An investigation on the difficulties in making business english oral presentation of the first year non major english students at faculty of accounting at dai nam university and some solutions

1 Vietnam national university-Hanoi University of languages and international studies Faculty of post-graduate studies - NguyÔn ThÞ Thu Thđy An investigation on the difficulties in making business English oral presentation of the first year non – major English students at Faculty of Accounting at Dai Nam University and some solutions (Tìm hiểu trở ngại hoạt động thuyết trình tiếng Anh thương mại sinh viên tiếng Anh không chuyên thuộc khoa Kế toán năm thứ nhất, trường Đại học Đại Nam vài giải pháp) M.A Minor program thesis Field : Methodology Code : 60.14.10 Hµ néi – 2010 Vietnam national university-Hanoi University of languages and international studies Faculty of post-graduate studies - Ngun ThÞ Thu Thñy An investigation on the difficulties in making business English oral presentation of the first year non – major English students at Faculty of Accounting at Dai Nam University and some solutions (Tìm hiểu trở ngại hoạt động thuyết trình tiếng Anh thương mại sinh viên tiếng Anh khơng chun thuộc khoa Kế tốn năm thứ nhất, trường Đại học Đại Nam vài giải pháp) M.A Minor program thesis Field : Methodology Code : 60.14.10 Supervisor: Ngun Thu LƯ H»ng, M.A Hµ néi – 2010 Abbreviations BE Business English CLT Communicative Language Teaching DNU Dai Nam University ELT English Language Teaching ESP English for Specific Purposes GE General English L2 Second Language/foreign language IT Information Technology ML(E) Market Leader (Elementary) List of tables Page Table Teachers‟ difficulties when teaching business English presentation skills… 22 Table Students‟ difficulties when learning business English presentation skills… 23 Table Students‟ reasons for learning English…………………………………… .25 Table Teacher pedagogical practices in teaching oral presentation skill…………….28 Table Students‟ opinions on inappropriate teacher pedagogical practices in English oral presentation lessons…………………………………………………… …29 Table Teachers‟ English communicative competence……………………………… 31 Table of contents Acknowledgements Abstract List of Abbreviations List of Tables Page Part A: Introduction 1 The background of the study……………………………………………………… The method of the study ………………………………………………………… The aims of the study …………………………………………………………… Research questions ……………………………………………………………… Scope of the study ………………………………………………………………… The design of the study …………………………………………………………… Part B: Development Chapter I: Literature review ……………………………………………… I.1 Business English ………………………………………………………………… I.1.1 The overview of business English ………………………………………… I.1.2 The characteristics of language of business ………………………………… I.1.2.1 Sense of purpose ………………………………………………… I.1.2.2 Social aspects …………………………………………………… I.1.2.3 Clear communication …………………………………………… I.1.2.4 Business and General Courses …………………………………… I.2 Oral presentation ………………………………………………………………… I.2.1 What is oral presentation …………………………………………………… I.2.2 Procedure of oral presentation ……………………………………………… I.2.3 Advantages of oral presentation toward ESP students ……………………… I.2.4 Some problems of presentation making …………………………………… 8 I.3 Difficulties in learning business English oral presentation skills …………… 1.3.1 Difficulties about business knowledge …………………………………… I.3.2 Difficulties about language knowledge, culture and perceptions …………… I.3.3 Difficulties from teachers …………………………………………………… 11 I.3.3.1 Inappropriate teacher pedagogical practices ……………………… 11 I.3.3.1.1 The amount of teacher talk ………………………………11 I.3.3.1.2 Teacher correction ……………………………………… 11 I.3.3.1.3 Input theory ………………………………………………12 I.3.3.1.4 Teacher-learner relationship ………………………………12 I.3.3.2 Teacher deficiency in English communicative competence ……… 12 I.3.3.3 Teacher deficiency in business English and teaching skills ……… 13 I.3.4 Difficulties from external factors …………………………………………… 14 Chapter II: Methodology 15 II The research context …………………………………………………………… 15 II.1.1 Description of Dai Nam University, English course and its objectives …… 15 II.1.2 Description of the first year students of the Accounting faculty at DNU … 16 II.1.3 Description of the teachers at DNU ………………………………………….17 II.1.4 Description of Market Leader textbook and business related presentation topics II.1.4.1 The coursebook Market Leader Elementary ……………………… 17 II.1.4.2 The objectives …………………………………………………… 18 II.1.4.3 Strengths and weaknesses of the coursebook …………………… 18 II.1.4.4 The topics for the oral presentation ……………………………… 18 II.2 Methods of the study …………………………………………………………… 19 II.3 Research design ………………………………………………………………… 20 II.3.1 Sample and sampling ……………………………………………… 20 II.3.2 Research instruments ……………………………………………… 20 II.3.3 Data collection …………………………………………………… 21 II.3.4 Data analysis ……………………………………………………… 21 Chapter III: Findings and Discussion 22 III.1 Difficulties from students ………………………………………………… 22 III.1.1 Past educational experience ……………………………………… 23 III.1.2 Lack of background, business, cultural and social knowledge …… 24 III.1.3 Low motivation for learning English ……………………………… 24 III.1.4 Low level of general English proficiency ………………………… 26 III.1.5 Negative personal trait s ………………………………………… 26 III.1.6 Traditional cultural beliefs ……………………………………… 27 III.2 Difficulties from teachers ………………………………………………… 27 III 2.1 Lack of knowledge about business English and oral presentation skills 27 III.2.2 Inappropriate teacher pedagogical practices ……………………… 28 III.2.2.1 Too much teacher talking time ………………………… 29 III.2.2.2 Unsuitable mistake correction …………………………… 30 III.2.2.3 Incomprehensible teacher input ………………………… 30 III.2.2.4 Too distant teacher-learner relationship ………………… 31 III.2.3 Teachers‟ deficiency in English communicative competence …… 31 III.3 External factors …………………………………………………………… 32 III.3.1 Multilevel class …………………………………………………… 32 III.3.2 Textbooks ………………………………………………………… 33 III.4 Suggestions from teachers and students in minimizing difficulties …… 34 Part C: conclusion 36 Suggestions for minimizing the difficulties in teaching presentation skills 36 1.1 Pedagogical practices ………………………………………………… 36 1.2 Training students to become efficient learners ……………………… 37 Some suggestions for learning presentation skills ………………………… 38 2.1 Personal development and non-verbal communication ……………… 38 2.2 Choosing and Using Visual Aids …………………………………… 39 2.3 Preparing and delivering forms of spoken exercise ………………… 40 2.3.1 Seminar papers ……………………………………………… 40 2.3.1.1 Tutor-led seminar ………………………………… 40 2.3.1.2 Student-led seminar ……………………………… 41 2.3.1.3 Guest speakers …………………………………… 41 10 2.3.1.4 Tutorials ………………………………………… 42 2.4 Formal presentation ………………………………………………… 42 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………… 43 Summary of the study ………………………………………………… 43 Limitations and suggestions for further studies ……………………… 44 References Appendices Appendix 1: Questionnaire for teachers Appendix 2: Questionnaire for students Appendix 3: Interview questions for teachers Appendix 4: Interview questions for students 11 Part A: Introduction I The background of the study English is obviously very important, and it has long been considered the international language in many different fields of the modern life: science and technology, business and commerce, international relations and diplomacy and so on As a result, English is now the foreign language that are most widely used and taught in all over the world and in Vietnam, with the national policy of renovation and expansion of international relations, learning English has been a remarkably increasing need However, how to understand students‟ difficulties and how to teach the language effectively to enable students to use the language successfully in international communication are really a big question facing all teachers of English Most of the learners of English agree that the ability to express themselves freely in communication is of great importance for their future career, especially in modern societies where contacting with foreigners often occur However, there still exist many difficulties in learning and teaching English in Vietnam in general and at Dai Nam University (DNU) in particular Many Vietnamese learners can write and read English quite well but they cannot speak it correctly and fluently in real-life communication as well as in specific situations Surely, there are many reasons for this reality After teaching the non-major English at the Accounting Department for the first year students at DNU for three courses, I recognized some big obstacles that prevent English language teachers and learners from achieving their aims These obstacles are teachers‟ teaching method, heterogeneous classes, lack of background, business, cultural and social knowledge, students‟ low level of English language proficiency, students‟ low motivation and some others Unfortunately, this is not only the situation in our university but also the case for many other non-language colleges and universities in Vietnam That is the circumstance that has inspired me with a research entitled “An investigation on the difficulties in making business English oral presentation of the first year non – major English students at Faculty of Accounting at Dai Nam University and some solutions.” I conduct the research with the hope that it will contribute to the improvement of teaching and learning business English presentation skills at the Accounting department as well as at my university 12 II Method of the study The methods used in this research are mainly two survey questionnaires and interviews They aim at finding out the difficulties which the teachers and students at the Accounting Department at DNU facing in the teaching and learning of business English presentation skill All comments, remarks, recommendations and conclusion in the study are based on the data analysis III Aims of the study The study aims at: Investigating the difficulties for the first-year non-major English students at the Accounting Faculty at Dai Nam University in learning business English oral presentation skills Giving suggestions on how to improve oral presentation teaching and learning at Dai Nam University IV Research questions The above aims can be realized through the following research questions: What difficulties the learners at DNU encounter in learning business English presentation skills? What should be done to minimize the difficulties in teaching business English presentation skills to non-English major first years students of the Accounting Department at DNU? V Scope of the study To improve business English presentation skills for the first-year students of the Accounting department, many different aspects of teaching and learning must be taken into consideration However, within the scope of this study, the author would only like to take into account some difficulties of the business English oral presentation, on that basis, suggest some techniques and skills which may better business English oral presentation skills at DNU VI Design of the study The thesis consists of three main parts: The first part is Introduction, which provides a brief introduction of the reasons for choosing the topic, the method, the aims, research questions, the scope of the study, and the design of the study 13 The second part, Development, is divided into three chapters: Chapter I, Literature Review, surveys the literature on the basis concepts that underlie the whole study such as Business English, Oral presentation and difficulties from learners Chapter II, Methodology, is the presentation of the subjects and factual data collected from the questionnaires and interviews The principal purpose of this chapter is to study about the presentation in use and difficulties facing teachers and students in teaching and learning presentation skill Chapter III, Findings and Discussion, on the basis of the data collected in the previous parts, will present and discuss findings of the difficulties in teaching and learning oral presentation skills of non-major students and objective factors The third part, Conclusion, gives some suggestions for both teachers of English and students comprising some coping strategies and classroom techniques and presentation skills in decreasing those difficulties What follows is the conclusion of the study, which presents the overview of the study Besides, the limitations of the thesis are pointed out and the areas for further study are proposed 49 behalf, casual almost to the point of rudeness or impatient and sarcastic if they‟re not really feeling grateful at all We also show the using of differences of tone to reflect an emotional response beyond the straightforward meaning of our words Thirdly, we should show learners that it is much harder to control our body language This is conditioned largely by the cultural framework in which we grew up, but also by the situation in which we find ourselves at the time and the emotions we are feeling as we speak It can reveal a state of mind which we‟d prefer to keep quiet about, and in this way body language is both dangerous and important: it can give away responses we‟d rather keep hidden, and it can either reinforce or contradict the words we use Here are some ways in which we can help our learners It is hard to expect instant results, but with every achievement, we‟ll increase their chances of success next time Advise our students to:  Join in small group conversations, even if it‟s only to say a few words  Agree with another speaker out loud  Try to ask a question in a seminar group Work out in advance what they want to say  Play a very small role in a group activity  Be willing to take a tutor or lecturer into their confidence  Always praise oneself for any achievement 2.1 Choosing and Using Visual Aids Nowadays, audiences are used to seeing visual material during almost any sort of talk or presentation Listening isn‟t easy and it helps a great deal if people have something to look at In fact, audiences want visual aids and most speakers provide them If audience are helped by visual aids, so are speakers themselves Visual aids are prepared in advance, and if it‟s welldesigned and thoroughly checked, it becomes an area of the presentation that the speaker doesn‟t have to worry However, we also should remind students of some disadvantages of using visual aids to present their ideas, for example, poor quality visuals, unsuitable color combination, inappropriate message arrangements etc There are some points in most presentations at which a visual aid is appropriate  An introductory slide, showing the names, the title of the talk and the date This makes a useful introduction and gives the audience something to look at as you start 50  An outline of the talk This is likely to be a list of points, either numbered or bulleted, which the audience can note in order to have an overview of what a presenter are going to say  A general view before the presenter look at the detail  Detail which the presenter is going to discuss, and which the audience needs to see in order to be able to follow what you say  Movement which the presenter need to describe  Relationships which the presenter needs to discuss 2.3 Prepare and Deliver forms of spoken exercise According to Joan van Emden and Lucinda Becker (2004: 55), they mention three forms of spoken exercises Those are seminar papers, tutorials and seminar presentation Seminar papers fall into one of three categories: tutor-led seminar, student-led seminar and seminar with a guest speaker 2.3.1 Seminar papers 2.3.1.1 Tutor-led seminar In this kind of seminar, the teacher will act as a helpful guide for his/her students the topic will be introduced by the tutor, although students will have been given advance warning so that they can read the appropriate text or some background material before the seminar starts The tutor will speak first and then open the session to the group, so that they can comment or ask questions, and, with luck, there will be an interesting and challenging discussion This will happen only if people are well prepared If students have done the reading, the teacher should ask them to use the guidance they have been given in reading lists, thought about the subject and identified one or two questions to ask and at last they will be able to participate fully in the seminar This isn‟t always easy, though, and let student know that they may listen on one or two occasions before they actually speak Sometimes, they may feel awkward about speaking, in case what they say is „wrong‟ or sound naïve or even stupid to other students We had better advise them not to try to dwell on this too much and say that their contribution is taken seriously We also make an encouraging comment even if their suggestion isn‟t ideal Moreover, we tell them to carry out the preparation sensible, listen to what is said and make notes This is partly to help them remember and partly so that they can see what questions will be appropriate, their contribution will be welcome 51 2.3.1.2 Student-led seminar This means that students will probably be invited to introduce a topic The topic will then widen out into a discussion, with the tutor playing a discreet role as required In this case, firstly, students will have some ideas about the type of script they will use If they prepare it thoroughly, they can say more effectively That means they must gather their material and decide what they want to say Secondly, students need to look for an aspect, which is controversial or particularly interesting, and use it as the basis of what they are going to say Then students will introduce main points, asking the audience a question if it‟s appropriate They also have to be ready for questions but a tact is very important It is not just to maintain good relationships among the group, but also because students will be „audience‟ themselves at the next seminar and they certainly don‟t want any retaliation 2.3.1.3 Guest speakers Students may occasionally have the opportunity to go to a seminar taken by a visiting speaker, perhaps someone whose name is well known in students‟ field of study These occasions are not rare in colleges or universities as well as at DNU Such a speaker is likely to have up-to-date research to talk about and he or she will be especially interested in questions, as they will show what people are interested in or maybe disagree with It‟s useful for students to be part of the audience to learn about such an expert‟s ideas, and there‟s no reason why students are advised to ask a question if they want to so This isn‟t easy, as there may be a number of senior members of staff present, as well as other students, and students may understandably be afraid of say the „wrong‟ thing There are some points to be mentioned for students as follow:  Take notes as they listen and jot down any question that occurs to them  Listen carefully to make sure that it isn‟t answered within the talk and that they still think it‟s a relevant question to ask  Take a deep breath, put a hand up so that the person chairing the session notices them and then speak slowly and clearly  Be careful not to go on too long; a rambling question wastes time and can be irritating to the speaker and the audience, but as long as students word it clearly and briefly, they are likely to impress other people  Smile at the speaker when students‟ question is answered and say thank you 52 At that time, students will rightly feel pleased with themselves for having had the confidence to ask, and the guest will probably be delighted that a student has shown such interest What is more, it will be much easier for them to speak in public next time 2.3.1.4 Tutorials Tutorials also play an essential in presentation process It takes place between a tutor and a very small number of students They follow a piece of work such as an essay, giving the tutor the chance to make comments and discuss the work, and the students get the chance to ask questions, gain extra information and find out what were the good and less good features of their work There are enormous opportunities in a tutorial, as long as we make use of them, but we should tell students to prepare the agenda because of their benefit When students get their essays back from their tutors, they have to read the essays through and make notes of any thing they want to ask about We should advise them to read their tutors‟ comments carefully and highlight any thing they don‟t understand or can‟t read Then, they can think about the mark they have been given and decide why it‟s as good as or why it might have been better If they aren‟t sure, they should ask their tutor An unavoidable thing is that students will sometimes be depressed by the critical comments and overlooking the encouraging ones, so they should balance this and think about them seriously 2.4 Formal presentation We should mention our learners the important things when making presentation: audience, time, questions, visual aids, assessments and materials for marking Firstly, if students‟ audience consists of the lecturer and the fellow students, the level which they choose for their material and at which questions are likely to be asked is clearly going to be their own level, that of any student in the class However, if staff or research students are going to be invited, students may feel that they need to carry out more research and be prepared for questions that probe their understanding rather more deeply Secondly, students should be clear about the length of their talk They will need to rehearse to make sure they are within the limit, allowing a little extra time for unavoidable interruptions or delays It is difficult to get the timing right if people interrupt, so, if the structure of the presentation allows, the audience is asked for questions and comments at the end This is also 53 important because if members of their audience aren‟t sure when they are allowed to ask questions Next, visual aids are generally considered to be an essential part of a formal presentation but a very short seminar presentation might take place without visual material If the presenter has a choice, visual aids are a support for the speaker as well as the audience Students will probably know what type of equipment is available Finally, students will be assessed on the material they present, and they may also be assessed on their presentation technique and style, and their visual aids They may hand their notes as part of the assessment, in which case they probably need to be written out again more fully than when they use these notes They also need to find out exactly what is being assessed and roughly how much weigh is being given to different aspects If students know which points score marks, they are able to concentrate on key aspects in rehearsal Below is the assessment checklist given by Joan van Emden and Luucinda Becker (2004:66)  Your material, its accuracy and structure  If you are in a group, your teamwork  Your notes and how you use them  The way in which you use your voice, your non-verbal communication  The rapport you build with the audience  Your visual aids and how you use them  How well you keep to time and how you handle questions To sum up, these are some suggestions about improving BE presentation skills teaching and learning The author hopes they may solve difficulties that both teachers and students at DNU are facing They also may be regarded as a useful guideline helping the author get further in other aspects of the same field Conclusion  Summary of the study As a teacher of English, the researcher, like many other colleagues, has faced several obstacles in teaching her students‟ BE oral presentation skills, and the desire of how to improve the effectiveness of presentation activities to promote the skilsl is really the strong motivation 54 that has driven her to this study She has made great efforts to reach what she aimed her study at In Chapter One, the literature review is mentioned It presents the understanding of BE which consists of the overview of BE, the characteristics of language of business and difficulties from learners; oral skills with the advantages of oral presentation towards ESP students, problems of presentation making and procedures of oral presentation In Chapter Two, introducing the methods of study with the combination of delivering questionnaires for both teachers and students and applying interviews In Chapter Three, basing on the survey findings, the main difficulties in teaching and learning BE oral presentation skill at DNU have been identified The factors that limit the effectiveness of presentation here are classified into three major categories: subjective problems with difficulties from teachers and students, and objective problem Finally, some suggestions have been made to promote the effectiveness of presentation activities in order to improve teaching and learning presentation skills  Limitations and suggestions for further studies In this thesis, the researcher has made great effort and gained an insight into how BE oral presentation skills have been taught and learned at DNU, and recommended some tips to conduct oral activities with the hope that these ideas will be helpful for both teachers and students However, due to the time limit, lack of resources and the researcher‟s poor experience in carrying out a research, the study obviously has certain drawbacks Firstly, the number of teachers and students involved in the survey is limited, so the findings, to some extent, may not be generalized for all students at DNU Secondly, this thesis only deals with some difficulties of the BE oral presentation skills and some suggestions for them while there may exist many other problems in teaching and learning oral skills Thus, aiming at promoting learning BE presentation skills, further researches can be conducted with a wider range of population and cover larger and deeper aspects of English speaking teaching: - A study on techniques and activities for students that help them to improve their presentation skill - A study on the effectiveness of using visual aids in oral presentation activities - A study on the methods of the oral presentation skill assessment 55 References Bradwell, S “Dealing with the Comlexity in Part of the Speaking Exam at CAE Level” Developing Teachers.com 19 March 2007 Bomia, L., Beluzo, L., Demeester, D., Elander, K., Johnson, M., & Sheldon, B (1997) The Impact of Teaching Strategies on Intrinsic Motivation Champaign, IL: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No ED 481 925) Brooks S.R., Freiburger, S.M., & Grotheer, D.R (1998) Improving elementary student engagement in the learning process through integrated thematic instruction Unpublished master‟s thesis, Saint Xavier University, Chicago, IL (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No ED 421 274) Brown, G and Yule, G (1983) Teaching the Spoken Language Cambridge University Press Brown, H.D (1994) Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy London: Prentice Hall Regents Burns, A (1999) Quantitative and Qualitative Collaborative Action Research for English Language Teachers Cambridge University Press Burns, A., & Joyce, H (1997) Focus on Speaking Sydney: NCELTR Bygate, M (1987) Speaking Oxford: Oxford University Press Cook, V (2000) Second Language Learning and Language Teaching (2nd Edition) Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press 10 Dev, P.C (1997) Intrinsic Motivation and Academic Achievement: What does their relationship imply for the classroom teacher? Remedial and Special Education 18 (1), 12-19 11 Donn Byrne, (1991) Teaching Oral English – Longman Handbooks for Language Teachers Longman Publishing House 12 Ellis, R (1991) Understanding Second Language Acquisition Oxford: Oxford University Press 13 Embleton, D and S Hagen (1992) Languages for Business: a Practical Guide Sevenoaks: Hodder and Stoughton 14 Ennis, C (1994) Knowledge and beliefs underlying curricular Expertise Quest, 2, 164- 56 15 Harmer, J (2000) How to teach English Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press 16 Hutchinson, T & Water, A (1987) English for Specific Purpose A Learners centered Approach Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 17 Jeremy Comfort, Pamela Rogerson, Trish Stott & Derek Utley (1994) Speaking Effectively: Developing speaking skills for Business English Cambridge University Press 18 Joan van Emden and Lucinda Becker, (2004) Presentation Skills for Students Palgrave Macmillan 19 Krashen, S.D (1985) The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications New York: Longman Inc 20 Larsen-Freeman, D and Long (1991) Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching Oxford University Press, 21 Liu, M (2005) “Reticence in Oral Language Classroom: A case study in China” TESOL Reporter 38, 1, pp 1-16 22 Little Wood, W (1981) Communicative Language Teaching: An Introduction Cambridge University Press 23 Lumsden, L.S (1994) Student Motivation to learn (ERIC Digest No 92) Eugene, OR: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No ED 370 200) 24 Mark Ellis and Christine Johnson, (2003) Teaching Business English Oxford University Press 25 Nunan, D (1991) Language Teaching Methodology: a textbook for Teachers Cambridge University Press 26 Rasanen, A (1991) Matching individual and corporate needs Language Training 27 Skinner, E., & Belmont, M (1991) A Longitudinal Study of Motivation in School: Reciprocal Effects of Teacher Behavior and Student Engagement Unpublished manuscript, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 28 Tsui, A (1996) “Reticence and anxiety in second language learning” In Bailey, K.M Nunan, D (eds.): Voices from the Language Classroom Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 29 Ur, P (1997) A Course in Language Teaching Cambridge University Press 57 Appendix Survey questionnaire for teachers This questionnaire is conducted with a view to finding out relevant difficulties from teachers when teaching Business English presentation skill to non-English major students of Accounting faculty at Dai Nam University 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! Background information - Your gender:  Male  Female - Your age:………………………………………………………………………………… - Your name:……………………………………………………………………………… - Your years of teaching English: ………………………………………………………… - Your highest degree in English:………………………………………………………… Please put a tick (v) in the box beside the option(s) appropriate to you What teaching methods are currently applied in your teaching business English oral presentation?  CLT  Grammar-translation method  Audio-lingual method  Direct  Others What is your reaction to the students keeping making mistakes during oral presentation periods?  Keep quiet, smile and encourage students to go on their task  Keep quiet, but not smile or encourage them to go on their task  Stop them and correct their mistakes  Get annoyed when students keep making mistakes How secure or self-confident you-yourself feel about teaching oral presentation skills? Are you able to cope with different situations?  Very self-confident (be willing to communicate in all various situations)  Self-confident enough (communicate in different situations if expected)  Not very self-confident (avoid communicating in various situations as much as possible)  Not self-confident at all (feel a bit frightened if coping orally with different situations) 58 What are the difficulties that you have experienced when teaching Business English presentation skills to non-major students at DNU? You can tick more than one option)  Multi-level class  Student‟s low motivation  Lack of business English knowledge  Students‟ low level of English proficiency  Students‟ lack of background, cultural and social knowledge  Teachers‟ deficiency in English communicative competence  Unsuitable textbook  Students‟ passive way of learning  Students‟ negative personal traits (introverted, shy, unconfident, anxious…)  Others……………………………………………………………………………… Thank you very much for your co-operation! 59 Appendix Survey questionnaire for students This questionnaire is conducted with a view to finding out relevant difficulties from students of the Accounting faculty at Dai Nam University when making Business English presentation 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! Background information - Your gender:  Male  Female - Your age:………………………………………………………………………………… - Your name:……………………………………………………………………………… - Class: …………………………………………………………………………………… - How long have you been learning English:…………………………………………… Please put a tick (v) in the box beside the option(s) appropriate to you What reasons you study English? (tick more than one option)  Obligatory subject in university curriculum  Enjoy learning English  Extend future opportunities  For the purpose of entertainment  Widen your knowledge about countries  An important means of communication  Others How important is oral presentation skills for you?  Very important  Quite important  A little important  Not important at all How you evaluate the oral topics and activities in Market Leader Elementary?  interesting  boring  difficult  easy 60 Do you encounter any difficulties in the business English oral presentation periods in class?  Yes  No If Yes, what are the following difficulties that you facing with? (tick more than one option)  Lack of business knowledge  Not familiar with new teaching method  Not familiar with oral presentation skills  Lack of background, cultural and social knowledge  Low level of English proficiency (vocabulary, grammar etc.)  Negative personal traits  Traditional cultural beliefs  Motivation for learning English  Others Are teachers‟ teaching method appropriate during students‟ oral presentation periods?  Yes  No If No, what is that inappropriateness? (tick more than one option)  Too much teacher talking time  Unsuitable teacher mistake correction  Incomprehensible teacher input  Too distant teacher-learner relationship  Others……………………………………………………………………………… Thank you very much for your co-operation! 61 Appendix Interview questions for teachers Do you have any difficulties in teaching business English oral presentation skill to the first-year students at DNU? What knowledge areas you think are needed in the notion of communicative competence? Are you satisfied with your students‟ learning style in the first year at university? Does this way of learning have any influence on their learning speaking English? Is the background, business or cultural and social knowledge of DNU first-year students adequate? If not, what may be the consequences of this in English presentation lessons? What you think about your students‟ motivation to learning English? Which students‟ traits deter them most from taking actively in the oral presentation lessons? Is DNU first-year students‟ level of English proficiency mixed or homogeneous? If mixed, you have any trouble teaching inhomogeneous classes? Are the textbooks used for the two first semesters suitable for teaching oral presentation skill? What should you to minimize these problems? 62 Appendix Interview questions for students Do you have any difficulties in business English oral presentation lessons? According to your own opinion, what are your teacher‟s inappropriate teaching methods that effect your presentation skill acquirement? Are you satisfied with the English presentation lessons? If not, what are the reasons? What you think about the business English oral presentation topics in Market Leader Elementary and the extra ones given by your teacher? Do you have any problems with them? In your opinions, what should teachers of English to minimize difficulties in business English presentation lessons? 63 ... on the difficulties in making business English oral presentation of the first year non – major English students at Faculty of Accounting at Dai Nam University and some solutions (Tìm hiểu trở ngại... English oral presentation of the first year non – major English students at Faculty of Accounting at Dai Nam University and some solutions. ” I conduct the research with the hope that it will contribute... Investigating the difficulties for the first- year non- major English students at the Accounting Faculty at Dai Nam University in learning business English oral presentation skills Giving suggestions on how