TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .4 LIST OF TABLES .5 LIST OF FIGURES. Aims of the Research. Scope of the Research. Significance of the Research.
Structure of the Research.11 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW. A Review of the Previous Studies Relating to the Topic. The Nature of Speaking and Learning Speaking. Definition of Speaking.
Oral Communication in the Classroom. Principles of Teaching Speaking. Large Heterogeneous Classes. Advantages and Disadvantages in Working with LHCs.
Factors Affecting Learning and Teaching English Speaking in LHCs. Cultural and Ethnic Background. Learning Styles and Strategies. Speaking Teaching Techniques.
The Role of the Teacher. Language Teaching-Learning Conditions. Materials and Equipment. Data Collection Procedures .37 CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION.
Specific Features of Students in LHCs at KTJCP. Educational Level, Ethnic Background and Motivation. Learning Styles and Preferences. Teachers‟ Perception about Teaching ELS Skills in LHCs.
Teachers‟ Perception about Factors Contributing to Making English Major Classes Heterogeneous. Teachers‟ Perception about Differences between Teaching ELS in a LHC and in a Usual One. Feeling about Teaching English Speaking Skills in LHCs. Advantages of Teaching ELS Skills in LHCs.
Difficulties in Teaching English Speaking Skills in LHCs. Teachers‟ Strategies Used to Overcome Difficulties in Teaching ELS Skills in LHCs. The Frequency of Using ELS Activities. Methods Applied to Forming Student Groups.
Arrangement Models for Group/Pair Work Activities. Methods Applied to Planning Tasks for LHCs. Teachers‟ Roles in LHCs .69 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS. Summary of the Key Findings.
To the College. Limitations of the Study. Suggestions for Further Research.80 3 ABBREVIATIONS CLT : Communicative Language Teaching EFL : English as a Foreign Language ELS : English Language Speaking ESL : English as a Second Language EM : Ethnic Minority LHC : Large Heterogeneous Class LHCs : Large Heterogeneous Classes LSs : Learning Strategies KTJCP : Kon Tum Junior College of Pedagogy 4 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 4.1: Educational Level, Ethnic Background and Motivation.2: Students‟ Learning Preferences .3: Students‟ Strategies of Improving Speaking Skills .4: Students‟ Ways of Preparing Speaking Lessons at Home .5: Students‟ Ways of Dealing with Problems in a Speaking Class .6: Factors Contributing to Making English Major Classes Heterogeneous .7: Advantages of Teaching ELS Skills in LHCs .8: Difficulties in Teaching ELS Skills in LHCs .9: Most Commonly Used English Speaking Activities .10: Teachers‟ Common Ways of Forming Student Groups .11: Teachers‟ Common Ways of Planning Tasks for LHCs .12: Teachers‟ Roles in LHCs .53 5 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 4.1: Differences Between Teaching ELS in a LHC and in a Usual One .2: The Ideal Class Size for Teaching English Speaking skills .3: Feeling about Teaching English Speaking Skills in LHCs .4: Arrangement Models for Group/Pair Work Activities.5: Teachers‟ Frequency of Concerning the Multicultural Relating Factor in Supplemental Tasks .6: Teachers‟ Error Correction Strategies .7: Teachers‟ Common Ways of Correcting Students‟ Oral Errors .54 6 ABSTRACT This study investigated in what ways speaking classes for the second year English majors at KTJCP were heterogeneous. Also, it was implemented to gain more insights into the English teachers‟ perception about teaching English speaking to the second year English majors in LHCs at KTJCP.
In addition, teachers‟ difficulties in teaching English speaking to English Majors in LHCs and their strategies to overcome them were taken into consideration. The subjects for this study consisted of 9 teachers of English and 50 the second year English majors at KTJCP. The data were mainly collected through class observations, questionnaires, interviews with both teachers and students. The data collected were analyzed according to statistical frequently and percentage.
The findings of the study firstly pointed out the heterogeneity of English major classes at KTJCP mainly concentrated on students‟ ethnic background, mother tongues, cultures, educational background, and preferences, as well as English competence. The results from the study revealed that teachers‟ perception about teaching English speaking skills to the second year English majors in LHCs was quite positive. In addition, it showed the challenges that teachers encountered in LHCs were increasing students‟ talking time, applying appropriate methods and strategies effectively, avoiding students‟ culture and mother tongue related barriers. Finally, teachers‟ strategies to overcome the identified problems and the shortcomings were also mentioned.
From the detailed discussion, some pedagogical implications related to teaching and learning English speaking skills to English majors in LHCs were made by the researcher. Additionally, limitations of the study and suggestions for further research were included. Rationale Nowadays in developing countries in general and in Vietnam in particular, the issue that an English classroom includes over 40 students without having enough books and materials to support their learning is quite popular. As a result, the outcomes of English teaching and learning are far from the satisfaction, especially in terms of improving speaking ability for English major students at colleges and universities.
This fact has disappointed not only language learners and teachers but also the employment recruiters. Indeed, speaking, one of the basic language skills, plays a significant role in the process of language acquisition. The ability of efficient communication in a second or foreign language contributes to the success of the learner in school and success later in every phase of his life. Regarding the importance of English speaking, Hedge (2000) admits that it is a skill by which the learner is judged while first impressions are being formed (p.
At Kon Tum Junior College of Pedagogy (KTJCP), improving the outcomes of English teaching and learning, especially in terms of improving speaking ability for English major students becomes more and more challenging. Besides common difficulties at colleges or universities in Vietnam, English classes at KTJCP are not only large but also highly heterogeneous. An English class often has more than 40 students who come from different areas and most of them come from remote and ethnic minority (EM) areas of Kon Tum province - the Western Highlands of Vietnam. They, therefore, are different in terms of mother tongues, cultures, ethnic backgrounds, educational level, preferences, previous learning experience, learning styles and learning strategies (LSs) as well as English competence.
Although Ur (1996) admits that no such thing as “homogeneous” class where the learners are similar exists in the real world, English classes at KTJCP are large and highly heterogeneous. 8 According to Ur (1996) and Hess (2001), teaching English language in general and teaching speaking skills in particular to large heterogeneous classes (LHCs), on the one hand, give teachers some benefits such as students‟ cooperation and collaboration, opportunities for teachers‟ professional development and so on. On the other hand, they require a great of deal efforts from teachers. In a large heterogeneous class (LHC), different students learning English have different results because of the influence of various factors such as motivation, aptitude, attitude towards the language, learning facilities and ways of learning.
Therefore, teachers have to know the actual situation for each student in order to give an effective individual guidance. Brown (2000) points out that language teaching is not easily categorized into methods and trends. No quick and easy methods are guaranteed to provide teachers‟ success in a language class. They have to choose proper designs and techniques for teaching in particular settings.
In fact, to gain teaching efficiency in LHCs, not only teachers' widened knowledge of English but also their abilities of organizing and managing the classroom are required, for example, choosing suitable teaching materials, getting learners‟ involvement, making them interested, checking their understanding, designing appropriate tests and more importantly organizing different group activities. This also demands teachers to identify the source of problems and deal with them accordingly to help students develop and achieve success in learning. Practically, successfully teaching English speaking skills to such classes is far from easy. The situation does not only exist in many classrooms at KTJCP today but also probably for years to come.
Obviously, the study of teaching English speaking to the second year English majors in LHCs has been mainly motivated by practical concerns. However, what has been observed from the teaching English for English majors at KTJCP reveals that the problem of teaching and learning English speaking skills to LHCs has not been highlighted yet. Thus, it raises several questions: What do teachers think about teaching English speaking to the second year English majors in LHCs? Are there any difficulties in teaching English 9 speaking skills? What strategies do teachers use to overcome the difficulties? Should there be any improvements? In answering these questions, an investigation into teaching English speaking to the second year English majors in LHCs at KTJCP is demanded to implement. Personally, being an EFL teacher, the researcher has found it is necessary to gain more insights into teaching, especially teaching English speaking skills to LHCs to identify the source of troubles as well as benefits in teaching these classes.
In doing so, she hopes to find out the appropriate techniques and strategies that can be employed in order to motivate her students in these classes and then facilitate her English teaching process in the future. Above all, through the study the researcher is more accustomed to basic skills of carrying out a scientific research as a college lecturer. Aims of the Research This research aims to: Investigate in what ways speaking classes for the second year English majors at KTJCP are heterogeneous. Gain more insights into the English teachers‟ perception at KTJCP about teaching English speaking to the second year English majors in LHCs in order to raise their awareness of students' specific features.
Find out difficulties that the teachers are facing when dealing with teaching English speaking to English majors in LHCs to identify the source of problems and give some suggestions for effective teaching and learning approaches as well as the syllabus, material designing. Find out strategies that teachers use to overcome the difficulties when teaching English speaking to the second year English majors in LHCs to help teachers adjust their teaching strategies more effectively. Research Questions The research mainly focuses on answering the following questions: 1. In what ways are speaking classes for the second year English major students at KTJCP heterogeneous? 2.
What is teachers‟ perception about teaching English speaking to the second year English majors in LHCs ? 3. What are the difficulties that teachers encounter in teaching English speaking in LHCs? 4. What strategies do teachers use to overcome the difficulties when teaching English speaking to the second year English majors in LHCs? 1. Scope of the Research This research was restricted to investigate the reality of teaching English speaking to the second year English majors in LHCs with the purpose of gaining insights into the teachers‟ perception and the reality of improving English speaking subject for students majoring English of Pedagogy and English of Business.
Based on the results, the study suggested some effective solutions for teachers to adjust teaching strategies overcoming the difficulties in teaching English language speaking (ELS) skills. Significance of the Research The researcher hopes that this study will be useful for the teachers who are responsible for finding proper strategies to generate the best results in teaching and learning for their students in particular settings. Also, this research considerably interests to English major students at KTJCP and for people who are concerned with getting more effectiveness in communicative competence. In addition, it is significant with regard to its implication for other researchers, learners, and education administrators particularly in Kon Tum and generally in Viet Nam.
Structure of the Research The research consists of 5 main chapters as follows: Chapter 1, the Introduction, introduces the reasons, the aims and objectives, research questions, as well as the scope, the significance and the structure of the research. 11 Chapter 2, the Literature Review, presents a review of the previous studies on the topic collected from different educational sources.