The set of proposed materials were then subjected to verification via teacher questionnaires and piloting. After piloting, piloted students were interviewed for possible improvement of the materials. Adjustments were then made to the proposed materials for subsequent intervention.
3.1.4.1. Result from questionnaires (Teachers‘ assessment)
There was a highly agreement on the characteristics of suitability, exploitability and readability (Appendix 15). Seven teachers said that the process of unit and part organization in the materials was rational and acceptable. The competence-based approach was suitably applied. The jokes were suitable for the third-year tour guide students. Also, seven teachers agreed that the topics and types of the jokes motivated the teaching and learning and that the jokes and humour are helpful for teachers and games make reduce stress and learning pressures. The joke and humour were helpful for teachers. Games reduced stress and learning. The information in the teacher‘s book was good enough for teachers. It was not necessary to leave out any pointed cultural features in the materials.
The information in the teacher‘s book was good enough for using and teachers could feel comfortable in using the materials in their own class. Therefore, all the teachers suggested the materials should be adopted as sources for integrated teaching. However, some of the teachers (4) recommended that the jokes should be integrated into some other lessons and joking could last between 15 and 20 minutes just for relaxation or further practice (Appendix 6).
3.1.4.2. Results from the interview (Students‘ opinions)
Most of the students strongly agreed that the materials were easy to use, the lessons were well prepared for classes, the learning time was effectively organized, the students were interested in the subjects and that the teachers were responsive to student problems. They all rated the teaching overall very good and excellent. They all liked hearing jokes and telling jokes. Especially, they learned how to tell good
jokes with different foreign tourists. However, the students found that it was quite difficult to understand some jokes and needed to learn more about cultures.The students' opinions are summarized in themes of Good points, Bad points and Things needed to improve (Table 3.7).
It can be seen that the students‘ outcome of learning jokes and progress of telling jokes was rather remarkable. However, the assessment was taken into consideration after the pilot and provided some facts that the students needed more knowledge of cultures and more jokes so that they could appreciate more linguistic and cultural jokes. As mentioned above, this material was aimed at providing students with general knowledge of jokes and joking cultures and helping students enhance their humour competence. Thus, the skills of listening, speaking and reading were consequently developed as long as the ultimate target of the material was to be reached when students understood and were able to tell good jokes. Yet, the proposed authentic materials actually did not help enhance the students‘ awareness of culture which was in lines with the teacher‘s assessment in the questionnaire.
Table 3.7: Summary of the students’ opinions Subjects
(S)
Good points Bad points Things needed to improve
S1 - Understood most of short jokes
- Not afraid of English jokes - Better pronunciation
- Laugh more and can tell jokes
- Not understood some jokes because of new words and joker‘s intention.
- Sometimes needed explanation
- Needed more cultural jokes
- Cultures
S2 - Knew more English jokes - Better pronunciation
- Learned how to tell good jokes
- Difficult words - Different cultures
- Needed to learn more about cultures and lifestyles
S3 - understood simple jokes - Learned new words and could make gestures when telling jokes
- Not good at appreciating jokes because of new words and cultures
- Needed more practice listening to jokes
- Not afraid of English jokes - Developing skills of telling jokes, and a little funnier
- Difficult linguistic and cultural jokes
- More time for learning
S5 - More confident in hearing and telling jokes
- Read more English jokes
- Difficult words
- Not understood cultures
- Cultures - Lifestyle S6 - Understood some simple jokes
- Became more ligh-hearted, funnier and laugh more
- Not enough words to understand
- New ideas and teller‘s intention
- Cultures
S7 - Appreciated some simple jokes
- Could tell jokes
- Difficult words, pronunciation - joke content
- Cultures - Lifestyles S8 - Became more confident (very
shy before)
- Liked reality-based jokes
- Difficult words - Joke content
- Need more explanation
- Cultures
- More time for learning English jokes
S9 - Understood the incongruity of humour
- Liked hearing jokes and telling jokes
- Laughed more, easy to understand reality-based jokes
- Not understood all jokes.
- Needed more explanation
- More English jokes:
linguistic and cultural jokes
S10 - Liked English jokes, linguistic and reality-based jokes
- Became more confident in hearing jokes and telling jokes - Better listening and speaking English
- Laughed more, funnier
- Little knowledge of culture and social life
- More cultures - More jokes
- More time for jokes
3.1.4.3. Adjustments after the materials verification and piloting
There were some adjustments after the proposed materials were verified and piloted.
First, the materials needed to include more authentic jokes about culture and taboos and aspects of cultures and lifestyles of some countries whose people often travel to Viet Nam, especially to Nha Trang City.Second, it was indispensable to have a collaboration of native speakers in the lessons. More American and Australian teachers
participated in the learning process so that the students could be jointly submerged into the English-speaking environment and profoundly aware of the cultures and real life aspects of the people through English jokes they were learning. Thirdly, it was necessary to increase the time of learning jokes which were two months (about 8 weeks) instead of one month as occurring in the materials piloting. Moreover, more readings, cartoons, audios and videos about cultures were attached to the materials (Appendix 21). A teaching methodology guidline and a lesson planwere also added (Appendix 22 & 23).
To sum up, Phase one focused on analyzing and discovering the target needs, learning needs and problems in appreciating humour. This phase was a crucial part of the process of developing the ability to make sense of humour in English jokes for the tour guide students. The findings from the NA provided evidence for a reality of lacking humour training in tourism program at college and university. Conveniently, the competency- based materials which were concentrated on tasks, contents, and skills were piloted, evaluated, adjusted and ready for the intervention phase.