A study on some major factors affecting students’ interest in learning english at a high school in viet nam

HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2 FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES BUI THI YEN A STUDY ON SOME MAJOR FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT A HIGH SCHOOL... HANOI PEDAGOGI

HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2 FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BUI THI YEN

A STUDY ON SOME MAJOR FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT A HIGH SCHOOL

HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2 FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BUI THI YEN

A STUDY ON SOME MAJOR FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT A HIGH SCHOOL

IN VIET NAM

Major: English Language Teaching

SUPERVISOR: TRAN THI MINH PHUONG, MA

Hanoi, 2019

Secondly, I am grateful to all the lectures at Ha Noi Pedagogical University

2, especially the lectures at Faculty of Foreign Languages for their help and support

I also owe my special thanks to the participants at Quynh Coi High School who helped me doing my surveys and cooperated with me If I had had no their support, I would not have completed the research on time

Last but not least, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my parents, close friends with whose inspiration I am able to complete the paper

ABSTRACT

Teaching English as a foreign language in Viet Nam is a challenging task for a teacher Language learning should be more interesting and enjoyable for learners to learn The level of learners’ interest in learning process depends on many factors controlled by nature or shaped by nurture The present study aims at investigating some major factors affecting students’ interest in learning English of 90 students in grade 10 at Quynh Coi High School The primary methods of this research were survey questionnaire, interviews and classroom observation These findings indicated that interest in learning English was a significant issue for EFL learning Moreover, external factors had more impact on learners’ English language proficiency level compared to internal ones Based on the findings of the present study, some pedagogical implications were suggested to encourage students and teachers to improve themselves in learning and teaching English

Keywords: students’ interest, learning English, external factors

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

Title:

A STUDY ON SOME MAJOR FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN VIET NAM

(Graduation paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Bachelor of Arts

in English)

I certify that I have not copied no part in this study from any others’ reports without acknowledgement and this work is written by my best under instruction from my supervisor

Date of submission: May 2019

LIST OF THE TABLES AND FIGURES

Tables:

Table 1: Indicators of students’ Interest (Slameto2003) 7

Table 2 Taxonomies of factors affecting learners. 9

Table 3 Eb Mahlobo’s classification of factors(1999) 10

Table 4: Classroom observation checklist entries. 25

Table 5: Students’ attitudes towards teacher 30

Table 6: Students’ attitudes towards textbook .31

Table 7: Classification of LLS types by students according to their frequency of use. .32

Figures: Figure 1 : The students’ most recent English learning results. 27

Figure 2: Students’ intrinsic motivation 28

Figure 3: Students’ extrinsic motivation 29

Figure 4: Classification of LLS types in terms of frequency of use 33

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

1 EFL: English as a Foreign Language

2 TESL: Teaching English as a Second Language

3 SILL: The Strategies Inventory of Language Learning

4 LLS: Language Learning Strategies

5 SLA: Second Language Acquisition

6 ESL: English Second Language

6 SA: Strongly Agree

7 A: Agree

8 U: Uncertain

9 D: Disagree

10 SD: Strongly Disagree

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Aims of the study and Research questions 3

2.1 Aims of the study 3

2.2 Research Questions 3

3 Scope of the study 3

4 Methods of the study 3

5 The significance of the study 4

6 Overview of the study 4

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 5

CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 5

1 Theories of Interest 5

1.1 Definitions of Interest 5

1.2 Indicators of students’ interest 6

1.3 The role of interest in learning 7

2 Definitions of language acquisition 8

3 Theoretical frameworks of factors affecting students’ interest 9

3.1 Eb Mahlobo’s classification of factors .10

3.2 Brown's classification of factors .10

3.3 Pawlak’s classification of factors 11

4 Research Framework 12

4.1 School/Classroom context 12

4.1.1 The school’s teaching- learning culture 12

4.1.2 The availability and use of educational resources 13

4.1.3 The influence of the learner- educator ratio 13

4.1.4 The teacher’s attitudes and skills in teaching English as a second language (TESL) 15

4.1.4.1 The teacher’s attitudes towards TESL 15

4.1.4.2 The teacher’s skill for TESL 15

4.2 Motivation 15

4.3 Learner attitudes 18

4.3.1 Attitude towards teacher 18

4.3.2 Attitude towards textbook .19

4.4 Language learning strategies 20

CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY 22

1.Participants 22

2 Data collection 22

2.1 Survey questionnaire .22

2.1.1 Reasons for using Questionnaire 22

2.1.2 Description of questionnaire .22

2.2 Interview .24

2.2.1 Reasons for using interview .24

2.2.2 Description of interview .24

2.3 Class observation .24

2.3.1 Reasons for using class observation 24

2.3.2 Description of class observation .25

3.Data collection procedure 25

CHAPTER III: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 27

1 Findings from survey questionnaire .27

1.1 Students’ most recent result of English learning .27

1.2.Students’ motivation towards English .28

1.3 Attitude towards teacher 30

1.4 Attitude towards textbook 31

1.5.Language learning strategies 32

2 Findings from interview .34

3 Findings from the classroom observation .36

PART C: CONCLUSION 40

1.Summary of the study 40

2 Implications for teaching 42

3 Limitations of the study 43

4 Suggestions for futher study 43 REFERENCES 44 APPENDIX

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

Nowadays, kas kthe kworld khas kbecome kmore kand kmore kclosely kintegrated, k

kEnglish kplays kan kimportant krole kin kinternational kcommunication. kAccording kto

kCrystal k(2003), kthere kare k320-380 kmillion kpeople kwhose kfirst klanguage kis kEnglish

kand k300-500 kmillion kpeople kwhose ksecond klanguage kis kEnglish. kIt kis kthe

klanguage kof ktrade, kscience, ktechnology, ktourism, ksport, kmusic kand kmany kother

kfields kof klife. kAs ka kresult, kin knon-English-speaking kcountries, kthis klanguage khas

kbecome kthe kofficial ksubject kin kcurriculum kat kprimary kschools kto kuniversities kin k

kthe k kpast k kdecades. kFor kthis kreason, kit kis knecessary kto kteach kEnglish kto kstudents

kas kearly kas kpossible kin korder kto kprepare kthem kto kconfront kthe kmodern kera

In Vietnam, children and adults learn English with different purposes Children learn it as compulsory subject at schools and their parents want that Students learn English to pass the exams, to study abroad or to access to some of the country’s best universities Adults study English in order to communicate with foreigners, find better job opportunities in the future In general, in spite of deriving from various purposes, everyone wants to turn English to become their own instrument in their lives Yet, despite its apparent utility as a lingua franca or a world language (Burutt-Grifler, 2002), and the fact that students must pass final examinations, many students have failed to learn it successfully This situation also applies to the students in many countries, particularly Vietnam, where learning foreign languages is compulsory in schools

For many students in Vietnam, especially in high schools, learning English

as a second language is one of the most difficult subjects they have learnt They kare

kexperiencing kgreat kchanges kboth kin kpsychology kand kphysiology. kTheir kaffect kwill

keasily kbe kinfluenced kby kany kfactors. kConsequently, kstudents klose ktheir kinterest

kquickly kin klearning. kInterest kis kone kof kthe kimportant kaffective kelements kin

klearning kprocess, kwhich khelps kto kdetermine kthe klevel kof kproficiency kachieved kby

kdifferent klearners. kTherefore, kwhether kstudents kcan khold kpositive kaffect kor knot

kwill khave kdecisive kimpact kon ktheir kstudy

As a teacher of English, students’ proficiency and interests in learning English are things that get lots of the teacher’s consideration and time It is very

important for teachers to be able to teach and arouse students’ interest in following the lessons All teachers always want to have an effective and interesting lesson each day In fact that many students may sometimes lose their willingness and interest towards lesson, which puts a major barrier in front of effective language learning They do not pay attention to the lessons or do not care about periods, some even say that because they do not seem to have interest in English, they feel bored and demotivated Teachers should try to find practical ways to motivate the students

to learn, and at the same time, maintain students' interest in the language learning process Moreover, teachers need to consider students' thoughts and feelings in the learning process For example, how students feel after each lesson, teachers speak clearly or not, etc The researcher understands the situation and wants to investigate factors that are involved in students’ interest to perform tasks well due to having some factors that teachers can control over

Although Quynh Coi High School is not a gifted school, the quality of teaching and learning is quite higher than other schools in this area Teaching English is a second language to students in rural areas remains a great challenge because performance in exams in considered more significant than for other purposes English is a compulsory subject and there are three periods per week for each grade The students in this said that they get in trouble in learning English, they are almost not interested in learning it Besides, they feel empty, confused even scared of English Some other students commented that they learn English as a machine to be programmed, and English is the most difficult subject in their curriculum From their perspective, they have not found interest in learning English, they also have felt tired and depressed What factors can affect their learning process is the researcher’s question for that problem The researcher wants to find the better solutions for eliminating factors that impact negatively on students’ interest in learning process

Hence, she would like to carry out this research with students in grade 10 who need to get on well with a new learning environment in the high school This is the reason why the researcher has chosen that topic for the thesis namely “A study

on some major factors affecting students’ interest in learning English at a high school in Viet Nam” This research can give a few benefits to teachers, students and people take interest in this field

2 Aims of the study and Research question

2.1 Aims of the study

The general aim of this study is to investigate some major factors affecting students’ interest in learning English process at Quynh Coi High School The investigation is predicated upon the assumption that the research results can lead to improved understanding of the extent and the causes of losing interest in learning English In addition to this, the study hopes to provide an overview for teachers about teaching and learning English Moreover, it will help teachers understand and have positive changes to make students become more interested in learning

2.2 Research Question

In the thesis, the following question is taken into consideration:

1 What are some major factors affecting students’ interest in learning English?

3 Scope of the study

This study investigates factors affecting students’ interest in learning English

at high school Also, this study considers the attitude of students towards in learning English Due to the limited time and limited size, this study only focuses on some major factors influencing on English learning of students in grade 10 at Quynh Coi High School and their attitude towards learning language process The research was conducted with two classes (10A6 and 10A10), both of classes have the same curriculum and have been taught by two English teachers (Mrs Van Anh was in charge for class 10A6, Mrs Ly was in charge for class 10A10)

4 Methods of the study

To achieve the aims of the study, different intrusments were applied: survey questionnaire, interviews and classroom observation The participants of the study were 90 students in grade 10 at Quynh Coi High School, having spent at least five years learning English since they were in the fifth grade Ten of the participants were selected for interviews They were chosen due to their long time in learning

English The interviews aimed to collect their detailed opinions in the process of learning English Classroom observation were carried out that all activities, which the teachers and students are performed in real classroom settings, were watched and recorded These enable the researcher to elicit reliable data

5 The significance of the study

The study aims to identify the present situation of learning English of students

at Quynh Coi High School and explore some major factors affecting their English learning The study is believed to find out which the most important factors are and which the least ones are As for the theoretical perspective, this study is expected to make a minor contribution to the research of education As for English language teaching, the study gives some suggested solutions, which could be useful for teachers and learners in teaching and learning English at high schools Hopefully, the study will make some benefits to improve the teaching and learning of language in general, and the learning of English in particular among the high schools

6 Overview of the study

This kstudy kis kdivided kinto kthree kparts kas kfollows:

kResearch kquestions, kScope kof kthe kstudy, kMethods kof kthe kstudy kand kSignificance

kof kthe kstudy

kFinding kand kDiscussion, kImplications kof kthe kstudy

Chapter kI, kTheoretical k Background, kpresents klanguage kacquisition, ktheoretical

kframeworks kof klanguage klearning kfactors kand kresearch kframework

Chapter kII, kMethodology, kdescribes kin kdetail kthe kParticipants, kResearch

kinstruments kemployed kand kProcedure kof kdata kcollection kanalysis

Chapter kIII, kFinding k and k discussion, kanalyzes kgathered kdata kand kpresents kthe

kdiscussion kof kresearch kfindings, kand kImplications

kfurther kstudy

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Mangal (2007) stated that interest is the central force that drives the whole machinery of the teaching and learning process It means, when students are interested they will more pay attention and easy to understand the lesson or material that given by the teacher Great interest will give impact on students’ activities In the fact that you are interested in something, you will want to keep doing it to satisfy the feeling of pleasure Besides, interest gives enough energy to a person to resist exhaustion, encourage learners to participate in lesson and avoid negative thinking

Furthermore, Slameto (2010) defined interest is persistent tendency to pay attention to and enjoy some activities, content Students who have an interest will focus and feel enjoy to something and always enthusiastic to follow the lessons Interest is a centralization of attention not intentionally that is born with fully positive thinking, and enjoyment He declared that interest is a feeling to like and interested at one particular matter or activity without controlling by anyone When students are interested in what they are learning or joining, they will work enthusiastically, they will also process the information more efficiently, and employ more useful learning strategies

For example, students are willing to participate in activities of lesson such as: raise hand to express their ideas, join in group discussions, make creative questions

related to the lessons for teachers, friends, etc They do not feel ashamed of anything, make questions to teachers about the problems that they are vague Moreover, when the students are interested in a lesson, they will work harder and persist longer, making them more active and confident

From the explanation above, being interested in something means that you take care of it, you want to learn or to become involved in it It can be said that interest is a special attention towards a certain matter that is created fully willingness and depending on individual and their environment

1.2 Indicators of students’ interest

According to Slameto (2003) indicators of students’ interest are:

1 Ask to the teacher

about the material

2 Look for other sources

about the material or the

lesson

3 Pay attention while

learning

4 Focus while the

teacher explains the

3 Follow the lesson enthusiastically

4 Diligently read the English book

Needs is a condition in the person of a student who driving him to certain activities in order to achieve a goal

For examples:

1 Learn English in order

to have a better job

2 The awareness to take notes while learning process

Teachers’ positive manner of behavior

Participation

1 Enjoy in doing the task

or exercise given by the

teacher

2 Always enthusiastic to

follow the lessons

1 Teachers’ attention makes the students motivated in learning English

2 Students feel that

1 Ask if they do not understand the material

2 Always do the task given by the teacher

3 Answer the question

3 Take a note from the

material

learning English is funny

3 Have a high enthusiastic

to the lesson and the teacher

4 Teachers’ explanation make the students

understand about the lesson

from the teacher

Table 1: Indicators of students’ Interest (Slameto2003)

In general, basing on indicators of students’ interest teachers can realize students’ attitude and interest in lesson The identification of interest highlights different ways in which student engagement can be expressed in the classroom, how

it can be visible to a teacher or an observer, and the way it is expressed and detected

in the classroom When students get encouraged towards doing something, they generate more interest in accomplishing the task This is most important for the purpose of academic success If a teacher knows indicators, he or she will find it easy to guide his/her students properly in the acquisition of the target language Hopefully these teachers’ perspectives on indicators of interest will be helpful when making sense of events related to student engagement in instructional settings and for improving teaching

1.3 The role of interest in learning

Learning can be considered as a process of getting knowledge Students’ interest plays a crucial role in developing student’s thinking ability

Interest kis koften kthought kof kas ka kprocess kthat kcontributes kto klearning kand

kachievement. kThat kis, kbeing kinterested kin ka ktopic kis ka kmental kresource kthat

kenhances klearning, kwhich kthen kleads kto kbetter kperformance kand kachievement

k(Hidi, k1990) kMoreover, kresearch khas kdemonstrated kthat kinterest kpromote

kattention, krecall, ktask kpersistence, kand keffort k(Ainley, kHidi, k& kBerndorff, k2002;

kHidi, k1990; kHidi k& kRenninger, k2006). kInterest kis kessential kfor klearning kprocess

Thus, it can be said that interest in learning can determine learners' thoughts and feelings If learners are not interested in learning, they will find it very difficult

to pay attention, to maintain positive emotions for the subject They feel discouraged, uncomfortable when learning and participating in activities related to the lesson In contrast, having an interest in learning, students will feel happy and comfortable to acquire knowledge Learners feel motivated to explore, get new knowledge, voluntarily participate in activities in class Interest really plays an essential role in the learning process of students not only in the classroom but also

at their home

2 Definitions of language acquisition

According kto kLightbown, kP.M k& kSpada k(1999), klanguage kacquisition kis

kone kof kthe kmost kimpressive kand kfascinating kaspects kof khuman kdevelopment. kUp

kto know, kthere khave kbeen kmany kdifferent kdefinitions kof klanguage kacquisition. k

Language kacquisition kis ka ksubconscious kprocess, klanguage kacquirers kare

knot koften kaware kof kthe kfact kthat kthey kare kgetting klanguage, kbut kare konly kaware kof

kthe kfact kthat kthey kare kusing kthe klanguage kfor kcommunicational kgoal. k( kKrashen,

kS. k2003). kLanguage kacquisition kis kthe kprocedure kby kwhich kpeople kgain kthe

kability kto krealize kand kcomprehend klanguage, kas kwell kas kto kcreate kand kuse kwords,

ksentences kto kexpress ktheir kthoughts. kLanguage kacquisition kis kone kof kthe

kquintessential khuman kcharacteristics, kbecause knon-humans kdo knot kconvey kby

kusing klanguage. k

Additionally, klanguage kacquisition kis knatural kprocess kto kexperience ka

klanguage, kfor kexample, kthe klearners kmight knot kknown kthe kgrammar krule kbut kis

kstill kable kto kimmaculately kconverse kwith ka knative. kThey kare knot kconsciously

kaware kof kthe krules kof kthe klanguages kthey khave kacquired. kInstead, kthey khave ka

k"feel" kfor kcorrectness. kGrammatical ksentences k"sound" kright, kor k"feel" kright, kand

kerrors kfeel kwrong, keven kif kwe kdo knot kconsciously kknow kwhat krule kwas kviolated

kError kcorrection kand kexplicit kteaching kof krules kare knot krelevant kto klanguage

kacquisition k(Brown k& kHanlon,1970)

It kcan kbe ksaid kthat klanguage kacquisition kis kthe kmanner kof klearning ka

klanguage kby kimmersion. kIt kprovides klearners kwith kthe kpractical kknowledge kof kthe

klanguage kWhereas, klanguage klearning kfocuses kon kproviding ktheoretical

kknowledge kof ka klanguage, kalso ka kconscious kattempt kto kfocus kon kthe klanguage

kelements ksuch kas: kgrammatical krules, kvocabulary, ketc

3 Theoretical frameworks of factors affecting students’ interest

Several different researchers have been proposed to explain the direct and indirect influences on students’ interest in learning Each study shows how to divide the different factors From this list, we can see the diversity of the number of factors affecting students' interest Each researcher has different views about the factors they have divided

Regarding the table, the three researchers whose way of dividing their factors

is significantly different from other researchers

Eb Mahlobo (1999) Contextual factors and Learner factors

Brown (2000) Styles and strategies, personality factors, sociocultural

factors, age, aptitude and intelligence

Pawlak (2009) Age, intelligence, aptitude, cognitive and learning styles,

learning strategies, motivation, anxiety, beliefs and willingness to communicate

Table 2 Taxonomies of factors affecting learners

As can be seen from this list, classifications of factors have proved that different scholars focus on various characteristics, which then are grouped into separate categories Each researcher has its own reasons for dividing factors into groups From their research results, each factor has different levels of influence on learners in their learning process

3.1 Eb Mahlobo’s classification of factors

CONTEXTUAL FACTORS LEARNER FACTORS

▪ Societal

▪ Home/family

▪ School/classroom

INDEPENDENT FACTORS

Table 3 Eb Mahlobo’s classification of factors(1999)

This model includes two main factors hypothesized to affect the learner’s interest In table 3 shows that factors are divided into two parts, the contextual and learner factors that are affecting students’ interest

In kthis kstudy, kcontext kis kdefined kas kthe kambient kor ksurrounding kconditions

kwithout kwhich kthe kmeaning kof kthe kphenomenon kstudied kcannot kbe kcompletely

kunderstood. kContextual kfactors krefer kto kthe klearners' kecological kpart-system

kwhich kconsists kof ktheir ksocietal, khome/family kand kschool/classroom

kenvironments. kLearner kfactors kare kreferred kto kas klearner kcharacteristics kor klearner

kvariables kthat kinfluence klanguage kacquisition. k

Independent klearner kfactors kinclude: kage, kfirst klanguage, klanguage kaptitude,

kintelligence, kpersonality kand kcognitive kstyle. kThese kare kbelonged kto kindependent

klearner kfactors kbecause kin kthe khigh kschool kphase kthese kfactors kcan kno klonger kbe

kdramatically kinfluenced kby kthe kcontext kwhich kSLA ktakes kplace. kIn kcontrast,

kdependent klearner kfactors kare kmotivation, kgroup kdynamics, klearner kattitudes kand

klanguage klearning kstrategies. kThese kvariables kin kdependent klearner kfactors kare

kimpacted kby kthe kcontext kin kwhich kSLA ktakes kplace

3.2 Brown's classification of factors

Brown (2000) focused on making a distinction between styles and strategies According to his thesis, style is a term that refers to consistent and rather enduring propensities or preferences within individual Styles are those general features of logical functioning, and that making you different from someone else (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) Strategies are specific methods of approaching or dealing with a problem or task, modes of action for attaining the specific result, schedules for controlling or changing They are contextualized design that might change from moment to moment, or day to day, or year to year

In chapter 6, he stated that personality factors consist of self-esteem, inhibition, risk-taking, anxiety, empathy, extroversion/introversion, and motivation

It was worth noting that he analysised motivation as a personality factor, which might be noted as a somewhat amazing idea From behavioristic, cognitive, constructivist perspectives, he arranged motivation in as personality traits Besides, sociocultural factors, age, aptitude and intelligence were discussed in separate chapters

All things considered, his research pointed out many different factors affecting students’ interest Each element had different levels of influence on learners Learners and teachers need to balance the factors that they have the ability

to control to achieve their own goals in learning and teaching

3.3 Pawlak’s classification of factors

Pawlak (2009) discussed in his research the following factors: age, intelligence, aptitude, cognitive and learning styles, learning strategies, motivation, anxiety, beliefs and willingness to communicate

The scholar divided the elements into four main groups Group 1 is natural elements, inherent, not controlled by external factors Factors affected by external factors are group 2 The next group, authors only focused on motivational factors because he thought it was the most vulnerable factor in all factors Group 4 includes anxiety, beliefs and willingness to communicate

Firstly, he stated age, intelligence and aptitude which he regarded as cognitive in nature and concluded that these factors cannot be controlled by the teacher or the learner Secondly, he listed cognitive styles, learning styles and learning strategies which can be manipulated by some external factors Besides, Pawlak focused on motivation, which can be changed Lastly, he mentioned anxiety, beliefs and willingness to communicate

• School/ Classroom factor

• Motivation

• Learner attitudes (Attitude towards English teachers and text book)

• Language learning strategies

4.1 School/Classroom context

The influence of the school and classroom context has a direct impact on the interest of learning as well as the level of knowledge acquisition of learners The term “school and classroom context” consists of four elements: the school’s teaching- learning culture, the availability and use of educational resources, the influence of the learner- educator ratio and the teacher’s attitudes and skills The specific analysis below will show the characteristics of each component that influences students' interest in learning

4.1.1 The school’s teaching- learning culture

In kgeneral, kthe kschool's klearning kculture kis kone kof kthe kpreconditions kfor

ksuccessful kSLA kand khigh kscholastic kachievement. kThe kschool's kteaching-learning

kculture kcan kbe kdefined kas kthe kteachers' kand klearners' kspirit kof khard kwork kand

kdedication kto kschool kwork k(Smith k& kPacheco k1996). kA klearning kculture khas kbeen

kconsidered kin kterms kof kthe kenvironment kand kexperiences kcreated kby kteachers kfor

kstudents. kA klearning kculture kis kone kin kwhich kexperiences kare kstructured kin ksuch ka

kway kthat kstudents khave kopportunities kto kinvestigate, kexplore kand ktake krisks kin

kdeveloping knew kideas kand kinsights

Students have participated in the process of developing the school’s teaching-learning culture For example, students carry out by developing self-discipline, willingness to accept discipline, high learning motivation, high learning morale, positive attitudes and dedication to school work

Creating a culture of learning in the classroom can be responsible for teachers to promote students’ spirit and classroom’s atmosphere There are many ways to build the positive culture in school or classroom, such as: encourage students to have positive interactions with each other, give feedback often, etc

4.1.2 The availability and use of educational resources

Apart kfrom kgood kteaching kskills, kan keffective klesson kalso kdepends kon kthe

kavailability kof kresources ksuch kas kteaching kmedia, ktextbooks, kwell-equipped kproject,

kelectricity kand kclassroom kfacilities. kAccording kto kAskes kand kKritzinger k(1990:

k120) kemphasize kthe krole kof kteaching kmedia kas keffective ktools kfor kthe kdevelopment

kof kreading. kFor kexample, kteacher kuses kproject kto kshow kpictures, ksounds, kvideo

krelated kto klesson kthat kmake klearners keasily kremember kwhat kthey khave kseen kand

kheard. kThanks kto keducational kresources, kteacher kcan kcreate kfor klessons kwith

kpresenting ka kmeaningful kpicture kof kan kabstract ksituation, korganizing kfunny kgames,

ketc. kIn kschool kwhere kthere kis ka kshortage kof kteaching kmedia, kit kbecomes kdifficult

kfor klearners kto kacquire kESL kproficiency. kStudents kfind kit kdifficult kto kacquire

kabstract kknowledge kin klearning kmaterials kbecause kteachers klack kof kteaching kmedia

kthat kmake kthem kcan kcreate kfor kinteresting klessons

Another kinvaluable kschool kresource kis kthe ktextbook. kIt krepresents ka kuseful

kresource kfor kboth kteachers kand kleaners. kThe ktextbook kalso kserves kas kthe ksource

kof kappropriately kgraded kmaterials kand kexercises kfor kvarious kschool kgrades k(Askes

k1989:372). kHowever, kthe kunavailability kof kESL ktextbooks kdeprives kthe kESL

klearners kof kthe kopportunity kfor kindependent kreading kand kpracticing. kTeachers kand

kstudents kneed kto kprepare ktextbook kwhen kteaching kand klearning. kThis khelps kthe

kteaching kand klearning kprocess kto kbe kunified

4.1.3 The influence of the learner- educator ratio

Learner- Educator ratio refers to the numbers of students enrolled per teacher

in an institution of learning It is obtained by dividing total number of student enrolment by the number teachers available For kinstance, kone kof kthe kmost

kinfluential kresearches kon kclass ksize kconducted kin kthe kUSA, kthe kStudent kTeacher

kAchievement kRatio kProject k(or kSTAR kProject) kincluded k‘regular’ kclass ksizes kof

k22-25 kand k‘small’ kclass ksizes kof k13-17 kin kits kexamination kof kclass ksize kon

kstudent kachievement kin kTennessee, kUSA

kMost kresearchers kstated kthat klower klearner-teacher kgive kbetter kbenefits kin

kcontrast kto khigher kstudent-teacher kratio. kStudents kin ksmall kclasses kmay kalso ksense

ka klighter klearning katmosphere kbecause kof ka kstronger ksense kof kunity kand kcohesion

kamong kclassmates k(Wang kand kFinn, k2000) In many cases, higher learner- educator ratio leads to good features such as: create positive class atmosphere, increasing competition among students, etc However, due to the large learner numbers and the limited time in each lesson, it is a big challenge for teacher to carry out the communicative activities when there is a strict demand to complete all the parts in the syllabus

In general, quality of education is much better when learner- teacher is low Small class size takes many different advantages For instance, fewer students per teacher make it easier for teacher adapt different students’ level With a smaller class, it’s easier for teacher to apply a range of methods to help learners do well In this class, students have more practical interactions with their teacher Besides, they get more chances to develop critical thinking skills For example, fewer learners in a class has more time for them to communicate with friends, express their views and tell others why they think they way they do, etc

4.1.4 The teacher’s attitudes and skills in teaching English as a second language (TESL)

4.1.4.1 The teacher’s attitudes towards TESL

Attitudes are defined as tendencies to respond positively or negatively towards a certain idea, object, person, or situation Attitude can impact a person’s performance positively or negatively

In the researcher's opinion the teacher's attitude to work can be defined as the degree of enthusiasm at his or her work as manifested by how well a teacher plans and prepares for his/her lessons, etc If the teachers are not committed to methods and approaches of TESL in which they were trained, there is no chance that they ever will be committed later (Britten 1988:6)

Teachers are responsible for their work, looking for and applying modern teaching methods, creating lessons beyond textbooks Teachers should have positive attitudes towards their career, this will not only motivate themselves but also make their learners interested in learning

4.1.4.2 The teacher’s skills for TESL

In korder kto khave kEnglish klessons keffectively, kthe kteacher kshould kmaster

kESL kteaching kskills. kFirstly, kteacher kshould kmaster kin kpre-active kskills. kThe kskills

kare kcarried kout kin kthe kabsence kof kthe klearners kby kteacher. kThey kconsist kof kthe

kteacher's kability kto keffectively:

• Design kthe klesson kplan

• Make kclear kthe kESL ksyllabus

• Consider kthe kcharacteristics kof kthe klearners kduring kthe klesson kdesign

kthe kplan

• Choose kteaching kmaterials kand kmethods kto kapply kfor klesson

kobjectives kand kto kachieve khigh kresults

Apart kfrom kpre-active kskills, kteacher kshould kalso kmaster kthe kinteractive

kskills. kInteractive k(pedagogic) kskills krefer kto kthe kskills kwhich kthe kteacher kapplies

kduring kthe kactual kclass ksituation. kUnlike kpre-active kskills, kthese krequire kthe

kpresence kof kthe klearner kgroup k(Britten k1985b:220). kInteractive kskills kconsist kof:

• Manage khis kor kher kclass kfor keffective klearning

• Adapt khis kor kher klesson kpresentation kto kthe klevel kof klearners

• Motivate kL2 klearners kby krewarding kall kachievements kand klink kthe

kESL klesson kwith kthe klearners' kday-to-day kpractical kexperiences

In kshort, kteachers kneed kto kbe kproficient kin kpre- kactive kand kinteractive kskills kto

kachieve kinteresting klessons kwhile kraising kinterest kfor klearners. kThe kattitudes kand

kskills kof kteachers knot konly kdetermine khis kor kher kpersonality kbut kalso kaffect kto kthe

klearners

4.2 Motivation

Motivation to learn a language is considered one of the most significant reasons of success at language acquisition In educational perspective, motivation is what triggers students to learn English It is obvious that learners who want to learn are likely to achieve more than those who do not

In Gardner’s socio-educational model (1982), stated that motivation is identified to be consisted of three elements These are effort, desire and affect Effort refers to the time that the learners spend in studying language Desire indicates how much the leaner wants to become proficient in the language, to reach the learning targets and affect means the learner's emotional reactions related to language study

According to Saville- Troike (2006) noted that motivation is the second strongest element (after aptitude) of second language success Additionally, she claimed that motivation largely determines the level of effort that learners expend at various stages in their L2 development, often a key to ultimate level of proficiency

Gardner and Lambert (1972) distinguished two types of motivation in second language learning:

a Integrative motivation: defined as the desire to be a part of recognized or

essential members of the community or that society that use the second language Leaners study a language because he/ she is interested in the people and culture of the target language or want to resemble and behave like the target community

b Instrumental motivation: learners’ goal for learning the second language

are functional and useful, the objective of getting benefits from language skills For example, they learn language to get a better job, to pass examinations, to enable to read foreign newspaper, etc

Furthermore, kLightbrown kand kSpada k(1999) kproposed kthat kthe kmotivation

kis kclassified kinto ktwo kmain kcategories kas kthe kfollowing:

k a k Intrinsic k motivation: k

Intrinsic kmotivation krefers kto kmotivation kthat kis kdriven kby kan kinterest kor

kenjoyment kin kthe ktask kitself, kand kexists kwithin kthe kindividual krather kthan

kdepending kon kany kexternal kpressure. kIntrinsically kmotivated kactivities kare kones

kfor kwhich kthere kis kno krewards kexcept kthe kactivity kitself. kLearners kseem kto ktake

kpart kin kthe kactivities kfor ktheir kown ksake kand kthey kdo knot kconsider kabout kextrinsic

krewards. kIt kmeans kthe klearners kare kvoluntarily kand kwillingly ktry kto klearn kwhat

kthey kthink kit kis kworth kor knecessary kfor kthem. kIntrinsic kmotivation kpushes kthe

kstudent kto klearn kwithout krewards. kWhen klearners khave kintrinsic kmotivation, kthey

khave kthe kinternal kdesire kto klearn kand kthey kdo knot khave kthe kneed kfor kexternal

koutcomes

k b k Extrinsic k motivation:

Extrinsic kmotivation kcomes kfrom koutside kof kthe kindividual. kIt krefers kto ka

kdesire kto kget ka kprize kand kavoid kpunishment. kBecause kextrinsic kmotivation kis

kbased kon kexternal koutcomes ksuch kas krewards kand khigh kscore, kit kcould kbring

knegative kimpacts kto kthe kstudents. kLearners kdo knot klearn kwith ktheir kstrong

kintention kor kpassion, kthey kstudy kit kdue kto kexternal kresults. kAccording kto kArnold

k(2000), kexternal kmakes kthe klearners kto ktake kpart kin klearning kactivities ksuch kas

kgrade, khomework kor kdoing ksomething kto kplease kteachers. k

For example, a student learn a subject because he is promised rewards or he wants the rewards from his parents Although he is not actually interested in learning it, he will be highly motivated to come to class and learn to achieve the goal But when the reward is taken away, or even if he does not see any punishment, the student will not be interested in coming to class and learn the subject

4.3 Learner attitudes

4.3.1 Attitude towards teacher

Students khave kvery kdifferent kopinions kabout kthe kkind kof kteachers kthey

kthink kis kbest kfor kthem. kSome kprefer ka kteacher kwho kcan kmotivate kthem kto kpractice

kmore kand kmore kin kthe kclassroom kand kguide kthem khow kto kuse klanguage

keffectively koutside kthe kclassroom. kOthers kprefer ka kteacher kwho kto kbe kgood kat

kEnglish kand kcapable kof kcorrecting ktheir kmistakes kwithout khurting ktheir kego kor

kwithout kaccusing kthem kof knot khaving kknowledge kof kEnglish. kThey kwant ktheir

kteacher kto kcreate kan kinformal kenvironment kin kthe kclass kwhere kthey kcan klearn

kwith kfun kand kcreation. kBesides, kmany kstudents kare kinterested kin kcreative

kteacher’s kmethods ksuch kas korganizing kfunny kopening kactivities, kcompetition

kgames, kchanging kflexibly ktasks kin kcourse kbook, ketc

k Pickett k(1978) kstudy kof ksuccessful klanguage klearning kdeclares kgreater

kdiversity kin kattitudes ktowards kthe krole kof kthe kteacher. kSome klearners kwanted kthe

kteacher kto kact kas k‘informant’, knot kuse kteacher-centered k(didactic) kmethods ktoo

kmuch. kOthers kpraised kteachers kwho kwere klogical, kclear, kand ksystematic

Besides, kthe kattitude kof ka kteacher, kconsciously kor kunconsciously, kgreatly

kaffects kstudents’ kacademic kperformance. kIt khas kbeen kestablished kthat kteachers’

kattitudes khighly kinfluence kstudents' kinterest kin klearning. kTeacher kappears kwith

kpositive kattitudes kand kfull kof kenthusiasm, klearners kfeel kmore kmotivated kand

kexcited kin klesson. kIn kcontrast, kstudents kwill kbe kpressured kand kbored kif kthe

kteacher kappears kwith ka kstrict kface kand kstereotypical, krigid kteaching kmethods. k

Moreover, kpersonality ktraits kof kthe kteachers kare kmore kpowerful kand

kinfluential kthan kthe kcourse kcontent kor kinstructional kstrategies kused kin kthe

kclassroom. kA kgood kclassroom katmosphere krequires kfull kinterest kand ksupport kfrom

kteachers kand klearners. kIf ka kteacher kappears knot kinterested kor kcareful kabout ka

kparticular ksubject kor kstudent, khe/she kwill kbe kunable kto kfoster ka ksupportive

klearning kenvironment. kAdditionally, kteachers kwith knegative kattitudes kmay knot kbe

kas kapproachable kto kstudents kas kteachers kwho kare kpositively kmotivated

4.3.2 Attitude towards textbook

Textbooks are fundamental elements in most language curriculum It is meant to provide the core materials for a course However, textbooks also have both advantages and limitations that they make learners have a variety of attitudjes in learning process Some principal advantages such as provide structure and a syllabus for a program, as a tool provide organized units of work, etc

On the other hand, there are also some limitations of textbook For instance, textbooks may contain inauthentic language, the difficulty of the activities and tasks

is relevant at learner’s level, the knowledge is too abstract, etc Textbooks have a direct impact on the learning process of learners For example, the amount of new knowledge is too much, causing students to overload, losing interest in acquiring information The topic of units are not close to daily life which make learners difficult to access

In general, learners have different attitudes towards textbook In fact that children tend to enjoy textbook with lots of pictures, colors that easily attract them into the lesson Adult learner has not tendency to having a textbook impose upon them in a rigid way The amount of knowledge in books should be enough for them

to absorb in a specific lesson

4.4 Language learning strategies

the individual's performance The term “language learning strategies” has been defined by many scholars in different ways

Oxford (1990) proposals learning strategies as “ specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self- directed, more effective, and more transferable to new situations” Griffiths (2008) defined language learningstrategies as “activities consciously chosen by learners for the purpose of regulating their own language learning.”(p 87) Also, Williams & Burden (1997) stated that when students are engaged in a learning activity, they have some directions which they use in various ways to solve or complete the activity, so this can be defined process of learning strategies

Language learning strategies are divided into six types by Oxford (1990):

a Memory strategies: are tactics applied to remember more effectively, to recover

and transfer information necessary for future language use Memorization helps learners to keep in memory significant gathered from their learning process Learners use some individual tips or trick to retain knowledge

For example: remember vocabulary by placing word into a context, draw pictures, mind map to group the knowledge of a topic, apply sounds to learn spelling, etc…

b Cognitive strategies: used directly in learning process to help students deal with

the requirement presented of the task by working on it in different ways Cognitive strategies include analysis, argument, critical thinking

For instance, a learner remembers new words by visualising them represented in a memorable situation This makes it easier and faster to recall these words

c Compensation strategies: are employed by learners to compensate the missing

data or knowledge in the language learning process due to lack of vocabulary Although learners are limited in vocabulary, the strategies allow them to use the language to speak and write Accodring to Oxford (1990:49), he offered some compensation strategies: using mime or gesture, asking help, guessing by linguistic clues, paraphrasing, etc

For example, when learners can not think an English word in a conversation, they use gestures to express their thinking

d Metacognitive strategies: are used by learners to help them coordinate the

learning process by paying attention, planning schedule, thinking about learning and how to make it successful, self-monitoring during learning, etc From this, learners can control their own learning

For instance, learners notice their English mistakes and use that information to help their do better Learners try to find as many ways as they can to use their English

e Affective strategies: are techniques that leaners control their attitudes, emotions

and motivations Affective strategies have a great powerful impact on language learning because they allow learners to manage their feelings and attitudes

For example, learners are easy to share their feeling when thay learn English with someone Learners can use laughter to relax and cheer up reward themselves for thei effort

f Social strategies: are activities that learners participate in to find opportunities to

communicate or practice the language These strategies are significant because learning language always involves other partners, exposes to a language environment

For instance, making questions for parnters to understanding ; working together

with partners Pracising English with other people to improve their language skills

CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY 1.Participants

The participants of this study were 90 learners They were students in grade

10, at Quynh Coi High School, having spent at least five years learning English

Ten of the participants were selected for interviews They were chosen due to their long time in learning English (seven years) The interviews aimed to collect their detailed opinions in the process of learning English The data were audio-record for analysis

Classroom observation presented the real-life teaching and learning situations This instrument conducted in two classes (10A6 and 10A10) with two English teachers The researcher observed and took note activities in the Classroom observation sheet

2 Data collection

2.1 Survey questionnaire

2.1.1 Reasons for using Questionnaire

This study used a questionnaire to collect the data in a quantitative form which focuses “rigorous quantitative analysis” (Kothari, 2004) The questionnaire is not only practical but also can be carried out by the research or by any number of people The researcher can collect large amounts of information from a large number of people in a short period and in a relatively cost-effective way Moreover, the results of the questionnaires can usually be quickly and easily quantified by the research and can be analyzed more scientifically and objectively than other forms of research

2.1.2 Description of questionnaire

In survey questionnaire consists of 35 questions divided into 5 parts

In part I, Students’ most recent result of English learning, the students were asked about their semester 1 result The marks help researcher identify the present situation of teaching and learning English of teachers and grade 10th students at Quynh Coi High School

In part II, items from 1 to 8, students were asked about their motivation towards English learning There were two groups of items: item 1,3,5,7 were intrinsic motivation and item 2,4,6,8 were extrinsic motivation

In part III, there were items about students’ attitude towards teacher from 9

to 13 Participants answered about the attitude’s teachers in teaching and their teaching styles

In part IV, items from 14 to 17 which about the students’ attitude towards textbook The students were asked about such information as: knowledge in the text book, language used in it, the instructions in tasks and activities, the organization in the book

In last part, part V, using Oxford’s Strategy Inventory of Language Learning (SILL) version 7(EFL/ESL) to assess the strategy use of students in learning English process In SILL, having 50 items for 6 learning strategies, however, due to limited time and the limited size, the researcher focuses on the three most common items in each type of learning strategy as certain classifications of strategies contain

a greater variety of possible approaches Moreover, the study focuses on three questions in each strategy due to appropriate to the present situation of students at Quynh Coi High School From items 18 to 35, the participants had to consider each item (strategy) and then rate them on a five-level likert scale, which is described as providing a range of possible responses The SILL’s likert scale consists of:

1 Never true of me

2 Usually not true of me

3 Somewhat true of me

4 Usually true of me

5 Always true of me

However, the participants in this study faced difficulties in making the distinction between the five options they were given, and it took too long to complete in the part V They commented the researcher that it would be easier for them to complete the questionnaire if they were given just three options instead of