Enhancing high school students english speaking skills through task based learning

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY NGUYỄN VIỆT SỬ ENHANCING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS‟ ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS THROUGH TASK-BASED LEARNING MASTER‟S THESIS IN EDUCATION Nghệ An, 2017 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY NGUYỄN VIỆT SỬ ENHANCING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS‟ ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS THROUGH TASK-BASED LEARNING Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Code: 60 14 01 11 MASTER‟S THESIS IN EDUCATION SUPERVISOR: Lê Văn Canh, Assoc Prof., Ph.D Nghệ An, 2017 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby acknowledge that this study entitled “Enhancing High School students‟ English Speaking Skills through Task-Based Learning” is my own work The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true, used with permission, and have not been published elsewhere Author Nguyen Viet Su i ABSTRACT The main objective of the study was to investigate how the use of tasks changed Vinh Thanh high school students' attitudes towards speaking English in the classroom and how that attitudinal change enhanced their participation in speaking tasks based on students‟ new textbook (Tieng Anh 11 – Volume II) that is currently in use with the tasks designed in light of current theories of communicative tasks To achieve the aims of the study, experimental class data were gathered through questionnaires, oral tests, students‟ diaries and the researcher‟s teaching journals The speaking pre- and post-tests were administered to class 11A9 (academic year of 2016-2017) comprising 43 students The students‟ diaries and the teaching journals were written to reflect how the tasks were being implemented In addition, in order to see the attitudes of students about the speaking tasks, the attitudinal questionnaires before and after the study were also used as instruments Data from the speaking pre- and post-tests and questionnaires were analyzed quantitatively while qualitative data of the students‟ diaries and the teaching journals were also discussed The study demonstrated that students‟ general perceptions of task-based instruction were positive, and the questionnaire results demonstrated that students had positive reactions to the treatment tasks and found these helpful in developing their speaking skills The results of the study showed that the use of tasks had positively changed the students' attitudes towards speaking English in the classroom As a result, that attitudinal change enhanced their participation in speaking tasks It could be concluded that there were positive effects of Task-Based Learning on high school students From the findings, some implications for teaching speaking skills were proposed Limitations of the study were pointed out and further research was suggested Key words: Tasks, Task-Based Learning, Speaking ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and for most, I would love to thank my Lord God for his priceless favors in my life Moreover, I would like to extend my gratitude to my dear supervisor, Assoc Prof., Ph.D Lê Văn Canh, who directly gave me precious advice and encouraged me in this study I am truly grateful to him for his professional advice, invaluable support and guidance he offered to help me to carry out the study My personal thanks are also due to all administrators and colleagues in Vinh Thanh high school for helping me to distribute the questionnaires and collecting data for the completion of this study Furthermore, I would like to thank the students of class 11A9 at Vinh Thanh high school for their kind cooperation in order to gather data for my study I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to my friends for their friendship and proofreading in the preparation of my thesis Lastly, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my parents and my wife for being around and helping me to carry on through all my difficulties iii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF CHARTS ix CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 The aims of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Design of the thesis CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Speaking skills 2.1.1 Aspects of speaking skills 2.1.2 Speaking problems 10 2.2 Task-based language teaching 11 2.2.1 Definition of TBLT 12 2.2.2 Definition of „Tasks‟ 12 2.2.3 Differences between “exercise” and “task” 14 2.2.4 Differences between “activity” and “task” 15 2.2.5 Characteristics of TBLT 20 2.2.6 Benefits of TBLT 23 iv 2.2.7 Challenges of TBLT 26 2.3 Task-based Learning in the classroom 29 2.3.1 Task-Based Learning Framework 29 2.3.2 Types of Tasks 34 2.3.3 Criteria Features of a Task and Process 38 2.4 Attitude and Language Learning 41 2.4.1 Definition of Attitude and Language Attitude 41 2.4.2 Aspects of Language Attitude 43 2.4.3 Measuring (language) attitudes 44 2.4.4 The importance of language attitude 45 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 49 3.1 Research questions 49 3.2 Participants 49 3.3 Materials 50 3.4 Procedure 51 CHAPTER FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 55 4.1 Results 55 4.1.1 The English speaking Pre- and Post-Test 55 4.1.2 The questionnaire on the students‟ speaking problems and students‟ attitudes towards speaking skills through TBL 58 4.1.3 Students‟ diaries and teaching journals 73 4.2 Discussions 80 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 83 5.1 Conclusion 83 5.2 Pedagogical implications 84 5.3 Limitations 85 5.4 Suggestions for further research 85 v REFERENCES 86 APPENDICES 95 APPENDIX A 95 APPENDIX B 99 APPENDIX C 103 APPENDIX D 105 APPENDIX E 108 APPENDIX F 109 APPENDIX G 115 APPENDIX H 117 APPENDIX I 120 APPENDIX J 121 APPENDIX K 122 APPENDIX L 124 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL: English as Foreign Language L2: Second Language SLA: Second Language Acquisition TBL: Task-based Learning TBLT: Task-based Language Teaching VTHS: Vinh Thanh High School vii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Distinguishing a Task from Exercise 15 Table 2.2 Tasks that did and did not meet criteria 17 Table 2.3 Willis‟ (1996a) Task-Based Learning Framework 29 Table 2.4 Task types 35 Table 2.5 Willis‟ (1996a) Task Types and Their Outcomes 36 Table 2.6 Ellis‟ (2003) Task Types 37 Table 2.7 Features of a Task 39 Table 3.1 The speaking topics of five units and speaking sections 51 Table 3.2 The speaking task in the speaking pre-test and post-test 52 Table 4.1 The comparison between the speaking pre- and post-test scores 56 Table 4.2 The comparison between speaking assessment criteria of the pre-test and post-test scores 57 Table 4.3 Problems the students encountered in learning speaking skills 60 Table 4.4 Students‟ highest perception of TBL 63 Table 4.5 Students‟ high perception of TBL 64 Table 4.6 Students‟ slightly more neutral perception of TBL 65 Table 4.7 Students‟ highly positive attitudes towards task-based speaking lessons 67 Table 4.8 Students‟ positive attitudes toward Task-based speaking lessons 68 Table 4.9 Students‟ interests in types of tasks before and after the treatment 76 viii advantages and disadvantages of each alternative Then decide which alternative would be the cheapest one, the most innovative one, the most environmentally friendly one Report your decisions to another pair / group / the class, and discuss with them which solution would be the best one to put forward to the local government Planning - The students will work in groups of to (10m) complete the task - Teacher can tell them that students can also use body language to give opinions to make their conversations more real-like Then they are supposed to create conversation During this phase, teacher walks around, helps them if they need it and notes down any language points to be highlighted later - The teacher will help the students to rehearse oral reports Report - Volunteer groups act their conversation out (13m) - The teacher gives feedback on the content and quickly reviews what was suggested - Together with the students, the teacher will assign the best report and reward the winning group Language Analysis - The teacher writes on the board five good Focus (4m) phrases used by the students during the task and five incorrect phrases/sentences from the task without the word that caused the problem Students discuss the meaning and negotiate how 112 to correct the wrong expressions - The teacher will present the expressions below and talk with the students In fact, they will have already been aware of these expressions; however, to make them clear teacher focuses on each of them Expressions for giving agreements and disagreements Stating an opinion  In my opinion  According to Lisa  As far as I'm concerned  If you ask me Asking for an opinion  What's your idea?  How you feel about that?  What you think? Expressing agreement  I couldn't agree with you more  That's exactly how I feel  No doubt about it  I suppose so./I guess so  You have a point there Expressing disagreement  I don't think so  I'm afraid I disagree  (strong) I totally disagree  That's not always true  No, I'm not so sure about that Interruptions  Can 113 I add something here?  If I might add something  Sorry to interrupt, but Settling an argument  Let's just move  on, shall we? I think we're going to have to agree to disagree  Whatever you say./If you say so - The teacher will let students note down the expressions Practice (4m) -The students are supposed to practice the expressions by giving their own opinions about global warming 114 APPENDIX G STUDENTS‟ QUESTIONNAIRE (PRE-TEST) This survey questionnaire is designed to investigate how the use of tasks changed the grade 11 students' attitudes towards speaking English in the classroom and how that attitudinal change enhanced their participation in speaking tasks at Vinh Thanh High School” Your assistance in completing the following questions is greatly appreciated Please put a tick ( ) in the box beside the option(s) you choose from 1-10 Part I: Demographic information Gender Male Female Age Under 15 15- 17 18-20 How long have you been learning English? Under year 2-4 years 5- years More than years Part II: Factors affecting students’ speaking performance and speaking problems How much you like speaking English in class? very much rather normal little not at all How often you practice speaking outside the classroom? Always Usually Sometimes Rarely Never What you think about the necessity of speaking skills to your future job? Very necessary Necessary Normal Unnecessary Very unnecessary How are the performance conditions in speaking class? Performance conditions Are you given plenty of time to perform a speaking task? Do you prepare for a task before the task is performed? Do you have the pressure to perform well? Are the listeners patient, understanding, sympathetic and supportive? 115 How you feel in speaking class? Motivated Anxious Confident What factors affect your speaking performance? (You can have more than one choice) Time for preparation Pressure to perform well Listeners‟ support Motivation to speak Confidence Anxiety Topical knowledge Listening ability Time to perform a speaking task Other factors (please specify)………………………………………… 10 Which problems you encounter in learning speaking skill? (You can have more than one choice) You are worried about making mistakes You are fearful of criticism or losing face You cannot think of anything to say You have no motivation to express yourselves You speak very little or not at all You use Vietnamese You are shy Other factors (please specify)………………………………………… 11 What kinds of tasks interest you? (You can have more than one choice) listing ordering comparing, problem solving sharing personal experiences creative Thank you very much for taking your valuable time to complete this survey Your opinions are greatly appreciated 116 APPENDIX H STUDENTS‟ QUESTIONNAIRE (POST-TEST) Please consider the task that you have just completed Please answer the following items by ticking the alternative which appears most applicable to you and give only one answer for each statement Please not leave any unanswered questions The researcher would urge you to be as accurate as possible since the success of this study depends upon it The results will be used only for research purposes Put a tick (√) in an appropriate box for Part I and Part II = Strongly Disagree = Disagree = Neutral = Agree 5= Strongly Agree Part I Students‟ knowledge of TBL No Statements TBL helped me to enjoy learning English I liked and wanted to learn by using TBL I believed that I could learn English faster when I used it more often Tasks gave me more chances to practice English TBL involved a primary focus on meaning A task had a clearly defined outcome A task was any activity in which English was used by the learner TBL was based on the student-centered instructional approach TBL activated learners' needs and interests TBL provided a relaxed atmosphere to promote target language use 10 TBL materials were meaningful and purposeful based on the real-world context 117 11 TBL pursued the development of integrated skills in the classroom 12 TBL did not put much psychological burden on the teacher as a facilitator 13 The tasks had improved my understanding of the aspects involved in speaking English as a foreign language 14 The tasks had helped me to learn about my strengths as a speaker of English 15 The tasks had helped me to learn about my weaknesses as a speaker of English 16 The tasks had helped me to improve my fluency 17 The tasks had helped me to improve my grammatical accuracy 18 The tasks had helped me to improve my vocabulary 19 The tasks had helped me to improve my self-confidence in speaking English 20 The tasks had helped me to improve my ability to structure my discourse 21 The tasks had helped me to improve my pronunciation 22 TBL encouraged me to speak 23 TBL helped me to learn English better Part II Students‟ attitudes toward Task-based speaking lessons No Statements 24 The tasks excited my curiosity 25 The tasks were interesting in themselves 26 I felt that I had no control over what was happening during the tasks 27 When doing the tasks, I was aware of distractions 28 The tasks allowed me to control what I was doing 29 When doing the tasks, I was totally absorbed in what I was doing 30 During the tasks, I could make a decision about how to study to complete the tasks 31 The tasks aroused my imagination 32 The tasks helped me extend myself 118 33 I prefer TBL to normal lectures 34 TBL strategy motivated me to study hard 35 I look forward to learn again in a TBL course 36 TBL challenged me to give my best 37 TBL had a positive impact on my learning 38 TBL helped me learn how to study in a group 39 I would prefer to be in a mixed gender TBL team 40 I am more motivated by the tasks which connect to real life situation than the activities in the book 41 I was more willing to speak English 42 I always participated actively in the in-class tasks 43 I was willing to exchange ideas with my classmates in the group discussion 44 I could learn things while trying to finish tasks 45 I have improved my communication skills through group discussion and result presentation Part III Open-ended questions (Answer two questions based on your own opinions) 46 Do you prefer the traditional language teaching method or the Task-Based Learning which emphasizes meaning and interaction? Why? …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 47 What is your opinion about using tasks in English speaking learning? …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… Thank you very much for taking your valuable time to complete this survey Your opinions are greatly appreciated 119 APPENDIX I TEACHING JOURNAL Period Date Period Date Lesson: Reflections: (guiding questions) • Was what we did too easy or too difficult? Lesson objectives • What problems did the students have (if any)? • Was there a clear outcome for the students? Activities • Did the materials and activities keep the students interested? and • Could I have done any parts of the lesson differently? materials Students • Were all the students doing what they were supposed to be doing? If not, when was that and why did it happen? • Which parts of the lesson did the students seem to enjoy most? And least? • How much English did the students use? Classroom • Did activities last the right length of time? management • Did the students understand what to do?/ Were my instructions clear? • Did I provide opportunities for all the students to participate? • Was I aware of how all of the students were progressing? Overall • What went well in this lesson? Why?/ What problems did I experience? Why? • Was it “student centered”? Should it have been? • What could I have done differently? • What did I learn from this experience that will help me in the future? • Does my method(s) of assessment measure what I want? How did the class do? 120 APPENDIX J STUDENTS‟ DIARIES Guiding questions What you think you have learnt? Through the task-based learning, have your opinions about learning English speaking skills changed? Generally, you think the experiment matched your initial expectations? How many percentages did it match your expectations? What you think using tasks in learning English speaking skills? Are the tasks you have completed so far relevant to your interests needs / life experience? What factors motivated you most in the tasks? Did the tasks motivate you in your English learning? Why? How much you like learning / working together with your partners in the tasks? Why? Did you enjoy your English classes more or less when you did tasks? Why? 121 APPENDIX K THE RESULTS OF SPEAKING TESTS NAME 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 G 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 D 3 4 3 3 4 4 4 4 3 3 4 P 3 3 4 3 3 3 4 3 3 4 4 3 3 3 4 PRE-TEST IC 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 TOTAL 11 13 12 13 13 14 15 11 12 15 14 10 11 12 13 13 14 15 11 12 15 13 13 14 15 11 12 16 13 14 15 11 12 15 13 10 11 12 13 13 14 15 11 122 G 5 5 4 4 5 5 4 5 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 POST-TEST D P IC TOTAL 4 15 4 16 16 4 18 4 16 4 18 18 4 15 4 16 5 19 4 16 4 15 4 14 16 4 18 4 18 4 18 18 3 14 4 16 4 18 4 18 4 16 4 18 18 4 15 17 5 19 4 16 4 17 18 4 15 4 16 5 19 4 18 4 15 14 16 4 18 4 17 4 18 18 4 15 Note: - G: Grammar and Vocabulary D: Discourse P: Pronunciation IC: Interactive Communication SPEAKING SCORES PRE-TEST Mean Standard Error Median Mode Standard Deviation Sample Variance Range Minimum Maximum Sum Count Grammar Discourse 3.558139535 0.095886177 4 0.628767713 0.395348837 153 43 3.139534884 0.108249923 3 0.709842214 0.503875969 2 135 43 Grammar Discourse 4.465116279 0.08385003 4 0.549841415 0.302325581 192 43 3.906976744 0.064989594 4 0.426165265 0.181616833 168 43 Pronunciation Interactive Communication 3.046511628 0.104988996 3 0.688458885 0.473975637 2 131 43 3.162790698 0.056964878 3 0.373543684 0.139534884 136 43 Pronunciation Interactive Communication 4.023255814 0.09695458 4 0.635773698 0.404208195 173 43 4.325581395 0.086272189 4 0.565724577 0.320044297 186 43 TOTAL 12.90697674 0.239540797 13 13 1.570774051 2.467331118 10 16 555 43 POST-TESTS Mean Standard Error Median Mode Standard Deviation Sample Variance Range Minimum Maximum Sum Count 123 TOTAL 16.72093023 0.224041162 17 18 1.469136147 2.158361019 14 19 719 43 APPENDIX L THE RESULTS OF THE ATTITUDINAL QUESTIONNAIRE (POST-TEST) Part I Students‟ knowledge of TBL No 10 11 12 13 Statements TBL helped me enjoy learning English I liked and wanted to learn by using TBL I believed that I could learn English faster when I used it more often Tasks gave me more chances to practice English TBL involved a primary focus on meaning A task has a clearly defined outcome A task was any activity in which English was used by the learner TBL was based on the studentcentered instructional approach TBL activated learners' needs and interests TBL provided a relaxed atmosphere to promote target language use TBL materials were meaningful and purposeful based on the real-world context TBL pursued the development of integrated skills in the classroom TBL did not put much psychological burden on the teacher as a facilitator The tasks had improved my understanding of the aspects involved in speaking English as a foreign language (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) 18.6 35 46.5 0 27.9 19 53.5 0.6 0 16.3 65 18.6 4.1 0.8 2.3 18.6 47 32.6 3.9 0.7 0 27.9 53 18.6 0.6 0 18.6 60 20.9 3.7 0.6 2.3 27.9 63 0.8 0 25.6 44 30.2 0.7 0 25.6 49 25.6 4.3 0.7 0 9.3 47 44.2 4.3 0.8 0 18.6 35 46.5 3.9 0.9 2.3 37.2 33 27.9 0.8 4.7 18.6 51 25.6 MEAN SD 4.3 0.8 4.3 0.9 124 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 The tasks had helped me to learn about my strengths as a speaker of English The tasks had helped me to learn about my weaknesses as a speaker of English The tasks had helped me to improve my fluency The tasks had helped me to improve my grammatical accuracy The tasks have helped me to improve my vocabulary The tasks had helped me to improve my self-confidence in speaking English The tasks had helped me to improve my ability to structure your discourse The tasks have helped me to improve my pronunciation 22 23 TBL encouraged me to speak TBL helped me to learn English better 4.2 0.7 2.3 9.3 51 37.2 3.9 0.7 0 27.9 53 18.6 4.3 0.7 2.3 9.3 44 44.2 3.9 0.5 0 16.3 74 9.3 4.1 0.9 2.3 25.6 28 44.2 4.2 0.9 0 27.9 26 46.5 4.3 0.6 0 9.3 53 37.2 4.4 0.8 2.3 9.3 37 51.2 3.8 0.6 0 27.9 63 9.3 4.2 0.6 0 63 30.2 Part II Students‟ attitudes toward Task-based speaking lessons 0.6 (%) (%) 2.3 (%) 4.4 0.7 0 9.3 44 46.5 4.3 0.7 4.7 53 41.9 4.1 0.8 4.7 9.3 56 30.2 4.1 0.8 4.7 63 25.6 No Statements MEAN SD 24 The tasks excited my curiosity The tasks were interesting in themselves I felt that I had no control over what was happening during the tasks When doing the tasks, I was aware of distractions The tasks allowed me to control what I was doing 4.4 25 26 27 28 125 (%) (%) 56 41.9 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 When doing the tasks, I was totally absorbed in what I was doing During the tasks, I could make a decision about how to study to complete the tasks The tasks aroused my imagination The tasks helped me to extend myself I prefer TBL to normal lectures TBL strategy motivated me to study hard I look forward to learn again in a TBL course TBL challenged me to give my best TBL had a positive impact on my learning TBL helped me learn how to study in a group I would prefer to be in a mixed gender TBL team I was more motivated by the tasks which connected to real life situation than the activities in the book I was more willing to speak English I always participated actively in the in-class tasks I was willing to exchange ideas with my classmates in the group discussion I could learn things while trying to finish the tasks I had improved my communication skills through group discussion and result presentation 4.3 0.8 4.7 4.7 44 46.5 4.2 0.6 0 9.3 65 25.6 4.4 0.7 2.3 4.7 42 51.2 0.7 2.3 18.6 58 20.9 4.4 0.8 2.3 9.3 35 53.5 4.1 0.6 0 9.3 67 23.3 4.1 0.8 4.7 9.3 53 32.6 4.4 0.7 2.3 2.3 51 44.2 4.4 0.8 2.3 14 26 58.1 4.7 0.6 2.3 2.3 19 76.7 4.1 0.9 4.7 18.6 37 39.5 4.4 0.7 2.3 2.3 47 48.8 4.4 0.7 0 9.3 37 53.5 4.1 0.7 2.3 11.6 60 25.6 4.6 0.7 2.3 4.7 21 72.1 4.3 0.7 2.3 4.7 58 34.9 4.5 0.8 2.3 9.3 28 60.5 126 ... EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY NGUYỄN VIỆT SỬ ENHANCING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS? ?? ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS THROUGH TASK- BASED LEARNING Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)... complete tasks (Nunan, 2004, p 12) All the reasons mentioned above encourage the author to conduct the study entitled ? ?Enhancing high school students? ?? English speaking skills through taskbased learning. ”... AUTHORSHIP I hereby acknowledge that this study entitled ? ?Enhancing High School students? ?? English Speaking Skills through Task- Based Learning? ?? is my own work The data and findings discussed in