Improving 11th grade students’ motivation in english speaking lessons at vietnam – poland high school by using communicative activities

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ĐINH THÙY LINH IMPROVING 11TH GRADE STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN ENGLISH SPEAKING LESSONS AT VIETNAM – POLAND HIGH SCHOOL BY USING COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES (Cải thiện động học nói Tiếng Anh học sinh lớp 11 Trường THPT Việt Nam – Ba Lan thông qua việc sử dụng hoạt động giao tiếp) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 HANOI - 2011 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS PART I: INTRODUCTION Statement of the problem and rationale of the study Aims and objectives of the study Significance of the study Scope of the study Method of the study Design of the study PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW Theoretical background of motivation 1.1 What is meant by motivation? 1.2 Types of motivation in foreign language learn 1.3 The importance of motivation in foreign lang 1.4 Factors affecting motivation in foreign langu 1.5 Techniques for improving students’ motivatio Overview of speaking 2.1 Conceptions of speaking 2.2 Characteristics of a successful speaking acti 2.3 Stages in a speaking lesson Motivation and English speaking learning Communicative activities Previous studies in motivation in foreign language learning and speaking skill CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY Research methodology 1.1 Action Research 1.2 Key elements of an action research iii Subjects of the study Data collection instruments Data collection procedures Brief description of the three lessons CHAPTER III: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Level of students’ motivation Causes of students’ lack of motivation in English speaking lessons Action Research procedure 3.1.Action Plan 3.2.Implementation 3.3 Discussion of the lessons’ effectiveness 3.4.Reporting results PART III: CONCLUSION Major findings Implications Limitations of the study Suggestions for further researches Recommendations and suggestions REFERENCES APPENDICES Appendix 1: Questionnaires Appendix 2: Class observations Appendix 3: Lesson plans v LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS Table Table 1: Students’ time of speaking Table 2: Students’ comment on teachers’ communicative activities Chart Chart 1: Students’ appreciation of English speaking skill Chart 2: Factors de–motivating students’ motivation Chart 3: Affecting factors of students’ interest in speaking class Chart 4: Students’ level of motivation Chart 5: Students’ feeling when participating speaking activities Chart 6: Students’ evaluation of the effectiveness of communicative activities Chart 7: Class observation results before and after intervention PART I: INTRODUCTION This initial part states the problem and the rationale of the study, together with the aims, objectives, the scope of the study, and the design of the rest of the paper Above all, it is in this part that the research questions are identified to work as clear guidelines for the whole research Statement of the problem and rationale of the study In the era of global integration, when the ability to use English as means of communication has become so important, a really big concern of scholars, researchers, educators and learners all over the world is how to improve the quality of English teaching and learning In this context, Vietnam – Poland high school (Viet Ba high school) is putting the focus on enhancing the effectiveness of speaking lessons The reason is many students have voiced their worries about the slow improvements in their speaking ability Although they really like English, speaking skill is one of their most difficult ones to learn They face with so many obstacles (lack of motivation, vocabulary, activeness, enjoyment, etc.,) when making presentation or expressing their ideas Therefore, “What should they to speak English accurately and fluently?” is the question that all students would like to answer Besides, most of teachers have been frustrated at their failure in helping the students communicate better in English As a teacher of Vietnam – Poland high school, from my observation and my own teaching experience, the researcher realizes that during speaking lesson classroom interaction is restricted Only some students get involve in the activities conducted by the teacher while others keep silence or other things Thus, one of the challenges to the teacher is to find out the answer to the question “Why don’t many students of English get involved actively in speaking lesson?” There is a saying: “You can bring a horse to water, but you can not make him drink” refers to the reality that the effectiveness of a lesson depends at least as much as on the learners as on the teachers This is confirmed by the statement: “In language teaching, teachers can provide all the necessary circumstances and input, but learning can only happens if learners are willing to contribute” (Scharle, A and Szabo, A, 2000: 7) Hence, motivation is considered to be one of the key factors to success on the way of mastering the foreign language Without sufficient motivation, even individuals with the most remarkable abilities cannot accomplish long – term goals, and there are no appropriate curriculum and good teaching to ensure student achievements All these conditions, henceforth, offered the researcher a chance to conduct a study th on “Improving 11 grade students’ motivation in English speaking lessons at Vietnam – Poland high school by using communicative activities” th This study was an attempt to investigate the 11 grade students’ motivation levels in speaking lesson at Vietnam- Poland high school to find out the causes of students’ low motivation and passiveness when speaking English In addition, through discovering the reasons why existing students’ laziness in speaking period, this paper also aimed at seeking better orientation for students at Vietnam- Poland high school to learn speaking skill more effectively We hope that this study will help the teachers of speaking in some ways to find appropriate methods to motivate students more and more in oral periods Aims and objectives of the study This research was aimed to increase 11 th grade students’ motivation in English speaking lessons at Vietnam – Poland high school by using communicative activities To be more specific, the research was carried out to find out 11 th grade students’ level of motivation at Vietnam – Poland high school in the English speaking lessons The factors de-motivating 11 th grade students in English speaking activities were also taken into investigation Then the study was expected to work out motivational techniques to increase students’ motivation level and test the effectiveness of the communicative activities in the form of an action research In brief, these objectives could be summarized into three research questions as follow: th How motivated are the 11 grade students in speaking lessons at Vietnam – Poland high school? What are major causes leading to these students’ lack of motivation in learning speaking? How effective are communicative activities in motivating students to learn the speaking skill? 3 Significance of the study Once having been completed, the research would serve as one of the initial studies on students’ motivation at Viet – Ba high school in speaking skill It is expected to have several contributions to not only research but also teaching and learning in speaking English as a foreign language Firstly, the research gives 11 th grade students’ level of motivation in English speaking lesson at Vietnam – Poland high school As a result, the study enables students to raise students’ awareness in improving their speaking skill Secondly, it also proves the students’ difficulties and teachers’ drawbacks in teaching spoken periods In other words, the research pointed out students’ de - motivating factors in speaking class Then the research provides teachers with some techniques for raising the students’ motivation level in speaking lesson Scope of the study First, as could be seen from the title of the study, this paper placed strong emphasis th on the 11 grade students’ motivation at Vietnam – Poland high school and the techniques to improve students’ motivation in speaking class In addition, it is noteworthy that students’ motivation is easily affected by the content of lesson, textbooks, materials, teachers and teaching method In this study, the researcher focused on teaching method influence on motivation Finally, speaking skill is another matter of the researcher’s concern but not reading, writing and listening Method of the study As mentioned above, this research adopts an action research in an attempt to improve the current situation of teaching speaking in the teacher – researcher’s own class In so doing, the method including questionnaires and class observation sheets were employed during the process of data collection Design of the study Part I: Introduction provides a general introduction, introducing the background for the research topic and its aims, significance, research questions and the design of the thesis Part II: Development is the main part of the thesis It consists of three chapters namely Literature Review, Methodology and Results and discussion Chapter 1: Literature Review mentions to critically examine the theoretical background for the thesis with the focus on the main points: different psychological views on motivation in language learning; Types of motivation in foreign language learning; The importance of motivation in foreign language learning; Factors affecting motivation in foreign language learning; Techniques for improving students’ motivation in speaking lessons; Motivation and English speaking learning; Previous studies of motivation in foreign language learning and speaking skill and communicative activities Chapter 2: Methodology presents the methodology performed in the study, including the background information of the subjects of the study; the instruments used to collect data, and the procedures of data collection Along with this, the teaching and learning English at Vietnam – Poland high school is described Also, the study – its setting and methodology are displayed in this chapter Chapter 3: Results and discussion presents analyses and discusses the findings that the researcher found out from the data collected according to the three research questions The chapter also reflects a detailed description of data analysis which is shown based on the survey questionaires and class observation Some explanations, interpretations and discussion of the findings of the study are explored in this In addition, action research procedure was presented in the chapter Part III: Conclusion is the conclusion of the study, summarizing the findings; providing some implications, the limitation of the research, recommendations how to motivate students in English speaking lessons Some suggestions for further research are also discussed in this chapter PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter reviews the theories related to motivation in speaking lessons It also reviews current researches on motivations in foreign language in general and in speaking skill in particular that have been conducted so far All of these serve as a basis for an investigation into students’ motivation in English speaking lessons and solutions for their troubles Theoretical background of motivation 1.1 What is meant by motivation? Motivation in Gardner’s point of view (1985) is a key factor in determining the preparation of learners to communicate Motivation refers to the combination of effort and desire to achieve the goal, the connection of learning the language and favorable attitudes toward learning foreign language That is, motivation to learn a foreign language is considered in the extent to which the individual works or strives to learn the language because of a desire to so and the satisfaction experienced in this activity Rod Ellis defines motivation as referring to "the efforts which learners put into learning an L2 as a result of their need or desire to learn" (1994:715) He proved that learners’ performance resulted from their own need or desire when studying the language The challenge of the activities or tasks conducted by the teachers is emphasized in Malone’s (1981) definition of motivation He viewed that challenge depends on activities must be suitable for students’ levels The tasks or activities which are too easy or too difficult will decrease students’ motivation In contrast, if students are provided with the activities challenging enough, they will be interested more, which leads to effective learning Crookes and Schmidt (1991) based on learners' interest in and enjoyment with the materials and activities used in class, their active participation or constancy with the learning task as indicated by levels of concentration and interest Learning process can only makes sense if students enjoy activities and work hard While the term motivation is often assumed to be a rather abstract concept, it could be basically defined as “the extent to which you make choices about goals to pursue and the effort you will devote to that pursuit” (Brown, 2001:72) It could be inferred from the definitions above that motivation is the effort, enjoyment, enthusiasm and constancy that learners devote to the learning tasks as well as the challenging activities conducted by the teachers to reach the setting – goals in foreign language learning Thus, when attempting to enhance learners’ motivation in learning a foreign language, different aspects or stages of motivation and factors affecting it should be concerned 1.2 Types of motivation in foreign language learning There are so many kinds of motivation in foreign language learning studied by the researchers but this research only mention to the main ones In the literature on motivation, the concept has been classified in different ways The most well-known classification of motivation has been made in cognitive terms as whether it is internal or external to the learner In this respect, intrinsic motivation is to with “behaviour performed for its own sake in order to experience pleasure and satisfaction” (Dörnyei, 2001, p.27) while extrinsic motivation is about “performing a behaviour as a means to an end, that is, to receive some extrinsic reward or to avoid punishment” (Dörnyei, 2001, p.27) A learner can be seen as intrinsically motivated when he or she is boosted from within: Intrinsically motivated learner dynamically engage themselves in learning out of curiosity, interest or enjoyment or so as to reach their own intellectual and personal goals To the learner who can be regarded as extrinsically motivated when he or she keens on learning “purely for the sake of attaining a reward or for avoiding some punishment” (Dev, 1997) In other words, intrinsically motivated people accomplish a task for an internal interest whereas extrinsically motivated people perform an activity because of an interest external to the activity 1.3 The importance of motivation in foreign language learning Success or failure in language learning largely depends on the learners’ motivation to learn the target language Up to now, many researchers have studied the role of motivation in the learning process and most of the findings share the view that positive attitude has close relationship with motivation in mastering foreign language Gardner (1985) emphasized that on motivation constructed the primary factor to influence students on English learning He believed that motivation for language learning cannot only include XIX Wind power Geo energy Nuclear power 15’ While – speaking Task 2: Make dialogue - T gets some pairs of Ss to read out t correct them if necessary; - T explains new words if necessar structure to ask for and give opinion some one; - T gets Ss to discuss the good points different kinds of energy, using the XX the ideas gathered in Task 1; - T goes round to check and help; - T calls on some pairs to perform in front of the class and elicits feedback from the class T givescorrective feedback afterwards  Asking for and giving opinions What you think about……? What’s your opinion about……? What’s your eeling about……? What’s your point of view about……? How you feel about……? Do you have any opinions about……? Expressing opinions I think…… Personally, I believe… I feel…… In my opinion… From my point of view… 13’ Post - speaking Task 3: Role - play You and your partner (one of you is a m Energy) make an interview about the inc sources in the future - T lets Ss freely make interview; XXI - T lets Ss move around the classroom to choose their parner; - T deliver handout to help Ss express their ideas in the right way but not out of the topic  Handout Energy - T goes round - After – m give mark 2’ Homework - T summarises - For homewor kind source o class XXII LESSON PLAN Unit 12: The Asian Games Speaking I OBJECTIVES By the end of the lesson students will be able to - use the required language to ask and answer about the Asian Games and sports; - ask for and give information about Asian Games; - talk about sports results II LANGUAGE FOCUS - Passive voice BI MATERIALS - Textbook, handouts, Overhead projector (OHP) IV ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS - Students may not have enough vocabulary to talk about the topic, so teacher should be ready to help them; - Students may lack knowledge of the Asian Games, sports; - Students may be passive learners V PROCEDURE Time 4’ Steps Warm – up - T shows the vi Games - T asks Ss about the video clip “ What to lead to the n XXIII 15’ Pre - speakin Task 1: Ask and answer about Asian ( Information Gap) - T prepares tw copies for her - Teacher deliv - T gets Ss to pronunciation structures; - T puts Ss pair Card B; - In pairs, Ss w Games Ss mi or use their ow - T goes around - T calls on som provides corre 15’ While – spea Task 2: Talk about the sport resu th athletes at 14 Asian Games - T puts Ss in g a group of TV performance - T emphasises information a event held, et countries part report should XXIV medals it obta - T goes around - After 10 minu come to the fr and give feed 10’ Post - speaki Task 3: (Role - play) Make two intervi athletes - Teacher show Mach’s perfo - Let Ss guess w - Teacher asks Pham Van Ma have an interv - Teacher has s make intervie feelings, opin - Teachers appo Mach 1’ Homework - T summarises - For homewo summarise th lesson XXV Card A Student A: Ask student B about the missing information Games No 10 11 12 13 14 15 XXVI Card B Student B: Ask student A about the missing information Games No 10 11 12 13 14 15 XXVII Homework: Read and summarise the artile th 14 Asian Games Busan 2002 – Duria, seagull The 14th Asian Games were held in Busan, South Korea from September 29 to October 14, 2002 A total number of 7,556 athletes competed, coming from 44 countries There were 38 sporting events and 18,000 journalists, officials and athletes It was the first time in the history of the Asian Games that all 44 member nations of the Olympic Council of Asia participated That included North Korea, which sent an unprecedented delegation to South Korea, and Afghanistan, which returned to the Asian Games for the first time since the Taliban had come to power Body building made its debut as an event The image shows a sculpture of the mascot of the 14th Asian Games which is called "Duria" standing in the street in Busan Monday, September 23, 2002 Busan, the third largest container port city in the world as well as the marine capital of the Republic of Korea, has made preparation for the 14 Asian Games which will be held in the city from September 29 to October 14 XXVIII LESSON PLAN Unit 13: Hobbies Speaking I OBJECTIVES By the end of the lesson students will be able to - ask and answer about a hobby; - talk about a hobby and collections II LANGUAGE FOCUS - Wh-questions BI MATERIALS - Textbook, handouts, Overhead projector (OHP) IV ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS - Ss may not have enough vocabulary to talk about the topic, so T should be ready to provide help V PROCEDURE Time 8’ • Vocabulary re vocabulary rela - T divides Ss into groups: A and B; - T tells the rule of the game: One me go and stand in board; - T will write a w XXIX was learnt from the previous lesson on the board Other Ss from each group have to explain the word by using their actions, face expressions, and sounds so that their representative can guess the word The student with the quickest and correct answer will get point for their group Ss take turn to be the representative After some turns, the group with more points will be the winner 12’ Pre - spe Task 1: Likes or dislikes - T adapts task 1, using the activity “ Fi - T gets Ss to work in pairs Which pair the winner; - T designs t pair one the “Likes” class; - T asks the calls on som - T gives fee • Handout A someone w L Swimming Fishing Stamp – collecting Mountain – climbing Playing computer games XXX Reading books Watching TV Chatting with a friend on the phone • Handout B: Go around interviewing someone who…… Doesn’t like Swimming Fishing Stamp – collecting Mountain – climbing Playing computer games Reading books Watching TV Chatting with a friend on the phone 10’ While – speaking Task 2: Talk about your hobby (Pictu Group work: Each student is given s The students take it in turns to put dow already on the table If the Ss can conti the new picture then it can be left there then the picture must be taken back aga - Students talk about their own hobbie 13’ Post – speaking Task 3: (Role – play) Make dialogue XXXI - T adapts this task to make it more communicative - T gets Ss to work in pairs to the role – play - T uses the suggestions given in the book to include in her handouts - T calls pairs of students to practise the sample dialogue - T encourages Ss to immitate the sample coversation in the textbook Student A Your friend is an avid stamp collector You want to take up collecting stamps as your hobby Now ask for his/her experience, using the suggestions below: - How to collect stamps - How to organise stamps - Where to keep stamps - Why to collect stamps - Plan for the future - Keep stamps in album - Broaden your knowledge: know more about landscape, people, animals, plants and trees - Collect more stamps - T goes around checking and offering help; XXXII 2’ - T calls on som - T elicits feed Homework - T summarises - For homewor learnt and ... on ? ?Improving 11 grade students’ motivation in English speaking lessons at Vietnam – Poland high school by using communicative activities? ?? th This study was an attempt to investigate the 11 grade. .. increase 11 th grade students’ motivation in English speaking lessons at Vietnam – Poland high school by using communicative activities To be more specific, the research was carried out to find... find out 11 th grade students’ level of motivation at Vietnam – Poland high school in the English speaking lessons The factors de-motivating 11 th grade students in English speaking activities were