Improving speaking skill for 10th grade students at do luong 1 high school through communicative activities master thesis in education

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY LÂM THỊ HƯƠNG IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILL FOR 10TH GRADE STUDENTS AT DO LUONG HIGH SCHOOL THROUGH COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATION Nghe An - 2014 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY LÂM THỊ HƯƠNG IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILL FOR 10TH GRADE STUDENTS AT DO LUONG HIGH SCHOOL THROUGH COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Code: 60.140.111 MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATION SUPERVISOR: TRẦN BÁ TIẾN, Ph.D Nghe An – 2014 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby acknowledge that this study is mine The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true, used with permission from associates, and have not been published elsewhere Author Lam Thi Huong i AcknowleDgementS Firstly, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor Dr Tran Ba Tien who has helped me with his precious knowledge, assistance, and support during the process of writing Secondly, I truly wish to thank the teachers at Do Luong High School where my investigation was carried out for their useful materials, valuable advice and great cooperation In addition, I also like to send my special thanks to all students at Do Luong for their willingness to answer my questionnaires Last but not least, my sincere thanks are due to my dear family and my friends who always stand for me with their consideration and encouragements ii ABSTRACT This research is concerned about the difficulties encountered in teaching English and some communicative activities are suggested to improve speaking skill for the 10th grader students at Do Luong Survey questionnaires, interview and class observation for teachers and students are employed to find the answers to the questions From the results of the study, the researcher gets a view on specific situation of using communicative activities to improve speaking skill for 10th graders at Do Luong high school The study has found out some difficulties that the teachers and students are facing in their speaking lessons In addition to, the researcher also suggest some recommendations in applying communicative activities to develop speaking skill successfully for their 10th graders The author hopes that the study will help teachers to overcome the difficulties in teaching and learning English speaking skill at Do Luong high school as well as a reference for those who are interested in this matter iii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP Acknowlegement ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Objectives of the study 1.3 Research questions 1.3.1 What is the real situation of teaching and learning speaking skill of the 10th graders at Do L uong high School, Doluong District, Nghe An Province ? 1.3.2 How are communicative activities applied in speaking lessons for the 10th graders at Do Luong high school? 1.3.3 What are suggested class communicative activities to improve for the 10th graders’ speaking skill in Do Luong high school? 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 The design of the study CHAPTER THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 The nature of language skills 2.2 Speaking skill 2.2.1 The definitions of speaking skill 2.2.2 The importance of teaching speaking 2.2.3 Principles for teaching speaking skill 2.2.4 Stages for teaching speaking skill 2.2.5 Problems with speaking activities 2.3 Communicative language teaching aproach 2.3.1 Concepts of CLT 2.3.2 Characteristics of CLT 10 2.4 Communicative activities 11 2.4.1 Aims of communicative activities 11 iv 2.4.2 Characteristics of communicative activities 11 2.4.3 Types of oral communicative activities 12 2.4.4 Roles of communicative activities in language teaching and learning 17 2.4.5 Requirements of communicative activities 21 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 23 3.1 Research setting 23 3.1.1 An overview of Do Luong high school 23 3.1.2.The teachers 23 3.1.3 The students 24 3.1.4 The syllabus 24 3.1.5 The current situation of teaching and learning speaking skill at Do Luong 25 3.2 Research method 26 3.2.1 Methods 26 3.2.2 Data collection instruments 27 3.2.2.1 Survey questionnaire 27 3.2.2.2 Classroom observation 27 3.2.2.3 Interviews 27 3.3 Procedures 28 CHAPTER FIDINGS AND DISCUSSION 29 4.1 Data analysis 29 4.1.1 Results of students’ survey questionnaire 29 4.1.1.1 Students’ background of learning English 29 4.1.1.2 Students’ reasons for learning English 30 4.1.1.3 Students’ attitudes towards learning speaking skill 31 4.1.1.4 Factors that make the students difficult to speak 32 4.1.1.5 Students’ attitudes towards communicative activities 34 4.1.1.6 Students’ difficulties in practising communicative activities 35 4.1.2 Results of teachers’ survey questionnaire 35 4.1.2.1 Teachers’ attitudes towards teaching English speaking skills 36 4.1.2.2 Teachers’ attitudes towards communicative activities 38 4.1.2.3 Teachers’ implementation of CAs 40 v 4.1.2.4 Teachers’ assessments on the contribution of CAs 41 4.1.2.4 Teachers’ role in designing and managing CAs in classrooms 42 4.1.2.5 Teachers’ difficulties in applying communicative activities 44 4.2 Findings and discussion 45 4.2.1 Findings from classroom observation 45 4.2.2 Findings from survey questionnaire 47 4.2.2.1 Teachers’ problems 47 4.2.2.2 Students’ problems 48 4.3 Conclusion 48 CHAPTER IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 49 5.1 Some kinds of effective communicative activities 49 5.1.1 Using songs 49 5.1.2 Communicative games 50 5.1.3 Ask and answer 51 5.1.4 Role play 52 5.1.5 Class discussion 54 5.1.6 Problem-solving activity 55 5.2 Some considerations and suggestions on using communicative activities 55 CONCLUSION 57 REFERENCES 60 APPENDIX 62 vi LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1: Students’ time of learning English 29 Figure 2: Students’ reasons for learning English 30 Figure 3: Students’ interest in speaking English 31 Table 1: Students’ frequency of speaking English 31 Figure 4: Reasons for speaking of students in class 32 Table 2: Factors that make the students difficult to speak 33 Table 3: Kinds of communicative activities that students like to take part in 34 Table 4: Students’ difficulties in practising communicative activities 35 Figure 5: Teachers' attitude towards the role of speaking skill 36 Figure 6: Teachers' attitude towards students' speaking ability 37 Figure 7:The reasons why students are afraid of speaking from the view of teachers37 Figure 8: Teachers' attitudes towards CAs in the textbook English 10 38 Figure 9: Teachers' time to use CAs 39 Figure 10: Teachers' kinds of CAs applied in speaking lesson 39 Table 5: Teachers’ perception towards the aims of CAs 40 Table 6: Teachers’ feedbacks on the lessons without CAs 41 Figure 11: Teachers' opinions about the benefits of CAs 42 Table 7: Roles of the teachers during the CAs 43 Table 8: Teachers’ opinion of the ways to promote CAs 44 Table 9: Teachers’ difficulties in applying communicative activities 44 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CAs: Communicative Activities CLT: Communicative Language Teaching viii academic knowledge, methodology and little experience in teaching from the author, mistakes and errors, therefore, are unavoidable From these limitations of this study, the researcher wishes that further studies can be done to achieve much better results Limitations of the study Although the research has offered some helpful findings, it has also shown some unavoidable mistakes due to the researcher’s limitation of experience and knowledge Firstly, the study aims to investigate the current situation of using CAs in teaching speaking skill for 10th graders at Do Luong high school, but the participants of the survey were limited Therefore, the results may not reflect fully the whole situation of learning and teaching speaking skill Secondly, the questionnaires may not cover all CAs used by teachers, which leads to less reliable results Then, the results of research only collected and analyzed from questionnaires, class observation and interviews and it is absent of discussion which might be incomplete Finally, this study only focuses on the teaching of English speaking skill to the students at Do Luong high school, the author does not have more chance to deal with other three skills in language teaching: Listening, Reading and Writing In spite of the unavoidable limitation, the author believes that this study will be beneficial to the teaching of speaking skill to the students of the 10th grade in particular and all students at Do Luong high School in general Suggestions for further studies This study only focuses on problems encountered in teaching of English speaking skill to the students of the 10th grade at Do Luong high School and suggests some communicative activities in order to motivate students to speak English The study only mentions a small theme related to the teaching and learning of speaking skill Some suggestions for further researches are recommended 58 Firstly, there should be more research in designing communicative activities to help both teachers and students have more advantages in applying and practising them more effectively Secondly, speaking and listening are crucial skills that the learners need to marster well to take part in communication There should be a study on problems encountered and solutions in teaching listening skill at upper secondary school Finally, the researcher also hopes to have more chances to cooperate with other colleagues to combine and compile some more supplementary materials that are useful for students when dealing with speaking topics and activities In summary, the author hopes that the further studies will overcome all the existing limitations of this study and help to improve the quality of English teaching and learning at Do Luong high school as well as at other high schools in Nghe An 59 REFERENCES Hoang Van Van (2006) Tiếng Anh 10 Nhà Xuất Bản Giáo Dục Brown and G Yule (1983) Teaching the spoken language New York: Cambridge University Press Brown, H.D (1994) Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, Prentice Hall Brown, H.D (1994) Teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents Brown, H D (2007) Principles of Language Learning and Teaching White Plains, NY: Pearson Education Bygate, M (1987) Speaking practice Oxford University Press Byrne, D (1976), Teaching Oral English, London, Longman Group Limited Byrne, D (1991) Teaching Oral English, London: Longman Chaney, A.L (1998) Teaching Oral Communication in Grades Boston: Allyn & Bacon 10 Harmer, J (1991), The Practice of Language Teaching, Longman 11 Hymes, D H.(1972) In Richards, J.C & Rogers, T S (1986) Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 12 Kayi, H ( 2006) Teaching Speaking The Internet TESL Journal, Vol XII, No11 13 Ladousse, P (1987) Role play Resource Book for Teachers Oxford University Press 14 Littlewood, W (1990) Communicative language Teaching An Introduction Cambridge University Press 15 Littlewood, W (1992) Teaching Oral Communication A Methodological Framework Blackwell 16 Mulling, Sylvia S (1997) Getting to talk: Communicative Activities for the ESOL Classroom Kean College of New Jersey 17 Nunan, D (1991), Language Teaching Methodology, Prentice Hall International, Ltd 60 18 Nunan, D (1995) Atlas: Learning-centered communication Student‟s book 1, Boston: Heinle & Heinle 19 Richard, J C (2006) “Developing Classroom Activities: From Theory to Practice”, Vol 28; No 2, pp 3-8 20 Richard, J C (1990) Conversationally Speaking: approaches to the teaching of conversation In Jack C Richards, The Language Teaching Matrix, New York: Cambridge University Press, pp 67-85 21 Richards, J C., & Jogers, T S (2001) Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press 22 Thornbury, S (2005) How to teach speaking, Perason Education Limited, Longman 23 Ur, P (1996) A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and Theory, Cambridge University Press 61 APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (for students) This survey questionnaire is designed for my study “Improving speaking skill for 10th grade students through communicative activities” Your assistance in filling the following items is greatly appreciated You can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Background information: - Your gender:  Male  Female - Your age: …………………………………………………………………… - Your name: ………………………………………………………………… - Your years of learning English: ……………………………………………… Please tick (√) where appropriate or write in brief where necessary (You can choose more than one answer to some questions) Student’s attitudes towards the role of English speaking skill Why you learn English? (Please tick more than one option) a To be a compulsory subject in curriculum b.To get a good job in the future c.To pass the examinations d.To communicate with foreigners e.To entertain yourself (listen to songs, read books and magazines in English) Others: (Please specify): ……………………………………………… How interested you feel in speaking English classes? (Please tick only one) a Very interested b Rather interested c Little interested d Not interested at all How often you speak English in class? a Very often b Sometimes 62 c Rarely d hardly When you often speak English at school? a When I talk with your friends b When my teacher asks you c When I am interested in the topic and activities Do you have any difficulties in English speaking lessons?  Yes  No If yes, tick one or more than one options for the causes of your difficulties in English speaking lessons? a Being afraid of losing face b Not enough time for preparation c Too much teachers’ talking time d Not getting used to speaking English e Low level of English language proficiency f Unable to find words or structures g Unable to find ideas h Introversion (shy, timid, and reserved) i Not paying much attention to speaking skill Others (Please specify): …………………………………………… Student’s attitudes towards communicative activities What kinds of communicative activities you like to participate in your class? (more than one option is possible) a Discussion b Interviews c Using songs d Discourse chain e Role play f Communicative games g Question and answer h Others: …………………………………………………………………… 63 What you think about of the tasks in the textbook English 10? a Very difficult b Quite difficult c Not so difficult d Quite easy What forms of the activity you like to take part in? a The whole class work b Groups work c Pairs work d Individual work What is the effectiveness of practicing the activities for you? a You can speak more fluently b You feel more confident c You have chance to practice English d You are more interested in learning English e Your English is much improved f Others: 10 What are your difficulties in practicing the activities? (more than one option is possible) a You lack vocabulary to express your opinion b You are afraid of making mistakes c You fear for being criticized or losing face d You feel shy while speaking in front of the class e You have nothing to say f Others: ……………………………………………………………………………… Thank you very much for your cooperation! 64 APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (for teachers) This survey questionnaire is designed for my study ““Improving speaking skill for 10th grade students through communicative activities” Your assistance in filling the following items is greatly appreciated You can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Background information: - Your gender:  Male  Female - Your age: …………………………………………………………………… - Your name: ………………………………………………………………… - Your years of teaching English: …………………………………………… Please tick (√) where appropriate or write in brief where necessary (You can choose more than one answer to some questions) Teachers’ attitudes towards the role of English speaking skill What you think about the importance of speaking? a very important b important c unimportant What you think about your students’ speaking ability? a very good b good c acceptable d bad Do you teach speaking in the integration with other skills? a Yes b No In your experience, what makes students afraid of speaking? (more than one option is possible) a poor background knowledge b poor vocabulary and grammatical knowledge 65 c low accuracy and fluency d others: ………………………………………………………………… Teachers’ attitudes towards communicative activities What you think about the communicative activities for speaking practice in the textbook 10? (more than one option is possible) a various d interesting b enough e boring c poor f helpful When you usually use communicative activities? a at the beginning of the lesson b during the lesson c at the end of the lesson d out of the class time What kinds of communicative activities you usually use in your English teaching process? a Discussion b Interviews c Using songs d Discourse chain e Role play f Communicative games g Question and answer h Others: …………………………………………………………………… What forms of the activity you usually organize? a the whole class work c pairs work b groups work d individual work Why you think communicative activities should be used in speaking lesson? a To encourage students to speak the target language 66 b To stimulate the students’ motivation c To have the students get out of shyness d To meet the demand of students’ communicative purposes e All the above mentioned reasons Others reasons…………………………………………………… 10 How successful will your speaking lesson for 10th graders be if no communicative activities are made use of? a Less successful b As successful as periods used communicative activities c More successful d No idea 11 During a communicative activity, you should a Not to interfere b Interfere whenever you find your students make mistake c Collect students’ common mistakes without interfering them d Join the activities with students as a participant e Encourage all students to participate in the activities 12 Which of the following things you think teachers should make to get effectiveness of communicative activities? a Make good preparation b Encourage students c Discuss and share the experience with colleagues d Organize the class work appropriately Other things………………………………………………………………… 13 What you think the benefits of the use of communicative activities in teaching speaking to 10th graders at Do Luong 1? a Increasing students’ motivation in learning b Providing communicative contexts for students 67 c Creating natural learning d Helping students develop their language skill totally Other benefits:…………………………………………………………… Difficulties in using communicative activities to teach speaking skill What difficulties you meet when carrying out the communicative activities? 14 In terms of students’ side a they often keep quiet and only speak when they are asked b learners are too shy to speak in front of the class c they are not interested in the topic 15 In terms of your own side a it’s difficult to organize b it takes too much time to make a lesson plan 16 In terms of objective factors a lack of materials b size of class c time allocation d atmosphere in class Other difficulties that you face: …………………… Thank you very much for your cooperation! 68 Appendix Questions for Teachers Interview The interview is composed of open-ended questions addressing the use of CLT at Do Luong high school Other questions may be added based on subjects’ answers to the questionnaire 1st question: How you evaluate the current “Tieng Anh 10” in terms of CLT? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this teaching material? 2nd question: What you think about using CLT in English speaking classrooms? 3rd question: In your opinion, how students like CAs? And how your students in English speaking classes benefit from them? 4th question: What is your dominant role in CAs? 5th question: What are some of the difficulties you have faced personally when attempting CAs in your English speaking classroom? Were you able to overcome those difficulties? How? 69 APPENDIX CLASSROOM OBSERVATION CHECKLIST Speaking Skills Teacher's Name: Theme: Date/ Week: Note: 1: Very bad 2: Bad 3: Fair (Average) A Preparation/ Organization 4: Good 5: Very good Comments Comments Organization of lesson Appropriateness of lesson within framework of general syllabus Use of class time Lesson plan (realistic/lesson links/ teachers' sensitivity to the lesson plan/ timing) Lesson's impacts on learning B Classroom Procedure Pace Instructions, Explanations Feedback to students Degree of Difficulty Confidence Adaptability Physical Presence and Movement A variety of Activities (fluency or accuracy oriented) Students' involvement in the classroom process 70 10 Flows of the class C Interaction and Class Atmosphere Comments Comments Comments Comments Interaction between Ts and Ss Interaction among students General Class atmosphere T's provision of safe and supportive context for practice D Materials and Resources Choice of Materials Class handouts (quality, format, attractiveness) Whole-learner Materials (blackboard use, visual aid, etc) Use of materials (approaches/ exploitation/ interest to learners/ affective sides) E Teaching Strategies and Skills Teacher's decision making the classroom Achievement of the lesson aims/objectives Motivation for learners Classroom management F Teacher's Qualities Teacher's roles in action (manager/ facilitator/ social worker/ monitor/ model/ counselor/ facilitator/ friend/ informant, etc) Students' Care Teacher's Knowledge Teachers' Pronunciation Teacher's Confidence (non-verbal language) 71 Teacher's Adaptability Teacher's Professionalism G Learners Comments Learners' motivation Learners' cooperation with teachers Learners' willingness to ask when uncertain Learners' tolerance of other students Learners' behavior Summary of strengths and areas needing improvement: Strengths: Weaknesses: Professional recommendations: 72 ...MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY LÂM THỊ HƯƠNG IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILL FOR 10 TH GRADE STUDENTS AT DO LUONG HIGH SCHOOL THROUGH COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES Major: Teaching English... teaching and learning speaking skill of the 10 th graders at Do Luong high School, Do Luong District, Nghe An Province ? 1. 3.2 How are communicative activities applied in speaking lessons for the 10 th. .. graders at Do L uong high School, Doluong District, Nghe An Province ? 1. 3.2 How are communicative activities applied in speaking lessons for the 10 th graders at Do Luong high school? 1. 3.3