Factors affecting the participation in speaking activities of 10th grade students at Doson High school and some possible solutions

1 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES 0o0 - TRẦN THỊ THẢO FACTORS AFFECTING THE PARTICIPATION IN SPEAKING ACTIVITIES OF 10TH GRADE STUDENTS AT DOSON HIGH SCHOOL AND SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS NHÂN TỐ ẢNH HƯỞNG ĐẾN SỰ THAM GIA VÀO HOẠT ĐỘNG NÓI CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG THPT ĐỒ SƠN VÀ MỘT SỐ GIẢI PHÁP KHẮC PHỤC M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Hanoi, September 2010 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES 0o0 - TRẦN THỊ THẢO FACTORS AFFECTING THE PARTICIPATION IN SPEAKING ACTIVITIES OF 10TH GRADE STUDENTS AT DOSON HIGH SCHOOL AND SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS NHÂN TỐ ẢNH HƯỞNG ĐẾN SỰ THAM GIA VÀO HOẠT ĐỘNG NÓI CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG THPT ĐỒ SƠN VÀ MỘT SỐ GIẢI PHÁP KHẮC PHỤC M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 SUPERVISOR: PHẠM MINH HIỀN, M.A Hanoi, September 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Page DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENT iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii LISTS OF TABLES AND CHARTS .viii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationales of the study Aims of the study Research questions Methods of the study Scope of the study Significance of the study Design of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Theoretical background of speaking in second language learning and teaching 1.1.1 Definitions of speaking 1.1.2 Importance of speaking 1.1.3 Approaches to the teaching of speaking 1.2 CLT and teaching speaking 1.2.1 Concept of CLT 1.2.2 Characteristics of CLT .6 1.2.3 Communicative activities 1.2.4 Students‟ participation in speaking activities 1.3 Factors affecting students’ participation in speaking activities 1.3.1 Students‟ factors 1.3.1.1 Students‟ learning styles 7 3.1.2 Students‟ language levels 1.3.1.3 Students‟ attitude and motivation 1.3.1.4 Students‟ anxiety 10 1.3.2 Teachers‟ factors 12 1.3.2.1 Teacher‟s roles .12 1.3.2.2 Teacher‟s characteristics 14 1.3.2.3 Teacher‟s methodology 15 1.3.3 Classroom factors 16 1.3.3.1 Classroom atmosphere 16 1.3.3.2 Classroom size 17 CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY 18 2.1 Research setting 18 2.1.1 An overview of Doson High School 18 2.1.2 The teachers 18 2.1.3 The students 18 2.1.4 The materials and syllabus 18 2.2 Methodology 19 2.2.1 Research questions 19 2.2.2 Participants .19 2.2.3 Data collection instruments .19 2.2.3.1 Questionnaires 19 2.2.3.2 Interviews 20 2.2.3.3 Class observations 20 2.2.4 Data collection procedures 20 2.2.5 Data analysis 21 2.2.5.1 Results from students‟ questionnaire 21 2.2.5.2 Results from teachers‟ questionnaire 29 2.2.5.3 Results from class observations and interviews 33 CHAPTER 3: MAJOR FINDINGS, DISCUSSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 Major findings and discussions 35 3.1.1 Students‟ level of participation in class oral activities 35 3.1.2 Factors affecting students‟ participation 35 3.1.3 Students‟ attitudes towards the applied teaching techniques 36 3.2 Recommendations 37 3.2.1 For teachers 37 3.2.1.1 Varying speaking activities 37 3.2.1.2 Personalizing speaking topics 37 3.2.1.3 Using group work to good effect 37 3.2.1.4 Managing speaking turns 38 3.2.1.5 Building cooperative atmosphere 38 3.2.1.6 Establishing good rapport with students 39 3.2.1.7 Combining the textbook with other relevant materials 39 3.2.1.8 Managing speaking time appropriately 40 3.2.2 For students 40 3.2.2.1 Cooperating with students 40 3.2.2.2 Cooperating with teachers 40 3.2.2.3 Taking risks 40 PART C: CONCLUSION 41 Summary of the study 41 Limitations and suggestions for further study 42 REFERENCES 43 APPENDICES .I APPENDIX 1: Questionnaire for students .I APPENDIX 2: Questionnaire for teachers .IV APPENDIX 3: Pre – treatment interview questions VII APPENDIX 4: Post – treatment interview questions VIII APPENDIX 5: Classroom observation checklist IX LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLT: Communicative Language Teaching 10 LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS * Tables Page Table 1: Students‟ learning styles 23 Table 2: Students‟ motivation 24 Table 3: Students‟ anxiety 24 Table 4: Students‟ language levels 25 Table 5: Teachers‟ talking time 26 Table 6: Teachers‟ techniques of encouraging students 27 Table 7: Students‟ evaluation on speaking lessons 27 Table 8: Factors affecting students‟ participation 28 Table 9: Students‟ suggested techniques to increase their participation 28 Table 10: Teachers‟ assessment and attitudes towards speaking skill 29 Table 11: Teachers‟ opinions about teaching methods 30 Table 12: Teachers‟ problems in teaching speaking skill .30 Table 13: Teachers‟ current teaching techniques and activities .31 Table 14: Factors affecting students‟ participation 32 Table 15: Teachers‟ suggested solutions to increase students‟ involvement 33 Table 16: The level of students‟ participation before and after the treatment 34 * Charts Pie – chart 1: Students‟ assessment of their speaking ability 21 Pie – chart 2: Students‟ level of participation in speaking activities 22 Pie – chart 3: Students‟ attitudes towards speaking skill 22 Pie – chart 4: Students‟ assessment of speaking activities in the class 23 Pie – chart 5: Students‟ level of reluctance in speaking lessons .25 Pie – chart 6: Students‟ assessment of the topics in the textbook TIENG ANH 10 .26 11 PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationales of the study In recent years, teaching and learning English is very popular in Vietnam English has become a crucial means of communication and it is widely used in different fields of the society such as international commerce, science & technology, education and so on Therefore, the goal of learning English has verified: students study English not only to pass the exam but also to get communication competence in order to find a good job in the future or to study abroad It is obvious that learning speaking skills is very important Together with new textbooks, new teaching approaches have been applied to increase the effectiveness of teaching English at high schools In the light of communicative language teaching (CLT), students‟ participation in classroom activities plays a crucial role in the success of the lesson However, this is the concern of most teachers as students‟ reluctance to speak in the class is the biggest challenge they are facing Having been teaching English at Doson High School for six years, I have realized that our students have the same problem, they are not active to participate in the speaking activities With the desire to identify the causes and solutions to this problem, I chose the topic “Factors affecting the participation in speaking activities of 10th grade students at Doson High School and some possible solutions” as the title of my thesis This study helps us have a deep understanding about the factors affecting students‟ participation in oral activities In general, it can be affected by a variety of factors coming from teachers‟ side, students‟ side and classroom condition It will also examine the techniques and activities applied by teachers and investigate some difficulties in teaching speaking skills Through this study, the researcher expects to find out some appropriate solutions to increase students‟ participation in speaking activities Aims of the study The study aims to investigate the factors affecting the participation in speaking activities of 10th grade students at Doson High School and find out some possible solutions To be more specific, the major aims of the study are as follows: - To identify factors affecting the participation in speaking activities of 10th grade students at Doson High School 12 - To examine some techniques and activities applied by teachers and students‟ preference - To offer some suggestions for teachers to increase students‟ participation in speaking activities Research questions The study is implemented to answer the following questions: How actively are the 10th grade students at Doson High School involved in oral activities in the class? What are the factors affecting the participation in speaking activities? What are the possible solutions to increase students‟ participation in speaking activities? Methods of the study To conduct the study, both quantitative and qualitative methods are used The data was collected by means of: - Questionnaires - Classroom observations - Interviews Survey questionnaires, one for students and the other for teachers were mainly used to gather information and evidence for the study To make the data more reliable, interviews and classroom observations were conducted All the comments, remarks, recommendations and conclusion provided in the thesis were based on the analysis of the study Scope of the study Concerning the scope of the study, some of the following things should be taken into consideration First, the subject of the study are the 10th grade students who are full of energy, desire and time to the study Second, the study only focuses on oral activities because speaking skill is the most important skill for communication Third, the study concentrates to investigate factors affecting the participation in speaking activities including teacher factors, student factors and classroom factors hindering students‟ involvement in oral activities and find out some solutions Finally, both quantitative and qualitative were used because of their convenience and high reliability 13 Significance of the study The information of the factors affecting the participation in speaking activities is helpful for students and teachers of English in general and teachers at Doson High School in particular The suggestions to increase students‟ involvement help the teachers overcome the challenges and find the ways to have successful lessons It can‟t be denied that the study is of great value to both students and teachers of English Design of the study The study is divided into three parts: the Introduction, the Development and the Conclusion Part A: Introduction- deals with the rationales, aims, methods, scope, significance and design of the study Part B: Development – consists of three chapters Chapter 1: Literature review – provides some theoretical background about speaking skill and factors affecting students‟ participation in speaking activities Chapter 2: The study – presents the situation analysis, participants, data collection instrument, data collection procedures and data analysis The detailed results of the research are focused Chapter 3: Major findings, discussion and recommendations – shows major findings, discussion and some recommendations for teachers to increase students‟ participation in speaking activities Part C: Conclusion- is a review of the study, suggestions for further research and limitations of the study 50 3.2.1.8 Managing speaking time appropriately In the light of CLT, learners not teachers are the centre of the class so teachers should lessen their talking time in order to let all students have maximum time for practice The more opportunities to speak students have the better their speaking skill will be Only with careful preparation can lower students be confident enough to raise their voice In addition to that, teachers can require learners to prepare the speaking topics at home and students will feel more certain of what to say 3.2.2 For students 3.2.2.1 Cooperating with students In order to work in groups successfully, students should cooperate and have good relationship with each other They can work together to prepare for the topics, exchange the ideas, peer correction and give comments on others‟ performance during the presentation 3.2.2.2 Cooperating with teachers In addition to cooperation with friends, students should work well with the teacher in joining discussion, answering questions or giving comments More importantly, students can take advantage of the teacher‟s help in case of meeting new words, pronunciation problems in order to carry out the tasks effectively 3.2.2.3 Taking risks As we know that some passive students are often reluctant to speak in the class for fear of making mistakes or being laughed at by others However, according to Brown (1994), risk – taking is one of the essential characteristics of a successful second language learner Students, therefore, should make use of opportunities to practise speaking English and make sure that making mistakes is inevitable in language learning process Summary Chapter has presented some major findings, discussions and recommendations to increase the participation in oral activities for 10th grade students at Doson High School The researcher hopes that the implications will be beneficial to all language teachers and learners 51 PART C: CONCLUSION Summary of the study The study aims to find out factors affecting the participation in speaking activities of 10 th grade students at Doson High School and some possible solutions With the instruments such as two questionnaires (for students and teachers), interviews for students and classroom observations, we have reached the answers to the three research questions: As for the first question, “How actively are the 10th grade students at Doson High School involved in oral activities in the class?”, we have found that the students‟ level of participation was very low Most students were reluctant to speak and the speaking lessons ended in silent and boring atmosphere As for the second questions, “What are the factors affecting the participation in speaking activities?”, the reasons accounting for that level of involvement came from the teachers, the students and the classroom itself - For the teachers, the factors included teacher‟ role, characteristics and methodology The low level of participation resulted from boring topics and activities organized in the class by the teachers They totally depended on the textbook, which prevented students from thinking creatively Pair work and group work were conducted in some classes, however, it was not effective Moreover, teachers overused talking time violated students‟ opportunities to practise speaking English Teachers had general understandings of CLT, however, the application of CLT in language teaching was still limited - For the students, the factors consisted of their learning styles, language levels, attitude and motivation and anxiety Low level of English proficiency was the most important factor Students‟ anxiety such as fear of making mistakes or negative judgments prevented students from participating in oral activities Although students had good attitude towards speaking skill, they were unwilling to involve in the lesson due to lack of intrinsic motivation Passive learning style also added to students‟ inhibition to speak English - For the classroom, the cooperation among members in groups discouraged students from working with each other In multi – level and large classes, uneven participation between the better and the lower students was also a distracter preventing students from participating in oral classroom activities 52 As for the third question, “What are the possible solutions to increase students‟ participation in speaking activities?”, the results obtained through interviews and classroom observation confirmed the efficiency of the techniques and activities applied in the lessons As a result, students become more interested in oral activities and more importantly, the students‟ level of participation increased considerably after the treatment In conclusion, the findings of this study will make a significant contribution to improve the current situation in teaching and learning speaking skill for 10th grade students at Doson High School Limitations and suggestions for further study The study has a number of strengths, however, due to the limited time and ability weaknesses are unavoidable First, the subjects of the questionnaire are 120 students, which can not cover all students at the school Second, time for the treatment is too short to generalize the effectiveness of the applied teaching techniques Basing on the findings and the limitations of this study, I would like to continue the study with the following topics: - Strategies to maximize students‟ involvement in language learning - Increasing the effectiveness of collaborative work in speaking lessons - Personalizing oral activities to increase students‟ participation In order to pilot the effectiveness of the study, the further research should be implemented by an experimental or an action research 53 REFERENCES Bailey, K M (2005) Practical English Language Teaching: Speaking: McGraw - Hill Companies, Inc Barry, K (1993) Beginning Teaching (2nd ed.) Wentworth Falls: Social Science Press Brown, H D (1994) Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents Brown, H D (2007) Principles of Language Learning and Teaching (5th ed.) San Francisco: Pearson Longman Brumfit, C J (1984) Communicative Methodology in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Bygate, M (1987) Speaking Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press Byrne, D (1986) Teaching Oral English: Longman Chaney, A L B., & Burk, T L (1998) Teaching Oral Communication Boston: Allyn & Bacon Dornyei, Z (2001) Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Downs, M (2000) Increasing Student Motivation Teacher's Edition, 4, 8-13 Ellis, R (1985) Understanding Second Language Acquisition Oxford: Oxford Universtiy Press Fisher, R (1990) Teaching Children to Think Basil Blackwell Harmer, J (1999) The Practice of Engish Language Teaching Malaysia: Longman Harmer, J (2004) How to Teach English Malaysia: Longman Hoang Van Van (2006) Tieng Anh 10 Hanoi: Educational Publishing House Horwitz, E K., & Cope, J A (1986) Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125-132 Kayi, H (2006) Teaching Speaking The Interenet TESL Journal, XII(11) Le Phuoc Ky (2002) Problems, Solutions, and Advantages of Large Classes Teacher's Edition, 9(9), 8-11 Lightbown, P M., & Spada, N (1999) How Languages are Learned Oxford: Oxford University Press Matthews, A., Spratt, M., & Dangerfild, L (1985) At the Chalk face: Practical 54 Techniques in Language Teaching London: Nelson McDonough, J., & McDonough, S (1997) Research Methods for English Language Teachers London: Arnold Nunan, D (1989) Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom Cambridge: Cambridge Universtity Press Nunan, D (1992) Research Methods in Language Learning Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Nunan, D (1999) Second Language Teaching & Learning Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers Oxford, R L., & Shearin, J (1994) Language Learning Motivation: Expanding the Theoretical Framework The Modern Language Journal, 78, 12-28 Richards, J C., & Rodgers, T S (2001) Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Scovel, T (1978) The Effect of Affect on Foreign Languge Learning: A review of the Anxiety Research Language Learning, 27(1), 129-142 Searman, A (2005) Six Principles for Teaching Large Multilevel Classes Teacher's Edition, 17, 10-13 Son, L T T (2006) Vietnamese Teacher's Understandings of CLT in Teaching Speaking Teacher's Edition, 20, 19-22 Spielberger, C (1983) Manual for the State - Trait Anxiety Palo Altro: Consulting Psychologists Press Tsui, A (1996) Recitence and Anxiety in Second Language Learning In K Bailey & D Nunan (Eds.), Voices from the Language Classrooms (pp 145-167) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Underwood, M (1987) Effective Class Management NewYork: Longman Ur, P (1996) A Course in Language Teaching Cambridge [England]; New York: Cambridge University Press Zhang, X (2006) Speaking Skills and Anxiety CELEA, 29(1), 34-39 Zhao, N (2007) A Study of High School Students' English Learning Anxiety Asian EFL, 9(3) 55 APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS This survey questionnaire is designed for the study of factors affecting the participation in speaking activities for 10th grade students at Doson High School Your assistance in completing the following items is of highly appreciated All the information provided by you is of great use and solely for the study purpose Thank you! * Personal information - Your gender: Male □ Female □ - Age: - Class: * Please circle the appropriate choice(s) in answering each of the following questions How you evaluate your English speaking ability? A very good B good C OK D bad How often you participate in speaking activities in the class? A always B often C sometimes D rarely How is English speaking skill important to you? A very important B important C little important D not important What you think about speaking activities in the class? A very interesting B interesting C All right D not interesting Tick your appropriate choice (Learning style, Motivation, Anxiety, Language level) Agree I prefer doing exercise to speaking in the classroom I enjoy practising English at home by myself I always take every opportunities to speak English I only speak English when the teacher calls me I like speaking English as it helps me improve my fluency and pronunciation Disagree 56 I often participate in speaking activities in order to have good communication in the future I‟m afraid of making mistakes when speaking English I want to speak English but I don‟t know enough vocabulary I often feel nervous when I have to speak in front of the class 10 I don‟t have a lot of chances to speak as better students are always the first to give their ideas How often you feel reluctant to speak in the class? A always B often C.sometimes D never How you find the speaking topics in the textbook TIENG ANH 10? A very interesting B interesting C All right D.not interesting What you think about the teacher’s talking time? A too much B much C all right D too little How does your teacher encourage you to speak? A By giving good comments B By giving prizes C By giving high marks D By doing nothing 10 How you evaluate your speaking lessons? A All students are very active B Many students are active C Students feel happy and willing to speak D Most students are reluctant to speak 11 Which factors affecting your participation in speaking activities? a Teacher‟s inappropriate teaching methodology b Boring topics and activities c Students‟ lack of motivation d Students‟ low level of English proficiency e Large class sizes f Others: (please specify)………………………………………………………………… 57 12 What should teachers to increase students’ participation in speaking lessons? a Use various communicative activities b Create a co – operative English learning environment c Combine textbooks with other relevant sources of materials for suitable adaption d Encourage students to speak by giving evaluation (comments, feedback and marks) e Personalize topics and tasks to be suitable for students‟ interests f Others (please specify):………………………………………………………………… THANK YOU! 58 APPENDIX 2: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS This survey questionnaire is designed for the study of factors affecting the participation in speaking activities for 10th grade students at Doson High School Your assistance in completing the following items is highly appreciated All the information provided by you is of great use and solely for the study purpose Thank you! * Personal information - Your gender: Male □ Female □ - Your age: - Years of teaching: * Please circle the appropriate choice(s) in answering each of the following questions How important you think speaking skill is to your students? a very important b important c not very important d not important at all 2.How much you like teaching speaking skill? a very much b so so c not very much d not at all What you think about students’ participation in your speaking class? a high level of participation c low level of participation b average level of participation d no participation Give your opinions about CLT Agree CLT is learner- centered CLT emphasizes on accuracy more than fluency CLT gives students opportunities to communicate with others Teachers always create good language atmosphere to interest students to learn What teaching methods are currently being applied in your speaking lesson? a Grammar – Translation method b Audio – Lingual method Disagree 59 c Communicative Approach d Combination of different methods What are the problems you are facing in teaching speaking skill? a Students‟ reluctance to speak English b Students‟ lack of motivation c Students‟ uneven participation d Students‟ low English proficiency How often you use pair work and group work? a very often b often c sometimes d never What you think of your talking time in class? a too much b a little much c all right d too little How often you use the following activities in speaking lessons? Very often Often Sometimes Never 1.Questions and answers Discussion Games Interview Story telling Re – ordering Reporting Picture discription Information gap 10 Brainstorming 10 How is the relationship between you and your students? a very good b good c all right d not very good 11 What you think about speaking topics and tasks in textbook Tieng Anh 10? a very interesting b interesting c all right d boring 12 According to you, what are factors affecting students’ participation in speaking lessons? 60 a Teacher‟s inappropriate teaching methodology b Boring topics and activities c Students‟ lack of motivation d Students‟ low level of English proficiency e Large class sizes f Others: (please specify)………………………………………………………………… 13 What should teachers to increase students’ participation in speaking lessons? a Use various communicative activities b Create a co – operative English learning environment c Combine textbooks with other relevant sources of materials for suitable adaption d Encourage students to speak by giving evaluation (comments, feedback and marks) e Personalize topics and tasks to be suitable for students‟ interests f Others (please specify):………………………………………………………………… THANK YOU! 61 APPENDIX 3: PRE – TREATMENT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Do you think that speaking skill is very important? Why? How often you participate in English speaking activities? Do you like speaking activities in you class? What you think about the speaking topics in the textbook Tieng Anh 10? Are you afraid of making mistakes when speaking in the class? Do you feel reluctant in speaking English in the class? Why? Do you have a lot of opportunities to speak in the class? What activities does your teacher often use in your speaking lessons? (Interview, role – play, pair work, group work, discussion, report, story – telling, dialogue completion, games…) Which activities you prefer? Does your teacher often encourage you to speak English? 10 Is your teacher helpful, enthusiastic and tolerant? 11 Do you have enough time to speaking tasks in the class? 12 Can you name some factors affecting your participation in speaking activities? Which is the decisive factor? 13 What should your teacher to increase your speaking involvement? 62 APPENDIX 4: POST – TREATMENT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS How often you participate in English speaking activities in recent lessons? Do you like speaking activities applied in you class? Why? What you think about the teaching material? Are you satisfied with your teacher‟s teaching technique? Do you feel reluctant in speaking English in the class? Why? Do you have a lot of opportunities to speak in the class? Does your teacher often encourage you to speak English? Do you have enough time to speaking tasks in the class? What are the roles of your teacher in recent speaking lessons? 10 What are the effects of using these techniques and activities? 11 Do you have any suggestions to make these techniques and activities more effective? 63 APPENDIX 5: CLASSROOM OBSERVATION CHECKLIST Date: Teacher: Unit: Class: No of students: Materials: Activity: * Observation Students‟ level of participation in speaking activities Very low Very high Students‟ interation with the teacher and other partners Students‟ attitudes towards speaking activites Teacher‟s teaching techniques & apeaking activities Classroom learning atmosphere Very bad Very good Not interested Very interested Not appropriate Very appropriate Not active Very active *.Comment: …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………… ………………………………………………………………………… 64