VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** PHẠM THU YẾN IMPROVING THE FIRST YEAR STUDENTS’ GRAMMAR THROUGH FOCUS-ON-FORM INSTRUCTION AT UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL INDUSTRIES CẢI THIỆN NGỮ PHÁP SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT BẰNG CÁCH DẠY NGỮ PHÁP THÔNG QUA GIAO TIẾP TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KINH TẾ - KỸ THUẬT CÔNG NGHIỆP M.A Combined Programme Thesis Field: English Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Hanoi – 2010 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** PHẠM THU YẾN IMPROVING THE FIRST YEAR STUDENTS’ GRAMMAR THROUGH FOCUS-ON-FORM INSTRUCTION AT UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL INDUSTRIES CẢI THIỆN NGỮ PHÁP SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT BẰNG CÁCH DẠY NGỮ PHÁP THÔNG QUA GIAO TIẾP TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KINH TẾ - KỸ THUẬT CÔNG NGHIỆP M.A Combined Programme Thesis Field: English Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Supervisor: Khoa Anh Việt, M.A Hanoi - 2010 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS vi LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES viii INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Significance of the study Aims and scope of the study Research methods Organization of the study Error! Bookmark not defined DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Grammar 1.1.1 Definition of grammar 1.1.2 Kinds of grammar 1.1.3 Effect of grammar instruction on students’ grammar mastery 1.2 Focus-on-form instruction (FFI) 1.2.1 Focus-on-form, focus on forms and focus on meaning 1.2.2 Definition of Focus-on-form instruction 10 1.2.3 Kinds of focus-on-form 12 1.2.4 Focus-on-form teaching techniques 16 1.2.5 Focus-on-form previous research 21 1.3 Summary 23 CHAPTER RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 24 2.1 The experimental setting 24 2.2 Participants and material description 25 2.2.1 Participants 25 2.2.2 Material description 26 v 2.3 Research questions and hypotheses 29 2.4 Target structure 29 2.5 Research design: experimental research 31 2.6 Research procedure 32 Data collection instruments 36 2.7.1 Questionnaire 36 2.7.2 Pre-test and post-test 38 2.7.3 Interview 48 2.8 Data collection procedure 49 2.9 Summary 51 CHAPTER RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 52 3.1 Statistical analysis 52 3.2 Results 52 3.2.1 Factors relating focus-on-form instruction to develop students’ grammar 52 3.2.2 Improving students’ grammar through focus-on-form instruction 61 3.2.3 Applying focus-on-form instruction to improve UNETI students’ grammar 72 3.3 Discussion 76 3.4 Summary 79 CONCLUSION 80 Review of the study 80 Findings 80 Pedagogical implications 81 Further research 82 BIBLIOGRAPHY 83 APPENDIX 1: PRETEST I APPENDIX 2: POSTTEST II APPENDIX 3: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT III APPENDIX 4: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE V APPENDIX 5: CÂU HỎI PHỎNG VẤN VII APPENDIX 6: INTERVIEW VIII APPENDIX 7: STUDENTS’ RAW SCORES IN THE PRETEST - POSTTEST IX ... 1.2 Focus- on- form instruction (FFI) 1.2.1 Focus- on- form, focus on forms and focus on meaning 1.2.2 Definition of Focus- on- form instruction 10 1.2.3 Kinds of focus- on- form. ..VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** PHẠM THU YẾN IMPROVING THE FIRST YEAR STUDENTS? ?? GRAMMAR THROUGH. .. grammar 52 3.2.2 Improving students? ?? grammar through focus- on- form instruction 61 3.2.3 Applying focus- on- form instruction to improve UNETI students? ?? grammar 72 3.3 Discussion 76 3.4