An investigation into warm up activities to motivate the 12th graders in english speaking lessons at nghi loc 3 high school masters thesis in education

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY THAI THI KIM ANH AN INVESTIGATION INTO WARM - UP ACTIVITIES TO MOTIVATE THE 12TH GRADERS IN ENGLISH SPEAKING LESSONS AT NGHI LOC HIGH SCHOOL MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION NGHE AN - 2014 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY THAI THI KIM ANH AN INVESTIGATION INTO WARM - UP ACTIVITIES TO MOTIVATE THE 12TH GRADERS IN ENGLISH SPEAKING LESSONS AT NGHI LOC HIGH SCHOOL Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Code: 60140111 MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION Supervisor: NGƠ ĐÌNH PHƢƠNG, Assoc Prof., Ph.D Nghe An, 2014 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby declare that this thesis is my own work and effort and that has not been submitted anywhere for any award I certify that the thesis “An investigation into warm - up activities to motivate the 12th graders in English speaking lessons at Nghi Loc high school” is the result of my own study and that it has not been submitted to any other university or institution wholly or partially i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to many people for their thoughtful help given to me in doing this study Firstly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor - Mr Ngo Dinh Phuong for his insightful comments and suggestions on various parts of this thesis My thanks also go to all my lecturers from the Post Graduate Studies Department, Foreign Languages Department - Vinh University for their useful and interesting lectures to finish the study I am most thankful to all my teachers of English and students in Nghi Loc high school for their support in data collection Finally my special thanks go to my family, for their love and support throughout this project Without their encouragement I could not have completed this thesis ii ABSTRACT For some recent years, English has played more and more important part in Vietnam, therefore, it has been taught in Vietnamese high schools as a compulsory subject So far, there have been remarkable changes in the way of teaching and learning English However, English teaching in general and teaching speaking in particular still is far from satisfactory How to motivate students to speak is really necessary, and is a big question to almost teachers in Vietnam now It is also the question that has inspired me to investigate the use of language games in warm-up activities to motivate 12th grade students to speak in speaking lessons In attempt to fulfill my thesis, the following process is made: Firstly, the theoretical background of language games speaking skill and motivation is presented Then, the survey questionnaire for students was delivered to study the need of playing games in English speaking lessons Besides, the interview teachers has been carried out to collect the information about the using language games in warm-up activities In addition, the researcher has observed some speaking lessons to find out the fact of using language games in warm-up activities From these methods, some suggestions have been drawn out to help use language games more effectively It is hoped that this thesis will be found of value to those who have great interest in using language games in warm-up activities in speaking lessons iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES vii Chapter INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study The aims of the study Research questions Scope of the study Methods of study Organization of the study Chapter THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 Speaking skill: 2.1.1 Definition of speaking 2.1.2 The importance of speaking in language teaching programs 2.1.3 Factors affecting English speaking abilities 2.1.4 Problems with speaking activity 2.1.5 What Makes Speaking a foreign Language Difficult? 10 2.2 Teaching English Speaking Communicatively 14 2.2.1 An overview on Communicative Approach 14 2.2.2 Principles to teach speaking skill in C.A 15 2.2.3 Principles for Teaching English Speaking in CLT 16 2.2.4 Communicative Activities for Teaching Speaking 17 2.3 Purpose of communicative activities 23 2.3.1 Communicative activities improve motivation 23 2.3.2 Communicative activities allow natural learning 23 2.3.3 Communicative activities can creat a context which supports learning 23 iv 2.4 Speaking activities 23 2.4.1 A successful speaking activity 23 2.4.2 Problems with speaking activities 24 2.5 Warm – up activities in speaking class 25 2.5.1 Definition of warm – up activities 25 2.5.2 Teaching aims of using warm- up activities 26 2.5.3 Disadvantages of warm – up activities 29 2.5.4 The role of the teacher in warm – up activities 30 2.5.5 How to organize warm – up activities: 31 2.6 General characteristics of the 12th graders 33 2.6.1 The situation of using communicative activities in teaching speaking the 12th graders in high schools 33 2.6.2 Principles of using warm up activities in speaking class in high school 34 Chapter METHODOLOGY 37 3.1 The Context of the Study 37 3.1.1 Description of the participants 37 3.1.2 Desciption of the English 12 textbook 38 3.2 The Research Methodology 39 3.2.1 The Participants 39 3.2.2 The Instruments of the Study 39 Chapter DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 42 4.1 Finding 42 4.1.1 Questionnaires and Interviews for students 42 4.1.2 Questionnaire and Interviews for teachers 51 4.2 The class observations 55 4.3 Conclusion 57 Chapter CONCLUSION 59 5.1 Findings 59 5.1.1 The benefits of using language games in warm-up activities in speaking lessons 59 v 5.1.2 The frequency of using language games 60 5.1.3 Difficulties in organizing and playing language games 60 5.1.4 Suggestions on using language games in warm-up activities in speaking lesson 61 5.2 Recommendations 61 5.2.1 Takings the students‟ personal factors and proficiency into consideration 61 5.2.2 Using language games in a flexible and appropriate way 62 5.2.3 Using variety of language games 63 REFERENCES 64 APPENDIXES vi LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1 Students‟ view on speaking skill 42 Table 4.2: Students‟ participation in speaking activities 43 Table 4.3: The frequency of using language games in warm-up activities 45 Table 4.4a: The students‟ attitude toward language games in warm-up activities 46 Table 4.4b: Students‟attitude towards teachers‟ teaching speaking activities 47 Table 4.5: The effectiveness of language games in warm-up activities in speaking lessons 48 Table 4.6: Students'difficulties in taking part in warm- up activities 49 Table 4.7: Solutions given by students to develop successful warm-up activities 50 Table 4.8: Teachers‟ attitude toward using warm – up in English speaking 51 Table 4.9: Teachers' frequent warm-up activities in speaking lessons 52 Table 4.10: Teachers' solutions to develop sucessful warm – up activities 54 vii Chapter INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study Nowadays, English is becoming more and more popular all over the world It is not only considered as the mother tongue in many countries but also used widely in the world as an international language It is the language of politics, science, technology, commerce, tourism, sports, ect In Vietnam, English has become a compulsory subject in the curriculum at many secondary schools In text-book, students have to learn four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) among these skills speaking is a very important one for the purpose of communication Nevertheless, speaking does not receive adequate attention from both teachers and students In English classroom, teachers are mainly concerned with teaching what students are tested in the exams, which is known as teaching to the test phenomenon As a result, after graduating from school, students are good at using grammar structures and vocabulary, but find difficulties to speak English naturally In speaking lessons, students usually feel bored and frightened To motivate and encourage students to learn speaking is not an easy task for teachers At the beginning, to stimulate students to learn, warm-up activities should be stressed Using language games in warm-up activities becomes a good choice The main reasons above lead me to my choice of the subject: “An investigation into warm - up activities to motivate the 12TH graders in English speaking lessons at Nghi Loc high school” The aims of the study The study will emphasize the main following purposes: Providing the basic literature review in terms of speaking, motivation and language game Investigating the effectiveness of using language games in warm-up activities in speaking lessons of grade 12 in Nghi Loc high school 16 Gardner, R.C., & Lambert, W.E (1972) Attitudes and motivation in second language learning Rowley, MA: Newbury House 17 Gibbs, G (1978) Dictionary of gaming, Modelling & Stimulation E & FN Spon Ltd, London 18 Ginnis, P (1996) A Guide to student-centred learning Stanley Thornes Ltd 19 Greenal.S (1984) Language Games and Activities Hulton Education Publications Ltd 20 Hadfield, Jill, (2000), Classroom Dynamics, Oxford University Press 21 Harmer, J (1991), The Practice of English Language Teaching Longman 22 Harmer, J (1999 ), How to teach English, London-Long man Press 23 Harmer, J (2001) The practice of English Language Teaching London: Longman 24 Hornby, A.S (2005) Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English Oxford University Press 25 Kayi, H (2006) Teaching Speaking: Activities to Promote Speaking in a Second Language The Internet TESL journal 26 Kathleen, M and Lance, S (1993) New ways in teaching speaking, Bloomington: Pantagraph Printing 27 Larsen- Freeman, D,(1986),Techniques and Principles in language Teaching , Newyork: Oxford university Press 28 Littlewood, W (1981) Communicative Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 29 Nunan, D (1991) Language Teaching Method A Textbook for teachers Prentice Hall International 30 Nunan D (2003) Practical English language teaching speaking New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc 31 O‟Malley, J.M., & Chamot, A.U (1990) Learning strategies in second language acquisition Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press 65 32 Pattison, P (1992) Developing Communication Skills Cambridge University Press 33 Richard, J C and Rodgers, T S (1986) Approaches and Method in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 34 Rubin, J (1987) Learner strategies in language learning Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall 35 Stephen D Hattings (1993) Role play Cambridge: Blackwell 36 Tsui, A (1996) Reticence and anxiety in second language learning Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 37 Ur, P (1996) A Course in Language Teaching Cambridge University Press 66 APPENDIXES Appendix 1: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (For teachers) SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS This survey questionnaire is designed for my research into “ Some suggested activities to improve the 10th graders' speaking skill” Your responses are very important to the success of the survey The data will be used only for the purpose of research, not for any other purposes, and you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Your co-operation will be highly appreciated How often you use language games in warm-up activities in speaking lessons for 12th grade students? a Usually c Sometimes b Often d never What kinds of warm – up activities often organize for students to play? (You may circle more than one option) Warm – up activities Games Role play Stimulation Miming Problem- solving Brainstorming Planning You often use What are the difficulties of organizing language games?(You may circle more than one option) a Large& multi-level classes b.Taking much time c Students‟ low motivation d The syllabus is not suitable e Lack of teaching experience f Having little time to prepare and look for suitable games What are the benefits of using language games in warm-up activities in speaking lessons? a Increasing motivation b Increasing students‟ participation c.Improving speaking skill d Creating classroom atmosphere e Providing students with vocabularies and background What you think can be done to improve the effectiveness of warm – up activities? (You may circle more than one option) a Clear instruction for warm – up b Enough supervision from the teachers c Suitable warm – up activities to students d Well- organizing warm – up tasks/ activities 6.What should you to help your students join in warm – up activities in speaking English lesson better? a Use authentic materials (songs, films ) b Organize communicative activities c Encourage collaborative work from students d Move around to help the less able students e Encourage students to speak English and prevent speaking Vietnamese Appendix 2a ( English version) SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ( For students ) This survey questionnaire is designed for my research into “ An investigation into warm-up activities to motivate the 12th graders in English speaking lessons” Your assistance in completing the following items is greatly appreciated You can be confident that this questionnaire is for research purposes only and you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Full name:…………………………………………………………………… Male/ female : …………………………………Age: ………………………… Class: ……………………………………… Place of birth: ………………… Date of interview: ………………… .Subject: ……………… Time of interview: How you find speaking skill? (you choose only one) a Very difficult c Normal b Difficult d Easy How often your teachers use warm-up activities in speking lessons? a Usually b Sometimes c Rarely How you like warm-up activities? a Very much c Normal b Much d Not much Which types of speaking activities have you been interested in joining in? (You may circle more than one option) a Games b Role play c Simulation d Using visual aids e Story telling f Brainstorming g Planning Others (please specify) ……………… How effective are language games in warm-up activities in speaking lessons? a Very Effective c Effective b Normal d Not effective What are the difficulties you have faced in taking part in warm-up activities? (You may circle more than one option) No understanding of the games'rules Lack of ideas Too difficult games, noisy and crowded class Inattractive games Time consuming Incooperative members of the groups How you find speaking lessons in the Textbook 12? a Suitable b Too difficult, not suitable Which factors have affected your participation in warm - up activities in your English speaking classes ? (In your opinion, what should your teacher to improve your English in warm-up activities in speaking classes? What you need to develop successful warm-up activities? (You may circle more than one option) a Have a right attitude to speaking skill b Always practice speaking English at school and at home c Cut down on speaking Vietnamese in class d Participate in different activities and share ideas with others Appendix 2b ( Vietnamese version) BẢN ĐIỀU TRA KHẢO SÁT DÀNH CHO HỌC SINH Chúng soạn điều tra nhằm tìm hiểu phong cách học học sinh Thông tin thu thập sử dụng cho việc hồn thành luận văn cao học có tựa đề “ An investigation into warm-up activities to motivate the 12th graders in English speaking lessons ” Mong bạn vui lòng dành chút thời gian trả lời câu hỏi điều tra Xin khẳng định rằng, không nêu danh bạn trường hợp Chân thành cám ơn! Họ tên:…………………………………………………………………… Giới tính: …………………………………….Tuổi: ………………………… Lớp: ……………………………………………Quê quán: ………………… Ngày vấn: ……………………… Môn học: ………………… Giờ vấn: Em cảm thấy kỹ nói nhƣ nào? c Bình thường a Rất khó b Khó d Khơng khó Giáo viên em có thƣờng xuyên sử dụng hoạt động khởi động học nói khơng? a Thường xuyên b Thỉnh thoảng c Hiếm Em thích hoạt động khởi động nhƣ nào? a Rất thích c Bình thường b Thích d Khơng thích Loại hoạt động khởi động nói mà em thích tham gia? ( Em chọn nhiều hoạt động) a.Trị chơi b.Diễn kịch c.Đóng vai d.Sử dụng phương tiện giảng dạy e.Kể chuyện f.Thảo luận g Lập kế hoạch Những hoạt động khác (xin em vui lịng ghi rõ hoạt động gì?) ………………………………………… Các hoạt động khởi động học nói hiệu nhƣ nào? c Bình thường a Rất hiệu b Hiệu d Khơng hiệu Những khó khăn mà em gặp phải trình tham gia cá hoạt động khởi động học nói? ( Em chọn nhiều khó khăn) Khơng hiểu luật chơi Thiếu ý tưởng Trị chơi q khó, lớp học đông ồn Các hoạt động nhàm chán Mất nhiều thời gian Các thành viên nhóm thiếu hợp tác Em nhận thấy học nói sách giáo khoa Tiếng Anh 12 nhƣ nào? Phù hợp Q khó, khơng phù hợp Yếu tố ảnh hƣởng đến tham gia em vào hoạt động khởi động nói? (Theo quan điểm em giáo viên nên làm để cải thiện hoạt động khởi động nói) Em cần làm để thực hoạt động khởi đơng thành cơng?(Em chọn nhiều đáp án) a Có thái độ đắn với kỹ nói b Thường xuyên thực hành nói tiếng anh lớp nhà c Giảm thiểu nói Tiếng việt lớp d Tham gia vào hoạt động khác chia sẻ ý kiến với bạn khác Appendix 3: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS Question 1: Can you tell me what are your difficulties when you use warm-up activities? Question 2: What is your solution for the above difficulties? Question 3: How the large and multi-level classes affect on your speaking lesson and your suggested solutions? Question 4: What are the reasons for you to organize language games in warm-up activities in speaking lessons? Question 5: What are your criteria to choose a language game? Question 6: What are factors needed for success of warm – up activities in speaking lessons? Appendix 4: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS Why you find the speaking tasks in warm-up activities boring or have nothing to say? Why don't you want to join in warm-up activities in the speaking lesson ? Why you lack of ideas ? Do you like warm-up activities: games, video and role play in these lessons? Why? Or why not? Why you think speaking lessons too difficult, and not suitable? Appendix 5: Types of warm – up activities can be used for grade 12 in speaking classes Unit 1: Home life Game: Miming - Arrange SS to work in two groups, A and B - Ask for a volunteer to the front of the class Show him/her some phrases about household chores, one at a time, and tell him to mime - Tell the groups to look at their friend and guess what he/she is doing A correct answer wins the group one point - Keep a running total of points on the board - The group with more points wins the game This is the list of chores used in miming: cleaning windows, cooking, doing the washing up, washing clothes, ironing clothes, watering plants, vacuuming, take care of the baby Transition: Today in speaking lesson we are going to talk about the responsibility of every family member in doing household chores Unit 2: Cultural diversity Game: Jumble sentence Arrange the words to make a meaningful sentence: Vietnam three live the even may in four same or in generations house - Arrange SS to work in small groups of or - Ask the groups to rearrange, which group has the correct answer first wins the game Answer: In Vietnam three or even four generations may live in the same house - Teacher asks SS some questions about their family: Eg How many people are there in your family? Who are they? Do your grandparents live in your family? So how many generations live in your family? Is it good? Transition: Today we will talk about the differences between Vietnamese and American cultures Unit 3: Ways of socializing Game: Missing vowels - Divide SS to work in small groups of or - Tell SS you are going to give them a word without vowels They have to write them out in full - The first group to write the word out correctly wins the game C – MPL – M – NTS - Tell SS a dash (-) means a single vowel Expected answer: COMPLIMENTS Transition: Giving and responding to compliments Unit 4: School education system Game: Ordering - Divide SS to work in small groups of or - Write on the board and tell SS these are the names of levels of education, put them in the right order from low to high level: University, nursery, primary school, college, kindergarten, secondary school Expected answers: nursery, kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, 10 college, University Transition: Talking about school education system in Vietnam Unit 5: Higher education Game: Where is my half? - Divide the class into two groups, A and B - Give each group a set of words/ phrases which were torn into two parts - Ask the groups to match them to make meaningful ones - The group with the most correct words/phrases wins the game Appli Identity Schoo l Scores Card cation Schoo l Records of Entrance Birth Certificate Certificate Expected answers: Application – Identity Card – School Certificate – School Records – Birth Certificate – Scores of Entrance Transition: These are necessary papers to apply for tertiary study in Vietnam 11 Unit 6: Future jobs Game: What am I? - Divide the class into two groups, A and B - Ask the group to listen to the cues and guess what job it is - Tell the group that if they can answer at the first cue, they win 30 points; second cue: 20 points; third cue: 10 points These are the cues: - I love children - I work at a school - I teach classes ( A teacher) - I work on a farm - I love animals and plants - I apply new farming techniques ( A farmer) 3.- I take care of sick people - I work in a hospital - I wear a white blouse at work ( A nurse) 4.- I like travelling a lot - I find good hotels and restaurants for customers - I take people to places of interest ( A tourist guide) Transition: Giving opinions about jobs Unit 7: Economic reforms Brainstorming: In what sectors we feel the results of “Renovation”? economy education RENOVATION - Have SS discuss in groups of five or six then give their ideas in front of the class 12 Expected answers: health care, agriculture, entertainment, trade, building, telecommunication, administration Transition: Changes the new economic reform has brought about Unit 8: Life in the future Guessing game - Divide SS into two groups, A and B - Prepare a box with a crystal ball (or something similar) inside - Tell SS you have something in the box and they have to make questions to find out what it is - Give SS promps to make questions about: Shape color material size popularity Shape: It‟s round/ a sphere Color: It‟s colorless; no color Material: It‟s made of crystal Size: It‟s not very big Popularity: It‟s not popular with many people purpose/ use … Purpose/ use: It‟s used to see into the future - Remind SS to notice the information given in the respond to the questions and try to guess what the object is - The first group to shout out the object is the winner of the game Answer: A crystal ball Transition: Now we‟ve got the crystal ball Let‟s look in the ball to see what life will be like in the future 13 ...MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY THAI THI KIM ANH AN INVESTIGATION INTO WARM - UP ACTIVITIES TO MOTIVATE THE 12TH GRADERS IN ENGLISH SPEAKING LESSONS AT NGHI LOC HIGH SCHOOL. .. of the subject: ? ?An investigation into warm - up activities to motivate the 12TH graders in English speaking lessons at Nghi Loc high school? ?? The aims of the study The study will emphasize the. .. that this thesis is my own work and effort and that has not been submitted anywhere for any award I certify that the thesis ? ?An investigation into warm - up activities to motivate the 12th graders