An investigation into the attitudes of teachers and students at the hanoi college of industrial economics towards speaking activities in the textbook new headway pre intermediate and some suggestions

1 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG LAN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE ATTITUDES OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS AT THE HANOI COLLEGE OF INDUSTRIAL ECONOMICS TOWARDS SPEAKING ACTIVITIES IN THE TEXTBOOK NEW HEADWAY PRE-INTERMEDIATE AND SOME SUGGESTIONS Nghiên cứu thái độ giáo viên sinh viên trường Cao đẳng Kinh tế Công nghiệp Hà nội hoạt động nói giáo trình New Headway PreIntermediate số gợi ý M.A Minor program thesis Field: English teaching methodology Code: 601410 HANOI - 2010 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG LAN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE ATTITUDES OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS AT THE HANOI COLLEGE OF INDUSTRIAL ECONOMICS TOWARDS SPEAKING ACTIVITIES IN THE TEXTBOOK NEW HEADWAY PRE-INTERMEDIATE AND SOME SUGGESTIONS Nghiên cứu thái độ giáo viên sinh viên trường Cao đẳng Kinh tế Công nghiệp Hà nội hoạt động nói giáo trình New Headway Pre-Intermediate số gợi ý M.A Minor program thesis Field: English teaching methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: Phạm Minh Hiền , M.A HANOI - 2010 DECLARATION OF ORINALITY I certify my authority of the Study Project Report submitted entitled: TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF ORINALITY ……………………………………………………… ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………… …………………………… ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………… i TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………… ………………………… LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS …………………………………… …………………… ix LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS …………………………………… ……………… x PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationales …………………………………… ………………………………… Aims of the study …………………………………… ………………………….1 Scope of the study …………………………………… ………………………… Significance of the study …………………………………… ………………… Methodology of the study …………………………………… ………………… Design of the study …………………………………… ……………………….3 PART II: DEVELOPMENT Chapter I: Literature review 1.1 Communicative Language Teaching …………………………………… ………… 1.1.1 Definition of CLT …………………………………… …………………… 1.1.2 Characteristics of CLT …………………………………… ………………… 1.2 Speaking skills …………………………………… ……………………………… 1.2.1 Definitions of speaking skills …………………………………… ………… 1.2.2 Importance of speaking skills in ELT …………………………………… … 1.2.3 The development approach of speaking skills ……………………………… 1.2.4 Problems with speaking skills …………………………………… ………… 1.2.5 The techniques in teaching speaking skills ………………………………… 1.2.5.1 Pair-work …………………………………… …………………… 1.2.5.2 Group work …………………………………… ………………… 1.2.6 The activities in teaching speaking skills …………………………………… 1.2.6.1 Information gap activities …………………………………… …… 1.2.6.2 Jigsaw activities …………………………………… ……………… 1.2.6.3 Role play …………………………………… …………………… 1.2.6.4 Discussion …………………………………… …………………… 1.3 Textbooks …………………………………… …………………………………… 1.3.1 Definitions of textbooks …………………………………… ……………… 1.3.2 The roles of textbook in language program ………………………………… 1.3.3 Previous studies related to the series of textbooks New Headway ………… 1.4 Motivation …………………………………… …………………………………… 1.4.1 Definitions of motivation …………………………………… ……………… 1.4.2 The importance of motivation in foreign language learning ……………… Chapter II: The study 2.1 Current situation of teaching and learning English at the HCIE ………………… 2.1.1 Description of the English course at the HCIE ……………………………… 2.1.2 Description of the 1st year students at the HCIE …………………………… 2.1.3 Description of the teachers at the HCIE …………………………………… 2.2 Design and methodology ………………………………………………………… 2.2.1 Subjects of the study ………………………………………………………… 2.2.2 Instruments of data collection ……………………………………………… 2.2.2.1 Questionnaires ……………………………………………………… 2.2.2.2 Interviews …………………………………………………………… 2.2.2.3 Classroom observations …………………………………………… 2.3 Data analysis ……………………………………………………………………… 2.3.1 Questionnaires ……………………………………………………………… 2.3.1.1 Questionnaire for the students …………………………………………… 2.3.1.1.1 The attitude of students at the HCIE towards speaking skills in ELT 2.3.1.1.2 The attitude of students at the HCIE towards the speaking skills in the textbook NW Pre …………………………………………… 2.3.1.1.3 Students‟ difficulties in speaking lessons ………………………… 2.3.1.1.4 Students‟ preferences and demands for the speaking lessons …… 2.3.1.2 Questionnaire for the teachers ………………………………………… 2.3.1.2.1 The attitude of teachers at the HCIE towards speaking skills in ELT 2.3.1.2.2 The attitude of teachers at the HCIE towards the speaking skills in the textbook NH Pre……………………………………………… 10 2.3.1.2.3 Teachers‟ difficulties in speaking lessons and their textbook adaptation ……………………………………… 2.3.2 Interviews …………………………………………………………………… 2.3.3 Classroom observations …………………………………………………… Chapter III: Findings and suggestions 3.1 Findings …………………………………………………………………………… 3.1.1 About the students …………………………………………………………… 3.1.1.1 The students „attitude towards speaking skills …………………… 3.1.1.2 Prior passive learning experiences ………………………………… 3.1.1.3 Low level of proficiency ………………………………………… 3.1.2 About speaking skills in the textbook NH Pre …………………………… 3.2 Suggestions for teaching speaking skills ………………………………………… 3.2.1 Suggestions for students …………………………………………………… 3.2.2 Suggestions for the teachers ………………………………………………… 3.2.3 Adaptation for the speaking skills of the textbook ………………………… PART III: CONCLUSION Summary of the study ………………………………………………………… 38 Limitations of the study ………………………………… Suggestions for further study …………………………… APPENDICES Appendix 1: Survey questionnaires for students ……………………………………… Appendix 2: Survey questionnaire for teachers………………………………………… Appendix 3: Questions for students „interview …………………………………… …… Appendix 4: Questions for teachers „interview …………………………………… … Appendix 5: Classroom observation form …………………………………… ……… Appendix 6: Contents of speaking activities in NH Pre ……………………………… REFERENCES III 11 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLT refers to Communicative Language Teaching HCIE refers to the Hanoi College of Industrial Economics L2 refers to second language ELT refers to English Language Teaching IGA refers to Information gap activities ESP refers to English for special purposes ESL refers to English as a second language EFL refers to English as a foreign language NH Pre refers to New Headway Pre-Intermediate 12 LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS Table 1: Students‟ attitudes towards speaking skills in ELT ………………………… Table 2: Students‟ attitudes towards speaking skills in the textbook NH Pre ………… Figure 1: Students’ attitudes towards speaking topics ………………………………… Figure 2: Students’ attitudes towards speaking activities …………………………… Figure 3: Students’ enthusiasm towards speaking activities in speaking lessons …… Figure 4: Students’ attitudes towards speaking time allowance ……………………… Table 3: Students‟ difficulties in speaking lessons ………………………………… Table 4: Teachers‟ attitudes towards speaking skills in ELT ………………………… Table 5: Teachers‟ attitudes towards speaking skills in the textbook NH Pre ……… Table 6: Teachers‟ difficulties in speaking lessons and their adaptation …………… Table 7: Results of class observations ……………………………………………… 13 PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationales In Vietnam, since the country adopted open-door policy, the need for integrating into the world has increased In order to achieve this need, a tool for integrating has been explored: English That is why English is now widely taught throughout the country in almost all educational institutions, universities, colleges, schools and language centers at every level English teaching and learning have become very important to our country because of industrialization and modernization The teaching of English in Vietnam always follows the frameworks of English Language Teaching (ELT), from the grammar translation to audio-lingual method in which teaching and testing are focused mainly on writing and reading so Vietnamese students of English are very good at grammar but can hardly speak English To catch on with the above demand and to improve English speaking skills, Vietnamese teachers of English have been searching for a more suitable and effective method of teaching and have come to decide on using the Communicative Language Teaching Approach (CLT) at all levels As a result, speaking skills have gained their important roles in the curriculum of most English courses nowadays At the Hanoi College of Industrial Economics (HCIE), where I have been working for 10 years, speaking skills have been taught based on the textbook Headway Pre–Intermediate since 2006 From my personal observation and professional experience as a teacher of English, I have realized that teaching and learning speaking skills have still faced some difficulties and the students‟ ability to speak English has not improved much For several years, I have been haunted by the questions what difficulties the teachers and students have and how to improve the students‟ English speaking ability effectively Analyzing the attitudes of the teachers and students towards speaking skills in the textbook NH Pre will help me find the situation of teaching and learning speaking skills, in general and teaching and learning speaking skills in the textbook NH Pre in particular From the result of the investigation, the writer of this thesis can suggest some solutions to improve the situation Aims of the study With the above- presented rationales, the specific aims of the study, accordingly, are: 14 - to find out the attitudes of teachers and students at the HCIE towards speaking skills in ELT - to investigate the attitudes of teachers and students at the HCIE towards the speaking skills in the textbook NH Pre - to find out students‟ preferences and demands - to recommend some solutions based on the findings of the study Scope of the study As it has been stated above, the study is designed to explore teachers and students‟ attitudes towards speaking activities in the textbook NH Pre in order to make some methodological recommendations for teaching speaking skills The study is, therefore, explorative by nature Given the aims of the study, I limited myself to focus on teachers and the first-year students at the HCIE who have taught and studied the textbook NH Pre Significance of the study This study is first hoped to be helpful to both teachers and students at the HCIE because its finding will enable not only the teachers to see whether their ways of teaching English in general and teaching speaking in particular are appropriate and effective but also make students to fully understand their responsibility for their study The practical meaning of this study is to evaluate teaching and learning speaking skills based on the textbook NH Pre Therefore, it is also expected to be beneficial to both teachers and students at colleges and universities where New Headway series are used as a textbook Methodology of the study To achieve the aims stated, quantitative method was mainly used The data collected for the study come from 100 first- year students at the HCIE who have just finished studying NH Pre and 10 teachers who have taught Basic English for the first year students for over years Survey questionnaires were used to collect information and evidence for the study with the hope that the research would be reliable and the processing of the data would be manageable within limited time budget In addition, the research also used qualitative method that is the author collected some information based on her informal classroom observations and interviews with 10 students and teachers chosen from 100 students and 10 teachers in the questionnaire survey The 49 by assigning the task of searching information before the lesson Teachers also should make some changes: for example a country in the South-East Asia or Vietnamese music band so students will find more interesting and suitable 50 PART III: CONCLUSION Summary of the study This study set out to investigate the attitudes of the students and teachers towards the textbook New Headway Pre- Intermediate as well as the difficulties they meet when using this textbook Based on the research instruments such as questionnaires, interviews and classroom observation, this research has discovered the significant findings with a help to improving the English speaking teaching at the HCIE The study includes the following parts: Part I has introduced the rational for choosing the study, aims, scope and method of the study In part II, chapter one has highlighted the theoretical background knowledge relating to the study in the literature review such as speaking skills, textbook definitions In this chapter, the development approach of speaking skills, some speaking activities, the role of textbook have been presented The difficulties in teaching and learning speaking skills have been in focus as well Chapter two in part II has presented brief description of teaching and learning situation at the HCIE including the English course, the first year students and the teachers at the HCIE It also includes the main part of the study Basing on the situation in chapter two and related theories in chapter one the data were collected and analyzed through questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations Finally, in chapter three, some suggestions for learning and teaching speaking at the HCIE are worked out Last comes part III, in which the limitations and suggestions for further studies are presented Limitations of the study Although the study has certain strengths, such as the triangulation of the data collection methods, namely survey questionnaires, interviews for learners and teachers and classroom observation, due to time limits, lack of resources and the researcher‟s ability, it is obvious that the study has got a number of drawbacks 51 Firstly, the number of class observation and interviews the researcher carried out is still limited, so the findings may, to some extent, not be generalized to all the teachers and students Secondly, the classroom observation sheet written by Brown (1994) was designed to evaluate a class of English in general Although the researcher tried to adapt it to match her purpose, she could not avoid the subjectivity Therefore, this needs further studies Suggestions for further study Whoever interested to this matter or / and have met the same difficulties may continue this study for further improvements Basing on the finding of the study, the researcher will adapt the textbook or design a complete speaking syllabus for the first year students at the HCIE or choose an available textbook that more suitable with the level of the students with approve of the researcher‟s college and departments 52 APPENDIX 1: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES FOR STUDENTS Bảng khảo sát I Đối tượng: Sinh viên vừa học xong học phần Anh I Anh II trường Cao đẳng Kinh tế Công nghiệp Hà Nội Mục đích: Tơi lập bảng khảo sát nhằm phục vụ cho đề tài Nghiên cứu thái độ giáo viên sinh viên trường Cao đẳng Kinh tế Cơng nghiệp Hà nội hoạt động nói giáo trình New Headway Pre-Intermediate số gợi ý Rất mong em trả lời câu hỏi sau cách trung thực ý kiến đánh giá nhận xét em quan trọng đề tài Các em vui lịng khoanh vào mà em lựa chọn Tôi xin chân thành cảm ơn giúp đỡ em! Theo em, kĩ nói mục đích học tiếng Anh em: A.Rất cần thiết B Cần thiết C Tương đối cần thiết D Khơng cần thiết Em có cảm thấy hứng thú học nói tiếng Anh lớp khơng? A Rất hứng thú B Khá hứng thú C HơI hứng thú D Khơng hứng thú Em có ngại nói tiếng Anh lớp không? A Rất ngại C Hơi ngại Em có hài lịng với học nói lớp khơng? A Rất khơng hài lịng C Hài lòng Em đánh nội dung chủ điểm nói giáo trình New Headway Pre-Intermediate học lớp? A Rất thú vị phù hợp với trình độ em B Rất thú vị khơng phù hợp với trình độ em C Tương đối phù hợp D Quá khó Pre- Em có ý kiến hoạt động nói dùng giáo trình New Headway Intermediate? 53 A Rất hay phù hợp với trình độ em B Rất hay khó C Quá khó trình độ em D Buồn tẻ Trong học nói em tham gia hoạt động thực hành nói tiếng Anh giáo viên yêu cầu nào? A.Rất tích cực B.Khơng tích cực C Em ngại D Em nói giáo viên gọi em Pre- Những khó khăn em thường gặp phải học nói theo giáo trình New Headway Intermediate A Thiếu từ, thiếu cấu trúc để diễn đạt ý B Thiếu kiến thức lĩnh vực thảo luận C Khơng có mẫu hội thoại tương tự để luyện tập theo D Khả nghe đọc ảnh hưởng đến khả nói Theo em, thời gian dành cho hoạt động nói lớp A nhiều B vừa đủ C D 10 Hãy nêu ba điều làm em hài lòng với học nói lớp 11 Hãy nêu ba điều làm em chưa hài lịng với học nói lớp 12 Nêu góp ý, em có ý kiến để giúp học nói tiếng Anh lớp giúp em nói tiếng Anh tốt hơn? 54 APPENDIX 2: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS The survey questions are designed for my study on teachers and students‟ attitude towards speaking activities in the textbook New Headway Pre-Intermediate Your assistance in fulfilling the following items is greatly appreciated You can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion Thank you for your help Instruction: Please put a tick beside the appropriate answer or in the appropriate column or give short answer in the provided space According to you, how is teaching speaking skills important? A Very B Rather C Little D Not at all How much you feel interested in teaching speaking in class? A Very B Rather C Little D Not at all Pre- How you find the speaking topics introduced in the textbook New Headway Intermediate A Very interesting and suitable B Very interesting but unsuitable C Rather suitable D Too difficult What is your opinion about the speaking activities mostly used in the textbook New Headway Pre- Intermediate A Very interesting and suitable with your students‟ level B Very interesting but difficult C Too difficult with your students’ level D Boring How much class time you spend teaching speaking in a lesson? A Less than 45 minutes B From 45 to 90 minutes C From 90 to 135 minutes D More than 135 minutes How much class time you allow your students to participate in speaking activities? A Less than 20 minutes B From 20 to 45 minutes C From 45 to 90 minutes 55 D More than 90 minutes What are the difficulties you have experienced when teaching speaking based on the textbook New Headway Pre-Intermediate? A Learners ‘low proficiency B Learners ‘low general knowledge in the discussed topics C Large size class D Not enough time Do you follow the activities suggested in the textbook and how often you adapt them? A Never I always teach what are in the textbook B Sometimes I make a change in the topics C Sometimes I make a change in the activities D I usually make changes APPENDIX 3: QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS ‘INTERVIEW 56 Hãy nêu ba điều làm em hài lịng với học nói lớp Hãy nêu ba điều làm em chưa hài lòng với học nói lớp Nêu góp ý, em có ý kiến để giúp học nói tiếng Anh lớp giúp em nói tiếng Anh tốt hơn? APPENDIX 4: QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS ‘INTERVIEW 57 Theo anh ( chị) nội dung hoạt động nói giáo trình New Headway Pre-Intermediate có phù hợp với trình độ nhu cầu sinh viên năm thứ không? Xin anh (chị ) cho biết lí Anh (chị ) đánh giá tầm quan trọng giáo trình việc điều chỉnh giáo trình cho phù hợp với trình độ sinh viên? APPENDIX 5: CLASSROOM OBSERVATION FORM Observer:…………………………………… Teacher‟s name: ……………………………… Date of observation:………………… Class: … A: Applied Categories Criteria I Presentation The teacher shows an interest in, and enthusiasm for, the subject taught Language of instructions is clear and concise and students are able to carry them on Authentic materials are added Material is presented at the students‟ level of comprehension II Methods The teacher moves around the class and makes eye contact with students There are balance and variety of activities during the lesson Instructional aids or resource material is used effectively Drill are used and presented effectively Structures are taken out of artificial drill contexts and applied to the real contexts of the students‟ culture and personal experiences III Teacher- student interaction Teacher is a facilitator The students are communicators Teacher encourages and assures full student participation The students are attentive and involved The students are active Teacher organizes effectively individual, pair and group work The students are encouraged to ask questions, to disagree, or to express their own ideas Teacher controls and directs the class APPENDIX 6: CONTENTS OF SPEAKING ACTIVITIES IN 59 NEW HEADWAY PRE- INTERMEDIATE Unit Contents Joy Darling Who are your ideal neighbours? Exchanging information about two neighbours People‟s lifestyles Exchanging information about immigrants to the Zoe‟s party fortunately/ unfortunately Town survey – the good things and bad things ab living in your town Attitudes to shopping What are your plans and ambitions? Being a teenager Comparing cities The rich and their money Find someone who… Interviewing a band Find an interview with a famous person Jobs House rules Asking questions about places Acting a dialogue A letter to a problem What will you st What will life be like in the 21 century? What are the biggest cities in the world? 10 “When I was young” Describing feelings Tom and Jamie 60 11 Exchanging information about three plants Which plants have been good and bad for the wo 12 Giving advice – If I were you, I‟d … Tell the class a ghost story 13 Steven Spielberg What is a good job? Phoning a friend 14 A love story: the end of the story- Your ideas Arguments in families What happens next in the story? REFERENCES Brown, G and Yule, G (1983), Teaching the Spoken Language, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 61 Brown, J (1995), The Elements of Language Curriculum,Heinle and Heinle Publishers Burns, Anne (1998), “Teaching speaking”, Annual review of applied linguistics, (18), 102-123 Bygate, M (1991), Speaking, Oxford University Press, Longman Cunningsworth, A (1995), Choosing Your Coursebook, Heinemann Harmer, J (1984), The Practice of English Language Teaching, Longman, London Harmer, J (1996), The Practice of English Language Teaching, Longman Haycroft, J (1998), An Introduction To English Language Teaching, Longman Hutchinson, T and E Torres (1994), “The Textbook as Agent of Change”, ELT Journal, vol 48/ 10 Jacobs, G.M & Ball, J (1996), “An investigation of the structure of group activities in ELT coursebooks.”, ELT Journal, vol 50/2, 99-107 11 ed), Larsen- Freeman, D (200), Techniques and principles in language teaching(2nd Oxford University Press, Oxford 12 Litaz, David (2001), “Textbook evaluation and ELT management: A south Korean case study.”, Asian EFL Journal, http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/Litz_thesis.pdf 13 Littlewood, W(1988), Communicative Language Teaching,Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 14 Littlewood, W(1981), Communicative Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 15 Mai Thuy Phuong (2005), A study on the Techniques for Improving Speaking Skills to Non- major Students of English at Haiphong foreign Language Center,Haiphong University,Unpublished MA Dissertation CFL-VNU 16 Nunan, D.(2003), Practical English Language Teaching, NY:McGraw-Hill 17 Nunan, D.(1990), Designing tasks for the Communicative Classroom, Sydney Macquarie University Press 18 Press Pattison, P.(1992), Developing communication Skills, Cambridge University ... PHƯƠNG LAN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE ATTITUDES OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS AT THE HANOI COLLEGE OF INDUSTRIAL ECONOMICS TOWARDS SPEAKING ACTIVITIES IN THE TEXTBOOK NEW HEADWAY PRE- INTERMEDIATE AND SOME. .. HCIE; the attitudes of teachers and students at the HCIE towards the speaking skills in ELT; the attitudes of teachers and students at the HCIE towards the speaking skills in the textbook NH Pre and. .. accordingly, are: 14 - to find out the attitudes of teachers and students at the HCIE towards speaking skills in ELT - to investigate the attitudes of teachers and students at the HCIE towards the