Improving the first year non english majors pronunciation at an giang university using games

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY - HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES W X NGUYỄN THỊ ÁNH NGUYỆT IMPROVING THE FIRST YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJORS’ PRONUNCIATION AT AN GIANG UNIVERSITY USING GAMES M.A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL Supervisor: PETER LEONARD, M.A Ho Chi Minh City, October 2007 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY Except those cited in the bibliography, this thesis contains no other publications elsewhere Besides, no other person’s work has been used without the acknowledgement in the writing Therefore, I certify my authority of the thesis submitted now entitled: IMPROVING PRONUNCIATION OF THE FIRST YEAR NONENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS AT AN GIANG UNIVERSITY USING GAMES This thesis has been handed in for the requirements of the Master’s Program at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities issued by the Higher Degree Committee Ho Chi Minh City, 2007 NGUYỄN THỊ ÁNH NGUYỆT i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, NGUYỄN THỊ ÁNH NGUYỆT, the post-graduate of the Master of TESOL at the University of Social Science and Humanity, accept the requirements of the school for the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the library should be helpful for the purpose of study and research to the students at the school, meeting the regulations of the library for the care, loan and reproduction of the thesis Ho Chi Minh City, 2007 NGUYỄN THỊ ÁNH NGUYỆT ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my deep gratitude to: - Mr Peter Leonard, M.A., my supervisor and instructor at the Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities for his untiring and useful assistance to me throughout the process of my writing His encouragement and approval have also helped me a lot to overcome troubles in doing the research, without which I am not able to complete this study well - Mr Nguyễn Hoàng Linh, my teacher at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities for his useful suggestions on my thesis proposal - Ms Vương Thị Mỹ Tâm, the Dean of English Faculty, Education Department at An Giang University for her sympathy during the time I did the research there - All of my colleagues and students at An Giang University for their considerable helps so that I could finish the thesis well - My family, especially my husband, gave me opportunities and free time to write and to research They were always by my side to support me whenever I was stuck iii ABSTRACT This thesis examines the role of games in improving the pronunciation ability of the first year English non-majors at An Giang University The thesis was carried out as follows: (1) a questionnaire delivered to students to see how much they were interested in games and to know about their selfrecognition of pronunciation as well as its problems (2) a tape recording of the prespeaking test at the beginning of the semester to investigate common problems students made in order to have appropriate games during the semester; and to count how many mistakes they had in answering some given questions (3) a series of class observations at An Giang University to take notes of common mistakes students had and how the teachers reacted to the problem (4) a tape recording of the post-speaking test to measure the improvement in pronunciation after they had joined games in classes Conclusions were made on analyzing the results of the above steps Thanks to them, there were also some suggestions for better teaching and learning English at the University The investigation reveals that games affected the first year non-English majors’ pronunciation ability at An Giang University a lot Games, in fact, not only helped learners there become more accurate in speaking and pronouncing English words, but also gave them chances to study in an amusing and interesting atmosphere Besides, class observations show that they became more independent in studying and friendlier to other people They were also more active, creative and cooperative in solving problems and were more willing to tasks assigned by teachers The study also suggests some pedagogical implications in teaching and learning English there Teachers should give their students more chances to play games in classes because games both help them to relax and are good means of practicing and reviewing the old lessons Students should make use of chances in classes to practice speaking because this is the safe and unique environment for them to learn and practice what they learnt iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter1: INTRODUCTION .1 1.1 Reasons for choosing the topic 1.2 Aims of the study .3 1.3 Scope of the study .4 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Significance of the study .5 1.6 Overview of thesis chapters .6 Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .7 2.1 Teaching Pronunciation Problems leading to mispronunciation 2.2 What is a game and why teachers use games in the classroom? 14 2.3 Theories about games .17 2.3.1 Types of games 17 2.3.2 Communicative approach 21 2.4 The use of games in teaching pronunciation 29 Some practical considerations 33 Conclusion .36 Chapter 3: OVERVIEW OF PRESENT TEACHING AND LEARNING AT AN GIANG UNIVERSITY 38 3.1 Introduction .38 3.2 Description of the teaching staff and teaching methodologies 39 3.3 Non-English major’s program 40 3.4 Description of the students in researched class 41 3.5 The description of Know How series .43 3.6 Teaching pronunciation in Know How material through speaking through communicative and student-centeredness’ approaches 45 v Chapter 4: METHODOLOGY 49 4.1 Methodology of data collection 49 Obstacles 49 4.2 Tape recording 50 4.3 Questionnaire 51 4.4 Class observation 51 4.5 Oral tests 52 CHAPTER 5: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS .53 5.1 Results of the tape recording in the pre-test 53 5.2 Questionnaire 57 5.3 Results of observations 75 5.3.1 Kinds of mispronunciation that the students made 75 5.3.2 How the teacher reacted to the problem 78 5.3.3 Which skills were paid the most attention to during the class? 80 5.3.4 Did the teacher use the games in the class? .81 5.4 Results of oral tests 82 5.5 Findings .84 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION 86 6.1 Conclusion and suggestions .86 6.2 Delimitation and Limitation 87 6.3 Pedagogical implications 90 BIBLIOGRAPHY 91 Appendices 94 Appendix A 94 Appendix B .104 Appendix C .108 vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reasons for choosing the topic The development of the Vietnamese economy requires Vietnamese people to know English in order to work with foreigners To meet the higher demands of society, many people equip themselves with a stable knowledge of English to communicate with their foreign counterparts or to read materials in English for their own business To make a good preparation for the young generation, English, therefore, becomes a must in many teaching and learning courses especially at the university level Without exception, all students at An Giang University must study English for at least five semesters Doing this, the administration board hopes to give them basic knowledge of English for survival in the future However, teaching English at An Giang University has, so far, just aimed to equip students with knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing skills Most people think that good knowledge of grammar and vocabulary will pave the way for other skills to develop Because of such a perception, speaking was not much focused on in teaching and not tested in the examination Pronunciation, as a result, was almost ignored in classes Nevertheless, in reality, knowing English does not mean knowing how to say something in English, but knowing how to say it appropriately and correctly After some years of observing and testing, school administrators have found out that knowing grammar and vocabulary only was not enough Students must be trained to be able to express their ideas fluently and accurately in English Since then, speaking has been taken into consideration Pronunciation, however, is still not paid much attention to and is not taught carefully enough in classes There are three main reasons why teachers not focus much on pronunciation when teaching non-English majors there Firstly, pronunciation is not a separate subject It is just one of many factors such as accuracy and fluency contributing to good speaking skills Students, in fact, can pass the oral exam at the end of the semester without good and exact pronunciation Secondly, some teachers are not very proficient at pronunciation Clearly, not many teachers are specially trained to be pronunciation teachers Even the teachers themselves sometimes mispronounce common sounds Therefore, they usually avoid teaching them in order not to waste time for preparing and practicing or even not to be looked down on by their students Finally, the teachers’ and students’ prejudice may prevent them from teaching and learning pronunciation Teachers may hold the view that correct pronunciation is not very essential for these non-English majors That they just need to know how to say what they think is enough They can also communicate successfully without pronouncing correctly For the students, pronunciation may be boring and difficult to study because they not know much about it In fact, only a few of them have opportunities to work with pronunciation in high school Therefore, it must be very boring, tiring and stressful to study As a result, not much time is devoted to teaching and learning pronunciation Whatever the reason, the failure to teach and learn pronunciation may prevent speakers from expressing their thoughts clearly and exactly That can lead to misunderstanding among interlocutors As a teacher at An Giang University, I think that the situation must be changed if we want our students to be effective communicators After some years of teaching and observing my colleagues’ teaching, I have noticed how enthusiastic students are about learning and practicing English by means of games I, therefore, believe that games are not only fun but also help them to acquire English without much conscious analysis or understanding of the learning process With the purpose to contribute a little bit to the process of building and developing my university, a very young one, and to improve An Giang University students’ pronunciation ability, I have spent much time researching and collecting pronunciation games I think that games can improve learners’ pronunciation in a fun and interesting way On doing the research, I hope to confirm my idea and to give some implications for teaching English to these university students 1.2 Aims of the study In learning a foreign language, especially English, Vietnamese learners have to face many difficulties in pronunciation These problems come from the different sound systems of the two languages They can be strange consonants, vowels or consonant clusters, which are different from or not exist in the Vietnamese language As freshmen, An Giang students study English with Know How materials, the elementary level There are only a few explanations, but no exercises related to pronunciation in this material series Like other students, students there make many mispronunciations when studying English Improving students’ pronunciation has been my desire since I became a teacher at An Giang University Therefore, during my teaching and learning time, I have paid much attention to finding out solutions for the problem and finally arrived at games as the best solution The purpose of the thesis, then, is to investigate how efficient the games are in improving learners’ pronunciation On analyzing the roles of games in pronunciation improvement, I also hope to put for some suggestions for teaching and learning English at An Giang University b Each group will make sentences Each sentence includes plural nouns (regular ones) in which the final “_s/ _es” of one word is pronounced differently form the others c Each group in turn reads aloud their sentences for the others to choose the odd word d The group has m more correct answer is the winner Õ Note: It can also be used to practise that of “_ed” or other sounds Observation: - Language point: pronouncing the final plural “_es / _s” - Skill: Writing and speaking - Level: Any level - Aids: Pictures - Lexical area: Daily activities - Game type: group game/ discussion - Time: 10 - 15 mins * Description: Sts look at the picture of a girl and many activities she does in a day and make sentences to describe it * Procedure: a Divide the class into two teams b Show the picture for them for minutes and then take it away c Sts discuss in their team to find out how many activities they can remember d They, then, speak out to find out who can remember more and pronounce correctly ending sounds “_s/_es” It is the winner 98 (This is to practice the pronunciation of final sounds of the verbs in simple present tense for the third singular subjects or that of regular verbs in the simple present tense.) Bilingual minimal pairs: - Language point: identifying the differences between English and Vietnamese sounds - Skill: Listening - Level: Any level - Aids: A list of bilingual minimal pairs - Lexical area: Open - Game type: individual - Time: 5- 10 mins * Description: The teacher or one good student will read aloud a word from the minimal pairs The rest will listen and decide whether it is English or Vietnamese * Procedure: a The teacher prepares or asks sts to collect at home a list of bilingual minimal pairs that they know or usually misuse when pronouncing English b The teacher or one good student will read aloud a word from the minimal pairs The rest will listen and decide whether it is English or Vietnamese c The teacher calls some sts to read aloud what they hear The whole class will decide whether they are right or wrong For example: English Vietnamese tom tôm eat 99 snow nô chair che pair be tea Thi child chai Hear the difference: - Language point: Minimal pairs discrimination - Skill: Listening - Level: Elementary - Aids: A list of minimal pairs - Lexical area: Open - Game type: Individual or group game - Time: 5- 10 mins * Description: The teacher or one good student will read aloud a word from the minimal pairs The rest will listen and decide which one they hear * Procedure: a The teacher prepares in advance a list of minimal pairs These are words that are similar in sound, but distinguished by one consonantal or vowel difference They can be sounds students will mispronounce, confuse or ones that the teacher wants their students to practice b The teacher reads out pairs Sometimes it can be actual pairs but sometimes it is similar words The sts have to call out whether they are the same or different (individually or discuss with their group) (This can be used to help the sts to distinguish between words with final consonants and those without.) 100 For example: The two sounds / i: / vs / I / sheep ship bean bin eat it seat sit * Note: This game can be used differently The teacher will read a word and sts will write down what it is Then, he/ she call some sts to read out what they hear to check whether they are right or wrong Tongue twister - Language point: Pronunciation and fluency practice - Skill: Listening and speaking - Level: Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced - Aids: Blackboard - Lexical area: Tongue twisters - Game type: Team game - Time: 10- 15 mins * Description: Sts read tongue twisters given * Procedure: a The teacher puts on the board the particular tongue twisters he wishes to practise b Divide the class into two teams c After some minutes of practising, each student must have a go at the tongue twister chosen by the teacher as many times a she can, both quickly and correctly 101 d One point is given to the correct attempt However, as soon as he makes mistakes, a student from the second team will take over e The winner is the one getting more scores (This can be best used to practise familiar sounds such as / ∫ / vs / s /; / θ / vs / δ /; etc ) For example: Peter Piper Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers? If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where is the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked? Sea Shells by the Sea Shore She sells seashells by the seashore The shells she sells are surely seashells So if she sells shells on the seashore, I’m sure she sells seashore shells Rhyme ping-pong - Language point: Rhymes and rhythm practice - Skill: Listening and speaking - Level: Elementary and Intermediate - Aids: None - Lexical area: Open - Game type: Team game 102 - Time: 10- 15 mins * Description: Find the word rhymed with the previous * Procedure: a Tell sts that they have to find rhymed words b Divide the class into two teams One gives a words, the other must find words that rhyme with the other e.g cat, hat, bag, etc c If the student cannot find the word, their opponent wins point d The winner is the one having higher points Jigsaw - Language point: minimal pair practice - Skill: Listening - Level: Elementary and Intermediate - Aids: Chart - Lexical area: Open - Game type: Individual, Pairs or groups games - Time: 10- 15 mins * Description: The teacher reads word by word and student will draw the line as they hear * Procedure: Show sts the chart and ask them copy them down The teacher reads word by word as she chose before Sts draw the line through words they hear The teacher calls some sts to read out what they hear 103 For example: ship sheep heel hill feel fill deal dill she see meet Smith cheap chip sleep slip 10 Bingo - Language point: minimal pair practice - Skill: Listening - Level: Elementary - Aids: Chart - Lexical area: Open - Game type: Individual games - Time: 10- 15 mins * Description: The teacher reads words and sts check if they have them or not * Procedure: Elicit from sts or give them a list of words we need them to practise Ask sts to choose five words randomly The teacher reads her lists of words, and sts check whether they have them or not The person who has the familiar list first will win the game 11 Many other easy games in the Pronunciation games (Hancock, M., 1995) 104 Appendix B: Questionnaire QUESTIONNAIRE Dear students, This questionnaire is formed with the purpose to collect the data for the research about how good the games are in teaching and learning English especially to find out how effective they are in improving student’s pronunciation (Please put the check (3) into the square of your best choice or write down exactly your answer if you have another choice) I Pronunciation: How long have you studied English? Have you ever studied pronunciation before? a Yes b Sometimes c not yet Pronouncing English words is a very easy b easy c difficult d very difficult When pronouncing English, you usually have problems with a Consonants 105 b Vowels c other (please write down what you think) Which sounds you find the most difficult to pronounce? (Please write down what you think) II Games What you think about games? Quite agree a can help students improve skills, vocabulary, grammar, etc b bring fun and exciting feelings to both teachers and learners c create chances for students to practice a particular sound d encourage (at most) students to exchange the knowledge together e increase the fluency and confidence of students in using English f draw the student’s attention to the lesson g give all students different ways to practice the lesson excitedly 106 Agree Disagree Quite disagree h create an active learning atmosphere i can be used for students at different ages and abilities j make real situations, help students have the need to use English k is a student-centeredness activity How often does your English teacher organize games in the class? a Always b Usually c Sometimes d Never Do you enjoy games instructed by the teacher? a very much b quite much c a little d not at all How often you like to play games in my classes? a once a day b once a week c sometimes d never 107 10 What benefits you have when participating in games in English classes? a You feel more comfortable b You can continue the lesson better c You can acquire the lesson better d You are more active and confident e You can remember the lesson faster and easier f All of the above g Your own idea: … 11 To you which of the followings is better for your study? a Participating in classroom activities, relaxing learning atmosphere, be able to discuss with other students b Sit passively in a stable place, listen to the instructor’s lectures and take notes, homework and try to memorize the lesson 12 How long you want to play games in classes? a less than mins b from to 10 mins c from 10 to 15 mins d as long as possible (Thank you very much for your time and help) 108 Appendix C: Because of the low level, students participated in the research cannot answer questions in the questionnaire Therefore, a Vietnamese version was used BẢNG CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT Các bạn học viên thân mến! Bảng câu hỏi thành lập nhằm mục đích thu thập liệu cho đề tài nghiên cứu vai trò việc sử dụng trò chơi việc nâng cao khả phát âm sinh viên không năm trường Đại học An Giang Xin bạn vui lòng đánh dấu (3) vào ô câu trả lời mà bạn chọn; ghi rỏ ý kiến bạn vào phần chừa trống câu hỏi mở A Phần phát âm Bạn học tiếng Anh bao lâu? Bạn học ngữ âm tiếng Anh chưa? a Có b Thỉnh thoảng c Chưa Phát âm tiếng Anh a Rất dể b Dể c Khó d Rất khó Khi phát âm tiếng Anh, bạn thường gặp khó khăn với a phụ âm 109 b nguyên âm c Vấn đề khác (Vui lòng ghi rỏ ý kiến bạn) Những âm bạn thường thấy khó (khó nhất) để phát âm (Vui lòng ghi rỏ ý kiến bạn) B Phần trò chơi Theo bạn, việc sử dụng trò chơi học tiếng Anh có tác dụng nào? (Vui lòng đánh dấu (3) vào ô (những ô) mà bạn chọn) Hoàn Rất đồng ý Đồng ý Không toàn đồng ý không đồng ý a Có thể giúp học viên rèn luyện kỷ năng, từ vựng, ngữ pháp, phát âm, b đem lại niềm vui hứng thú cho giáo viên học viên c tạo hội cho học viên rèn luyện âm cụ thể d khuyến khích tối đa học viên trao đổi với e làm tăng khả sử dụng tiếng Anh trôi chảy tự tin học viên f thu hút tập trung ý học viên 110 g tạo cho tất học viên nhiều cách khác để thực hành học mà không bị nhàm chán h tạo không khí học tập tích cực i sử dụng cho nhiều lứa tuổi trình độ khác j tạo tình thật, giúp học viên có nhu cầu sử dụng tiếng Anh thật k hoạt động học viên trung tâm Giáo viên tiếng Anh bạn có tổ chức trò chơi học không? a Thường xuyên b Thỉnh thoảng c Ít d Không Bạn có thích tham gia vào trò chơi giáo viên học tiếng Anh không? a Rất thích b Thích c Không thích d Hoàn toàn không thích Bạn muốn chơi trò chơi giáo viên học lần? a Thường xuyên b Thỉnh thoảng c Lâu lâu lần d Không muốn 111 10 Những lợi ích bạn có tham gia vào trò chơi học tiếng Anh? a Bạn cảm thấy thoải mái b Bạn tiếp tục học tốt c Bạn tiếp thu dể d Bạn tự tin động e Bạn nhớ dể nhanh f Tất ý kiến g Ý kiến riêng bạn 11 Theo bạn cách sau tốt cho việc học bạn? a Tham gia vào hoạt động lớp, không khí học tập thoải mái, trao đổi với học viên khác b Ngồi chổ, lắng nghe giáo viên giảng bài, ghi chép lại, làm tập sách, cố gắng ghi nhớ 12 Bạn thích tham gia vào trò chơi lớp bao lâu? a Dưới phút b Từ - 10 phút c Từ 10 - 15 phút d Càng lâu tốt Cảm ơn bạn trả lời câu hỏi trên! ☺ 112 ... reading and writing only Through examining the role of games in improving the first year non-English major’s pronunciation ability at An Giang University, teachers can have a clearer view of games and... An Giang University 1.3 Scope of the study The population of my study will be the first year non-English majors at An Giang University The sample is six classes comprising about two hundred and... writing Therefore, I certify my authority of the thesis submitted now entitled: IMPROVING PRONUNCIATION OF THE FIRST YEAR NONENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS AT AN GIANG UNIVERSITY USING GAMES This thesis