-1- VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES ĐỖ THỊ THANH BÌNH USING STIMULATING ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE 10TH FORM STUDENTS’ ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS: A CASE STUDY AT THUAN AN UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL IN THUA THIEN HUE ( Sử dụng những hoạt động khích lệ để nâng cao kỹ năng nói tiếng Anh cho học sinh lớp 10: Một nghiên cứu điển hình tại Trường THPT Thuận An tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế) M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY Code: 60 14 10 Cohort: MA 17 HANOI ,SEPTEMBER, 2010 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com -2- VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES ĐỖ THỊ THANH BÌNH USING STIMULATING ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE 10TH FORM STUDENTS’ ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS: A CASE STUDY AT THUAN AN UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL IN THUA THIEN HUE ( Sử dụng những hoạt động khích lệ để nâng cao kỹ năng nói tiếng Anh cho học sinh lớp 10: Một nghiên cứu điển hình tại Trường THPT Thuận An tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế) M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY Code: 60 14 10 Supervisor : Prof. Hoàng Văn Vân HANOI- 2010 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com -6- TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES AND ABBREVIATIONS viii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the study 1 2. Aims of the study 3 3.
Scope of the study 4 5. Significance of the study 4 6. Research methodology 4 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Design of the study 5 PART B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Theoretical Backgrounds 6 1.
What is ―speaking‖? 6 1. What is ―teaching speaking‖? 6 1. Factors affecting English speaking abilities 6 1. What a successfully speaking learner should do 7 1.
Definition of stimulating activities 9 1. Types of stimulating activities in teaching speaking skills 9 1. Drama 9 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Three most stimulating activities used in speaking class 11 1.
Videos/ DVD in language teaching and learning 12 1. Prior studies related to teaching speaking 15 1. Summary 15 Chapter 2: The use of stimulating activities to improve 10th form students’ 16 speaking skill at Thuan An USS LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Current situation of teaching and learning English speaking skills at Thuan An USS 16 2.
An overview of Thuan An Upper Secondary School 16 2. The English teaching and learning situation at Thuan An USS 16 2. Description of the students at Thuan An USS 17 2. Description of the teachers at Thuan An USS 17 2.
The syllabus of teaching and learning 17 2. The English textbook ―Tieng Anh 10‖ 18 2. A research on the use of stimulating activities 20 2. Participants of the study 20 2.
Questionnaire 21 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Data collection procedures 21 2. Classroom observations through computer 21 2. Post-survey questionnaires for students 22 2.
Post-observation interviews 22 2. Technique for analyzing data 23 2. Summary 23 Chapter 3: Findings and discussion 24 3. Analyzing result of post-survey questionnaire 24 3.
Analyzing results of classroom observations 26 3. Result of post-observations interviews 29 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. The use of three stimulating activities to intensify students‘ participation 33 3. The effectiveness of three stimulating activities used in class 34 3.
The students‘ response on the use of three stimulating activities 34 3. Summary 35 PART C: CONCLUSION 1.Summary of the study 36 2. Recommendations on how to use three stimulating activities in class 37 2. For the student 37 2.
For the teacher 37 2. For the administrator 38 3. Limitations of the study 39 4. Suggestions for further research 39 REFERENCES 40 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com - 12 - APPENDICES I Appendix 1: Post-survey questionnaire I Appendix 2: Post-observation interviews V Appendix 3: Lesson extract 1 VI Appendix 4: Lesson extract 2 XII Appendix 5: Transcribe video taped lessons (Unit 12+ Unit 13) XIII Appendix 6: Lesson plans (Unit 12+ Unit 13) XXVIII LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com - 13 - LIST OF TABLES AND ABBREVIATIONS TABLES Table 1, 2, 3, 4: The students‘ attitudes towards the proposed stimulating activities Table 4, 5: The effectiveness of the stimulating activities used in 10A class ABBREVIATIONS MOET: Ministry of Education and Training CLT: Communicative Language Teaching EFL: English Foreign Language USS: Upper Secondary School R: Researcher Ss: Students St: Student LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com - 14 - PART A: INTRODUCTION 1.
Rationale of the study 1. Background of the study After the historic upheaval, Vietnam‘s economy, politics and culture have been undergone extensive changes. Thanks to the open-door policy, Vietnam has diplomatic relationship with countries all over the world. English becomes an indispensable means of communication with the rest of the world.
It can be said that English is the most important international language because it provides ready access to the world scholarship and world trade. Since then English has become a compulsory subject in Vietnamese curriculum, its teaching and learning have been paid much attention. The aims of foreign language instruction, especially English language instruction, is commonly defined in terms of four essential skills, reading, writing, listening, and speaking, of which speaking is becoming the most important aspect in developing one‘s communicative competence (Moore, 1992: 9). However, in reality, the teaching and learning of English in Vietnamese high schools has encountered many difficulties in language proficiency, in speaking skills in particular.
In 2006, a survey questionnaire was conducted in an upper secondary school in Ho Chi Minh City by Kim Lien with the title ―Why can‘t students speak English after seven years learning at high school?‖ In this survey, 86.6% of two hundred 12th graders believed that they did not have the ability or the self-confidence to communicate in English. There were many reasons for this but the most important one was the students‘ motivations and attitudes. However, the survey pointed out that textbooks had contributed to the difficulties experienced when learning English. At that time, they used the old series published in the 1980s.
The out-of-date information made teachers and students bored with teaching and learning. In addition, the new policy of examinations focusing only on reading skills through the multiple-choice format discouraged students from paying much attention to speaking skills.1% of students in the survey said that they had hardly any speaking or listening lessons and 44.4% of students said that they never had those lessons but practised grammar exercises and learning vocabulary instead. However, that survey was carried out in 2006, when the new volume of English textbooks was not applied in high schools. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com - 15 - In the academic year 2006-2007, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) introduced the new English textbook to high school students throughout the country.
In general, these new textbooks achieved the goal of teaching English through a communicative approach. Each unit contains four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing, with various interesting topics relevant to the age of the students. The new textbooks have many advantages; however, they have been a challenge to the students. In a recent survey of three high schools in Son La Province, Bui (2008) discovered a surprising statistic: less than 5% of students earned good marks, even in the national graduation exams.
The main problem was that the new textbooks were too difficult for them, with a large amount of new vocabulary. In addition, many topics were remote from their daily lives and backgrounds, and were therefore difficult for learning English is limited since they have to spend more time doing chores, such as planting maize, cassava, or gathering firewood. Reasons for the study As a teacher of English at Thuan An Upper Secondary School in Thua Thien Hue, I also have the same difficulties. I find the new textbooks more effective than the old ones that were used years ago.
However, my teaching seems to encounter a significant problem: the students do not pay much attention to their speaking skills, they usually keep quiet in speaking lessons. There may be two reasons for this. One is that the semester and final examinations only focus on reading skills and the other is that their lack of background knowledge. The first reason, which is a basic one for every high school student, is the motivation for studying.
It is undeniable that passing examinations is one of the most important motivations in studying. However, according to the policy from MOET, the semester and final examinations only focus on reading skills through the multiple-choice format. The graduating student often has five other subjects in the examination, therefore they only pay attention to practising reading skills and grammatical points as well as vocabularies and structures. Teachers of English themselves take advantage of the little time they have to provide reading practice and help with solving problems in grammar exercises in order to achieve the short-term goal of passing the final examination.
The lack of background knowledge is also a basic reason for students having poor speaking skills. Most students at my school received their primary and secondary education at Phu Thuan and Phu Hai and a few of students came from Hue City. These are the two LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com - 16 - poorest coastal communes of Phu Vang District, Thua Thien Hue province, so the learning conditions are very poor and they are deprived of chances to speak English. While most urban students start learning English in primary schools, my students do not start until secondary schools and then they learn in difficult conditions.
In addition, outside class time, the communicative environment in English is limited. An annual survey in my school of English speaking skills for the 10th graders has given a low result: more than 60% of students have difficulties when answering simple questions about their names, addresses, age or their hobbies. As a result, they feel scared of speaking English, of making mistakes, and of not conveying their sentiments to listeners. It indicates that my students have limited vocabulary.
They often use mother tongue. Hence, most of the students are not confident to use English in speaking class. For instance, when I asks them to come forward to have a conversation with their friends, they refuse it. They are shy to perform English conversation in front of their friends.
Thus, most speaking classes are monotonous and unsuccessful. Sometimes, in speaking classes, I have to guide the ideas in Vietnamese, and then help the students translate the ideas into English. In reality, these classes are the most ineffective ones. With the above problems, teachers and learners often pay less attention to speaking skills than to the others.
As a result, the aim of the communicative approach, which the authors have designed in the textbooks, is ineffective. Short-term studying is another consequence of these attitudes, in which learners will only study for the reading and writing examinations. A more serious consequence is the unequal knowledge between the urban and rural students. Having poor English-speaking skills will inhibit the students‘ ability to communicate, consequently, they will be unable to obtain enough information and knowledge for global integration.
Against the problems above, some stimulating activities should be used to overcome them. I am interested in applying these activities to improve the speaking skills of Thuan An students in English classes based on the syllabus of MOET so that I will conduct the research entitled ―Using stimulating activities to improve 10th form students‘ English speaking skills‖. My objective is to find the most effective ways of helping them to overcome the barrier of low self confidence when studying speaking skills. I want to help them become familiar with English and to enjoy learning it more and more.