A study of using authentic supplementary tasks in teaching speaking to 10 grade students at doan thuong upper secondary school, hai duong province

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ THỊ QUYÊN A STUDY OF USING AUTHENTIC SUPPLEMENTARY TASKS IN TEACHING SPEAKING TO 10 GRADE STUDENTS AT DOAN THUONG UPPER-SECONDARY SCHOOL, HAI DUONG PROVINCE NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC SỬ DỤNG NHIỆM VỤ BỔ TRỢ XÁC THỰC ĐỂ DẠY KỸ NĂNG NÓI CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG THPT ĐOÀN THƯỢNG, HẢI DƯƠNG M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410 HANOI, 2012 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ THỊ QUYÊN A STUDY OF USING AUTHENTIC SUPPLEMENTARY TASKS IN TEACHING SPEAKING TO 10 GRADE STUDENTS AT DOAN THUONG UPPER-SECONDARY SCHOOL, HAI DUONG PROVINCE NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC SỬ DỤNG NHIỆM VỤ BỔ TRỢ XÁC THỰC ĐỂ DẠY KỸ NĂNG NĨI CHO HỌC SINH LỚP 10 TRƯỜNG THPT ĐỒN THƯỢNG, HẢI DƯƠNG M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410 SUPERVISOR: ĐỖ BÁ QUÝ, M.Ed HANOI, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration Acknowledgements Abstract Table of contents List of abbreviations List of tables, charts and figures PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study Aims and objectives of the study Scope of the study Methods of the study Design of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 An overview of Task-based Language Teaching 1.1.1 Definition of a task 1.1.2 Task components 1.1.3 Types of tasks 1.2 An overview of supplementation 1.3 Speaking skill 1.4 Authentic tasks in speaking 1.4.1 Definition of authentic tasks 1.4.2 Levels of authentic tasks 1.4.3 The means of achieving authenticity 1.5 Overview of related studies iv 1.6 Summary of the chapter CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 2.1 Participants 2.1.1 Overview of Doan Thuong Upper-secondary School 2.1.2 The context of teaching and learning English speaking skill 2.1.3 The teacher informants 2.1.4 The student informants 2.2 Data collection instruments 2.2.1 Questionnaire 2.2.2 Classroom observation 2.3 Data collection procedure 2.4 Data analysis methods and procedure CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Research question 1: What are the teachers’ perceptions of attitudes towards using AST in teaching speaking to 10 grade students? 3.1 Research question 2: What are the students’ attitudes toward effects of AST on their speaking lessons? 3.3 Summary of the chapter PART C: CONCLUSION Summary of the findings Pedagogical implications Limitations of the study Suggestions for further studies REFERENCES APPENDICES Appendix : Survey Questionnaire for Teachers Appendix : Survey Questionnaire for Students Appendix : Classroom Observation Checklists v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS - AST : Authentic Supplementary Tasks - CLT : Communicative Language Teaching - DTUS : Doan Thuong Upper-secondary School - TEFL : Teaching English as a Foreign Language vi LIST OF TABLES, CHARTS AND FIGURES List of tables Table : Task components‟ classificatio Table : Task components according to Table : Basic profiles of six teacher in Table : Basic profiles of student inform Table 5: Teacher‟s attitudes towards teaching speaking and using authentic tasks in teaching spe Table 6: The stage of the lesson that teachers preferred to use authentic tasks Table 7: The work distribution that teachers preferred when using authentic tasks Table 8: The advantages and disadvantages of AST as perceived by the students Table 9: Results from open-ended questions List of charts and figures Chart 1: Teachers‟ perceptions of the importance of authentic tasks in TEFL Chart 2: Teachers‟ identifying of authentic and pedagogical tasks Chart 3: Teachers‟ attitudes towards authentic tasks‟ advantages Chart 4: Teachers‟ attitudes towards authentic tasks‟ disadvantages Chart 5: Teacher‟s frequency of using authentic tasks Chart 6: Students‟ responses as perceived by the teachers vii Chart 7: Teachers‟ difficulties in exploiting AST Chart 8: Students‟ attitudes towards AST‟s effects Chart 9: Students‟ opinions towards teachers‟ applied AST Figure 1: A frame work for Task-based Language Teaching Figure 2: The relation among four language skills Figure 3: Comparison between Brown and Menasche‟s levels of authentic tasks and Nunan‟s classification of tasks viii PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study Nowadays, English has increasingly become one of the most popular languages with more than one billion speakers all over the world English is playing a key role in today‟s modern world because it is used as an international language in many areas such as: science and technology, business and commerce, international relations and diplomacy, etc Therefore, “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the national education system for the period 2008 - 2020” project was launched and carried out Its goals are by 2020 : “making the majority of Vietnamese youth ( ) have enough foreign language capability to use independently, be self-confident in communication and learning, work in an environment of integration, multi-language and multi-culture; making foreign languages (mainly English) become the strength of Vietnamese people and contributing to the industrialization and modernization of the country” The long– term plan set up an urgent requirement for foreign language teachers, in general, and English teachers, in particular to innovate and “learn the newest and best methods of teaching” (Hiệp, 2005, p 3) Another aims are to teach learners a working command of English to satisfy various communicative needs in their life and to build a friendly school with students‟ active learning (Hiệp, 2005) Fortunately, according to Hiệp (2005), since the early 1990s, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has widely spread out for the fact that, in comparison with traditional pedagogy -which is based on language study (grammar, literature) and written exercises (translation) rather than real life communication and speech, it meets the requirements of English learning in an era of integration and globalization However, in the context of Vietnam education, it is lack of motivation from learning environment or even from the textbook that actuates Vietnamese learners to communicate successfully in English Therefore, it is necessary for English teachers to not only adapt the textbook but also apply authentic materials These, with appropriate selection and implementation, can be reliable sources for designing tasks in which formulaic language learning can be avoided, and can provide a bridge between the linguistic skills of learners and their ability to take part in native-like real world activity (Valeriu, 2000) Recognizing the gap, many researchers, both worldwide and in Vietnam, have analyzed the term “authenticity” in teaching Reading, Writing and Listening However, the number of researched Speaking Authenticity ones is still limited while, thirty-five percent of our daily communication time is spent on speaking (Burely-Allen, 1995) Therefore, the exploitation of authentic speaking tasks should receive worthy attention Within the context of DTUS, Hai Duong province – a rural area school, students have few chances to use English in their daily life The teachers pay much attention to grammar while student‟s proficiency is even not enough to master some particular tasks in the textbook From my point of view, among four skills, speaking is the least preferred by students due to students‟ low level and the disparity between the textbook and students‟ needs Therefore, it requires some supplementation for the textbook to gradually upgrade the students‟ level as well as to motivate them to actively participate in English lessons, especially speaking ones From the reasons mentioned above, the researcher finds her duty in conducting the study on “A Study of Using Authentic Supplementary Tasks in Teaching Speaking to 10 Grade Students at Doan Thuong Upper-Secondary School, Hai Duong Province” Aims and objectives of the study The study aims at searching Doan Thuong Upper-Secondary School tenth grade teachers and students‟ attitudes toward exploiting authentic supplementary tasks in speaking lessons To teachers, the researcher closely focuses on their perception of authentic tasks, using authentic supplementary tasks in speaking skill as well as the difficulties they encounter when carrying out the tasks To learners, concentration is put in another aspect: their perception of the effects of the authentic supplementary tasks on their speaking lessons To realize these aims, the answers to the following questions are sought: What are the teachers‟ perceptions of and attitudes towards using authentic speaking supplementary tasks in teaching speaking to 10 grade students? What are the students‟ attitudes towards the effects of the authentic supplementary tasks on their speaking lessons? Scope of the study Initially, the study only covers the tenth form teachers and students at DTUS With a large number of participants as well as the variety of students‟ level, these samples can be considered an appropriate reflection of DTUS‟ teachers and students‟ language competence Secondly, “the authentic speaking tasks” term of the study belongs to the supplementary term which does not contain the designed tasks in the textbook Therefore, the evaluation of the textbook in terms of authenticity is not included in the study Only the teachers and students‟ beliefs and attitudes towards the term are presented Finally, the “speaking tasks” mentioned in the thesis only means the activities that teachers and students carry out in the speaking periods (according to the course distribution) Any further tasks, for examples, in reading or listening lessons, are beyond the scope of this study Methods of the study To reach the aims of the study, both qualitative and quantitative approaches are made used of Data are collected from questionnaires and classroom observation The quantitative data collected from survey questionnaire were then analyzed statistically, while qualitative data were obtained from classroom observation Hopefully, with the combination of these methods, the study would yield reliable and valid findings Design of the study The thesis consists of three main parts: C Little knowledge of task-based instruction D Large class size E Lack of time F Failure in choosing suitable tasks G Others (Please specify……………………………………………….) 11 Will you continue to exploit authentic tasks in English speaking lessons? A Yes B No ***THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION!*** IV Appendix 2: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS PHIẾU CÂU HỎI ĐIỀU TRA CHO HỌC SINH Phiếu câu hỏi điều tra thiết kế cho đề tài “ Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng nhiệm vụ bổ trợ xác thực để dạy kỹ nói cho học sinh trường THPT Đồn Thượng, Hải Dương” Tơi mong em giúp trả lời câu hỏi điều tra theo quan điểm, cách đánh tình hình học tập thực tế em Tôi xin đảm bảo tất thông tin khơng sử dụng ngồi mục đích nghiên cứu ********************************************************* (Đánh dấu tích (√) , khoanh trịn viết câu trả lời ngắn gọn cho câu hỏi đây) A Thông tin cá nhân: Giới tính: Lớp: Em học tiếng Anh năm Khả nói tiếng Anh em (theo nhận định cá nhân) A Xuất sắc B Tốt C Bình thường D Kém B Nhóm câu hỏi việc sử dụng hoạt động bổ trợ xác thực để dạy kỹ nói Giáo viên em có hay sử dụng hoạt động bổ trợ xác thực để dạy kỹ nói hay khơng? A.Không B.Hiếm C.Thỉnh thoảng D.Thường xuyên E.Luôn Theo em, hoạt động bổ trợ xác thực có hiệu tiết học nói khơng? A Khơng hiệu B Không đáng kể C Rất hiệu a khiến cho học thú vị tạo động lực cho học sinh b liên quan mật thiết đến nhu cầu người học c đặt người học vào ngôn ngữ xác thực ngữ cảnh thực từ giảm lo lắng người học thúc đẩy tự tin giao tiếp d mang đến kiến thức văn hóa xác thực e khuyến khích học sinh sáng tạo, tự thể tự chủ f tăng cường tương tác thành viên lớp g thúc đẩy lực ngôn ngữ kỹ giao tiếp cho học sinh h giảm động lực học tập học sinh V i chứa kiến thức từ vựng không cần thiết, ngôn ngữ phức tạp j tốn thời gian k không quen thuộc tương đương nội dung l không giúp học sinh vượt qua tập ngữ pháp kiểm tra, thi m khó hiểu có khác biệt văn hóa Lý khác(Nêu rõ: ) Em có suy nghĩ hoạt động bổ trợ xác thực mà giáo viên em áp dụng học nói? Hãy đánh dấu √ vào ô tương ứng với ý kiến em: 1= đồng ý 2=đồng ý3= trung lập 4=khơng đồng ý a Độ khó hoạt động phù hợp với khả em b Các hoạt động phù hợp với lứa tuổi sở thích em c Em tham gia nói tích cực có hoạt động bổ trợ xác thực d Em nghĩ tiến tham gia hoạt động thường xuyên e Em mong giáo viên tiếp tục áp dụng hoạt động bổ trợ xác thực học nói f Hướng dẫn giáo viên chưa rõ ràng g Thời gian cho hoạt động cịn h Cách đánh giá, nhận xét giáo viên sau hoạt động chưa hợp lý i Còn thiếu thiết bị bổ trợ tranh ảnh, phim, bối cảnh, âm thanh, để hoạt động giống thực Em nghĩ giáo viên nên làm để hoạt động bổ trợ xác thực hiệu học nói? * XIN CHÂN THÀNH CẢM ƠN CÁC EM!*** VI Appendix 3: Classroom observation Appendix 3.1: Classroom Observation Checklist for task 1 Task profile:  Goal  Input:  Time duration  Requirement:  Stage  Period Class profile    Location Time Class size The process of introducing and carrying out the task Introduce the task Giving the instruction Carry out the VII task Present the result Feedback Students’ interaction with the task Group Number of students Language use Idea improvement Work arrangement Task involvement Evaluate the authenticity of the task VIII Authenticity through the genuineness of purpose Authenticity through the real world target Authenticity through classroom interaction Authenticity through engagement Researcher’s comments Good points - The task was rather authentic - Students were excited Most of them involved in the tasks - Teachers carried out the task in a suitable time duration - Handouts with pictures and timeline added authenticity and attracted students IX TASK 1: Choose the correct pictures and years to fill in the following milestone, then make a speech of Obama‟s life (1) 1982 X Appendix 3.2: Classroom Observation Checklist for task Task profile:  Goal  Input  Requirement  Time duration  Stage  Period Class profile    Location Time Class size The process of introducing and carrying out the task Introduce the task Giving the instruction Carry out the task Present the result Feedback Students’ interaction with the task Number of pairs Language use Idea improvement Work arrangement Task involvement Evaluate the authenticity of the task Authenticity through the genuineness of purpose Authenticity through the real world target Authenticity through classroom interaction Authenticity through engagement Researcher’s comments Good points - The task was rather authentic - Students were excited Most of them involved in the tasks - Teachers carried out the task in a suitable time duration - Handouts with pictures added authenticity and attracted students XII TASK 2: SPOT THE DIFFERENCES Picture a Picture B Appendix 3.3: Classroom Observation Checklist for task Task profile:  GoalStudents make decision to buy players for their team  Students make a speech to explain for their choice XIII  Input  Requirement  Time duration  Stage  Period Class profile    Location Time Class size The process of introducing and carrying out the task Introduce the task Giving the instruction Carry out the task Present the results XIV Students’ interaction with the task Group Number of students Language use Idea improvement Work arrangement Task involvement XV Evaluate the authenticity of the task Authenticity through the genuineness of purpose Authenticity through the real world target Authenticity through classroom interaction Authenticity through engagement XVI TASK FOOTBALL PLAYERS FOR SALE Thomas Brown Matthew Black He‟s a star player and has scored lots of He‟s very young and hasn‟t had much goals He is sure to bring many more fans to experience, but did score a goal in his very the games and that could help to make more first match A lot of people are saying he money from ticket sales He‟s getting older will be a big star, but he is undisciplined and will probably have to retire after a and is rumoured to argue a lot with other couple more seasons players Price: £5 million Price: £3 Million Frank Gold Jonathan Grey He‟s a young player and he doesn‟t have His career got off to a very good start, but much experience He‟s played a few he had some problems and missed a season games and has done well but hasn‟t Nobody is sure what the problems were, but produced anything outstanding until his he now wants to return to the pitch Some very last game of the season when he people say that his game has suffered and he scored a fantastic goal Some people say it no longer plays so well, but some people was just luck, but other people say that he still believe he could become one of the best has got over his initial nerves and has the players in the country potential to be a much better player Price: £2 million Price: £1 million Patrick Green Bobby White He is a good reliable player, but isn‟t He‟s a great football player but is past his really a big goal scorer He‟s fit and still best years and coming to the end of his has a quite a few years playing left career as a player He „s had a few Price: £2.5 million injuries lately, but when he doesn‟t play he still draws crowds to the stadium Price: £4 million XVII ... authentic tasks in speaking lesson Table 5: Teachers’ attitudes towards teaching speaking and using authentic tasks in teaching speaking in general The data collected from the first three statements... authentic speaking supplementary tasks in teaching speaking to 10 grade students? What are the students? ?? attitudes towards the effects of the authentic supplementary tasks on their speaking lessons?...VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ THỊ QUYÊN A STUDY OF USING AUTHENTIC SUPPLEMENTARY TASKS IN TEACHING SPEAKING