An exploration of strategies for oral skills improvement by advanced program students at Thai Nguyen university of technology

Research in language learning strategy has addressed the necessity of improving oral skills in second language acquisition. This study attempts to explore strategies reported to be employed by 30 EFL advanced program students at Thai Nguyen University of Technology (TNUT) to improve their oral skills.

Dương Đức Minh Tạp chí KHOA HỌC & CƠNG NGHỆ 84(08): 123 - 128 AN EXPLORATION OF STRATEGIES FOR ORAL SKILLS IMPROVEMENT BY ADVANCED PROGRAM STUDENTS AT THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Duong Duc Minh* Thai Nguyen University of Technology - TNU ABSTRACT Research in language learning strategy has addressed the necessity of improving oral skills in second language acquisition This study attempts to explore strategies reported to be employed by 30 EFL advanced program students at Thai Nguyen University of Technology (TNUT) to improve their oral skills Semi-structured interview and open-ended questionnaire were used as the instruments for the data collection The data was then analyzed qualitatively for the purpose of the study The findings of the study showed that two main categories to improve speaking skills have been reported included 1) fluency-focused strategies and 2) accuracy-focused strategies Two main categories to improve listening skill comprised 1) direct strategies and 2) indirect strategies Key words: oral skills improvement, language learning strategy, science-oriented students INTRODUCTION* Nowadays, English has become an international language, and it is widely used in various areas, especially in education as well as science and technology areas As the result, students have to be aware of the necessary to employ strategies to success in their study academically and socially According to Feyten (1991), of the total time people spend on communication, 45% is on listening, 30% on speaking, 16% on reading, and 9% on writing [5] Oral skills, both speaking and listening, are at the very foundation of literacy, and they play an important role in the study of students, so it is clear that oral skills have an important impact on student's personal and professional life The advanced program (AP) has been put into practice at TNUT from the academic year 2009 – 2010 In the advanced programs, all the courses are taught in English except some compulsory courses, e.g Marxist – Leninism, Physical Education, and National Defense Education are taught in Vietnamese At least 60% of courses are instructed by professors from the University of New York at Buffalo and invited professors from renowned universities worldwide to participate in teaching [17] As a result, AP students are not only required to specialize their knowledge but also to improve their English (especially * Số hóa Trung tâm Học liệu – Đại học Thái Nguyên Listening, and Speaking skills) in order to achieve greater efficiency in the learning process at Thai Nguyen University of Technology LITERATURE REVIEW Language learning strategies (LLS) are the behaviors or steps which an individual uses to enhance his/her learning The term “strategies” which applies to language improvement, has been developed since the first studies by Rubin (1975) [14], Oxford (1990) [10] and Kyong and Oxford (2008) [6] Examples are note taking, practicing, finding a conversation partner, analyzing words, using background knowledge, and controlling anxiety There have hundreds of such strategies been identified Successful language learners use language learning strategies that are most effective for them and they put them together smoothly to fit the needs of a given language task while less successful learners are “a desperate grab-bag of ill-matched techniques” In some recent years, a lot of attention has been paid to the importance of developing strategies in language learning Many research works has been conducted to examined and explored the use of learning strategies in the teaching and learning of vocabulary (Brown and Perry, 1991) [2], listening comprehension (Rossano, 1994) [13], reading (Rusciolelli, 1995) [15], and in the understanding of the learning process 123 http://www.lrc-tnu.edu.vn Dương Đức Minh Tạp chí KHOA HỌC & CƠNG NGHỆ (Chamot, 2001 [3]; Nunan, 1992 [8]) However, little research has been done on productive skills, such as oral skills and writing Only few studies dealt with strategy employed in speaking and listening, for example, Bejarano et al (1997) examined speaking as an interactive skill [1], and Lam and Wong (2000) explored the importance of oral skills in discussions [7] No research work has been conducted in exploring reported strategies for oral skills improvement by students at TNUT This study attempts to explore language strategies that AP students at TNUT use in order to improve their oral skills In the study, “oral skills” refer to listening and speaking skill, the term “improvement” means to be come better in listening and speaking and “AP students” here are thirty students majoring in electrical and mechanical engineering at TNUT Two research questions were generated for the purpose of the study: 1) what types of strategies reported by science-oriented graduate students for their listening skill improvement and 2) what types of strategies reported by science-oriented graduate students for their speaking skill improvement The researchers examined a recorded semi-structured interview of students and 19 open-ended questionnaires to collect data for the study METHODOLOGY Participants The participants of the present study were 30 first-year AP students at TNUT All the classes they have are lectured in English except Marxist-Leninism, Physical Education, and National Defense Education courses are taught in Vietnamese At the moment, the students are studying English from 38 to 42 periods per week They deal with English as a medium of instruction to survive in their study Among them, students were purposively selected for indepth study based on their oral skills proficiency identified by their classmates According to Patton (2001), a purposive Số hóa Trung tâm Học liệu – Đại học Thái Nguyên 84(08): 123 - 128 sampling is a non-random method of sampling by which information-rich cases can be selected for study in depth [11] Table is the personal background information of participants Table The Participants’ Background Information Item English Learning Experience (years) Self-rated for Listening Skill Self-rated for Speaking Skill Ranking Less than 3-6 More than Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor Person(s) 12 15 2 16 Instruments There are different methods or procedures to collect the data in learning strategy research, such as observation, interview, questionnaire, verbal report, diary, and etc Each method has its advantage and disadvantage as well and can be applied according to the focus of the research Punch (1998) points out that different research questions required different methods to answer them [12] In the present study, data collection will be conducted through semi-structured oral interviews and an open-ended questionnaire The interviews are the most widely used method of generating data in qualitative social research (Nunkoosing, 2005) [9] They can be classified into three categories ranging in terms of their degree of formality ranging from unstructured through semi-structured to structured (Nunan, 1992) [8] Of the three types of interview, the semi-structured interview seems to be popular among researchers Nunan (1992: 149) mentions “…because of its flexibility, the semistructured interview has found favor with many researchers, particularly those working within an interpretative research tradition” [8] The most important advantage is that the interviewer can work out a set of questions in 124 http://www.lrc-tnu.edu.vn Dương Đức Minh Tạp chí KHOA HỌC & CÔNG NGHỆ 84(08): 123 - 128 participant's own opinions on learning strategies for oral skills improvement Data collection procedure The data collection was divided into two phases One is for a questionnaire, the other is for interviews An open-ended questionnaire was administered to all the participants However, the final sample for data analysis consisted of 19 students Eleven students didn’t respond the questionnaire because they were absent The students interviewed in Vietnamese The interview lasted for 20 minutes and was recorded Data analysis The interviews’ records were fully transcribed using verbatim and then analysed using Strauss & Corbin’s (1998) open and axial coding [16] All student responses to the open-ended questionnaire items were collected and typed out RESULTS AND DISCUSSION [1].After the carefully analysis of the collected data from interviews and questionnaires, there were finally 19 strategies for oral skills improvement reported by the AP students Strategies reported by the AP students for their speaking skill improvement consist of 10 strategies and strategies for listening skills which will be presented in Table advance, but be free to modify their order, to change the way they are worked In the present study, the semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants to elicit information and obtain in-depth perceptions about what types of strategies they employed for oral skills improvement To acquire more useful information related to the research purposes, individual interviews were used with audio recording Chamot (2001) points out that interviewees may not report their strategy use accurately during interview, but they may report what they perceive as the interviewers’ preferred answers [3] Dornyei (2003) states that sometimes, we need open-ended items for the simple reason that we not know the range of possible answers and therefore, cannot provide pre-prepared response categories [4] A questionnaire with open-ended questions would provide data that are qualitative and exploratory in nature To enhance data validity in the research, an open-ended questionnaire was employed with two main sections The first section is about the individual background information, and the second section covers open-ended questions about strategies for oral skills improvement An open-ended question is designed to encourage a full, meaningful answer using the Table 2: Strategies for Speaking and Listening Skills Improvement Reported by the AP students STRATEGIES FOR SPEAKING SKILL IMPROVEMENT Memorizing words / sentences / phrases to improve one’s speaking skill Communicating with other people in English Imitating English native speakers Trying to use English in real-life situations Trying to interact with teacher in class by asking and answering questions Using the internet to improve one’s speaking skill Seeking an opportunity to speak English Talking to oneself in English 9.Asking for a correction from teacher 10 Playing a speaking game in English STRATEGIES FOR SPEAKING SKILL IMPROVEMENT Listening to radio programs in English Listening to English songs Watching TV programs in English Watching English speaking films Doing the repetitive listening Using the internet to improve one’s listening skill Having a conversation in English Interacting with teachers in English Seeking ways for improving one’s listening skill However, the strategies for speaking and listening skills improvement can be classified into sub-categories for each oral skill Số hóa Trung tâm Học liệu – Đại học Thái Nguyên Firstly, the strategies for speaking skill improvement are categorized into (1) the fluency-focused strategies and (2) the 125 http://www.lrc-tnu.edu.vn Dương Đức Minh Tạp chí KHOA HỌC & CƠNG NGHỆ accuracy-focused strategies Secondly, the strategies for listening skill improvement are classified into (1) the direct strategies and (2) the indirect strategies Table presents the classifications of the strategies for oral skills improvement reported by the AP students According to strategies for speaking skill improvement, most of the strategies reported by the AP students were the fluency-focused strategies (7 fluency - focused strategies out of 10 strategies for speaking skill improvement) Generally, the AP students are adult learners where English is used as a medium of instruction according to the requirements The possible explanation for why the fluency-focused strategies were mostly reported by this group of students is that they are science-oriented students where the focus of their study is not a language Instead, they have focused on contents not language usage Additionally, because of English is used as a medium of instruction; therefore, this group of students need to 84(08): 123 - 128 survive the program socially and academically by having a good ability to communicate in English They need to speak fluently to keep on their relationships and study They try to communicate as much as possible The only one goal for their speaking at this time is that their speaking should be understood by their interlocutors Therefore, most of the strategies reported by this group of students are the fluency-focused strategies for speaking skill improvement which they employed to make a better or improve their speaking skills However, there are some accuracy-focused strategies reported by this group of students for speaking skill improvement This is because of at some levels, accuracy is also very important for them For example, they need to make a formal presentation Moreover, accuracy is very important for them to write their theses, reports, or articles So, accuracy is also important for them if they want to succeed in their learning Table 3: Classifications of Strategies for Speaking and Listening Skills Improvement STRATEGIES FOR SPEAKING SKILL IMPROVEMENT The Fluency-Focused The Accuracy- Focused Strategies Strategies Communicating with other Memorizing words/ people in English sentences / phrases to improve one’s speaking skill Trying to use English in Imitating English native real-life situations speakers Trying to interact with Asking for a correction teacher in class by asking from teacher and answering questions Using the internet to improve one’s speaking skill Seeking an opportunity to speak English Talking to oneself in English STRATEGIES FOR LISTENING SKILL IMPROVEMENT The Direct Strategies The Indirect Strategies Seeking ways for improving one’s listening skill Listening to radio programs in English Listening to English songs Having a conversation in English Watching TV programs Interacting with in English teacher in English Watching English speaking films Doing the repetitive listening Using the internet to improve one’s listening skill Playing a speaking game in English On the other hand, strategies for listening skill improvement reported by the AP students Số hóa Trung tâm Học liệu – Đại học Thái Nguyên were mostly the direct strategies (6 direct strategies and indirect strategies for 126 http://www.lrc-tnu.edu.vn Dương Đức Minh Tạp chí KHOA HỌC & CƠNG NGHỆ 84(08): 123 - 128 listening skill improvement) If we take a look carefully to the direct strategies for listening skill improvement, we will see that all of the direct strategies deal with mass media communication such as news, radio, television, and etc This is because of, at the present day, we are living in the technology’s world As a result, it is very easy for people to listen to English radio programs, songs, or to watch English speaking films, English news, and etc., through the internet or satellite with a reasonable cost Another explanation for why the direct strategies were mostly reported for listening skill improvement is that in order to practice to improve listening skill, they can practice to improve listening skill individually or they have no need to find out a partner or interlocutor to interact for a listening practice They just find out the English programs on the internet, radio, or television to watch and listen Therefore, roles of mass media in language teaching and learning are increasing and very important for the world today Mass media helps people to learn a language easily than the past CONCLUSION The AP students in the present study reported 19 strategies for oral skills improvement Firstly, there were 10 strategies for speaking skill improvement reported by the AP students which could be classified into subcategories – the fluency-focused strategies and the accuracy-focused strategies Secondly, there were strategies for listening skill improvement reported by the AP students which could be classified into subcategories – the direct strategies and the indirect strategies The AP students are adult learners who focus their study on contents of the subject and English is used as a medium of instruction since this program is the international program All of them (19 students) are non- English native speakers However, although the AP students have to use English for their study, but the focus of their study is still on the contents not a language usage (a content driven not a language driven) Since English is used as a medium of instruction, the AP students need to learn and communicate with their classmates and teachers in English Therefore, a speaking skill and a listening skill are very important for them to survive the program socially and academically The findings from the present study show that a mass media communication or a technology has an increasing role in language teaching and learning nowadays As a teacher, we should pay more attention to a development of technology in order to provide and prepare ourselves for a new age of language learning and teaching – a technology-based language teaching and learning era For language learners, if they know how to use technologies or mass media communication effectively and maximally, it is very easy for them to success in learning a language However, this study may be replicated with the same subjects in the second academic year of their study Because the present study was conducted when they are in the first semester of the first academic year where they just have a chance to use English or communicate in English for a few months So, to speak English fluently is very important for them to survive the program socially and academically at this moment But for the second academic year, their English ability both speaking and listening should be improved more than this moment, therefore; at that time these subjects may tell more strategies about how they improve their oral skills This is especially for the accuracyfocused strategies to improve their oral skills where accuracy is needed and important for them in the future REFERENCES Strategies Creating a Framework for Improved Small-Group Communication [1] Bejarano, Y., T Levine, E Olshtain and J Steiner (1997) The Skilled Use of Interaction Số hóa Trung tâm Học liệu – Đại học Thái Nguyên 127 http://www.lrc-tnu.edu.vn Dương Đức Minh Tạp chí KHOA HỌC & CƠNG NGHỆ Interaction in the Language Classroom System 25(2), 203-214 [2] Brown, T S & Perry, F L Jr (1991) A comparison of three learning strategies for ESL vocabulary acquisition TESOL Quarterly, 25 (1), 17-32 [3] Chamot, A U (2001) The role of learning strategies in second language acquisition In M P Breen (Ed.), Learner contributions to language learning: New directions in research Harlow: Longman [4] Dornyei, Z (2003) Questionnaires in Second Language Research: Construction, Administration, and Processing Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers [5] Feyten, C M (1991) The Power of Listening Ability: An Overlooked Dimension in Language Acquisition.The Modern Language Journal 75:173-80 [6] Kyoung, R L., and Oxford, R (2008) Understanding EFL Learners’ Strategy Use and Strategy Awareness Asean EFL Journal, 10(1) [7] Lam, W., and Wong, J (2000) The Effects of Strategy Training on Developing Discussion skills in an ESL classroom ELT Journal 54(3), 245-255 [8] Nunan, D (1992) Research methods in language learning Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 84(08): 123 - 128 [9] Nunkoosing, K (2005) The problems with interviews Qualitative Health Research, 15(5), 698-706 [10] Oxford, R (1990) Language Learning Strategies: What every teacher should know Boston: Heinle & Heinle [11] Patton, M (2001) Qualitative research and evaluation methods Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications [12] Punch, K F (1998) Introduction to social research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches London: Sage Publications [13] Rossano, M J., & Hodgson, S L (1994) The process of learning from small-scale maps Applied Cognitive Psychology, 8, 565–582 [14] Rubin, J (1975) What good Language learner can teach us? TESOL Quarterly, 9(1), 4145 [15] Rusciolelli, J (1995), Student Responses to Reading Strategies Instruction Foreign Language Annals, 28: 262–273 [16] Strauss, A L., & Corbin, J (1990) Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory, procedures and techniques Newbury Park: Sage [17] Thainguyen University of Technology Website www.tnut.edu.vn Retrieved on 20 November 2010 TÓM TẮT NHỮNG THỦ THUẬT PHÁT TRIỂN KỸ NĂNG GIAO TIẾP TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN CHƢƠNG TRÌNH TIÊN TIẾN TẠI TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KỸ THUẬT CÔNG NGHIỆP THÁI NGUYÊN Dƣơng Đức Minh* Trường Đại học Kỹ thuật công nghiệp - ĐH Thái Nguyên Những nghiên cứu thủ thuật học tập việc học ngoại ngữ cần thiết thủ thuật việc nâng cao kỹ nghe, nói Nghiên cứu khám phá, tìm hiểu thủ thuật để nâng cao kỹ nghe, nói tiếng Anh 30 sinh viên khóa 46 chương trình tiên tiến trường Đại học kỹ thuật công nghiệp Thái Nguyên Phỏng vấn bán cấu trúc bảng câu hỏi khảo sát sử dụng để thu thập liệu Các liệu sau phân tích định tính phục vụ mục đích nghiên cứu Kết nghiên cứu cho thấy: Hai nhóm thủ thuật để nâng cao kỹ nói: nhóm thủ thuật tập trung vào lưu lốt 2) nhóm thủ thuật tập trung vào độ xác Hai nhóm thủ thuật để nâng cao kỹ nghe bao gồm: 1) nhóm thủ thuật trực tiếp 2) nhóm thủ thuật gián tiếp Từ khóa: thủ thuật học tập, kỹ nghe, kỹ nói, sinh viên kỹ thuật * Số hóa Trung tâm Học liệu – Đại học Thái Nguyên 128 http://www.lrc-tnu.edu.vn ... exploring reported strategies for oral skills improvement by students at TNUT This study attempts to explore language strategies that AP students at TNUT use in order to improve their oral skills In the... improvement reported by the AP students Strategies reported by the AP students for their speaking skill improvement consist of 10 strategies and strategies for listening skills which will be... classifications of the strategies for oral skills improvement reported by the AP students According to strategies for speaking skill improvement, most of the strategies reported by the AP students were the