An investigation into students’ willingness to communicate english in speaking lessons of first year students at an institute of education management in vietnam

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ HOAN AN INVESTIGATION INTO STUDENTS’ WILLINGNESS TO SPEAK ENGLISH IN SPEAKING LESSONS OF FIRST YEAR STUDENTS AT AN INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION MANAGEMENT IN VIETNAM (Nghiên cứu sẵn sàng học nói tiếng Anh sinh viên năm thứ Học viện Quản lí Giáo dục – Việt Nam) M.A MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 814023101 HA NOI – 2019 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ HOAN AN INVESTIGATION INTO STUDENTS’ WILLINGNESS TO SPEAK ENGLISH IN SPEAKING LESSONS OF FIRST YEAR STUDENTS AT AN INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION MANAGEMENT IN VIETNAM (Nghiên cứu sẵn sàng học nói tiếng Anh sinh viên năm thứ Học viện Quản lí Giáo dục – Việt Nam) M.A MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 814023101 Supervisor: Dr Dương Thu Mai HA NOI – 2019 DECLARATION I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “An investigation into students‟ willingness to speak English in speaking lessons of first-year students at an Institute of Education Management in Vietnam” is my own research for the Minor Degree of Master of Arts at University of Languages and International Studies, VNU – Hanoi The thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other universities or institutions I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library can be accessible for the purposes of study Hanoi, 2019 Nguyen Thi Hoan i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisor, Dr Duong Thu Mai for the invaluable support, guidance, and timely encouragement she gave me while I was doing this research I am truly grateful to her for her advice and suggestions right from the beginning when this study was only in its formative stage My special thanks also go to teachers of English and students of National Institute of Education Management for their participation to the study as the subjects of the study Without them, this project could not have been so successful I am particularly grateful to my close friends for their helping me with valuable reference documents and data for my research Last but not least, I owe a great debt of gratitude to my family who have constantly inspired and encouraged me to complete this research ii ABSTRACT This study is an attempt to investigate to the current willingness to communicate (WTC) in English of freshmen at a university in Vietnam This cross-sectional survey research primarily focuses on students‟ level of WTC and factors affecting WTC in the classroom by means of a questionnaire survey and a semi-structured interview In order to accomplish this thesis, a mixed method design was employed in order to explore the construct of WTC The results revealed that students‟ willingness to communicate was nearly “sometimes willing to communicate”, mean is 1.9 in the four-value scale The factors to encourage and discourage their willingness to communicate range from social setting, self-perceived communicative competence, motivation, personality, teacher‟s role to language anxiety The results of the study contribute to an understanding of WTC in the higher education context in Vietnam Keywords: Willingness to communicate, social setting, communicative competence, motivation, communicative competence iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS L2 Second Language WTC Willingness to Communicate NIEM National Institute of Education Management ELT English Language Teaching EFL English as Foreign Language CC Communicative Competence CA Communication Apprehension iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Statements of the problem and the rationale of the study 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Objectives of the study 1.4 Significance of the study 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Methods of the study 1.7 Design of the thesis CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Willingness to communicate 2.2 Factors Influencing WTC 2.3 Previous Studies into Willingness to Communicate 12 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 18 3.1 The Context 18 3.2 Research Design 19 3.3 Participants 20 3.4 Instrumentations 20 3.4.1 Questionnaires 20 3.4.2 Interviews 21 3.5 Data collection procedures 23 v 3.6 Data analysis procedures 23 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 25 4.1 Results of the research question 25 4.2 Results of the research question 29 4.2.1 Social settings 29 4.2.2 Self-perceived communicative competence 30 4.2.3 Motivation 31 4.2.4 Personality 32 4.2.5 Teacher‟s role 33 4.2.6 Language anxiety 33 4.2.7 Speaking activities 34 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 36 5.1 Summary of the study 36 5.2 Limitations of the study 37 5.3 Contribution of the research and pedagogical implications 37 5.4 Recommendations for further study 38 REFERENCES 40 APPENDIXES I Appendix 1: I Appendix 2: III Appendix 3: V Appendix 4: VI Appendix 5: VII vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Descriptive statistics of each degree of willingness (N=115) 26 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: The hypothesized mode (Joe et al., 2017, p 136) 13 Figure 2: Cyclical thematic content analysis 24 vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Statements of the problem and the rationale of the study English used to be studied merely for passing paper exams, which leads to students‟ major focus on grammar However, the demand of studying English as an international means of communication has been escalating during the last few decades in Vietnam The awareness that studying a foreign language as a means of communication has been raised for the public via many policies of the Ministry of Education and Training As a result, more students have special interest in learning English, particularly speaking skills, when they enter university In fact, college students in Vietnam, especially freshmen, have some problems in English speaking performance They want to practice speaking but they still encounter big obstacles to raise their voice They maintain some studying habits of focusing on grammar and vocabulary rather than on speaking skills This is why they often find it hard to present their ideas or they feel too shy to speak in front of others In the field of second or foreign language acquisition, that students feel shy in speaking can be defined as “willingness to speak” Willingness to communicate has been seen as a crucial factor to boost the communicative competence and communication apprehension (MacIntyre, 2007) There have been studies on this theme, however, there are various variables affecting a successful model of willingness to communicate Students‟ level of willingness to communicate may vary and be conditioned by communication variables (Galajda, 2017) Despite some research into this issue of students‟ willingness to communicate, most of the studies have been conducted in different contexts 92 Zhang, J., Beckmann, N., & Beckmann, J F (2018) To talk or not to talk: A review of situational antecedents of willingness to communicate in the second language classroom System, 72, 226-239 51 APPENDIXES Appendix 1: Survey Questionnaires about students’ willingness to communicate English in speaking lessons in English classroom Below are 25 situations in which a person might choose to speak or not to speak in class Presume that you have completely free choice Please to what extent you agree with each of the following statements For each item, circle the number corresponding to your response Please indicate your answer using the following – point scale (lowest to highest) where: 1= Never willing; = Sometimes willing; = Usually willing; = Always willing No 10 11 Items Talk with an acquaintance in an elevator Talk with a stranger on the bus Speak in public to a group (about 30 people) of strangers Talk with an acquaintance while standing in line Talk with a salesperson in a store Talk in a large meeting (about 10 people) of friends Volunteer an answer when the teacher asks a question in class Talk in a small group (about five people) of strangers Talk with a friend while standing in line Talk with a waiter/waitress in a restaurant Talk in a large meeting (about 10 people) of acquaintances I Extent of willingness – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Talk with a stranger while standing in line Talk with a shop clerk Speak in public to a group (about 30 people) of friends Talk in a small group (about five people) of acquaintances Talk with a garbage collector Talk in a large meeting (about 10 people) of strangers Ask a question in class Talk in a small group (about five people) of friends Speak in public to a group (about 30 people) of acquaintances Talk to your teacher after class Talk with a librarian Help others answer a question in class Participate in group discussion in class Present your own opinions in class – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 1 1 – – – – – 2 2 – – – – – 3 3 – – – – – 4 4 Scoring: To compute the subscores add the percentages for the items indicated and divide the total by the number indicated below: Filter questions 13, 16 Public: + 10 + 14 + 20; divided by Meeting: + +7 + 11 + 17; divided by Group: + 15 + 19 + 20; divided by Dyad: +5 + + 12; divided by Classroom: 21 + 22 + 24 + 25; divided by Stranger: + + + 12 + 17; divided by Acquaintance: + + 11 + 15 + 20; divided by Friend: + + 14 + 19 + 23; divided by II Appendix 2: Survey Questionnaires about students’ willingness to communicate English in speaking lesson in English classroom (Vietnamese version) Dưới 25 tình mà bạn lựa chọn để giao tiếp không giao tiếp tiếng Anh lớp Bạn đồng ý với ý kiến Với tình huống, khoanh trịn vào số ứng với câu trả lời mà bạn lựa chọn theo thang điểm (từ thấp đến cao nhất) đây, tương ứng: = Không sẵn sàng; 2= Thỉnh thoảng sẵn sàng; = Thường xuyên sẵn sàng; = Ln ln sẵn sàng STT Tình Nói chuyện tiếng anh với người quen thang máy Nói chuyện tiếng anh với người lạ xe buýt Nói chuyện tiếng anh với nhóm người lạ nơi cơng cộng (khoảng 30 người) Nói chuyện tiếng anh với người quen đứng xếp hàng Nói chuyện tiếng anh với nhân viên bán hàng cửa hàng Nói chuyện tiếng anh với bạn bè họp lớn (khoảng 10 người) Xung phong trả lời câu hỏi tiếng anh giáo viên đặt câu hỏi lớp Nói chuyện tiếng anh với người lạ nhóm nhỏ (khoảng năm người) Nói chuyện tiếng anh với bạn đứng xếp hàng 10 Nói chuyện tiếng anh với người phục vụ bàn nam/nữ nhà hàng 11 Nói chuyện tiếng anh với III Mức độ sẵn sàng – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 người quen họp lớn (khoảng 10 người) Nói chuyện tiếng anh với người lạ đứng xếp hàng Nói chuyện tiếng anh với nhân viên cửa hàng Nói chuyện tiếng anh với nhóm bạn nơi cơng cộng (khoảng 30 người) Nói chuyện tiếng anh với nhóm nhỏ người quen (khoảng người) Nói chuyện với người thu gom rác Nói chuyện tiếng anh với người lạ họp (khoảng 10 người) Trả lời câu hỏi tiếng anh trước lớp Nói chuyện tiếng anh với nhóm bạn bè (khoảng người) Nói chuyện tiếng anh với nhóm người quen nơi cơng cộng (khoảng 30 người) Nói chuyện tiếng anh với giáo viên sau học Nói chuyện tiếng anh với người quản lý thư viện Giúp bạn khác trả lời câu hỏi tiếng Anh Tham gia thảo luận học tiếng anh Đưa quan điểm riêng bạn tiếng anh lớp Cảm ơn hợp tác bạn IV – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Appendix 3: Interview questions for students *How important is it for you to learn English? How good are you at learning English? What you think your English level is like? What about your speaking skill in particular? How motivated were you during learning English? How much did you like learning English together with your classmate? How would you describe your personality (quiet or talkative, relaxed or tense)? How competent you think you were to communicate in English? Did you feel very sure and relaxed when speaking English? Did you feel confident when you were speaking English in class? 10 Did it embarrass you to volunteer answers in class? 11 Did you feel that the other students spoke English better than you did? 12 How did you feel when you needed to use English to communicate? Did you usually feel nervous or at ease? Did you enjoy using English? 13 Were you afraid that other students would laugh at you when you were speaking English? 14 Did you get nervous when your someone asked you a question in English? 15 In what situation did you feel most comfortable to communicate: in pair, in small groups, with the stranger/acquaintance/friend? Why? 16 *Do you like reading or watching news in English? 17 Do you often share or talk about information that you know with your friends or classmates? 18 How you like if your teacher lectures in English? 19 Do you hope that your English teacher speaks more English in class? 20 Would you like to have more opportunities to speak English in class? V Appendix 4: Interview questions for students (Vietnamese version) Học tiếng anh quan trọng với bạn? Bạn tự đánh giá khả tiếng anh nào? Bạn nghĩ trình độ tiếng anh bạn mức nào? Bạn nghĩ kĩ nói mình? Động lực thúc đẩy bạn q trình học tiếng Anh? Bạn thích học tiếng anh với bạn lớp nào? Bạn miêu tả tính cách (trầm lặng hay nói nhiều, thoải mái hay căng thẳng)? Bạn nghĩ trình độ thành thạo để giao tiếp tiếng Anh? Bạn có thấy thoải mái chắn học tiếng Anh khơng? Bạn có cảm thấy tự tin nói chuyện tiếng Anh lớp? 10 Bạn có cảm thấy ngại xung phong trả lời học tiếng Anh? 11 Bạn có cảm thấy bạn lớp nói tiếng Anh tốt bạn? 12 Bạn cảm thấy cần sử dụng tiếng anh để giao tiếp? Bạn cảm thấy căng thẳng hay thoải mái? Bạn có thích sử dụng tiếng Anh? 13 Bạn có sợ bạn lớp cười bạn nói tiếng Anh lớp? 14 Bạn có cảm thấy lo lắng giáo viên hỏi bạn học tiếng Anh? 15 Bạn cảm thấy thoải mái giao tiếp tình đây: theo cặp, theo nhóm nhỏ, với người lạ/người quen hay với bạn bè? Tại sao? 16 Bạn thích đọc xem tin tức tiếng Anh khơng? 17 Bạn có thường xun chia sẻ hay nói chuyện với bạn bạn lớp thông tin bạn biết khơng? 18 Bạn có thích giáo viên giảng tiếng Anh khơng? 19 Bạn có mong muốn giáo viên nói tiếng Anh nhiều học? 20 Bạn có mong muốn có nhiều hội nói tiếng Anh lớp không? VI Appendix 5: Link between Research Questions, Data Sources and Data Collection Methods What is the level of willingness to communicate in English of NIEM Students? RQ Research Questions Research objectives Public Survey - - - Meeting - - - - Group - Interview Speak in public to a group (about 30 people) of strangers Talk with a waiter/waitress in a restaurant Speak in public to a group (about 30 people) of friends Speak in public to a group (about 30 people) of acquaintances Talk in a large meeting (about 10 people) of friends Volunteer an answer when the teacher asks a question in class Talk in a large meeting (about 10 people) of acquaintances Talk in a large meeting (about 10 people) of strangers Talk in a small group (about five people) of strangers Methods Data sources Literature Review Tools Questionnaire - Students - Survey Zeng (2010) MacIntyre et al (1998) Questionnaire - Students - MacIntyre (2005) Covin, Donovan, MacIntyre (2009) - Questionnaire - Students VII - Survey and MacIntyre et al Survey (1998) Results (Themes) - - - Dyad - Classroom - Stranger - Talk in a small group (about five people) of acquaintances Talk in a small group (about five people) of friends Speak in public to a group (about 30 people) of acquaintances Talk with an acquaintance Questionnaire - Students while standing in line Talk with a salesperson in a store Talk with a friend while standing in line Talk with a stranger while standing in line Talk to your teacher after class Talk with a librarian Participate in group discussion in class Present your own opinions in class Talk with a stranger on the bus Speak in public to a group (about 30 people) of strangers VIII - Liu and (2012) - Liu and Park Survey (2012) Reid and Trofimovich (2018) - - - Park - - Acquaintance - - - Friend - - Talk in a small group (about five people) of strangers Talk with a stranger while standing in line Talk in a large meeting (about 10 people) of strangers Talk with an acquaintance in an elevator Talk with an acquaintance while standing in line Talk in a large meeting (about 10 people) of acquaintances Talk in a small group (about five people) of acquaintances Speak in public to a group (about 30 people) of acquaintances Talk in a large meeting (about 10 people) of friends Talk with a friend while standing in line Speak in public to a group (about 30 people) of friends IX - - - - - - What factors influencing the WTC of NIEM students? (1) Teachers as Interlocutors   (2) Self-perceived communicative competence   Talk in a small group (about five people) of friends Help others answer a question in class How did you like your teacher lecture in English? Did you hope that your English teacher speaks more English in class? What you think your level of English is like? What about your speaking skill in particular? How competent you think you were to communicate in English? Interview - Interview - Students - - X Interview Peng (2014) Sari (2016) Joe et al., (2017) Frymier (2009) Interview MacIntyre (2005) Dilbeck, McCroskey, Richmond and McCroskey (2009) Covin, Donovan, MacIntyre (2003) (3) Language anxiety (4) Classroom social setting  Did you feel very sure and relaxed?  Did you feel that the other students spoke English better than you did?  How you feel when you needed to use English to communicate? Did you usually feel nervous or at ease? Did you enjoy using English?  Were you afraid that other students would laugh at you when you were speaking English?  Did you get nervous when your English teacher asked you a question?  In what situation did you feel most comfortable to communicate: in pairs; in groups, with the teacher in; with the whole class? Why? Interview - - Interview - - XI Gregersen et al Interview (2014) Jackson (2012) Liu and Jackson (2008) MacIntyre and Gardner (1989) Burgoon, 1976) Levine & McCroskey (1990) Peng (2014) Clement et al Interview (2003) Cao & Phillip (2006) Nornyei & Kormos (2000) Khodarahmia & Nia, 2014) Peng (2014) (5) Personality  How important is it for you to learn English?  How would you describe your personality (quiet, talkative, relaxed, tense)? Interview - Students - (6) Motivation  How good are you at learning English?  How motivation are you during learning English?  How much did you like learning English together with your classmate?  Did you feel confident when you were speaking English in class? Interview - Students - XII MacIntyre et al Interview (1998) Zeng (2010) Reid and Trofimovich (2018) Wen & Clement (2003) (face concerns) Liu and Park Interview (2012) MacIntyre et al (1998) Matsuoka (2005) Hashimoto (2002) Matsubara (2005) Yashima (2002) Speaking activities Interview  Did you like reading or watching news in English?  Do you often share or talk about information that you know with your friends or classmates?  Would you like to have more opportunities to speak English in class? XIII - - Interview Zeng (2010) Vongsila & Reinders (2016) ... What is the level of willingness to communicate in English of NIEM first- year students? What factors affect their willingness to communicate in English in speaking lessons? 1.4 Significance of. .. into students? ?? willingness to speak English in speaking lessons of first- year students at an Institute of Education Management in Vietnam? ?? is my own research for the Minor Degree of Master of Arts... limitations in research design and data All these conditions have motivated the researcher to conduct ? ?An investigation into students? ?? willingness to speak English in speaking lessons of first year students