PEOPLE'S BINH DUONG PROVINCIAL COMMITTEE THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY -----🕮----- HOANG THI LE QUYEN AN INVESTIGATION INTO LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: A CASE OF THREE HIGH SCHOOLS IN BINH DUONG PROVINCE MAJOR: ENGLISH LANGUAGE MAJOR CODE: 8 22 02 01 MASTER THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE BINH DUONG PROVINCE, 2023 0 PEOPLE'S BINH DUONG PROVINCIAL COMMITTEE THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY -----🕮----- HOANG THI LE QUYEN AN INVESTIGATION INTO LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: A CASE OF THREE HIGH SCHOOLS IN BINH DUONG PROVINCE MAJOR: ENGLISH LANGUAGE MAJOR CODE: 8 22 02 01 MASTER THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE SUPERVISED BY Ph. TRAN THANH DU BINH DUONG PROVINCE, 2023 0 STATEMENT OF THE AUTHORSHIP I, the undersigned, at this moment, declare that I am the sole author of the thesis entitled “An Investigation into Language Learning Strategies to Improve English Speaking Skills among High School Students: A Case of Three High Schools in Binh Duong Province.” I have fully acknowledged and referenced the ideas and work of others, whether published or unpublished, in my thesis. My thesis does not contain work extracted from a thesis, dissertation, or research paper previously presented for another degree or diploma at this or any other university. Binh Duong, July 2023 Hoang Thi Le Quyen i RETENTION OF USE I hereby state that I, Hoang Thi Le Quyen, being a candidate for the degree of Master of English Language accepts the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library.
In this regard, I agree that the original of my Master’s thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for study and research purposes. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the support of many people and groups. Firstly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Ph. Tran Thanh Du, for his continued guidance and invaluable assistance and insights leading to the writing of this thesis.
My sincere thanks also go to all Thu Dau Mot University teachers for teaching me the essential knowledge to complete this paper. Furthermore, I am greatly indebted to the Binh Duong Department of Education and Training and Vo Minh Duc High School for their financial support and assignments. Moreover, I am fortunate to have been a part of the English Group of Vo Minh Duc High School; I am highly thankful to my colleagues and students from Vo Minh Duc, Binh Phu, and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School for their constant bits of help. Additionally, I would like to extend my special thanks to the authors of my thesis’s references.
Last but not least, I am grateful for my parents, siblings, husband, and daughters, whose unconditional love and support keep me motivated and confident. iii ABSTRACT The role of language learning strategies (LLS) in second language acquisition has received increased attention across several disciplines in recent years. LLS has been shown to occur in many studies over the years to improve language learning efficiency. The current study endeavors to scrutinize LLS employed by the students at (1) Binh Phu, (2) Vo Minh Duc, and (3) Nguyen Thi Minh Khai high schools and suggests solutions to improve the effectiveness of LLS.
Based on the data collected and analyzed by mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative), the survey reveals that students’ motivation enormously affected LLS. The author first sent and collected data from questionnaires, complimented interviews, and subsequently experimental teaching and classroom observation. The findings simultaneously show that students use many LLS to enhance their speaking skills, but the most frequently used ones are cognitive and affective. Significant correlations among types of LLS and the influence of motivation on the choices of LLS are consistent with previous studies.
The study’s results concerning LLS and the effectiveness of LLS are expected to be beneficial to teachers of English and students in terms of narrowing the gap between the students' LLS and their teaching methodologies preferences and sketching out the appropriate strategies to enhance students’ speaking skills. The implications of these findings and the importance of viewing learners holistically are discussed, and recommendations are made for ongoing research. Key words: affective strategies, cognitive strategies, language learning strategies, memorization strategies, speaking skills. iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS C: Control class E: Experimental class IELTS: International English Language Testing System LLS: Language learning strategies BP: Binh Phu High School MK: Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School VMD: Vo Minh Duc High School Pre: Pretest M: Midterm test P: Posttest S1: LLS 1 … S12: LLS 12 S1COMPUTE: Memorization strategies S2COMPUTE: Cognitive strategies S3COMPUTE: Compensation strategies S4COMPUTE: Metacognitive strategies S5COMPUTE: Affective strategies S6COMPUTE: Social strategies v LIST OF TABLES Chapter 1.
The population of the three high schools. Speaking assessment criteria (Adapted from IELTS speaking criteria). Cronbach’s Alpha for each category of the questionnaire. Students' English learning.
Students’ motivation in learning English. Descriptive statistics of students’ motivation in learning English. Students’ preference for LLS. Descriptive statistics of the activities.
Descriptive statistics of pretest results. Paired sample midterm test. Paired sample posttest. 57 vi LIST OF FIGURES Chapter 2.
Diagram of the Strategy System. Concept map of data collection and analysis. The formula for calculating the reliable sample size. LLS preference of the sample.
LLS use of three grades. LLS use among three grades. LLS use among three schools. Differences of test results.
LLS use of VMD students. LLS use of BP students. LLS use of MK students. Differences of test results.
Test results among three schools. 59 vii LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 - LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGY CATEGORIES CLASSIFIED BY RUBIN, O’MALLEY ET AL. 78 APPENDIX 2 - LEARNING STRATEGIES. 79 APPENDIX 3 – STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LEARNING AND MOTIVATION.
81 APPENDIX 4 - STUDENTS’ PRIORITY OF LLS. 84 APPENDIX 5 - OBSERVATION CHECKLISTS. 89 APPENDIX 6- QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS. 97 APPENDIX 7 - INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS.
103 APPENDIX 8 - INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS. 104 APPENDIX 9 - RESULTS OF TEACHER INTERVIEWS. 105 APPENDIX 10 - RESULTS OF STUDENT INTERVIEWS. 110 APPENDIX 11 - RUBRICS FOR PRE, MID, AND POST-TESTS.
115 APPENDIX 12 – TEST RESULTS OF VO MINH DUC HIGH SCHOOL. 118 APPENDIX 13 – TEST RESULTS OF BINH PHU HIGH SCHOOL. 123 APPENDIX 14 – TEST RESULTS OF NGUYEN THI MINH KHAI HIGH SCHOOL. 128 APPENDIX 15 - PRETEST OF SPEAKING.
133 APPENDIX 16 - MIDTERM TEST OF SPEAKING. 134 APPENDIX 17 - POST TEST OF SPEAKING. 135 APPENDIX 18 – PAIRED SAMPLE T-TEST. 136 APPENDIX 19 – COMPARISON BETWEEN CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL.
141 APPENDIX 20 – COMPARISON AMONG CONTROL CLASSES FROM THREE SCHOOLS. 142 APPENDIX 21 – LLS USE AMONG THREE HIGH SCHOOLS. 147 APPENDIX 22 – LLS USE AMONG THREE HIGH SCHOOLS. 148 viii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF THE AUTHORSHIP.
i RETENTION OF USE. iv LIST OF ABBREVIATION. v LIST OF TABLES. vi LIST OF FIGURES.
vii LIST OF APPENDICES. Background to the study. The importance and dominance of English. The important of speaking skills.
The three high schools. The 2018 English syllabus for high school. The characteristics of the teaching staff. The characteristics of the students.
Statement of the problem. Scope of the study. Aims of the study. Significance of the study.
Structure of the study. Overview of speaking. Language learning strategies (LLS). The effects of motivation on the choice of LLS.
Population and sample. Data collection and analysis. Validity and reliability. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS.
Questionnaires about students’ English learning. Recommendations to students. Recommendations to teachers. Recommendation for further studies.
Limitations of the study. 78 xi Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION The study reported in the thesis examines language learning strategy use among students at Binh Phu, Vo Minh Duc, and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High Schools, and the impact of student motivation on language learning strategy choices. The introductory chapter presents the background of the study, the problem the thesis attempts to tackle, and provides the rationale for the chosen area of investigation. In addition, the scope of the study, the aims of the study, and the significance of the study will also be presented simultaneously.
The study’s structure is included at the end of the chapter so that readers can follow more easily. Background to the study 1. The importance and dominance of English In this era of integration, the demand for communication is increasing, which leads to the formation of a universal language. English has been at the top of the list, surpassing Chinese, Spanish, French, and Esperanto.
Most documents, international summits, and business contracts are in English. English is the language of business, economics, advertisements, etc. There are three reasons that make English the dominant language now and in the future. Firstly, it currently has an enormous number of speakers.
Look at these impressive statistics. It is estimated that nearly one billion five hundred million people are learning English worldwide. There are over one billion English-as-a-foreign-language speakers and approximately four hundred million English-as-a-second-language speakers. The second reason is that English itself is an appealing language.
It has less grammar than other Indo-European languages, such as French or Russian. Its writing uses the Latin alphabet, so the writing system is more straightforward than the hieroglyphs of Chinese or Japanese. The third reason, also the most decisive, is that it is the language of the top developed countries: the USA and most European countries. There is a close link between 1 language dominance and the political, economic, and technological power of a country speaking that language.
With the rising importance and dominance of English, more and more people are learning it all over the world as well as in Viet Nam. Schools and colleges are making English a compulsory subject. In Vietnam, it is not an exception. English is a required subject.
It is tested in almost every high school graduation exam, and English is a prerequisite subject to receive a diploma from colleges and universities. The awareness of English entails more attention, so controversies and renovations in classroom teaching and learning methodology. The focus that used to be on linguistic competence now moves to communicative competence. The importance of speaking skills Speaking is one of the productive skills.
It reveals how much an English language learner has perceived through studying. Wallace (1978) stated that oral practice (speaking) becomes meaningful to students when they have to pay attention to what they are saying. Hence, the students can learn better how to require the ability to converse or to express their ideas fluently with precise vocabulary and good or acceptable pronunciation. In Bygate’s view, speaking is “the vehicle par excellence of social solidarity, of social ranking, of professional advancement and business” (Bygate, 1987, p.
Language learners regard speaking ability as the measure of knowing a language. They regard speaking as the most important skill they can acquire, and they assess their progress in terms of their accomplishment in spoken communication. (Burkart, 1998) The mastery of speaking skills is viewed as a necessity for most EFL and ESL learners (Richards, 2008, p. Richards’ definition of speaking echoes the interactional aspect of language that is used to fuel social intercourse (Yule, 1989, p.
169), promote emotional intelligence (Bora, 2012), fulfill certain goals, or convey particular ideas, intentions, desires, preferences, or opinions. Zaremba (2006), Celce-Murcia (2001), and Kayi (2006) also stressed the crucial role of speaking in maintaining oral 2 communication. Seen from this perspective, speaking helps strengthen interpersonal ties especially when it is used appropriately in social interactions. Harmer (2007) pointed out three main reasons for getting students to speak in the classroom.