MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ---------- LE THI KHANH HUYEN A STUDY OF TEACHERS’ TECHNIQUES FOR PROMOTING CLASSROOM INTERACTION IN THE ENGLISH CLASS AT NINH CHAU HIGH SCHOOL IN QUANG BINH PROVINCE MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts, Hue University of Foreign Languages HUE, 2015 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ---------- LE THI KHANH HUYEN A STUDY OF TEACHERS’ TECHNIQUES FOR PROMOTING CLASSROOM INTERACTION IN THE ENGLISH CLASS AT NINH CHAU HIGH SCHOOL IN QUANG BINH PROVINCE MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 60.11 SUPERVISOR: PHAM HOA HIEP, D. HUE, 2015 i BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ ---------- LÊ THỊ KHÁNH HUYỀN KHẢO SÁT KỸ THUẬT DẠY HỌC CỦA GIÁO VIÊN NHẰM THÚC ĐẨY SỰ TƯƠNG TÁC TRONG LỚP HỌC TIẾNG ANH TẠI TRƯỜNG THPT NINH CHÂU QUẢNG BÌNH LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 60.11 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: TS. PHẠM HÒA HIỆP HUẾ, 2015 ii STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY This work has not been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself.
Date: 22/12/ 2015 Author Le Thi Khanh Huyen iii ABSTRACT This study aims to explore high school teachers and students’ views about effective classroom interaction and how it can be promoted at Ninh Chau High School. The data were collected by means of questionnaires, in-depth interviews and classroom observations. The findings show that the most teachers and students understood the importance of classroom interaction for more effective teaching and learning English. All the teachers agreed a good communication in classroom could help create a communicative environment and thus could make students feel more confident in using English to communicate with each other.
On the basis of the findings, to promote effective classroom interaction, it is suggested the teachers need to develop suitable communicative activities that all students could take part in. The teachers could also use a variety of teaching equipment and tools such as a computer, projector, posters and pictures to promote communication. In addition, the teachers could use pair-work, group-work or even individual work to facilitate students’ interaction. Furthermore, the teachers should create a positive atmosphere in the classroom to encourage more interaction among student.
iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to sincerely thank all of teachers of College of Foreign Languages, Hue University for teaching me in the course work program. Particularly, this thesis would not have been completed without the support of my supervisor Dr. Pham Hoa Hiep; I would like to express my special thanks to him. I also would like to thank the teachers and students at Ninh Chau high school who enthusiastically participated in my research.
I am grateful to the principal of Ninh Chau high school for giving me favorable conditions during my study. Additionally, I would like to thank all my classmates for the meaningful time during the course. Last but not least, I am deeply grateful to my parents, my older brothers, my friends who always beside me to support and encourage me to conduct this master course. Thank you so much for all.
Sincerely, Le Thi Khanh Huyen v TABLE OF CONTENTS SUB COVER PAGE. i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY. v TABLE OF CONTENTS. vi LIST OF TABLES.
viii LIST OF FIGURES. ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. Background of the study. Research aims and questions of the study.
Significances of the study. Scope of the study. Organization of the Study .4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW. Definitions of classroom interaction.
Types of classroom interaction in English language teaching. Teacher-students interaction. Teacher-student interaction. Student-student interaction.
Student-students interaction. Student-content interaction. Classroom interaction and its role for English language teaching. Teacher’s techniques for promoting classroom interaction in the English class.
Current classroom interaction in Vietnam and Quang Binh province .18 vi CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY. Research site and participants .22 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Teachers’ views of effective classroom interaction. Teachers’ perception of effective classroom interaction in the English class at Ninh Chau High School.
Teachers’ use of techniques for promoting effective classroom interaction in the English class. Students’ views of teachers’ techniques for promoting effective classroom interaction in the English class. Students’ perception of effective classroom interaction in the English class. Students’ attitude towards teachers’ techniques for promoting effective classroom interaction in the English class.
Implication for promoting better classroom interaction in the English class .42 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS. Recommendations for teachers. Recommendations for students. Limitations of the study.
52 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 4-1. The role of classroom interaction (n=8). Some purposes of effective classroom interaction (n=8). Interaction pattern used in the English class (n=8).
Activity often used in the English class (n=8). Activity offers the best chance for classroom interaction (n=8). Types of communicative activities used in the English class (n=8). The ways used by teachers to promote effective classroom interaction (n=8).
Stage often used classroom interaction (n=8). Attitude of students towards teachers’ techniques (n=8). Students’ participation in classroom interaction (n=8). Teachers’ difficulties when using techniques (n=8).
The roles of classroom interaction in the English class (n=80). The favorite classroom pattern by students (n=80). The students’ favorite activities (n=80). Teachers’ ways to motivate students’ interaction (n=80).
Skill gives best chance for classroom interaction (n=8). The effectiveness of teachers’ techniques to students (n=80). The difficulties of students in classroom interaction (n=80). 38 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4-1.
Types of interaction used most in teaching different skills. Importance of classroom interaction (n=80). How students participate in classroom interaction (n=80). The students’ favorite communicative activities (n=80).
Students’ participation in classroom (n=80). 37 ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLT: Communicative Language Teaching NNS: Non-native Speaker EFL: English as Foreign Language ESL: English Second Languag x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This chapter will first present the background of the research. Then, it will state the aims and questions of the study. This is followed with the significance and the scope of the study.
Finally, the structure of the study is outlined. Background of the study As an international language, English is the common means of communication among people in the world. According to Ramelan (1992:2-3) English as an international language is used to communication, to strengthen and to fasten relationship among all countries in the world in all fields, for example in tourism, business, science, technology, ect. English has now acquired the title of the world’s leading “global language” (Crystal, 2003:1).
Therefore, English has been taught and learnt in many countries as a second language. Nowadays, teaching and learning English as Foreign Language (EFL) is an important task in Vietnam’s Education System. For the past decades, efforts have been made so that English teaching methods in our country can be changed from traditional grammar- translation method to the communicative language teaching (CLT). The idea of CLT has been expanded since the mid-1970s.
CLT was also greatly influenced by the early version of Long’s Interaction Hypothesis (1996). Since then, second language instructors have been encouraged to employ communicative ways in their classroom. The focal point of CLT was almost exclusively on meaningful interaction through the use of spontaneous speech during pair and group work. There are various methods for teaching communicatively, for example, immersion, task – based instruction and structure input (Krashen & Terrell, 1993).
In current classroom, CLT often takes the form of pair and group work requiring the negotiation and cooperation between learners. In addition, there are also different activities to help them get their own courage in developing their 1 confidence. Moreover, role-plays in which students practice and improve language function as well as judicious use of grammar and pronunciation focused activities. CLT enables students get their great interest and energy in learning English skill by themselves.
According to Wikipedia dictionary, CLT or communicative approach is an approach to language teaching that emphasize interaction as both the means and the ultimate goals of the study. For CLT, classroom interaction is an important element to promote its method. Nunan (1991) has recognized one of five features of CLT is an emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language. He claimed that CLT pays much intention in communication through interaction and leads learners to connect themselves with language in class and used it outside classroom.
According to Chickering & Gamson (1987), the concept of interaction is a core element of the seven principles of good practice in education including: good practice encourages student-instructor contact; good practice encourages cooperation among students; good practice gives prompt feedback; good practice emphasizes time on task; good practice communicates high expectation; and good practice respects diverse talent and ways of learning. On the other hand, classroom interaction is a significant performance of effective communicative teaching and learning. Classroom interaction stimulates the students’ involvement in the classroom. It also fuels students’ motivation and helps the students see the relevance of lessons and teachers’ topics.
In addition, the interaction between the teacher and the students is an essential part of teaching and learning process. For the advanced study of teaching and learning, the teacher – student interaction is the key of quality classroom. It means that teachers view classroom through a common lens and discuss it using a common language providing support for improving the quality of teacher – student interaction and ultimately student learning. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary of English defines the verb “interact” as “to have an effect on each other” or “communicate and work together” (p.
It means that interaction is more than action followed by reaction. According to 2 Brown (2001) interaction is, in fact, the heart of communication, it what communication is about. The more interaction learners have on classroom, the more successful in the application of the learner-central approach. Effective classroom interaction begins with an effective teacher.
In order to foster a healthy classroom environment, the teacher must have a clear understanding the effect of teacher in classroom interaction. Then teacher finds suitable techniques in teaching to get students involve to the lesson and encourage them to create their motivation in English learning. In Quang Binh Province, English has also been an important curriculum of most upper secondary schools. For Ninh Chau High School, teachers always try to renovate their teaching methodology frequently and create a close teaching and learning environment.
With the aim to investigate teachers’ perception and how teacher creates classroom interaction in the English Class at Ninh Chau High School in Quang Binh as well as suggests techniques for promoting interaction in classroom to enhance success of English learning; I am motivated to conduct this research project. Research aims and questions of the study The study aims to explore teachers’ effective classroom interaction in the English Class at Ninh Chau High School and to collect suggestion of techniques to promote effective classroom interaction to enhance the quality of English language teaching to student. This study particularly seeks the answer to the following questions: 1. What are teachers’ perceptions of classroom interaction? 2.
What are the techniques that teachers currently use in the English classroom to promote effective interaction at Ninh Chau High School in Quang Binh? 3. What are student’s views about these techniques? 4. What can be done to promote better classroom interaction? 3 1.