THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES NGUYEN THI CHANG PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF WARM-UP ACTIVITIES BY ENGLISH TEACHERS IN THAI NGUYEN M.A THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201 THAI NGUYEN – 2022 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES NGUYEN THI CHANG PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF WARM-UP ACTIVITIES BY ENGLISH TEACHERS IN THAI NGUYEN M.A THESIS (APPLICATION ORIENTATION) Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201 Supervisor: Le Thi Thu Huong, Ph.D THAI NGUYEN – 2022 ĐẠI HỌC THÁI NGUYÊN TRƯỜNG NGOẠI NGỮ NGUYỄN THỊ CHANG SỰ NHẬN THỨC VÀ THỰC TIỄN CỦA CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG KHỞI ĐỘNG BỞI GIÁO VIÊN TIẾNG ANH Ở THÁI NGUYÊN LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ (Định hướng ứng dụng) Ngành: Ngôn ngữ Anh Mã số: 8220201 Cán bộ hướng dẫn: TS Lê Thị Thu Hương THÁI NGUYÊN – 2022 i DECLARATION The writer fully declares that the research entitled “Perceptions and practices of warm-up activities by English teachers in Thai Nguyen” is carried out by herself with the purpose of fulfilling the requirement for the Master Degree of English language at the School of Foreign Languages – Thai Nguyen University under the guidance of Dr. LE THI THU HUONG. The results of this research have not been submitted to any other universities for any other Degree or Diplomas before. Thai Nguyen, 2022 Approved by Supervisor Student Le Thi Thu Huong, Ph.D Nguyen Thi Chang ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT During the process of doing this research, it was so lucky for me to get encouragement, support, and guidance from many people.
First of all, I am very grateful to my supervisor who has kindly given me invaluable instructions, critical feedback, encouragement, and suggestions. Without her guidance, it is impossible for me to complete this research. Additionally, I also want to express my profound gratitude to all the lecturers from Thai Nguyen University, School of Foreign Languages, and Postgraduate Department. Who have brought me so many meaningful lessons and advice, to help me have a proper orientation to do this research as well as a deeper understanding of the English language.
Also, I want to send my thanks to the school board of Son Cam 1, Son Cam 2, Cao Ngan, Tan Long, and Hoang Van Thu secondary schools, all my colleagues, and students at these schools for their support and participation during the process of doing and collecting data for my research. Besides, I also want to express my gratitude to my family and friends who always motivate, support, and love me during the time of doing this research. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS.
iii LIST OF TABLES .v LIST OF FIGURES.1: Principles of warm-up activities 9. viii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION. Aims of the study. The scope and limitation of the study.
Significance of the study .3 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW. Definitions of “warm-up”. Definitions of perception. Definition of practice.
The benefits of warm-up activities. Principles of a warm-up activity. Examples of warm-up activities. The study setting.
Data collection instrument. Data collection procedure. Planning for data analysis.21 CHAPTER IV: FINDING AND DISCUSSION. Result of the questionnaires.
Results of observation. Result of the interviews. What are English teachers’ perceptions on the use of warm-up activities in English classes?. How do the English teachers implement warm-up activities in their classes?.
Limitations and recommendations. II APPENDIX III. IV v LIST OF TABLES Table 3.2: Main information of the teacher’s questionnaires .3: Details of the class observation .4: Main information of the teachers’ interview .1: The perceptions and practice of using warm-up activities in English classes .2: The types of warm-up activities.3: The average time of the warm-up part .4: The participation of students in warm-up activities .28 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1: Principles of warm-up activities .1: Types of frequently-used warm-up activities .26 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviation Meaning EFL English as Foreign Language ESL English as a Second Language SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Q&A Questions and Answers viii ABSTRACT English is the most widely used language in the world, which has a great influence on students’ future job opportunities. That is the reason why this subject has been put into the curriculum of Vietnamese students at an early age with the purpose of helping them master this language.
There are many factors that affect students’ ability and teaching method is one of the most important factors. Although warm-up activities are not the key things in the teaching and learning method, it has contributed to creating an effective learning environment and inspiring them to learn. In this way, students can feel more relaxed before learning. This research aims at investigating the perception and practice of warm-up activities by English teachers in Thai Nguyen.
A sample of 20 teachers from five different secondary schools in Thai Nguyen city participated in this study. There were several data collection instruments used, including teachers’ interviews, observation, and questionnaires. The results of this research showed that all teachers have a positive opinion towards using warm-up activities in their classes. They also applied different warm-up activities with the purpose of drawing students’ interest.
In addition, all of the participants gave the idea that those activities should not last for long. Besides, during implementation process, they had to face to some problems which were illustrated in this study and steps that they took to deal with. Hopefully, this study will make a small contribution to clarify the perception as well as the practice of teachers in using warm-up activities in English classes. Rationale In today's modern world, English has become a crucial part of our daily life.
It plays an extremely important role in all fields, especially in the context of industrialization and modernization. English is now considered an international language, which can be used as the main means of communication to communicate with people from countries around the world. It has made a great contribution in eliminating the language boundaries among countries. Being aware of its importance, many countries have decided to consider it as a second language aside from their mother tongue.
Until now, English has become the most studied and used foreign language in the world. To keep up with changes as well as find more opportunities for Viet Nam’s develop, English has been put in the curriculum and has become one of the most important school subjects at all school levels. In this way, the important role of English has been shown clearly in our education system. Vietnamese students start learning English quite early.
Most Vietnamese students are obliged to learn English from grade 3; however, this can be different in regions. In some areas, pupils can start learning English earlier from kindergarten, while others start learning at the secondary school level. Being exposed to English early is beneficial for learners since it can be a concrete foundation to build up their skills in the future. The earlier they start, the better their English skills are.
Vietnamese education has developed much compared to the past and there are numerous effective teaching methods come out. To bring a proper learning environment to students instead of boring and stressful lessons as before, different methods have been applied in teaching English in Viet Nam. English is not the mother tongue of the Vietnamese, so it is not easy for students to conquer this language. When learning English, they may face numerous difficulties.
Many students are shy and get stressed, so they can’t learn well. The biggest challenge for English teachers is how to get students involved in every lesson. It is clear that each teacher will have their own way to catch students’ attention. Apart from having a 2 suitable teaching method, the first impression is very important, which plays as an icebreaker to help learners feel more comfortable and interested in learning.
To attract students from the beginning, warm-up activities have been used in English classes in Viet Nam in general and in Thai Nguyen in particular. Warm-up activities can be games, songs, dances, watching videos, and so on. A good start can bring energy, motivation, and joy instead of negative feelings. According to Kay (1995), warm-up activities “are different activities which are used to help students get involved into learning, start thinking in English and review previous lessons”.
It means warm-up activity is significant in creating a positive learning environment and refreshing their brain to get ready for new knowledge. Although warm-up is not the key part of the teaching process, it can make the lesson more interesting and enjoyable. However, not all teachers can take the best advantage of those activities in their class since they have different opinions. Some teachers like to organize warm-up activities, but the others do not as they want to focus on learning the lesson content only.
Furthermore, implementing this step is different in types, frequency, and steps. The writer is also an English teacher in Thai Nguyen and has some experience in teaching this foreign language. Throughout the writer personal’s experience, the writer has seen that warm-up activities have been applied in almost English classes in Thai Nguyen regardless of level. In addition to this, as an English teacher, the writer also wants to gain a clear insight into effective techniques to make them eager to learn.
Furthermore, this is also a good way to learn more about the opinion of her colleagues as well as their implementation. All the above-mentioned reasons and factors have inspired me to conduct a study entitled “Perceptions and practices of warm-up activities by English teachers in Thai Nguyen”. Aims of the study This study aimed at exploring the perception by English teachers in Thai Nguyen towards using warm–up activities and investigating the practice of warm- up activities by English teachers. Research questions This study aimed at investigating the following two research questions: 1) What are English teachers’ perceptions on the use of warm–up activities in English classes? 2) How do the English teachers implement warm–up activities in their classes? 1.
The scope and limitation of the study In Thai Nguyen province, there are many schools and English teachers; however, due to time limitations, this study could mainly focus on using warm-up activities of 20 English teachers in Son Cam 1, Son Cam 2, Cao Ngan, Tan Long, and Hoang Van Thu secondary schools. The study only looked into teachers’ perceptions and practices in using warm-up activities. The other teachers, students, and components of a lesson were not considered within this study. Significance of the study “Perceptions and practices of warm-up activities by English teachers in Thai Nguyen” is the research that was expected to bring benefits to readers, learners, and teachers.
For teachers, this study is a good resource for providing a deeper knowledge and a closer look at warm-up activities to have more ideas to design creative lessons. For learners, this study can help them understand more about the effects of warm-up activities on their learning. For readers, this study can be a reference source for those who want to learn more about warm-up activities and who are looking for a reference source to conduct research related to this topic. Thesis outline This study consists of 5 chapters as follows: CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION - consists of the rationale, the aims, the research questions, the scope, the significance, and the research design. LITERATURE REVIEW - covers the theoretical basis of, including some definitions, the benefits of warm-up activities, examples, teachers’ perceptions, and some previous studies. METHODOLOGY - presents the methods used to collect and analyze the data. It includes the participants, instruments for data collection, and data analysis.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION illustrates the findings of this research and then, discusses them. CONCLUSION - provides a summary of the research findings and suggestions for further research. 5 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter provides the related theoretical background to support this study.