Using some extra activities to improve english speaking skill of first year non english major students at thuong mai university

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS On completing this graduation paper, I would like to send my deepest and most sincere gratitude to many people for their invaluable help during the conduct of the research First and foremost, I would like to send my heartfelt gratitude towards my supervisor Ms Do Bich Dao for her encouragement, guidance and her critical comments, without which I could not have finished my thesis She also offered me great help in term of ideas and materials I am also grateful to all lectures at the English Faculty Department of Thuong Mai university for their valuable lectures from which I have had such a great motivation and benefited a lot in the writing of this thesis I would also like to say the sincerest thanks to those first-year non English major students who have enthusiastically participated in the study Their participation has been crucial to the completion of the research On a personal note, I express my truly gratitude to my family and friends who emotionally and spiritually comforted me through the challenging time of conducting the research The study could not have been completed without their continual encouragement ABSTRACT Among four language skills, speaking, which can be regarded as the challenging skill, is very important in daily-life communication and foreign language learning Therefore, it is necessary for learners to acknowledge that speaking learning is a process that requires time and dedication to practice not only inside the class, but also in other environment This study aims at describing firstyear non English major student’s attitudes toward English speaking skill and exploting some extra activities such as language games and storytelling to improve this skill In order to achieve the aims, the questionnaire was employed to 30 firstyear non English major students from three classes The results from the study showed that students were aware of the significance of speaking skill, the level of difficulty of speaking skill compared to three other language skills The findings from the study are hopefully of benefit not only for teachers interested in the speaking area but also students by raising their awareness of their own study TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i ABSTRACT ii TABLE OF CONTENTS .iii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES .v CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1.Rationale 1.2 Previous studies 1.3 Aims of the study 1.4 Research Subjects 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Research methodology 1.7 Organization of the study .6 CHAPTER : LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 The definition of speaking 2.2 The Significance of Speaking in Language Learning 2.3 Major types of speaking extra-activities .8 2.3.1 Language Games 2.3.2 Storytelling 11 2.4 The Importance of Using Extra-activities in Teaching and Learning 13 2.4.1 Extra-activities improve the personal development .13 2.4.2 Extra-activities influence the social behaviour 14 CHAPTER : RESEARCH FINDINGS 15 3.1 The reality of Teaching and Learning English speaking skill at Thuong Mai University .15 3.1.1 The teaching staff 15 3.1.2 The students 15 3.1.3 English teaching and learning condition at Thuong Mai University 16 3.2 Data analysis 16 3.2.1 Students’attitudes towards English learning .16 3.2.2 Student’s perspectives toward teacher using language games and storytelling in speaking lessons 22 CHAPTER 4: SOME SUGGESSIONS TO IMPROVE ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILL OF THE FIRST YEAR NON ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT THUONG MAI UNIVERSITY 27 4.1.1 Sample language games to apply in speaking lesson .27 CONCLUSION 33 REFERENCES 34 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Figure 3.1 : Perspectives of four language skills Figure 3.2 : Students’ Level of Interest in Learning English speaking skill Figure 3.3 : Students’ attitudes toward the importance of speaking skill Figure 3.4 : Student’s paticipation in speaking lessons Figure 3.5 : Teacher’s extra-activities gave in speaking lessons Figure 3.6 : Types of language games the teacher apply in speaking lessons Figure 3.7 : Student’s attitudes towards languages games Figure 3.8 : Student’s attitudes towards storytelling Figure 3.9 : The purpose of using language games and storytelling in speaking lessons Figure 3.10 : Student’s attitudes after taking part in language games and storytelling CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1.Rationale Nowadays, we cannot deny that English becomes the language dominates the world over Therefore, the number of students from non-speaking English countries chooses to learn English as their second or foreign language has increased However, not all of the students in these cases can master this powerful language by just attending several English classrooms In the process of learning English language, learners are usually encouraged to master four skills, namely speaking, reading, listening and writing Among these four skills, speaking skill is often regarded as the most important because it related to communication It requires a wide range of knowledge and ability: knowledge of grammar, phonology, semantics of the language in use, culture of its people, the variety of using vocabulary, the ability listening to maintain converse, etc In other country, from elementary pupils to students, people usually study English with their interest and enthusiasm In Viet Nam, despite teachers’ efforts to provide students with opportunities to develop their communicative skills, how to teach and learn speaking effectively is still a challenging question to both teachers and students Students have a lot of difficulties in studying and practicing English speaking skill, especially the 1st year non English major students When speaking English, they often fall into confusion, lack of professional knowledge, confidence, and the good learning method as well Moreover, the learning environment passive with the same and boring lessons without the interesting extra- activities preventing them from practicing and improving English In general, learning English language and speaking learning in particular requires students to spend time and dedication practicing not only inside the class, but also on their own That is the main reason why they not achieve the effective result in learning English, especially the English speaking skill One of my suggested method is to study English speaking is using extraactivities I hope that this can help the first year non English major students will study English better in the near future That is the reason why I decide to conduct a study on “Using some extra- activities to improve English speaking skill of firstyear non English major students at Thuong Mai University” 1.2 Previous studies Firstly, I have read a study of Thanyalak Oradee that was “Developing Speaking Skills Using Three Communicative Activities (Discussion, ProblemSolving, and RolePlaying)” The purposes of his research with a view to: Study and compare speaking skills of Grade 11 students using three communicative activities And study the students’attitude towards teaching English speaking skills using the three communicative activities The sample group included 50 students at a secondary school in Udon Thani, classified by high, medium, and low according to their abilities of English speaking proficiency level The design of the research was mixed method design The quantitative data came from the speaking test and the students’ attitude towards teaching English speaking The research instruments were lesson plans, an English speaking ability test, and an attitude questionnaire Secondly, Urrutia & Vega (2006) conducted an action research project on the understanding and actions taken to improve speaking skills through games in a public school called “Federico Garcia Lorca” in Colombia The participants in this study were twenty girls and twenty boys from 14 to 18 years old The researchers implemented activities focused on oral games for promoting the development of students’ speaking skills Questionnaires, teacher’s journals and video recordings were used as data collection instruments The researchers analyzed the data by using charts which included the percentages of student’s answers about the most difficult skill for them, how often they speak in English during the class and the factors that interfere at the time to speak, such as, shyness, lack of vocabulary, fear of humiliation, among others Finally, Hamzah & Ting (2009) conducted a qualitative and action research study on success of using group work in teaching speaking in English classroom in a school called “SMK Damai Jaya” in Malaysia The participants in this study were 33 students and English teachers The researchers conducted three oral activities where students were observed then they received questionnaires and three experienced teachers where observed as well Questionnaires, observations and interviews were used as data collection instruments The researchers carried out a series of questionnaires in Malay language were students could provide their opinions about the group work activities to improve speech skills and their consciousness of participation in those activities; the observations were analyzed to understand the participation and the behavior of students during the lessons, and the interviews were carried out with the three English teacher 1.3 Aims of the study Initially, the researcher desires to explore the attitudes of first year non English major students of Thuong Mai University toward using extra-activities Secondly, some good techniques, especially the extra- activities will be given out in order to improve their speaking skill More specifically, the study is an attempt to answer the two research questions: • What are the attitudes of first year non English major students toward speaking skill? •What types of techniques suitable for first year non English major students to improve speaking skill? 1.4 Research Subjects The research was carried out at Thuong Mai University with the participation of 30 students whose majors are Marketing and Manage human resource To those students, English was not their majors but a compulsory subject at university All of the surveyed students have learned English for at least six years, especially some of them have learned English for nine years Most of them can grammar very well but they have difficulties in mastering four language skills Of the four skills, as many of them revealed, they find speaking especially important yet challenging one That was the reason why most of students feel bored and unmotivated in speaking lesson 1.5 Scope of the study Due to the small scale of the study as well as the limitation of time and experience, the study concretely places a focus on the first year non English major students at Thuong Mai University In this study, the sample group consisted of 30 students classified by high, medium and low according to their abilities of English speaking proficiency level I hope that this study is a good reference material for the English non major as well as all students who wish to achieve the higher speaking skill 1.6 Research methodology In order to achieve the aims and objectives mentioned above, action research procedures were used in this study Firstly, a survey questionnaire was delivered to 30 students of the first year non English major at Thuong Mai university to investigate their problems in learning speaking skills The information from questionnaire can help to draw a general picture about the reality of teaching and learning speaking skills and to find out an effective solution that is using extra activities to improve the student’s speaking skill 1.6.1 Description of the questionnaire All the information received from the questionnaires would by all means be strictly kept confidential The questionnaire consists of two question group, group at finding the answer to the first research question That is the students’ general attitudes towards English language and speaking skill The focus of questions in group is the students’ level of interest in learning English and the importance of speaking skill While that of question is the participants’ opinion about the method which their teacher using in the speaking lesson Group with questions (from to 10), is the students’ attitides toward using language games and storytelling to improve their speaking skill 1.6.2 Procedure of data collection The procedure of collecting data was divided into two main phases as follow: Phase 1: Preparation In the first phase-preparation, the questionnaire-as the study’s data collection instrument was formed After that, the researcher arranged the question in accordance with the two research questions and carefully designed the layout of the questionnaire in a reader-friendly way, so that the students would feel comfortable while doing the questionnaire Then, the researcher invited first -year non English major student who volunteered to the questionnaires for the researcher’s trial purpose The results of these two piloted questionnaires were taken into great consideration to produce the final drafts For instance, more careful instructions were provided to ensure that the participants understand the questions clearly Phase 2: Administering the questionnaires The questionnaire was administered to three chosen classes (randomly selected 10 students from each class) This decision was made based on the idea that the relation between the questionnaire’s topic and the skill of participants It makes them feel more encouraging to give responses After a short time for permission, the researcher approached students and also, did not forget to ask for the class cooperation According to Nguyen (2007, p 38) “participants are quick to pick up their superiors’ attitude toward the survey”; therefore, support from the teachers would make students more willing to participate in Then, students were asked to finish the questionnaires for about ten minutes under observation and with encouragement of their teachers Therefore , the questionnaires would not be a distorted reflection of their actual perception The pie chart above illustrates vividly the students’ attitudes towards language games From the chart, it can be seen that most of the students hold their interest in language games To be more detailed, 33,4% of the informants show their keenness on language games 22,3% of the students feel that normal when using language games There exists 30% having no concern about the games and even 13,4% frankly show their dislike to language games 13.39% 29.97% 23.28% Not at all interested Slightly interested Moderately interested Very interested 33.37% Figure 3.8 : Student’s attitudes towards storytelling This chart deals with students’ attitudes towards storytelling in speaking lessons 13.4% is the number of students is not at all interested with storytelling Which means it is not effective to employ games in every lesson, but it should depend on the content of each lesson 23,3 % of respondents agreed they feel slightly interested 33,4 % strongly agree with using storytelling, it means that they are very interested in this extra activities This positive result reassures that storytelling is a good method help in raising students’ motivation in learning speaking skill 24  The purpose of using language games and storytelling in speaking lesson (Question 9) 6.69% 43.31% 33.33% for relaxing only for teaching only for both relaxing and teaching time covering 16.67% Figure 3.9 : The purpose of using language games and storytelling in speaking lessons Question focuses on the purpose of using language games and storytelling in speaking lessons Answering this question 43.4 % of students assume that language games and storytelling only for relaxing target Some students also admit that language games and storytelling are used for only teaching it accounts for 16,7% More specifically, 33,4 % of respondents also think that language games and storytelling using for both relaxing and teaching A smaller percentage (6,7 %) vote time covering target From data gained, it is clear that most of students are aware of the benefit from language games and storytelling in each speaking lessons 25  Student’s attitudes after taking part in language games and storytelling ( Question 10) 9.99% 26.67% 46.65% relaxed and funny normal motivated uncomfortable 16.68% Figure 3.10 : Student’s attitudes after taking part in language games and storytelling It can be clearly seen from Figure 10 that the majority of students have a neutral attitude after taking part in language games and storytelling activities 14 students state that they feel relaxed and funny with their interest Followed are 16,7% of the participants feel normal in this activities The numbers of students who are motivated with language games and storytelling constitute 26,7% 10% of the participants have an opposite idea that they feel uncomfortable when using language games and storytelling in speaking lessons 26 CHAPTER 4: SOME SUGGESSIONS TO IMPROVE ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILL OF THE FIRST YEAR NON ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT THUONG MAI UNIVERSITY Obviously , current situation of teaching and learning English speaking skill in Thuong Mai University have been unfolded Through the study, it is found that techniques in student’s favor are not frequently used by teachers such as using games, role play, etc In fact, there are also some interesting techniques for studying English speaking skill For example, studying from online website on internet, listening to the news on TV, reading newspaper, talking with the foreigner There are really simple and popular ways to study English speaking with a better result Each of them can be applied many small techniques For the limitation of this research, I only present the capability of some techniques in studying English speaking skill The capability will concentrate on some suggested techniques to help the 1st year non English major students have more pleasure and effectiveness in learning speaking skill 4.1.1 Sample language games to apply in speaking lesson 4.1.1.1 Guessing Games in teaching speaking skill A teacher of English should have interesting methods to teach the students effectively Especially in teaching speaking, teachers should help students absord the lesson properly Therefore the use of games in teaching is needed and guessing games is one kind of games that teachers can apply to develop student’s speaking skill To use guessing games effectively, teachers have to make lesson planning carefully They need to define the aim and the content of the lesson clearly and should be flexible to choose suitable guessing games for each lesson Guessing games can be used in different stages of one speaking lesson : prespeaking activities, while-speaking activities or post speaking activities 27 -In pre - speaking activities : Teachers can use guessing games to build the students’ background knowledge related to the lesson -In while - speaking activities : Guessing games can be used to motivate students to speak English according to the topic of each lesson -In post – speaking activities : Students may feel free to play guessing games to consolidate the lesson 4.1.1.2 Demonstration Example Unit : Friendship -The lesson is aimed at helping students be able to describe people’s physical characteristics and personalities -Guessing game is used in post – speaking stage -The game is called : “ Twenty questions ” -Time : 10 minutes -Procedure : + Students are divided into two group : Group A and Group B + Each group thinks of one the famous person ( a singer, an actor, an actress, a musician,etc ) and write in a paper, then tell the other group one clue + If group A in charge, group B has to find out the answer by asking “yesno” questions ( Teacher should encourage students to use the adjectives they have learnt to make questions ) + Group A can answer questions in complete answers or short answers ( Yes/No) 28 + If group B can find out the answer in twenty questions or less, they get point + They will get 20 points if they can find out the answer in or less than five questions They will get 10 points if they can find out the answer more than five questions Example : Group A says : “ I am a famous singer now” Group B has to find out the answer by asking “ yes-no” questions such as : 1.“ Are you a girl ? ” 2.“ Are you Vietnamese? ” 3.“ Do you live in Ha Noi ?” 4.“ Are you tall ?” 5.“ Do you have an oval face ?” 6.“ Are you thin? ” etc Group A can answer: “ Yes or No ” If group B can find out the answer in twenty questions or less, they get point They will get 20 points if they can find out the answer in or less than five questions They will get 10 points if they can find out the answer more than five question + In turns, group A then group B plays role a famous person + The group gets more points, they win the game Example : 29 Unit : Hobbies -The game is used in pre – speaking activity -The aim of using the guessing game in this lesson to remind students some names of hobbies such as : swimming, singing, fishing, stamp-coolecting, reading book, listening to music, etc - Time : 10 minutes - The game is called : “ Taboo” - Procedure : + Students are divided into two team: Team A and team B ( Each team should has even number of students with even skill level ) + Teacher prepares a pile of cards with names of hobbies (swimming, singing, fishing, stamp-coolecting, reading book, etc.) + Each team has representatives to pick up the cards ( each time is one student for one card ) + Make sure that each time the student pick up the cards, no one on his/her group can see the card If one of your teamates does see it, he/her must take it out of play, but the other group does not get the point for it + each player has a certain amount of time to get their teamates to guess as many words as they can + The representative of the group looks at the card with the name of hobbies and gives their teamates clues about the guess- words He/she can not use any part of the word or any of the taboo words that are listed ( If the word is “ stamp collecting”, you cannot say “ collect”) 30 + If he/she gets to a word that he/she does not know, or the teamates are having a hard time guessing it, you can skip the card However, if you skip a card, that point goes to the other team + The team scores points when your teamates guess the words in limited time + Take turns having each player on team be the one to hold the buzzer and keep track of taboo words use + The team gets more points, they win 4.1.1 Sample storytelling to apply in speaking lesson Demonstration : Example Unit : National Parks - Type of games: Story telling - Class management: Group work - Time: 10 minutes - Procedure: The teacher divides the class into groups of eight students (two rows of tables) The teacher asks students to work in groups to tell about their imaginary excursion The teacher can begin the story with one clause of the third conditional sentence Then the students in each group one by one add more sentences using the third conditional sentences After the last student in each group finishes the story, all groups are asked to tell their excursion in front of the class The teacher will decide which the most interesting story is 31 For example: The teacher can begin: If yesterday had been Sunday, …………… Student A: If yesterday had been Sunday, I would have gone a picnic to Cua Lo beach Student B: If I had gone to Cua Lo beach, I would have gone with some of my friends Student C: I had gone with some of my friends, we would have gone there by motorbike Alternatively, it can be made more interesting and amusing by replacing the third conditional sentences with the story using “fortunately” and “unfortunately” For example: The teacher can start: Yesterday it was nice, so I decided to go for a walk Student A: Unfortunately, it began to rain Student B: Fortunately, I had an umbrella Student C: Unfortunately, it was broken Chapter IV has provided teachers and students with some applicable and effective extra activities of a speaking lesson With the aim to help the teachers and students have the successful speaking lessons, some suggestions of sample laguage games and storytelling are also mentioned It is hoped that it can help to enhance students’ motivation in speaking lessons 32 CONCLUSION Summary of the study This study is done with the purpose of seeking one effective teaching technique to improve students’ speaking skill And as there exist many teaching techniques exploited by teachers to teach speaking, the study limits itself to use language games and storytelling to motivate non- English majors to speak The literature review has been made in the hope of demonstrating the scope of the study theoretically in terms of speaking skill, language games and storytelling The findings from the data analysis show that despite students’ awareness of the importance of speaking skill, some students have low motivation towards speaking lessons They find speaking activities either challenging or boring Thus they show their unwillingness to raise their voice Therefore, a teaching technique, language games and storytelling are tested whether they can improve students’ motivation in speaking lessons And according to students’ attitudes, perspectives and preferences, language games and storytelling are applicable as a motivator in speaking lessons Thus, in order to make the study more practical, some suggestions on using language games as well as storytelling applied in stages of a speaking lessons have also been mentioned It is hoped that the study will prove worthwhile to those who want to motivate students in speaking lessons and who are concerned about the problem Limitations of the study and suggestions for further study Although the study has accomplished the objectives set at the beginning, it can not avoid some limitations Due to the shortage of time, limit of knowledge and the scope of the study, the study can not cover all the uses of language games and storytelling in four language skills and language elements Therefore, further study can focus on the use of language games and storytelling as a motivator in reading lessons ,writing lessons, listening lessons, language games and storytelling an effective technique to teach vocabulary and grammar Obviously, mistakes are unavoidable, all comments and remarks on this research will be highly appreciated 33 REFERENCES 1.Thanyalak Oradee(2010), “ Developing Speaking Skills Using Three Communicative Activities ” Thai Land University Press Urrutia & Vega (2006),Communication games MAcmillian Publishers, New York Hamzah & Ting (2009) , study on success of using group work in teaching speaking in English classroom in a school called “SMK Damai Jaya” , Malaysia Nguyen and Nguyen (2001), Definition of speaking, Oxford University Press Bygate, M (1987) Speaking, Oxford University Press Robert Frost ( 1985) How to motivate learners of English English teaching Forum,Vol I, No1 (p 34) Greenal, S (1984) Language games and activities Great Britain: Hulton Educational Publication Mc Cabe ( 1992) 101 Word Games Oxford: Oxford University Press Byrne (1995) Take games and activities for the language leaning UK: Thomas Nelson and Sons 10 Jill Hadfield (1990) Play games with English Heineman International, Great Britain 11 Lee (1979) Inventing and playing games in the English classroom Oxford: Oxford University Press 12 Richard-Amato (1988) Dictionary of gaming, Modelling and Stimulation E & FN Spon Ltd., London 13 Lightbrown and Spada (1999) Play games with English Heineman International, Great Britain 34 14 Hadfield, J (1987) Elementary Communication Games UK: Thomas Nelson and Sons 15 Saberri and Indramawan (2013: 20) Intermediate Grammar Games Hong Kong: Thomas Nelson and Sons 16 Safdarian (2013: 208) Games for children Oxford University Press 17 Ling in Julia (2015: 14) How languages are learnt Oxford University Press 18 Samantaray (2014: 42) Games and Fun activities Young Pathfinder Series: London: CILT 19 Fikriah (2016: 96) Grammar Games and Activities Longman: Pearson Education limited 20 Pederson (1995) Storytelling for language learning Cambridge University Press 21 Jianing (2007) Second language research methods Oxford: OUP 22 Strong & Hoggan (1996) New Headway- Pre Intermediate Oxford University Press 23 Warren (1997) How to use storytelling in language teaching London: Macmillan Publishers 35 APPENDICES My name is Dinh Thi Giang, student from Thuongmai University I have a study with the topic “Using some extra-activities to improve English speaking skill of first year non English major students at Thuongmai university ” for my graduation paper This aim is to find out the problems that most students face when speaking I hope that the findings I get from this project contribute a small part to help you to improve speaking skill more better I would really appreciate if you spare your valuable time to fill in this questionnaire SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE GROUP : Students’ attitudes towards English learning Among the four language skills, which one is the most difficult to you? A Listening B Speaking C Reading D Writing How you like learning English speaking skill? A Very much B Much C Not much D Not at all How is speaking skill important to you? A Very important B Important C Normal D Not important at all Are you willing to speak in speaking lessons ? A Yes, I am always willing B Yes, sometimes C No, I am never willing to speak 36 In order to encourage students to speak and get them more involved in speaking activities, your teachers often : (You can choose more than one) A Use visual aids (pictures, charts, etc…….) B Use language games such as Sorting, ordering or arranging games, Guessing games, role play,etc C Storytelling D Use songs E Use group work and pair work F Others(please specify) ……………………………………………………… GROUP : Student’s perspectives toward teacher using language games and storytelling in speaking lessons What language games does your teacher apply in speaking lessons? (You can choose more than one) A Ordering & Arranging games B Guesing games C Role play D Other Games How much you like language games given by your teacher during speaking lessons? A I like them very much B Yes, they are OK 37 C I don’t like them at all D I have no idea How much you like storytelling during speaking lessons? A Not at all interested B Slightly interested C Moderately interested D Very interested 9.What you think of using language games and storytelling in speaking lessons for ? A for relaxing only B for teaching only C for both relaxing and teaching D time covering 10 How you feel after taking part in language games and storytelling? A relaxed and funny B normal C motivated D uncomfortable 38 ... extra- activities to improve English speaking skill of firstyear non English major students at Thuong Mai University 1.2 Previous studies Firstly, I have read a study of Thanyalak Oradee that was... desires to explore the attitudes of first year non English major students of Thuong Mai University toward using extra- activities Secondly, some good techniques, especially the extra- activities. .. Firstly, a survey questionnaire was delivered to 30 students of the first year non English major at Thuong Mai university to investigate their problems in learning speaking skills The information