The thesis entitled STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES IN LEARNING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS AT CAU KHOI PRIMARY SCHOOL was successfully defended and approved on September 30th, 2020 at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH). Academic supervisor : Ly Thi My Hanh, Ph. D The Board of Examiners for the Master’s Thesis Defense No. EXAMINATION COMMITTEE FUNCTION 1 Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, Ph.
D Chair 2 Duong My Tham, Ph. D Reader 1 3 Le Van Tuyen, Ph. D Reader 2 4 Truong Cong Bang, Ph. D Member 5 Nguyen Thi Nhu Ngoc, Ph.
D Secretary Member On behalf of the Examination Committee Chair (full name, title, signature) Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, Ph. D i HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE HCMC, September 2020 MASTER’S THESIS REPORT Student name: LE NGUYEN HOANG NAM Sex: Male Date of birth: 01/09/1993 Place of birth : Tay Ninh Province Major: English Language Student code: 1841900044 I- Thesis title: STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES IN LEARNING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS AT CAU KHOI PRIMARY SCHOOL II-Objectives and contents: This study aims at investigating primary school students’ difficulties in learning English speaking in the context of Cau Khoi primary school in Duong Minh Chau District, Tay Ninh province. The research objectives are as follows: • To find out the students’ attitudes towards learning speaking English. • To find out the difficulties of the learners towards speaking skills.
The participants were the EFL primary school students who were studying the Family and friends Special Edition. In order to gain the results, Author applied the mixed-method: quantitative and qualitative, two instruments ii were utilized: questionnaire and semi-structured interview so as to collect the data, both of which are applied for the students. III- Starting date: March 30th, 2020 IV- Completing date: September 30th, 2020 V- Academic supervisor: Ly Thi My Hanh, Ph. D ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR FACULTY DEAN ((full name, signature) ((full name, signature) Ly Thi My Hanh, Ph.
D Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, Ph. D iii CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled: STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES IN LEARNING ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS AT CAU KHOI PRIMARY SCHOOL In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee of Faculty of English Language, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology. Ho Chi Minh City, September 2020 LE NGUYEN HOANG NAM iv RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, LE NGUYEN HOANG NAM, being a candidate for the degree of Master of Arts (English Language) accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library. In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan, and reproduction for theses.
Ho Chi Minh City, September 2020 Signature ……………………………. LE NGUYEN HOANG NAM v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the process of completing this thesis, I have received the wholehearted help from the teachers of the Foreign Language Department - HUTECH University. First of all, I would like to thank Ms. Ly Thi My Hanh for guiding me to complete this graduation thesis.
Thanks to the dedicated guidance and careful guidance that I can complete the graduation thesis. Her comments and suggestions made me realize what was lacking in my research. The words of encouragement enabled me to complete this thesis well. Second, I would like to thank my colleagues for helping to share the work so that I can focus on completing the thesis.
Besides, I would like to thank the 5th graders of Cau Khoi Primary School for helping me in the survey to find out the difficulties in learning English speaking skills. Finally, I would like to sincerely thank my family for always supporting, giving strength, loving me to keep going. Thank you to my friends who have always stood by supported me in my studies and life. vi ABSTRACT Through the years, investigations into learning English speaking skills have been the subject of many researches in the field of language teaching and learning, especially the 5th graders because they were at the age of the transition between primary and secondary.
This greatly affected the psychology of the students. During the teaching process, the author found many difficulties in learning to speak English as the specific linguistic problem; they had difficulty expressing their thoughts due to lack of pronunciation and lack of vocabulary and grammar. Besides, the psychological issue also affected them quite a lot. They lacked confidence, are shy and timid when participating in learning to speak English.
Besides, the lack of English practice environment is also one of the factors hindering students' development of skills, which led to disappointment and anxiety; Whether such people lost their love of language and became discouraged with the continuing study. Focusing on the same subject but with a new perspective, this research aimed at discovering elementary students’ difficulties in learning English speaking skills at Cau Khoi primary school. A total of ninety-two learners and one foreign teacher participating in answering the questionnaire and responding the semi-structured interview questions. The data gained from the questionnaire were analyzed by SPSS in terms of descriptive statistics.
The results showed that primary school students expressed relatively good learning attitudes. However, this good attitude declined as the exams focused only on listening, writing, and reading skills. The learners were less focused on the speaking skill but instead only focused on three remaining skills. The results further indicated that there were three main reasons that make it difficult for students to learn English speaking skills.
Three main reasons were language problems such as vocabulary and grammar was not enough to express ideas; pronunciation was not good. Basing upon the findings, some implications were made to contribute to new vii viewpoints for teaching and learning and teaching speaking skills at primary schools. Keywords: Learning English speaking skills, attitudes, teaching English to young students, cognitive attitudes, affective attitudes, behavioural attitudes, linguistic problems, psychological problems viii TABLE OF CONTENTS MASTER’S THESIS REPORT .ii CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY .iv RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS .vii TABLE OF CONTENTS .ix LIST OF TABLES .xii LIST OF FIGURES. xiii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS .xiv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.
Background to the study. Statement of the problem. Aims and objectives of the study. Scope of the study.
Significance of the study. Definition of key terms. Organization of the thesis. 5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .1 Definition of speaking.
Function of speaking. Components of speech process. Characteristics of a successful speaking activity. Types of speaking activities.
Learning speaking activities.7: Teaching speaking English for young learner. The characteristics of young learners. Definitions of attitudes. The components of attitudes.
Difficulties affecting English speaking skills. Linguistics problems in speaking English. Psychological problems in speaking English. Environment for practicing English communication.
Sample and sampling procedures. Data collection procedures. Data analysis procedures. Validity and reliability.
54 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Students’ attitudes towards learning English speaking skills. Students’ difficulties at Cau Khoi primary school in learning English speaking skills. Cau Khoi primary school students’ attitudes towards learning speaking English.
Students’ difficulties at Cau Khoi primary school in learning English speaking skills.1 Summary of the main findings of the thesis .4 Recommendations for the further research. 102 xi LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Teacher’s general information Table 3.2: Participants’ general information Table 4.1: Total mean scores of attitudes towards Learning English speaking skills Table 4.2 Students’ attitudes towards Learning English speaking skills Table 4.3 Cau Khoi primary school students’ cognitive attitudes towards Learning English speaking skills.4 Cau Khoi primary school students’ affective attitudes towards Learning English speaking skills Table 4.5 Cau Khoi primary school students’ behavioral attitudes towards Learning English speaking skills Table 4.6 Students’ difficulties in learning English speaking skills Table 4.7 Linguistics problems in learning English speaking skills Table 4.8 Psychological problems in Learning English speaking skills Table 4.9 Environment for practicing English communication xii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Tripartite model Figure 2: ABC model Figure 3: Conceptual Framework of Students’ Attitude and difficulties in learning English speaking skills xiii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS EFL English as Foreign Language xiv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Background to the study Language is one of the essential things in communication. It is used as a tool for communication between countries in the world.
Everyone in the world always uses language to communicate, provide information and knowledge, and express their thoughts. Simultaneously, according to Wibowo (2014) research, language is the most effective way to communicate thoughts, information, intentions, emotions, and opinions. Without language, it is difficult for people to communicate with each other. Nunan (1991) pointed out that "success is measured by a person's ability to speak a language".
David (2013) pointed out that speaking ability had become a significant factor in life development. In the classroom, activities that develop learners' ability to express themselves through speech seem to be an essential part of language courses. However, not most foreign language learners are interested in learning spoken English. In Vietnam, English is taught from elementary school to university.
English is the most important foreign language for the inheritance of knowledge, science, technology, art and culture, and the establishment of international relations. Susanto (2020) believes that "English has become popular and one of the essential languages in people's entire life in understanding literature. Students should understand language usage, but they will not be able to use it without daily communication exercises. "Therefore, English is relevant content to learn and practice in daily communication.
In addition, mastering spoken English is the most crucial aspect of learning English. Therefore, learning a spoken language has become the most significant interest in foreign language learners. Besides, Richards (2002) pointed out that for most languages in the world, learners learn English to improve their oral English. As Richards and Renandya (2002, p.210) pointed out that speaking is one of the core communication elements.
This means that speaking is essential, and someone 1 can express their feelings, emotions, and thoughts through speaking. When someone speaks, they should express meaning based on the context of the message, for example, context and participation. In terms of teaching English, Kayi (2006) said that foreign language teachers should pay much attention to teaching speaking because “the ability to communicate in a foreign language clearly and efficiently can contribute to the success of the learner in school and success later in every phase of life”. Instead of leading students to learn by memorization purely, language teachers should provide students with a rich environment where they can improve communication meaningfully.
The term representing one’s competency in speaking a language is named speaking competence, which is a person’s skill, knowledge, and motivation to speak to anyone in any context. In reality, Vietnamese students consider learning to be remembering books or information provided by the teacher. Teachers are usually the only source of oral English input by students. As a result, students often do not participate in classroom activities, such as giving answers or asking questions and rely on teachers (Braddock et al.
Teacher-centered models lead to passive learning styles for students and discomfort when speaking a foreign language outside the classroom. Besides, the exams focus almost exclusively on grammar and vocabulary (Peterson, 2014). Thus, Vietnamese students learn English to pass the exam and continue their studies; they often ignore verbal communication parts such as pronunciation, speaking, and listening. Grammar and vocabulary-heavy courses and exams mean that students rarely have the chance to practice communicating with each other in English in the classroom (Denham, 1992).
Statement of the problem As an English teacher at Cau Khoi primary school, the author has many concerns about how learners can master and communicate in English with teachers and classmates.