10th grade students’ attitudes towards teachers’ error correction in classroom oral activities at Do Son Boarding High School, Hai Phong

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES *** ĐỖ THỊ HỒNG HÀ 10th GRADE STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS TEACHERS’ ERROR CORRECTION IN CLASSROOM ORAL ACTIVITIES AT DO SON BOARDING HIGH SCHOOL, HAI PHONG THÁI ĐỘ CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG THPT NỘI TRÚ ĐỒ SƠN, HẢI PHÒNG ĐỐI VỚI VIỆC CHỮA LỖI CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TRONG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG NÓI M.A MINOR THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 601410 HANOI - 2011 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES *** ĐỖ THỊ HỒNG HÀ 10th GRADE STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS TEACHERS’ ERROR CORRECTION IN CLASSROOM ORAL ACTIVITIES AT DO SON BOARDING HIGH SCHOOL, HAI PHONG THÁI ĐỘ CỦA HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG THPT NỘI TRÚ ĐỒ SƠN, HẢI PHÒNG ĐỐI VỚI VIỆC CHỮA LỖI CỦA GIÁO VIÊN TRONG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG NÓI M.A MINOR THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 601410 Supervisor : Khoa Anh Việt, M.A HANOI - 2011 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the Study Aims of the Study Scope of the Study Research Questions Methods of the Study .3 Significance of the Study Design of the Study Summary PART B: DEVELOPMENT .5 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW Definition of “Error” Types of Errors Distinction between “Error” and “Mistake” Perspectives on Errors and Error Correction 4.1 Perspectives on Errors 4.2 Perspectives on Error Correction The Role of Oral Error Correction 10 Techniques of Oral Error Correction .12 6.1 Explicit Correction 12 6.2 Recasts 12 6.3 Prompts .13 6.3.1 Clarification Requests 13 6.3.2 Elicitation 13 6.3.3 Metalinguistic Clues 13 6.3.4 Repetition 13 6.3.5 Finger-counting 14 6.3.6 Facial Expression .14 6.3.7 Gestures 14 6.4 Delayed Correction .14 v Previous Studies on Students’ Attitudes towards Teachers’ Oral Error Correction 15 Summary 17 CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY 18 II.1 Methodology 18 II.1.1 Context of the Study 18 II.1.2 Research Questions 19 II.1.3 Subjects of the Study .19 II.1.4 Data Collection Instruments 20 II.1.5 Data Collection Procedure 21 II.2 Findings and Discussion 21 II.2.1 Students’ perceptions of oral errors and oral error correction 21 II.2.2 Students’ reactions to teachers’ actual practices of oral error correction: 23 II.2.3 Students’ preferences for teacher correction of oral errors: 25 II.2.3.1 Preferred types of errors to be corrected 25 II.2.3.2 Preferred timing of error correction .27 II.2.3.3 Preferred techniques of error correction 27 II.2.3.4 Preferred forms of error correction 30 II.3 Summary 31 PART C: CONCLUSION .32 Summary of the Findings .32 Recommendations for Teachers’ Error Correction in Oral Classroom Activities 33 2.1 Knowing about the Students .33 2.2 Working out Appropriate Error Correction Strategies .34 2.3 Creating a Supportive and Pleasant Classroom Environment 36 Limitations of the Study 36 Recommendations for Further Research 36 REFERENCES .38 APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE I APPENDIX 2: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS IX APPENDIX 3: CLASSROOM OBSERVATION NOTES X vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLT: Communicative Language Teaching EFL: English as a Foreign Language ESL: English as a Second Language L2: Second Language SLA: Second Language Acquisition TESOL: Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Students’ perceptions on the role of oral errors in language learning Table 2: Students’ perceptions on the role of teachers’ oral error correction Table 3: Students’ level of understanding of teachers’ oral error correction Table 4: Students’ level of improvement in speaking skill due to teachers’ correction Table 5: Students’ preferences for types of errors to be corrected Table 6: Students’ preferences for amount of error to be corrected Table 7: Students’ preferences for timing of error correction Table 8: Students’ preferences for error correction techniques Table 9: Students’ most favored and least favored correction techniques Table 10: Students’ preferences for error correction forms PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the Study The teaching and learning of English language is always on its progress to search for effective methodologies One of the issues which has constantly attracted great concern and discussion among many linguists, educational researchers and teachers is the correction of learners’ errors It has been widely accepted that error making is inevitable and it appears essential to the language learning process The correction of learners’ errors has also been recognized as an integral part of language teaching So far, a number of studies have been conducted to seek for effective methods of correcting learners’ errors with the aim of fostering more successful language learning The research findings have revealed that learners’ perceptions and attitudes towards instructional methods have a great influence on their achievement (Schulz’s, 1996, 2001) Teachers need to know learners’ beliefs about language teaching and learning because a mismatch between students’ expectations and the realities they encounter in the classroom can prevent improvement in language acquisition (Horwitz, 1988) In reality, such mismatch has been found in many settings including Vietnam, and as a result, it has brought about unsatisfactory learning outcomes This problem is not an exception in the context of Do Son Boarding High School where I have been working as a teacher of English From my professional experience and personal observation, I have realized that the teachers seem not to have paid much attention to what their students think and feel about oral error correction, whereas the students come to class with a variety of beliefs, learning styles and language proficiency, and they respond in different ways to the teachers’ error treatment Rather, the teacher-centered instruction tends to be dominant and the instructional techniques seem to follow “one size fits all” mode These factors have been proved to affect students’ progress in language learning in general and in speaking English in particular Rooted from the problem existing in my context and the awareness of the significance of oral error correction as well as the need for teachers to learn about their students’ perceptions and preferences for error treatment, I would like to conduct an investigation into “10th grade students’ attitudes towards teachers’ error correction in classroom oral activities at Do Son Boarding High School, Hai Phong” The fact that there has been limited research into this subject matter in the context of Vietnam has also inspired me to carry out this study It is hoped that the research outcomes will be able to assist teachers to gain more insights into the issues of oral error correction so that they can adjust or adopt appropriate methods catering for students’ needs with the aim of improving language learning Aims of the Study The specific aims of the study are: • to find out what students think about the correction of oral errors delivered by their teachers such as whether they like their errors to be corrected, and how important they think teachers’ error correction to their learning of English • to understand how students respond to the current methods of correcting oral errors employed by their teachers, for example, to what extent they understand their teachers’ correction, and how effective they think their teachers’ instruction is • to explore in what ways students expect their oral error correction to be delivered (e.g which errors to correct, when to correct, how to correct) with the aim of matching teachers’ instruction and students’ expectations so that teachers can make best use of their methods to enhance language learning Scope of the Study It is clear that oral error correction is a broad issue A study on students’ attitudes towards oral error correction apparently opens for a variety of subject matters which cannot be entirely discussed within the scope of a minor thesis Therefore, in this study, I would like to restrict the focus to investigating the attitudes towards teachers’ methods of spoken error correction among a group of 10th grade students at Do Son Boarding High School in Hai Phong city Research Questions In an attempt to achieve the aims stated above, the present study aims to address three research questions: What are the students’ perceptions of the role of oral errors and teachers’ oral error correction? What are the students’ reactions to the current practices of teachers’ oral error correction? What are the students’ preferences for teachers’ correction of oral errors? Methods of the Study In order to seek for answers to the research questions, various sources of data were used from a survey questionnaire, classroom observations and interviews The main instrument for collecting data is a survey questionnaire aimed to discover what the students think about the role of errors and error correction, how they evaluate the current practices of teachers’ error correction, and how they prefer their errors to be corrected in classroom oral activities The study also included classroom observations to investigate how error correction was delivered in the classroom to see if there was anything not revealed or anything that confirms comments made by the students in the questionnaire Semi-structured interviews with a small group of students were added to the instruments described above to get deeper insights into students’ attitudes and expectations for teachers’ error correction methods Significance of the Study The issue of teacher’s oral error correction has presented certain problems for both EFL teachers and students due to the mismatch between teachers’ actual practices and students’ expectations As a result, the teachers’ error treatment in classroom oral activities has not reached adequate efficiency This study therefore hopes to find out reasonable answers to the research questions so that teachers can gain more awareness of the significance of students’ beliefs and their influence on the language teaching and learning By comparing students’ attitudes and preferences with actual classroom practices, teachers are hoped to find out their own appropriate ways for delivering oral error correction to their students Design of the Study The thesis contains three main parts as follows: • Part A provides an introduction of the study including the rationale, the aims, the research questions, the significance, the scope, the methods and the study organization • Part B consists of two chapters Chapter presents the theoretical background for the thesis including definitions and classifications of error; distinction between the notions of “error” and “mistake”; major perspectives on the role of errors and error correction in general and of oral error correction in particular; common techniques of oral error correction; and review of previous studies on students’ attitudes and preferences for teachers’ oral error correction Chapter describes the methodology underlying the research including the background information about the context and subjects of the study, the instruments used to collect the data, the procedure of data collection, and detailed description of data analysis and discussion of the study results • Part C presents the summary of the findings and some pedagogical suggestions for teachers delivering error correction in classroom oral activities The limitations of the study and some recommendations for further research are also discussed in this part Summary This chapter presents an overview of the study with specific reference to the rationale, the aims, the research questions, the significance, the scope, the methods and the study organization The next chapter will provide the theoretical background for the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT 42 Previous Studies on Students’ Attitudes towards Teachers’ Oral Error Correction 15 Summary 17 CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY 17 II.1 Methodology 18 II.1.1 Context of the Study 18 II.1.2 Research Questions 19 II.1.3 Subjects of the Study 19 II.1.4 Data Collection Instruments 19 II.1.5 Data Collection Procedure 21 II.2 Findings and Discussion 21 II.2.1 Students’ perceptions of oral errors and oral error correction 21 II.2.2 Students’ reactions to teachers’ actual practices of oral error correction: 23 II.2.3 Students’ preferences for teacher correction of oral errors: 25 II.2.3.1 Preferred types of errors to be corrected 25 II.2.3.2 Preferred timing of error correction 26 II.2.3.3 Preferred techniques of error correction 27 II.2.3.4 Preferred forms of error correction 30 II.3 Summary 31 PART C: CONCLUSION 32 Summary of the Findings 32 Recommendations for Teachers’ Error Correction in Oral Classroom Activities 33 2.1 Knowing about the Students 33 2.2 Working out Appropriate Error Correction Strategies 34 2.3 Creating a Supportive and Pleasant Classroom Environment 36 Limitations of the Study 36 Recommendations for Further Research 36 REFERENCES 38 I APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE Please put a tick in the box which applies to you or write your response in the space provided * Your gender: Male * Which class are you in?: Female ……………………………………………………………… * How long have you been learning English?: ……………………………………………… Do you think that oral errors are useful for language learning? Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree      Please state your reasons: …………………………………………………………………………………………………… How necessary you think it is for the teacher to correct oral errors? Very Necessary Necessary Fairly Necessary Unnecessary     Please specify your reasons: …………………………………………………………………………………………………… To what extent you understand the ways your teacher corrects oral errors? Totally understand Roughly understand Not understand at all    If you not understand the teacher’s correction techniques or understand with little clarity, please state your reasons: …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Does the teacher’s correction of oral errors help you improve your speaking skill? Much improvement  Moderate improvement Little improvement No improvement    II In which of the following areas would you like to receive correction from your teacher? Rank each area according to its level of importance (from “1” for most important to “4” for least important)  Grammar  Vocabulary  Pronunciation  Meaning If there are many errors, what you want your teacher to do?  Correct all errors  Correct repeated errors  Correct only a few major errors  Correct only errors that might interfere with communicating your ideas When you think the teacher should correct your oral errors? Timing Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree As soon as errors are made      After I finish speaking      After the oral activities      At the end of the lesson      How would you rate each type of oral error correction according to its effectiveness? Error Sample: T: Where did you go last weekend? S: I go to the countryside Correction Techniques Very Effective Effective Neutral   Not very effective Ineffective 1) T points out the error and provides the correct response e.g “Go” is wrong You should    III say “went” 2) Teacher repeats the student’s utterance in the correct form without pointing out the student’s                                    error e.g I went to the countryside 3) Teacher repeats the error and changes intonation to draw the student’s attention to it e.g Go? 4) Teacher elicits the correct form from the student by asking questions e.g What? 5) Teacher asks the student to repeat the utterance e.g Could you say that again? 6) Teacher repeats the student’s utterance up to the error and waits for self-correction e.g I … 7) Teacher tells the student what is wrong by using rules for explanation e.g “Go” is the present tense You need the past tense here 8) Teacher indicates the error by using gestures expressions (e.g or facial frowning, IV shaking head, pulling ear as if she did not hear clearly) Of the above mentioned techniques, which one you like the most and the least? Why? …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10 Which forms of error correction you want to receive? Forms of correction Strongly Neutral Disagree                Agree I want the teacher to correct the errors I want other students to correct my errors I want to my own correction by taking hint from the teacher Strongly Agree Disagree Please give the reason for your preference: …………………………………………………………………………………………………… V PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT Các em thân mến, Phiếu khảo sát nhằm phục vụ nghiên cứu thái độ học sinh lớp 10 việc chữa lỗi giáo viên hoạt động nói tiếng Anh Vì câu trả lời mà em cung cấp quan trọng cơng trình nghiên cứu Các liệu điều tra sử dụng cho việc nghiên cứu, khơng mục đích khác Xin cảm ơn giúp đỡ em! Xin em vui lịng cho biết:  Giới tính:  Nam  Em học lớp nào? ……………………………………………  Em bắt đầu học tiếng Anh từ nào? …………………………………………………  Nữ Em đánh dấu (٧) vào trống () thích hợp viết câu trả lời vào chỗ trống cho sẵn Theo em mắc lỗi nói tiếng Anh có giúp ích cho việc học tiếng Anh khơng? Rất đồng ý Đồng ý Em Không đồng ý Rất không đồng ý      Em cho biết lý do: …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Theo em việc giáo viên chữa lỗi nói học sinh có cần thiết không? Rất cần thiết Cần thiết Không cần thiết Không cần thiết     Em cho biết lý do: …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Khi giáo viên chữa lỗi em có hiểu khơng? Rất hiểu Hiểu chút Khơng hiểu    Nếu em không hiểu hay hiểu chút cách giáo viên chữa lỗi cho em, xin em cho biết lý do: …………………………………………………………………………………………………… VI Theo em, việc giáo viên chữa lỗi có giúp kĩ nói em tiến bộ? Tiến nhiều Tiến vừa phải Tiến Khơng tiến     Em thích giáo viên chữa kiểu lỗi sau đây? Hãy đánh giá mức độ quan trọng theo thứ tự từ “1” (quan trọng nhất) đến “4” (ít quan trọng )  Lỗi ngữ pháp  Lỗi từ vựng  Lỗi phát âm  Lỗi diễn đạt nghĩa Nếu mắc nhiều lỗi em muốn giáo viên chữa lỗi nào?  Chữa tất lỗi  Chữa lỗi hay lặp lại  Chỉ chữa lỗi  Chỉ chữa lỗi ảnh hưởng đến việc truyền đạt nội dung giao tiếp Theo em giáo viên nên chữa lỗi vào thời điểm học? Thời điểm chữa lỗi Ngay sau em mắc lỗi Sau em hồn thành phần nói Sau hoạt động nói lớp kết thúc Vào cuối buổi học Em không Không Rất đồng ý đồng ý                    Rất đồng ý Đồng ý  Em đánh giá tính hiệu phương pháp chữa lỗi sau? Ví dụ: GV: Where did you go last weekend? HS: I go to the countryside (Lỗi sai: dùng sai động từ) VII (GV: giáo viên; HS: học sinh) Phương pháp chữa lỗi Khơng Rất hiệu Hiệu Bình quả thường                                    hiệu Không hiệu 1) GV lỗi sai chữa lại cho e.g GV: “Go” is wrong You should say “went” (“Go” sai Em nên nói “went”) 2) GV khơng lỗi sai mà nhắc lại lời nói HS dạng e.g GV: I went to the countryside 3) GV nhắc lại lỗi HS lên giọng để HS ý đến lỗi e.g Go? 4) GV đặt câu hỏi để gợi ý HS nhận lỗi sai e.g What? 5) GV yêu cầu HS nhắc lại lời nói e.g Could you say that again? 6) GV nhắc lại lời nói HS đến chỗ sai dừng lại để HS nhận lỗi sai tự chữa e.g I … 7) GV giải thích lỗi sai HS e.g “Go” is the present tense You need the past tense here (“Go” đơn Ở VIII em phải dùng khứ đơn) 8) GV dùng cử chỉ, điệu để gợi ý HS nhận lỗi sai (vd: cau mày,           lắc đầu, đặt tay sau vành tai hiệu chưa nghe rõ, …) 9) GV không chữa lỗi mà đợi đến hoạt động nói kết thúc đến cuối buổi học chữa Trong phương pháp chữa lỗi em thích khơng thích phương pháp nhất? Tại sao? …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10 Em thích chữa lỗi theo hình thức đây? Hình thức chữa lỗi Rất đồng ý Em thích giáo viên chữa lỗi cho em Em thích bạn lớp chữa lỗi cho em Em thích tự em chữa lỗi theo gợi ý giáo viên Em Đồng ý Không đồng ý Rất không đồng ý                Em cho biết lý do: …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Xin chân thành cảm ơn giúp đỡ em! IX APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Do you often make errors while speaking English? How does your teacher often correct oral errors in the classroom? How you feel when being corrected by your teacher? Are you satisfied with your teacher’s current correction strategies? Why? What you think your teacher should take into great consideration when giving oral error correction? X APPENDIX CLASSROOM OBSERVATION NOTES Lesson 12: MUSIC – Part B: Speaking – Class 10C No Examples T: She is listening to music T: Why does she listen to it? S: It keep her happy T: When does she listen to music? S: She listen all the time Types of Timing of Errors Correction Correction T: What’s she doing? S: She listening to music Types of T: What’s her favorite band? S: Backstreet Boy After Grammar Recast Grammar No Correction Grammar No Correction Grammar No Correction error was made T: What kind of music you like? S: I like pop music After T: Why you like it? S: Because /bɪkaʊz/ it’s relaxing Pronunciation Recast error was made T: /bɪˈkɔːz / S1: Why you like it? After S2: Because / bɪkaʊz / it is easy to listen student to T: / bɪˈkɔːz /, not / bɪkaʊz / (T then writes the word “because” on the board) T: Now, class Read after me / bɪˈkɔːz / Pronunciation Explicit Correction speaking After the activity XI S1: When you listen to music? S2: When free time T: When I have free time S: A like pop music and B prefer rock music T: Don’t use “and” Use “but” After Grammar Grammar Vocabulary error was made No Correction After Explicit student Correction speaking S: Both B and C like pop music They like it because / bɪkaʊz /… After Pronunciation T: (frowning) Recast Facial error was Expression made S: I don’t like listen to classical music T: After “like” is “V_ing”, so we must say …? S: “listening” T: Say it again S: I don’t like listening to classical music T: OK Grammar Metalinguistic Clues After error was made XII Lesson 13: FILMS AND CINEMA – Part 2: Speaking – Class 10A No Examples Types of Types of Timing of Errors Correction Correction T: What kind of film you like? S: I like cartoons T: Why you like it? S: It’s funny It … er … I laugh … After Content Recast made T: It makes you laugh? T: What you think of horror films? S: I find them terrify T: I find them terrifying error was After Grammar Recast Pronunciation No Correction error was made S1: What you think of action films? S2: I find them boring S1: I don’t quite agree with you I find them interesting / ɪnˈtrəstɪŋ / T: Which you prefer, love story films or cartoon films? S: I prefer cartoon films than love story films After Grammar T: (writes on the board): prefer sth to sth Metalinguistic student Clues speaking Recast After T: What film did you see? S: I see “Spiderman” Grammar T: I saw … error was S: I saw “Spiderman” made T: How you feel about it? S: I feel exciting T: “exciting” or “excited”? S: … Grammar Alternative Questions After error was made XIII T: (emphasizes) I feel excited S1: What is it about? S2: About a man go to the toy store Grammar No correction XIV Lesson 15: CITIES – Part 2: Speaking – Class 10B No Examples Types of Types of Timing of Errors Correction Correction Grammar Metalinguistic S: In the city, there are one big park and many high buildings T: When use “there…” for listing things, the form of the verb “be” must agree with Clues the first noun listed speaking activity S1: When was New York found? T: Founded S1: When was New York founded? After Grammar Recast S2: It was founded in 1624 After made S1: What is the transport like? S2: It is /kɒn…/… error was After Pronunciation Recast Pronunciation No Correction T: Convenient /kənˈviːniənt / error was made S1: What are the people like? S: They are formal and reserved /rɪsɜːv/ S: The people in New York are more friendly than the people in London After Grammar Repetition T: More friendly? speaking S: But its population is big as … T: As big as… student After Grammar Recast error was made (T: Teacher – S: Student) ... discussed in this part Summary of the Findings This study was aimed to identify the tenth grade students’ attitudes towards teachers’ correction of oral errors in Do Son Boarding High School, Hai Phong. .. students’ perceptions and preferences for error treatment, I would like to conduct an investigation into ? ?10th grade students’ attitudes towards teachers’ error correction in classroom oral activities. .. of grade 10 in Do Son Boarding High School in Hai Phong city Half of them have been learning English since grade and the rest since grade These students vary in terms of background, ability, interest,