STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby acknowledge that the information reported in this paper is the result of my own work, except where due reference is made. The data and findings are true and with permission from associates. The thesis has not been submitted for any other degree or diploma or appeared in any other media. Signature: Truong Thi Tu Liem Date: August, 2011 i In the process of choosing and conducting the study, I am fortunate enough to receive valuable assistance and support.
My thanks first goes to my supervisor, Dr. Le Pham Hoai Huong, for her warm support throughout the current study. I am also deeply indebted to her for her experienced guidance and useful materials for the research topic. Secondly, I wish to send my great appreciation to all the teaching staff of the Department of ESP, especially the Medicine and Pharmacy section of Hue College of Foreign Languages for the most favorable conditions they created for me during the time I attended the M.
Thirdly, I would like to thank the primary teachers and administrators who participated in this study for their willingness to share valuable ideas and experiences of teaching English to primary children through the questionnaires and interviews. In addition, I respect the support from my colleague, Phuong Lan, for her whole-hearted help and encouragement when I was dealing with the data and searching for materials. I also would like to send my sincere thanks to all my friends of the English M.A class (2009-2011), especially Phuc An and Thanh Hai for assisting me during the thesis, especially the pilotting of the questionnaires. ii Finally, I would like to show my deep gratitute to my mother, my father-teacher, my brother and sister who are always by my side, give me mental support and most importantly, more inspirations to finish the thesis after a lot of difficulties.
iii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 1 LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS .1 Background of the Research .2 Rationale for the Research .4 Scope of the Study .2 Features of the Young Learners .2 Cognitive and Affective Domains.5 Capacity for Finding and Making Fun .7 Instinct for Interaction and Talk.3 Benefits of Starting a Foreign Language at a Primary School Level .4 Teaching English to Primary Children .5 Assessing Young Learners.6 Materials and Other Teaching Aids .2 Other Teaching Aids .7 Ways to Effective Teaching and Learning .2 Reasons for Adapting .3 Techniques for Adaptation .10 Review of the Book Let‟s Go .1 Research Design and Approach .2 Participants and Research Sites .3 Instruments of data collection .4 Data collection procedure .5 Data analysis methods. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .2 Results from the questionnaires .1 Teachers‟ perceptions of the necessity and benefits of teaching English to primary pupils .2 Teachers‟ perceptions of the suitability and appropriateness of the book Let‟s Go (Cluster 2) .3 Proper methods/techniques of teaching Let‟s Go to primary pupils (Cluster 3) .3 Current difficulties in teaching Let‟s Go to primary pupils .1 Current difficulties in terms of pupils‟ ability .2 Current difficulties due to other factors .4 Results from the interviews .1 The importance of the English teaching program using Let‟s Go at primary schools .2 Teachers‟ satisfaction with the results of this English teaching program with the book Let‟s Go .3 Strong points and weak points of the book Let‟s Go .4 Obstacles of using Let‟s Go.
CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH .1 Summary of the Key Findings .1 Implications for teachers at primary schools .2 Implications for administrators at primary schools .3 Implications for learners .4 Implications for textbook designers .3 Contribution of the study .4 Limitations of the study .5 Recommendations for future research. 76 REFERENCES APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE APPENDIX 2: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 3 LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS LIST OF TABLES Table 3. Research sites and data collection. Summary of the questionnaire components.
The reliability of the pilotted questionnaires Reliability Statistics. The reliability of the questionnaires. Mean scores of teachers‟ perceptions of the necessity and benefits of teaching English to primary pupils (Cluster 1). Mean scores of the suitability of using Let‟s Go to teach English to primary pupils.
Mean scores of different types of teaching methods used by primary teachers in Hue. Mean scores of different ways of adapting the content of the book. Mean score of teachers‟ current difficulties in teaching English to primary pupils. Frequencies and percentage of teachers whose pupils can read correctly but not write appropriately.
Frequencies and percentage of teachers whose pupils are not of the same level of English. Frequency of item 7: Too many pupils in a class. Frequency of item 9: Ineffective sound system. Frequency of item27: Shortage of teaching and learning facilities.
56 4 LIST OF CHARTS Chart 4. Percentage of teachers‟ agreement about the appeal of the book. Percentage of teachers‟ perception of the appropriateness of the content of the book Let‟s Go. Mean scores of teaching aids preferred by primary teachers.
Percentage of teachers who said that they changed and added activities to the content of the book. Percentage of teachers who reported to remove activities. Mean scores of difficulties in terms of pupils‟ ability. 54 5 ABSTRACT This study investigates issues relating to teaching English using Let’s Go at some primary schools in Hue.
It aims to examine primary teachers‟ perceptions of teaching English to young learners, how teachers dealt with the content of the book, and whether they encountered any difficulties in the teaching process. The data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. Forty primary teachers and five primary school administrators in Hue participated in the study. The collected data identified the teachers‟ perceptions and practice of teaching Let’s Go to primary children.
The results indicated that primary school teachers of English had positive perceptions toward teaching English to young learners. Even though many of the teachers agreed upon the good features of the book Let’s Go, a few of them still did not feel satisfied with the content of this book and therefore some adaptations such as changing, adding, replacing and removing activities were carried out. Four main problems in primary teachers‟ implementation of teaching English to young learners were found: (1) children could read correctly but could not write appropriately, (2) they did not have the same level of English, (3) oversized classroom and (4) ineffective facilities. Based on the findings, suggestions were given to teachers and administrators at primary schools, young learners and also for textbook designers so that the English teaching and learning situation at the primary level can be enhanced.1 Background of the Research English is widely perceived as one of the most valuable global commodities – the currency for global mobility and individual success – and governments are investing large sums of money in improving the standards of teaching and learning English worldwide (Whitehead, 2007, p.
This is a huge issue with aspects related to different groups of people in the society, from kindergarten children to graduates and even the elderly people. As Scott (1998) mentions, the importance of teaching English to young learners has been especially emphasized in recent years. One reason for this has been the introduction of primary EFL teaching in a number of European countries – but it is also a world-wide phenomenon. Since the 1980s, as Rixon (1992) says, many countries have witnessed a marked increase in the teaching of English as a foreign language (EFL) at the primary level of education.
It is the view of Lightbown and Spada (2006) that the acquisition and maintenance of more than one language can help us reach many personal, social, and economic opportunities. Since Vietnam began its „open door‟ policy, together with the modernization of the whole world, the English language has gained national significance. The government has stressed the importance of English, as it will play a crucial role in the country‟s drive to modernization. According to Ha Van Sinh (2006, p.
111), the “Economic and political changes over the past decade have brought about a more significant role for EFL in all spheres of life. English has become an effective means of attaining well-paying jobs and promotions and accessing higher education”. Also, the concern of the parents is that their children not only learn basic English but also acquire high levels of English language proficiency. Some language institutes, generally serving adults, now attract a large number of children aged from six to twelve.
7 On August 17, 2010, the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam made the announcement No.4919/BGDDT-GDTH about the directions for the school year 2010-2011 applied for primary education. According to this latest regulation, all primary schools in Vietnam will start teaching an optional foreign language from grade three with at least two periods per week. For the English subject, each region can have their own choice of the suitable textbook for teaching namely Let’s Learn English, Let’s Go, Family & Friends, Phonics Series, Learning Box UK, etc. In Thua Thien Hue province, the chosen book is Let’s Go and this book has proved itself to be rather relevant to the current situation of teaching and learning English at primary schools.
However, there are still some inevitable problems, such as the inadequacy of vocabulary and grammar, the repetition of the content, which require the teachers‟ attention if they are to use this book effectively and significantly. Therefore, in this thesis, the researcher would like to focus on teachers‟ awareness as well as the teaching process using Let’s Go in our educational system these years.2 Rationale for the Research The abovementioned issues concerning the implementing of teaching English for primary children have affected a great deal to the teaching and learning situation of our country lately. This is also an issue of great concern from educators who wish to witness our children education move forward with a more rapid speed because, apparently, language acquisition is one of the most impressive and fascinating aspects of human development (Lightbown & Spada, 2006). As for the researcher, being able to tutor a couple of children classes has nourished the love of young English learners within her and also the desire to devote the best for the development of this stage of education.
Seeing the benefits of teaching a foreign language at this early age, and considering the fact that this issue is somehow new to Vietnamese education, the researcher wishes to conduct “An investigation into teachers‟ perceptions and practice of teaching Let’s Go to children at some primary schools in Hue”.3 Research Questions The research aims to seek answers to the following questions: 1. What are the primary teachers‟ perceptions of teaching English to primary children? 2. What are the realities of teaching and learning English using Let’s Go at primary schools? 1.4 Scope of the Study This research was limited to 14 primary schools in Hue city. The main participants were the teachers of English and the pupils‟ parents at some primary schools in Hue city.5 Thesis Outline This research paper is composed of five chapters.
The first chapter gives a brief introduction about the background of the research and addresses the research questions. Chapter two gives a detailed description of the factors related to teaching English to primary children and discuss what previous authors stated about this issue. Chapter 3 makes clear the research plan and the methodology used to carry out the research. The next chapter presents and analyzes the data.
Lastly, chapter 5 summarizes the main points of the research and gives some suggestions for the teaching and learning of English at primary schools, using Let’s Go.1 Introduction The purpose of this chapter is to review the theoretical framework of the present study. It begins with the features of the young learners. The next part presents the benefits of starting a foreign language at the primary school level.