Using oral practice in teaching grammar lessons to 11th graders = Việc sử dụng hoạt động luyện tập nói trong việc dạy các bài học ngữ pháp cho học sinh khối 11

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY NGUYEN THI KIM THUY USING ORAL PRACTICE IN TEACHING GRAMMAR LESSONS TO 11TH GRADERS MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATION VINH - 2013 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY NGUYEN THI KIM THUY USING ORAL PRACTICE IN TEACHING GRAMMAR LESSONS TO 11TH GRADERS Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching Code: 60.14.10 MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATION Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Ngo Dinh Phuong VINH - 2013 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I here acknowledge that this study is mine The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true, used with the permission from associates, and have not been published elsewhere Author Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Assoc Prof Dr Ngo Dinh Phuong for his excellent guidance during the completion of this research I would like to acknowledge humbly that his friendly comments and enthusiastic encouragement offer me the inspiration all through the study Without his help, this thesis would not have been possible Secondly, I would like to send my thanks to all the teachers and students at Cua Lo upper secondary school where my study was conducted for their valuable advice, cooperation and willingness to participate in the investigation Also, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the director of Nghe An continuing education center number for providing me opportunity to fulfill the study I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to some of my friends for their friendly advice and support when this work was done Last but not least, I owe a great debt of gratitude to my beloved husband who is always beside me and encourages me to overcome difficulties during my work ii ABSTRACT This research was conducted to investigate the teaching grammar at Cua Lo upper secondary school The study focuses on the frequency of using oral practice in learning and teaching grammar to 11 th graders as well as discovers students’ attitude towards the application of oral practice in grammar lesson Also, some suggestions are recommended to promote the application of oral practice teaching grammar In order to reach the aims of the study, a combination of both qualitative and quantitative approaches was used Data collection instruments consisted of questionnaires, interviews and class observations The findings of the study displays a fact that the frequency of using oral practice in learning and teaching grammar to 11th graders at Cua Lo upper secondary school was at low level Noticeably, written activities tended to dominant in grammar practice in compare with oral activities Due to some reasons, teachers preferred using written activities in practicing grammar structures The data also reveals that this trend of teaching grammar did not meet the students demand of using language structures for communicative purpose In addition, the survey improves that students had high appreciation towards the benefits oral practice brought them in practicing language items They also expressed their much interest in grammar lessons using oral practice From the findings, some suggestions and implication were worked out to promote the use of oral practice as well as to increase the effectiveness of using oral practice in teaching grammar to 11th graders It is suggested that oral practice should be used more frequently in practicing grammar structures Some communicative activities such as drills, games can be exploited in order to create more comfortable and enjoyable language environment in grammar learning iii TABLE OF CONTENT Page STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP .i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT .iii TABLE OF CONTENT iv APPENDICES vi LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS viii LIST OF FIGURES ix CHAPTER INTRODUCTION .1 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims of the Study .3 1.3 Research Questions 1.4 Scope of the Study 1.5 Organization of the Study CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definitions of Grammar 2.2 Grammar Teaching 2.2.1 Methods in Teaching Grammar 2.2.2 Teaching English Grammar through Communicative Language Teaching Approach 2.2.3 Basic Principles for Grammar Teaching 10 2.2.4 Models of a Grammar Lesson 12 2.3 Grammar Practice .15 iv 2.4 Oral Practice .18 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY .24 3.1 Overview 24 3.2 Settings 24 3.3 Participants 24 3.4 Data Collection .25 3.4.1 The questionnaires 25 3.4.2 Class observation 26 3.4.3 Interviews 26 3.5 Data Analysis 27 3.6 Research Procedures .28 CHAPTER FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 29 4.1 Overview 29 4.2 Finding 29 4.2.1 Students’s Opinions towards the Necessarity of English Grammar .29 4.2.2 Students’ Interest in Grammar Lessons 31 4.2.3 Students’ Attitude towards Oral Practice 33 4.2.4 Students’ Feedback about Benefits of Oral Practice 36 4.2.5 Students’ Difficulties in Practicing Grammar Orally 37 4.2.6 Students’ Learning Circumstance in Grammar Lessons 38 4.2.7 Teacher’s Opinion about Grammar Teaching 40 4.2.8 Teachers’ Sources of Activities in Grammar Teaching 43 4.2.9 Teachers’ Assessments on the Contribution of Oral Practice 47 4.3 Discussion .49 v 4.4 Summary 58 CHAPTER CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS 59 5.1 Conclusion 59 5.2 Teaching Implications .60 5.2.1 Implication for Oral Practice Application 60 5.2.2 Suggested Oral Activities in Grammar Lessons .62 5.3 Limitation 65 5.4 Suggested further research .66 REFERENCES 67 Appendix 1: Questions for Teacher 70 Appendix 2: Questions for Students 73 Appendix 3: Questions for Students 77 Appendix 4: Questions for Teachers Interview 81 Appendix 5: Questions for students’ interview 82 1st question: What would you like to change to have more interesting grammar lessons? 82 2nd question: Do you enjoy grammar lessons? Why(not)? 82 3rd question: What are your difficulties in learning grammar lessons? .82 4th question: Are the grammar structures in you textbook difficult to you? 82 5th question: What you expect from your teachers to improve grammar lessons? 82 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Questionnaire for Teachers Appendix 2: Questionnaire for Students (English version) Appendix 3: Questionnaire for Students (Vietnamese version) vi Appendix 4: Questions for Teachers’ Interview Appendix 5: Questions for Students’ interview vii REFERENCES Burns, A (2009) Grammar and Communicative Language Teaching: Why, When and How To Teach It?Camtesol Conference Phnom Penh Celce-Murcia, M , & McIntosh, L (Eds.) (1979) Teaching English as a second or foreign language (pp.54-55) Newyork: Newbury House Celce-Murcia, M., & Hilles, S (1988) Techniques and Resources in Teaching Grammar Oxford: Oxford University Press Cross, D (2000) A practical Handbook of Language Teaching Harlow: Longman Finocchiaro, Mary and Christopher Brumfit (1983) The Functional Notational Approach, Oxford: Oxford University Press Halliday, M.A.K 2001 “On the Grammatical Foundations of Discourse” Harmer, J.: Teaching and Learning Grammar Longman, 1987 http://www.tefljobsoverseas.com/TEFL-teaching-tips/teaching-grammarlesson-plan-presentation-practice-and-production-format/ Hymes, D.H (1972), In Richards.J.C & Rodgers, T.S (1986), Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 10 Johnson, B & Christensen, L (2000) Educational Research USA: Allyn & Bacon 11 McKay, S.L (1987) Teaching Grammar G.B.: Prentice Hall 12 Johnson, Karen E (2000) Understanding Communication in Second Language Classrooms Beijing: People’s Education Press Pp13-14 13 K Lynn Savage with Gretchen Bitterlin and Donna Price (2010) Grammar Matter Teaching Grammar in Adult ESL Programs Cambridge University Press 14 Larsen- Freeman, D (2005) Teaching Language : From Grammar to Grammaring Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press 15 Lewis, M and Hill, J (1992) Practical Techniques for Language Teaching Language Teaching Publications 67 16 Methodology Handbook for English Teachers in Vietnam by Ron Forseth, Carol Forseth, Ta Tien Hung and Nguyen Van Do (1994, p120) 17 Newby, D (1998) ‘Theory and Practice in Communicative Grammar: A Guide for Teachers’ in R de Beaugrande, M Grosman, B Seidlhofer, (eds.) Language Policy and Language Education in Emerging Nations, Series: Advances in Discourse Processes Vol LXIII, pp 151-164 Stamford, 18 Nunan, D (1998) Teaching Grammar in Context ELT Journal 52 (2), 102-109 19 Nunan, D 2004 Practical English Language Teaching: Grammar New York: McGraw Hill 20 Nunan.D.(2005) Practical English Language Teaching New York: McGraw Hill 21 Patel, M F & Praveen, M J (2008) English Language Teaching (Methods, Tools & Techniques), Sunrise Publishers and Distributors - Jaipur, 141 22 Richards, J C (2006) Communicative Language Teaching Today, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 23 Richards, J C & Rodgers, T (2002) Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 24 Richards, Jack, John Platt, and Heidi Weber 1985.Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics Harlow, Essex, England: Longman 25 Rinvolucri, M (1990) Grammar games: Cognitive, Affective and Drama Activities for EFL students Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 26 Robertson, P., Dash, P., Jung, J (2005): The Asian EFL Journal Quarterly: Asian EFL Journal Press 27 Sayeedur Rahman, 2005 Orientations and Motivation in English Language Learning: A study of Bangladeshi students at Undergraduate Level 28 Thornbury, S (1999), How to teach Grammar, Longman 29 Ur, P (1988) Grammar Practice Activities: A Practical Guide for Teachers Cambridge University Press 30 Ur P.(1998), Grammar Practice Activities A practical Guide for Teachers, Cambridge University press 68 31 William, C., Stathis, R., & Gotsch, P(2009) Managing student talk in the English Language Development Classroom Ruidoso, NM: Teacher Writing Center 69 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Questions for Teacher This questionnaire is made to investigate the information of teachers’ experience in using oral practice in teaching grammar to 11 th graders at Cua Lo High School in Nghe An The answer will be used as important data for the research not for any other purposes The answer, therefore, should be frank and accurate to your own ideas and teaching context Thank you very much for your cooperation! Please put a tick (√) on the answer you choose …………………………………………………………………………………… I Teacher’s profile -Your qualification: BA MA Ph.D - Years of teaching: < years 5-10 years > 10 years - Have you ever participated in any workshops of teaching grammar? Yes No II Teacher’s Experience in Teaching Grammar at Upper Secondary Schools ( More than one choice is acceptable in some sentences) In your opinion, the role of teaching grammar is… a very necessary b necessary c not quite necessary d not necessary Do you find teaching grammar is difficult? Yes No What is your most consider to your students when you teach grammar? Your students communicative needs The environment in which learners use English The examinations which students need to pass The exercises that students need to complete in the textbook Other things (Please specify) ……………………….……………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… How important you think contextualization is in grammar teaching? Very important Not very important Important Not important No idea What is your main focus on in grammar practice? Form and rule Meaning Use How often you design other activities beside the ones in your current English textbook when you teach grammar? Often Sometimes Rarely Never Do you agree with the statement that the available grammar exercises in textbook are sufficient for your students? Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Which type of practice would you prefer using in teaching grammar? Oral practice Written practice What kind of activities you often use in guided practice stage? Drills with word cues, pictures as prompts • Information Gap Sentence transformation Dialogue substitutions Conversation cards Opinion sharing Problem solving Role play Communicative games Sentence transformation Error recognition Sentence building Verb form Gap-filling Word strip 10 How often you adapt communicative practice activities for your students in teaching grammar? Often Sometimes Rarely Never 11 How you think your students learn in a grammar lesson without oral practice? They are less active They are less interested in the lesson They learn as well as the lesson with oral practice They the tasks better No idea 12 According to you, using oral practice in teaching grammar will help students Use the structure you teach fluently Have opportunity to explore grammartical structure in authentic language Encourage students to explore the relationships between grammar and discourse Increase their interest in learning Other things (Please specify) ……………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Appendix 2: Questions for Students These questionnaires aim to discover students’ opinions towards the use of oral practice in learning grammar at Cua Lo High School All of these answers will be used as important data of the research They should, therefore, be frank and accurate to your own learning context Thank you very much for your cooperation! Please put a tick (√) on the answer you choose I Students’ Profile - Years of studying English: …………………… - Your class size: Less than 40 students 40-50 students More than 50 students II Students’ Experience in Learning English (More than one choice is acceptable in some sentences) Do you think English grammar is necessary for your language learning? Yes No What you learn English grammar for? English grammar helps you to pass the examinations English grammar enables you to communicate accurately, meaningfully and appropriately English grammar is essential in developing various language skills to reach the aim of communication English grammar helps develop your self- confidence in using language Other reasons (Please specify)…………………… Do you enjoy learning Language focus periods at your school? Very much Yes Not much No How does your teacher present a new language item to you? Give meaning and explain the rules of new grammar structures in Vietnamese Explain the rules of new English grammar structures in English Give examples of new structures and analyze the form • Give context in which the structure is used • Use the structure to talk about the real situation in the classroom or Students' life • Other ways (Please specify) ………………………………………………… …………………………………….………………………………………………… How you feel when you attend the practice activities in grammar lessons at your school? Stressful Interested Excited Bored Others (Please specify)………………………………………………… How often are the following activities given to you in practicing a new language item? Activities Drills with word cues, pictures as prompts Information gap Dialog substitutions Conversation cards Opinion sharing Problem solving Role play Communicative games Sentence transformation Error recognition Sentence building Verb form Gap-filling Word strip Always Often Sometimes Seldom Never What type of practice activities above you like most? Please write down the name(s)? ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Which type of interaction would you like oral grammar practice to be organized? Individually Pair work Group work Whole class Other ways (please specify) ………………………………………………… What you benefit in the grammar lessons which use oral practice? It encourages you to co-operate in learning It makes grammar lessons more enjoyable It helps you produce well-formed examples in speech It helps you use the structure to convey meanings in speech It offer you opportunity to develop your negotiation skills in communication You can exploit the structures to communicate in real life Other things (Please specify) ……………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 10 What difficulties you have/suppose to have when doing grammar practice orally? You are afraid of speaking in front of class You can’t concentrate because the class was noisy You don’t have enough time to fulfill the tasks You have much pressure when participating in it Other things (Please specify) ……………………………………………… 11 What is the last activity you often get involved in grammar lessons? Doing written grammar exercises in textbook Doing written grammar exercises in textbook and workbook Doing written grammar exercises outside textbook and workbook Doing communicative activities Others, please specify ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… 12 Which statement(s) most describe(s) your situation after learning new language items? You are confused about the form You cannot catch up the meaning of it You can the written exercises very well You cannot make use of the structure in real life communication You can use structures to communicate accurately, meaningfully and appropriately Others (Please specify) ……………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… Appendix 3: Questions for Students Bảng câu hỏi nhằm mục đích tìm hiểu ý kiến học sinh việc sử dụng thực hành nói tiết dạy ngữ pháp Tiếng Anh 11 Trường THPT Câu trả lời bạn học sinh quan trọng thành công đề tài nghiên cứu Vì mong hợp tác bạn! Hãy đánh dấu (√) vào phương án cho ý kiến mở cuối số câu hỏi ……………………………………………………………………………………… I Thông tin cá nhân học sinh - Số năm bạn học Tiếng Anh: ……………………… - Số học sinh lớp bạn: < 40 sinh viên 40-50 học sinh > 50 học sinh II Kinh nghiệm học sinh việc học nói Tiếng Anh (Ở số câu hỏi bạn chọn nhiều phương án phù hợp) Bạn có nghĩ ngữ pháp Tiếng Anh cần thiết cho việc học ngoại ngữ bạn khơng? Có Khơng Bạn học ngữ pháp tiếng Anh lí gì? Ngữ pháp tiếng Anh giúp bạn vượt qua kì thi Ngữ pháp tiếng Anh giúp bạn giao tiếp cách xác, ý nghĩa phù hợp Ngữ pháp tiếng Anh cần thiết để phát triển kĩ ngôn ngữ khác cho mục đích giao tiếp Ngữ pháp tiếng Anh giúp bạn tự tin sử dụng ngôn ngữ Lý khác (xin liệt kê) ………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Bạn có thích học tiết ngữ pháp trường khơng ? Rất thích Có thích Khơng thích Khơng thích Giáo viên bạn thường trình bày cấu trúc ngữ pháp nào? Giải nghĩa giải thích quy tắc cấu trúc ngữ pháp tiếng Việt Giải thích quy tắc cấu trúc Ngữ pháp tiếng Anh Đưa ví d v cỏc cu trỳc mi phân tích cấu tróc Đưa tình có sử dụng cấu trúc Sử dụng cấu trúc để nói tình thật lớp đời sống học sinh Cách khác (xin liệt kê) ………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Bạn cảm thấy tham gia hoạt động luyện tập tiết học ngữ pháp trường? Căng thẳng Thích thú Hào hứng Chán Cảm giác khác (xin liệt kê) ……………………………………………… ………………………………… …………………………………………………… Giáo viên bạn thường đưa hoạt động giúp bạn luyện tập cấu trúc ? Activities Always Luyện tập với từ, hình vẽ gợi ý Hoạt động khoảng trống thông tin Hoạt động thay đoạn hội thoại Hoạt động dùng thẻ để tạo đoạn hội thoại Hoạt động chia sẻ ý kiến Hoạt động giải vấn đề Hoạt động đóng vai Những trò chơi giao tiếp Viết lại câu Often Sometimes Seldom Never Tìm lỗi sai Hồn thành câu Chia động từ Điền vào chỗ trống Sắp xếp câu Trong hoạt động bạn thích hoạt động nhất, viết tên? ……………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Bạn thích thực hành nói ngữ pháp tổ chức học mình? Cá nhân Theo cặp Theo nhóm Cả lớp Cách khác (xin liệt kê) .……………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… Hoạt động bạn thường làm cuối tiết học ngữ pháp ? Làm tập viết sách giáo khoa Làm tập viết sách giáo khoa sách tập Làm tập viết sách giáo khoa sách tập Luyện tập hoạt động mang tính giao tiếp Hãy viết cách khác (nếu có) ……………………………………………………………………………… 10 Những tiết học ngữ pháp có sử dụng thực hành nói ngữ pháp đưa lại lợi ích cho bạn? Bạn hoàn thành tập cách dễ dàng Bạn nói câu cấu trúc Bạn sử dụng cấu trúc câu để chuyển tải ý nghĩa lời nói Bạn phát triển kĩ thương lượng giao tiếp Bạn sử dụng cấu trúc để giao tiếp thực tế Những lợi ích khác (xin liêt kê) …………………… ……………… 11 Những khó khăn bạn có/có thể có luyện tập ngữ pháp hình thức nói? Bạn ngại nói trước lớp Bạn khơng thể tập trung lớp học ồn Bạn khơng có đủ thời gian để hồn thành nhiệm vụ Bạn có nhiều áp lực tham gia vào hoạt động Hãy thêm khác (nếu có) ………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… 12 Nhận định với tình bạn sau bạn học xong cấu trúc ngữ pháp ? Bạn bối rối cấu trúc Bạn chưa hiểu rõ ý nghĩa cấu trúc Bạn làm tập viết tốt Bạn sử dụng cấu trúc giao tiếp thực tế Bạn sử dụng cấu trúc để giao tiếp cách xác, đủ ý nghĩa phù hợp Những điều khác (hãy liêt kê) … …………………………………… 13 Bạn muốn có thay đổi để có tiết học ngữ pháp thú vị hơn? Các hoạt động để luyện tập cấu trúc ngữ pháp Phương pháp dạy giáo viên Cấu trúc ngữ pháp sách giáo khoa Môi trường học( thiết bị học tập, môi trường học giao tiếp hơn) Những điều khác (xin liệt kê)…………………………………………… Appendix 4: Questions for Teachers Interview This interview is composed of open-ended questions addressing the oral practice in the light of CLT at Cua Lo high school Other questions may be added based on subjects to questionnaire 1st question: Which sources you often get to have practice activities for your students in grammar lessons? 2nd question: Why you think written grammar are used more often in grammar practice? 3rd question: What you think of the design of grammar lessons to 11 th graders in the course book? 4th question: In your opinion, how the students like oral practice? And how your students in grammar lessons benefit from them? 5th question: What are some of the difficulties you have faced personally when attempting oral practice in your grammar lessons? Were you able to overcome those difficulties? How? 6th question: In your view, what changes should make and what suggestions should be given in Grammar lessons to the 11 th graders so that the teaching and learning can be more successful? ...MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY NGUYEN THI KIM THUY USING ORAL PRACTICE IN TEACHING GRAMMAR LESSONS TO 11TH GRADERS Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching. .. the reality in using oral practice in teaching and learning grammar and to work out an effective way to enhance the teaching and learning grammar process The idea of doing something useful for... follows: - To investigate the reality of using oral practice in grammar lessons to 11 th graders at Cua Lo upper secondary school - To explore students’ attitude towards the application of oral practice