Practices and challenges of teaching english pronunciation the case of grade 11 in phan dinh phung high school hanoi

-1VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** TRẦN HỒNG HẠNH PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION: THE CASE OF GRADE 11 IN PHAN DINH PHUNG HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI (Việc giảng dạy khó khăn việc giảng dạy Ngữ âm tiếng Anh cho học sinh lớp 11 trường THPT Phan Đình Phùng, Hà Nội) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Major: English Teaching Methodology Code : 60 14 10 Hanoi - 2010 -2VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** TRẦN HỒNG HẠNH PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION: THE CASE OF GRADE 11 IN PHAN DINH PHUNG HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI (Việc giảng dạy khó khăn việc giảng dạy Ngữ âm tiếng Anh cho học sinh lớp 11 trường THPT Phan Đình Phùng, Hà Nội) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Major: English Teaching Methodology Code : 60 14 10 Supervisor: NGUYỄN THỊ VƯỢNG, M.A Hanoi - 2010 -6- TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration……………………………………………………………………… Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………… Abstract………………………………………………………………………… List of abbreviations……………………………………………………… List of tables……………………………………………………………… List of charts………………………………………………………………… PART I: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………… Rationale of the study…………………………………………………… Aim and objectives of the study………………………………………… Scope of the study……………………………………………………… 10 Methods of the study…………………………………………………… 10 Significance of the study……………………………………………… 11 Design of the study…………………………………………………… 11 PART II: DEVELOPMENT…………………………………………… 12 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………… 12 1.1 Pronunciation and its nature………………………………………………… 12 1.1.1 The significance of pronunciation……………………………… 12 1.1.2 Importance of pronunciation to language learners……………… 13 1.2 English pronunciation teaching to second language learners……………… 13 1.2.1 What to teach…………………………………………………… 13 1.2.2 Approaches to the teaching……………………………………… 14 1.2.3 Methods to teach ……………………………………………… 15 1.2.4 Challenges…………………………………………… 17 1.3 Consonant sounds in English……………………………………………… 18 1.3.1 Definition of English consonants……………………………… 18 1.3.2 Raising awareness of consonant sounds………………………… 19 CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY…………………………………………………… 22 2.1 Practices of teaching pronunciation for 11th graders in Phan Dinh Phung High school…………………………………………………………………… 2.1.1 Introduction of pronunciation lessons designed in English 11 ……… 2.1.2 Introduction of language teaching and learning conditions in Phan 22 22 -7Dinh Phung high school………………………………………………………… 25 2.2 The study…………………………………………………………………… 26 2.2.1 Research questions…………………………………………………… 26 2.2.2 The subject…………………………………………………………… 27 2.2.3 Data collection instruments …………………………………………… 27 2.2.3.1 Questionnaire…………………………………………………… 27 2.2.3.2 Classroom observation………………………………………… 29 2.2.3.3 Informal interview……………………………………………… 29 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS…………………… 30 3.1 Questionnaires……………………………………………………………… 30 3.1.1 Questionnaires for students…………………………………………… 30 3.1.1.1 Reality of learning pronunciation……………………………… 30 3.1.1.2 Challenges that students have to face when learning pronunciation … 3.1.2 Questionnaires for teachers…………………………………………… 36 38 3.1.2.1 Reality of teaching pronunciation…………………………… 38 3.1.2.2 Challenges that teachers have to face………………………… 40 Classroom observation and discussion…………………………………… 42 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND FEASIBLE SOLUTIONS………………… 44 4.1 Findings…………………………………………………………………… 44 4.1.1 Teaching practices…………………………………………………… 44 4.1.2 Challenges in teaching……………………………………………… 44 4.2 Feasible solutions………………………………………………………… 45 PART III: CONCLUSION…………………………………………… 47 Limitations of the study………………………………………………… 47 Suggestions for further studies………………………………………… 47 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………… 49 Appendix 1: Questionnaire for students………………………………… 50 Appendix 2: Questionnaire for teachers………………………………… 52 Appendix 3: Informal interview scripts……………………………………… 54 Appendix 4: Worksheet for Story-telling activity…………………… 57 -8- LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS PDP Phan Dinh Phung IPA International Phonetic Alphabet i.e That means e.g For example vs Verse LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Pronunciation matters mentioned in English 11 Table 2: How often students discuss their pronunciation problems Table 3: How often students use phonetic transcription in note- taking Table 4: Pronunciation matters that challenge students Table 5: Frequency of teaching pronunciation Table 6: Techniques used to teach pronunciation Table 7: Students‟ attitude towards pronunciation, in teachers‟ observation Table 8: Challenges teachers have to face when teaching pronunciation LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: Importance of pronunciation to students Chart 2: Students‟ feeling towards pronunciation lessons in class Chart 3: Reality of teaching and learning pronunciation through students‟ yes answer Chart 4: Quality of pronunciation teaching in students‟ opinion Chart 5: Difficulties students have during their pronunciation acquisition -9- PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study When discussing the role of English language in current society, it is believed that a guy can get promotion in the management ladder only if he can speak English fluently If your English is poor, even though you may have well- qualified qualifications, and brilliant brain and can come up with brilliant business ideas, you may still find yourself languishing at the bottom of the management ladder since you will find difficulty in expressing your brilliant ideas That is an important and needlessto- question matter in our society However, when observing and basing on the real teaching, the researcher has found out that many students, otherwise most of them, feel discouraged towards English just because they can not, or in another word, not know how to pronounce English words appropriately The reason is explained by Gerald Kelly (2000) that a learner who consistently mispronounces words can be extremely difficult for the listener to understand In the way round, the situation will also become very frustrating for himself/ herself even though he/ she has very good knowledge of grammar and vocabulary Therefore, in the pilot English book for students in high school, pronunciation lessons are designed with the hope of giving both teachers and learners some basic cues of English pronunciation matters The reality of teaching pronunciation in general, and teaching pronunciation for students of grade 11 in PDP high school in particular, however, seems not to be as ideal as hoped From the real experience in teaching, the researcher attempts to carry out a research to make the problem clear Aim and objectives of the study Within the frame work of a minor thesis, the study is aimed at finding out some feasible solutions to pronunciation teaching for grade 11 in PDP high school In order to achieve this aim, the study concentrates on:  Clarifying the practices of teaching and learning pronunciation in grades 11 in PDP high school  Finding out the challenges that teachers and students in grades 11 in PDP high school have had to undergo - 10  Suggesting some feasible solutions to the teaching of pronunciation for grade 11 It may appear contradictory that in the first two concentrations, the study attempts to investigate both teaching and learning of pronunciation whereas the main topic raised in the title of the study is only about the teaching However, it is not a contradiction “if we look at the teaching process as the facilitation of learning ” (H Douglas Brown, 2007) Scope of the study Learning a second language as a scholar once said “is a long and complex undertaking” Therefore, teachers of a second language certainly have many problems during their teaching In the scope of this research, however, the researcher only has ambition to investigate the challenges that have been causing the teaching of pronunciation for 11th graders in PDP high school to be not as smooth and successful as hoped Besides, the study is also to suggest some implications for the teaching of pronunciation matters designed in English 11, i.e English consonantal matters Therefore, within such a limited scope, it is not expected that the study can bring solutions to the teaching of all English pronunciation matters or to the pronunciation teaching for students of all levels Methods of the study The study is designed to use both qualitative and quantitative methods Besides, many resources such as books, magazines, articles, newspapers and some sources on the internet have been read by the researcher In order to gain the most reliable results, the quantitative data will be collected through two survey questionnaires One survey questionnaire is for 200 students from classes of two different groups: English- gifted and English- non- gifted in grade 11 in PDP high school and the other survey is for teachers teaching English for grades 11 during the time they took part in the survey The data, then, will be processed and analyzed to yield conclusions for the study Along with the quantitative method, the qualitative data has been obtained by classroom observation and informal interviews with some students and teachers to - 11 collect further information about the real situations of teaching and learning pronunciation in grades 11 at PDP high school Significance of the study The piloted syllabus for grade 11th of high school level was designed with hopes that students could have a complete sight into English consonantal sounds However, there has not been much investigation into the fact that whether lessons of pronunciation are suitable and comprehensible for students; or whether the teaching of pronunciation for students of grade 11 is easy- undertaken This research provides an insight into the problems that are often met by teachers teaching English for grades 11 in PDP High school In addition, this research also points out some feasible solutions which are, hopefully, beneficial for both teachers and students Design of the study The study is divided into three parts The first part “Introduction” presents the rationale, the aim and objectives, the scope, the methods, significance and the design of the study The second part, “Development”, consists of four chapters: Chapter provides a thorough literature review relevant to the study It presents the theoretical background: the concepts relating to pronunciation, its importance to language learners and pronunciation teaching as a second language Consonant sounds are also mentioned in this chapter Chapter describes precisely practices of teaching pronunciation for 11th graders in PDP high school This chapter also deals with the introduction of the research methods which are: research questions, subject, questionnaire, class observation and informal interview Chapter is for analyzing the data collected from two questionnaires as well as classroom observation Chapter concludes the findings the researcher has from the study and proposes some solutions to the teaching of pronunciation for grade 11 in PDP high school The last part of the study “Conclusion” gives a brief description of the study and states the limitations as well as recommendations for further research - 12 - PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Pronunciation and its nature In the book of Pronunciation Skills (1981), Paul Tench stated that “Pronunciation is not an optional extra for the language learner, any more than grammar, vocabulary or any other aspect of language is” The statement is worth remembering for both language learners and teachers With a view to clarifying the importance of pronunciation and the reasons making it important, the first part in this chapter will be the introduction about the significance of pronunciation, and the importance of pronunciation to language teaching and learning 1.1.1 Significance of pronunciation When learning a new language, most learners try their best to remember words with their meaning The case is the same for Vietnamese students who learn English as the second language However, pronunciation is far from, otherwise is not based on spelling Some language scholars stated that although there are some regulations between sound system and written symbols in English language, English spelling is still a poor reflection of pronunciation That is to say that the teaching and learning of vocabulary separately from pronunciation proves to be backward The problem raised is what makes English pronunciation significant “Pronunciation is itself a complex of sounds (consonants, vowels and diphthongs), syllables (word accent and rhythm) and intonation.” (Paul Tench, 1981) Another way to approach the matter comes from Charles W Kreidler (2004) According to him, in discussing the pronunciation of English we can focus on one or both of two aspects On one hand, we may want to describe what people when they are speaking English This is the aspect of speech, an activity carried on by people who use English for communicating On the other hand, we may address the question about the characteristics of English words and sentences that are realized in speech This is the aspect of language, a code which exists, handed down from the past with slight changes made by each generation 1.1.2 Importance of pronunciation to language learners - 13 It is said that without adequate pronunciation skills the learner's ability to communicate is severely limited Many linguistics researchers share a belief in the need for professional responsibility that pronunciation is a very beginning point for language learners to start with If a given non-native speaker's pronunciation is not comprehensible, he or she will not be able to communicate orally no matter how good his or her control of English grammar and vocabulary might be Bad pronunciation is a communication error that cannot be understood by the listener A speaker who mispronounces a variety of words would cause great difficulties for listeners to understand Then, it can be frustrating and discouraging for students if they have repeated experiences where communication breaks down due to the problems with their English pronunciation On the opposite side of conversation, bad pronunciation also affects learner‟s listening ability When a learner has already been familiar with the wrong way of pronouncing particular language sounds and utterances, it is unlikely that he or she will be able to recognize the authentic pronunciation by native speaker About the problems that pronunciation causes to communication, Gilbert (1993) believes the skills of listening comprehension and pronunciation are interdependent "If they can not hear well, they are cut off from language If they cannot be understood easily, they are cut off from conversation with native speakers." English pronunciation teaching to second language learners What to teach English pronunciation teaching and learning has been the subjects for many researches by linguists and educators Because of that fact, therefore, there are various opinions towards features of pronunciation that should be taught for second language learners The first opinion raised by Martin Hewings (2004) is that the “top five” things which are important to be taught and learnt are consonants, consonant clusters, vowel length, word stress, and tonic words There exists another idea towards the problem of what are the most important features of pronunciation to teach According to some linguists, pronunciation teaching works better if the focus is on larger chunks of speech, such as words, phrases and sentences, than if the focus is on individual sounds and syllables This does not mean - 43 beginning, it did not help much because the room was too large for the students sitting at the back With the hypothesis that students in group D had some basic knowledge of English, and more importantly, had some self motivation in learning English, the researcher was quite disappointed to realize that the quality of that pronunciation was far from satisfaction In class 11A7 The researcher had a chance to observe a Language Focus period in class 11A7 (A remarkable characteristic in this class is that there were 47 students ) when they had that part of unit 15 which deals with / nt / ; / nd / ; / nθ / ; / ns / ; / nz / The steps carried out by the teacher were not very different from which the teacher teaching class 11D1 chose to demonstrate the sounds and then give time for students to practice The different points were the challenges that the teacher had to deal with during the lesson The most emerging problem was that most students had difficulty in producing consonant cluster sounds The teacher had to let them listen twice, and then the teacher read aloud before asking students to repeat However, when students read aloud, most of them could not produce devoiced /n/ sound The teacher had to demonstrate again and let students listen to the cassette again before asking students to practice in pairs Sounds students produced when practicing were not satisfactory; therefore, the teacher had to stop to help them Those activities took nearly 30 minutes, so the teacher asked students to practice more at home, and moved to grammatical points designed in the lesson After that period, the researcher had informal interview with the teacher She said that she still was not satisfied with the result of her students‟ practice; however, if she had continued checking and correcting students‟ mistakes, there would have been no time for grammatical points which most students consider more important From the situation of class 11A7, the researcher is more aware of the influence of class size and time duration spent on pronunciation lessons to the quality of the teaching and learning Other problems, if there were any, are not as decisive as those two causes - 44 - CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS AND FEASIBLE SOLUTIONS 4.1 Findings 4.1.1 Teaching practices The quantitative data from questionnaires for teachers and students as well as the qualitative analysis from class observation illustrate vividly the reality of teaching pronunciation for students of grade 11 in PDP high school The teaching is still carried out as required in the schedule, and teachers all try their best to convey knowledge in the fields of consonants, consonant clusters, consonant endings and so on However, pronunciation matters are chiefly taught and explained in Language Focus lessons and in vocabulary teaching It is not relevant to the importance of pronunciation Some scholar ever said that unlike grammar with certain and separate structures or vocabulary with certain meaning and fields, pronunciation matters should be mentioned and kept in mind from the very start of language learning…and it should be taken notice of during the whole language learning process Therefore, looking into the frequency of pronunciation teaching and techniques used in teaching, we should admit that it is advisable for teachers to invest more time and effort to better their lectures Only in that way can teachers motivate students most of whom are not inspired in this field of language learning 4.1.2 Challenges in teaching The challenges that teachers have to face are listed and analyzed above; however, the most decisive challenges are large class size, limited time duration designed for pronunciation lessons, lack of materials and last but not least students‟ attitude towards pronunciation lessons The challenges can be classified into objective factors (class size and time duration) and subjective ones (lack of materials and students‟ attitude) Objective factors require large- scale; therefore, unreal improvements at the moment of our education system‟s development Teachers teaching grade 11, as a consequence, should attempts to encourage students to learn pronunciation by using flexible techniques, exploring internet websites which facilitate consonants teaching and learning, and so on In other words, teachers should find practical ways to improve subjective factors - 45 4.2 Feasible solutions As concluded previously, teachers teaching pronunciation should invest more time and effort in order to upgrade their teaching The researcher, in this part, tries to give some suggestions to teach English consonants At first, it is worth remembering that most language learners need no more than a comfortably intelligible pronunciation (a pronunciation which can be understood with little or no conscious effort on the part of the listener) Pronunciation teaching should have a limited purpose which will be completely fulfilled, i.e the attainment of intelligibility And the learners, instead of being taken systematically through each English vowel, and each consonant, and later if there is time, through the complexities of intonation and rhythm would have presented to him certain carefully chosen features on which to concentrate, the rest of his pronunciation being left to be no more than of general supervision (David Abercrombie, 1956) Another remarkable note is that the second language learner who wants to acquire good pronunciation needs to learn to observe and reproduce physical, i.e articulatory, phenomena involved in the production of sound (Hector M Hammerly, 1973) These two theories lead language teachers to having to find out flexible ways of demonstrating and explaining, and then practicing pronunciation matters which are illustrated below Story-Telling Activity Procedure The teacher provides a worksheet (see Appendix) to each student and reads the story Students choose the words which they think the teacher pronounced, and then share their answers with a partner The teacher tells them the correct answers The teacher asks students to practice correct phonemes For example, - Student A reads his/her story, and student B guesses the answer - Student A reads his/her story to all the class, and the rest of the students guess the answer The teacher asks students to make groups of five or six, and asks group leaders to read a story to student A, which student A conveys to B and so on The last student's answer should be identical with student A's The group which has the most answers correct wins Make Pronunciation Physical: What is really meant by this technique is to make pronunciation a physical as well as a cognitive activity - 46 Procedure First the teacher helps learners to stop thinking about pronunciation in the abstract by focusing them on the muscles that produce sound and articulation The visual aids, candles, lighter, palm, small slip of paper, and things like that can be used then Then the teacher engages their minds in sensing, noticing and being fascinated by what their muscles are doing, and in how the movements of those muscles affect what they hear Their emerging curiosity and engagement is quickly upgraded into awareness of the total interaction between muscle movement, sound production and aural perception Word chain: this technique is especially used to help students practice consonant clusters Procedure Demonstrate the principle of the activity on the board Build up the word chain and explain that each word must begin with a consonant cluster The cluster must contain one of the consonant sounds from the cluster at the beginning of the previous word Go round the class with each student ( or pair/ group) adding a new word Do not write the words on the board so that the focus is on sounds rather than spelling Give students limited thinking time Whispers: this activity is to distinguish and articulate voiced and voiceless consonants in word endings Material needed to carry out this activity is record cards Procedure Ask students to put a hand on their throat while they read aloud some words (e.g robbed, stopped, played, weighed) with a partner Tell them to repeat the words in a whisper In whispering, part of the difference between the voiced and voiceless sounds is lost, so they have to „pronounce‟ the voiced sounds very emphatically, the voiceless consonants will also be released more strongly Explain the difference and discuss how students can differentiate voiced and voiceless consonants When students are quite sure, let them practice Hand out the cards you have prepared and ask the learners, in pairs, to whisper the words to their partner who must try to recognize them When some students are not sure about the sounds, let students pronounce the words normally, making sure that they have the same feeling when they pronounce the voiced sound - 47 - PART III: CONCLUSION Pronunciation is a non-negotiable field in language learning and teaching That is the reason why pronunciation occupies some space in new English books for high school level In grade 11 of PDP high school, teachers and students follow strictly the syllabus named English 11_ General Program The main focuses of pronunciation lessons in this book are some consonants_ characterized according to manner of articulation, consonant clusters and consonant endings In teaching those features of pronunciation, the teaching quality is not very satisfactory both for teachers and students From the daily teaching and observation, the researcher had an ambition to investigate the problem The aims of the study are to find out practices and challenges of teaching pronunciation for students of grade 11 in PDP high school By two survey questionnaires, class observation and informal interview, the researcher made effort to make them clear The results inferred from the study show that teachers teaching English for students of grade 11 in PDP high school fulfilled all the tasks designed in the text book and somehow helped students gain general knowledge of consonant sounds However, during their teaching, teachers have many difficulties which are caused by both objective and subjective factors We can call for some challenges which are class size, limited time duration, lack of relevant materials and students‟ attitude towards pronunciation learning The teachers themselves can not anything to change class size or time duration spent on pronunciation; therefore, the study suggests some feasible techniques and activities for teachers to make their teaching pronunciation less boring, more motivating and promising to students Limitations of the study The study was carried out in months from January to July of 2010 among 200 students of grade 11 and teachers teaching English for grade11 in PDP high school The subjects are in only one school so the results concluded in the study may not be generalized for learning and teaching pronunciation for high school students in general The second limitation of the study is that techniques and activities suggested in the study have not been applied in real teaching and learning As a consequence, the researcher herself can not make sure of their feasibility Suggestions for further studies In order to have a full view of pronunciation teaching for students of grade 11 with its practices and challenges, there should be some inter- school studies over students of grade 11 Besides, with a view to finding out effective ways to teach pronunciation in high school level, - 48 there should be studies focusing on suggesting and investigating teaching techniques and activities In other words, studies on large scale conducted by the ministry of education and training should be carried out in the future - 49 - REFERENCES Adam Brown- Routledge (1991), Teaching pronunciation: A book of reading, Foreign Language Study (p 93-173) Adrian Underhill (2007), Making Pronunciation Physical, University of Oxford_ Seminar for English Language Teacher Adrian Underhill (2004), Sound Founds- Learning and Teaching Pronunciation, Macmillan, London (p29,30) Brown, H Douglas (2007), Principles of language learning and teaching, White Plains, New York (p1) Charles W Kreidler (2004), The pronunciation of English : a course book, - 2nd ed Malden, MA :Blackwell Publisher (p.4) Christiane Dalton and Barbara Seidlhofer (1994), Pronunciation, Oxford University Press, Oxford (p 12-15, p 67-70, p130-146) Clement Laroy (1995), Pronunciation, series editor : Alan Maley Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York Department of Education Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA) (2001), Teaching Pronunciation: A handbook for teachers and trainers Gerald Kelly (2000), How to teach pronunciation, Longman, - Harlow (p 11-29, p47-66, p122-132) Judy B Gilbert (1993), Clear speech: pronunciation and listening comprehension in North American English : teacher's resource book ,Cambridge University Press (p.1) Marianne Celce-Murcia, Donna Brinton, Janet M Goodwin (1996), Teaching pronunciation: a reference for teachers of English to speakers of other languages, Cambridge University Press, New York (p 3-8) Martin Hewings (2004), Pronunciation practice activities : a resource book for teaching English pronunciation, Cambridge University Press, New York (p 10-23, p 73-77) Paul Tench (1981), Pronunciation skills, Macmillan, London (p1-10) http://www.tampareads.com/phonics/whereis/index.htm http://iteslj.org/ www.macmillanenglish.com/methodology - 50 - APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS The purpose of the research is to clarify challenges that teachers and students of grade 11 have in pronunciation teaching and learning Please complete the questions below I About yourself: - Your class: ………………………………… - You have studied English for (how long)………… II About Pronunciation learning What you think about pronunciation learning? Opinions a It‟s vital in learning English b It‟s necessary when speaking only c It‟s not as important as grammar and language skills d It‟s not important at all How you feel when having pronunciation lessons in class? Feelings a Inspired/ interested b Concerned, but not very interested c Bored ( sometimes) d Totally bored Do you think you have enough time with pronunciation in Yes class? ( tick at yes / no) No Are pronunciation lessons suitable with your level? ( tick at yes / no) Yes No Should we have pronunciation questions in tests? ( tick at yes / no) Yes No Can you learn about pronunciation in lessons of reading, Yes speaking, listening and writing? ( tick at yes / no) No What you think about quality of pronunciation Good Ok Bad No teaching in your class? idea ( tick at only ONE option) - 51 What makes it difficult for you in pronunciation lessons? ( Tick at any statement if it is your problem) Problems a Your lack of background knowledge in pronunciation matters b There are too many consonant sounds discussed in a lesson  hard to remember c Large classroom  hard to hear the teacher and the tape d Too many students in my class  hardly be checked by the teacher e The sounds are too different from Vietnamese language f Activities in pronunciation lessons are sometimes repeated  boring g Others ( please write down your own problems) ………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… … ……… …………………………………………………………………………… …… …………………………………………………………………………………… ………… ……………………………………………………………………………… Which pronunciation matters (listed below) are you unconfident at? ( Tick at your choice) Pronunciation matter a Clusters ( e.g / kl / , / skr / , / spr/ …) b consonant ending c Consonant sounds like / θ /; / kw/; / ð/ ; / tʃ/ ; / dʒ/ , so on d Others ( write your troublesome sounds)…………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… … ………………………………………………………………………………… 10 Do you discuss your pronunciation problems with someone? (Tick at any statement if your answer is Yes) People you discuss with a your fellow students b your teacher c your tutor d your family member/ relatives e never discuss 11 Do you use phonetic transcription in your classroom notes? How often? a Yes, always b Yes, when the teacher offered phonetic transcription c Yes, when there are hard- to- pronounce words d No, never - 52 - APPENDIX 2: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS The purpose of the research is to clarify challenges that teachers and students of grade 11 have in pronunciation teaching and learning Please complete the questions below I About yourself How long have you been teaching English? II About pronunciation teaching Do you think it is important to know Phonetics and Yes Phonology in order to deal with pronunciation in class? ( tick at yes / no) No Do you use phonetic transcription in your classroom notes? a Yes, whenever there are new words b Yes, when there are hard- to- pronounce words c No, never When you teach pronunciation? ( tick at your choice) Situations a In Language Focus lessons b Combine Pronunciation teaching with Vocabulary teaching c Combine Pronunciation teaching with Listening teaching d Combine Pronunciation teaching with Speaking teaching e When there appear pronunciation problems among students f In consolidation periods g Other situations ( please write down) …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………… What is your students‟ attitude towards pronunciation? Attitudes a Attentive and interested b Not very interested but still attentive c Sometimes inattentive d Totally ignorant What makes it difficult for your teaching of pronunciation? Problems a Students‟ indifferent attitude b Class size c Lessons with sounds which not relate to each other - 53 d Limited time supposed for pronunciation lessons e Lack of materials ( relevant books/ tapes/ visual aids) f Students‟ mixed language level g Students‟ reluctance towards pronunciation learning i Others ( please write down) ) …………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… What techniques you often apply to teach pronunciation? a Minimal pairs b Imitation c Demonstration d Explanation e Drilling f Visual aids g Taping students‟ English h Using listening exercises i Using reading exercises g Others ( please write down) ……………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… - 54 - APPENDIX 3: INFORMAL INTERVIEW SCRIPTS The researcher : R Student :S Teacher :T Interview R: Good afternoon! S: Good afternoon, teacher R: Which class are you in? S: I‟m in class 11D2 R: How long have you been learning English? S: Hmm…, for about 10 years R: Really? It‟s amazing S: ( smile) I started learning English when I was years old There was an English center near my house R: Oh, I see Now, can you share your pronunciation learning situation? S: Yes, sure R: How often you have pronunciation lessons in class? S: Normally, my teacher teaches pronunciation when we have Language Focus periods Sometimes, when we have new vocabulary, she gives us explanation about pronunciation, too R: What about in listening and speaking lessons, does your teacher handle pronunciation then? S: Actually, very hardly We mostly focus on the skill intended in the lessons R: I see So you find pronunciation challenging? S: Yes, yes R: Can you name some pronunciation matters that challenge you? S: Umm…., consonant endings I often miss consonant sounds at the end of words Besides, some endings make me confused For example, /nd/, / nθ/ , /fs/ or / pt/ R: Do you practice them after class? S: (smile) I tried but then I still made mistake with them R: Then? S: I let them alone R: Oh,,, You shouldn‟t let them alone S: But, my close friends have similar problems to mine And they are confused, too R: Why don‟t you ask your teacher for help? S: Teacher? I‟m afraid of talking to my teacher What if she thinks that I am not attentive in class? R: Okay, I see your point Thank you very much S: You‟re welcome, teacher Interview R: Good afternoon, guys S: Good afternoon, teacher R: May I ask you some questions about your pronunciation learning? S: Yes, teacher - 55 R: Do you think pronunciation important? S1: Yes, quite a lot S2: Yes, but difficult R: Do friends in your class have similar thought to yours about pronunciation? S1: No, some of my friends are not concerned about pronunciation R: I see Do you find it difficult? S2: Yes R: Because of the complicated sounds? S1: Sometimes, but mostly because I can not hear the cassette clearly S2: I can hear, I imitate but I am not sure whether my pronunciation is right R: Does your teacher help you? S1: Yes, but she stops over at some tables only S2: Yes, we often practice in pairs and groups When she goes around observing us, she stops to check some groups, the rest ones are not checked at all R: And then? S2: Then, we move to grammar R: Ah, yes One more question Do you ever use phonetic transcription in note taking in class? S1: Sometimes, when there are complex words S2: I when the teacher does R: Okay, thank you You are in class 11A 5? S: Yes, teacher R: Thank you Goodbye S: Goodbye, teacher Interview R: Good morning! Are you free now? T: I am What‟s up? R: I‟m considering conducting a study about practice and challenges of our pronunciation teaching T: Great Who are the subjects of your study? R: I intend to investigate the situation of grades 11 I find consonant sounds teaching troublesome T: Yes, I agree I‟m teaching classes of grade 11 My students seem not to be motivated with pronunciation R: Can you make it clearer? T: You see, there are about 45 students in each class I‟m teaching In pronunciation lessons, I try my best to help them, but I can not cover them all R: How long you often spend on pronunciation teaching? T: Normally, I can only focus on pronunciation in Language Focus lessons which, you know, includes pronunciation and grammar Therefore, I have at most 20 minutes for pronunciation, both demonstration and practice R: Yes, I share your idea It is not long enough for both demonstration and practice T: Yes, let alone further explanation when students are in trouble with articulation R: How you often teach pronunciation? - 56 T: It depends on sounds presented in the lesson Usually, I let them listen to the tape twice, then I pronounce the sounds again Finally, I ask students to repeat If there appear pronouncing mistakes among students, I stop to explain R: What about visual aids and relaxing practice activities such as games or group work? T: About visual aids, I actually use them, but for single consonant sounds With clusters, we don‟t have any visual aids And games, I hardly have enough time to linger R: I see What about your students‟ attitude during pronunciation lessons? T: Some are quite attentive but there are some odd students who always ignore pronunciation lessons Of course, they dare not to make noise or lose attention in class, but I feel they are not with me R: Why you have that feeling? T: They follow my instruction and requests but, it seems, unwillingly R: What about their result in tests? T: I took care of their presentation in tests, they often leave pronunciation questions unmarked or choose the answers at random R: One more question Do you often use phonetic transcription in board writing? T: Yes, when there are new words, and when we have pronunciation lessons R: Thank you very much T: You‟re welcome Do your research and tell me if there are any ways to improve pronunciation teaching R: Sure - 57 - WORKSHEET _ Story –telling activity Worksheet (can be used in unit 12) The 22nd SEA Games , hosted this year by Vietnam, has joined the international movement to rid sports of tobacco For the first time, the regional sporting event will be tobacco-free under a landmark cooperative agreement signed in April 2003 between the World Health Organization (WHO), the 22nd SEA Games Organizing Committee and the Vietnamese Ministry of Health Hanoi Health Department has organized a press seminar to celebrate and raise awareness about the tobacco-free SEA Games The 22nd SEA Games is the first games hosted by Vietnam and 10 countries from the Southeast Asian region with nearly 8,000 athletes and coaches will participate It will be the first tobacco-free international sporting event in Vietnam, joining other international tobacco-free sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup 2002, and the Winter Olympic Games 2002 Worksheet ( can be used in unit 7, 8, 9) Martin Luther King is well-known for his work in civil right and for many famous speeches, among them his moving “I have a dream” speech But fewer people know much about King‟s childhood M.L., as he was called, was born in 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, at the home of his maternal grandfather, at the Reverend A.D Williams, purchased their home on Auburn Avenue in 1909, 20 years before M.L was born The Reverend Williams, an eloquent speaker, played an important role in the community because so many people‟s lives center around the church and his home to be used as a meeting place for a number of organizations dedicated to the education and social advancement of blacks M.L grew up in this atmosphere, with his home being used as a community gathering place, and was no doubt influenced by it ... to pronunciation teaching for grade 11 in PDP high school In order to achieve this aim, the study concentrates on:  Clarifying the practices of teaching and learning pronunciation in grades 11. .. gifted in grade 11 in PDP high school and the other survey is for teachers teaching English for grades 11 during the time they took part in the survey The data, then, will be processed and analyzed... Combine Pronunciation teaching with Vocabulary teaching c Combine Pronunciation teaching with Listening teaching d Combine Pronunciation teaching with Speaking teaching e When there appear pronunciation