An investigation of the teachers and learners attitudes towards the communicative language teaching at the foreign language center of ussh in ho chi minh city m a

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES - - AN INVESTIGATION OF THE TEACHERS’ AND LEARNERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING AT THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER OF USSH IN HO CHI MINH CITY Submitted to the Department of English Linguistics & Literature in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in TESOL By HO TRUNG HAU Supervised by LE HOANG DUNG, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY, OCTOBER 2012 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby declare this thesis entitled “AN INVESTIGATION OF THE TEACHERS’ AND LEARNERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING AT THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER OF USSH IN HO CHI MINH CITY” is the result of my own work except as cited in the references The thesis has not been accepted for any degree and it is not currently submitted in candidature of any other degree Ho Chi Minh City, October 2012 Signature: Name: HO TRUNG HAU i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, HO TRUNG HAU, being the candidate for the degree of Master in TESOL, accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original copy of my thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Library for the care, loan and reproduction of theses Ho Chi Minh City, October 2012 Signature: Name: HO TRUNG HAU ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was accomplished with the help of many individuals First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Le Hoang Dung, who read my manuscript with great care and devotion, gave thoughtful and insightful comments, and provided me with invaluable support and relevant materials in the preparation and completion of this thesis, thus asserting his indispensable role as a wholehearted instructor He has been my mentor academically and mentally Secondly, I am obliged to all my teachers in my postgraduate program for their dedication and useful instructions through my time as a master student Thirdly, I am also greatly indebted to the teachers and students at the Foreign Language Center of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities for their time and commitment in providing documentation for the study If it had not been for their invaluable cooperation, this thesis would not have been completed Fourthly, my special thanks are extended to my fellow master students – TESOL 2009 class – who are good friends, teammates as well as good colleagues I highly appreciate the understanding and knowledge they shared with me during the course Last but not least, my sincere appreciation and heartfelt gratitude are reserved for my parents who have always supported my dreams and believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself Their love, care, unconditional support and continuous encouragement kept me survive all the tough times The titanic task of completing my thesis would be impossible without them iii ABSTRACT Nowadays, CLT has received wide recognition from educational researchers as an effective EFL teaching method However, the application of this teaching method is still limited at FLC-USSH Thus, with the intent of enhancing the application of the communicative approach at this language center, the current study was carried out to explore the teachers’ and learners’ attitudes towards the theory and application of CLT, as well as the actual application of this teaching method at FLC-USSH For the purposes of the study, the models of CLT based upon theories of Richards & Rodgers (2001) and Larsen-Freeman (2004), including three levels: Approach, Design and Procedure, were adopted and extensively synthesized to construct a theoretical guideline for the study On that ground, the conceptual framework of the study was refined The study employed features of quantitative and qualitative research methods Data for the study were collected from (i) questionnaire to 33 teacher respondents and 397 student respondents, (ii) interview with 33 teachers, and (iii) 5-class observation Data were analyzed by measures of counts, means and percentages The findings indicated that the participant teachers generally had highly favourable attitudes towards CLT, whereas the learners displayed moderately positive attitudes towards this teaching method Furthermore, the teachers articulated a number of constraints that hamper the effective accomplishment of CLT The application of CLT at this language center was not as efficacious as expected The results, although tentative, contribute to an understanding of the reality of using CLT at FLC-USSH and provide suggestions for the concerned bodies to facilitate the process of applying this teaching method in this institution The thesis closes by identifying some possible research in relation to this study iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ABSTRACT iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v LIST OF FIGURES ix LIST OF TABLES x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xii Chapter I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study 1.2 Statement of the problem 1.3 Objectives of the study 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Significance of the study 1.7 Organization of the study Chapter II: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 A brief look over some related studies 2.2 The Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) 2.3 Communicative competence 10 2.4 Some practical problems in the application of CLT 12 2.5 Model of a teaching method by Richards & Rodgers (2001) 14 2.6 Principles of CLT by Larsen-Freeman (2004) 16 2.7 Syntheses 17 2.7.1 Approach 18 v 2.7.1.1 Theory of language 18 2.7.1.2 Theory of learning 20 2.7.2 Design 21 2.7.2.1 Objectives of teaching 21 2.7.2.2 The syllabus 22 2.7.2.3 Types of teaching and learning activities 23 2.7.2.4 Learner roles 23 2.7.2.5 Teacher roles 24 2.7.2.6 The role of instructional materials 26 2.7.2.7 Evaluation 27 2.7.2.8 Error correction 27 2.7.3 Procedure 29 2.7.3.1 Teaching-learning activities 29 2.7.3.2 Classroom interaction 30 2.7.3.3 Techniques 31 2.8 Conceptual framework of the study 33 2.9 Summary 36 Chapter III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 38 3.1 Research setting 38 3.2 Research design 38 3.3 Respondents of the study 39 3.3.1 Teacher respondents 40 3.3.2 Student respondents 41 3.4 Research instruments 42 3.4.1 Questionnaires 43 3.4.1.1 Questionnaire to teacher respondents 44 3.4.1.2 Questionnaire to student respondents 45 3.4.2 Interviews 47 3.4.3 Observations 48 vi 3.5 Summary of research tools 49 3.6 Data collection procedure 51 3.6.1 Procedure for conducting the questionnaire survey 52 3.6.1.1 Procedure for administering the questionnaire to teacher respondents 52 3.6.1.2 Procedure for administering the questionnaire to student respondents 52 3.6.2 Procedure for conducting the interview 53 3.6.3 Procedure for conducting the classroom observation 53 3.7 Data analysis procedure 54 3.8 Summary 55 Chapter IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 56 4.1 Analytical framework 56 4.2 Reliability analysis 57 4.3 Results 59 4.3.1 Results from questionnaire to teacher respondents 59 4.3.1.1 Teachers’ attitudes towards the theory of CLT 59 4.3.1.2 Teachers’ responses to the application of CLT at FLC-USSH 68 4.3.2 Results from questionnaire to student respondents 73 4.3.2.1 Students’ responses to the application of CLT at FLC-USSH 73 4.3.2.2 Students’ attitudes towards the application of CLT 78 4.3.3 Results from the interview 80 4.3.4 Results from the observation 87 4.4 Discussions of results 88 4.4.1 Teachers’ attitudes towards the theory of CLT 88 4.4.2 Learners’ attitudes towards the application of CLT 91 4.4.3 The application of CLT at FLC-USSH 92 vii 4.4.4 Some practical problems in the application of CLT at FLC-USSH 95 4.5 Major findings 96 4.6 Summary 97 Chapter V: CONCLUSION, SUGGESTIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS 98 5.1 Conclusion 98 5.2 Suggestions 100 5.2.1 Suggestions for the administrators 100 5.2.2 Suggestions for the teachers 102 5.2.3 Suggestions for the learners 104 5.3 Delimitations of the study 106 5.4 Recommendations for further study 107 5.5 Summary 108 REFERENCES 109 APPENDICES 114 Appendix A: Questionnaire to teacher respondents 115 Appendix B: Questionnaire to student respondents (English version) 120 Appendix C: Questionnaire to student respondents (Vietnamese version) 123 Appendix D: Interview questionnaire to teacher respondents 126 Appendix E: Observation checklist 128 Appendix F: Letter to teacher respondents 129 Appendix G: Letter to student respondents (English & Vietnamese versions) 130 Appendix H: Letter to administrators 131 Appendix I: Reliability of items in questionnaire to teacher respondents 132 Appendix J: Reliability of items in questionnaire to student respondents 133 viii C1.8 C1.8.a C1.8.b C1.9 C1.9.a C1.9.b learners in pairs/groups Classroom interaction Full student-student interaction is encouraged in classroom Teachers engage in communicative activities with learners Techniques Various classroom procedures are used according to the teaching and learning purposes Teaching techniques are organized for learners to learn communicative functions 5 5 PART D: OTHERS D1.1 What advantages/disadvantages you encounter in applying CLT in your current teaching of English at FLC– USSH? Please comment Advantages Disadvantages D1.2 What are your suggestions (if any) to improve the implementation of CLT at FLCUSSH? -THE END Thank you very much for your time, patience and cooperation If you are interested in the study and willing to participate in a follow-up interview, please leave your name and phone number/email: Name: Phone number: Email: 119 APPENDIX B QUESTIONNAIRE TO STUDENT RESPONDENTS PART A: PERSONAL INFORMATION Gender: Male Female Age: years old You have learned English for: year(s) PART B: WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN YOUR CLASSROOM How often does your teacher use CLT in your classroom? Please read the following statements carefully and circle the number on the column that matches your reality most B2.1 B2.1.a B2.2 B2.2.a B2.2.b B2.2.c B2.3 B2.3.a B2.3.b B2.4 B2.4.a B2.4.b B2.5 B2.5.a B2.5.b Design Types of teaching and learning activities Activities/tasks engage learners in meaningful activities Learner roles Learners are the main communicators (speaking most of the time) in classroom Learners interact primarily with each other Learner roles change according to the purposes of activities/tasks Teacher roles Multiple roles are assumed for teachers according to purposes of activities/tasks Teacher’s role is less-dominant than learner’s role Role of instructional materials Materials primarily promote real-life communicative language use Various kinds of materials are used according to purposes of teaching Evaluation Evaluation is about both accuracy and fluency Formal evaluation is done by using tests with communicative functions Always GENERAL STATEMENTS ABOUT THE ACTUAL USE OF CLT = Always Usually = Usually Sometimes = Sometimes Rarely = Rarely Never = Never 5 5 5 5 5 120 B2.6 B2.6.a B2.6.b B2.6.c B2.6.d B2.7 B2.7.a B2.7.b B2.8 B2.8.a B2.8.b B2.9 B2.9.a B2.9.b Error correction Errors of forms are tolerated if they not cause communication failure Correction of all errors is unnecessary Fluency is emphasized over accuracy Peer-correction or Self-correction is encouraged Procedure Teaching-learning process Activities/tasks with communicative intent are used Communicative activities/tasks are carried out by learners in pairs/groups Classroom interaction Full student-student interaction is encouraged in classroom Teachers engage in communicative activities with learners Techniques Various classroom procedures are used according to the teaching and learning purposes Teaching techniques are organized for learners to learn communicative functions 1 2 3 4 5 5 5 5 PART C: OPINION ON THE APPLICATION OF CLT To what extent you agree with each of the following statements about the advantages of CLT? Please read them carefully and circle the number on the column that matches your opinion most Agree Strongly Agree C2.1 The roles I assume in my class are useful to my learning C2.2 The fact that teachers assume less-dominant roles provides me with more responsibilities for my learning Neutral GENERAL STATEMENTS ABOUT YOUR OPINION ON THE APPLICATION OF CLT = Neutral Disagree = Disagree = Strongly Agree Strongly Disagree = Strongly Disagree = Agree 5 121 C2.3 Materials promoting communicative language use are useful to my learning C2.4 Evaluation which is about both fluency and accuracy is comprehensive C2.5 Peer correction or Self correction is a good way of correcting errors C2.6 Working in pairs/groups is useful to my learning C2.7 Student-student interaction is useful to my learning C2.8 Teaching techniques supporting communicative functions are necessary in my classroom 5 1 2 3 4 5 PART D: OTHERS D2.1 In general, how you feel about the teaching method that is being used in your class? Please give a brief description of your opinions D2.2 What are your suggestions (if any) to improve the teaching methods at FLC-USSH? Please comment -THE END THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND COOPERATION! 122 APPENDIX C BẢNG KHẢO SÁT CHO HỌC VIÊN PHẦN A: THÔNG TIN CÁ NHÂN Giới tính: Nam Nữ Tuổi: Bạn học tiếng Anh năm PHẦN B: THỰC TẾ LỚP HỌC CỦA BẠN Mức độ thường xuyên mà giáo viên bạn sử dụng Phương Pháp Giao Tiếp lớp học nào? Vui lòng đọc kĩ nhận định sau khoanh tròn vào số từ đến phù hợp với thực tế lớp học bạn theo mức độ đánh giá sau: B2.2.b B2.2.c B2.3 B2.3.a B2.3.b B2.4 B2.4.a B2.4.b B2.5 B2.5.a B2.5.b Luôn ln có B2.2 B2.2.a Các hoạt động lớp học Các hoạt động giúp học viên tham gia vào việc giao tiếp mang tính thực tế Vai trị học viên Học viên người giao tiếp (thời gian nói nhiều nhất) lớp học Học viên tương tác với chủ yếu Vai trò học viên thay đổi tùy theo mục đích hoạt động lớp học Vai trị giáo viên Giáo viên có nhiều vai trị tùy theo mục đích hoạt động lớp học Vai trò giáo viên có ý nghĩa chủ đạo vai trị sinh viên Vai trò tài liệu học tập Tài liệu chủ yếu giúp phát triển cách dùng ngôn ngữ giao tiếp giống thực tế Nhiều loại tài liệu khác dùng tùy theo mục đích giảng dạy Cách đánh giá thơng thạo ngôn ngữ học viên Đánh giá học viên dựa xác lưu lốt dùng ngơn ngữ giao tiếp Đánh giá thực kiểm tra Thường xuyên có B2.1 B2.1.a Thỉnh thoảng có THỰC TẾ SỬ DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP GIAO TIẾP TRONG LỚP BẠN ĐANG HỌC = Thỉnh thoảng có Hiếm có = Hiếm có = Ln ln có Khơng có = Khơng có = Thường xuyên có 5 5 5 5 5 123 B2.6 B2.6.a B2.6.b B2.6.c B2.7 B2.7.a B2.7.b B2.8 B2.8.a B2.8.b B2.9 B2.9.a B2.9.b mang chức giao tiếp (ví dụ yêu cầu học viên viết thư cho người bạn) Sửa lỗi cho học viên Nhưng lỗi hình thức ngơn ngữ bỏ qua chúng không gây cản trở giao tiếp Tất lỗi sửa Sự trôi chảy giao tiếp nhấn mạnh chuẩn xác Quá trình dạy-học Những hoạt động với mục đích giao tiếp dùng Những hoạt động giao tiếp học viên thực theo cặp/nhóm Tương tác lớp học Tương tác học viên với khuyến khích Giáo viên tham gia vào hoạt động giao tiếp với học viên Kĩ thuật tổ chức giảng lớp học Nhiều kĩ thuật tổ chức giảng tiến hành tùy theo mục đích dạy-học Các kĩ thuật giảng dạy tổ chức để học viên học chức ngôn ngữ 5 5 5 5 C Ý KIẾN ĐỐI VỚI VIỆC ÁP DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP GIAO TIẾP TRONG GIẢNG DẠY TẠI TRUNG TÂM Những nhận định bên thể ý kiến Anh/Chị việc áp dụng Phương pháp giao tiếp giảng dạy trung tâm ngoại ngữ ĐHKHXH & NV Mức độ đồng ý Anh/Chị nào? Vui lòng khoanh tròn số tương ứng với ý kiến Anh/Chị theo mức độ sau: C2.3 Hồn tồn đồng ý C2.2 Các vai trị mà tơi đảm nhận lớp học có lợi cho việc học Việc giáo viên đảm nhận vai trị chủ đạo cung cấp cho tơi nhiều hội làm chủ trình học Tài liệu đề cập đến việc sử dụng ngôn ngữ Đồng ý C2.1 Khơng có ý kiến Ý KIẾN CHUNG VỀ THỰC TẾ GIẢNG DẠY = Khơng có ý kiến Không đồng ý = Không đồng ý = Hồn tồn đồng ý Hồn tồn khơng đồng ý = Hồn tồn khơng đồng ý = Đồng ý 5 124 C2.4 C2.5 C2.6 C2.7 C2.8 C2.9 giao tiếp có lợi cho việc học Việc đánh giá phải dựa việc sử dụng ngơn ngữ lưu lốt xác toàn diện Bạn bè sửa lỗi cho tự sửa lỗi cách sữa lỗi hay Hoạt động giao tiếp có lợi cho việc học tơi Làm việc theo đội/nhóm có lợi cho việc học tơi Tương tác sinh viên với có lợi cho việc học Phương pháp tổ chức giảng đề cao chức giao tiếp cần thiết lớp học 5 5 5 D KHÁC D21 Nhìn chung, Anh/Chị cảm thấy phương pháp giảng dạy giáo viên lớp học Anh/Chị trung tâm này? Vui lịng mơ tả ngắn gọn ý kiến Anh/Chị D22 Vui lòng nêu đề xuất (nếu có) để cải thiện phương pháp giảng dạy tiếng Anh trung tâm -HẾT XIN CHÂN THÀNH CẢM ƠN SỰ HỢP TÁC CỦA QUÝ ANH/CHỊ! 125 APPENDIX D INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE TO TEACHER RESPONDENTS What skill(s) you often pay more attention to? Listening Speaking Reading Writing All of four skills What is the main language used in your teaching, Vietnamese or English? Vietnamese English Equal use of English and Vietnamese What classroom activities you often use in your classroom? Group Work Pair-Work Role Play Dramatization Miming Reporting Observation Inter-questioning Work on Pictures Work on Models Making a Guess Talking about John Listen and Say Reporting T.V./Video Scenes What roles you often assume in your classroom? Facilitator Co-communicator Counselor Group process manager Need analyst Traditional dominant roles What types of materials you often use in your classroom beside the textbook? Text-based materials Task-based materials Realia What areas of language you often apply CLT to teach? Grammar Vocabulary Pronunciation Speaking Reading Writing Listening What type(s) of error correction you often employ in classroom? Explicit correction Recast Clarification requests Metalinguistic clues Elicitation Repetition What practical problems you encounter when applying CLT to your English teaching at FLC-USSH? Lack of teaching equipments (over-head projectors, computers, ) 126 Absence of English books which support CLT Teachers’ lack of time to prepare communicative activities/materials Administrators’ way of evaluating teachers Learners’ resistance to communicative activities Learners’ low level of language proficiency Learners’ characteristics (shy, timid, passive ) Large class size Teachers’ inadequate language proficiency Teachers’ lack of knowledge of CLT Grammar-based need of learners Were you given any opportunities for training sessons/seminars/workshops about CLT? If yes, where did you receive the training? From FLC-USSH From University/College/Post-graduate program Others 10 Do you have any suggestions about the implementation and practice of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) method at FLC-USSH? Please give comments 127 APPENDIX E OBSERVATION CHECKLIST Date: ./ ./ 2012 Teacher: Class: No Statements Target-language culture is integrated Four skills are equally attentive Use of mother tongue is minimized Knowledge of linguistic forms, functions and meanings are taught Learners’ speaking time is maximized Learners interact with each other Teacher assumes many roles Teacher roles are less dominant than learner roles Materials promote real-life communicative language use 10 Evaluation is about fluency and accuracy 11 Tests with communicative function are used 12 Errors are tolerated in fluency-based activities 13 Fluency is emphasized over accuracy 14 Self-correction is encouraged 15 Communicative activities are used 16 Communicative activities are carried out in pairs/groups 17 Full student-student interaction is encouraged 18 Teaching techniques are organized for learners to learn Yes No communicative functions 128 APPENDIX F LETTER TO TEACHER RESPONDENTS UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES Office of Postgraduate Program -o Letter to Teacher Respondents May 7th, 2012 Dear colleagues, Warmest greetings I am Ho Trung Hau, an English teacher at the Foreign Language Center of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH) – Vietnam National University, HCM City I am pursuing a Master program in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language) at USSH I am doing my thesis entitled ‘An Investigation of the Teachers’ and Learners’ Attitudes towards the Communicative Language Teaching at the Foreign Language Center – USSH in Ho Chi Minh City’ This questionnaire seeks to obtain information and insights on teachers’ attitudes towards the application of the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in the institution, then pedagogical suggestions are made to enhance the teaching quality here May you help me to answer the questionnaire Please note that your identity and responses will be held in strict confidentiality and used for research purposes only Your kind attention to this request will be highly appreciated I would also like to express my deepest gratitude and sincerest thanks for your help, time, patience and cooperation Thank you very much Very respectfully yours, Ho Trung Hau If you have any further inquiries, please feel free to contact me via: : hauht@tdmu.edu.vn or : 0945 858 564 129 APPENDIX G LETTER TO STUDENT RESPONDENTS UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES Office of Postgraduate Program -o Letter to Student Respondents May 14th, 2012 Dear learners, Warmest greetings I am Ho Trung Hau, an English teacher at the Foreign Language Center of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH) – Vietnam National University, HCM City I am enrolled in a postgraduate program in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language) at USSH I am doing my thesis entitled ‘An Investigation of the Teachers’ and Learners’ Attitude towards the Communicative Language Teaching at the Foreign Language Center – USSH in Ho Chi Minh City’ This questionnaire seeks to obtain information and insights on learners’ attitudes towards the application of the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in the above-mentioned institution; then pedagogical suggestions are made to enhance the teaching quality here May you help me to answer the questionnaire Rest assured that your identity and responses will be held in strict confidentiality and used for research purposes only Your kind attention to this request will be highly appreciated I would also like to express my deepest gratitude and sincerest thanks for your help, time, patience and cooperation Thank you very much Very respectfully yours, Ho Trung Hau If you have any further inquiries, please feel free to contact me via: : hauht@tdmu.edu.vn or : 0945 858 564 -ĐẠI HỌC KHOA HỌC XÃ HỘI VÀ NHÂN VĂN Phòng Sau Đại Học -o - Thư Ngỏ Các bạn học viên thân mến, Đầu tiên xin gởi lời chào trân trọng đến bạn Tôi tên Hồ Trung Hậu, giáo viên tiếng Anh Trung Tâm Ngoại Ngữ thuộc Đại Học Khoa Học Xã Hội Nhân Văn (ĐH KHXH & NV) – Đại học Quốc gia thành phố Hồ Chí Minh Tơi theo học chương trình sau đại học chuyên ngành Lý Luận Phương Pháp Giảng Dạy Tiếng Anh (TESOL) ĐH KHXH & NV Tôi thực luận văn tốt nghiệp với đề tài ‘Khảo Sát Thái Độ Của Giáo Viên Và Sinh Viên Đối Với Việc Giảng Dạy Tiếng Anh Theo Phương Pháp Giao Tiếp Tại Trung Tâm Ngoại Ngữ Thuộc ĐH KHXH & NV – HCM’ Luận văn nhằm khảo sát thái độ Anh/Chị việc tiến hành giảng dạy theo phương pháp giao tiếp trung tâm, qua đề xuất kiến nghị giúp nâng cao chất lượng giảng dạy Rất mong q Anh/Chị giúp tơi hồn thành bảng khảo sát Những thơng tin câu trả lời Anh/Chị cung cấp giữ bí mật dùng cho mục đích nghiên cứu mà Xin chân thành cảm ơn tham gia hợp tác quý Anh/Chị vào khảo sát Trân trọng Hồ Trung Hậu Liên lạc: : hauht@tdmu.edu.vn : 0945 858 564 130 APPENDIX H LETTER TO ADMINISTRATORS UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES Office of Postgraduate Program -o Letter to Administrators May 15th, 2012 Dear Deputy Director of FLC-USSH, I am Ho Trung Hau, an English teacher at the Foreign Language Center of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH) – Vietnam National University, HCM City I am enrolled in a Master program in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language) at USSH I am doing my thesis entitled ‘An Investigation of the Teachers’ and Learners’ Attitudes towards the Communicative Language Teaching at the Foreign Language Center – USSH in Ho Chi Minh City’ The study attempts to investigate teachers’ and learners’ attitudes towards the theory and application of the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in this institution, then, on that basis, pedagogical suggestions are provided to enhance the teaching quality here May you allow me to conduct classroom observations in the institution Please be noted that these observations are for research purposes only I would also like to express my deepest gratitude and sincerest thanks for your approval Thank you very much Very respectfully yours, Ho Trung Hau Approved by: Dr Le Hoang Dung If you have any further inquiries, please feel free to contact me via: : hauht@tdmu.edu.vn or : 0945 858 564 131 APPENDIX I RELIABILITY OF ITEMS IN QUESTIONNAIRE TO TEACHER RESPONDENTS Items Part B B1.1.a  B1.1.b B1.1.c  B1.1.d B1.1.e  B1.1.g B1.2.a  B1.2.c B1.3.a  B1.3.b B1.4.a B1.5.a B1.6.a  B1.6.c B1.7.a  B1.7.b B1.8.a  B1.8.b B1.9.a  B1.9.b B1.10.a B1.10.b B1.10.c  B1.10.d B1.11.a  B1.11.b B1.12.a  B1.12.b B1.13.a  B1.13.b Part C C1.1.a  C1.2.a C1.2.b  C1.2.c C1.3.a  C1.3.b C1.4.a  C1.4.b C1.5.a  C1.5.b C1.6.a  C1.6.b C1.6.c  C1.6.d C1.7.a  C1.7.b C1.8.a  C1.8.b C1.9.a  C1.9.b Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha Values 0.6883 0.6544 0.8211 0.7932 0.7113 0.7099 0.7022 0.7145 0.7611 0.7101 0.6952 0.7288 0.7511 0.7266 0.7801 0.7233 0.6805 0.7168 0.7188 0.7198 0.8017 0.6902 0.7102 0.7091 0.7192 Average 0.7213 0.7932 0.7113 0.7099 0.7022 0.7145 0.7611 0.7101 0.712 0.7511 0.7266 0.7801 0.7019 0.7168 0.7188 0.7198 0.746 0.7102 0.7091 0.7192 132 APPENDIX J RELIABILITY OF ITEMS IN QUESTIONNAIRE TO STUDENT RESPONDENTS Items Part B B2.1.a  B2.2.a B2.2.b  B2.2.c B2.3.a  B2.3.b B2.4.a  B2.4.b B2.5.a  B2.5.b B2.6.a  B2.6.b B2.6.c  B2.6.d B2.7.a  B2.7.b B2.8.a  B2.8.b B2.9.a  B2.9.b Part C C2.1  C2.2 C2.3  C2.4 C2.5  C2.6 C2.7  C2.8 Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha Values 0.7041 0.7003 0.7129 0.7501 0.7073 0.7109 0.6924 0.7021 0.7028 0.7226 0.6982 0.7065 0.6931 0.7025 Average 0.7022 0.7129 0.7501 0.7073 0.7017 0.7021 0.7128 0.7226 0.7 133 ...STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby declare this thesis entitled ? ?AN INVESTIGATION OF THE TEACHERS? ?? AND LEARNERS? ?? ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING AT THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER. .. termed Approach, Method and Technique By Approach, Anthony (1963) means that it is ? ?a set of correlative assumptions dealing with the nature of language teaching and learning An approach is axiomatic... (EFL teachers and students at FLC -USSH) towards the application and theory of the CLT in the English teaching and learning context of FLC -USSH rather than that of the other language schools or centers