Towards improving l2 speaking skills for adult learners an investigation into teaching speaking at vietnam australia international english school

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HOCHIMINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES ℵ TOWARDS IMPROVING L2 SPEAKING SKILLS FOR ADULT LEARNERS AN INVESTIGATION INTO TEACHING SPEAKING AT VIETNAMAUSTRALIA INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH SCHOOL A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (TESOL) SUBMITTED BY NGUYỄN THỊ NHẤT PHƯƠNG SUPERVISOR: TÔ MINH THANH, Ph D Ho Chi Minh City, January 2009 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: TOWARDS IMPROVING L2 SPEAKING SKILLS FOR ADULT LEARNERS An Investigation into Teaching Speaking at Vietnam-Australia International English School in terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Masters’ 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 City, January 15, 2009 NGUYẾN THỊ NHẤT PHƯƠNG i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Nguyễn Thị Nhất Phương, being candidate for the degree of Master of 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 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 care, loan, and reproduction of theses Ho Chi Minh City, January 15, 2009 NGUYỄN THỊ NHẤT PHƯƠNG ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Ms To Minh Thanh, Ph.D., for her encouragement and enthusiastic guidance throughout the research Without her valuable support and careful review of the draft, I would not have finished my thesis I would like to acknowledge and express my appreciation for the assistance of the authorities at VAS, who have created good conditions so that I am able to carry out the class observations successfully I am also indebted to the teachers and students at VAS, for their assistance in collecting the data for this study Finally, my deepest thanks go to my family for their invaluable support, encouragement, and sacrifice during my long absence from home with great sympathy Their love and sympathy have made a great contribution to the completion of my post-graduate course and the thesis as well Ho Chi Minh, January 2009 NGUYỄN THỊ NHẤT PHƯƠNG iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS VAS Vietnam-Australia International English School L1 First language L2 Second language EFL English as a Foreign Language SLA Second Language Acquisition iv LIST OF CHARTS AND FIGURE 4.1 Importance of English speaking skills at the present time 4.2 Learners’ self-evaluation of English speaking ability 4.4 Learners’ participation in class speaking activities 4.5 Learners’ personal difficulties in their language study 4.6 Learners’ class-related difficulties 4.7 Learners’ frequency of home-learning 4.8 Learners’ trends in choosing ways of home learning 4.9 Reasons for the learners’ positive attitude towards their class 4.10 Teachers’ revision of previous lessons Figure 5.1 Finger clicking v LIST OF TABLES 3.1 Syllabus of VAS pre-intermediate communication classes 3.2 Characteristics of student subjects 3.3 Characteristics of teacher subjects 4.3 Learners’ purposes for studying speaking skills 4.4 Teachers’ opinions on the adult learners’ drop-out rate 4.5 Learners’ attitude towards their class 4.6 Learners’ self-evaluation of their improvement 4.7 Student number in the classes 4.8 Learners’ preferences of class speaking activities 4.9 Learners’ vs Teachers’ preferences of class speaking ways 4.10 Teachers’ unapproved characteristics and/or teaching manners vi Chapter INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study Communication is the ultimate goal of EFL learning process, since the purpose of a new language learning is to interact with other people in the target language If people learn a language without being able to speak in the language, they would not be considered successful learners In this era of globalization, English has undeniably been very important and necessary in Vietnam, especially after the country’s entering WTO Therefore, Vietnamese learners’ need to practice speaking efficiently and then communicate directly in English has increased more than ever This is especially true for Vietnamese adult learners who urgently need to communicate successfully in English in their various English-speaking working places After several years teaching speaking to EFL learners at Vietnam-Australia International English School (abbreviated to VAS), the researcher of the study realizes that most adult learners of mixed age language classes are hard-working, financially committed and consciously aware of what they want to achieve in foreign language learning However, they are most likely to be poorly motivated however hard their teachers try to encourage them to participate in class activities, especially those for speaking practice Actually, whereas “(t)here is a great richness in research on adult learning worldwide,” few studies on this field have been found in Vietnam Furthermore, it is commonly believed that strategies and methods currently applied in teaching adult learners in almost all English language centers in Ho Chi Minh City as well as at VAS nowadays are, to some extent, similar to those In the workshop “The multiplicity of research on ‘Learning for All’, a key for the 21st century” at the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA V), held in July 1997 in Hamburg 1 used to teach younger learners Unfortunately, different subjects require different ways of teaching; and this is true that “adult education” requires “special teachers, methods and philosophy.” [Rosenstock, 1983: v] The fact that quite similar methods have been applied to teach English to both adult and younger Vietnamese learners of English is worth considering because, in the long term, this may lead to negative effects on the part of both teachers and learners Therefore, as Ellis [1996: 185] conforms, “language teachers will need to identify different approaches and techniques to suit the two kinds of learners.” Under such a circumstance arises a great need to investigate into teaching English in general and teaching speaking skills to Vietnamese adult learners of English in particular Hopefully, the study done for this M.A thesis contributes something to current research on adult EFL teaching and learning in Vietnam nowadays 1.2 The aims of the study Based on the achievements of previous studies as well as the experiences of colleagues and the researcher herself in teaching English-speaking skills to Vietnamese adult learners of English at VAS, this study aims: (1) To indentify difficulties Vietnamese teachers and adult learners might encounter in EFL speaking classes of different age groups; (2) To investigate how current teaching strategies and methods affect adults’ learning process; and (3) To suggest some implications for teaching and learning in preintermediate communication classes to lessen the difficulties and foster the adult learners’ speaking skills 1.3 Significance of the study 1.3.1 Pedagogical importance When reviewing the characteristics of adult learners as well as indentifying the difficulties these learners face in L2 learning process, the study proves that teaching younger learners is considerably different from teaching adult ones; the latter requires many other aspects… Therefore, when teaching adult learner, the teacher should be strongly aware of the complexity of the matter 1.3.2 Practical importance Good English speaking skills open adult learners to greater opportunities of a better job, promotion, extended international communication, and so on A deep understanding from teachers and good learning strategies also help the learners feel more motivated and use their limited time efficiently 1.4 The organization of the study In addition to the introduction which identifies problems giving rise to the thesis and which provides the overview of the significance of the study done for the thesis; and the conclusion which restates the problems and their possible solutions, the thesis consists of five main chapters: Chapter addresses the current EFL teaching and learning at VAS including its teachers, learners, syllabuses and teaching methods applied for speaking classes Chapter covers the literature review relating to the study in terms of theoretical background and previous related researches Chapter focuses on research methodology employed in the study including a list of research questions, a brief discussion of how to design this study and a description of the study’s subjects, instruments and data collection procedures Chapter analyses the learners’ responses to their survey questionnaire, and simultaneously discusses what have accumulated from classroom observations and teachers’ semi-structured interviews 18 What are your suggestions for improving the quality of teaching and studying speaking skills to Vietnamese learners of English in general and to adult learners in particular? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Thank you very much for your help and cooperation! 72 APPENDIX PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT Thân chào Anh/Chị học viên, Bảng câu hỏi nhằm thu nhập liệu cho đề tài nghiên cứu khoa học “Towards improving L2 speaking skills for adult learners—An investigation into EFL Teaching and Learning at Vietnam-Australia International English School.” Rất mong Anh/Chị vui lòng dành chút thời gian trả lời câu hỏi sau Những câu trả lời Anh/Chị quan trọng thành công đề tài Chúng sử dụng vào mục đích nghiên cứu khơng dùng vào mục đích khác (Xin điền vào chỗ trống khoanh tròn số.) Tuổi: _ Giới tính: Nam Nữ Anh/Chị học tiếng Anh bao lâu? _ năm Anh/Chị tự đánh giá khả nói tiếng Anh nào? (Khoanh trịn số thích hợp.) Rất tốt Khá tốt Tệ Rất tệ Việc giao tiếp tiếng Anh tốt có ý nghĩa Anh/Chị nay? Rất quan trọng Khá quan trọng Không quan trọng Không quan trọng 73 Anh/Chị muốn cải thiện kĩ nói tiếng Anh mục đích sau đây? (Chọn nhiều câu trả lời đánh số từ trở câu Anh/Chị chọn theo thứ tự giảm dần, 1=mục đích quan trọng nhất.) Nâng cao kiến thức Giao tiếp với người nước Học tập/làm việc nước ngồi Đáp ứng u cầu cơng việc (giao tiếp với đồng nghiệp/ sếp người nước ngoài; muốn thăng tiến công việc, v.v.) Dạy/ kiểm tra việc học tiếng Anh nhà Lý khác (xin ghi rõ) _ _ Những vấn đề sau ảnh hưởng đến việc học tập Anh/Chị nay? (Chọn nhiều câu trả lời đánh số từ trở câu Anh/Chị chọn theo thứ tự giảm dần, 1=vấn đề ảnh hưởng nhất.) Khơng có thời gian cho việc học nhà Làm việc nhiều nên mệt mỏi đến lớp Phải dành thời gian chăm sóc cho gia đình Thường xun vắng học (vì công tác xa, …) Vấn đề khác (xin ghi rõ) 74 Trong lớp học, Anh/Chị tự nhận xét tham gia vào hoạt động nói giáo viên đề nào? (Khoanh tròn số thích hợp.) Rất tích cực Tích cực Khơng tích cực Rất thụ động Những nguyên nhân/lý sau thường cản trở Anh/Chị tham gia vào hoạt đông giao tiếp giáo viên đưa lớp? (Chọn nhiều câu trả lời đánh số từ trở câu Anh/Chị chọn theo thứ tự giảm dần, 1=vấn đề ảnh hưởng nhất.) Phát âm khơng chuẩn gây khó hiểu Ngại phạm lỗi/ ngại nói trước lớp Thiếu ý tưởng cho chủ đề giáo viên đưa Không biết cách diễn đạt ý tưởng Thiếu từ vựng tiếng Anh có lien quan tới đề tài chọn Không thấy hứng thú với chủ đề giáo viên đưa Thời gian chuẩn bị ngắn Lý khác (xin ghi rõ) 75 Trên lớp, Anh/Chị thường học nói theo cách sau đây? (Chọn nhiều câu trả lời đánh số từ trở câu Anh/Chị chọn theo thứ tự giảm dần, 1=cách thường xun nhất.) Thuyết trình trước lớp đề tài Theo cặp thực hành theo mẫu đối thoại Theo nhóm thảo luận số câu hỏi giáo viên đưa chủ đề Thực hành nói theo chủ điểm ngữ pháp vừa học Cách khác (xin ghi rõ) Anh/Chị thích học nói tiếng Anh (Chọn nhiều câu trả lời.) ( )1 Từng cá nhân (chuẩn bị nói trước lớp) ( )2 Thảo luận theo cặp ( )3 Thảo luận theo nhóm nhỏ (3 đến người) ( )4 Thảo luận theo nhóm lớn (trên người) Ở nhà, Anh/Chị có dành thời gian cho việc học tiếng Anh thêm khơng ? (Khoanh trịn số.) Có Khơng Nếu có, theo cách sau đây? (Chọn nhiều câu trả lời đánh số từ trở câu Anh/Chị chọn theo thứ tự giảm dần, 1=cách thường dùng nhất.) 76 Làm tập sách ngữ pháp Làm thêm tập khác theo yêu cầu giáo viên Ôn lại (các) học Chuẩn bị cho học tới Đọc lớn để luyện phát âm quen với giọng Nghe đĩa, đài; xem TV; xem phim tiếng Anh Tham gia câu lạc tiếng Anh Cách khác (xin nêu rõ) 10 Nếu khơng, sao? (xin ghi r õ) _ _ 11 Theo Anh/Chị, tính cách sau người giáo viên tốt? (Khoanh tròn số ứng với chữ đầu VI=rất quan trọng;I=quan trọng; N=khơng có ý kiến; U=khơng quan trọng lắm; VU=rất không quan trọng.) VI I N U VU Có lực chun mơn tốt Tận tụy, nhiệt tình Thân thiện Ăn mặc chỉnh tề Kiên nhẫn Vui tính Cư sử mực Khác (xin ghi rõ) _ 77 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 12 Tính cách người giáo viên khiến Anh/Chị không thoải mái lớp học? (xin ghi rõ) _ _ 13 Anh/Chị hứng thú với chủ đề nói sau đây? (Chọn nhiều câu trả lời.) ( )1 Có liên quan đến cơng việc Anh/Chị ( )2 Phù hợp với mục đích Anh/Chị ( )3 Liên quan đến sống hàng ngày ( )4 Về vấn đề thời ( )5 Chủ đề khác (xin ghi rõ) 14 Anh/Chị có nhận xét chung học nói lớp : (Khoanh trịn số thích hợp.) Thoải mái Hứng thú Buồn chán Khác (xin ghi rõ) 15 Trong thời gian theo học đây, kĩ nói tiếng Anh Anh/Chị cải thiện nào? (Khoanh trịn số thích hợp.) cải thiện nhiều Anh/Chị mong đợi cải thiện nhiều 78 cải thiện chút chút khơng đuợc cải thiện chút 16 Nếu có, nguyên nhân/lý sau đây? (Khoanh tròn số ứng với chữ đầu VI=rất quan trọng;I=quan trọng; N=khơng có ý kiến; U=khơng quan trọng lắm; VU=rất không quan trọng.) VI I N U VU Giáo viên nhiệt tình Phong cách đứng lớp nghiêm túc (cử chỉ, cách ăn mặc,…) Phương pháp giảng dạy dễ hiểu Khả chuyên môn giáo viên Lớp học vui, thú vị Lý khác (xin ghi rõ) _ _ 17 Nếu khơng, sao? (xin ghi rõ) _ _ 18 Xin cho biết ý kiến đóng góp khác Anh/Chị nhằm giúp nâng cao việc dạy học tiếng Anh lớp Anh/Chị nói riêng học viên lớn tuổi nói chung: _ _ _ _ _ _ Xin chân thành cảm ơn Anh/Chị! 79 APPENDIX CLASS OBSERVATION CHECKLIST Name of the observed : …………………………………………………… Date : …………………… Time : …………………… Class : …………………… Unit : …………………… Number of students in the class: _ Students in class include: (Tick one or more answers.) ( ) Young children (at primary/secondary school) ( ) Students in high-school/college/university ( ) Adult learners (over 22, working or not) Note: Circle letter A if the items observed are true What is observed A CLASS CONDUCTION I Preparation The lesson is well-prepared Apply A Appropriate prepared-objectives A II Presentation Revision of the previous lesson(s) A Teacher clearly states the new lesson’s objective(s) A Instructions are clear and students can carry them on A Which of the following activities are preferred in the class? (Indicate by numbering the options from to ‘the number you are interested in’ in order where is the most usual way.) Drilling A Substitution Games Role plays Dialogue practice Presentation Other(s).…………………………………………… ………… 80 Comment How are speaking activities conducted? (Please indicate by numbering the options from to ‘the number you are interested in’ in order where is the most usual way.) Individually A In pairs In small groups of 3-5 students In groups of more than students Other(s):………………………………………………….…… The topic(s) given by the teacher is/are: (Tick one or more answers) A Interesting Real life-related Job-related Others:………………………………………………….……… How is the course book used? A Completely fixed Flexibly choosed Teacher uses other authentic materials A Current news in Newspapers/Magazines Real-life situations Job-related tasks Others:………………………………………………….……… How does the teacher form pair-work and group-work? A Ask students to move and find their partners themselves Ask each student to work with the one(s) near/next to them Quickly choose partners for each student and then ask them to move Others:………………………………………………….……… Is pronunciation taken into enough consideration? 81 A How adult learners participate in class activities? A Very actively Rather actively Passively Very passively Adult learners are given enough preparation time for class activities A Material is presented at the students’ level of comprehension A Lesson is smoothly sequenced and logical A III Teaching methods/techniques Teacher is a facilitator A Students are communicators A L2 is of paramount A Genuine situations in the class are explored A IV Teacher-student and student-student interaction and learning environment Teacher organized effectively pair or/and group work A Adult learners feel free to ask questions, to disagree or to express their own ideas A Class atmosphere is friendly and comfortable for both adult and younger learners A 82 How is the teacher? A Humorous Enthusiastic Smart-dressed Other(s):……………………………………………… ……… The class generally is: A Exciting Boring So so OTHER SPECIAL CARE FOR ADULT LEARNERS Adult learners are respected by the teacher (The way he/she greets/asks/corrects/etc them) A Late/previous-class-absent learners, especially adult ones are cared A Teacher shows adult learners that he/she understands them and sympathizes with their own difficulties in learning A Students’ ideas/opinions, especially those of adult learners are encouraged and highly appreciated A Teacher is patient when eliciting responses from adult learners A 83 APPENDIX INTERVIEW CHECKLIST Teacher’s name: …………………………… Gender: Male Female Teaching experience: …… years Degree: BA MA PhD GUIDED QUESTIONS I Perceptions of adult learning 1.1 What are, in your opinion, adult learners different from younger ones? ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… 1.2 Is your teaching adult learners different from teaching younger ones? If yes, in what ways? ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… II Difficulties in teaching adult learners 2.1 How is drop-out rate of adult learners during your teaching time here? very high low high very low 81 COMMENT 2.2 What are the difficulties you face when teaching adult learners? a Adult learners: regularly absent/late critical difficult to be motivated have great demand (want to quickly feel a sense of progress) passive/shy/slow bad at pronunciation others: ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… b Class’ real situation Mixed-age group class Noisy class Others: ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… c School’s syllabus Long Others: ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… III Suggestions for improving What are your suggestions for helping improve adult learners’ speaking skills? ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… 82 ………………………………………………………………… OPEN QUESTIONS COMMENT IV Clarification of the observational data collected ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… V Spontaneous questions following the teachers’ areas of interest ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………… 83 ...CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: TOWARDS IMPROVING L2 SPEAKING SKILLS FOR ADULT LEARNERS An Investigation into Teaching Speaking at Vietnam- Australia. .. ABBREVIATIONS VAS Vietnam- Australia International English School L1 First language L2 Second language EFL English as a Foreign Language SLA Second Language Acquisition iv LIST OF CHARTS AND FIGURE... communicate successfully in English in their various English -speaking working places After several years teaching speaking to EFL learners at Vietnam- Australia International English School (abbreviated