VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HOCHIMINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE TEACHERS’ PRACTICES OF USING AUDIO-VISUAL AIDS TO TEACH ADULT LEARNERS SPEAKING SKILLS IN ONLINE CLASSES A thesis proposal submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics & Literature By NGUYEN NGOC HAN Supervised by Assoc. PHAM HUU DUC HO CHI MINH CITY, SEPTEMBER 2024 I TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS. i LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. iv LIST OF FIGURES .v LIST OF TABLES.
vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .1 Background to the study .2 Statement of the problem .3 Aims of the study .5 Significance of the study .6 Scope of the study.7 Organization of thesis chapters .4 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .1 Definition of speaking.2 Components constituting effective speaking .3 Factors affecting language learners’ speaking skills .4 Teaching speaking skills .2 Audio-visual aids .1 Definitions of audio-visual aids .2 Reasons for using audio-visual aids to teach speaking skills .3 Criteria and principles for selecting audio-visual aids.4 Using audio-visual aids to teach speaking skills .5 Difficulties in using audio-visual aids .3 Adult learners’ characteristics .4 Previous studies on the use of audio-visual aids.3 Context of the study .2 Semi-structured interviews .6 Data collection procedure .7 Data analysis scheme .8 Validity and reliability .37 CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .1 Findings from the questionnaires and interviews regarding teachers’ practices in using audio-visual aids .2 Findings from class observations regarding teachers’ practices in using audio-visual aids .3 Difficulties with audio-visual aids in teaching speaking skills .4 Summary and discussion of findings .1 Summary of the study.3 Limitations of the study and recommendations for further research .82 Appendix B Interview questions.87 Appendix C Descriptive statistics of question 5 .88 Appendix D Interview transcriptions .90 Appendix E Observation field note.99 Appendix F Data collection procedure .105 Appendix G Consent form for research participation .106 ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AVAs: Audio-visual aids ESL: English as a Second Language iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2. 1 The Teaching-Speaking Cycle (by Goh & Burns, 2012). 2 The conceptual framework of the current study. 26 v LIST OF TABLES Table 2.
1 Some activities teachers can use in the previewing stage (adapted from Harmer, 2015, p. 1 Content of the questionnaire. 2 Content of the interview. 1 The mean scores for the items in Question 5 of the questionnaire.
2 The percentages of teacher responses to Question 6. 3 The percentages of teacher responses to the first 5 items of. 4 The percentages of teacher responses to the last 3 items of Question 7. 5 The percentages of teacher responses to Question 8.
6 The percentages of teacher responses to Question 9. 7 The summary of the activities teachers conduct during the three stages (from three research tools). 63 vi ABSTRACT With the growing use of online learning platforms, integrating audio-visual aids (AVAs) has become an essential strategy to engage adult learners and enhance their speaking skills. This paper sets out to explore teachers’ practices and the difficulties they encounter when integrating audio-visual aids to teach adult learners speaking skills in online classes.
A mixed method design was employed with data gathered from 42 teachers through questionnaires, 6 semi-structured interviews, and observations from 18 classes across various proficiency levels, ranging across five levels from beginner to advanced. The findings showed that teachers at the center where the research was carried out mostly rely on the available AVAs provided by the center, and do not often dedicate time to search for or create new materials. Most teachers select AVAs based on relevance, appropriateness, and technical quality, while some also consider engagement, student comfort, and linguistic features. The study outlines common activities used to teach speaking skills across three stages (pre- listening, listening, and post-listening), typically adapted to students’ levels and objectives.
The findings pointed out some suboptimal practices of teachers such as lack of preparation, ineffective use of input from AVAs to achieve lesson objectives, asking students to produce output when they are not ready, and misusing authentic materials. Data from the research tools indicated some common difficulties teachers encounter such as finding materials that meet many different criteria, technical issues, materials that are too difficult for students to understand, insufficient time for in-depth analysis and speaking practice, and a lack of guidance or training. Lastly, the study suggested some possible solutions and pedagogical implications to enhance teachers’ practices as well as help them overcome difficulties in using AVAs in teaching speaking skills. Keywords: audio-visual aids, AVA, speaking skills, teaching speaking skills, online learning vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Chapter overview The introductory chapter provides an overview of the study’s background and the rationale for conducting this study.
It also includes the aims and the research questions to achieve these aims. Additionally, the significance and the scope of the study are stated. Finally, the chapter outlines the study’s structure, offering a roadmap for the subsequent discussions.1 Background to the study In today’s world, learning a language plays an important role, especially learning English as it has become a global language. According to Aziz and Dewi (2019), English is a medium for learning and communication in different contexts worldwide.
Learning English helps people find good jobs, pursue education abroad, and achieve their academic degrees (Aziz and Dewi, 2019). Because of that, many adults learn English for different purposes. Out of the four English skills (listening, reading, speaking, and writing), speaking is considered to be the most significant skill as people who know a language seem to be the “speakers” of that language (Ur, 1991). Nafa (2023) added, “Speaking is the core skill of language learning as it is the ultimate tool of communication.” In addition, Bygate (1987) said that speaking is the most commonly judged aspect and determines whether someone gains or loses friends.
Because of the importance of speaking, many teaching approaches, methods, and techniques were created with a focus on enhancing speaking skills. These days, the development of information technology has led teachers to integrate technology in almost all aspects of language teaching. Mathew and Alidmat (2013) said that technology provides a positive learning environment and innovative practices in the classroom. Additionally, technology is very important in online education these days (Schwanenberger et al.
White (2017) stated that technology helps to facilitate language teaching and learning at a distance globally. Online learning also provides valuable support to learners, particularly adult learners who normally have busy work schedules, because of the convenience, accessibility, 1 and often personalized learning experiences that online platforms can afford (Schwanenberger et al. One of the applications of technology in language teaching is the use of audio-visual aids (AVAs). The effectiveness of using AVAs to improve students’ speaking performance has been proved by many previous studies (Al Mamun, 2014; Ali & Celik, 2019; Make & Yonas, 2018; Shafira & Rosita, 2022).
It is generally believed that using AVAs can help address problems affecting students’ speaking skills.2 Statement of the problem Although many methods have been created, teaching speaking is always a big challenge for teachers (Hamad et al., 2019) because there are many factors affecting students’ speaking performance negatively (Abda, 2017; Baker & Westrup, 2003; Houn & Em, 2022; Nguyen & Tran, 2015; Qasim, 2021; Ur, 1991). To find solutions, many studies have been conducted to investigate the use of AVAs to teach speaking skills such as the studies of Ali and Celik (2019), Hartatik and Rahmah (2016), and Make and Yonas (2018). Although both teachers and students in those studies showed positive attitudes toward the use of AVAs, teachers encounter many difficulties when preparing and applying AVAs (Al Mamun, 2014; Nim Park & Son, 2009; Sahin et al. Additionally, most previous studies focus on the perspectives of teachers and students regarding the effectiveness of AVAs.
There are not many studies investigating the practices of using AVAs in teaching speaking skills, particularly how teachers prepare and apply AVAs in their speaking classes. In this study, the researcher seeks to find out the strengths and weaknesses of their teaching practices by gaining an understanding of how teachers incorporate AVAs in real classes. This insight might allow teachers to adjust their teaching approaches, optimize the effectiveness of AVAs, and ensure that these resources are used to their fullest potential in enhancing student learning outcomes. Besides, most previous studies were mainly conducted in the context of face-to-face classes with a focus on students at secondary schools, high schools, and universities.
Online settings and adult learners were not paid too much attention to. 2 All the reasons mentioned above lead to a need to conduct a study which is entitled “TEACHERS’ PRACTICES OF USING AUDIO-VISUAL AIDS TO TEACH ADULT LEARNERS SPEAKING SKILLS IN ONLINE CLASSES.” This thesis aims to investigate the practices and difficulties teachers encounter when using AVAs to teach speaking skills to adult learners in an online context, thereby offering implications for more effective teaching of speaking skills at the current center as well as in similar contexts.3 Aims of the study The present study aims to investigate the use of AVAs to teach speaking skills in online classes. The objectives of the study are to (1) explore how teachers use AVAs to teach adult learners speaking skills in online classes. (2) investigate the difficulties teachers encounter when using AVAs to teach adult learners speaking skills in online classes.
Knowing teachers’ practices is essential for identifying methods and strategies when using AVAs to teach speaking skills. Additionally, by understanding the difficulties that teachers encounter, the researcher can offer practical solutions and recommendations for improving these practices.4 Research questions To address the two stated aims, this study will answer the following questions: 1. How do teachers use AVAs to teach adult learners speaking skills in online classes? 2. What difficulties do teachers encounter when using AVAs to teach adult learners speaking skills in online classes? 1.5 Significance of the study This study provides teachers with practical implications for online English teaching.
Through examining the daily practices of online English teachers in using AVAs to teach adult learners speaking skills, this research gives valuable insights that can help in designing training programs and curricula. The study also mentions suggestions to improve the use of AVAs to teach speaking skills in online classes and, 3 from that, strengthen the quality of online language teaching. The role of technology in education is also referred to. Therefore, teachers can learn from and innovate their online classrooms.
Overall, this study aims to improve the effectiveness of online English education, which benefits both teachers and students as well as contribute to the growing body of research on online language teaching.6 Scope of the study This study focuses on investigating teachers’ practices of using AVAs to teach speaking skills to adult learners in online settings. These practices are associated with both preparation and application phases. Initially, the researcher explores the sources and criteria teachers rely on to select AVAs for their speaking classes. Regarding application, the study investigates the activities or tasks that teachers conduct to teach speaking skills in online classes.
By knowing teachers’ practices, the study identifies some weaknesses in their teaching. Furthermore, the study examines the difficulties teachers encounter in both phases. To address these difficulties mentioned by teachers, the researcher analyzes suggestions from teacher participants.7 Organization of thesis chapters This thesis includes five chapters. Chapter 1 provides some general information including background to the study, statements of the problem, and researcher questions of the study.
The significance and scope of the study were mentioned in this chapter. Chapter 2 emphasizes the relevant findings from previous studies about the definitions, some typical features of both speaking skills and AVAs, the importance of using AVAs to teach speaking skills as well as the procedure AVAs are applied to teach speaking skills. Chapter 3 describes the research methodology in detail by discussing the research design, context of the study, participants, description of research tools, data collection procedure, and data analysis scheme.