Using of code switching in grammar instructions to improve high school students’ grammatical knowledge and use

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY HỒ THỊ THÙY NHUNG USING OF CODE- SWITCHING IN GRAMMAR INSTRUCTIONS TO IMPROVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ GRAMMATICAL KNOWLEDGE AND USE MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION Nghệ An, 2018 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY HỒ THỊ THÙY NHUNG USING OF CODE- SWITCHING IN GRAMMAR INSTRUCTIONS TO IMPROVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ GRAMMATICAL KNOWLEDGE AND USE Major: Theory and Methodology of English language teaching Code: 14 01 11 MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION SUPERVISOR: Nguyễn Thị Kim Anh, Ph.D Nghệ An, 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Research Hypothesis 1.5 Significance of the study 1.4 Design of the study CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW Code switching 2.1.1 Definition of code switching 2.1.2 Reasons for using code- switching 2.2 First language (L1) 13 2.3 Second language (L2) 14 2.4 Definition of grammar 14 2.5 Types of grammar 15 2.6 The positive role of L1 and approaches focus on L1 in second language teaching 19 2.7 The advantages of using L1 in EFL classrooms 19 2.8 Comparison of tense in English and Vietnamese 22 2.8.1 Concepts of tenses 22 2.8.2 The equivalence of tense in English and Vietnamese 23 2.9 Debates the using L1 and L2 in language classroom 24 2.9.1 Supporting the monolingual approach 24 2.9.2 Supporting the bilingual approach 26 2.10 Justifications for L1 use in second language teaching 28 2.10.1 Studies demonstrating the positive role of L1 in L2 teaching 28 2.1 Issues in learning English tenses of Vietnamese learners 32 2.12 Chapter summary 32 CHAPTER 34 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 34 3.1 Research context 34 3.2 Participants 34 3.3 Research aims 35 3.4 Design 35 3.5 Research instrument 35 3.6 Materials 36 3.7 Schedule 36 3.8 Procedure 37 3.9 Chapter summary 38 CHAPTER 39 FINDINGS 39 4.1 The impact of the use of code switching on students’ accurate use of the three tenses 39 4.3 Chapter summary 47 CHAPTER 49 CONCLUSION AND LIMITATIONS 49 5.1 Conclusion 49 5.2 Implications 49 5.3 Limitations 50 5.4 Suggestions for future research 50 REFERENCES USING CODE SWITCHING IN GRAMMAR INSTRUCTIONS TO IMPROVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ GRAMMATICAL KNOWLEDGE AND USE By Ho Thi Thuy Nhung ABSTRACT In this paper, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the contribution of the use of code switching to students’achievement in grammatical accuracy in teaching grammar at a high school The current study aimed to (1) examine whether the use of code switching in teaching grammar in English foreign language (EFL) classroom enhances the students’grammatical knowledge in Past Simple, Past Continuous and Present Perfect, (2) investigate the extent the use of code switching in teaching grammar in EFL classroom contribute to students’ accurate use in Past Simple, Past Continuous and Present Perfect The subjects consist of 40 students at grade 11 from a high school at Long An province Their English is at pre-intermediate level The subjects are divided into two groups, namely an experimental group and a controlled group The experimental group is taught the three tenses Past Simple, Past Continuous and Present Perfect in which the English teacher used mother tongue to explain the rules of these tenses as well as the comparison of them in use The data was collected from the result of the test after the experimental class was done The data analysis is expected to show that in controlled group, the explanations were quite in English, the rate of students got good achievement in accuracy of three tenses is not high However, in experimental group, the mother tongue was used interchangeably with English in explanations; the students’ accuracy achievement in using three tenses is higher than in controlled group Chapter INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale English is necessary for everyone, especially for young generation.Moreover, English is the common means of communication between the people of different nations in the world; therefore, the purpose of teaching English is to enable students to communicate in English effectively English is also the language of science, of aviation, computers, diplomacy, and tourism English is also the language of the Internet Many websites are written in English –we will be able to understand them and to take part in forums and discussions.Moreover, knowing English increases your chances of getting a good job in a multinational company within your home country or of finding work abroad Therefore, requiring for learners’competence is becoming higher and higher However, the quality of teaching and learning English in high schools, even in universities was low After graduating from a certain university, many students could not apply for a job because of their English level.Therefore, the quality of teaching and learning English in high schools of Vietnam has been an issue which is strongly concerned at the moment It was obvious that the common problems of Vietnamese students in learning English unsuccessfully were lack of vocabulary knowledge, grammatical knowledge, inability of listening and speaking in English Therefore, we need to find out solutions for these problems to improve the quality of Vietnamese students in learning English Up to now, there are several Vietnamese researches conducted to investigate problems in teaching and learning English in Vietnam, especially the use of L1 and L2 in classroom It is reported that this is still a controversial issue causing many arguments among researchers and linguistics Krashen (1983), advocates of the Monolingual approach, argued that learners acquire foreign language (FL) following the same path they acquire their L1 Thus, L1 should be minimized in teaching and learning English (Krashen, 1981) Whereas, other studies have concluded that L1 is used as a facilitating and mediating tool for teaching as well as for learning (e.g Flyman-Mattsson & Burenhult, 1999; Macaro, 2001; Polio & Duff, 1994; Rolin-Ianziti & Brownlie, 2002; Storch & Aldosari, 2010) In addition, there was an issue of using Vietnamese in teaching English among a majority of English teachers Therefore, the researcher realized that it was significant to conduct studies related to the use of L1 and L2 in teaching English in Vietnam 1.2 Aims of the study The purpose of the study was: - to identify whether there is any impact of using code switching in teaching in English classroom on the students’ knowledge of English tenses - to identify the extent to what the use of code switching helps students’ use English tenses accurately 1.3 Research questions The main purpose of this research was to investigate whether the use of code switching impacts on students’ grammar accuracy achievement in grammar instructions in using the Past simple, Past continuous and Present perfect Specifically, the researcher attempted to answer the following questions: Does the use of L1 in teaching grammar in EFL classroom improve students’ grammatical knowledge of Past simple, Past Continuous and Present Perfect tenses? To what extent does the use of L1 in teaching grammar in EFL classroom improve students’use of English tenses (Past simple, Past Continuous and Present Perfect tenses)? 1.4 Research Hypothesis After having an accurate look at the related literature and the research questions, the present researcher hypothesized that there would be a positive impact of the code switching use on students’ grammar accuracy in grammar instructions in using Past simple, Past continuous and Present perfect In other words, when teachers used code switching appropriately, it could help students get higher ability of grammar accuracy in using these English tenses 1.5 Significance of the study From the present condition of teaching and learning English, the need of students in learning English (students learn English to pass tests and exams) and the findings of previous researches about L1 and L2 use in EFL / ESL, it was essential to conduct a research related to using code switching in teaching grammar in English foreign language (EFL) classroom in order to fill in one of the gaps about using both L1 and L2 in teaching English The present study was significant because through the findings of the research, English teachers and the researcher could explore whether using code switching helps students enhance the accurate achievement in using grammatical structures and the extent to what the use of code switching helps students use English tenses accurately From that, there would be some suggestions and implications for leadership and English teachers to improve the quality of teaching and learning English in my school 1.4 Design of the study There are five chapters in the research report Chapter is to introduce the research: rationale, the research context, the aims of the study, the significance of study, the design of the study Chapter is to provide theoretical background and an overview of prior studies in relation to the study Chapter is to provide a clear and detailed description of the research Chapter is to express the findings of the study based on collected data Chapter is to give conclusion and limitations of the current study as well as suggestions for the researches in future Finally, the researcher provides referenced materials of the study as well as the appendix CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW A review of existing literature was performed to support the current study The goals of this chapter were (1) to establish the significance of the general field of study and (2) identify a place where a new contribution could be made In order to get the two goals, the researcher critically evaluated the different research methodologies used in different studies of this field to explore the appropriate approach for the present study Code switching 2.1.1 Definition of code switching Code switching can be defined as the use of more than one language, variety, or style by a speaker within an utterance or discourse, or between different interlocutors or situations (Romaine, 1992:110).Code switching is not language interference, on the basis that it supplements speech, as presented by Skiba (1997).Code-switching is the practice of using two or more languages or varieties of language during communication.This is a good way to help people reach the content of the conservation easily Code switching (also codeswitching, CS) is the practice of moving back and forth between two languages or between two dialects or registers of the same language at one time Code switching occurs far more often in conversation than in writing It is also called code-mixing and style shifting It is studied by linguists to examine when people it, such as under what circumstances bilingual speakers switch from one to another, and it is studied by sociologists to determine why people it, such as how it relates to their belonging to a group or the surrounding context of the conversation (casual, professional, etc.)(Richard Nordquist, 2018) Code-switching is a broadly observed phenomenon especially in bilingual or multilingual communities, from single family units to large social groups Code-switching alludes to the interchanging of two languages together while speaking Table The findings of the score of two groups in isolated tense ANOVA Sum of Squares df Mean Square F 3.721 3.721 4.981 032 Groups Within 28.390 38 747 Groups Total 32.111 39 4.624 4.624 Groups Within 24.992 38 658 Groups Total 29.616 39 3.025 3.025 Groups Within 17.310 38 456 Groups Total 20.335 39 ScoreP Between S ScoreP Between C ScoreP Between P Sig 7.031 012 6.641 014 In the Table 6, there was statistically significant difference between groups in accurate use of students on past simple (F (1, 38) = 4.98, p = 03), on past continuous (F (1, 38) = 7.03, p = 01) and on present perfect (F (1, 38) = 6.64, p = 01) Initially, from the result so far, it was revealed that the ability of accurate use on past simple tense among the participants (2.96 ± 0.66, p = 03) was statistically higher than on past continuous (2.60 ± 0.57, p = 01) in the experimental group Similarly, students’ use of past continuous tenses accurately (2.60 ± 0.57, p = 01) was also higher than students’ accurate use on present perfect (2.25 ± 0.51, p = 01) From that, the use of L1 impacted on students’ accurate use of three tenses differently 46 The level of English proficiency of students at Tan Thanh high school were still unsatisfactory; that was the reasons why Vietnamese should be still be maintained in English classroom, especially in teaching grammar When the English was used in explaining the rules of three tenses (past simple, past continuous and present perfect) as well as comparing three tenses, the results of the participants archieved in the t-test was not good Whereas, the group in which Vietnamese was used obtained better results These results supported Ellis and Kelly’s results (1997), Kavaliauskien (2009) and Nguyen (2011), L1 should be still be maintained and be used more especially in explaining difficult concepts and brainstorming activities They also stated that that was not a question of “how much” L1 and L2 should be used, but “for what purpose” Because in the current study the objective is to explain the rules of three tenses and make comparisons between these tenses, then the use of Vietnamese is positive The teachers in this study, as a non native speaker of English, used L1 to explain the concept of the rules of past simple, past continuous, present perfect and compare the rules of three tenses that should be comprehended by her students She did this by interchanging her explanations in English with L1 to anticipate the student’s difficulties with English Schweers (1999) prepared a questionnaire and asked the teachers to state how frequent and for what purpose they used L1 in their EFL classes It was indicated that 100% of them agreed to use L1 in classroom interactions for the purpose to aid comprehension In the current study, the use of L1 in teaching the rules and comparing three tenses enhanced students’ comprehension Whereas, to each tense, the use of L1 had different impact on students’ achievement in using it accurately It was likely shown that students archieved more past simple and past continuous than present perfect 4.3 Chapter summary This chapter reported the findings of the study related to the issues posed in previous parts specifically and discussed these findings in detailed The results of the study proved the 47 use of L1 in teaching past simple, past continuous and present perfect enhanced students’ achievement in using three tenses accurately Also, the results indicated that there was different impact of students’ achievement on different tenses 48 CHAPTER CONCLUSION AND LIMITATIONS 5.1 Conclusion The present study was conducted in classroom action research with the objectives to improve students’ accurate use of English tenses, namely past simple, past continuous and present perfect This was done by using interchangeably with English in the explanations and comparison of the rules of three tenses The results of the statistical analysis proved that there was a contribution of the use of code switching in teaching English tenses to students’ achievement in using three tenses more accurately while there was no difference in students’ level of English proficiency between two groups Similarly, the achievement of each tense was different from each other To the knowledge of the researcher, the present study is one of the rare investigations of the use of code switching in teaching grammar As a result, it also provides the opportunity to make claims about the role of L1 in teaching English in EFL in Vietnam This study has attempted to lay the groundwork for greater research into the contribution of the use of code switching in grammar instructions to students’ accurate use of English grammatical structures Most importantly, the current study shows that the use of code switching in teaching English tenses impacts differently on students’ use of different tense 5.2 Implications The results of this study suggest that the use of code switching enhanced the students’ achievement in learning English, paricularly English tenses The participants comprehended the explanations and comparison of three tenses provided by the teacher In addition, the impact of the use of code switching on students’ achievement in using tenses is different from tense to tense Thus, teachers should also be aware which tense that students’ achievement was better in order to continuously enhance it and which tense that students’ achievement was not good so that they can find the reason why the use of 49 L1 did not provide much contribution Teachers should be aware of the amount of the use of L1 in teaching, which not only help students enhance their achievement in using English tenses but have intention to use target language 5.3 Limitations When considering the implications of the study, there are several key limitations that researchers and teachers should be aware of The study was conducted with preintermediate – level learners of English as a foreign language and Vietnamese as L1 Only 40 participants were chosen randomly based on their result of proficiency test among 260 eleven-grade students; therefore the number of participants was little Thus, the result may be less convincing In addition, the result of proficiency test might not have been a true reflection of the proficiency level of the participants Another notable limitation is that the current study was lack of investigating the amount of the use of code switching teacher used in their teaching The teachers were asked to use English overall in controlled group and Vietnamese in explaining and comparing the rules of English tenses in experimental group Thus, the result of the study did not show how much the use of code switching provides the better impact Furthermore, in the study there were two groups – controlled group with English overall in teaching three tenses and experimental groups with Vietnamese in teaching rules and comparing three tenses It would provide more interesting, convincing and obvious results of the impact of the use of code switching if one more group was conducted with Vietnamese overall in teaching three tenses 5.4 Suggestions for future research The use of code switching in explaining the rules and comparing the three tenses showed when is appropriate to use L1 or L2 in EFL classrooms Whenever the explanations of the rules and comparison of the rules among three tenses are empahsized, which means comprehending meaning is important, then the use of L1 is encouraged to enhance learning Further studies with similar topics should be made to explore how much the use 50 of L1 brings positive impact on students learning, whether the use of L1 influence development skills of students 51 APPENDIX PRE-TEST Choose the correct answer: They ……………… English since they ……………… young A have learned/ have been B have learned/ were C learned/ were D.learned/ have been Tom told me that he ……………much money on books the year before A spent B has spent C had spent D was spent We …………… to the concert for ages A haven’t been B hadn’t been C.wasn’t been D.isn’t been When I…………… the street, I saw my old teacher A crossed B was crossing C.cross D.is crossing This is the first time I …………………that film A had seen B have seen C saw D.was seeing The last time I…………….in Dalat was in August A am B has been C was D had been When I…………… (arrive) at his house, he still…………… (sleep) A arrived/ slept B was arriving/ was sleeping C was arriving/ slept D arrived/ was sleeping They ……………… in that factory for three years - from 1995 to 1998 A are working B have been working C worked D.have worked We …………………… the television when the lights ………………… out A were watching / were going B were watching / went C watched / went D watched / were going 10.I ………………………………… ten records from Tom this month A have borrowed B borrow 52 C am borrowing D have been borrowing 11 The weather ……………………… fine so far this week A is B has been C was D had been 12 She has been studying engineering ……………………………… A since years B for years C years before D during years 13 I …………………… that novel at least twice A have read B read C reads D have been reading 14.Henry …………………… into the restaurant when the writer was having dinner A was going B went C has gone D did go 15 At first she …………………… out with him because she thought he was weird, but then she changed her mind A didn’t wanted to B wanted not to C wasn’t wanting to D didn’t want to 16 I ………………… a new house last year, but I …………………… my old house yet, so at the moment I have two houses A buy / didn’t sell B bought / didn’t sell C bought / haven’t sold D have bought / haven’t sold 17 When he ………………………… all his newspapers, he will go home A has sold B sold C sell D sells 18 She has not written to me we last met together A before B since C ago D meanwhile C were you seeing D had you seen 19 How many times them so far? A have you seen B did you see 53 20 We for going home when it began to rain A has prepared B are preparing C will be preparing D were preparing 54 APPENDIX POST-TEST Choose the correct answer: John as a journalist since he from university in 2000 A is working / graduate B worked / graduated C had worked / will be graduate D has been / graduated She has not written to me we last met together A before B since C ago D meanwhile How many times them so far? A have you seen B did you see C were you seeing D had you seen We for going home when it began to rain A has prepared B are preparing C will be preparing D.were preparing Tim his hair while I up the kitchen A washed-was cleaned B was washing-was cleaning C was washing-cleaned D washed-cleaned As she a letter last night, the lights suddenly out A was writing/ went B wrote/ went C was writing/ was going D writes/ went I my uncle’s home many times when I a child A visited/ is B visits/ was C visited/ was D visited/ were I here for more than 10 years A have taught B taught 55 C teach D is teaching 10 At this time yesterday, everyone in the room A is dancing B was dancing C dances D danced 11 _ any letters from him lately? A Do you receive B Have you recieved C.Are you receiving D Had you received 11 he his assigned homework? Yes, he has A Has/ finished B has/ got C Does/ finished D Does/ get 12 She _ home, _ in the car and to the shop A has left/ got/ went B left/ got/ went C was leaving/ got/ went D leaves/ gets/ goes 13 As I (cross) the road, I (step) on a banana skin and fell heavily A crossed/ stepped B was crossing/ was stepping C crossed/ was stepping D was crossing/ stepped 14 We (have) _ dinner, the man _ in A had/ was coming B had/ came C were having/ came D were having/ was coming 15 Tom _ Mary in 1998 and they _ good friends since then A is dancing B was dancing C dances D danced 16 When Carol was calling (A) last night, I was watching (B) my favorite (C) show on (D) television 17 Last night at this time, they were doing (A) the same (B) thing.She cooked (C) and he was reading (D) the Newspaper 18 He has been (A) to (B) New York three times (C) this (D) year 56 19 I don’t (A) know how to (B) dance when (C) I was (D) six years old 20 I haven’t (A) seen (B) Tom since he has left (C) school (D) 57 REFERENCES Al-Nofaie, H (2001).The attitudes of teachers and students towards using Arabic in EFL classrooms in Saudi public schools: a case study, Novitas-Royal, 4(1), 64-95 Atkinson, D (1987) The mother tongue in the classroom: A neglected resource? 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Pancaran Pendidikan, 55, 48-58 Yuri, K., & Eleni, P (2009) Students and teachers use of and attitudes to L1 in the Efl classroom In R Paul & N Roger (Eds.), The Asian EFL journal quarterly (Vol 11, pp 58-89) Busan, Korea: Asian EFL Journal Press 60 ...MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY HỒ THỊ THÙY NHUNG USING OF CODE- SWITCHING IN GRAMMAR INSTRUCTIONS TO IMPROVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ GRAMMATICAL KNOWLEDGE AND USE Major:... uses of L1 in the process of teaching L2 including explaining the meaning of new words and grammatical points, giving instructions, checking learners’ understanding and giving feedback to individual... which related to the impact of the use of code switching on students’ accurate use of English tenses and the extent of the impact of the use of code switching on students’ accurate use of English