An investigation into the use of useful expressions to enhance speaking skills for the third year students at hanoi university of business and technology

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES _  LÊ HỒNG PHƯỢNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF USEFUL EXPRESSIONS TO ENHANCE SPEAKING SKILLS FOR THE THIRD-YEAR STUDENTS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY NGHIÊN CỨU CÁCH SỬ DỤNG CÁC CỤM TỪ HỮU ÍCH GIÚP NÂNG CAO KĨ NĂNG NÓI CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ BA TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KINH DOANH CÔNG NGHỆ HÀ NỘI M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI - 2017 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES _  LÊ HỒNG PHƯỢNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF USEFUL EXPRESSIONS TO ENHANCE SPEAKING SKILLS FOR THE THIRD-YEAR STUDENTS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY NGHIÊN CỨU CÁCH SỬ DỤNG CÁC CỤM TỪ HỮU ÍCH GIÚP NÂNG CAO KĨ NĂNG NĨI CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ BA TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KINH DOANH CÔNG NGHỆ HÀ NỘI M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr Dương Thị Nụ HANOI - 2017 DECLARATION I hereby certify that this thesis is entirely my own work I have provided fully documented references to the others‟ work The material in this thesis has not been submitted for assessment in any other formal course I also accept all the requirements of ULIS relating to the retention and use of M.A Graduation Thesis deposited in the library Hanoi, May 2017 Lê Hồng Phượng i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This thesis would not be fulfilled without the help of some people, and in some ways, I would like to thank everyone who has taught me, inspired me, challenged me, and supported me during the process of conducting this thesis I would like to express my deepest thanks to my beloved supervisor, Duong Thi Nu, Ph.D, for her great assistance as well as her dedicated guidance she gave me while I was carrying out my project I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all lecturers in Faculty of Post-graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their interesting lectures and professional dedication which have inspired me to conduct this thesis I would also like to express my thanks to my colleagues at Faculty of English, my third-year students at Faculty of Management at Hanoi University of Business and Technology for their willingness to participate in the research Without their help, this project could not be completed Last but not least, I am most thankful to my family and my closed friends who have always inspired and encouraged me all the time Hanoi, May 2017 Lê Hồng Phượng ii ABSTRACT The majority of second language learners encounter problems when they speak in the target language For the number of the students at Hanoi University of Business and Technology, the matter might be a big obstacle Because of their various and low levels before entering the school, the students find it difficult to master speaking skills in English In this project, the researcher conducts an investigation in the use of useful expressions to the third-year students within weeks The research was formulated as an action one which used a questionnaire as a research instrument to collect quantitative and qualitative about students attitudes and the effectiveness of using useful expressions in learning speaking skills As can be seen from the qualitative and quantitative data, difficulties, limitations and challenges still occurred during the research; however, to some extent, the students made much progress in their speaking competence The results suggested the use of useful expressions as one of the effective ways to teach and learn speaking in English iii TABLE OF CONTENT DECLARATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ABSTRACT TABLE OF CONTENT PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims and objectives 1.3 Scope of the study 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Method of the study 1.6 Design of the study PART - CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Definition of terminology 1.2 The role of speaking in language learning 1.3 Components of speaking competence 1.4 Different techniques used to teach pronunciation 1.5 The role of useful expression or fixed expression in developing speaking skill 1.6 Previous studies 1.6.1 Lexical bundles 1.6.2 Idiomatic expression 1.6.3 Useful expressions CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 2.1 Context of the study 2.2 The study 2.2.1 Participants 2.2.2 Data collection instrume 2.2.3 Questionnaire 2.2.4 Pre-test and Post-test res 2.2.5 Analysis techniques 2.2.6 Data presentation and an 2.2.7 Procedure iv 2.3 A statement and a sample of assessment ………………………………………….24 2.3.1 Assessment requirements and criteria 24 2.3.2 The principles for grading 24 2.3.3 A sample of assessment 25 Chapter 3: DATA ANALYSIS 27 3.1 Students‟ general attitude towards using useful expressions in learning speaking skill 27 3.1.1 Students‟ attitude towards interest in using useful expression in learning speaking skill 27 3.1.2 Students‟ opinion towards the suitability of using useful expressions in speaking lessons 29 3.1.3 Students‟ opinion towards the practical aspect of using useful expressions in speaking lessons 30 3.1.4 Students‟ opinion towards their improvements after learning useful expressions 31 3.1.5 Students‟ difficulties in doing the project 32 3.2 The effectiveness of the research 33 3.3 The pre- test‟s and post-test‟s results 34 PART 3:CONCLUSION 39 Recapitulation 39 Main findings 39 Limitation of the study 40 Suggestions for further study 41 REFERENCES 42 APPENDICES I v PART 1: INTRODUCTION This part is dedicated to introducing the rationale of the study, the problem to be addressed in the study, the aims and objectives of the study, and the research questions to be answered It will also present the scope of the study and an overview of the methods and the design of the study 1.1 Rationale Speaking skills is one of crucial parts of second language learning and teaching “The ability to speak in a foreign language is at the very heart of what it means to be able to use a foreign language” (Louma, 2004) The mastery of this output skill in English is a priority for many second language or foreign-language learners In this global era, English is utilized as an international medium of communication and it helps people to work and cooperate in a common language It is the fact that the learners are often evaluated their success in the language learning as well as the effectiveness of their English course through their spoken language proficiency Unfortunately, speaking skill is a complicated and multifaceted skill which is not easy to be improved and takes a long time to make progress Up to now, various approaches to teaching speaking, therefore, have been recommended to help deal with this issue In most universities in Vietnam, English is a compulsory subject which equips students for effective workplace communication after their graduation It goes without saying that at Hanoi University of Business and Technology (hereafter HUBT), a private university, it is not an exception Being a teacher of English at English Department at HUBT, the author has had an opportunity to teach English mainly for communication in four skills listening, speaking, reading and writing Thanks to approaching all students from the freshmen to the seniors at all levels in all majors, the researcher herself has found that her students have a number of problems with speaking skill They are not willing to speak due to many reasons such as poor pronunciation, being afraid of making mistakes, lack of vocabulary and not having a language environment to practice English and so on During the first few courses, the author had many frustrations because even some of her students had motivation to learn English, they could not make progress in speaking skill Some students said to her “I can understand your English, but when I speak to „real people‟ I can‟t understand them” The writer has decided to introduce some changes with the desire for motivating and supporting her students to learn English speaking skill better through an action research whose result will be presented in this thesis entitled “An investigation into method of English teaching speaking skill using Useful Expressions for the third-year students at Hanoi University of Business and Technology.” The third-year students who are selected to be the participants in this study have already had two years learning English at HUBT as well as they soon have to gain a TOEIC certificate to graduate Furthermore, in order to seek for jobs in an international workforce environment when Vietnam joined global organizations like WTO, TPP and soon Asian Union, learners especially need to be accustomed to and use common phrases, useful expressions which are familiar with people in the workplace context Hence, they are able to communicate well with their seniors, colleagues, or clients Hopefully, the study will also help to facilitate her teaching, especially teaching speaking skill which she is interested in 1.2 Aims and objectives The aim of the current study is to investigate the effectiveness of the method of teaching speaking skill using Useful Expressions for the third-year students at HUBT This fundamental aim can be achieved when the two following objectives are met The first objective of the study is to seek for the effectiveness of using useful expressions for the students‟ improvement The other one is to explore the students‟ attitudes towards using useful expressions technique 1.3 Scope of the study In order to improve students‟ speaking skill, teachers can use varieties of techniques However, this study merely focuses on studying the effectiveness of teaching useful expressions to improve students‟ speaking skill This action research is applied in five consecutive speaking lessons The action is carried out for the third-year students of all majors in a class of about 30 students at HUBT within weeks The collected data are analyzed and discussed to figure out how using useful expressions contribute to enhance students‟ speaking skill 1.4 Research questions This study is conducted to find the answers for the following questions: What is the students‟ attitude towards useful expressions? To what extent does the use of useful expressions enhance speaking skill for the students from the teacher and the students‟ perspectives? 1.5 Method of the study Action research is employed in this study Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used in this research The data were collected by means of: - Questionnaires - Interviews The questionnaire is designed to gather data about the students‟ ideas on the intended criteria Information gathered from interviews with teachers will be notetaken, analyzed and used for providing more information These two research instruments are used in three phases of the action research for preliminary investigation, exploration of the effects that the action creates, and reflection on the action phase 1.6 Design of the study A part from the Introduction and Conclusion, the study is organized into three main parts: Literature Review, Methodology, Results and Discussion In the first part, Introduction consists of the rationale, aims, research questions, significance of the study, scope of the study, and the design of the study In the second part, chapter - Literature Review mentions the theoretical background of the study and the review of the previous studies The next chapter - Methodology describes the overall picture of how the research is carried out from the first step of determining the research design to the last step of gathering the results TEACH in th form Put s prese abou audie Get s writi and a their Brin parts poin some Ask in fro Go o that when POST- Go th TEACH box, orall Ask IX LESSON PLAN UNIT 6:MONEY I CLASS DESCRIPTION  The 30 third-year students majoring in Management at Hanoi University of Business and Technology AI DURATION:90 minutes BI OBJECTIVES: By the end of this lesson, the students should be able to  To get familiar with phrases in the Useful expressions and practice them efficiently  To develop students‟ speaking skill in real situation in business BI TEACHING AIDS AND REFERENCES :  Chalk and black board  Computer, projector and loudspeaker  Textbook and teacher‟s book: the rd edition Intermediate Market Leader IV PROCEDURES: Stages Teac WARM Give UP aloud Intro Skill PRE- With TEACH anoth Ask Mak Tell langu goin X WHILE- Go th TEACH Expl nearl Writ stude Expl Mak page stude artic error Go r Brin that w Tell B‟s v Play key p conc Get s and a POST- Go o TEACH Go th box, orall Ask XI LESSON PLAN UNIT 7:CULTURES CLASS DESCRIPTION I  The 30 third-year students majoring in Management at Hanoi University of Business and Technology AI DURATION: 90 minutes BI OBJECTIVES: By the end of this lesson, the students should be able to  To get familiar with phrases in the Useful expressions and practice them efficiently  To develop students‟ speaking skill in real situation in business  Chalk and black board  Computer, projector and loudspeaker  Textbook and teacher‟s book: the Leader V rd edition Intermediate Market PROCEDURES: Stages Teach WARM Displa UP Englis Introd Skills PRE- Tell t TEACH Englis XII WHILE- Get s TEACH throug and ge impro Get o versio Go th difficu Put st situati round Play t studen Expla pairs Bring Play t answe in pai necess Get so the wh POST- Go th TEACH box ag them Ask s XIII LESSON PLAN UNIT 8:UMAN RESOURCES I CLASS DESCRIPTION  The 30 third-year students majoring in Management at Hanoi AI University of Business and Technology DURATION: 90 minutes BI OBJECTIVES: By the end of this lesson, the students should be able to  To get familiar with phrases in the Useful expressions and practice them efficiently  To develop students‟ speaking skill in real situation in business  Chalk and black board  Computer, projector and loudspeaker  Textbook and teacher‟s book: the V Leader PROCEDURES: rd edition Intermediate Market Stages Teache WARM Display UP calls an topic Introdu Skills: phone PRE- Activit TEACH Tell the some o getting teacher on the WHILE- Activit TEACH Get stu XIV conversation and to anticipate what might be in the gaps Then play the recording and get students to complete the conversation Play the recording again to clarify any remaining difficulties With the whole class, elicit the answers Activity 3: Ensure situation allocate ro assist wher Go round t language some good that need f relation to getting inf Bring the c points and further students to Get one or role play in POST- Go through TEACH the useful students th orally on i Ask studen questions XV UNIT 4: ORGANISATION SKILLS: SOCIALISING: INTRODUCTIONS AND NETWORKING GREETINGS Hello, Great to see you again Hi, How are you? How's everything going? INTRODUCING YOURSELF I'm from / I‟m with / I work for (Company) I‟m in Sales I‟m in charge of I‟m resoponsible for I work with UNIT 5: ADVERTISING SKILLS: STARTING AND STRUCTURING PRESENTATIONS USEFUL LANGUAGE INTRODUCING YOURSELF On behalf Advertising, I'd like to welcome name's Hayward Hi, Marc Hayward Good of you INTRODUCING THE TOPIC Alpha I'm going to you about the ideas My we've Marc with campaign I'm This like to outline campaign concept everyone, to see you all we've for you XVII UNIT 6: MONEY SKILLS: DEALING WITH FIGURES USEFUL LANGUAGE YEARS DE 1984: nineteen eighty-four 2012: two thousand and 16.5: sixteen 17.38%: sev twelve or twenty twelve eight per ce 0.185: (noug one eight fiv BIGGER NUMBERS 3,560: three thousand five hundred and sixty (BrE)/ Three thousand five hundred sixty (ArnE) 598,347: five hundred and ninety-eight thousand, three hundred and forty-seven (BrE)/ Five hundred ninety- eight thousand, three hundred forty-seven (ArnE) 1,300,402: one mil/ion three hundred thousand, four hundred two (AmE)/ One million three hundred thousand, four hundred and two (BrE) 1m: one 10 mil/ion (1,000,000) 3bn: three billion (3,000,000,000) $7.5bn: seven point five billion dollars €478m: four hundred and seventy-eight mil/ion euros (BrE)/ four hundred seventy-eight million euros (ArnE) XVIII UNIT 7: CULTURES SKILLS: SOCIAL ENGLISH USEFUL LANGUAGE Congratulations! I don't mind I'm afraid After you Cheers! XVIXII UNIT 8: HUMAN RESOURCES SKILLS: GETTING INFORMATION ON THE TELEPHONE USEFUL LANGUAGE SAYING WHO YOU ARE Good morning, my name's Lisa Mann Hello, Ben speaking CHECKING INFORMATION Just to get this clear There's just one other thing, I'd like to check Are you saying ? XXI XXI ... Descriptors for each criterion are provided for bands 1, 3, 5, 7, and and indicate is expected to demonstrate at each band The descriptors for band and above generally indicate performance of at. .. teaching speaking skill using Useful Expressions for the third- year students at Hanoi University of Business and Technology. ” The third- year students who are selected to be the participants in... NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES _  LÊ HỒNG PHƯỢNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF USEFUL EXPRESSIONS TO