Students'''' autonomy in learning English pronunciation skills at Bim Son upper secondary school, Thanh Hoa

i VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE-STUDIES **************************************** DOÃN THỊ VÂN STUDENTS’ AUTONOMY IN LEARNING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION SKILLS AT BIM SON UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL, THANH HOA (Tính tự chủ học sinh việc luyện tập kỹ phát âm Trường THPT Bỉm Sơn-Thanh Hóa) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Hanoi-2011 ii VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE-STUDIES **************************************** DOÃN THỊ VÂN STUDENTS’ AUTONOMY IN LEARNING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION SKILLS AT BIM SON UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL, THANH HOA (Tính tự chủ học sinh việc luyện tập kỹ phát âm Trường THPT Bỉm Sơn-Thanh Hóa) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Supervisor: Nguyễn Minh Tuấn, M.Ed Hanoi-2011 ABSTRACT English is now considered to be one of the most popular means of communication in the world One of the most important goals of learning a foreign language is to communicate while oral communication of human beings bases on sounds Learning good pronunciation is a vital part of learning a new language If people not pronounce correctly they will have many difficulties in exchanging ideas or sometimes it may lead to the communication breakdown In fact, up to now, in language teaching and learning at upper-secondary school level, pronunciation is paid less attention compared with vocabulary, grammar and language skills This is because of a number of reasons: First, the textbooks (English 10 11 - 12) have few focuses on pronunciation knowledge and practice and therefore, teachers often find that they not have enough time in class to give proper attention to this aspect of English instructions Second, all important English exams at schools as well as college entrance exams to universities are always in written form, so most teachers and students have little motivation to teach and learn pronunciation As a result, students are often shy and unconfident to speak in English This situation calls for the urgent need of cultivating learner autonomy in their pronunciation learning The concept of learner autonomy has long been introduced and applied to the process of language learning However, research focusing closely on learner autonomy in pronunciation learning is few and far between This is inappropriate because pronunciation is central to language learning and learners’ abilities to build, expand and refine their pronunciation on their own outside their classrooms can be the deciding factors in their language learning success In an attempt to investigate this topic, the researcher has decided to conduct a study on “Students’ Autonomy in Learning English Pronunciation Skills at Bim Son High School, Thanh Hoa” As one of the first attempts to explore the application of learner autonomy in the context of learning English pronunciation skills at Bim Son High School, this paper seeks to explore the current techniques utilized by teachers and learners in fostering learner autonomy in pronunciation learning and students’ perceptions about those techniques The paper begins by reviewing the current literature on learner autonomy, pronunciation learning and related studies This is a case study conducted with teachers of English and 160 students, at Bim Son High School, who undertook the triangulated data collection method of interviews, questionnaires and classroom observations The analysis of the collected data demonstrated teachers’ and students’ learning and teaching realities in the process of developing learner autonomy within the learning of pronunciation The findings analyzed suggest a way of gauging students’ responsibility for their own learning and that learner autonomy, as a life-long mode of learning, can only be achieved with the efforts of both the teachers and the learners 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration………………………………………………………………………… i Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………ii List of charts and tables………………………………………………………… iii Table of contents…………… ……………………………………………………iv Abstract………………………………………………………………… …………v PART A: INTRODUCTION Statement of the problem and rationale for the research … ……………………1 Aims and objectives of the study……………………………………………… Scope of the study………………………………………………………… ……2 Signification of the study……………………………………………………… An overview of the rest of the paper…………………………………………… PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………… ………4 Learner autonomy ……………………………………………………………… 1.1 Definition of learner autonomy ……………………………………… 1.2 Classifications of learner autonomy……………………………………5 1.3 Characteristics of learner autonomy……………………………………5 1.4 Roles of learner autonomy…………………………………………… 1.5 Teacher’s roles in learner autonomy………………………………… 1.6 Ways to develop autonomy………………………………………… 10 Pronunciation……………………………………………………………………12 2.1 Definition of pronunciation………………………………………… 12 2.2 The importance of teaching pronunciation ………………………… 12 2.3 Roles of learner autonomy in teaching and learning pronunciation… 13 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY………………………………………………15 An overview of the situation of teaching and learning English at Bim Son Upper Secondary School………………………………………………………………………….15 1.1 Current learning and teaching of English at Bim Son Upper Secondary School…………………………………………………………………………… 15 1.2 Participants……………………………………………………………16 Data collection instruments …………………………………………………….17 2.1 Questionnaires ……………………………………………………… 17 2.2 Interviews…………………………………………………………… 18 2.3 Classroom observation ……………………………………………….19 Data collection procedure……………………………………………………….19 Data analysis methods and procedure………………………………………… 21 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND FINDINGS……………………………………22 The nature of learner autonomy………………………………………… 22 1.1 Students’ main goals in learning pronunciation …………………… 22 1.2 Students’ behaviours as autonomous learners……………………… 22 1.3 Affective factors………………………………………………………24 1.4 Attitudes towards tasks and assignments…………………………… 25 The factors that affect learner autonomy in learning pronunciation skills ………………………………………………………………………… ……25 Techniques have been utilized by the students for their learning pronunciation autonomously…………………………………………………………… 26 3.1 Students’ sources of pronunciation learning ……………………… 26 3.2 Techniques utilized by the students to learn pronunciation………… 27 PART C: CONCLUSION……………………………………………………… 29 Major findings of the research …………………………………………….……29 Pedagogical implications ……………………………………………………….30 Limitations and Suggestions for further studies……………………………… 32 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………… ……34 APPENDICE………………………………………………………………….……………I Appendix 1: Student Survey Questionnaire…………………………………………I Appendix 2: Teacher Survey Questionnaire…………………………………… XII Appendix 3: Questions for Semi-Structured Student Interview…………………XIX Appendix 4: Questions for Semi-Structured Teacher Interview…………………XX Appendix 5: Classroom Observation Sheet…………………………………… XXI ABSTRACT English is now considered to be one of the most popular means of communication in the world One of the most important goals of learning a foreign language is to communicate while oral communication of human beings bases on sounds Learning good pronunciation is a vital part of learning a new language If people not pronounce correctly they will have many difficulties in exchanging ideas or sometimes it may lead to the communication breakdown In fact, up to now, in language teaching and learning at upper-secondary school level, pronunciation is paid less attention compared with vocabulary, grammar and language skills This is because of a number of reasons: First, the textbooks (English 10 11 - 12) have few focuses on pronunciation knowledge and practice and therefore, teachers often find that they not have enough time in class to give proper attention to this aspect of English instructions Second, all important English exams at schools as well as college entrance exams to universities are always in written form, so most teachers and students have little motivation to teach and learn pronunciation As a result, students are often shy and unconfident to speak in English This situation calls for the urgent need of cultivating learner autonomy in their pronunciation learning The concept of learner autonomy has long been introduced and applied to the process of language learning However, research focusing closely on learner autonomy in pronunciation learning is few and far between This is inappropriate because pronunciation is central to language learning and learners’ abilities to build, expand and refine their pronunciation on their own outside their classrooms can be the deciding factors in their language learning success In an attempt to investigate this topic, the researcher has decided to conduct a study on “Students’ Autonomy in Learning English Pronunciation Skills at Bim Son High School, Thanh Hoa” As one of the first attempts to explore the application of learner autonomy in the context of learning English pronunciation skills at Bim Son High School, this paper seeks to explore the current techniques utilized by teachers and learners in fostering learner autonomy in pronunciation learning and students’ perceptions about those techniques The paper begins by reviewing the current literature on learner autonomy, pronunciation learning and related studies This is a case study conducted with teachers of English and 160 students, at Bim Son High School, who undertook the triangulated data collection method of interviews, questionnaires and classroom observations The analysis of the collected data demonstrated teachers’ and students’ learning and teaching realities in the process of developing learner autonomy within the learning of pronunciation The findings analyzed suggest a way of gauging students’ responsibility for their own learning and that learner autonomy, as a life-long mode of learning, can only be achieved with the efforts of both the teachers and the learners 5 PART A: INTRODUCTION Statement of the problem and rationale for the research I have decided to undertake a study on Students’ Autonomy in Learning English Pronunciation Skills at Bim Son Upper Secondary School, Thanh Hoa Aims and objectives of the study In brief, the study would seek to answer the following questions: - What is the nature of learner autonomy – the ability to take charge of their own learning English pronunciation skills at Bim Son Upper Secondary School? - What are the factors that affect the learners’ autonomy? Methods of the study In order to collect data for this study, a survey questionnaire is delivered to teachers and 160 students at Bim Son Upper Secondary School Some observations and interviews with some teachers and students were also conducted for supplementary information Then, the results obtained from questionnaires and observations were discussed and some useful pronunciation teaching techniques were recommended Signification of the study This study provides a closer look at learner autonomy in teaching and learning pronunciation skills at upper secondary school, from which constructive suggestions are hoped to be found in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning these skills PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter addresses a review of the literature related to learner autonomy and pronunciation learning and teaching In each section, the definition or explanation of the key terms is presented together with the studies worldwide Learner autonomy 1.1 Definition of learner autonomy 1.2 Roles of learner autonomy 1.3 Characteristics of learner autonomy 1.4 Teacher’s roles in learner autonomy 1.5 Principles of developing autonomy Pronunciation 2.1 Definition of pronunciation 2.2 Roles of learner autonomy in teaching and learning pronunciation 2.3 The teacher’s roles and student’s roles in teaching and learning pronunciation 2.3.1 The teacher's roles in teaching pronunciation 2.3.2 The student's roles in learning pronunciation 7 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY This chapter is devoted to presenting the methodology of the current research, including the research design, the participants, the data collection instruments and procedure, and data analysis In the preceding chapter, the literature on the research topic was reviewed for the theoretical basis of the study In order to lay a practical background for the study, the research was carried out with strictly justified methods of data collection and analysis The study was carried out in months from May to September of 2011 among 160 students of all grades and teachers teaching English at Bim Son Upper Secondary School An overview of the situation of teaching and learning English at Bim Son Upper Secondary School 1.1 Current learning and teaching of English at Bim Son Upper Secondary School There are teachers of English at Bim Son Upper Secondary School All the teachers are very eager for knowledge, enthusiastic with teaching, ready to change for the better, willing to apply better ways to fortify their teaching quality and improve the quality of English teaching and learning 1.2 Participants Teachers are considered to play an important part in guiding and monitoring the development of learner autonomy in their students The study, therefore, invited for the participation of six teachers in the foreign language group The subjects are 160 students at Bim Son Upper Secondary School All of them have learned English since 6th grade (about 12 years old) at least They are chosen at random basing on their order number in the attendance register then the name attached to these numbers were collected Most of them can written English tasks quite well, but rather badly with spoken language with a lot of mispronounced words They demonstrate very little knowledge about phonetics Data collection instruments In order to obtain in-depth, rich data and information for investigating the situation and the difficulties that teachers and students have in teaching and learning pronunciation, the study used three methods of data collection: questionnaire (conducted in late June when students generally fulfill their pronunciation lessons in English Textbook), classroom observation (done from June to late August) and informal interview (done from July to August) 2.1 Questionnaires 2.1.1 The students’ survey questionnaire The survey questionnaire for students consists of big questions with 20 extra questions are for participants to choose one option among the given; and leaving comment space for students as they wish basing on their own problems and situation 2.1.2 The teachers’ survey questionnaire 2.2 Classroom observation 2.3 Interviews Data collection procedure The procedure of data collection could be put into four phases as follows Phase 1: Preparation Phase 2: Disseminations of questionnaires Phase 3: Carrying out the interviews Phase 4: Observation Data analysis methods and procedure The collected data was first classified according to the research questions The students’ responses were considered first Teachers’ responses were analyzed in comparison and contrast with the students’ responses Interview responses and classroom observation served to solidify the conclusion 9 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND FINDINGS In this chapter, data was analyzed and discussed, the findings of the study are the answers for three research questions proposed in the introduction Firstly, the analysis of the data shows that both teachers and students at Bim Son Upper Secondary School have positive attitudes towards pronunciation and they are aware of the importance of pronunciation to their teaching and learning of English However, they meet some difficulties in pronunciation teaching and learning, which makes them fail to meet their purpose of teaching and learning pronunciation is to communicate better Secondly, each technique has its own advantages What techniques the teachers often use have great influence on the way the students get the knowledge The teacher should find out which techniques are suitable to make the lessons more interesting and effective and to encourage their students’ independent learning In the final analysis, responses to two research questions show the real picture of students’ autonomy in pronunciation learning in Bim Son Upper Secondary School And as can be seem, the issue of learner autonomy still remains as a big question for teachers and educators Major findings will be summarized and some suggestions will be presented as suggestions by the teachers, the students and the researcher in the next chapter – CONCLUSION 10 PART C: CONCLUSION In this last chapter, the findings of the study will be summarized first and followed by some suggestions for teaching English pronunciation skills to students at upper secondary schools This chapter also discusses the limitations of the study as well as some recommendations for further research Major findings of the research The first issue to investigate in the study is the fact that although most of the studied students found pronunciation important to their learning, few of them could see the link between learning pronunciation and the improvement in learning English in general Secondly, learners’ ability to take charge in learning pronunciation is influenced by several factors One of the biggest factors is that students did not receive enough support from their teachers in terms of learning and practicing pronunciation From my observation and interview, I found out that although the teachers did some attempts to help their students overcome pronunciation problems, they did not employ enough various techniques to make the lessons more interesting and easier to understand Pedagogical implications In accordance with the above findings, the thesis is concluded with several recommendations for improving students’ autonomy in pronunciation teaching and learning at Bim Son Upper Secondary School Limitations and Suggestions for further studies Although the study has done, it is unavoidable that there are some limitations of the research due to the limited scope, the time constraint and other objective factors The participants were just chosen randomly from some classes to represent others