Implementing pronunciation strategies to help students of vietnam united states society in toeic preparation course of elementary level to self improve their pronunciation

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HOCHIMINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES  IMPLEMENTING PRONUNCIATION STRATEGIES TO HELP STUDENTS OF VIETNAM-UNITED STATES-SOCIETY IN TOEIC PREPARATION COURSE OF ELEMENTARY LEVEL TO SELF-IMPROVE THEIR PRONUNCIATION A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Art (TESOL) Submitted by QUÁCH THỊ TỐ NỮ Supervisor: PHAN THỊ KIM LOAN, M.A Ho Chi Minh City, February 2011 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that this thesis entitled: “IMPLEMENTING PRONUNCIATION STRATEGIES TO HELP STUDENTS OF VIETNAM-UNITED STATES-SOCIETY IN TOEIC PREPARATION COURSE OF ELEMENTARY LEVEL TO SELFIMPROVE THEIR PRONUNCIATION” is my own work This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other institution Ho Chi Minh City February, 2011 Quách Thị Tố Nữ i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Quách Thị Tố Nữ, being a candidate for the degree of Master of Arts (TESOL), accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s thesis deposited in the library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master’s thesis deposited in the library should be accessible for purpose of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the library for the care, loan or reproduction of the thesis Ho Chi Minh City February, 2011 Quách Thị Tố Nữ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Ms Phan Thị Kim Loan, M.A for her constant enthusiastic guidance, enormously helpful advice, careful proofreading on my writing Without her help, this M.A thesis would still be far from finished My special thanks go to all my professors and lecturers of the graduate program who have provided me with useful materials in TESOL and inspired me to ceaselessly find ways to facilitate learners’ acquisition I am also thankful to my students who are an inspiration to me and my enthusiastic colleagues who actively participated in the study; my thesis would never have been accomplished without them I must re-acknowledge my gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Ms Phan Thị Kim Loan, M.A and all the professors who were the examiners of my thesis Their valuable comments and advice are vital for me in doing further researches into my field of interest Finally, I am greatly indebted to my beloved family for their great support iii ABSTRACT TOEIC has become a mandatory graduation requirement for college and university students in Vietnam TOEIC takers are to take two obligatory parts (listening and reading) and one optional part (speaking) Many among VUS learners however, need to take the speaking exam as an internal requirement This means they have to work really hard to improve their listening, reading as well as speaking skill for the TOEIC Test This study aims at designing and implementing suitable and feasible pronunciation strategies to help students of elementary level of TOEIC Preparation Course to self-improve their own pronunciation The study’s data were collected through four types of instruments: a questionnaire, a pre-test and a post-test administered to 70 students in two classes E1.1 and E1.3 of elementary level at SAIGONACT Campus of VUS – TOEIC Preparation Course; and an observation sheet done by four coteachers who shared these two classes with the researcher The experimental teaching, the questionnaire and the observation sheet together with the results from the two tests hopefully provide valid and reliable data to the study The data analysis of these sources of information has brought to light the most suitable and feasible pronunciation learning strategies to be implemented in the context of the study site The significant findings lead to the practical recommendations about how to implement pronunciation learning strategies to make students able to selfimprove their pronunciation during class and most importantly, away from class and during their life studying English The wisest method is to integrate these strategies in a “little but often manner” into the language program Teachers should put some weight on pronunciation and make learners always aware of their pronunciation to consciously peer correct as well as self-correct through these basic steps: (1) iv Provide basic pronunciation knowledge; (2) Train students to use these strategies through simple and fun activities; (3) Help them turn these strategies into their own tactics to self improve their own pronunciation ability such as showing them how to keep a notebook of pronunciation in a systematic manner; always communicating in English whenever possible v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Statement of authorship i Retention and use of the thesis ii Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv Table of contents vi List of tables, figures, and charts x Abbreviations xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the Study 1.2 Overview of teaching and learning TOEIC at the study site 1.2.1 Background of the center 1.2.2 Course book description 1.2.3 Course outline description 1.3 The Rationale 1.4 Statement of the thesis 1.5 Research Questions 1.6 Significance of the study 1.7 Scope of the thesis 1.7.1 Scope of the topic vi 1.7.2 Scope of the methodology 1.8 Structure of the research CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 10 2.1 Pedagogical notions 10 2.1.1 Pronunciation acquisition 10 2.1.2 Pronunciation learning strategies 13 2.1.3 Strategy training 15 2.2 Pronunciation teaching methodology 17 2.3 Prior researches on self-study and the teaching of pronunciation 25 2.4 Summary 28 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 29 3.1 Research setting 29 3.2 Research questions 29 3.3 Study design 29 3.4 Subjects to the study 31 3.5 Research instruments 32 3.5.1 Pre-questionnaire on the participants’ background and Survey on pronunciation learning strategies used by the participants 33 3.5.2 Diagnostic test 34 3.5.3 Achievement test 35 vii 3.5.4 Post questionnaires 36 3.5.5 Observation sheet 36 3.6 Materials: Pronunciation lesson plans 36 3.7 Research procedure 41 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 42 4.1 Data analysis 42 4.1.1 Results of the pre-questionnaire 42 4.1.2 Results of the diagnostic test and achievement test 46 4.1.3 Responses to the postquestionnaires 53 4.1.4 Results of the observation sheet 58 4.2 Findings 59 4.2.1 The similarities of the two groups in term of general background and English pronunciation background 59 4.2.2 The effects of pronunciation learning strategies through the achievement test after the treatment 60 4.2.3 Learners’ attitude of pronunciation learning strategies through the questionnaire 61 CHAPTER 5: RECOMMENDATIONS, LIMITATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS.……………………………………………….………….62 5.1 Recommendations 62 5.1.1 Possible amendment to the experimental teaching materials and process 62 5.1.2 Proposals in teaching method coming from the research 62 viii 5.1.3 Suggestions for students 73 5.2 Limitations 75 5.3 Conclusions 75 Bibliography 78 Appendices 83 Appendix I Course book description 83 Appendix II Pronunciation Learning Strategies 85 Appendix III Pre-questionnaire on the participants’ background and Survey on Pronunciation Learning Strategies 89 Appendix IV Diagnostic Test 97 Appendix V Pronunciation checklist 105 Appendix VI Achievement Test 106 Appendix VII Pronunciation Lesson Plans 112 Appendix VIII Post Questionnaires 128 Appendix IX Observation Sheet 138 Appendix X Websites for Pronunciation Practice 139 ix Post-Questionnaire for the Controlled Group (in English) Dear students, This questionnaire is formed to collect the data for the research named “Implementing Pronunciation Strategies to Help Students of VietnamUnited States-Society in TOEIC Preparation Course of Elementary Level to Self-Improve Their Pronunciation” Please tick the letter of your best choice or write down exactly your answer Your answers are extremely valuable for the study and are only used for the researches purposes Thank you very much for your participation! Are pronunciation aspects mentioned in your course book helpful to you? a Yes b No What language skills have you improved after learning these pronunciation aspects at the end of the course a Listening b Speaking c Others……………………… What else would you like to learn about pronunciation? …………………………………………………………… …………… Can you write down what you should to improve your pronunciation? ………………………………………………………………………… 133 Can you recognize your own and friends’ pronunciation mistakes? a Yes b No If yes, what are these mistakes related to? Please put a tick in front of your choice Segmentals Consonants Word-final voiceless stop consonants: /p/, /t/, and /k/ Voiced vs voiceless stops in word-final position: /b/, /d/, /g/ vs /p/, /t/, /k/ Word-final fricative consonants: /f/, /v/, / θ / as in ‘truth, / ð / as in ‘bathe’, /s/, /z/, / ʃ / as in ‘wash’, and / dʒ / as in ‘beige’ Consonant clusters Word-final / tʃ / as in ‘march’ /p/ vs /f/ and /b/ Vowels Tense vs lax vowels: /i/ vs /I/, /eɪ/ vs /e/, /u/ vs /ʊ/, /æ/ vs /e/ Supra-segmentals Stress, rhythm, and intonation Word stress Linking 10 _ Contractions 11 _ Intonations If yes, what you usually with these mistakes? Choose the solutions you use More than one is acceptable a Let it be b Ask the friend to say the word again c Negotiate how to pronounce the word correctly 134 d Ask the teacher to help decide how to say the word correctly e Say nothing to that friend, just learn to avoid making the same mistake Do you think that you need help to find out good ways to learn pronunciation of English? a Yes b No 135 Post-Questionnaire for the Controlled Group (in Vietnamese) Các bạn sinh viên thân mến, Bảng câu hỏi nhằm để thu thập thông tin cho nghiên cứu “Áp dụng chiến thuật phát âm nhằm giúp học viên trình độ học lớp luyện thi TOEIC trung tâm hội Việt Mỹ cải thiện cách phát âm” Các bạn đánh dấu vào lựa chọn viết xác câu trả lời Câu trả lời bạn có giá trị cho nghiên cứu dùng cho mục đích nghiên cứu Cảm ơn nhiều! Những khía cạnh phát âm giáo trình có hữu ích cho bạn khơng? a có) b khơng Những kỹ ngôn ngữ bạn cải thiện sau học khía cạnh này? a Nghe b Nói c Những kỹ khác ……………………… Bạn muốn học khác phát âm? ………………………………………………………………………… Bạn viết cách bạn làm để cải thiện khả phát âm mình? ………………………………………………………………………… Bạn có nhận lỗi phát âm bạn khơng? a có b khơng 136 Nếu có, lỗi liên quan đến phần nào? Hãy đánh dấu vào lựa chọn bạn âm phân đoạn phụ âm phụ âm tắc, vô cuối từ: /p/, /t/, and /k/ phụ âm tắc, cuối từ vô hay hữu thanh: /b/, /d/, /g/ vs /p/, /t/, /k/ phụ âm xát cuối từ: /f/, /v/, / θ / as in ‘truth, / ð / as in ‘bathe’, /s/, /z/, / ʃ / as in ‘wash’, and / dʒ / as in ‘beige’ nhóm phụ âm phụ âm cuối / tʃ / từ ‘march’ /p/ vs /f/ and /b/ nguyên âm Nguyên âm căng dãn: /i/ vs /I/, /eɪ/ vs /e/, /u/ vs /ʊ/, /æ/ vs /e/ âm siêu phân đoạn dấu nhấn, nhịp điệu, ngữ điệu dấu nhấn nối âm 10 _ rút gọn 11 _ ngữ điệu Nếu nhận lỗi bạn thường làm với lỗi này? Chọn giải pháp mà bạn dùng Bạn chọn nhiều giải pháp a Cứ để b Bảo bạn đọc lại từ c Thảo luận cách đọc từ cho d Yêu cầu giáo viên giúp đọc từ e Khơng nói với bạn, học tránh lặp lại lỗi Bạn có cần giúp đỡ để tìm cách hay để học phát âm tiếng Anh? a có b khơng 137 APPENDIX IX Observation Sheet (done by co-teachers) Part 1: About students Do the students have positive reactions to the pronunciation lessons? a Strongly agree disagree b Agree c Not sure d Disagree e Strongly Do students participate enthusiastically into the pronunciation lessons? a Strongly agree disagree b Agree c Not sure d Disagree e Strongly d Disagree e Strongly Do they understand the lessons easily? a Strongly agree disagree b Agree c Not sure Are the pronunciation lessons useful for them? a Strongly agree disagree b Agree c Not sure d Disagree e Strongly Part 2: About the instructor Is the instructor well-prepared for class sessions? a Strongly agree disagree b Agree c Not sure d Disagree e Strongly Did the teacher make the lessons interesting? a Strongly agree disagree b Agree c Not sure d Disagree e Strongly What could be done to improve the instructor's teaching effectiveness? ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… 138 Appendix X Websites for Pronunciation Practice http://my.opera.com/lathanhtriet/blog/websites-for-pronunciation-practice Friday, 12 February 2010, 22:52:52 American Accent Training http://www.americanaccent.com Learn how to speak with a standard American accent ESL - English as a Second Language http://www.geocities.com/century21entertainment A Video/TV program for all ages and all nations , a self-teaching tool that helps one worry less about his/her pronunciation, reading or speaking situations International Phonetic Alphabet http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/IPA/ipachart.html Complete IPA pronunciation chart Mouth Workout http://www.elfs.com/MM5%20menu.html Tongue twister exercises to improve problem consonants Sentence Stress http://www.englishclub.net/study/pronunciation/sentence-stress.htm Sentence stress is the music of spoken English Phonics Practice http://www.fonetiks.org/ The sounds of different kinds of English (British, Canadian, Irish, etc) and other languages) Pronunciation Lesson Plans http://esl.about.com/od/pronunciationlessonplan1/ Arranged by level 139 Phonics Resources http://faculty.washington.edu/dillon/PhonResources/newstart.html Digitized sounds Pronunciation Tips http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/johnm/eptotd/tiphome.htm Daily tips in pronunciation of British English (works for other accents too); use 'Today's tip' or the archive of 'Past tips' Merriam Webster Pronouncing Dictionary http://www.m-w.com/netdict.htm Type a word in the Collegiate Dictionary field and click 'Look it up' to see a definition and hear its pronunciation in US English Pronunciation Poem http://pauillac.inria.fr/~xleroy/stuff/english-pronunciation.html An amusing poem illustrating problems of English writing and pronunciation (e.g., 'just compare heart, beard and heard') http://www.englishmedialab.com/pronunciation.html Pronunciation TV - IPA Video Lessons • • • • • • • • • Single Vowel Sounds Video Lesson Double Vowel Sounds Video Lesson (Diphthongs) Consonant Sounds Video - Voiced and Voiceless Sounds BBC - Diphthongs (Double Vowels) Video - As in Hear, Near, Ear BBC - Diphthongs (Double Vowels) Video - As in Cure, Pure, Tour BBC - Short Vowel Sounds Video - As in BAT & But, Cut vs Cat BBC - Voiced vs Voiceless Consonants - As in Joke & Choke BBC - Voiced vs Voiceless Consonants - As in Back vs Pack BBC - Voiced vs Voiceless Consonants - As in Town vs Down Vowel Sounds Self-Grading Pronunciation Exercises • • • Vowel Sounds multiple choice quiz - Learn and practice English vowels Double vowel sounds - Diphthongs Quiz - "EI" sound as in GAME Double vowel sounds - Diphthongs Quiz - "AI" sound as in FLY 140 • • • • • • • • • • Double vowel sounds - Diphthongs Quiz - "OI" sound as in BOY Double Vowel Sounds -Diphthongs Test - All Diphthongs hotspot quiz Single Vowel Sounds self-test Phonetic multiple choice vowel exercise using Audio Regular Past simple ending sounds- Pronounce the endings of past simple words correctly Phonetics quiz: Diphthongs symbols exercise-English pronunciation English Intonation exercise: A multiple choice quiz with audio recordings to practice pronunciation and intonation in expressing feelings Pronunciation and word stress Quiz Word stress in another challenging part of pronunciation in English Learning Here is a quiz to give you some practice Pronunciation and word stress: English phonetics stress pattern quiz Odd word out: Choose the word that does not rhyme with the others An exercise about sounds of English words Phonetic Sounds Video Lessons - IPA • • • Vowel Sounds Video Lesson - Learn vowel sounds Consonant Video Lesson - Learn consonat sounds Consonant Video Lesson - Learn consonat sounds Homonyms Self-Test Exercise • Homonyms Interactive Crossword puzzle - Ex Deer and Dear Phonetic Teaching : Printable Worksheets • • • • Phonetic Quizzes as worksheets to print Phonetic Crossword puzzles Phonetic Board Game using IPA Decoding Phonetic Charts and Flash Cards Phonetic Videos , Mp3, Intonation & Ebooks • • • Phonetic Vowel Sounds Video lesson- Learn phonetic vowels IPA with video slides Phonetic Mp3 Audio book- pdf vowel sounds + mp3 attachment Phonetic vowel Sounds Mp3 Download for ipod, PCs & mp3 player users 141 • Software- Phonetic input software- Quickly and Easily type in Phonetic symbols in word documents Other Phonetics Materials • • • • • • • • • • Phonetic Vowel Sounds Video lesson- Learn phonetic vowels IPA with video slides Phonetic Mp3 Audio book- pdf vowel sounds + mp3 attachment Phonetic vowel Sounds Mp3 Download for ipod, PCs & mp3 player users Phonetics quiz: Diphthongs symbols exercise-English pronunciation .Regular Past simple ending sounds- Pronounce the endings of past simple words correctly English Intonation exercise: A multiple choice quiz with audio recordings to practice pronunciation and intonation in expressing feelings Odd word out: Choose the word that does not rhyme with the others An exercise about sounds of English words Pronunciation and word stress Quiz Word stress in another challenging part of pronunciation in English Learning Here is a quiz to give you some practice Pronunciation and word stress: English phonetics stress pattern quiz Software- Phonetic input software- Quickly and Easily type in Phonetic symbols in word documents http://www.esltower.com/pronunciation.html This page contains exercises for English pronunciation, phonetics, phonology and intonation There are printable exercises for teachers and self-grading exercises for use online Vowel Sounds Self-Grading Pronunciation Exercises • • • • • • • • Vowel Sounds multiple choice quiz - Learn and practice English vowels Double vowel sounds - Diphthongs Quiz - "EI" sound as in GAME Double vowel sounds - Diphthongs Quiz - "AI" sound as in FLY Double vowel sounds - Diphthongs Quiz - "OI" sound as in BOY Double Vowel Sounds -Diphthongs Test - All Diphthongs hotspot quiz Single Vowel Sounds self-test Phonetic multiple choice vowel exercise using Audio Regular Past simple ending sounds- Pronounce the endings of past simple words correctly 142 • • • • • Phonetics quiz: Diphthongs symbols exercise-English pronunciation English Intonation exercise: A multiple choice quiz with audio recordings to practice pronunciation and intonation in expressing feelings Pronunciation and word stress Quiz Word stress in another challenging part of pronunciation in English Learning Here is a quiz to give you some practice Pronunciation and word stress: English phonetics stress pattern quiz Odd word out: Choose the word that does not rhyme with the others An exercise about sounds of English words Phonetic Sounds Video Lessons - IPA • • • Vowel Sounds Video Lesson - Learn vowel sounds Consonant Video Lesson - Learn consonat sounds Consonant Video Lesson - Learn consonat sounds Homonyms Self-Test Exercise • Homonyms Interactive Crossword puzzle - Ex Deer and Dear Phonetic Teaching : Printable Worksheets • • • • Phonetic Quizzes as worksheets to print Phonetic Crossword puzzles Phonetic Board Game using IPA Decoding Phonetic Charts and Flash Cards Phonetic Videos , Mp3, Intonation & Ebooks • • • • • Phonetic Vowel Sounds Video lesson- Learn phonetic vowels IPA with video slides Phonetic Mp3 Audio book- pdf vowel sounds + mp3 attachment Phonetic vowel Sounds Mp3 Download for ipod, PCs & mp3 player users Software- Phonetic input software- Quickly and Easily type in Phonetic symbols in word documents Kids& Beginner Course Lessons - Lessons by courses Course Lessons Unit intro – Alphabet & Phonics Resources Aim: Teach letters of the alphabet 143 Unit – Greetings - Hello Aim: Teach basic greetings – Hello, Hi, Goodbye Unit – What’s your name? Aim: To teach kids how to say their names Unit – How old are you? Aim: Teach kids how to say their age and learn numbers to Unit – Numbers – How many? Aim: Teach kids how to count from to 10 Unit A – Colours – What colour is it? Aim: Teach kids how to describe things through colours Unit B - Colours Vocabulary Aim: Teach colours vocabulary Unit C - Green Monster Colours Lesson Aim: Teach colours through a colours songs Unit – Fruits – I like apples Aim: Teach kids names of fruits and how to express likes Unit – Body – I have a head Aim: Teach kids parts of the body Unit 8– Actions – I can, I can’t Aim: Teach kids how to express ability using simple action verbs Course Lessons Unit – Animals – Farms Animals 144 Aim: Teach students how to express preference by using vocabulary related to farm animals Unit – Family Members Aim: Teach words and expressions used when describing family Unit – School bag Aim: To teach words and expressions related to classroom items Unit – Actions – Can and Can’t Aim: Teach action verbs Unit – Shapes & Sizes Aim: Teach various shapes and adjectives to describe size Unit – Demonstrative Pronouns – This/That/These/Those Aim: Teach singular and plurals of nouns and demonstrative pronouns Unit – Numbers – 10 to 100 Aim: Teach numbers 10 to 100 and pronunciation differences between long and short vowels Unit – Toys – Where is it? Aim: Teach words and expressions related to toys and to ask where things are Unit – Days of the week and weekly activities Aim: Teach days of the week and some things we weekly Unit 10 - Weather – What’s the weather like? Aim: Teach students how to ask about the weather and describe it Unit 11 - Food – What you want to eat Aim: Teach students about the things we eat and express want 145 Course Lessons Unit – Pets : Why you like dogs? Aim: Teach names of pets and give a brief description of pets using personality adjectives Unit 2a – Time – What time is it? Aim: Teach students how to tell the time and also how to talk about daily routines Unit 2b – Time – What time is it? Aim: Teach students how to tell the time using quarter to/past/ Half past etc Unit – Months & birthdays – When is your birthday? Aim: Teach students months of the year and how to tell dates using months and ordinal numbers Unit – Jobs – What people Aim: To teach kids how to describe jobs using action verbs Unit – Actions – What are you doing? Aim: Students will learn how to describe actions in progress using the present progressive Unit – Transport – How you come to school? Aim: Teach students different means of transport and talk about going around Unit – Clothes – What are you wearing today? Aim: To learn to describe what someone is wearing Unit – Where is it? – At home 146 Aim: Teach kids prepositions of place, alongside rooms and things at home Unit 9a – Vegetables – How much are the carrots? Aim: Teach kids vegetable vocabulary and how to go shopping for veggies Unit 9b – Vegetables – Extra Vegetable Vocabulary lesson Cauliflower, broccoli etc Aim: Teach students extra vegetable vocabulary Unit 10 – Weather and clothes - Put on your sunglasses Aim: Teach kids how to talk about clothes relative to the weather Unit 11 - Zoo – What does a panda look like? Aim: To teach students how to describe zoo animals by what they eat and look like 147 ...STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify that this thesis entitled: ? ?IMPLEMENTING PRONUNCIATION STRATEGIES TO HELP STUDENTS OF VIETNAM- UNITED STATES- SOCIETY IN TOEIC PREPARATION COURSE OF ELEMENTARY LEVEL TO. .. the TOEIC Test This study aims at designing and implementing suitable and feasible pronunciation strategies to help students of elementary level of TOEIC Preparation Course to self- improve their. .. speaking score but also help in increasing scores in listening part in TOEIC test Another important aim of the research is to help learners self improve their pronunciation ability As autonomy