Using debates topics to increase students’ participation in English classes at National Economic Technical College

iv LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 2.1: Students’ profiles Table 3.1: The degrees of students’ participation before the experiment Table 3.2: Students’ purposes of learning English Table 3.3: Students’ learning styles in the two classes Table 3.4: Students’ levels of participation before and after the experiment Figure 3.1: Students’ levels of participation in group discussion in Class KT1A Figure 3.2: Students’ level of participation in group discussion in Class KT1B Figure 3.3: Students’ levels of participation in debating in Class KT1A Figure 3.4: Students’ levels of participation in debating in Class KT1B Figure 3.5: Students’ levels of participation before the experiment Figure 3.6: Students’ levels at the end of the experiment v ABBREVIATIONS NETC: National Economic Technical College CLT: Communicative Language Teaching ESL: English as Second Language PART 1: INTRODUCTION The first chapter of this thesis is to introduce the rationale, the aims of the study as well as the research questions which the study was to carry out to find out the answers It also presents the scope of the study, an overview of the methods employed to conduct the research, the significance of the study as well as its design Rationale of the study As a foreign language in Vietnam, English is learned seriously by many people to have a good prospect in the community of the international world Recently, English becomes a universal language which is very important to be mastered well There are four English skills to learn, namely speaking, reading, writing, and listening skill Speaking seems intuitively the most important skill to master because by mastering speaking skill, people can give ideas and exchange information with others Hence, in speaking English classes learners should work and participate in the lessons as much as possible Students’ participation is worth being studied as it plays a very important role in studying and teaching efficiency At NETC, like at many colleges and universities in Vietnam, English has been a compulsory subject in its curriculum for many years and speaking is an important skill However, it seems that students not pay much attention to speaking They are often not very motivated and eager to take part in speaking activities For these above reasons, the researcher has decided to write this thesis with the aim of increasing students’ involvement in speaking lessons There are many activities to make students engage including role play, games, problem-solving, songs and discussion (Fauziati, 2008: 122) In addition, there is a new technique which is also used in teaching speaking This is debate technique Debate is the process of inquiry and advocacy, a new way of arriving at a reasoned judgment on a proposition (Freeley, 2000: 4) An individual may use debate to reach a decision in his own mind; alternatively, individuals or groups may use it to bring others around to their way of thinking In this case, the writer would like to use debate technique to increase students’ involvement in the research entitled USING DEBATE TOPICS TO INCREASE STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION IN SPEAKING CLASSES AT NATIONAL ECONOMIC TECHNICAL COLLEGE (NETC) Aims of the study This study is aimed at:  Investigating the current situation of teaching and learning speaking English at NETC to see how actively the second year Accounting students involved in oral activities and what accounts for the degree of their involvement  Investigating the effectiveness of using debate topics in increasing students’ participation in speaking English classes at NETC  Proposing some suggestions to use debate topics effectively to intensify students’ participation in speaking lessons Research questions To reach the aims of the study, the two research questions are addressed: (1) How actively are the second year Accounting students at NETC involved in oral activities in the class, and what accounts for the degree of their involvement? (2) How effective is the use of debate topics in increasing students’ participation in English speaking lessons? Scope of the study This research has a broader scope and it is impossible for the writer to handle all problems Therefore, the writer limits the scope of the research There are many ways to intensify students’ participation in speaking activities However, in this study, the researcher only focuses on debate technique that is used for teaching English speaking to the second year students The subject of the research is limited to English teachers and the second year Accounting students at NETC 2010 – 2011 academic year Methods of the study The study was a quasi-experiment using both quantitative and qualitative methods That is, the data serving the research analysis and discussion were collected by means of:  Classroom observations  Questionnaires  Interviews Besides, reviewing the related documents is also a method to establish the theoretical background of the study, which mainly focuses on speaking skill, students’ participation and debate technique Significance of the study In this study, the researcher hopes to give a small contribution to help readers understand the use of debate technique in teaching and learning process The teachers and learners can realize the effectiveness of this technique in increasing students’ participation in speaking English lessons The writer also expects that her findings could be used by other researchers to open further analysis of debate technique Design of the study The study is divided into three parts as follows: Part presents a general introduction of the study including the rationale, the aims, the research questions, the method, the scope, the significance and the design of the study Part presents the development of the study including four chapters Chapter is underlying theory It delivers previous study and theoretical review Chapter is research method It presents background information, methods and procedure of the study Chapter is research result and discussion This chapter discusses the results or findings of using debate topics in teaching English speaking to the second year Accounting students at NETC Chapter suggests what both teachers of English and students at NETC should and shouldn’t in order to get the most benefit from using debate technique to increase the students’ participation in speaking lessons Part is the conclusion of the study It gives the limitations of the study and some suggestions for further researches PART 2: THE STUDY CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter consists of three sections Section one deals with the issue of teaching speaking Section two concerns some concepts of increasing students’ participation Section three focuses on the debate technique 1 Notion of speaking skill 1.1.1 Definitions of speaking Speaking is one of four necessary skills to use a language successfully According to Chaney (1998:13), speaking is “the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non – verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts” (as cited in Kayi, 2006) Fowler & Thompson (2000) share the same view that speaking is “the action of conveying information or expressing one’s thoughts and feelings in spoken language” This definition confirms that speaking is a process because it contains speakers’ thoughts and feelings Orwig (1999) defines speaking is the productive skill in the oral mode It is complicated and involves more than just pronouncing words W.F Mackey also agrees that oral skill “involves not only the use of the right sounds in the right patterns of rhythm and intonation, but also the choice of words and inflections in the right order to convey the right meaning.” (quoted from Bygate, M., 1987:5) In conclusion, speaking is the ability to perform the linguistic knowledge in actual communication It functions to express one’s idea, feeling, thought and needs orally 1.1.2 Components of speaking According to Syakur (1987:5), speaking is a complex skill because at least it concerns with components of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and fluency The description is as follows:  Pronunciation is the students’ way to utter English well and it deals with phonology  Grammar concerns with how to arrange to correct sentences in conversation The utility of grammar is to learn the correct way to gain expertise in a language both in oral and written form  Vocabulary means the appropriate diction which is used in conversation Without having a sufficient vocabulary, one can’t communicate effectively  Fluency and accuracy: Fluency can be defined as the ability to speak fluently and accurately suited with professional necessity Basically, being fluent means being able to keep the language coming Richards, Platt and Weber (1985) state that Communicative Competence includes:  Knowledge of grammar and vocabulary of the language  Knowledge of rules of speaking (e.g knowing how to begin and end conversations, knowing what topics can be talked about in different types of speech event, knowing which address, forms should be used with different people and in different situations  Knowing how to use and respond to different types of speech acts such as requests, apologies, thanks and invitations  Knowing how to use language appropriately (quoted from Nunan 1999: 226) 1.1.3 Methods and techniques of teaching speaking In teaching speaking, speaking lessons can follow the usual pattern of preparation, presentation, practice, evaluation, and extension The teacher can use the preparation step to establish a context for the speaking task (where, when , why, and with whom it will occur) and to initiate awareness of the speaking skill to be target (asking for clarification, stressing key words, using reduced forms of words) In presentation, the teacher can provide learners with a preproduction model that furthers learners’ comprehension and helps them become more attentive observers of language use Practice involves learners in reproducing the targeted structure, usually in a controlled or highly supported manner Evaluation involves directing attention to the skill being examined and asking learners to monitor and assess their own progress Finally, extension consists of activities that ask learners to use the strategy or skill in a different context of authentic communicative situation, or to integrate use of the new skill or strategy with previously acquired ones (Brown, 1994; Burns & Joyce, 1997; Carter & McCarthy, 1995) Various ways have been used as the method of teaching and learning speaking English There are traditional ways of teaching by using traditional tools (book, chalks, blackboard or whiteboard) and the newer and modern method by using the modern tools such as realia, real object, pictures, music, etc In term of teaching technique, Fauziati (2002:6) describes that technique is classroom practice done by the teacher when presenting a language program This is the way the classroom activities are integrated into lessons and used as the basis for teaching learning Some techniques often used in speaking class are discussions, information gap, storytelling, games, interviews, dialogues, story completion, reporting, and debate technique 1.2 Students’ participation 1.2.1 Concept of students’ participation Students’ participation can be identified in terms of three kinds of interaction: students to their teacher, students to students, and students to material The interaction between students and their teacher includes care, contact, and cooperation between them in the class Students who have a good interaction with their teacher always join the class discussion, support and act as their teacher requires Moreover, they ask for more information or explanation, perform an activity voluntarily, share personal experience relating to the topics being discussed to show that they involve in what is happening in the class Thus, participation not only means attending the class regularly and on time but also taking part in the lesson actively The interaction between students and students is set up through their discussion in small groups A good interaction involves their cooperation and contribution to the task given Whenever students feel pleasant and comfortable in groups, they will their best to complete the task Students’ participation also includes the interaction between students and material Obviously, students will be more active and pay more attention to the lesson if they are interested in the material or the task given In other words, good and interesting materials can get students to involve in the lesson In short, students’ participation is concerned with their activeness in the lesson, their success in completing the class activities and their interaction to what is happening in the class 1.2.2 Factors affecting students’ participation in the class From the description of students’ participation in the previous section, we can see that students’ participation depends on different interactions in classroom Hence, in order to involve students in communicative activities, it is essential to understand the factors affecting students’ participation  Students’ learning styles According to Willing (1995, cited in Nunan 1988:93), learners’ styles can be classified into four types:  Concrete learners: they preferred learning by games, pictures, films and videos, talking in pairs and learning through the use of cassettes  Analytical learners: these learners liked studying grammar, studying English books, finding their own mistakes, and learning through reading newspapers  Communicative learners: they liked to learn by observing and listening to native speakers, talking to friends in English and learning English wherever possible  Authority-oriented learners: they liked the teacher to explain everything, writing everything in their notebooks, having their own textbooks, learning to read, studying grammar, and learning English words by seeing them  Students’ motivations 39 PART 3: CONCLUSION Summary of the study The study was on the second year Accounting students at NETC to find out the technique to increase their participation in classroom oral activities The study consisted of two stages: In the first stage the researcher found out the present level of participation and the factors that had negative effects on their participation In the second stage, basing on the findings from the previous stage, the researcher chose the debate technique to experiment on the second year students with a view to increasing their involvement The study was carried out with the use of classroom observations, student questionnaire, and teacher and student interviews The classroom observations before the experiment showed that the students’ level of participation measured in terms of their ‘time-on-task’ and ‘time-off-task’ was quite low The reasons accounting for that level of participation came from the teachers and the students As for the teachers, the low level of participation was the result of the lack of variety of activities and boring topics Concerning the students, their motivation and learning styles were important reasons that hindered them from taking part in oral activities organized by the teacher With a view to increasing the students’ participation, the researcher chose the debate technique to experiment on two classes and obtained very satisfactory results In general, the students’ level of participation in oral activities increased considerably when the teacher used debate technique though there was a little difference in the levels of participation between the two classes In conclusion, the findings lead us to believe that debate is an effective technique to increase the second year students’ involvement in speaking English lessons Limitations of the study Because of the limitation of time, this study has some limitations It only investigated the current situation of using debating technique in some classes at NETC The respondents of the 40 study were limited to the second year Accounting students, so their opinions about using debate technique could not be considered as representative of all students learning English as a foreign language in general Suggestions for further study As no single research design is all-inclusive and complete, this study can not cover everything in its field of study Many untouched issues will be interesting topics for further study such as whether the use of debating technique useful in improving the quality of the students’ talk, other techniques to increase students’ participation in English class 41 REFERENCES Barry, K (1993) Beginning Teaching Social Science Press Brown, H.D (1994) Principles of Language Learning and Teaching New Jersey: Prentice Hall Regents Brown, J.D (1987) Understanding Research in Second Language Learning Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Fauziati, E 2008 Teaching of English as a Foreign Lanuge Surakarta: Muhammadiyah University Press Fowler, F.G., Fowler, H.W., & Thompson, D.F (2000) Speaking The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English Retrieved June 30, 2011 from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/10999-speaking.htm Freeley, Austin J, Steinberg, David L 2000 Argumentation and Debate Belmont: Strawberry Field Publishing Fukuda, S (2003) Attitudes towards argumentation in college EFL classes in Japan Proceedings of the First Asia TEFL International Conference, Pusan, Korea Kayi, H (2006) Teaching Speaking: Activities to Promote Speaking in a Second Language Retrieved June 30, 2011 from http://iteslj.org/Articiles/KayiTeaching Kenneth L Alford and John R Surdu Using in-class debates as a teaching tool 32nd ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference Krieger, D (2005) Teaching debate to ESL students: A six-class unit The Internet TESL Journal, 11, Retrieved May 23, 2011 from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Krieger-Debate.html Nesbett, R.E (2003) The Geography of thought New York: The Free Press Nunan, D (1992) Research Methods in Language Learning Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 42 Marcin Zaleski Using Deliberative Education in EFL Teaching Journal of NELTA Vol 12 No & December 2007 Oros, Andrew L (2007) Let’s Debate: Active Learning Encourages Student Participation and Critical Thinking Journal of Political Science Education, 3:3, 293-311 Orwig, C.J (1999) Speaking Skill Guidelines for a Language and Culture Learning Program Retrieved June 30, 2011 from http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/languagelearning/otherRources/GudlnsFrAlngAn dC Ur, P (1996) A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and Theory, Cambridge: CUP Willing, k (1995) Learning Styles in Adult Migrant Education Adelaide: National Curriculum Resource Centre Wajnryb, R (1992) Classroom Observation Tasks Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Websites: http://education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/english/literacy/strategies /tsvels3speak.htm (http://education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/english/literacy/strategie s/tsvels3speak.htm) 43 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration …………………………………………………………………… …… Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………………… Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………… Table of contents …………………………………………………………………… List of tables and figures ……………………………………………………………… Abbreviations …………………………………………………………………………… PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study Aims of the study Research questions Scope of the study Methods of the study Significance of the study Design of the study PART 2: THE STUDY CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1 Notion of speaking skill 1.1.1 Definitions of speaking 1.1.2 Components of speaking 1.1.3 Methods and techniques of teaching speaking 1.2 Students’ participation 1.2.1 Concepts of students’ participation 44 1.2.2 Factors affecting students’ participation in the class 1.3 Debate 10 1.3.1 Definitions of debate 10 1.3.2 Steps for classroom debating 10 1.3.3 Advantages and disadvantages of using debate topics in teaching speaking 11 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 14 2.1 Reviewing the research questions 14 2.2 A Quasi-Experimental Research 14 2.3 The current situation of English learning and teaching at NETC 15 2.4 Selecting subjects 16 2.5 The experiment 17 2.6 Data collection procedures 18 2.6.1 Classroom observation 18 2.6.2 Student questionnaire 19 2.6.3 Follow-up interviews 19 2.6.3.1 Before the experiment 19 2.6.3.2 After the experiment 19 2.7 Analyzing and processing the data 20 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 21 3.1 Some general assessments before the experiment and factors affecting the students’ participation in classroom speaking activities 21 3.1.1 Students’ levels of participation in classroom speaking activities 21 3.1.2 Factors affecting students’ participation 23 45 3.1.2.1 Students’ motivations and learning styles 23 3.1.2.2 The teachers’ techniques in the two classes 24 3.2 Students’ participation at the end of the experiment 25 3.2.1 Observations in experimental classes 26 3.2.1.1 Classroom description 26 3.2.1.2 Teaching procedures 26 3.2.2 General comments on students’ levels of participation in speaking classes 28 3.2.3 Findings discussion 29 3.2.3.1 Comparisons of students’ participation before and at the end of the experiment 29 3.2.3.2 Findings discussion 30 3.2.4 Students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards using debate technique 31 3.2.4.1 Students’ attitudes 31 3.2.4.2 Teachers’ attitudes 31 3.3 Conclusion 31 CHAPTER 4: IMPLICATIONS 33 4.1 Recommendations for teachers 33 4.1.1 Select the right topics 33 4.1.2 Evaluation criteria for the oral debate 35 4.1.3 Suggestions to use debate technique with large and mixed classes and with limited classroom time 35 4.1.4 Some other debate suggestions 36 4.2 Recommendations for students 37 46 4.2.1 Cooperate with their teachers 37 4.2.2 Train themselves to be effective students 37 PART 3: CONCLUSION 39 Summary of the study 39 Limitations of the study 39 Suggestions for further study 40 References Appendix : Observation Sheet Appendix : Student questionnaire Appendix 3: Teacher interview (Before the experiment) Appendix 4: Student interview (Before the experiment) Appendix 5: Teacher interview (After the experiment) Appendix 6: Student interview (After the experiment) APPENDIX 1: OBSERVATION SHEET Observation sheet 1: On-task behaviour (Adapted from Hopkins 1985:95) Observer: ………………… Date: D…… M …… Y ……… Teacher: ………………………… Time of class: ………………… No of students present: …… Level of class: ………………… Activity: ……………………… Instructions These observations are designed to measure level of learner participation Do not participate in the lesson Place yourself in an obstructive position in the classroom Start the observation when the students have been working together in groups for two minutes Observe students one by one, consecutively, clockwise around the class Identify students by name or seat number in the table Every or seconds write down the category best describing the observed student’s behavior at that moment, then pass on the next student Write the number in sequence down the date sheet Continue until all students have been observed 12 times, then complete Observation Sheet Notes: Categories: = student on-task; = student off-task “on-task”: engage in the pedagogic work of the day “off-task”: a complete lack of attention to the set task Ss Scan number No 4 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 10 11 12 Observation sheet 2: Overall class participation Mark how involved in the lesson task the students (Adapted from Hopkins 1985:95) are Observer: ………………… Not very involved Very involved Date: D……M……….Y…… Teacher : Time of class : Mark level of student concentration on the learning task Low High No of students present: … Level of class: ……………… Activity: …………………… The students are enjoying the activity Not really Very much so Observation focus: Levels of student participation The students are paying persistent (extended) is an average mark for any one item attention to the learning task Not really Very much so Instructions This sheet is for observing the class as a whole, not individual student Mark the students’ activity level (effort/intensity of application) Low High Complete this sheet when the activity drawing to a close Circle ONE number for each statement below Add final comments at the bottom of the sheet if you wish The students find the speaking activities interesting Not really Very much so The activities are challenging for the students Not really Very much so The activities are appropriate for the students Not really Very much so Comments ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… APPENDIX 2: STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE This survey questionnaire is designed for my study on “Using debate topics to increase students’ participation in English speaking classes at National Economic Technical College” Your assistance in fulfilling the following items is highly appropriated You can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Thank you very much for your cooperation! Please tick the answer you think the most suitable, or write some words to some questions For some questions you can tick more than one answer How long have you learned English? Why you study English? a To learn in the college b To get good marks c To get a job in the future d To enjoy English music, newspaper, and movies e To read specialized books f To communicate with foreign people g To know cultures of other countries h To study abroad i Others: …………………………………………………………………………… What is your learning’s style? a Analytical learners b Concrete learners c Communicative learners d Authority – oriented learners How often you participate in speaking English classes? a Usually b Sometimes c Rarely d Never, except for teacher’s nomination If the answer for question is (c) or (d), the reason is: a You are shy when speaking in front of the class b Topics for speaking are not interesting c You don’t like the teacher so you don’t want to speak d Your vocabulary and grammar are not good enough to speak e Other reasons ………………………………………………………………… If the answer for question is (a) or (b), which activity you want to participate: a Discussion b Role play c Playing games d Presentation According to your opinion, what should your teacher to increase your participation in speaking English classes? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… APPENDIX 3: TEACHER INTERVIEW (BEFORE THE EXPERIMENT) How long have you been teaching English? What techniques and activities you use in your speaking English classes? How often and actively your students participate in speaking activities? In your opinion, which techniques and activities are the most effective in encouraging them to participate more in the classroom oral activities? APPENDIX 4: STUDENT INTERVIEW (BEFORE THE EXPERIMENT) Do you like your speaking English lessons? Why? Why not? What speaking activities does your teacher often use in class? How you feel about these activities? Did you take part in actively in speaking activities? Why? Why not? APPENDIX 5: TEACHER INTERVIEW (AFTER THE EXPERIMENT) How you evaluate about the level of participation in the classroom speaking activities among the second year Accounting students at NETC in the last month? What you particularly like/dislike about debating technique? Will you apply this technique in your classes after this experiment? Do you have any suggestions to get the best benefits of using debating technique to increase students’ involvement in English lessons? APPENDIX 6: STUDENT INTERVIEW (AFTER THE EXPERIMENT) How you feel when participating in discussing debate topics? Do you take part in discussing debate topics in speaking lessons actively? Why? Why not? According to you, what should the teacher to help you participate more in class activities? Thank you for evaluating AnyBizSoft PDF Merger! To remove this page, please register your program! Go to Purchase Now>> AnyBizSoft PDF Merger  Merge multiple PDF files into one  Select page range of PDF to merge  Select specific page(s) to merge  Extract page(s) from different PDF files and merge into one