VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES ---------- TRẦN THỊ THẢO TEACHING SPEAKING SKILLS FOR THE FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS AT THAI NGUYEN COLLEGE OF ECONOMICS AND TECHNOLOGY : PROBLEMS AND RECOMMENDATIONS (DẠY KỸ NĂNG NÓI CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG KINH TẾ KỸ THUẬT THÁI NGUYÊN : CÁC VẤN ĐỀ VÀ GỢI Ý GIẢI QUYẾT) M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410 Thai Nguyen - 2012 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CONTENTS PART A: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………. Rationales of the study…………………………. Scope of the study…………………………………………………………. Organization of the study……………….4 Chapter 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND……………………………….
The nature of speaking…………………………. Definition of speaking………………………………………. Characteristics of speaking………………………………………. Development approach in teaching speaking skills………………5 1.
Difficulties in teaching and learning speaking skills. Difficulties from teachers‟ view………. Difficulties from non-native students in studying speaking skill…10 1. Difficulties from external factors.
The roles of speaking skills…. Teaching speaking skills on Vietnamese teachers‟ view. Learning speaking skills in Vietnam ……………………………13 Chapter 2: RESEARCH METHODS…………………………………. The reality of teaching and learning English speaking skills at Thai Nguyen College of Economics and Technology………………….14 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Overview of the English course and its objectives …. Description of the students………………………………. Description of the teachers………………………………………16 2. The research methods…………………………………….
Procedure of the survey………. Presentation of the statistical results……….…………19 Chapter 3: FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS……………………27 3. Problems from the teachers……………………. Problems from the students…………………….
Problems from other factors………………. Suggested solutions for the situation at the college…. Some teaching strategies for the teachers…………………. Some suggested activities in speaking lessons…………….I v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS TNC-ET: Thai Nguyen College of Economics and Technology GE: General English PPP: Presentation, Practice and Production ESP: English for Specific Purposes TTT: Teacher talking time STT: Student talking time ELT: English language teaching No of students: Number of students No of teachers: Number of teachers MA: Master of Arts LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Speaking activities and topics designed for New Headway Elementary.14 Table 2: Students‟ opinion on learning English……………………………………19 Table 3: The reasons that make students unwilling to speak in English class….…20 Table 4: Students‟ assessment of speaking activities given by teachers….………22 Table 5: Teachers‟ English communicative competence……………………….…23 Table 6: Teachers‟ difficulties in teaching speaking at TNC-ET……………….24 Table 7: What teachers do to motivate students to speak in English class……….25 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART A: INTRODUCTION 1.
Rationales of the study The main reason for choosing this topic for my thesis was realizing how important speaking English is in every day situations. Speaking a foreign language represents one of the essential requirements of today´s society. No one can deny the universality of English. Outside English-speaking countries, English has become a compulsory component of education in many countries.
This trend also applies in Vietnam. At many schools and universities, English is chosen as a compulsory subject for students as English is considered to be a useful tool to access the world knowledge. It is considered as one of the most influencing factors while applying for a job or sustaining in a particular work position under the condition of advancing the language level. However, though the importance of English has been recognized, how it is taught can often be questioned.
When we were students before, we learnt in traditional ways-teachers read, explained grammar units and students copied, took notes. The teaching of oral English was especially neglected with my former teachers. I had very little emphasis in schools at secondary level on teaching oral English. In the upper grades, even at my university, educators tended to particularly focus on reading, writing, and academic content, and diminish the importance of helping students to speak English better.
And now we become teachers, standing in front of new students and transmit a foreign language to them. We really want to make a better effect. In my college, Thai Nguyen College of Economics and Technology (TNC- ET), students accumulate 6 credits of English out of total credits for an undergraduate degree. The proportion of English compared to other subjects, then, is relatively small.
The requirement, however, after they graduate, is equal to level B in language education. These people are required to reach a sufficient level in a foreign language in order to accomplish communication in their jobs. That means the curriculums must emphasize on oral communication. How we can do it when it 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com is is surprising to learn that many of the students are incapable of using their English to talk, even in class.
We now mainly spend time talking with students about a particular topic and making sure they know vocabulary words connected with that topic as a preview to reading a passage or a story. We consider that is all about teaching oral English. We have had numerous studies on this situation and various solutions, recommendations and suggestions, including changing teaching methods, changing syllabus or textbooks, upgrading teachers‟ qualifications, changing formats of speaking tests and so on. But what is the main difficulty and where we can find suitable solutions for the situation we encounter everyday are the questions that urge me to make my writing about this matter.
My research is conducted on Teaching speaking skills to first- year students at Thai Nguyen College of Economics and Technology: problems and recommendations. Aims of the study The study is aimed at: Investigating the current English speaking teaching and learning situations of the first-year students at TNC-ET on the basis of finding out relevant difficulties experienced by the teachers of English and some other external reasons. Identifying the factors which make the students inhibited or unwilling to speak English in class. Making some suggestions for the teachers at TNC-ET with the hope of helping the students overcome their inhibition and unwillingness, and thereby, improve their speaking skills.
Suggesting some realistic and appropriate class teaching techniques with the hope that they can enhance the learners in speaking skills. Research questions The above aims can be realized through the following research questions: 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. What are the problems in teaching and learning speaking skills for the first- year students at TNC-ET? 2. How can teachers and students minimize these difficulties? 4.
Scope of the study Although problems in teaching practices in my college exist in the four macro-skills, we have chosen to focus on difficulties in teaching speaking skills to first-year students at TNC-ET for the fact that mastering speaking is so central to language learning that when we refer to speaking a language, we often mean knowing a language. In addition, some recommendations for the teachers of English to decrease those difficulties are also proposed. Also, due to the researcher‟s limited ability, time constraints and narrow-scaled study, this study only involves a small number of TNC-ET non-English students in their first academic year (i., 50 first- year students of 2nd semester). Organization of the study The study consists of three parts.
Part A, Introduction, deals with general rationales of the study, aims of the study, research questions, scope of the study, and the outline of the study. Part B, Development, is composed of three chapters. Chapter One, Theoretical Background, reviews the theoretical literature involving the difficulties in teaching speaking skill to non-English major students in three relating areas: nature of oral communication; the difficulties in teaching and learning English speaking skills; and the roles of speaking skills in the views of teachers and students. Chapter Two, Research Methods, mentions the concrete reality of teaching and learning speaking skills at TNC- ET, methods of the study and data analysis.
Chapter Three, Findings and Recommendations, presents and discusses the problems just found out in teaching the skill of speaking to first-year students of English at TNC-ET including the difficulties caused by teachers themselves, students and objective factors. It also gives the recommendations and activities in reducing those difficulties suggested by the participants of the study. The last part is the conclusion of the study, which presents the overview of the study. Besides, the limitations of the thesis are pointed out and the areas for further study are also proposed.
4 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1. The nature of speaking 1. Definition of speaking According to Brown, 1994; Burns & Joyce, 1997, speaking is “an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information”. Its form and meaning are dependent on the context in which it occurs, including the participants themselves, their collective experiences, the physical environment, and the purposes for speaking.
It is often spontaneous, open-ended, and evolving. According to Burn & Joyce, 1997, "speaking" is the delivery of language through the mouth. To speak, we create sounds using many parts of our body, including the lungs, vocal tract, vocal chords, tongue, teeth and lips. In the framework of how we learn our first language, language has been divided into different skill areas.
A child first learns to practice language through the skill of listening. Later, a child uses language by speaking combined with listening. Then, when school begins, children learn the skills of reading and writing. So speaking is usually the second of the four language skills that we learn.
This vocalized form of language usually requires at least one listener. When two or more people speak or talk to each other, the conversation is called a "dialogue". Speech can flow naturally from one person to another in the form of dialogue. It can also be planned and rehearsed, as in the delivery of a speech or presentation.
Speaking can be formal or informal: Informal speaking is typically used with family and friends, or people you know well. Formal speaking occurs in business or academic situations, or when meeting people for the first time. 5 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Speaking is probably the language skill that most language learners wish to perfect as soon as possible. Characteristics of speaking According to Bygate (1987), speaking has the following characteristics: Firstly, its form and meaning are dependent on the context in which it occurs, including the participants themselves, their collective experiences, the physical environment, and the purposes for speaking.
It is often spontaneous, open-ended, and evolving. Secondly, the learners must know how to produce specific points of language such as grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary, but also they understand when, why, and in what ways to produce language. Thirdly, speech has its own features, structures, and conventions different from written language. Lastly, Bygate (1987) considers speaking as an undervalued skill in many ways.
The reason is that almost all people can speak, and so take speaking skill too much for granted. Bygate also highly appreciates speaking skill by stating that speaking is the medium through which much language is learnt. To sum up, it is undeniable that speaking is the key to communication. By considering what good speakers do, what speaking tasks can be used in class, and what specific needs learners report, teachers can help learners improve their speaking and overall oral competency.
Development approach in teaching speaking skills Speaking in traditional methodologies usually meant repeating after the teachers, memorizing a dialogue, or responding to drills.The emergence of communication language teaching in the 1980s led to changed views of syllabuses and methodology, which are continuing to shape approaches to teaching speaking skills today. Grammar-based syllabuses were replaced by communicative ones built around notions, functions, skills, tasks, and other non-grammatical units of organization. Fluency became a goal for speaking courses and this could be developed through the phases in teaching speaking skills that required learners to 6 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com attempt real communication, despite limited proficiency in English. Therefore, it is essential that language teachers pay great attention to teaching speaking.