two main points: attitudes and speaking Chapter three is the METHODOLOGY Chapter three starts with the description of the setting and the participants It also presents how data was collected through the research methods and research procedures Chapter four is the DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION, in which the detailed description of data analysis and discussion on the findings of the study are explained Chapter five is the CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS This chapter presents a summary of the findings and draws out some suggestions that are good for teachers and students in teaching and learning English speaking The limitations of the study and some recommendations for further researches are also discussed in this chapter CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Attitudes in language learning 2.1.1 Definition of “attitude” There are many definitions of attitude Among them Gardner (1985:91-93) claims that attitude is an evaluative reaction to some referent or attitude object, inferred on the basis of the individual‟s beliefs or opinions about the referent In Gibb‟s view (1988), attitude is generally defined as a state of mind, which is influenced by feelings, experiences of the world and belief In addition to that, Zimbardo, and Leippe (1991) defined attitude as “an evaluative disposition toward some object based upon cognitions, affective reactions, behavioral intentions, and past behaviors that can influence cognitions, affective responses, and future intentions and behaviors” The above definitions show attitudes in general understanding, but in the scale of my study, attitude is understood as „learning attitude‟ According to Oxford and Shearin (1994), attitude is one of the factors impacting motivation in language learning Gardner (1985) stated that positive attitudes and motivation are related to success in second language learning Holmes (1992) believes that people develop attitudes towards languages, which reflect their views about those who speak the languages, and the contexts and functions with which they are associated He claims that attitudes in the context of language learning are defined as the way people look at the language, the class and the people, and the culture of language In short, in language learning, we can see students‟ attitudes in their feelings and belief about the way of acting towards the lessons, learning style, teachers and the course books In this study, it relates to students‟ feelings and belief about learning to speak English 2.1.2 Role of learners‟ attitudes in language learning In language instruction, students‟ attitudes towards learning the language are regarded as “an important predictor of success” since “students who consider the learning of English as a positive and rewarding experience are less likely to suffer from foreign language anxiety” (Tsiplakides & Keramida, 2010) Chambert (1999) asserts that learning occurs more easily, when the learner has a positive attitude towards the language and learning Positive attitudes on the part of the language learners can enhance an integrative motivation, and attitudes upon success in language learning is widely acknowledged Also, Holmes (1992) states that if people feel positive towards those who use the language, they would be more highly motivated towards learning it Unquestionably, good learners are those that have a positive attitude towards their subject The overall findings show that positive attitudes have a strong impact on the success of language learning Most of the researches have claimed that students‟ attitude is an integral part of learning and that it should, therefore, become an essential component of second language pedagogy Some factors that influence students‟ attitudes towards their foreign language learning are identified by Tsiplakides & Keramida, (2010): a) teacher-student relationships, b) the general classroom atmosphere, and c) the use of authentic teaching materials and activities These authors also suggest a number of principles to foster positive attitudes in ESL/ EFL classes: (1) Developing Teacher-student Relationship; (2) Fostering a Positive Psychological Classroom Atmosphere; (3) Creating an Attractive Physical Classroom Environment; (4) Supplementing the Teaching Material with Authentic Texts and Tasks In short, students‟ attitudes play a very crucial role in language learning as they would appear to influence students‟ success or failure in their learning 2.2 Speaking 2.2.1 Concepts of speaking in foreign languages Speaking skill has been placed more weight in comparison with other skills as it is the first step to identify language ability For many language learners, “mastering the art of speaking is the single most important aspect of learning a second language or foreign language, and success is measured in term of ability to carry out a conversation in the language” (Nunan, 1991: 39) According to Nunan‟s point of view, it is necessary for teachers of language to pay much attention to teaching speaking skills in a way that helps learners participate confidently in transactions The importance of speaking raises the needs to understand the nature of speaking in human interactions There have been many scholars discussing the nature of speaking as follows: Chaney (1998:13) states that speaking is "the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts" Brown (1994) defines speaking as a process of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving and processing information Bygate (cited in Mackey, 1965:266) shows “oral expression involves not only the use of the right sounds in the patterns of rhythm and intonation, but also the choice of words and inflections in the right order to convey the right meaning” 2.2.2 The role of speaking in foreign language teaching and learning As mentioned above, speaking skill plays an important role in foreign language learning because effective speaking ability helps learners not only to acquire the language better but also to communicate successfully in the target language As we can see, communication is a basic demand for everyone, so if we want to communicate we should learn how to speak For the increasing demands for joining in a lot of fields in life, not only domestically but also overseas, learners need to be able to communicate well as they ask for information to serve their different purposes ... research questions: (1) What are Ly Thai To high school? ??s students‟ attitudes towards learning English speaking skills? (2) Why they have these attitudes towards learning to speak English? 1.4 Scope... 4.1.2 Students‟ attitudes towards learning to speak English 20 4.1.3 Students‟ opinions about factors affecting them in learning to 27 speak English 4.1.4 Students‟ attitudes towards teacher‟s... aimed at: - finding out Ly Thai To high school? ??s students‟ attitudes towards learning English speaking skills and the reasons why they had such attitudes 2 - giving some suggestions useful for Ly