An investigation into nguyen gia thieu high school students beliefs about learning english as a foreign language submitted in partial fulfilment of requirements of the degree of master in tesol

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI U N IVERSITY HOANG THI KIM CHI AN INVESTIGATION INTO NGUYEN GIA THIEƯ HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS' BELIEFS ABOUT LEARNING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER IN TESOL SUPERVISOR: LE VAN CANH, MA Hanoi February 2009 T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S I A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T I A B S T R A C T II L IS T O F A B B R E V I A T I O N S I l l L IS T O F T A B L E S A N D F I G U R E S IV C H A P T E R 1: I N T R O D U C T I O N 1.1 B a c k g r o u n d t o th e s t u d y .1 1.2 A im s o f th e s t u d y 1.3 C o n t e x t a n d sc o p e o f t h e s t u d y 1.4 S ig n if ic a n c e o f t h e s t u d y .4 1.5 O r g a n iz a t io n o f t h e t h e s i s C H A P T E R 2: L IT E R A T U R E R E V I E W 2.1 D e f in it io n s o f l e a r n e r s ’ b e l i e f s 2.2 L e a r n e r s ’ be liefs s y s t e m s 10 2.3 L a n g u a g e l e a r n in g b e l i e f s 13 2.3.1 Definitions 13 2.3.2 Approaches to the investigation o f language learning beliefs 16 2.4 T he im p o r t a n c e o f s t u d y in g l e a r n e r s ’ b e l ie f s .25 2.5 P r e v io u s s t u d ie s o n b e l ie f s 27 C H A P T E R : M E T H O D O L O G Y 31 3.1 R e s t a t in g th e r e se a r c h q u e s t i o n s 31 3.2 In s t r u m e n t 31 3.2.1 BALLI questionnaire 31 3.2.2 D etails 33 3.3 Si ibjects o f th e s t u d y 34 3.4 D a t a c o l l e c t io n p r o c e d u r e 35 3.5 D a t a a n a l y s i s .35 C H A P T E R : R E S U L T S A N D D I S C U S S I O N 4.1 H igh s c h o o l s t u d e n t s ’ be lief s a b o u t l a n g u a g e l e a r n in g 36 4.1.1 Foreign language aptitude: 37 4.1.2 The difficulty o f language learning 40 4.1.3 The nature o f language learning 41 4.1.4 Learning and communication strategies 43 4.1.5 Motivations and expectations 46 4.1.6 Sum m ary 47 4.2 G e n d e r a n d b e l ie f 48 C H A P T E R 5: C O N C L U S I O N 51 5.1 C o n c l u s i o n 51 5.2 L im it a t io n s o f the s t u d y a n d r e c o m m e n d a t io n s for f u r t h e r r e s e a r c h 52 R E F E R E N C E S 53 A P P E N D IX A : Q U E S T I O N N A IR E IN V I E T N A M E S E 60 A P P E N D IX B : Q U E S T I O N N A IR E IN E N G L I S H 64 A P P E N D IX C : T H E R E S U L T S O F B A L L I Q U E S T I O N N A I R E 68 A P P E N D IX D : P E R M IS S IO N T O U S E B A L L I I N S T R U M E N T 72 A P P E N D IX E : P E R M IS S I O N F R O M N G U Y E N G IA T H IE U H IG H S C H O O L 75 I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Mr Le Van Canh (M.A) for his scholarship, patient guidance, encouragement, insightful comments and constructive supervision throughout my research I am also very grateful to Ms Nguyen Thai Ha (M.Ed) for her support and feedback Without her time, expertise and feedback for my proposal and thesis, I would not have been able to complete my work I am also thankful to the Department o f Post Graduate, Ha noi University for providing the best environment to fulfill my thesis I would like to express my appreciation to the administrators o f Nguyen Gia Thieu High school for their constant support during my studies My very special thanks go to all teachers and students o f Nguyen Gia Thieu High school for helping m e duiing the p ioccss o f data oollcction Finally, I am deeply indebted to all the support and encouragement that m y family has offered me ABSTRACT This study aims at investigating high school students’ beliefs about learning English as a foreign language It also aims at exploring the relationship between belief and gender In order to achieve the aim o f the study, a 33-item questionnaire, which was adopted from the Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI), was administered to 140 students from one high school Questionnaire data were analyzed by means o f descriptive statistics Results reveal what high school students believed as being important to them in learning English as a foreign language In addition, it was found that there was no difference between male and female students with regard to their beliefs about learning English In other words, gender does not affect students’ beliefs about learning English as a foreign language LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ANOVA: Analysis o f variables BAK: Beliefs, assumptions and knowledge BALLI: Beliefs about language learning inventory CLT: Communicative language teaching EFL: English as a foreign language ESL: English as a second language FLA: Foreign language acquisition LI: First language L2: Second language LLB: Language learning belief M: Mean NGTHS: Nguyen Gia Thieu high school P: Probability value SD: Standard deviation SILL: Strategy inventory for language learning SPSS: Statistical package for the social science TESOL: Teachers o f English to speakers o f other languages Table 1: Different Terms and Definitions for Language Learning Beliefs Table 2: Summary o f selected studies in the Normative Approach Table 3: Summary o f selected studies in the M etacognitive Approach Table 4: Summary o f selected studies in the Contextual Approach Table 5: Features, Advantages and Disadvantages o f the three approaches Table 6: Summary o f specific items in the BALLI Table 7: Means and standard deviations for belief factors Tabic 8: A N O V A table for gender differences Figure Figure 1: Foreign language aptitude Figure 2: Difficulty o f language learning Figure 3: Nature o f language learning Figure 4: Learning and communication strategies Figure 5: Motivations and expectations o f learning foreign language CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study The growing importance o f English as an international language is observed in virtually all countries o f the world from its increasing status in educational curricula to its role as the language o f international business, tourism, news broadcasting etc, In Vietnam, the recognition by the Government o f the growing importance o f English can be seen in its recent initiatives on English language teaching in the high schools, colleges, and universities Beliefs play a key role in identifying the way learners view language and language learning approaches It appears obvious that many language learners have definite beliefs about learning a foreign language Whenever the topic o f foreign languages comes up in a conversation, many people seem eager to express their views and opinions about language learning Richardson (1996) defines beliefs as psychologically held understandings, premises, or propositions about the world that are felt to be true Current definitions o f beliefs found in the foreign language education literature focus primarily on how teachers think about the nature o f foreign languages, teaching and learning Studies into language learning beliefs have shown that beliefs play a crucial role in language learning The beliefs students hold about language and language learning affect the way they learn the language Students’ awareness o f their beliefs, therefore, may help to enhance language learning and to develop their language competence Such awareness can also help them to become autonomous language learners They will become not only efficient at learning and using their second language but also able to self-direct these endeavors Pedagogically, understanding o f students’ beliefs about language learning can help teachers to intervene appropriately in an attempt to modify or change the students’ beliefs The role beliefs play to the students’ learning outcomes has been empirically justified Studies on students’ learning beliefs which were conducted internationally have shown that students hold different beliefs or notions about language learning (Horwitz 1987), and those studies support the idea that learners’ beliefs have the potential to influence both their experiences and actions as language learners According to Putcha (1999), beliefs are guiding principles for our students’ behavior and strong perceptual filters they act as if they were true Similarly, Stevick (1980) asserts that learning success is credited more to the beliefs students hold than to the learning materials and teaching techniques The purpose behind studies on learners’ beliefs varies from study to study For example, Cortazzi (1990) studied the relationship between learners’ culture and their beliefs about language learning while Bacon and Finnemann (1992) were interested in finding out the relationship between gender and beliefs Other researchers such as Mantle-Bromley (1995) and W en and Johnson (1997) were interested in investigating the link between learners’ beliefs and their language proficiency For this purpose, Me Donough (1995) and Victori & Lockhart (1995) studied the impact ofbeliefs on language learning Mori (1997) conducted a study to look into the beliefs students hold in specific domains o f language learning whereas Cotterall (1995; Sakui & Gaies (1998) were concerned about various dimensions underlying learner’s beliefs Unlike other researchers, (Kalaja 1995, Sakui & Gaies 1998) looked into the issue o f methods used in studying learners' beliefs Despite the availability o f extensive research on language learning beliefs, little has been reported on Vietnamese students’ beliefs Despite the researchers’ effort to track down studies o f this type on Vietnamese high school students, she failed to find any This study was aimed at contributing knowledge and understanding o f Vietnamese high school students’ beliefs about learning English as a foreign language Besides, in Vietnamese culture, gender is still a key variable that may directly influence or even determine attitudes or motivations or behaviors Therefore, it is reasonable to suppose that students o f different genders may have different beliefs about what learning is and how it occurs This paper will explore the nature o f high school students’ beliefs and the difference between male and female students with regard to their language learning beliefs, if any The study is limited to a description o f students’ language learning beliefs in the context o f a high school in Vietnam The study sets out to achieve two following specific purposes: - To find out high school students' beliefs about learning English as a foreign language; - To find out the relationships between beliefs and gender In order to reach the research aims, the study mainly focused on the research questions as follows: W hat beliefs high school students have about language learning? Are the beliefs moderated by the gender o f the learner? 1.3 Context and scope o f the study As the title o f the study has indicated, the focus o f the study is on students’ beliefs about learning English as a foreign language at Nguyen Gia Thieu high school (NGTHS) NGTHS was established in 1950 in Gia Lam district, Hanoi As being an advanced high school o f Hanoi Department o f Education and Training, NGTHS has gained achievements in teaching and learning With 2150 students, NGTHS always have students who win high prizes at city and nation level - examinations The English department with teachers is always a leading one in teaching and proposing pedagogical initiatives for better teaching and learning English is one o f the compulsory subjects in the high school In the Vietnamese educational system, Vietnamese students learn English from the primary school (since 3rd grade) to university Learning English is paid more attention to by almost students because they realize the importance o f English in the context o f international globalization Students in big cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, etc,, have more opportunities to learn English and to meet foreigners to practise English than those who live in the rural area Phần B Niềm tin học sinh phổ thông trung học việc học Tiếng Anh Xin vui lòng đọc câu hỏi định cách tích vào ô 1, 2, 3, bạn (1) phàn đối, (2) phản đối; (3) không đồng ý không phản đối, (4)đồng ý, (5) đồng ý TT DANH MỤC Học ngoại ngữ sớm tốt Không phải có khả học ngoại ngữ thành cơng Một số ngơn ngữ dễ học ngơn ngữ khác Tiếng Anh ngôn ngừ dễ Tơi tin ràng tơi học nói Tiếng Anh tốt Mọi người Việt Nam học ngoại ngữ tốt Nói Tiếng Anh với việc phát âm chuẩn điều quan trọng Cần biết văn hóa nước nói tiếng Anh để nói Tiếng Anh Khi người học chưa có khả nói tiếng Anh thi khơng nên nói tiếng Anh 10 Ai biết sử dụng ngoại ngừ học ngoại ngừ khác dễ dàng 11 Những người giỏi tốn mơn khoa học học ngoại ngữ khơng giỏi 12 Học tiếng Anh nước nói Tiếng Anh tốt 13 Tơi thích thực hành Tiếng Anh với người xứ mà gặp 14 Khi nghe đọc tiếng Anh bạn từ bạn đốn nghĩa từ 15 Tơi có khả đặc biệt việc học ngoại ngữ 16 Phần quan trọng việc học ngoại ngữ học từ vựng 17 Việc nhắc nhắc lại thực hành nhiều điều quan trọng 18 Con gái học ngoại ngữ giỏi hom trai 19 Mọi người đất nước tơi cảm thấy nói tiếng Anh quan trọng 20 Tơi cảm thấy rụt rè nói Tiếng Anh với người khác 21 Nếu người bắt đầu học phép mắc lỗi Tiếng Anh thật khó cho họ nói xác sau 22 Điều quan trọng việc học Tiếng Anh học ngữ pháp 23 Tôi muốn học Tiếng Anh để tơi biết người xứ nói tiếng Anh tốt 24 Nói tiếng nước ngồi dễ nghe hiểu người khác nói 25 Thực hành với băng catset đài quan trọng 26 Học tiếng nước ngồi khác với học mơn học khác 27 Điều quan trọng việc học Tiếng Anh học cách dịch từ tiếng mẹ đẻ sang tiếng Anh 28 Nấu tơi học Tiếng Anh giỏi, tơi có nhiều hội tốt hon để tìm cơng việc tốt 20 Người biết ngoại ngữ người thơng minh 30 Tơi muốn học nói Tiếng Anh tốt 31 Tơi muốn có người bạn từ nước nói tiếng Anh 32 Ai học nói tiếng nước ngồi 33 Đọc viết Tiếng Anh dễ nói hiểu Tiếng Anh (Beliefs o f high school student about learning English) The purpose o f this questionnaire is to collect data to our study into beliefs about learning English as a foreign language o f high school students Your participation in this survey will help me to complete my MA thesis at Hanoi University Please kindly spare a few minutes o f your time to fill out this questionnaire You can be sure that you will not be identified in any case Part A Background questionnaire Please tick (V) in the appropriate square (tick ONLY ONE) or provide brief answer to certain question Your sex: M a le Fem ale _ Your a g e : years old Why you want to learn English? (you can tick appropriate box (es)) □ interested in the language interested in the culture have friends who speak this language need it for future job need it for travel to pass the exams other (list) Part B Beliefs about learning English as a foreign language Please read these statements carefully and decide if you : (1) strongly disagree; (2) disagree; (3) neither agree nor disagree; (4) agree; (5) strongly agree by ticking one of the responses (1,2,3,4 or 5) No ITEM 1 It is easier for children than adults to learn a foreign language Some people have a special ability for learning foreign languages Some languages are easier to learn than others English is a very easy language I believe that I will learn to speak English very well People from my country are good at learning foreign languages It is important to speak English with an excellent pronunciation It is necessary to know about English- speaking cultures in order to speak English You should not speak anything in English until you can say it correctly No ITEM 10 It is easier for someone who already speaks a foreign language to learn another one 11 People who are good at mathematics or science are not good at learning foreign languages 12 It is best to learn English in an English- speaking countries 13 I enjoy practising English with the native speakers o f English I met 14 It’s OK to guess if you don’t know a word in English 15 I have a special ability for learning foreign languages 16 The most important part o f learning a foreign language is learning vocabulary 17 It is important to repeat and practise a lot 18 Women are better than men at learning foreign languages 19 People in my country feel that it is important to speak English 20 I feel timid speaking English with other people 21 If beginning students are permitted to make errors in English, it will be difficult for them to speak correctly later on No ITEM 22 The most important part o f learning a foreign language is learning the grammar 23 I would like to learn English so that I can get to know native speakers o f English better 24 It is easier to speak than to understand s foreign language 25 It is important to practise with cassettes or tapes 26 Learning a foreign language is different from learning other academic subjects 27 The most important part o f learning English is learning how to translate from my native language 28 If I leam English very well, I will have better opportunities for a good job 29 People who speak more than one language are very intelligent 30 I want to leam to speak English well 31 I would like to have native- English speaking friends 32 Everyone can leam to speak a foreign language 33 It is easier to read and write English than to speak and understand it Beliefs M ean SD It is easier for children than adults to 18 67 44 4.01 933 30 23 57 25 3.48 1.122 14 39 77 3.54 808 English is a very easy language 48 37 50 2.09 936 I believe that I will learn to speak 11 12 74 32 11 3.14 964 23 66 35 12 2.34 950 10 14 69 45 4.04 917 26 58 46 3.20 875 36 73 18 2.08 956 47 31 50 2.99 1.021 learn a foreign language Some people have a special ability for learning foreign languages Some languages are easier to learn than others English very well People from my country are good at learning foreign languages It is important to speak English with an excellent pronunciation It is necessary to know about Englishspeaking cultures in order to speak English You should not speak anything in English until you can say it correctly 10 It is easier for someone who already speaks a foreign language to learn another one 34 67 22 14 2.16 957 19 59 49 3.99 1.021 30 72 31 3.89 837 25 35 62 14 3.41 988 20 46 62 2.51 925 33 68 30 3.85 830 11 76 49 4.21 735 27 28 47 22 16 2.80 1.248 42 72 16 3.64 849 timid speaking English with 25 32 64 15 3.44 998 21 It’s beginning students are permitted to 31 43 48 12 3.21 1.021 11 People who are good at mathematics or science are not good at learning foreign languages 12 It is best to learn English in an Englishspeaking countries 13 I enjoy practising English with the native speakers o f English I met 14 It’s OK to guess if you don’t know a word in English 15 I have a special ability for learning foreign languages 16 The most important part o f learning a f o r e ig n l a n g u a g e is learning vocabulary 17 It is important to repeat and practise a lot 18 Women are better than men at learning foreign languages 19 People in my country feel that it is important to speak English 20 I feel other people make errors in English, it will be difficult for them to speak correctly later on 10 44 71 14 3.62 791 18 62 45 13 3.35 873 27 38 65 3.39 894 10 36 75 19 3.74 783 21 29 75 13 3.54 909 26 59 40 10 3.17 936 11 40 84 4.45 790 12 29 60 32 2.95 992 want to learn to speak English well 10 49 77 4.44 761 31 I would like to have native- English 20 65 52 4.16 828 12 21 69 37 3.92 906 22 The most important part o f learning a foreign language is learning the grammar 23 I would like to learn English so that I can get to know native speakers of English better 24 It is easier to speak than to understand s foreign language 25 It is important to practise with cassettes or tapes 26 Learning a foreign language is different from learning other academic subjects 27 The most important part o f learning English is learning how to translate from my native language 28 If I learn English very well, I will have better opportunities for a good job 29 People who speak more than one language are very intelligent speaking friends 32 Everyone can learn to speak a foreign language 33 It is easier to read and write English than to speak and understand it 24 55 37 19 3.29 1.021 APPENDIX D: PERMISSION TO USE BALLIINSTRUMENT hoang thi kim chi From: To: "hoang thi kirn chi" Sent: Subject: Monday, February 18, 2008 8:50 PM Re: Permisión for using BALLI It's nice to m eet you, and I appreciate your interest in m y work idea o f exam ining high school students' beliefs very much I like the Subject to the usual requirements for acknowledgment, I am pleased to grant you perm ission to use the B eliefs about Language Learning Inventory' in your research Specifically, y ou m ust acknowledge m y authorship o f the B A L L I in any oral or written reports o f your research I also request that you inform m e o f your findings I am attaching a version o f the scale and som e scoring information below T his inform ation com es from m y book B ecom in g a Language Teacher: A Practical Guide to Second Language Learning and Teaching, A llyn & Bacon, 2008 The B eliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI): ESL V ersion The BALLI is not a single scale so the items should not be added together or averaged Each item asks about a specific b elief that a person might have about language learning Students who respond with a or a usually have a stronger b elief than students w ho respond with a or a to that same question, but it is important to remember that som e people tend to avoid the extreme points on a scale when responding to a questionnaire o f this type "Three's" should be considered a neutral response indicating either that the person is not sure or that he or she has not previously thought about the issue Items and 14 use a m ultiple choice format If there are particular topics you want to learn your students' opinions of, you could include additional items on the questionnaire when you use it with your students It is likely that your students w ill have a range o f responses on most questions Although there are no "right" or "wrong" answers to the BALLI, som e responses w ill be more consistent with what scholars know about h ow p eople leam second languages than others W hen students demonstrate a lim ited v ie w o f language learning, for exam ple i f they strongly agree that "learning English is mainly a matter o f learning a lot o f new vocabulary words," you m ay want to address those beliefs directly in strategy training This version o f the BALLI uses English as die language the learner is trying to leam It is also written in sim ple language so that you can use it with English learners from a number o f first language backgrounds I f you are teaching a different language, you can change English to any other language, or you could replace it with the phrase, "the language I am trying to learn." To think about your own b eliefs, substitute the phrase, "the language I teach." Directions: For each item , indicate whether you (1) Strongly D isagree (2) Disagree (3) Neither A gree nor D isagree (4) Agree or (5) Strongly A gree For questions and 14, select the number w hich most clo sely corresponds to your opinion It is easier for children than adults to learn a foreign language Som e people have a special ability for learning foreign languages Som e languages are easier to learn than others E nglish is: a very difficult language, a difficult language, a language o f medium difficulty, an easy language, a very easy language P eople from m y country are good at learning foreign languages I believe that I w ill leam to speak English very w ell It is important to speak E nglish w ith an excellent pronunciation It is necessary to know about English-speaking cultures in order to speak English Y ou shouldn't say anything in English until you can say it correctly It is easier for som eone w ho already speaks a foreign language to leam another one It is best to leam English in an English-speaking country' I enjoy practicing English w ith the Americans I meet It's o.k to guess if you don't know a word in English If som eone spent on e hour a day learning a language, how long w ould it for them to leam that language very w ell? less than a year -2 years 3-5 years 10 years You can't leam a language in hour a day have a special ability for learning foreign languages The most important part o f learning a foreign language is learning vocabulary words It is important to repeat and practice a lot I feel timid speaking English with other people If beginning students are permitted to m ake errors in English, it w ill be difficult for them to speak correctly later on The most important part o f learning a foreign language is learning the grammar It is important to practice with cassettes or tapes W om en are better than m en in learning foreign languages I want to speak English w ell It is easier to speak than understand a foreign language Learning a foreign language is different from learning other academ ic subjects The m ost important part o f learning E nglish is learning h o w to translate from m y native language If I leam to speak E nglish very w ell, I w ill have better opportunities for a good job It is, easier to read and write E nglish than to speak and understand it People who are good at m athem atics or science are not good at learning foreign languages People in m y country feel that it is important to speak English I would like to have American friends People who speak more than one language are very intelligent People from m v country are good at learning foreign languages Everyone can learn to speak a foreign language Ouotins hoang thi kim chi : > Dear Dr Horwitz, > I am a master student at Hanoi University o f Vietnam and in partial > fulfilment o f requirements o f the degree o f Master in TESOL M y reason for > writing to you is to request your permission to use your survey instrument, > the Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI ESL'EFL version) The > tentative o f m y thesis is " A n investigation into Nguyen Gla Thieu high > school students' beliefs about learning English as a foreign language" T1ÚS > study will identify beliefs aboiit learning English o f high school students in > Hanoi, Vietnam > I would greatly aprreciate your consent to my request A ny question can be > directed below address, telephone, and email I look forward to healing from > you at your convenience, regarding providing permission to use your > instrument in m y diesis A ny suggestions and information w ill be appreciated > Sincerely, > > Hoang Thi Kim Chi •*> * * * > Hoang Thi Kim Chi (M s) > International Cooperation Department > Genera] Statistics O ffice o f Vietnam >T el: (84-4) 7343784 > F a x (84 ) 7343990 > Mobile: 0982544323 > Email: htkchi@ gso.SÍOV.vn > truonKchi 13f0>,yahoo.com > Add: No2 Hoang Van Thu Str, Ba Dinh, Hanoi > * * APPENDIX E: PERMISSION FROM NGUYEN GIA THIEU HIGH SCHOOL 12 February 2008 Nguyen Gia Thieu High school 27/298, Ngoc Lam Ward, Long Bien District, Hanoi Tel: 04- 8271444 To Whom It May Concern: With this letter, give permission to Ms Hoang Thi Kim Chi to data collection for conducting her Master thesis from Nguyen Gia Thieu High school I have read the information regarding her research project on “high school students’ beliefs about learning English as a foreign language” I am willing to assist her in this research project by allowing her 45 minutes of class time to collect data with students from some 11-grade classes at Nguyen Gia Thieu High school as her required I f y o u h a v e a d d it io n a l q u e s t io n , p le a s e le t m e k n o w Dang Dinh Dai Rector Nguyen Gia Thieu High school ... language and languages, language structure and language use, the relationship between thought and language, identity and language, language and intelligence, language and learning, and so on.”... language learning beliefs have shown that beliefs play a crucial role in language learning The beliefs students hold about language and language learning affect the way they learn the language Students? ??... (Fraser and Gaskell 1990); • General assumptions that students hold about themselves as learners, about factors influencing language learning and about the nature o f language learning and teaching