Influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill of the first year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education and solutions (ảnh hưởng của việc phát âm sai tới việc học kỹ năng nói của sinh viên năm nhất chuyên ngữ trường UTEHY)
i DECLARATION I certify that entitled: “Influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill of the first year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education and solutions” is the result of my own research and the substance of this thesis has not been submitted for a degree to any other university or institution Hung Yen, May 2015 Signature Dao Thi Minh ii ACNOWLEDGEMENT It is my honor to acknowledge my great thanks to the people who have enthusiastically and wholeheartedly devoted their time, energy and efforts to help me to finish the study First and foremost, I would like to express my hearty gratitude to my supervisor, Ms Doan Thi Thu Thuy, for her valuable comments, worthy guidance and constructive criticism, intellectual disciplines and successive encouragement Second, I am also indebted to the lectures of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Hung Yen University of Technology and Education who has took part in the study survey and provided me with the constructive suggestion and criticism Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge my indebtedness to the first year English major students from classes TAK12.1 and TAK12.2 in campus for their assistance during the data collection process Last but not least, my sincere thanks go to my family and friends for their love, great encouragement and unconditional support when I was in the process of writing this thesis Finally, I wish thank to my readers for their interest and comments on this thesis Without their great help this paper could not have been completed iii ABSTRACT In the process of learning a language general and learning English in particular, it is undeniable that pronunciation is an obstacle for learners However, there has not got any researchers into the influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill Hence, this study is aimed at finding out the influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill for the first year English major students at UTEHY To achieve the desired aims, three data collection instruments are survey questionnaires, observation and interview are employed The survey questionnaires is carried out with the participation of 48 students of the first year English major in campus and teachers of English Department at UTEHY The finding from the methods provide the researcher with an overview of the frequency of pronunciation problems in teaching and learning speaking skill Besides, this study also find out the pronunciation problems that students make when they learning speaking skill In addition to, the result of the study shows the influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill of the first year English students at UTEHY The study also suggests some solutions to improve pronunciation problems for the first year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACNOWLEDGEMENT ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATION vii LIST OF FIRURES AND TABLES viii PART A INTRODUCTION 1.Rationale of the study 2.Aim of study and research questions 3.Research questions of the study Scope of the study Methods of the study Design of the study CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Speaking skill 1.1.1 Definition of speaking 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Mispronunciation 1.4 Some common pronunciation problems 1.4.1 Ending sounds problems 1.4.2 Stress problems 1.4.3 Rhythm and Intonation problems 1.4 Influences of mispronunciation in learning speaking skill CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY 2.1 The introduction 2.2 Research question 2.3 Participants of the study 2.3.1 The teachers 2.3.2 The students v 2.3.3 The textbook 10 2.4 Questionnaires 10 2.4.1 The teacher‟s survey questionnaires 11 2.4.2 The students‟ survey questionnaires 11 2.5 Class observation 11 2.5.1 Objectives 11 2.5.2 The criteria for observation 11 2.6 Interview 11 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND FINDINGS 13 3.1 The questionnaires 13 3.1.1 Teachers and students‟ evaluation of the importance of pronunciation in speaking skill 13 3.1.2 The frequency of pronunciation problems in teaching and learning speaking skill 15 3.1.3 The pronunciation problems that the first year English major students at UTEHY make when they learning speaking skill 17 3.1.4 The influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill 19 3.1.5 Some solutions to improve pronunciation problems in speaking skill 20 3.2.Data from the class observation 23 3.2.1 Introduction 23 3.2.2 Data analysis of the class observation 23 3.2.2.1 The first lesson (TAK12.1) - Lesson 10 24 3.2.2.2 The second lesson (TAK12.2) – Lesson 11 24 3.3 Interview 24 3.3.1 Introduction 24 3.3.2 Data analysis of the interview 25 3.3.2.1 Question 1: What‟s your opinion about the importance of pronunciation in learning English speaking skill? 25 3.3.2.2 Question 2: How you think mispronunciation effects on learning speaking skill? 25 3.3.2.3 Question 3: What pronunciation problems you have while learning speaking skill? 26 3.3.2.4 Question 4: What you often to improve your pronunciation? 26 vi 3.3.2.5 Question 5: How you feel after using the ways to improve your pronunciation problems? 26 3.3.2.6 Question 6: Do you have any requirement for your teacher to help you improve your pronunciation in speaking lessons? 27 3.4 Suggested solutions 27 3.4.1 Suggested solutions for students 27 3.4.1.1 Regular pronunciation exercises 27 3.4.1.2 Recording own voice and listening again 30 3.4.1.3 Talking, listening to native speakers and trying to imitate their voice 31 3.4.2 Teachers‟ suggested teaching techniques 31 3.5 Summary of findings 31 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION 33 The achievements of the study 33 The study‟s limitation 33 Suggestions for further study 33 REFERENCES .I APPENDIX I SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (for students) I APPENDIX IV SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (for teachers) IV APPENDIX VI INTERVIEW FOR STUDENTS…………………………………………………………VII APPENDIX VII TEACHERS' OBSERVATION AND ANECDOTAL NOTE……………… ………….VII vii LIST OF ABBREVIATION UTEHY: Hung Yen University of Technology and Education FFL: Faculty of Foreign Languages viii LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES TABLES: Table 1: The teachers‟ and students‟ assessment about pronunciation in teaching and learning speaking skill 14 Table 2: Responses of teachers and students on the timing of error-correction 21 Table 3: The student‟ evaluation to improve their pronunciation problems 23 CHARTS: Figure 1: The teachers‟ and students‟ opinion about the importance of pronunciation in speaking skill 13 Figure 2: The teachers‟ appreciation about the student‟ ability of pronunciation 14 Figure 3: The teachers and students‟ opinion on the frequency of students have pronunciation problems in speaking lessons 15 Figure 4: The frequency of errors corrected in speaking lessons 16 Figure 5: The frequency of requiry students to pronounce new words 16 Figure 6: Who usually corrects pronunciation problems in speaking lessons 17 Figure 7: Pronunciation problems often are corrected in speaking lessons 18 Figure 8: The most difficult problem of students in learning speaking skill 18 Figure 9: The teachers and students‟ evaluation about the factors that causes the pronunciation difficulties in learning speaking skill 19 Figure 10: The teachers and students opinion towards the effectiveness of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill 20 Figure 11: The students‟ responses to the teachers‟ ways to correct errors effectively 21 Figure 12: Teachers‟ typical reaction when correcting errors in speaking lessons 22 Figure 13: The students‟ ways to improve their pronunciation problems 22 PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study English is one of the most important languages, which is used by many people in the world It plays an important role in international language That is why the international government chooses English as the first foreign language to be taught in schools (Ramelan, 1992) We always use language to express ideas or wishes and to need their help Everyone has his or her own manner in communication It depends on how language is usually used in his or her life, social and cultural background where he or she lives One of the other reasons is that English is spoken as the first language in many countries There are 104 countries where English is spoken as the first language In Vietnam, English language is applied in teaching and learning in almost all universities and colleges and becoming a compulsory subject However, there is a fact that a large number of students learn English ineffectively Thus, people tend to pay more attention to learning English Therefore, the goals of English language teaching are not only to help the students to learn that language, but more importantly, to use that language As we all have known, English has become an obligatory component of education system in many countries Because of the importance of learning English, in Vietnam, most of people want to learn English well to work or communicate However, reaching good English communication is not easy for learners There are four skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking and in fact, most of students cannot speak English well although they are very good at grammar or vocabulary To learn speaking skills well, students must learn pronunciation correctly because mispronunciation causes the meaning changed and listeners could not understand what we are saying Being aware of the importance on learning speaking skills, many methodologists such as Alright (1975), Chaudron (1977, 1988), Fanselow (1977), Hendrickson (1987), Nystrom (1983) have done researches on mistakes in pronunciation According to the reality of learning English in Vietnam, many learners have difficulties in speaking skills, they make many mistakes in pronunciation such as they forgot to pronounce the ending sounds, word stress, rhythm or intonation This has resulted in misunderstanding the listeners For the first year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education, they find that it is difficult to deal with English pronunciation and often get mistakes Based on the problems above, I decided to carry out a research entitled “Influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill of the first year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education” and propose some solutions to help the first year English major students can achieve good pronunciation I hope that this research can give some benefits to teachers and students concerned about this field Aim of study and research questions This study in aimed at: - Finding out some main pronunciation problems which students often get - Finding out the influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill of the first year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education - To give suggested some solutions, which could be useful for students to improve their pronunciation Research questions of the study This study is carried out to find out the answer to the following research questions: Question 1: What is the frequency of pronunciation problems in teaching and learning speaking skill? Question 2: What pronunciation problems the first year English major students at UTEHY make when they learning speaking skill? Question 3: What are the influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill of the first year English students at UTEHY? Question 4: What should be done to minimize these mistakes and help to improve pronunciation in speaking skill of the first year English major students at UTEHY? Scope of the study Within the scope of graduation paper and due to the limitation of time, I just hope to concentrate in investigate 48 students of the first year English major in campus at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education” Therefore, the study is not wide enough to completely over all of the issues in speaking skill Methods of the study The methods of data collection used in this research are questionnaires, class observations and interview The data collected from both questionnaires (for both teacher and students), class observations and interview will be generalized and analyzed Design of the study 28 open for information in order to difficult much in front of however Exercise For each question, choose the syllable that is stressed Can you pass me a plastic knife? a PLAS b TIC I want to take a photography class a PHO b TO c GRAP d PHY China is the country where I was born a CHI b NA Please turn off the television before you go out a TEL b E c.VI d SION I can't decide which book to borrow a DE b CIDE Do you understand this lesson? a UN b DER c STAND 29 Sparky is a very happy puppy a HAP b PY It is critical that you finish today a CRI b TI c CAL My Grandpa wears an old-fashioned coat a OLD b FASH c IONED 10 There is a lot of traffic on the highway today a TRA b FIC b Ending sounds exercises Exercise: Choose the correct pronunciation of “ed” in the following words We can‟t go swimming because the pool is covered a “ed” sounds like d b “ed” sounds like t c “ed” sounds like id Tommy received a gift from his friend a “ed” sounds like d b “ed” sounds like t c “ed” sounds like id Yesterday, they hiked to the top of the mountain a “ed” sounds like d b “ed” sounds like t c “ed” sounds like id We played soccer last night a “ed” sounds like d b “ed” sounds like t c “ed” sounds like id 30 The car door is dented a “ed” sounds like d b “ed” sounds like t c “ed” sounds like id c Rhythm exercises Exercise: Read aloud the sentences or use your computer to record your voice Repeat it again You can either WALK or take the SUBway Well, they ALSO come in SMALler sizes In fact, BOTH of my daughters live in CHICAGO You can either DRIVE or take a BUS I should be BACK no later than THREE I‟ll give her the message as soon as she GETS IN My BROther and I used to FIGHT all the time I‟m so HUNgry I could eat a HORSE I guess a LITTLE EXercise would YOU good 10 The HUman BOdy is MADE to MOVE and it WORKS BEST when it GETS REgular EXcercise d Intonation exercises Exercise: Read aloud each of the sentences below Please pay special attention to the intonation patterns Is that John over there? This room is more expensive than that one Do you know John, dear? Good morning, Mr Smith! What a beautiful day! 3.4.1.2 Recording own voice and listening again Aim: There are few students use this ways to improve their pronunciation Perhaps, they not know the benefit of this way In fact, this is a helpful technique to record voice and compare it with the correct pronunciation This way, students can see where their pronunciation is different from the original and they can gradually make it more native-like 31 or they can compare what they record with the correct pronunciation until they final reach the perfect pronunciation How: To get results, students have to prepare a computer with the recording software already set on it, a headphone with an internal microphone attached or if students cannot afford those equipment, a small tape-recorder is enough for them to taperecording Besides, one tape can be used many times to record voice because students can press the clear button on the radio to clear what words they find unclear and incorrect Should try to pronounce and record English words whenever 3.4.1.3 Talking, listening to native speakers and trying to imitate their voice Aim: It will help students see the differences between the sound of English and students own native language Students may also to imitate the pronunciation and other qualities of speech more easily How: When listening to native speakers (talking to them in person, watching TV, watching a movie, listening to an audio book, listening to songs, etc.), always pay attention to the sounds they pronounce and try to imitate them 3.4.2 Teachers’ suggested teaching techniques Recognizing their important roles in guiding and helping students to overcome such difficulties in their pronunciation learning, all two teachers are eager to share their ideas about teaching techniques in speaking lessons First, the teachers should investigate more time in preparation the pronunciation lessons for students in such a way that he/she designs more interesting learning activities outside the textbook to motivate the students‟ ability If we employ these techniques well, students‟ pronunciation must be improved Secondly, it is the teachers‟ teaching manner that decides their students‟ motivation and learning progress, instead of merely asking students to listen and repeat, teachers should give them chances to work in pair or group to produce their own new language in general and their pronunciation in specific accordingly would be improved The last, flexible and reasonable pronunciation correction is proved to be meaningful to facilitate students‟ learning On time correction is always in need; however, sometimes, teachers must be sensitive in her correction so that their students can feel free and confident to practice pronunciation 3.5 Summary of findings 32 The purposes of this study were to find out the influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill of the first year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education and suggest some solutions In this chapter, the collected data was analyzed and discussed; the findings of study are answers to research questions proposed in the introduction Firstly, the analyzed of the data shows that all students have position attitudes toward pronunciation learning and they are aware of the importance of pronunciation in learning speaking skill Pronunciation is necessary for students to communicate better and it plays an important role in their future Secondly, students have certain difficulties in pronunciation learning, which makes them fail to meet their purpose of teaching and learning pronunciation, which is to communicate better Such difficulties as named in the data analysis are difficulties with stress, ending sounds, rhythm and intonation Thirdly, the present in the questionnaires is the influence of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill Most of participants agree that mispronunciation on learning speaking skill make misunderstand what the speaker say When students meet these mistakes, they fell confused and lose confident Last but not least, the author suggested some solutions to help students to improve their pronunciation Teachers also propose some useful techniques in teaching speaking to help their students get over the difficulties in learning 33 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION The achievements of the study The study provides insightful information concerning the influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill of the first year English major students at UTEHY Besides, the analysis has pointed out of frequency and pronunciation problems of students in speaking lessons From that, they could find the best way to learn speaking skill effectively After all, mastering English pronunciation is a long way The knowledge and practice cannot be enough Therefore, it is important that teachers of English should make their students aware of their pronunciation and provide resources as well as clear guides to help them constantly correct and self-study to improve their pronunciation The study’s limitation Although great efforts have been made in order to provide an insight into the influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill of the first year English major students at UTEHY, some pronunciation problems and suggested some solutions, but mistakes and limitation are unavoidable in this study The study has some limitations due to the limited time, limited number of informants, knowledge and ability of the researcher Moreover, because the survey questionnaires were only carried out among 48 students and teachers Therefore, the results may not cover all of the issues thus the persuasion of the study is limited Another limitation might come from the research instruments That questionnaires may not bring about full answers from students threats the reliability of the research This study can be offered as a basic for further research and the researcher hope that the future research will overcome these limitations to be more successful Suggestions for further study Because of the limitation, this study could not cover everything in its fields of study Many unreached issues would be interesting topics for further research First, it is much better if the assessments of the students‟ pronunciation problems are conducted by other professional raters beside the researcher Second, some more research could look at the effectiveness of some particular teaching techniques in motivating students‟ pronunciation learning An experimental research should be carried out to check students‟ improvement after the pronunciation course I REFERENCES Allwright, D., & Bailey, K.M (1991) Focus on the language classroom Cambridge: CUP Barbara A.H., Brain B (1997) The status of final consonant cluster in English syllables Evident from Childen Joural of experimental Child Psychology: Volumme 6, pp.119-136, University of New England, New South Wales, Australia Brown, G 1977, 1990 Listening to Spoken English London, Longman Brown, H.D (1994) Teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents Burns, A., & Joyce, H (1997) Focus on speaking Sydney: National Center for English Language Teaching and Research Carter, R & McCarthy, M (1995) Grammar and spoken language Applied Linguistics, 16 (2), pp 141-158 Cauldwell, R (2003) The two-sides rule in teaching listening and pronunciation Retrieved http://www.developingteachers.com/articles_tchtraining/two_sides1_richard.htm Cohen, A (1996) Developing the ability to perform speech acts Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 18 (2), pp 253-267 Dan, C 2006, „How can I improve my student‟s pronunciation?‟ Report submitted to China‟s Experimental Centre for Educational Action Research in Foreign Languages Teaching, June 2006, Guyuan, Ningxia 10 Dauer, RM 1993, Accurate English: A Complete course in pronunciation, Prentice Hall, Melbourne 11 David Brazil (1994) Pronunciation for Advanced Learners of English Student's book, pp 12 Elliot, A.R (1995) Field independence/dependence, hemispheric specialization, and attitude in relation to pronunciation accuracy in a foreign language The Modern Language Journal, 79(iii), pp 356-371 13 Fraser, H (2000) Coordinating improvements in pronunciation teaching for adult learners English as a second language, Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs, Canberra 14 Grognet, A.G (1997) Integrating employment skills into adult ESL instruction ERIC Digest Washington, DC: National Center for ESL Literacy Education, pp.136 II 15 Hammond, M (1999) The phonology of English: A prosodic optimality theoretic approach Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.149 16 Hornby, AS 1995 Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.37 17 Kriedler, CW 1989, The pronunciation of English: A Course Book in phonology, Modern Phonological theory applied to English with exercises and answer key, Basil Blackwell, Oxford and New York 18 Munro, M J., &Derwing, T M (1999) Foreign accent, comprehensibility, and intelligibility in non-native speech Language Learning, pp 285–310 19 Pennington, M (1996) Phonology in English Language Teaching: An international Approach Harlow: Pearson 20 Pierrehumbert, J., & Hirschberg, J 1990 The meaning of intonational contours in the interpretation of discourse In P Cohen, J Morgan & M Pollack (Eds.), Intentions in Communication, 271–311 Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press 21 Ramelan 1992 Introduction to Linguistics Analysis Semarang: IKIP Semarang Press, pp.2 22 Roach, P 1983 English Phonetics and Phonology: A Practical Course book, pp.153 23 Ur, Penny (1996) A course in language teaching: practice and theory New York: Cambridge University Press 24 Tarigan, H Guntur 1990.BerbicaraSebagaiSuatuKetrampilanBerbahasa.Bandung: PenerbitAngkasa, pp 3-4 25 Tench, P (1981) Pronounciation skills London and Basingstoke: Macmillan 26 Tran Hien Lan (2009) An investigation into Phuc Trach Upper Secondary School students‟ difficulties in learning English pronunciation, pp.7 27 Yong, C 2004, „How can I improve the pronunciation and intonation of the first year English majors to meet the demand of the new English curriculum?‟ Report submitted to China‟s Experimental Centre for Educational action research in foreign languages teaching, June 25th, 2004, Guyuan, Ningxia I APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (for students) This survey is designed for my research namely “Influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill of the first year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education and solutions” Your assistance in completing this survey questionnaire is highly appreciated Please choose the answer by circling the letter next to your choice, ticking off the items in a checklist or expressing your idea in the blanks You can be confident that the data collected are only for the study purpose Thank you very much for your cooperation: Your gender: A Male B B Female Your class:…………………… Your age:………………… How long have you learnt English? ………………years In your opinion, pronunciation in speaking skill is: A Important B Not important C Very important D Not very important How you find pronunciation in learning speaking skill? A Difficult and boring B Difficult but important C Quite easy and interesting D Others: (Please specify)……………………………………………… Do you have any pronunciation problems in learning speaking lessons? A Always B Usually D Seldom E Never C Sometimes How often are errors corrected in your speaking lessons? A Always B Usually D Seldom E Never C Sometimes How you think mispronunciation effects on learning speaking skill? A make mistakes B make misunderstand II C lose confidence D does not affect Who often correct your pronunciation problems? A yourself B teacher C your classmates D no one What is the most difficult pronunciation problem when you learning speaking skill? A Stress B Ending sounds C Rhythm D Intonation What are the factors that cause the difficulties? A Teacher‟s methods B Student‟s knowledge C Student‟s attitude D Others (please specify…………………………………… ) When does your teacher often initiate error correction? A At transition periods B During the activities C At the end of the lesson D In the next lesson 10 What does your teacher in order to correct errors effectively? A Try to be friendly and helpful B Get insights into students C Give students support for self-correction D Correct errors selectively 11 What you to improve your pronunciation? A watching movies B listening English songs C imitating native‟s voice D reading news 12 How much the activities help you? (Please tick the appropriate column where the numbers indicate how much the group activities help you: 1: not effective, 2: a little effective, 3: effective 4: very effective) III Options States a correct your pronunciation errors b feel more confident c pronounce clearly and fluently d avoid mistakes Not effective A little effective Effective Very effective IV APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (for teachers) This survey is designed for my research namely“Influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill of the first year English major students at Hung Yen University of Technology and Education and solutions” In completing these questions, please choose the answer by circling the letter next to your choice, ticking off the items in a checklist or expressing your idea in the blanks You can be confident that the data collected are only for the study purpose Thank you very much for your cooperation: Your gender: A Male B B Female How long have you taught English? ………………years In your opinion, pronunciation in speaking skill is: A Important C Not important B Very important D Not very important How you find pronunciation in teaching speaking skill? A Difficult and boring B Difficult but important C Quite easy and interesting D Others: (Please specify)……………………………………………… What you think the students‟ ability of pronunciation? A Very good B Good C Normal D Bad Do your students often have any pronunciation problems in speaking lessons? A Always B Usually D Seldom E Never C Sometimes How often are students errors corrected in your speaking lessons? A Always B Usually D Seldom E Never C Sometimes Do you often ask your students to pronounce the new words? V A Always B Often D Rarely E Never C Sometimes How you think mispronunciation effects on learning speaking skill? A make mistakes B make misunderstand C lose confidence D does not affect Which pronunciation problems are often corrected? A Stress B Ending sounds C Rhythm D Intonation What are the factors that cause the difficulties? A Teacher‟s methods B Student‟s knowledge C Student‟s attitude D Others (please specify…………………………………… ) 10 Which part of speaking lesson you often correct student‟s pronunciation problems? A At transition periods B During the activities C At the end of the lesson D In the next lesson 11 Which ways you often use to correct student‟s pronunciation problems? A Showing the errors and then giving direct corrections B Showing the errors and giving hints for students to correct C Pointing out the errors without correction D Others (Please specify)…………………………………………… VI APPENDIX INTERVIEW FOR STUDENTS What‟s your opinion about the importance of pronunciation in learning English speaking skill? How you think mispronunciation effects on learning speaking skill? What pronunciation problems you have while learning speaking skill? What you often to improve your pronunciation? How you feel after using the ways to improve your pronunciation skill? Do you have any requirement for your teacher to help you improve your pronunciation? VII APPENDIX TEACHER'S OBSERVATION AND ANECDOTAL NOTES Date:……………………………………… Time:………………… Lesson:………………………………………………………………… Objective:………………………………………………………………… ……………… …………………………………………………………………… ………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Teaching activities: ………………………………………………………………………… ………… .……………………………………………………………………… …………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Students' participation in the activities ( attitude and motivation): ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Students' problem: ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Students' improvement after the lesson: …………………………………………………… Other: ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… [...]... teachers‟ column, half of the teachers said that mispronunciation makes misunderstand in learning speaking skill Besides 33% of them said that it makes mistakes and 17% thought that mispronunciation makes them lose confidence 0% is the result of “does affects” On the students‟ column, most of students (46%) said that mispronunciation makes other misunderstand what they said When learning speaking skill,... problems do the first year English major students at UTEHY make when they study speaking skill? 3 What are the influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill of the first year English students at UTEHY? 4 What should be done to minimize these mistakes and help to improve pronunciation in speaking skill of the first year English major students at UTEHY? 2.3 Participants of the study 2.3.1 The teachers... 15 As can be seen from the pie chart, it shows the teachers‟ appreciation about the students‟ ability of pronunciation Half of the teachers (50%) said that the students‟ ability pronunciation is normal There are 33 % teachers thought that it is good Only 17% said pronunciation of students is bad and 0% is the result of option “very good” Through the process of teaching, teachers can accurately assess... teachers and 11% students said that students always have pronunciation problems in speaking lessons As the result, the same percentage from the teachers (50%) and the students (52%) reveal that students usually have pronunciation problems Likewise, when I compared responses of the teachers and students, I have the same answers, some of the teachers (33%) and students (37%) said that sometimes students... for their students Besides, 33% of them shared that sometimes they help students correct their errors Also, in teams of students‟ responses, 18% of the students said that they always receive feedback about their mistakes, most of students (62%) said that their mistakes are usually corrected in speaking lessons, and 18% of them sometime corrected for their errors Question 6: Do you often ask your students... new words 16 % of them said that when find the new words they always ask the students to pronounce it to check their knowledge and ability About 17% 17 are sometimes ask their students It also reveals that the teachers know the importance of pronunciation, so they often check their students about it 3.1.3 The pronunciation problems that the first year English major students at UTEHY make when they learning... pronunciation problems do the first year English major students at UTEHY make when they learning speaking skill? Question 6: Who often correct your pronunciation problems? 0% 23% Yourself 29% Teacher Classmates No one 48% Figure 6: Who usually corrects pronunciation problems in speaking lessons As the figure illustrates, 48% students (23 students) said that teacher is who usually correct pronunciation problems... students and teachers to compare and illustrates the answer for the common problems of students It is clear from the figure, there are 20 students (41%)and 2 teachers (33%) said that stress problem and 2 teachers(33%) and 10 students (21%) said ending sounds problem (33%) are corrected frequently Besides, the finding show that teachers often give feedback with these problems The frequently corrected are... learning speaking skill About 31 % students said that stress is the most difficult problem Besides, there are 19% stated that it is intonation and 13% is rhythm 19 3.1.4 The influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill Research question 3: What are the influences of mispronunciation on learning speaking skill of the first year English students at UTEHY? Question 9 What are the factors that... is the major factor that causes the pronunciation difficulties in learning speaking skill, some of teachers (33%) said that teacher‟s methods have influence on their students and only 17% stated that it is student‟s attitude On the students‟ column, it is clear that most students (46%) said that the factor have influence on their learning speaking skill is teacher‟s methods Having the same percentage