Challenges in teaching and learning speaking skill with the new English textbook for grade 10 (Basic Stream) at Xuan Hoa High school, Vinh Phuc province and some solutions

Challenges in teaching and learning speaking skill with the new English textbook for grade 10 (Basic Stream) at Xuan Hoa High school, Vinh Phuc province and some solutions Trần Thị Lan Anh Trường Đại học Ngoại Ngữ Luận văn ThS. Chuyên ngành: English Linguistics; Mã số: 60 22 15 Người hướng dẫn: Đỗ Bá Quý , MEd Năm bảo vệ: 2010 Abstract: This research investigates the challenges in teaching and learning speaking skill with the new English textbook for grade 10 at Xuan Hoa high school – Vinh Phuc province- and suggests some solutions to the problems. The thesis is divided into 3 main parts: Part I presents the rationale, aims, methods, scope and organization of the paper. Part II includes 4 chapters: Chapter 1 presents the theoretical background of speaking, teaching and learning, and communicative language teaching approach; Chapter 2 describes the methodology of the thesis. Specifically, the data for this research was collected in the forms of survey questionnaires and interviews. The participants of the survey questionnaires were 6 English teachers and 360 grade - 10 - students. After the results of the survey questionnaires had been clarified, the interviews with 6 teachers and 20 students were conducted to make the survey questionnaire results clearer; Chapter 3 analyses and discusses the results from the survey questionnaires and interviews. A lot of challenges in teaching and learning speaking skill with the new textbook were revealed through the data, such as the lack of time and training in using the new textbook, the poor teaching and learning conditions, students’ low proficiency, etc; Chapter 4 mentions some pedagogical recommendations for both subjective and objective problems. For example, the teachers should plan the speaking lessons more carefully, conduct tests on speaking skill or organize English speaking clubs. As for the students, they should practise speaking with their friends, participate in English speaking clubs or work harder to improve their grammar and vocabulary. Finally, Part III gives the conclusions of this paper, some limitations and recommendations for further study. Keywords: Tiếng Anh; Phương pháp dạy học; Kỹ năng nói. v Content: TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration………………………………………………………………………………….i Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………ii Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………… iii List of tables and charts ………………………………………………………………… iv List of abbreviations………………………………………………………………………. v Table of contents……………………………………………………………………………vi PART I: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………. 1. Rationale of the study…………………………………………………………… 1 2. Aims of the study……………………………………………………………… 2 3. Method and procedure of the research………………………………………… 2 4. Scope of the study…………………………………………………………………2 5. Organization of the paper………………………………………………………. 2 PART II: DEVELOPMENT………………………………………………………… 3 CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND……………………………………….3 1.1. Theoretical background of speaking ………………………………………… 3 1.1.1. Definitions of speaking……………………………………………… 3 1.1.2. The nature of speaking………………………………………………… 3 1.1.3. Aspects of Speaking…………………………………………………… 5 vi 1.2. Theoretical background of learning and teaching speaking skill…………… 7 1.2.1. Definition of teaching and learning……………………………………. 7 1.2.2. Communicative Language Teaching Approach ………………………. 8 1.2.3. Communicative Competence – The desired goal of CLT…………… 10 1.2.4. The necessity of teaching and learning ………………………………. 11 speaking skill in a communicative class 1.2.5. Problems in teaching and learning speaking skill ……………………. 12 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………… 13 2.1. The teaching and learning situation in Xuan Hoa High School…………… 13 2.2. The New English Textbook for Grade 10……………………………………. 13 2.2.1. The overall design of the textbook…………………………………… 13 2.2.2. The general features of the new textbook …………………………… 14 2.2.3. Description of the Speaking Section ………………………………… 15 2.3. Description of the study…………………………………………………………17 2.3.1. Kind of the research………………………………………………… 17 2.3.2. Participants…………………………………………………………… 17 2.3.3. The research questions……………………………………………… 18 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS ………………………………… 19 3.1. Data analysis 19 3.1.1. Results of the survey questionnaires…………………… ………… 19 3.1.1.1. Questionnaire for teachers: ………………………………… 19 3.1.1.2. Questionnaire for students: ………………………………… 23 3.1.2. Results of the interviews………………………………………………27 vii 3.1.2.1. Teachers’ interview: ………………………………………… 27 3.1.2.2. Students’ interview: ……………………………………… 29 3.2. Findings ………………………………………………………………………….30 3.2.1. Subjective difficulties:……………………………………………… 30 3.2.1.1. Difficulties from teachers ………………………………… 30 Teachers’ insufficient communicative competence………… 30 Teachers’ lack of training…………………………………….30 3.2.1.2. Difficulties from Students:…………………………………. 31 Learners’ level of English …………………………………….31 Learners’ traditional features…………………………………31 Mother tongue use…………………………………………… 32 Limited exposure to the target language…………………… 32 3.2.2. Objective difficulties ………………………………………………….32 3.2.2.1. Large class ………………………………………………… 32 3.2.2.2. Time pressure:……………………………………………… 33 3.2.2.3. The constraints brought by the innovations ………………… 33 on the curriculum and teaching method. 3.2.2.4. The testing system……………………………………………34 3.2.2.5. Lack of English teachers. ……………………………………34 3.2.2.6. Lack of teaching and learning facilities………………………35 3.2.3. Teachers’ and students’ solutions ………………………………… 35 3.2.3.1. Teachers’ solutions………………………………………… 35 Careful planning for the speaking section…………………….35 Testing students’ communicative competence……………… 35 viii Organizing English speaking clubs……………………… 35 3.2.3.2. Students’ solutions……………………………………………36 Self – study…………………………………………………….36 Taking extra courses………………………………………….36 Practising speaking to friends……………………………… 36 Participating in English speaking clubs………………………36 CHAPTER 4: PEDAGOGICAL RECOMMENDATIONS:…………………………… 37 4.1. Pedagogical suggestions for subjective problems …………………………….37 4.1.1. A careful plan of the speaking lesson………………………………… 38 4.1.2. Various ways of testing speaking skill………………………………….38 4.1.3. The teacher’s self-improvement of speaking skill…………………… 39 4.1.4. The change in students’ speaking habits ……………………………….39 4.2. Pedagogical suggestions for objective problems………………………………40 PART III: CONCLUSION …………………………………………………………….41 1. Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………… 41 2. Limitations…………………………………………………………………………………41 3. Recommendations for further study………………………………………………….….41 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………… 43 APPENDICES Appendix 1…………………………………………………………………………………….I Appendix 2……………………………………………………………………………………IV ix Appendix 3………………… …………………………………………………………… VII Appendix 4… …………………………………………………………………………… VIII 1 PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the study Language education, especially foreign language teaching and learning, is a compulsory part in every country. With the development of the market economy and the globalization trend, learning foreign languages has become not only an interest but also a great demand for most people in Vietnam. Since 2006, the Ministry of Education and training prescribed a new series of English textbooks for all grades and school types from grade 6 through to grade 10. According to the authors, the new textbooks are theme-based and skill-based, with the adoption of the two currently popular teaching approaches, i.e. the learner-centered approach and the communicative approach. A focus is on task-based teaching as the leading methodology. Within the task-based framework of the new textbook series, students are expected to engage with each other in meaningful interaction and negotiation of meaning within a specific context. The curriculum innovations have brought a total change to the reality of teaching and learning foreign language in Vietnam. In fact, most high-school students have at least four years of learning with the new curriculum at secondary school which has been put in to use since 2002, so they do not find the new textbook unfamiliar. Before the approval and institutionalization of the new textbooks, the teachers have been prepared for the new methods of teaching and learning. Therefore, they have thorough understanding about the nature of the new textbooks. However, both the teachers and learners face a lot of challenges in the process of working with the new English textbooks. It seems that they do not fulfill the requirements of the new textbooks at all. Of the four language skills, speaking is becoming the primary skill given to the students. Introducing this vital skill, the teachers of Vietnamese schools in general and in Xuan Hoa high school in particular have encountered plenty of difficulties. The first-year high school students are also confused when learning this language skill. Hence, the author wishes to understand more about this situation by conducting the study entitled “Challenges in teaching and learning speaking skill with the new textbook for grade 10 at Xuan Hoa high school, Vinh Phuc province and some solutions”. With this study, the writer looks into the problems for both the teachers and the students and suggests some solutions to those problems. 2 2. Aims of the study This research mainly aims at clarifying the challenges in teaching and learning speaking skill with the new textbook for grade 10 at Xuan Hoa high school, Vinh Phuc province. The author investigates the teachers‟ and learners‟ attitudes towards speaking skill and then put the focus on the current difficulties in the application of the new textbook. The causes of their difficulties are also examined so that the solutions to those problems can be given. 3. Method and procedure of the research The data of this paper was collected through the survey questionnaires and interviews. First, the author carried out the survey questionnaires to find out the attitudes towards the teaching and learning of speaking skill with the new textbook and the difficulties of the teachers and students in using the new textbook. Then the interviews with teachers and students were conducted to clarify aspects which were inadequate and vague in the survey questionnaires. 4. Scope of the study This research mainly covers the problems with the speaking skill that teachers and learners have in the process of using the new textbook for grade 10. These problems were discussed thoroughly in order to discover the causes and to offer the best solutions. The subjects of the study are limited to the teachers and students at Xuan Hoa High School – Vinh Phuc province. 5. Organization of the paper The study includes 5 parts: Part 1- Introduction presents the rationale, aims, method, scope and organization of the study. Part II consists of 3 chapters: Chapter 1- Literature review gives the theoretical background of speaking skill. Chapter 2 - Methodology includes the description of Xuan Hoa high school context, the new English textbook and the study (the instruments, the participants and the research questions). Chapter 3- Data analysis and findings describes the data of the questionnaires and interviews, then gives some findings through the data analysis. Chapter 4 – Pedagogical Recommendations suggests some solutions to the current problems. Part III - Conclusion focuses on the conclusions of the thesis, some limitations and recommendations for further study. 3 PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND Speaking is the vital skill of everyday communication. Speaking skill and teaching speaking skill have received much attention from linguists all over the world. This chapter will clarify the nature of speaking skill and popular ideas about teaching and learning this important skill. 1.1. Theoretical background of speaking 1.1.1. Definition of speaking Speaking is the productive skill in oral mode. It is, like the other skills, more complicated than it seems at first and involves more than just pronouncing the words. 1.1.2. The nature of speaking. It is obvious that speaking is the key to communication and seems to be the vital skill in comparison with reading, listening and writing. Everywhere people speak to each other to exchange attitudes, cultural values, etc. Without it communication will become difficult to proceed and our world will become as silent as a grave. Therefore, classroom activities aiming at developing learners‟ ability to express themselves through speech are considered an important component in a language course. Thus oral English becomes an essential part of the senior – secondary school curriculum. There have been many scholars discussing the nature of speaking. To Brown (1994), Burn and Joyce, (1997), Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving and processing information; Its form and meaning are dependent on the context in which it occurs, including the participants themselves, their collective experience, the physical environment, and the purposes for speaking; It is often spontaneous, open ended and evolving. However, speaking is not always unpredictable. Language functions that tend to recur in certain discourse situations (declining an invitation, requesting time) can be identified and charted. For example, when a salesman asks, “May I help you?”, the expected discourse sequence include a statement of need , response to the need, offer of appreciation, acknowledgements of appreciation, and a leave – taking exchange. Speaking requires that learners not only know how to produce specific points of language, such as grammar, 4 pronunciation or vocabulary (linguistic competence), but also that they understand when, why, and in what ways to produce language (sociolinguistic competence). According to Byrne (1976: 8), speaking is a two - way process between the speakers and the hearers involving the productive skill of speaking and the receptive skill of understanding. Both the listener and the speaker have a positive function to perform. The speaker has to encode the message to be conveyed in appropriate language, while the listener has to decode the message. The message itself in normal speech usually contains a great deal of information that the listener needs. It is perfectly true that speaking is active, or productive, and makes use of aural medium. An act of speaking is commonly performed in face - to - face interaction. The act of speaking involves not only the production of sounds but also the use of gestures, the movements of the muscles and the face. Spoken language consists of short, often fragmentary utterances, in a range of pronunciations. There is often a great deal of repetition and overlap between one speaking and another. Speakers frequently use non - specific references. Some of the micro-skills involved in speaking. The speaker has to: *Pronounce the distinctive sounds of a language clearly enough so that people can distinguish them. This includes making tonal distinctions. *Use stress and rhythmic patterns and intonation patterns of the language clearly enough so that people can understand what is said. *Use the correct forms of words. This may mean, for example, changes in the tense, case or gender. *Put words together in correct word order. *Use vocabulary appropriately. *Use the register or language variety that is appropriate to the situation and the relationship to the conversation partner. *Make clear to the listener the main sentence constituents, such as subject, verb, object, by whatever means the language uses. *Make the main ideas stand out from supporting ideas or information. *Make the discourse hang together so that people can follow what you are saying. 1.1.3. Aspects of Speaking [...]... to possess interaction skills Communication of meaning then depends on two kinds of skill: routines, and negotiation skills Routines are the typical patterns in which speakers organize what they have to communicate There are two kinds of routines: information routines, and interaction routines The information routines include frequently recurring types of information structures involved in, for example,... defined as a person whose professional activities involve the transmission of knowledge, attitudes and skills that are stimulated in a formal curriculum to students enrolled in an educational programme Teaching and learning have a close relationship We cannot define teaching apart from learning Teaching is guiding and facilitating learning, enabling the learners to learn, setting the conditions for learning. .. aspects that Bygate distinguishes when considering the skill of speaking These include the knowledge of the language and the skill in using this knowledge The knowledge of producing the language has to be used in different circumstances as they appear during a conversation by means of the skill The ability to use the knowledge requires two kinds of skills, according to Bygate – production skills, and interaction... approach - CLT, and the necessity of teaching and learning speaking skill in a communicative class These concepts and ideas will serve as the theoretical background for all the analysis and discussions of the data in the following chapter 43 REFERENCES 1 A Course in TEFL – Theory and Practice III (2001) VNU 2 Brown, H.D Principle of Language Learning and Teaching Forth Edition, San Francisco State University)... Problems in teaching and learning speaking skill If the aim of the English course is to enable the students to communicate in English, then speaking skills should be taught and practised in the language classroom However, it is true that when teaching speaking skill, the teachers can encounter many problems The most popular ones can be listed as follows: First, the class size is one of the major concerns Teaching. .. interaction skills Production skills involve two aspects – facilitation and compensation, brought about by processing conditions Both devices help students, besides making the oral production easier or possible, sound more naturally Interaction skills, on the other hand, involve routines and negotiation skills Routines present the typical patterns of conversation including interaction and information routines... Negotiation skills serve as a means for enabling the speaker and listener to make themselves clearly understood This is achieved by two aspects: management of interaction and turn-taking 1.2 Theoretical background of learning and teaching speaking skill 1.2.1 Definition of teaching and learning In contemporary dictionaries, learning is defined as acquiring or getting of knowledge of a subject or a skill. .. or instructions Bygate further divides information routines according to their function into evaluative routines (explanations, predictions, justifications, preferences, decisions), and expository routines (narration, descriptions, instructions) The interaction routines, on the other hand, present the characteristic ways, in which interactions are organized dealing with the logical organization and. .. *Whether (and to what degree) something is feasible in virtue of the means of implementation available *Whether (and to what degree) something is appropriate (adequate, happy, successful) in relation to a context in which it is used and evaluated) *Whether (and to what degree) something is in fact done, actually performed and what its doing entails A more recent but related analysis of communicative... 7 and, finally, knowing how to let someone else have a turn The second aspect of negotiation skills - the skill of communicating ideas clearly and signaling understanding or misunderstanding during a conversation‟ - is referred to as negotiation of meaning According to Bygate (1987:29), there are two factors that ensure understanding during oral communications; they are: the level of explicitness and . Challenges in teaching and learning speaking skill with the new English textbook for grade 10 (Basic Stream) at Xuan Hoa High school, Vinh Phuc province and some solutions . Challenges in teaching and learning speaking skill with the new textbook for grade 10 at Xuan Hoa high school, Vinh Phuc province and some solutions . With this study, the writer looks into the problems. learning speaking skill with the new textbook for grade 10 at Xuan Hoa high school, Vinh Phuc province. The author investigates the teachers‟ and learners‟ attitudes towards speaking skill and then