Suggested ways to improve speaking skills for non english major students at quy nhơn university

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES ]^ SUGGESTED WAYS TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILLS FOR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT QUY NHON UNIVERSITY A thesis submitted in partial fulfilments of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (TESOL) Submitted by ĐOÀN THỊ THANH HIẾU Supervisor: PETER LEONARD, M.A Ho Chi Minh City, 2008 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Chapter I presents the following sections First, section 1.1 introduces the background to the study Second, section 1.2 indicates statement of purpose Then, research questions and significance of the study are discussed in section 1.3 and 1.4 respectively After that the assumptions and limitations are listed in 1.5 and 1.6 Then section 1.7 briefly describes the methodology of the study Finally, the overview of the study is presented 1.1 Background In learning any foreign language, communicative competence is what everyone wishes to achieve Indeed, among the four skills speaking can be considered the indispensable skill to learners because their ultimate target is to communicate Although most learners know its importance, it is not easy for them to reach their goal The reality shows that most non-English major students meet difficulties in speaking English They can be very good at reading or writing but ironically, they are unable to speak even a simple sentence let alone communicating with native speakers of English To improve this situation, teaching method plays an important role However, English language teaching in most Asian countries including Vietnam has been greatly affected by teachercentered, book-centered, grammar translation methods and an emphasis on rote memory These traditional language teaching approaches largely focus on teaching and learning English passively In Vietnam, English is formally taught as a foreign language to pupils in junior and senior high school These seven years are mostly translation-based; the pupils rarely, if ever, need to speak English at all They mainly receive considerable passive exposure to grammar, translation, and vocabulary from written sources, but little exposure to communicative situations, or required to use English actively At the university level, students study English for academic purposes and therefore, writing and grammar are the most emphasized skills In the first and the second courses, university students have to take 4-credits and 3credits of “General English” respectively and then they take more specialized English courses in which they focus on their field related English texts and learn related terminology The curriculum in junior and senior high school is a top-down curriculum; the Ministry of Education dictates all the decisions regarding the textbook selection and the exams Nevertheless, not much control is exerted on teaching methodology On the contrary, at the university level, teachers have freedom to choose the textbook and activities for their classes The tradition of teaching in Vietnam is basically teacher-centered one Furthermore, classes are large (frequently 60-100 students in a class) In general, Vietnamese non-English major students not have much exposure to English outside the classroom As a result, not being able to express orally in English is unavoidable 1.2 Statement of purpose The study aims at Š emphasizing the importance of speaking skills in learning English Š finding out the reality of teaching and studying oral skills at Quy Nhon University Š identifying problems of practicing speaking in non-English major classes and suggesting teaching strategies to cope with them Š putting forward some suggestions for the improvement of speaking ability of non-English major students 1.3 Research questions The research questions of the study are Š Is speaking skill important in learning English? Š How much are teachers and non-English majors at Quy Nhon University interested in speaking skill? Š What are solutions to deal with problems of speaking in non-English major classes? Š What are practical and effective ways to stimulate and improve speaking skills of non-English majors at Quy Nhon University? 1.4 Significance of the study It is usually accepted that studying English as a foreign language will be more effective if the teacher knows vital factors affecting it In fact, several English teachers go to class and teach automatically without merely thinking of any effective way to teach or improve students’ speaking skills Because of this reason, students’ English speaking has not been much ameliorated So far, there have been a lot of researches on speaking skills in order to better English speaking of non-majors However, the biggest shortcoming of these studies is that they did not realize the root of the problems and thus they hardly change the bad situation The outstanding point of this paper is identifying realistic difficulties in speaking of non-English major students through surveys and introducing practical strategies to deal with them It is hoped that the study can be of some value in showing the necessity of knowing these factors and thus teachers can take advantage of these as helpful teaching instruments 1.5 Assumptions Being a compulsory subject for non-English majors at universities, students not pay much attention to English in general and speaking skills in particular One thing that makes English teachers worry a lot is speaking ability of nonEnglish major students Ironically, although most of them study English for seven years, they cannot even pronounce a simple English sentence correctly In speaking classes, students not want to say anything in English It seems that they are afraid of being wrong and being corrected They satisfy with this reality for a long time only because this shortcoming does not much influence their studying result Whenever I teach non-major classes, I always want to something to make the situation better I have cherished the hope that there will be some ways to improve speaking skills of non-English majors effectively It is this paper that makes my expectation become true 1.6 Limitations It goes without saying that there are many other subjective and objective factors affecting speaking ability However, because of the time constraint and the lack of information on this field, the paper cannot include all aspects Anyway, it is expected that the significant aspects related to practicing English speaking were carefully noted and reflected Besides, the researcher herself is a non-native speaker of English, so sometimes her way of presenting ideas may not be nativelike Thus, she inevitably made technical mistakes as well as other minor shortcomings In views of these limitations, the paper can only be considered as a preliminary study and any conclusions are tentative 1.7 Methodology Factors affecting studying language in general and English speaking are cited from two kinds of sources: The first source is the materials or references in which these aspects have been described, classified, and interpreted The second source is getting to know the reality through surveys Thanks to this, suggestions put forward in this paper are more practical More importantly, with the experience of over five years of teaching as well as the reference to other senior teachers, several teaching strategies, techniques, as well as activities useful for teaching speaking are suggested and clearly pointed out 1.8 Overview of the study The paper consists of six chapters Chapter I introduces the background of the study, statement of purpose, research questions, significance of the study, limitations, methodology, and an overview of the study Chapter II reviews theoretical aspects related to speaking skills that are relevant to the purposes of the study Chapter III presents research design and procedures related to the survey Chapter IV investigates and analyzes attitude of both teachers and students toward teaching and learning English speaking On the basis of the previous chapter, chapter V deals with the implications to the teaching speaking skills to non-major students Chapter VI is the conclusion of the study and puts forward some suggestions for further research CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter discusses theoretical aspects related to speaking skills as well as English speaking learning It analyzes the position of speaking skills among the four skills Besides, speaking and communication in different teaching methods is also clarified The next part talks about the role of speaking in studying English of non-majors Finally, the information about prior research on the study is provided 2.1 Speaking and the four skills It is the fact that there are four language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing To master a language, a skill is not enough Therefore, all of them should be taught and should be learnt In reality, communication is carried out through two forms: the written form and the oral form Which is more essential? Which came first in human history? Many students equate being able to speak a language as knowing the language and therefore view learning the language as learning how to speak the language, or as Nunan (1991) wrote, “success is measured in terms of the ability to carry out a conversation in the (target) language.” Therefore, if students not learn how to speak or not get any opportunity to speak in the language classroom they may soon get de-motivated and lose interest in learning On the other hand, if the right activities are taught in the right way, speaking in class can be a lot of fun, raising general learner motivation and making the English language classroom a fun and dynamic place to be It is no doubt that speech marks the appearance of human race and the difference between people and animals These two things are enough to signify the great importance of speech or oral skill It can be said that speaking is fundamental to human communication Just think of all the different conversations we have in one day or compare that with how much written communication we in a day Which we more of? In our daily lives most of us speak more than we write, yet many English teachers still spend the majority of class time on reading and writing practice almost ignoring speaking and listening skills Is this a good balance? If the goal of the language course is truly to enable our students to communicate in English, then speaking skills should be taught and practiced in the language classroom Indeed, speaking should be put first among the four skills It deserves the most attention of both teachers and learners 2.2 Communicative competence What does one need to know in order to speak in another language? It goes without saying that one needs sufficient vocabulary, adequate grammar, and syntax to express his/her ideas correctly Such knowledge belongs to linguistic competence However necessary linguistic competence is it is not enough for a person to communicate competently in another language It needs something more than that In 1974, Hymes raised the concept of communicative competence Communicative competence includes not only linguistic competence but also sociolinguistic and conversational skills to know what to say in particular contexts, to particular people, and for particular purposes Following Canale and Swain (1980) communicative competence consists of four components: grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic competences Grammatical competence is concerned with “the knowledge and skill required to understand and express the literal meaning of utterances” It belongs to the lexical and grammatical domain Sociolinguistic competence indicates “an understanding of the social context in which communication takes place, including role relationships, the shared information of the participants, and the communicative purpose for their interaction” (Richards and Rodgers, 1986, pp.71) Discourse competence refers to intersentential relationships This competence enables speakers to manage turn-taking in a conversation, to open and close a conversation, to keep a conversation going, and to repair mistakes in conversations Effective speakers and listeners have also acquired language skill of discourse markers, expressions that speakers use to express ideas, show relationships of time, indicate cause, contrast, and emphasis Finally, strategic competence is “composed of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies” The speakers with strategic competence can stretch their ability to communicate effectively in their new language Therefore, although they have not acquired all the grammar of the language, they can use turn-taking and conversation management strategies and are able to use small talks to open a conversation, initiate and respond to talk on a wide range of topics They can also use compensatory strategies such as gestures, circumlocution, and topic selection to handle breakdowns in communication Communicative competence has been considered an ultimate target of language teaching and learning As language teachers, we really expect our students to be able to communicate in real social situations with speakers from other cultures 2.3 Motivation Motivation is of particular interest to educational psychologists because of the crucial role it plays in student learning Even Dorneyei (1998, pp.34) stated that “motivaton is a key to learning” In fact, the desire to learn can come from final exam Similarly, students also realize the necessity of speaking skill in learning English, but they not give it enough attention because their final exam only tests grammar or structures In terms of materials in use, eight out of ten teachers appreciate New Headway and use it as the main course book in class Because there is no unity in teaching materials, some of teachers just focus on grammar and not base on any textbook to practice speaking or other skills Concerning the difficulties in practicing speaking, teachers’ common problems are big class, insufficient teaching time, students’ lack of interest or motivation, and students’ inability to communicate So many problems make most of them bored and stressful in speaking lessons As for speaking activities, both teachers and students are interested in pair work and group work Besides, many students are fond of games that are not often used by teachers Relating to error treatment, the important finding is that English teachers have not found an effective and tactful way to correct speaking errors As for students, they expect correction from teachers and appreciate their actions Besides, the paper also discusses several problems relating to teaching speaking to non-majors They are needs of non-English majors, time duration for teaching speaking, analysis of ways of error treatment, materials in use, and factors affecting practice of speaking of non-English majors Finally, the paper comes to an end with practical and useful ways in many aspects to practice speaking effectively in non-English major classes With the word “ways”, the paper tries to include all factors related to speaking practice Therefore, in the discussion part, it introduces five important points that have a great influence on speaking practice First of all, understanding needs of nonEnglish majors, teachers can choose suitable activities or topics to motivate students to speak Next, appropriate points of time for speaking drills are suggested In the meantime, it also provided interesting ways to correct oral errors of non-English majors As for mandated textbooks, New Headway may be the most suitable book for non-major students at Quy Nhon University at present More importantly, the paper pointed out the neccesity of using the communicative approach to teach speaking In addition, techniques to teach speaking effectively, activities to stimulate speaking, along with tips to practice oral skills, and solutions to difficulties in teaching speaking to non-English majors were clearly put forward To be frank, the paper cannot be as perfect as expected Nevertheless, it is certain that suggestions in this paper are of a great value for teachers in speaking periods Further research As the title of the paper implies, it focuses mainly on speaking skills of non-English majors and suggests only ways to improve speaking skills It is ideal if there are more papers covering the other three skills in order to obtain a more comprehensive look In addition, there should be further research solely on problems of non-English major classes in universities and of course solutions for each problem as well Appendix: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS This questionnaire is intended to find out a way to improve speaking skills of non-English majors at Quy Nhon University Your ideas are highly appreciated The data collected will be used in my paper only, not for any other purposes I am thankful for your contribution Please provide us with your personal information by ticking the appropriate box Gender: … male … female Qualifications: … BA … MA … Dr Time of teaching English: … under years … from to 10 years … over 10 years Which textbook you use to teach non-English majors? According to you, the textbook in use - is suitable for non-English majors - is too easy for non-English majors - is too difficult for non-English majors - encourages students to communicate - does not encourage students to communicate - other ideas: Which skill does the textbook focus on? … speaking … reading … writing … listening … grammar … skills Which skill (part) you teach much in class? … speaking … reading … … writing … listening … grammar According to you, is speaking skill necessary to non-English majors? … yes … no How you feel when teaching speaking to non-English majors? How many percents of time for each unit you spend on teaching speaking? What difficulties you often meet when teaching speaking to non-English majors? … the class is too crowded … time is not enough … students don’t like practice speaking Other answers: Which activity you use when teaching speaking? Why? … individual work … pair work … group work … class work … games 10 How often you correct students’ mistakes? … always … sometimes … seldom … never 11 What kind of mistakes need to be corrected? … grammar … pronunciation … vocabulary Other answers: 12 You often correct students … as soon as they make mistakes … after students finish their sentences … other answers… 13 You often … … … have students correct themselves … correct mistakes of individual student … gather all the mistakes and correct yourself … have students correct each other Other answers: … 14 Do you think correcting speaking mistakes lessens students’ motivation? … 15 Could you please give some suggestions to improve speaking skill of nonEnglish majors? Method? Activities? _ Textbook? _ Others? _ Thank you very much!! QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS This questionnaire is intended to find out a way to improve speaking skills of non-English majors at Quy Nhon University Your ideas are highly appreciated The data collected will be used in my paper only, not for any other purposes I am thankful for your contribution I Personal information Sex: c male c female Years of studying English: Are you attending an English centre? c yes c no If any, at which level? c Beginner c Intermediate II General information Why you study English? c because it is a compulsory subject at university c because I am interested in language courses c because it has an important role in my future career c because it is necessary for modern life Which English skill you like best? c speaking c listening c writing c reading The speaking skill is c not necessary c not very necessary c very necessary Do you like speaking English? c very much c not much c not at all How many minutes in a period you speak English? c minutes c 15 minutes c 30 minutes c 45 minutes c other answers: What you feel when speaking English? c afraid c confident c other answers: Which difficulties you meet when speaking English? c lack of words c grammar c wrong pronunciation c other answers: Which language does your teacher use to teach you English? c mostly Vietnamese c mostly English How often does your teacher correct your mistakes in speaking? c always c rarely c never c sometimes 10 How you like your teacher correct your speaking mistakes? c At the moment of making mistakes c at the end of the talk c other answer: … 11 What you feel when being corrected? c more confident c bored with your English speaking c ashamed c normal c other answers 12 What activities you like your teacher use when teaching speaking? c individual work c pair work c group work c class work c games 13 Do you like your teacher use games to teach speaking? c yes c no Why? … … 14 How much games help you to practise speaking? c very much c much c not much c not at all 15 What are your suggestions to improve speaking skill of non-English majors? … … Thank you very much!!! BIBLIOGRAPHY Baker, J & Westrup, H (2000) The English Teacher's Handbook – How to Teach Large Classes with Few Resources The British Council Belchamber, R (2007) The Advantages of Communicative Language Teaching The Internet TESL Journal Vol XIII No 2, February 2007 from http://iteslj.org/ Bowen, T & Marks, J (1994) Inside Teaching London, Heinemann Brown, D (2000) Principles of Language Learning and Teaching Longman Brown, D.H (2001) Teaching by principles An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy London Longman Brown, G and G Yule (1983) Teaching the Spoken Language Cambridge University Press Brumfit, C.J (1984) Communnicative Methodology in Language Teaching: The Roles of Fluency and Accuracy Cambridge University Press Burkart, G.S (1998) Spoken Language: What It Is and How to Teach It from Modules for the professional preparation of teaching assistants in foreign languages Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics Burn, A & Joyce, H (1997) Focus on Speaking National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University 10 Bygate, M (1987) Speaking Oxford University Press 11 Carter, R & Nunan, D (eds) (2001) The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language Cambridge (UK).C.P.U 12 Cook, G (1989) Discourse Oxford University Press 13 Cross, D 1995 Large Classes in Action London: Prentice Hall 14 Dalle, T & Thrush, E (2003) Practicing Oral Skills in Large Classes Teacher’s Edition, (13), 4-8 15 Doff, A (1988) Teach English: A Training Course for Teachers Cambridge University Press 16 Dornyei, Z (1998) Motivation in Second and Foreign Language Learning Language Teaching 31: 117-135 17 Foddy, W (1993) Constructing Questions for Interviews and Questionnaires: Theory and Practice in Social Research Cambridge University Press 18 Forseth, R & C (1994) Methodology Handbook for English Teachers in Vietnam English Language Institute Oxford University Press 19 Fromklin, V & Rodman, R (1993) Introduction to Language Harcourt Brace Joranovich College Publisher 20 Gammidge, M (2004) Speaking Extra: A resource book of multi-level skills activities Cambridge University Press 21 Gattegno, C (1972) Teaching Foreign Languages in Schools: The Silent Way Second Edition New York: Educational Solutions 22 Harmer, J (1997) The Practice of English Language Teaching London Longman 23 Harmer, J (1998) How to Teach English Longman 24 Hubbardetal, P (!985) A Training Course for TEFL Oxford University Press 25 Hymes, D (1974) Foundations in Sociolinguistics An Ethnographic Approach Philadenphia : University of Pennsylvania Press 26 Johnson, K (1999) Understanding Language Teaching The USA: Heinle and Heleine Publishers 27 Jones, L (2002) Let’s Talk (Book & 3) Cambridge Cambridge University Press 28 Kaji, H (2006) Teaching Speaking Activities to Promote Speaking in a Second Language The Internet TESL Journal Vol XII No 11, November 2006 from http://iteslj/org/ 29 Kickbush, K (2000) Class Sizes [verified 12 Jan 2001] http://www.weac.org/sage/research/CLASSIZE.HTM 30 Krahnke, K (1994) Teaching English as a Foreign / Second Language Oxford University Press 31 Krashen, S.D & Terrell, T.D (1983) The Natural Approach: Language Acquisition in the Classroom Oxford: Pergamon Press 32 Krashen, S.D (1987) Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition Prentice-Hall International 33 Le, P.K (2002) Problems, Solutions, and Advantages of Large Classes Teacher’s Edition, (9), 34 Lewis, M & Hill, J (1992) Practical Techniques for Language Learning Commercial Colour Press 35 Littlewood, W (1981) Communicative Language Teaching Cambridge 36 Luu, T.T.S (2006) Vietnamese Teachers’ Understanding of CLT in Teaching Speaking Teacher’s Edition, (20), 18 37 Lynch, T (1996) Communication in The Language Classroom Oxford University Press 38 Naber, T & Blackwell A (2004) Know How – Student Book Oxford University Press 39 Nguyen, T.H.H (2004) The Importance of Discourse Analysis in Teaching Oral English Teacher’s Edition, (14), 36 40 Nunan, D (1991) Language Teaching Methodology London Prentice Hall 41 Nunan, D (1999) Second Language-Teaching and Learning Heinle & Heinle Publishers 42 Petresky, A (2001) Teaching Large ESL Classes from http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/Largecl asses.htm 43 Richards, J.C (1998) New Interchange: English for International Communication Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 44 Rivers, W (1981) Teaching Foreign Language Skills 2nd ed University of Chicago 45 Salli, D (2005) Coping With The Problems Of Mixed Ability Classes The Internet TESL Journal, Vol XI, No 8, August 2005 from http://iteslj.org/ 46 Sesnan, B (1997) How to Teach English Oxford University Press 47 Shumin, K (1997) Factors to Consider: Developing Adult EFL Students’ Speaking Abilities Forum 48 Soars, L & Soars, J (2000) New Headway - Pre-intermediate Oxford University Press 49 Spratt, M & Pulverness, A & Williams, M (2005) The TKT Course Cambridge University Press 50 Stern, H.H (1992) Issues and Options in Language Teaching Oxford Oxford University Press 51 Touba, N (1999) Large classes: Using groups and content English Teaching Forum, 37(3), 17-20 52 Tsui, A.B.M (1994) English Conversation Oxford University Press 53 Willis, J (1998) Teaching English through English Longman TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background 1.2 Statement of purpose 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Significance of the study 1.5 Assumptions 1.6 Limitations 1.7 Methodology 1.8 Overview of the study CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Speech and the four skills 2.2 Communicative competence 2.3 2.4 2.2.1 Grammatical Competence 2.2.2 Sociolinguistic Competence 2.2.3 Discourse Competence 2.2.4 Strategic competence Motivation 2.3.1 Extrinsic motivation 10 2.3.2 Intrinsic motivation 10 2.3.3 Motivation of non-English majors 10 Speaking and communication in different 11 teaching methods 2.5 2.4.1 The Direct Method 12 2.4.2 The Grammar Translation Method 13 2.4.3 Communicative Language Teaching 14 The role of speaking in studying English of 16 non-English majors 2.6 Prior research on the study CHAPTER III: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 16 18 3.1.1 The sample 18 3.1.2 Survey instruments 18 3.1.3 Data collection 19 3.1.4 Data analysis 20 CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS Questionnaire results 21 21 + Questionnaire for students 21 • Preferred class skill 22 • Attitude towards studying speaking 23 • Preferred activities 24 • Students habit of speaking 25 • Attitude towards error treatment 26 + Questionnaire for teachers • Attitude towards the need of teaching speaking 28 29 to non-majors • Attitude towards the materials in use 30 • Teachers’ difficulties in teaching speaking 31 • Frequency of teaching speaking 33 • Activities used to teach speaking 33 • Ways of error treatments 34 CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION AND SUGGESTIONS 5.1 Discussion 37 37 5.1.1 Needs of non-English majors 37 5.1.2 Time duration for teaching speaking 38 5.1.3 Analysis of ways of error treatment 39 5.1.4 Materials in use 42 5.1.5 Factors affecting practice of speaking 43 of non-English majors 5.2 Suggestions 5.2.1 Applying Communicative Approach to teach 46 46 speaking 5.2.2 Techniques to teach Speaking effectively 48 5.2.3 Activities to stimulate speaking 49 5.2.4 Tips to practice oral skills in non-English major 60 classes 5.2.5 Solutions to difficulties in speaking practice 63 of non-English majors 5.2.5.1 Difficulties 63 5.2.5.2 Solutions 66 CHAPTER VI: CONCLUSION 68 Š Conclusion 68 Š Further research 70 APPENDIX 71 Questionnaire for teachers Questionnaire for students BIBLIOGRAPHY 77 ... deal with problems of speaking in non- English major classes? Š What are practical and effective ways to stimulate and improve speaking skills of non- English majors at Quy Nhon University? 1.4 Significance... questions is to investigate teacher’s attitude towards the need of teaching speaking to non- English major students, the materials in use, their difficulties in teaching speaking to nonmajor students, ... researches on English study of non- English majors at Quy Nhon University, let alone suggestions to help their speaking skills better In summary, this is a real chance for non- English majors to raise