Teachers’ Use of Classroom-management Activities to Involve the Students in English-speaking Lessons at Thụy Hương High School, Hai Phong City

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ THỊ THƢƠNG TEACHERS’ USE OF CLASSROOM-MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES TO INVOLVE THE STUDENTS IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING LESSONS AT THỤY HƢƠNG HIGH SCHOOL, HẢI PHÒNG CITY VIỆC SỬ DỤNG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG QUẢN LÝ LỚP HỌC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN NHẰM THU HÚT HỌC SINH THAM GIA VÀO TIẾT HỌC NĨI TIẾNG ANH TẠI TRƢỜNG THPT THỤY HƢƠNG, HẢI PHỊNG M.A Minor Thesis Field: English Methodology Code: 60.140.111 HANOI – 2013 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ THỊ THƢƠNG TEACHERS’ USE OF CLASSROOM-MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES TO INVOLVE THE STUDENTS IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING LESSONS AT THỤY HƢƠNG HIGH SCHOOL, HẢI PHÒNG CITY VIỆC SỬ DỤNG CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG QUẢN LÝ LỚP HỌC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN NHẰM THU HÚT HỌC SINH THAM GIA VÀO TIẾT HỌC NÓI TIẾNG ANH TẠI TRƢỜNG THPT THỤY HƢƠNG, HẢI PHÒNG M.A Minor Thesis Field: English Methodology Code: 60.140.111 Supervisor: Trần Xuân Điệp, Assoc Prof Dr HANOI – 2013 DECLARATION I certify that the work contained in this thesis is the result of my own research, and this thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other university or institution Hanoi, October 2013 Signature Vũ Thị Thƣơng i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indeed thankful to my supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Trần Xuân Điệp, whose sympathetic guidance has been the source of inspiration and knowledge for my research I am also grateful to other teachers of the Department of Post-Graduate Studies for their encouragement and valuable advice I have profound regards for the teaching staff of Thụy Hƣơng High School in Hải Phòng and for all the students who spent their precious time on completing my survey questionnaire Without their enthusiastic cooperation, my thesis would not have been completed My great thanks are also given to my family and my friends who have encouraged me a lot during the process of my study ii ABSTRACT In this minor thesis, a survey research was conducted to investigate the influence of the teachers‟ classroom management on the students‟ participation in Englishspeaking lessons English-speaking lessons were observed and the two sets of survey questionnaire were delivered to teachers of English and 330 students at Thụy Hƣơng high school in Hải Phòng to identify the classroom-management activities that the teachers have used in their English-speaking lessons and the attitudes of these students towards their teachers‟ activities The research findings revealed various classroom-management activities that the teachers have efffectively and ineffectively used in involving their students and the positive attidtude of about 60 percent of the selected students towards their teachers‟ activities iii LIST OF FUGURES Figure 1.1: Types of students‟ participation Figure 1.2: Strategies to cope with chaos in large classes Figure 3.1: Teachers‟ frequency of using certain activities before the students‟ practice Figure 3.2: Teachers‟ frequency of using certain activities during the students‟ practice Figure 3.3: Students‟ attitudes towards their English-speaking lessons Figure 3.5: Students‟ remark on their teachers‟ classroom-management activities iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages Declaration i Acknowledgements .ii Abstract iii List of figures iv Table of contents v PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Objectives of the study Research questions Scope of the study Design of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 Definition of major related concepts 1.1.1 Students‟ participation in English-speaking lessons 1.1.2 Teacher‟s classroom management in English-speaking lessons 1.1.2.1 Personalizing a large class 1.1.2.2 Getting students‟ attention 1.1.2.3 Developing good discipline 10 1.1.2.4 Managing pair and group work 12 1.2 Review of existing related works 13 Summary 14 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 15 2.1 Research method 15 2.2 Research subjects 15 2.2.1 The researcher 15 v 2.2.2 The selected teachers and students 16 2.3 Research instruments 16 2.3.1 Survey questionnaire for teachers 16 2.3.2 Survey questionnaire for students 17 2.3.3 Classroom observation 18 2.3 Research procedures 18 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 20 3.1 Data collected from survey questionnaire 20 3.1.1 Survey questionnaire for teachers 20 3.1.1.1 Teachers‟ opinions of a successful English-speaking lesson 20 3.1.1.2 Teachers‟ assessment of their students‟ level of English-speaking proficiency and participation 20 3.1.1.3 Teacher‟s opinions of the most effective activities to raise the level of students‟ participation in English-speaking lessons 21 3.1.1.4 Teachers‟ frequency of using certain classroom management activities 22 3.1.2 Survey questionnaire for students 26 3.1.2.1 Students‟ attitudes towards their English-speaking lessons and the related issues 26 3.1.2.2 Students‟ remark on their teachers‟ classroom-management activities26 3.2 Data collected from classroom observation sheets 31 3.2.1 Teachers‟ classroom-management activities in the observed Englishspeaking lessons 31 3.2.2 Students‟ participation in observed English-speaking lessons 33 3.3 Summary of the major findings 34 3.3.1 Answer for research question 34 3.3.2 Answer for research question 34 PART C: CONCLUSION 36 Recapitulation 36 vi Limitations of the study 37 Suggestions for further research 37 REFERENCES 38 APPENDIXES Appendix A - SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS I Appendix B - SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS XIII Appendix C - CLASSROOM OBSERVATION SHEET XXI vii PART A: INTRODUCTON Rationale In Vietnam, English has been taught as a compulsory subject in most schools throughout the country However, although the four English skills including reading, listening, speaking and writing have been entirely introduced to the teaching curriculum, there remains the reality that a significant number of students who have been learning English for four to seven years or even more at schools still cannot orally communicate in English This undoubtedly results from the fact that speaking skill still does not receive enough attention from both teachers and students Due to the fact that the English tests in schools‟ General Education Graduation Examination for the students are in written form, most school teachers seem to focus their concentration upon grammar knowledge rather than language use Similarly, the evidence of the students‟ lack of attention to their Englishspeaking lessons is the situation of the students‟ low participation in classroom activities While studies have showed the positive impacts of the students‟ involvement on their academic results, a large number of students remain silent This urges school administrators, educators, and teachers to look into the causes of the issue and seek for the most effective solutions Consequently, a variety of investigations have been conducted into this issue (e.g Gomez et al., 1995; AlSeyabi, 2002; Lee, 2005; Tsou, 2005; Faizah & Liew, 2007; Sayadi, 2007; Lịch, 2007; Hằng, 2008; Linh, 2008; Tuyết, 2009; Uyên, 2009; Oyinloye, 2010; Mustapha et al., 2010; Xoan, 2010) Then, of all the factors that have affected the students‟ participation in English-speaking tasks, the teachers‟ classroom management has been proved to be one of the major factors The researcher, from her own teaching experience, is in favor of the remark from many previously mentioned studies that teachers‟ use of classroom management activities affects the level of students‟ participation in English-speaking lessons Then, o Chỉ định nhóm trình bày thực hành nhắc nhở học sinh khác ý lắng nghe A B C D E p Đƣa lời nhận xét sửa lỗi học sinh sau học sinh hoàn thành xong phần thực hành A B C D E Rất cảm ơn giúp đỡ anh/chị! XI APPENDIX B SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS These following questions are given in order to identify your activities in your current English-speaking lessons These are also conducted to help your English speaking lessons to be more effective Your assistance in completing the survey is greatly appreciated Please answer the questions by circling the letters Specify your choice if necessary How are the English-speaking lessons important to you? A Very important B Rather important C Little important D Not important at all Do you like your current English-speaking lessons? A Yes, very much B Yes, but not much C Neither like nor dislike D No, not at all XII In your English-speaking lessons, after giving the instructions, the teacher asks you to practice in pair/group, you often: A Practice immediately to finish the task and then sit quietly or join the extra activities before the given time is up B Practice immediately and then chat with others in Vietnamese before the given time is up C Only practice when the teacher pays attention on you and stop practicing when the teacher moves his/her attention to others D Do not join the task and only listen to others E Do not practice and only chat with others in Vietnamese F Other activities Please specify: In your English-speaking lessons, when the teacher calls on an individual/a group to make presentation in front of the class, you often: A Listen to the presentation and compare to yours B Only listen to the presentation when the teacher pays attention on you and stop listening to when the teacher moves his/her attention to others C Do not listen to the presentation, only chat with others in Vietnamese D Other activities Please specify: XIII In each English-speaking lesson, how many times you often make presentation in front of the class? A B 1-2 times C 2-3 times D > times Do you have any difficulties with your English-speaking skill? A Yes B No If you choose A in the question 6, The problems you often have in your English-speaking lessons are: (You can choose more than one option) A Do not have enough knowledge and vocabulary related to the given topic B Do not want to interact with others C Do not want to practice in class, only like practicing at home D Do not have interest in the given topic E Be afraid of making grammar and pronunciation errors F Be afraid of making worse presentation than that of others G Be unmotivated by others (others not practice either) XIV H Be lack of chance for making presentation due to the large-sized class and the limited time I Do not receive enough care from the teacher J Be unmotivated by the teacher‟s way of task organization K Do not understand the teacher‟s instructions L Other problems Please specify: ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………… Please circle A, B, C, D, or E under each activity if you find that your teacher: A: Never apply B: Rarely apply C: Sometimes apply D: Usually apply E: Always apply In your English-speaking lessons, the teacher: a Walk around the class to observe your activities A B C D E b Use your name to call on and pay attention on your answer/presentation XV A B C D E c Use interesting activities such as games, warm-up questions, funny stories, or audio-visual aids to attract your attention A B C D E d Use body gestures/facial expressions/eye contact such as nodding, smiling when giving explanations/instructions/feedback to attract your attention A B C D E e Instruct pair/group work and walk around to deliver help A B C D E f Give clear, simple and easy to understand instruction/explanation/feedback A B C D E g Establish a good discipline by encouraging good students and giving appropriate punishments to the students whose behaviors have bad effects on the lesson A B C D E h Create a comfortable environment where the teacher has good care and relationship with almost students in the class A B C D Thank you for your cooperation! XVI E CÂU HỎI ĐIỀU TRA DÀNH CHO HỌC SINH Những câu hỏi dƣới đƣợc thiết kế nhằm tìm hiểu hoạt động em thực hành kĩ nói tiếng Anh Những câu hỏi đƣợc đƣa nhằm giúp học nói tiếng Anh em đạt hiệu cao Rất mong cộng tác em Lựa chọn phƣơng án cách khoanh tròn chữ Em thấy học nói tiếng Anh: A Rất quan trọng B Khá quan trọng C Ít quan trọng D Khơng quan trọng Em có thích học nói tiếng Anh lớp mình? A Rất thích B Khá thích C Bình thƣờng (khơng thích khơng ghét) D Khơng thích Trong học nói tiếng Anh, giáo viên hƣớng dẫn xong yêu cầu em thực hành theo cặp theo nhóm, em thường: A Cùng (các) bạn thực hành ngồi trật tự tham gia thực hành hoạt động bổ sung sau thực hành xong trƣớc cặp (nhóm) khác B Cùng (các) bạn thực hành ngồi nói chuyện với (các) bạn tiếng Việt sau thực hành xong trƣớc cặp (nhóm) khác C Chỉ thực hành giáo viên ý dừng thực hành giáo viên không ý D Không thực hành ngồi nghe (các) bạn cặp (nhóm) thực hành E Khơng thực hành ngồi nói chuyện với (các) bạn tiếng Việt XVII F Hoạt động khác Đó là: Trong học nói tiếng Anh, giáo viên gọi bạn nhóm lên thực hành trƣớc lớp, em thường: A Lắng nghe phần thực hành (các) bạn để so sánh với thân B Lắng nghe phần thực hành (các) bạn giáo viên ý đến dừng lắng nghe giáo viên không ý C Khơng lắng nghe ngồi nói chuyện với bạn tiếng Việt D Hoạt động khác Đó là: Trong học nói tiếng Anh, em thường trình bày thực hành nói trƣớc lớp lần? A B 1-2 lần C 2-3 lần D > lần Em có gặp khó khăn việc thực hành kĩ nói tiếng Anh khơng? A Có B Không Nếu em chọn A câu 6, khó khăn em gặp thực hành nói tiếng Anh là: (Có thể chọn nhiều phƣơng án) A Khơng biết từ vựng/ kiến thức liên quan đến chủ đề cần thảo luận B Không muốn giao tiếp với bạn lớp C Khơng thích thực hành lớp mà thích tự thực hành nhà XVIII D Khơng có hứng thú với chủ đề thảo luận E Sợ mắc lỗi ngữ pháp phát âm không tốt F Sợ khơng nói đƣợc nhƣ bạn khác G Các bạn khác lớp không thực hành H Thiếu hội thực hành lớp đông thời gian hạn chế I Giáo viên khơng quan tâm xem có thực hành hay không J Giáo viên tổ chức hoạt động không tạo hứng thú thực hành K Giáo viên hƣớng dẫn không rõ ràng L Lý khác: ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………… Khoanh tròn A, B, C, D, E dƣới câu dƣới em thấy giáo viên: A: Không thực B: Ít thực C: Thỉnh thoảng thực D: Thƣờng xuyên thực E: Luôn thực Trong học nói tiếng Anh, giáo viên: a Di chuyển quanh lớp để theo dõi, quan sát, ý hoạt động em A B C D E b Sử dụng tên em gọi ý câu trả lời phần thực hành em A B C D XIX E c Sử dụng hoạt động làm em hứng thú tập trung học nhƣ chơi trò chơi, hỏi câu hỏi thú vị, kể chuyện cƣời, sử dụng tranh ảnh, băng hình A B C D E d Sử dụng cử động tay chân, biểu nét mặt, ánh mắt nhƣ gật đầu, mỉm cƣời để thu hút ý em đƣa hƣớng dẫn, giải thích nhận xét A B C D E e Đƣa hoạt động thực hành theo cặp, nhóm có hƣớng dẫn, theo dõi, quan sát, giúp đỡ nhóm thực hành A B C D E f Đƣa hƣớng dẫn thực hành/ nhận xét rõ ràng, cụ thể, dễ hiểu A B C D E g Tạo kỷ luật tốt lớp, có khen thƣởng cá nhân thực hành tốt, xử phạt hành vi gây trật tự, ảnh hƣởng tới học A B C D E h Tạo khơng khí học thoải mái, có quan tâm, liên kết, gắn bó giáo viên với đa phần học sinh lớp A B C D Rất cảm ơn giúp đỡ em! XX E APPENDIX C CLASSROOM OBSERVATION SHEET Observer: Teacher: Teaching class: Teaching unit: Date:  Categories: √ = activity that the teacher uses E = effective I = ineffective  Start the observation as soon as the teacher begins the lesson - Put a √ next to the activity that the teacher uses - Write the letter E or I next to the used activity to show whether the activity is effective in evolving the students in the lesson or not - Note down the comments on the level of students‟ participation in each speaking task  Keep observing until the teacher finishes the lesson and leave the overall comment on the lesson Strategies Activities Personalizing a) Make a class feel small a class - Walk around the class - Move toward the students asking questions - Distribute handouts - Let the students work in small groups XXI Notes b) Encourage questions - Respond in the ways that appeals more questions from the students - Wait for the students‟ answers properly c) Be available - Walk around the class - Ask warm-up questions - Stay back a few minutes longer than usual to receive questions from the students d) Try to learn the students‟ names - Use the students‟ names when calling on/ pointing e) Relate the lectures/ discussions/ talks to the students‟ experiences - Pay attention to the students‟ experiences/ habits/ likes/ dislikes f) Pay attention to individual students - Review the students‟ attendance/ performances on exams or homework g) Show the teacher‟s personality/ humor - Share lesson expectations/ individual experiences/ challenges and get feedbacks from the students h) Give personalized feedback - Give comments on a different group of exams/ papers each time Getting the a) Using body gestures/ facial expressions students’ - Body gestures attention - Facial expressions - Eye contact XXII - Various intonation/ tone b) Using interesting topics/ audio-visual aids - Discuss the students‟ favorite topics - Use audio-visual aids (pictures/ videos) c) Ask for volunteer Developing a a) Establish a code of behavior and remind the good students of their duties discipline b) Appoint responsible group leaders/ monitors c) Cope with chaos in large classes - Raise the students‟ awareness of the objectives of the lesson - Select short activities/ break up larger tasks into shorter sections and handle these sections differently - Plan: + a rehearsal stage + the instructions + a filler activities for the groups finishing earlier + the lesson with a variety of group types - Stress on silence and attention - State instructions carefully and clearly - Trains the students to work in pair or groups - Rehearse task before the students‟ performances - Limit activities to a set time - Look interested in each group from a distance - Walk around to deliver helps properly - Note down common errors of grammar/ usage to explain later - Ask the students‟ feeling about the activity/ the XXIII performances of representative groups - Discuss the performances of certain groups and deliver feedback properly/ positively Managing - Organize pair and group to fit the students‟ abilities pair and + mixed-ability group work +same-ability - Use group leaders/ monitors - State the instructions carefully and clearly - Move around the class and deliver helps properly - Discuss performance of certain groups and give feedback properly Others XXIV Overall comment: XXV