Teaching speaking skill to students with low english proficiency difficulties and suggested solutions

1 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** NGUYỄN THỊ VÂN TEACHING SPEAKING SKILL TO STUDENTS WITH LOW ENGLISH PROFICIENCY: DIFFICULTIES AND SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS Nghiên cứu việc dạy kỹ nói cho người học có ngữ tiếng Anh yếu: Những khó khăn giải pháp M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Hanoi - 2010 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** NGUYỄN THỊ VÂN TEACHING SPEAKING SKILL TO STUDENTS WITH LOW ENGLISH PROFICIENCY: DIFFICULTIES AND SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS Nghiên cứu việc dạy kỹ nói cho người học có ngữ tiếng Anh yếu: Những khó khăn giải pháp M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: DƢƠNG THỊ NỤ, PhD Hanoi - 2010 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor, Ms Duong Thi Nu, for her invaluable guidance, criticism and encouragement in the process of completing this minor thesis I also wish to express my sincere thanks to all the lecturers of the Faculty of Post Graduate Studies at University of Language and International Studies for their very useful lectures My profound thanks also go to the teachers and the students at College of Finance and Business Administration for their enthusiastic help and support Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my loving family and my special friends who always encouraged and helped me to complete this study ABSTRACT The research is aimed at finding out the difficulties and some effective solutions in teaching speaking skill to students with low English proficiency (SLEP) Two questionnaires were designed to investigate the learning and the teaching English speaking skill of 50 randomly selected SLEP and teachers at College of Finance and Business Administration (CFBA) The findings showed that the low motivation and the shallow, negative, and passive learning strategies of SLEP lead to their unsuccessful outcome In addition, from the results of the study, some pedagogical suggestions related to creating a classroom atmosphere, praises and rewards, opportunities of success, activities and techniques, and more learning strategies, are offered for teachers of English LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS SLEP: Students with low English proficiency CFBA: College of Finance and Business Administration L1: First language L2: Second language N: Number of cases LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Students‘ English learning background Table 2: Students‘ attitude and motivation to English speaking skill and English speaking skill learning Table 3: Students‘ strategies in English speaking skill learning Table 4: Students‘ desires in English speaking skill learning Table 5: Teachers‘ experience and opinion on SLEP and teaching speaking skill to SLEP Table 6: Teachers‘ techniques in teaching English speaking skill to SLEP TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………………………………i ABSTRACT …………………………… ……………………………………………………ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ………………………………………………… ………… iii LIST OF TABLES …………………………………………………………………………….iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………………………………v PART A INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………… 1 Rationale …………………………………………………………………………………….1 Aim of the study …………………………………………………………………………… Research questions ………………………………………………………………………… Scope of the study … ……………………………………………………………………….2 Method of the study………………………………………………………………………….2 Design of the study ……………………………………………………………………… PART B DEVELOPMENT ….………………………………………………….4 Chapter Literature Review …………………………………………………………… 1.1 Theoretical background of speaking skill in second language learning …………… 1.1.1 Definition of speaking ………………………………………………………………… 1.1.2 Approaches to the teaching of speaking ……………………………………………… 1.1.3 Factors affecting learners‘ speaking achievement ………………………………… 1.1.3.1 Teachers‘ roles ……………………………………………………………………… 1.1.3.2 Learners‘ roles ……………………………………………………………………… Aptitudes …………………………………………………………………………………… Motivation and attitude ……………………………………………………………………… Learning strategies ………………………………………………………………………… 11 Learners‘ needs ……………………………………………………………………………….11 1.2 Students with low English proficiency (SLEP)……………………………………… 12 1.2.1 Definition of SLEP …………………………………………………………………….12 1.2.2 Ways to help SLEP …………………………………………………………………….12 Chapter The study …………………………………………………………………… 15 2.1 The context …………………………………………………………………………… 15 2.2 The study ……………………………………………………………………………… 15 2.2.1 Participants ………………………………………………………………………… 15 2.2.2 Instruments and methodology ……………………………………………………….16 2.2.3 Data analysis … ……… ……………………………………………………………16 2.2.3.1 Questionnaire for students … 16 Methodology ………………………………………………………………………………… 16 Statistical result ……………………………………………………………………………… 17 - Students‘ English learning background …………………………………………… 17 - Students‘ attitude and motivation to English speaking skill and English speaking skill learning ……………………………………………………………………………… 18 - Students‘ strategies in English speaking skill learning …… ……………………… .21 - Students‘ desires in English speaking skill learning ……………………… ……… 25 2.2.3.2 Questionnaire for teachers …………………………… 27 Methodology ………………………………………………………………………………… 27 Statistical result ……………………………………………………………………………… 27 - Teachers‘ experience, and opinion on SLEP and teaching speaking skill to SLEP 27 - Teachers‘ techniques in teaching English speaking skill to SLEP…………… … 28 Chapter Findings and recommendations …………………………………………… 31 3.1 Difficulties in teaching speaking skill to SLEP ………… ………………………… 31 3.2 Suggested solutions in teaching speaking skill to SLEP …………………… …… 31 3.2.1 Creating a pleasant and supportive classroom atmosphere …………………………….31 3.2.2 Having high expectation and using reward appropriately …………………………… 32 3.2.3 Providing opportunities for students to experience success ………………………… 33 3.2.4 Using various and interesting activities and new and effective techniques ………… 33 3.2.5 Training the students with more strategies in learning English speaking skill……… 36 3.3 An example of applying some techniques in teaching plan of English speaking … 37 PART C CONCLUSION……………………………………………………… 44 REFERENCE ………………………………………………………………………………… I APPENDIX Questionnaire for students IV APPENDIX Questionnaire for teachers XII PART A INTRODUCTION Rationale No one can deny the universality of English nowadays Outside English-speaking countries, English has become a compulsory component of education in many countries This trend also applies in Vietnam At many schools and colleges, English is chosen as a compulsory subject for students as English is considered to be a useful tool to access the world knowledge However, though the importance of English has been recognized, how it is taught can often be questioned for several problems One of the problems is the existence of mixed-ability-student classes Students in these classes have different levels of ability While some are successful in English language learning, others are unsuccessful The ones in the second group are less able in English when compared to their peers Their utterances are in words or short prefabricated phrases Their grammar is mostly inaccurate and their pronunciation requires concentrated listening In class they are apparently less motivated to learn As a result, their ability can never improve (Littlejohn, 2001) For this reason, they say goodbye to English as quickly as they can Finding a balance in communication with these groups of students during lectures is not an easy job for teachers It is also true at College of Finance and Business Administration (CFBA) Yet, while many researchers have investigated how to teach English speaking skill to students in general, few have introduced effective ways to teach this skill to students with low English proficiency This actually drives the researcher to her study, namely, “Teaching speaking skill to students with low English proficiency: Difficulties and Suggested Solutions” for the purpose of identifying the difficulties in teaching speaking skill to students with low English proficiency (SLEP) and finding out some efficient techniques to help them at CFBA Aim of the study The study is aimed at the following points: - Investigating the current situation of learning and teaching of English speaking skill at CFBA - Identifying the difficulties teachers of English at CFBA encounter in teaching speaking skill to SLEP - Making some suggestions of effective ways for teachers of English at CFBA with the hope of helping them improve their teaching of English speaking to SLEP Research questions 10 With the aim of the study, the following questions are raised: Question What are the problems that teachers of English may have in teaching speaking skill to low English proficiency students at CFBA? Question What should be done to help these students improve their speaking skill? Scope of the study Teaching speaking skill for less able students is a very popular problem at any schools and colleges in Vietnam However, in the study, the researcher only wants to focus on the teaching of speaking skill to SLEP at CFBA where the researcher has taught English and has intention of finding out the main problems in the teaching Furthermore, in spite of being aware that there is a variety of techniques to help students in English speaking learning, the researcher only try to seek those which are effective for SLEP Method of the study To fulfill the above aims, the researcher is using a survey research which is both qualitative and quantitative The instruments for data collection include two survey questionnaires delivered to learners and teachers Design of the study The minor thesis is composed of three parts: Part A, Introduction presents the rationale, the aims, the research questions, the scope, the method and the design of the study Part B, Development, consists of three following chapters Chapter one, Literature Review, presents the concepts relevant to the study Chapter two, The Study, presents an overview of the context of investigation, the participants, the instruments, and the data analysis Chapter three, Findings and recommendations, summarizes the difficulties and gives some suggested solutions in teaching SLEP speaking skill at CFBA Part C, Conclusion, addresses the key issues in the study and gives some ideas for the limitations and a further research 43 (10‘) (10‘) 44 Homework (1‘) 45 PART C CONCLUSION Because of the importance of English in most of aspects, especially in the aspect of economy, everyone must try best to master English language so as to create more opportunities for themselves Speaking seems intuitively the most important of all the four language skills since people who know a language are referred to as a ‗speaker‘ of that language, as if speaking included all other skills of knowing that language (Ur, 1996) In other words, a learner‘s end product of language learning is to be capable of speaking the target language fluently Unfortunately while some good learners; others meet many difficulties in improving this skill for number of reasons Trying to help them overcome the obstacles is actually important and imperative This study investigated the current situation of SLEP‘s speaking learning at CFBA, as well as the reality of speaking teaching to them at CFBA To some extent, it succeeded in answering the research questions From the results of the investigation, the researcher discovered the problems the teachers face and effective solutions that teachers can apply when teaching speaking skill to SLEP at CFBA The tough challenges suffered by the teachers include the students‘ lack of motivation and their shallow, negative, and passive strategies As a result, it is suggested that teachers should put more effort into creating a pleasant and supportive classroom atmosphere, giving praises and using reward appropriately Providing opportunities for students to experience success, and using various and interesting activities and new and effective techniques also should be taken into consideration Furthermore, teachers should pay more attention to training the students with more strategies in learning English speaking skill However, after completing the study, the researcher realized a limitation remained The study investigated so many issues including motivation, strategies, and desires of learners, which may lead to an unspecific view of the matter For this reason, the researcher wish to conduct a further research in which she can make a more detailed survey, or apply one or some of the techniques suggested from this research to the researcher‘s own teaching context or design a course of English speaking to SLEP in order to look into the effectiveness of these suggested techniques as well as to improve the researcher‘s English teaching practice in the future 46 REFERENCES Balado, C (2001) Teacher to teacher, slow learner questions Florida, University of Central Florida Brindley, G (1984) Needs Analysis and Objective Setting in the Adult Migrant Education Programme Sydney, NSW Adult Migrant Education service Brophy, J (1987) Synthesis of Research for Motivating Students to Learn 2010 Brown, G G Y (1983) Teaching the Spoken Language Cambridge, CUP Bygate, M (1987) Speaking Oxford, OUP Byrne, D (1986) Teaching Oral English Harlow, Essex, Longman Chan, E (2002) Designing a learning environment that alleviates anxiety 2010 Chung, J (1999) "The effects of using video texts supported with advance organizers and captions on Chinese college students' listening comprehension: An empirical study." 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A second look at retrospective accounts." Applied Linguistics Williams, M and R L Burden (1997) Psychology for Language Teachers: A Social 48 Constructive Approach Cambridge, Cambridge University Press Zhao, B (1998) How to motivate students to speak English 2010 49 APPENDIX Survey Questionnaire for Students This questionnaire is conducted with a view to find out the difficulties of learning speaking skill of students with low English proficiency (SLEP) and possible solutions for those difficulties Your completion of this questionnaire is highly appreciated The data collected are used in the research paper only, not for any other purpose Thank you for your cooperation! Personal Information Male Female Survey Questionnaire Please put a tick (√) on your option For questions 3, 4, 5, 6, and 15 you may have more than one option Please make sure that you have at least one option for each question, and you can give more ideas or details in the part of more ideas (specify) Did you learn English before college? Yes, I did No, I didn‘t If yes, how long did you learn English? Less than year From year to years From years to years More than years Why you learn English speaking? (Note: You may have more than one option.) because it is a compulsory subject to have a good job in the future because it is very interesting to communicate with foreigners and improve knowledge More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… How is English speaking skill important to you? (Note: You may have more than one option.) Very important Quite important Normally important A little important Not important at all 50 More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… How you often feel when you are in English speaking class? (Note: You may have more than one option.) ‗I feel interested.‘ ‗I feel confident.‘ ‗I feel bored.‘ ‗I usually feel anxious, especially when my name is called.‘ ‗I feel unwilling to communicate.‘ More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… What are the factors that make you feel bored, anxious, or unwilling to speak English in class? (Note: You may have more than one option.) Being afraid of losing face when making a mistake Being not used to speaking Feeling of being forgotten Difficult topics introduced in the course book Boring teaching More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… What you often when you cannot think of a word during a conversation in English? ‗I use another word or phrase that means the same thing.‘ ‗I use Vietnamese, instead.‘ More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… How you often improve your English speaking? ‗I try to learn by heart new words.‘ ‗I try to read, and write in English as much as possible to get the ideas and practice how to express my ideas.‘ More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… How you often speak English? ‗I try to avoid word-for-word translation‘ ‗In speaking, I first organize my ideas in Vietnamese, then translate them into English‘ More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… 51 ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10 How is your attitude towards English speaking learning? ‗I take a positive attitude towards English speaking learning and intentionally develop my interests in English speaking learning.‘ ‗I don‘t mind keeping a positive attitude or interests in English language learning.‘ More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 11 What you often when you don‘t perform well in English speaking tests? ‗I tell myself not to be discouraged.‘ ‘I feel disappointed but I don‘t care.‘ More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12 What you often when you feel nervous while using English? ‗I try to relax myself and then continue.‘ ‗I try to stop and think that I can‘t continue.‘ More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 13 What you often when you have difficulties in learning English speaking? ‗I ask for help from teachers or higher proficiency-level students‘ ‗I keep silent and nothing.‘ More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 14 What you often in classroom speaking activities? ‗I actively participate in those activities‘ ‗I almost keep silent and listen to other peers‘ More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 15 Which of following activities you like in English speaking class? (Note: You may have more than one option.) To be trained more effective language learning strategies Have less time and effort to polishing grammar and detailed reading Get lots of praise and reinforcement from teachers Have repetition Have limited working time and several short work periods rather than one long one Have variety to the academic routine 52 Do active things and use educational games, puzzles, and other techniques as much as possible Experience something challenging but possible to succeed Have fun and comfortable learning Have meaningful, concrete activities rather than abstract ones More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 53 Phiếu Điều Tra Nghiên Cứu Những câu hỏi dùng cho việc tìm hiểu khó khăn sinh viên có ngữ yếu việc học kỹ nói tiếng Anh giải pháp để khắc phục khó khăn Việc hồn thành tất câu hỏi bạn đánh giá cao Thông tin bạn cung cấp sử dụng cho mục đích nghiên cứu Cảm ơn bạn! Thơng tin cá nhân Nam Tuổi: Nữ Các câu hỏi nghiên cứu Yêu cầu: Hãy đánh dấu tick (√) vào đáp án mà bạn lựa chọn Với câu hỏi 3, 4, 5, 15, bạn lựa chọn đáp án Hãy chắn bạn có đáp án cho câu hỏi lƣu ý rắng bạn thêm thơng tin hay chi tiết mục Ý kiến bổ sung Bạn học tiếng Anh trước vào trường cao đẳng này? Đúng Không Nếu đúng, bạn học tiếng Anh bao lâu? Dưới năm Từ đến năm Từ đến năm Hơn năm Tại bạn học nói tiếng Anh? mơn học bắt buộc để có cơng việc tốt tương lai học tiếng Anh thú vị để giao tiếp với người nước Ý kiến bổ sung: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Kỹ nói quan trọng bạn nào? Rất quan trọng Khá quan trọng Quan trọng mức bình thường Ít quan trọng Khơng quan trọng Ý kiến bổ sung: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 54 Bạn cảm thấy học nói tiếng Anh lớp? ‗Tôi cảm thấy thú vị‘ ‗Tôi cảm thấy tự tin.‘ ‗Tôi cảm thấy chán.‘ ‗Tôi cảm thấy lo lắng, hồi hộp, bị gọi tên.‘ ‗Tôi không muốn tham gia.‘ Ý kiến bổ sung: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Những yếu tố sau khiến bạn cảm thấy chán, hồi hộp, hay khơng muốn nói tiếng Anh lớp? Sợ bị chê cười mắc lỗi Không quen với việc nói tiếng Anh Cảm thấy khơng quan tâm, ý đến Các chủ đề sách khó Cách giảng thầy/ cô nhàm chán Ý kiến bổ sung: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Bạn thường làm bạn nghĩ từ hội thoại tiếng Anh? ‗Tôi thường sử dụng từ cụm từ có nghĩa giống từ đó.‘ ‗Tơi sử dụng từ tiếng Việt.‘ Ý kiến bổ sung: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Bạn thường nâng cao khả nói tiếng Anh bạn cách nào? ‗Tôi cố gắng học thuộc lòng từ.‘ ‗Tôi đọc viết tiếng Anh để lấy ý tưởng học cách diễn đạt.‘ Ý kiến bổ sung: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Bạn thường nói tiếng Anh nào? ‗Tôi cố gắng tránh việc dịch từ sang từ.‘ ‗Tôi nghĩ tiếng Việt trước, sau dịch sang tiếng Anh.‘ Ý kiến bổ sung: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10 Thái độ bạn học kỹ nói tiếng Anh nào? ‗Tôi giữ thái độ tích cực chủ động phát huy niềm yêu thích mình.‘ 55 ‗Tơi khơng quan tâm đến việc giữ thái độ tích cực hay niềm u thích đối việc học nói tiếng Anh.‘ Ý kiến bổ sung: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 11 Bạn thường làm bạn tốt đợt kiểm tra kỹ nói tiếng Anh? ‗Tơi tự nhủ khơng nản lịng.‘ ‗Tôi cảm thấy thất vọng không quan tâm.‘ Ý kiến bổ sung: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12 Bạn thường làm bạn cảm thấy hồi hộp sử dụng tiếng Anh? ‗Tôi cố gắng thư giãn tiếp tục.‘ ‗Tôi cố gắng kết thúc nghĩ khơng thể tiếp tục.‘ Ý kiến bổ sung: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 13 Bạn thường làm bạn gặp khó khăn q trình học nói tiếng Anh? ‗Tơi nhờ giúp đỡ giáo viên bạn học tốt tôi.‘ ‗Tôi im lặng khơng làm cả.‘ Ý kiến bổ sung: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 14 Bạn thường làm hoạt động học kỹ nói lớp? ‗Tơi nhiệt tình tham gia.‘ ‗Hầu im lặng nghe bạn khác.‘ Ý kiến bổ sung: ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 15 Những điều sau bạn thích học nói tiếng Anh? Được dạy cách thức để học hiệu Không dành nhiều thời gian cho việc sửa lỗi ngữ pháp Nhận lời khen, động viên từ giáo viên Có lặp lại nhiệm vụ, hoạt động Được giao nhiệm vụ để hoàn thành thời gian định ngắn hạn thay nhiệm vụ thời gian dài Có thay đổi hoạt động học tập thường ngày Tham gia vào hoạt động động, tích cực trị chơi, câu đố Được giao nhiệm vụ không dễ có khả thành cơng Được học khơng khí thân thiện vui vẻ 56 Tham gia vào hoạt động có ý nghĩa cụ thể Ý kiến bổ sung: ………………………………………………………………………………… APPENDIX Survey Questionnaire for teachers This questionnaire is conducted with a view to find out the difficulties and solutions in teaching speaking skill to students with low English proficiency Your completion of this questionnaire is highly appreciated The data collected are used in the research paper only, not for any other purposes Thank you for your cooperation! Personal Information Male Female Age: …… Survey Questionnaire Please put a tick (√) on your option (except for question 1) For question 5, you may have more than one option Please make sure that you have at least one option for each question, and you can give more ideas or details in the part of more ideas (specify) How long have you been teaching English? Have you ever taught students with low English proficiency? _Yes As for you, students with low English proficiency are … _those whose aptitude for language learning is minimal, and they can‘t improve in language learning _those whose aptitude for language learning is minimal, but they can improve with suitable language classes More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… How you teach English speaking skill? _‗Most of the time, I have to ignore individual differences of the learners to manage the whole class, focus on the activities to help the majority of students But I try to help students with low English proficiency as much as possible‘ _‗I just teach, and not care anything else‘ More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… What have you done to help students with low English proficiency? (Note: You may have more than one option.) 57 _Train them to use more language learning strategies _ Devote less time and effort to polishing grammar and detailed reading _Use lots of praise and reinforcement _ Make repetition _ Limit the working time and have several short work periods rather than long one _ Add variety to the academic routine _ Do active things and use educational games, puzzles, and other techniques as much as possible _ Work on material that is somewhat challenging but allows success Work that is too hard or too easy is a turn-off _ Make learning fun and comfortable _ Provide meaningful, concrete activities rather than abstract ones More ideas (specify)…………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ... namely, ? ?Teaching speaking skill to students with low English proficiency: Difficulties and Suggested Solutions? ?? for the purpose of identifying the difficulties in teaching speaking skill to students. .. motivation to English speaking skill and English speaking skill learning Table 3: Students? ?? strategies in English speaking skill learning Table 4: Students? ?? desires in English speaking skill learning... the difficulties and some effective solutions in teaching speaking skill to students with low English proficiency (SLEP) Two questionnaires were designed to investigate the learning and the teaching