An investigation into the learners needs for developing speaking skills (intermediate level) at iwep europe usa international english school

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES NGUYỄN THỊ ÁNH PHƯỚC AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE LEARNERS’ NEEDS FOR DEVELOPING SPEAKING SKILLS (INTERMEDIATE LEVEL) AT IWEP EUROPE – USA INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH SCHOOL A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (TESOL) SUPERVISOR: NGUYỄN HOÀNG TUẤN, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY – 2010 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE LEARNERS’ NEEDS FOR DEVELOPING SPEAKING SKILLS (INTERMEDIATE LEVEL) AT IWEP EUROPE – USA INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH SCHOOL in terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s Programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee of Department of English Linguistics and Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University of Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh, September 2010 NGUYỄN THỊ ÁNH PHƯỚC i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Nguyễn Thị Ánh Phước, being the candiate for the degree of Master of TESOL, accept the requiments 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 of my thesis deposited in the library should be for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Library for care, loan or reproduction of theses Ho Chi Minh, September 2010 NGUYỄN THỊ ÁNH PHƯỚC ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the assistance I received from a number of people in the course of carrying out this thesis paper I highly treasure the important role they played in making the completion of this thesis a success Firstly, this thesis paper wouldn’t be complete without my supervisor, Dr Nguyễn Hoàng Tuấn I would like to express my deepest gratitude to him for painstakingly reading through my work from the beginning to the end Without his constant advice and invaluable comments and suggestion, I may not have come this far Secondly, I would like to express my gratitude to my Department of English Linguistics and Literature, for offering me help and giving me opportunities in the course of completing this thesis Thirdly, I wish to extend my thanks to the teachers and students from IWEP International English School for their precious help and cooperation during my research time at school Lastly, millions of thanks go to my beloved family, especially my husband whose constant support and spiritual encouragement contributes a significant part to the completion of this research iii ABSTRACT Located in the center of Ho Chi Minh City, IWEP EUROPE – USA INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH SCHOOL is among the most chosen place for learners to practice speaking English With several years of teaching English, the researcher believed that it is important to take learners' needs in consideration to help students improving speaking skills As a foundation, this research has come into being with the aim of identifying the actual needs of the intermediate learners and making some suggestions for upgrading the teaching and learning quality at IWEP The study was carried out with the cooperation of 120 students together with 18 teachers First of all, the researcher conducted the classroom observations to find out the real activities of a typical speaking lesson at IWEP After that, a questionnaire with seventeen questions was delivered to the students; and another questionnaire with eleven questions was handed to the teachers The results of the research reveal that the students’ learning needs should be considered carefully when designing a speaking lesson – there should be interesting and practical activities, and the appropriate patterns of interaction should be carefully employed on the part of the teachers As far as the target needs of the learners are concerned, there is a notable importance that the teachers should keep in mind that most learners enroll in learning English wish to have a good job and promotion in their career The analysis of the findings also proved that the three factors affecting the learners' progress in speaking English the most are the learners' shyness, the lack of ideas for topic discussion and using L1 From the findings, the researcher believes that needs analysis should be done in order to enhance the teaching and learning quality of the speaking skills at IWEP iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS IWEP IWEP Europe–USA International English School ELT English Language Teaching CLT Communicative Language Teaching EFL English as a Foreign Language ESP English for Specific Purposes TSA Target Situation Analysis PSA Present Situation Analysis SA Strategy Analysis DA Deficiency Analysis MA Means Analysis L1 First language L2 Second language v LIST OF CHARTS AND FIGURE 4.1: Learners’ reasons for learning English 4.2: Learners’ preferred English communication skills 4.3: The frequency of learners’ practicing speaking English 4.4: The speaking ability of learners 4.5: The frequency of teachers in creating speaking opportunities for learners 4.6: The learners’ speaking ability from the teachers’ opinion 4.7: The frequency of teachers in creating speaking opportunities for learners vi LIST OF TABLES 4.1: Characteristics of learner subjects 4.2: Characteristics of teacher subjects 4.3: The purposes for which learners like speaking English 4.4: The location in which learners practice speaking English 4.5: the factors affecting the learners’ preferences for speaking English 4.6: The levels of learners’ enjoyment for some popular speaking activities 4.7: The frequency the learners prefer to take part in different kinds of interaction in class 4.8: The difficulties affecting the learning speaking English 4.9: The methods learners can employ to improve their speaking skills 4.10: The factors affecting the learners’ preferences to speak English 4.11: The speaking activities the teachers often conduct in class 4.12: The interactive organization of speaking activities in class 4.13: The motivating activities to encourage students 4.14: The difficulties affecting the learners’ speaking English vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Certificate of originality i Retention and use of the thesis ii Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv List of abbreviations v List of charts and figure vi List of tables vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background 1.2 The Problem 1.3 Statement of Purpose 1.4 Significance of the Study 1.5 Research Questions 1.6 Assumptions 1.7 Limitations 1.8 Delimitations 1.9 Overview of the Thesis viii CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definition of terms 2.1.1 Definition of needs 2.1.2 Definition of needs analysis 2.2 Classification of needs analysis 10 2.3 Learners' needs and improvement of their speaking skills 11 2.3.1 The problems of learners’ speaking skills 12 2.3.2 Learners' motivation 13 2.3.3 Teaching method: learner-centeredness 15 2.3.3.1 Definition of learner-centered approach 15 2.3.3.2 The relationship between learner-centeredness and the learners’ needs 16 2.3.4 Teaching authentic materials 17 2.4 Summary 18 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 19 3.1 Research setting 19 3.2 Research design 20 3.3 Subjects 21 3.3.1 The learners 22 ix Willing, K (1989) Teaching how to learn Learning strategies in ESL: A teachers’ guide Sydney: National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research 76 APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR INTERMEDIATE LEARNERS This questionnaire aims at collecting data for a study entitled: “An investigation into the learners’ needs for developing speaking skills (intermediate level) at IWEP Europe-USA International English School” Please answer this questionnaire to the best of your knowledge Please read all the options and put a tick (√) into one of the boxes for your answer To open response questions, please write your answers in the space provided if you have other ideas Your answers are very important to the success of the study They will be completely confidential and used for research purposes only PART I: PERSONAL INFORMATION Full name: ……………………………… Gender:  2.1 male  2.2 female Age: …………………  3.1 under 15  3.2 from 15 – 20  3.3 from 21 – 30  3.4 from 31 – 40  3.5 more than 40 You have learned English for ………………………  4.1 less than one year 77  4.2 from one year – four years  4.3 from five years – ten years  4.4 more than ten years PART II: LEARNING MOTIVATION The reasons to learn English  6.1 For one’s pleasure  6.2 For getting the better career opportunities  6.3 For traveling  6.4 For advancement / for personal development  6.5 For meeting the requirement for college/ university graduation 6.6 Others (please specify) Among four English communication skills, which one you like best? Listening  Speaking  Reading  Writing  You like learning speaking English for which of the following purposes: (Please tick one or more answers.)  8.1 To act in a play, play a game, a puzzle  8.2 To keep in touch with friends and foreigners  8.3 To work for an international company 78  8.4 To inspire everyone in the meetings, presentations, seminars and so on  8.5 To be self-confident in communication 8.6 Others (please specify) How often you practice your speaking English? 9.1 Never  9.3 Sometimes  9.5 Always  9.2 Seldom 9.4 Usually 10 Where you mostly practice your speaking English?  10.1 in your school  10.2 in your company  10.3 at foreign language centers  10.4 at home 10.5 Others (please specify) PART III: OPINIONS ABOUT SPEAKING ENGLISH IN AND OUT CLASSROOM 11 How you rate your speaking ability? 11.1 poor  11.4 good  11.2 below average  11.5 very good  11.3 fair  12 How often does your teacher create speaking opportunities in class? 79 12.1 never  12.2 seldom  12.4 often  12.5 always  12.3 sometimes  13 What makes you prefer to speak in English? (Please tick one or more answers.) 13.1 Interesting English environment  13.1 Students talking time  13.3 Patient and knowledgeable teacher  13.4 Good school facilities  13.5 Interesting materials  13.5 Others (please specify) 14 How you enjoy the following speaking activities? very little little moderately much very much 14.1 Speaking based on passage texts or dialogue texts     14.2 Speaking by games, songs, quizzes and puzzles     14 Speaking based on the topics     14.4 speaking based on presentations  14.5 speaking based on role plays     14.6 speaking based on group discussion        14.7 Others (please specify) 80 15 Please state the level of frequency you prefer to take part in these patterns of interaction in class 1.never 2.seldom 3.sometimes 4.usually 5.always 15.1 Alone      15.2 Individuals to teacher      15.3 Whole class to teacher      15 In pairs      15.5 In small group more people      15.6 Others (please specify) 16 Do you think these factors affect your English speaking skills? Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree 16.1 Be afraid of making mistakes / Shyness      16.2 Lacking of ideas for topic discussion      16.3 Multi-level classes      16.4 Using mother language in speaking activities      16.5 No much time to self-study      81 17 You can improve your speaking skill in what ways? Please rank them in order from to (1 is the most important; is the least important) 17.1 Recording yourself what you say [ ] 17.2 Talking English to your friends [ ] 17.3 Joining an English speaking club [ ] 17.4 Singing English songs [ ] 17.5 Talking English to foreigners [ ] 17.6 Others (please specified) Thank you very much for your help and cooperation! 82 APPENDIX 2: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS This questionnaire is intended to examine if the learners’ needs affecting their speaking skill at IWEP Your cooperation will be highly appreciated The answers will help us research and find out ways for better practice of teaching speaking PART I: PERSONAL INFORMATION Age: 1.1 from 22 – 25 1.2 from 25 – 20 1.3 more than 30 Gender: 2.1 male 2.2 female Qualification 3.1 B.A 3.2 M.A Time of teaching English 4.2 from to 10 years 4.1 under years 4.3 over 10 years PART II: OPINIONS ABOUT TEACHING SPEAKING ENGLISH IN EFL CLASSROOM How you rate your students’ speaking ability? 5.1 poor  5.2 below average  5.4 good  5.5 very good  5.3 fair  83 How often you create speaking opportunities in class? 6.1 never  6.2 seldom 6.4 often  6.5 always  6.3 sometimes   What makes your learners prefer to speak in English? (Please tick one or more answers.) 7.1 Interesting English environment  7.2 Students talking time  7.3 Patient and knowledgeable teacher  7.4 Good school facilities  7.5 Interesting materials  7.6 Others (please specify) Which speaking activities you often conduct to teach students in speaking class? 1.never 2.seldom 3.sometimes 4.usually 5.always 8.1 Speaking based on passage texts or dialogue texts     8.2 Speaking by games, songs, quizzes and puzzles     8.3 Speaking based on the topics     8.4 speaking based on presentations   8.5 speaking based on role plays  8.6 speaking based on group discussion          84 8.7 Others (please specify) You often organize class speaking activities in which of the following ways 1.never 2.seldom 3.sometimes 4.usually 5.always 9.1 Alone      9.2 Individuals to teacher      9.3 Whole class to teacher      9.4 In pairs      9.5 In small group more people      9.6 Others (please specify) 10 Which motivating activities you apply to encourage students to speak in English? (Please tick one or more answers.) 10.1 Giving good marks  10.2 Giving advice  10.3 Complimenting  10.4 Offering gifts or presents  10.5 Fining those who use L1  10.7 Others (please specify) 85 11 Do you think these factors affecting your students’ English speaking skills? Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree 11.1 Be afraid of making mistakes / Shyness      11.2 Lacking of ideas for topic discussion      11.3 Multi-level classes      11.4 Using mother language in speaking activities      11.5 Lack of time for self-study      11.6 Others (please specify) Thank you so much for your help and cooperation! 86 APPENDIX 3: CLASS OBSERVATION CHECKLIST This checklist is intended to investigate the activities of teachers and students during a speaking lesson at IWEP Period number: Class: Number of students: Lesson: Things to notice: How much time does the teacher spend on the speaking lesson?  very little  little  neutral  a lot  far a lot How does the teacher prepare for the students’ upcoming speaking activities?  carelessly  not enough  neutral  carefully  very carefully How often does the teacher use pair work and group work for the activities?  never  rarely  sometimes  usually  always What does the teacher during pair work or group work activities?  something else  stand in a corner or sit in the teachers’ desk and watch the students  go around the class and listen to the students 87  go around the class, listen, and give some help to the students when they need vocabulary or grammar structures  go around the class, join in with the students, talk to them and give help when necessary How the students speak English?  very badly  badly  neutral  good  very good How students participate in the activities?  very passively  passively  neutrally  actively  extremely actively What problems students have during the activities? (It’s possible to tick more than one option.)  They are shy  Most of them keep silent and just some of them talk  They not know what to talk about  They not have enough vocabulary or grammar structures  They switch to Vietnamese to talk How much students use Vietnamese while they are doing activities?  never  rarely  sometimes  usually  always What does the teacher at the post-speaking stage? (It’s possible to tick more than option.)  nothing 88  give general comments on the activities and the students’ speaking  ask some students or groups to report in front of the class and give personal feedback for each student or group  raise some mistakes during the activities and provide suggestions or corrections without mentioning who made the mistakes  ask the students what they think about the activities and what suggestions they would like the teacher to make about them 10 What most students seem to feel at the end of the speaking lesson?  very tired  tired  neutral  happy  extremely happy 89 RECORD SHEET: Time Stage Teacher’s activities Students’ activities Comments 90 ...CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE LEARNERS? ?? NEEDS FOR DEVELOPING SPEAKING SKILLS (INTERMEDIATE LEVEL) AT IWEP EUROPE. .. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS IWEP IWEP Europe? ? ?USA International English School ELT English Language Teaching CLT Communicative Language Teaching EFL English as a Foreign Language ESP English for Specific... implication is that the better the local situation is, the better the outcome of the learning process can be produced 2.3 Learners? ?? needs and improvement of their speaking skills Needs analysis