VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES whe A STUDY ON USING SHORT STORIES TO IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF TEACHING SPEAKING AND LISTENING SKILLS TO STUDENTS AT HAIPHONG FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTRE (Nghiên cứu việc sử dụng truyện ngắn để nâng cao hiệu quả dạy kỹ năng, Nghe Nói cho học viên tại Trung tâm Ngoại ngữ - Đại học Hải Phỏng) M. MINOR THESIS Field Methodology Code: 601410 Hanoi, 2010 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES. FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES w Dos TRINH THI THANH NHAN A STUDY ON USING SHORT STORIES TO IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF TEACHING SPEAKING AND LISTENING SKILLS TO STUDENTS AT HAIPHONG FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTRE (Nghién cứu việc sử dụng truyện ngắn để nâng cao hiệu quả dạy kỹ năng Nghe Nói cho học viên tại Trung tâm Ngoại ngữ - Đại học Hải Phòng) M. MINOR THESIS Field.
Methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: Nguyén Thay Huong, M. Hanoi, 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements. Table af contents. Background to the study 2, Aims of the SIMỔY,.
Scope of the Study. eeimmenenenimntnanenmnsnes w , Research qUestionS,.esneneienintntnanenminanese = Methods of the study. Design of the study a senenesneneantntnatienminnnese = PART 2: DEVELOPMENT. CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW.
Speaking and Listcning in fordgn language Íeaming. Speaking skill in forcign language toaching 1. Lislening skill in foreign language (caching. Literature in language teaching, 2.1, Concept of Literature ~ 1.
Genres Concept of short stories 1. Short staries in language teaching 1. Advantages of short stories in †eaching language skils.2, How to choose short stories in teaching language skills. T OF FIGURES AND TABLES List of figures Page Figure 1.
Students’ enjoyment in reading short stoties. Students’ preference in tenns of the length of a short story 21 Figure 3. Students’ favourite tobÏes. Reasons why students do not like reading short siories.
Aptiviliss in the pre-stage 26 Figure 6. Sludenls’ activities when readingz Shorl story Figure 7. Aolivilics in the post-stage 238 Figure 8. Students’ participation in the class, activities 20 Figure 9% Benclils siuđonls gain fron the lesson using short stories 30 List of tables ‘Table 1, Students’ difficulties in dealing with a short story 23 1.
Summary CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY. Subjects of the study. Data collection instruments 2. CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 20 3.
Resulfs and ÏisCu5si01. Results from the first questionnaire. Description of the application of shorl stories in the cighL woeks 3. Results from the sceond questionnaire 25 3.
Summary 31 CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATION: 32 4. Suggested activilies for using shorl. stories in teaching listening and speaking skills 4. Sample lesson plans PART 3: CONCLUSION.
1, Suggestions for further study. Summary CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY. Subjects of the study. Data collection instruments 2.
CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 20 3. Resulfs and ÏisCu5si01. Results from the first questionnaire. Description of the application of shorl stories in the cighL woeks 3.
Results from the sceond questionnaire 25 3. Summary 31 CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATION: 32 4. Suggested activilies for using shorl. stories in teaching listening and speaking skills 4.
Sample lesson plans PART 3: CONCLUSION. 1, Suggestions for further study. 38 PART 2: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW Tn this chapier, the theoreticat background to the study, including the theories on speaking and listening in foreign language teaching and theories on literature in language teaching, with a focus on short stories, is reviewed 1. Speaking and Listening in foreign language teaching LLL.
Speaking skill in foreign language teaching or the purpose of analysis and instruction, language has been divided into different skill areas. These can be discussed in the frarmework of how we fcam our first language. A child first Teams to practice Iaguage by speaking, combined with listening. Then, when school begins, children leam by the skills of reading and writing.
As leamers grow in their language ability and use, the different skills are most often integrated with each other so that they arc being in uscd in coordination with cach other. In conversation, when onc person is the speaker, another is the listener. After listening and understanding, the hearer responds by speaking. Just think of all the different conversations you have in one day and compare that with how much written communication you do in onc way.
Which do you do more of? Of course, in our daily lives, most of us speak more than we write In academic setting, while students are listening, they may also be writing notes or reading a handout. As a teacher, you will be reading your lesson plans and then speaking to your students. Wes can sev that, in order Lo show thal you understand anything, you have fa speak it out, Therefore, Lawtie (2004) affirmed, “Speaking is fundamental to human communication.” (cited in Nguyen Thi Le Thuy, 2008) In Florez (1999), speaking is “an interactive process of constructing meanmg that involves producing and receiving and processing information”. TL is often spontancous, open-ended, and evolving,” (cited in Le Van Cank’s lecture, 2009).
Martin (1987) belicves that speaking is the skill by which they arc most frequently judged and thought. Leamers often need to be able to speak with confidence. Speaking skilt is regarded as the vehicle of social solidmily, o[ sooial ranking, of pre sional advanced mont and business. This alse a modium throngh which mnch language is Tearnt” (cited in Nguyen Thi Le Thuy, 2008).
Jot of progress. Some Jeamers, who arc at the age of 40 to 50 and over, have difficultics in Jearning because of many reasons (busy with work or family, limited ability, etc.) The majority of leamers come to the centre with the hope of achieving a good commend of English. ‘hey consider the four skills of listening, speaking. reading and writing very important, but spoaking and listening aro given the lop priority as these wo skills can help them achieve their goals of learning and working, Good listening and speaking skills ean help university and’ or college students pass oral examinations at Universily or College sastly, and those who work with foreign partners wish to use English effectively to negotiate and gain contracts as well as attract investment from foreign companies Being aware of the importance of teaching speaking and listening skills to students, the writer often asks herself, “Llow can we improve students’ speaking and listening skills?” and “Could there be any other malerial to help cncourage students’ involvernent in speaking and listening lessons?” The idea of using short stories as supplementary materials came to het when she read the M.A thesis of Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tu, “A study on using short stotics to improve the ficiency of tcaching English to the first year students at Vietnam Maritime University” (2005).
Encouraged by what Nguyen had achieved, the writer decided to conduct “A study on using short stories to improve the efficiency of teaching speaking and listening skills to sludents at Haiphong Forcign Language Contre” 2. Aims uf the study ‘The stidy aims at: - Investigating the students’ altitude towards the use of shor! slories in language Jearning, - Finding out how short storizs improve the cfficicney of teaching spcaking and listening skills to students at Haiphong Koreign Language Centre - Giving some sugpestions on using short stories in the speaking and Listening Jessons, 3. Scope of the study T OF FIGURES AND TABLES List of figures Page Figure 1. Students’ enjoyment in reading short stoties.
Students’ preference in tenns of the length of a short story 21 Figure 3. Students’ favourite tobÏes. Reasons why students do not like reading short siories. Aptiviliss in the pre-stage 26 Figure 6.
Sludenls’ activities when readingz Shorl story Figure 7. Aolivilics in the post-stage 238 Figure 8. Students’ participation in the class, activities 20 Figure 9% Benclils siuđonls gain fron the lesson using short stories 30 List of tables ‘Table 1, Students’ difficulties in dealing with a short story 23 Jot of progress. Some Jeamers, who arc at the age of 40 to 50 and over, have difficultics in Jearning because of many reasons (busy with work or family, limited ability, etc.) The majority of leamers come to the centre with the hope of achieving a good commend of English.
‘hey consider the four skills of listening, speaking. reading and writing very important, but spoaking and listening aro given the lop priority as these wo skills can help them achieve their goals of learning and working, Good listening and speaking skills ean help university and’ or college students pass oral examinations at Universily or College sastly, and those who work with foreign partners wish to use English effectively to negotiate and gain contracts as well as attract investment from foreign companies Being aware of the importance of teaching speaking and listening skills to students, the writer often asks herself, “Llow can we improve students’ speaking and listening skills?” and “Could there be any other malerial to help cncourage students’ involvernent in speaking and listening lessons?” The idea of using short stories as supplementary materials came to het when she read the M.A thesis of Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tu, “A study on using short stotics to improve the ficiency of tcaching English to the first year students at Vietnam Maritime University” (2005). Encouraged by what Nguyen had achieved, the writer decided to conduct “A study on using short stories to improve the efficiency of teaching speaking and listening skills to sludents at Haiphong Forcign Language Contre” 2. Aims uf the study ‘The stidy aims at: - Investigating the students’ altitude towards the use of shor! slories in language Jearning, - Finding out how short storizs improve the cfficicney of teaching spcaking and listening skills to students at Haiphong Koreign Language Centre - Giving some sugpestions on using short stories in the speaking and Listening Jessons, 3.
Scope of the study 1. Summary CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY. Subjects of the study. Data collection instruments 2.
CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 20 3. Resulfs and ÏisCu5si01. Results from the first questionnaire. Description of the application of shorl stories in the cighL woeks 3.
Results from the sceond questionnaire 25 3. Summary 31 CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATION: 32 4. Suggested activilies for using shorl. stories in teaching listening and speaking skills 4.
Sample lesson plans PART 3: CONCLUSION. 1, Suggestions for further study. 38 T OF FIGURES AND TABLES List of figures Page Figure 1. Students’ enjoyment in reading short stoties.
Students’ preference in tenns of the length of a short story 21 Figure 3. Students’ favourite tobÏes. Reasons why students do not like reading short siories. Aptiviliss in the pre-stage 26 Figure 6.
Sludenls’ activities when readingz Shorl story Figure 7. Aolivilics in the post-stage 238 Figure 8. Students’ participation in the class, activities 20 Figure 9% Benclils siuđonls gain fron the lesson using short stories 30 List of tables ‘Table 1, Students’ difficulties in dealing with a short story 23 T OF FIGURES AND TABLES List of figures Page Figure 1. Students’ enjoyment in reading short stoties.
Students’ preference in tenns of the length of a short story 21 Figure 3. Students’ favourite tobÏes. Reasons why students do not like reading short siories. Aptiviliss in the pre-stage 26 Figure 6.
Sludenls’ activities when readingz Shorl story Figure 7. Aolivilics in the post-stage 238 Figure 8. Students’ participation in the class, activities 20 Figure 9% Benclils siuđonls gain fron the lesson using short stories 30 List of tables ‘Table 1, Students’ difficulties in dealing with a short story 23 PART 1: INTRODUCTION “This part gives an introduction to the study, including the background to the study, the aims, the scope, the research questions and the methods as well as the design of the study. Background to the study Haiphong Foreign Language Centre is one of the biggest and most prestigious language centres in Haiphong, with well-qualified and enthusiastic teachers, ‘the number of English teachers at this centre is 68 (15 male teachers and 53 female teachers) including 24 full-time tcachors and 44 part-time teachcrs.
