1 Vietnam national university, Hanoi University of Languages and international studies faculty of Post-graduate Studies ĐÀO XUÂN HÙNG The impact of teachers’ quality On rus students in terms of speaking skill (Tác động của chất lượng giáo viên đối với việc học nói của học sinh trung học ở vùng nông thôn) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Hanoi, 2010 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 2 Vietnam national university, Hanoi University of Languages and international studies faculty of Post-graduate Studies ĐÀO XUÂN HÙNG The impact of teachers’ quality On rus students in terms of speaking skill (Tác động của chất lượng giáo viên đối với việc học nói của học sinh trung học ở vùng nông thôn) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Cohort: MA 17 Supervisor: Hà Cẩm Tâm (Ph.D) Hanoi, 2010 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Headings Pages Acknowledgment i Abstract ii Table of contents iii List of Abbreviations vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale for the study 1 1. Aims of the study 2 1. Significance of the study 2 1.
Scope of the study 2 1. Organization of the study 2 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2. An overview of speaking skill. Characteristics of beginning level learners.
The MOET principles of teaching speaking skill 5 2. Principles for teaching speaking to beginning learners. Elements needed for speaking skill development. Language Teaching Methods 9 2.
The Grammar Translation Method 10 2. The Direct Method and Audiolingualism 10 2.Communication in language teaching 11 2. Principles of the communicative approach 12 2. The language of the EFL teacher 14 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.
The main characteristics of the language used by the EFL 14 teachers 2. The language for opening/closing the lesson 15 2. The language for instructions 16 2. Issues of teacher development in Vietnam.
17 CHAPTER THREE: THE STUDY 3. Design of the study 20 3. Data Collection Instruments 20 3. Data Collection Procedure 21 3.
The language for the opening of the lessons. The language for the closing of the lessons. The language for instructions 24 3. Principles for teaching speaking to beginners.
Principles of the communicative approach. Elements needed for speaking skill development. Data analysis and discussion 25 3. The language for opening and closing of the lessons.
The language for instructions. Principles for teaching speaking to beginners 29 3. Principles of communicative approach 30 3. Elements needed for speaking skill development 32 CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION 4.
Limitations of the study 36 4. Suggestions for further study 36 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 8 References 37 Appendices I Appendix A I Appendix B II Appendix 1 IV Appendix 2 V TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 9 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLT Communicative language teaching CL Classroom language CSs Communication skills EFL English as a foreign language ESL English as a second language MOET The Ministry of Education and Training RUS Rural upper-secondary school TD Teacher development TEFL Teaching English as a foreign language UEE The University Entrance Exam UFE The upper-secondary final exam TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 10 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationales English has undergone many changes in teaching and learning in Vietnam over the last few decades. Demand for learning English even becomes stronger when Vietnam applies its open door policy.
English turns out to be the leading factor in a smaller and smaller world. Learners want to be able to master English to a high level of accuracy and fluency. Employers too insist that their employees have good English language skills, fluency in English is a prerequisite for success and advancement in many fields of employment in today‟s world. However, in rural upper-secondary schools (RUSs), though English is a compulsory subject, it fails to equip students with enough knowledge and skills, especially speaking skill.
Even, The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has developed new textbooks, equipped more facilities to better the teaching and learning English, the fact is not changed. This is because: First, the goals of learning English and foreign language in general are set by the MOET. It can be translated as follows: To provide some basic knowledge about foreign languages in order to help school students to communicate and to use them as a key to science and technology. These goals are too general and vague to be easily put into practice.2, as cited in Thuoc, 1988, p.48) stated that “the teacher is a means to an end: An instrument to see that learning takes place.
As a human being, he is of course a subtle and sensitive instrument who cannot be satisfactorily replaced by a mechanical aid…” However, teachers‟ qualifications haven‟t been strictly considered and developed. That is the reason why teachers have failed to meet the demand of teaching English in general and teaching speaking in particular. In fact, teachers are the people who know the languages, select the new material to be learnt, and present it as clearly and memorably as possible. Also, teachers work as conductors who give students opportunities to participate, to practise.
In addition, teachers act as guides in organising and motivating students‟ language activities. The question is how teachers do those without being equipped with proper knowledge and skills. I think that it is essential to do research on teachers‟ qualifications so I decided on choosing the topic “the impact of teachers‟ qualifications on RUS students in terms of speaking skill”. TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.
The aims of the study - The aims of this study are as follows: a) to examine the impact of teachers‟ instructions on RUS students in terms of speaking skill. b) to suggest a possible basis for RUS teachers‟ ELT effectiveness. The significance of the study. The study helps point out some impacts of teachers‟ instructions on RUS students in terms of speaking skill.
It would enable teachers to be aware of the necessity of their instructions to the students‟ speaking skill development. It is also hoped that the study would make some suggestions for teachers‟ effectiveness which is considered by many linguists, educators and researchers as one of the most crucial ways to develop students‟ speaking skill. The scope of the study - Firstly, The impacts on students‟ development in terms of speaking skill is a very complicated problem, it composes of many factors. Therefore, my thesis will focus mainly on rural Teachers‟ qualifications-those are teachers‟ instructions; the effectiveness of teachers‟ method practice.
The effectiveness here can be understood as the comparison between goal setting and goal achievement. If the goal setting matches with the goal achievement, the teaching will be considered effective and vice versa. - Secondly, more attention will be paid to the theory and description, which will make RUS teachers be aware of their problems and have directions to improve and develop in order to better the teaching. - Thirdly, with the limitation of time and references, I shall only venture to suggest some theoretical solutions for RUS teachers‟ effectiveness in terms of CL and method practice.
Method of the study - Classroom observation: Teachers‟ instructions - Guided interview. Organization of the study The study consists of four chapters: TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 12 - Chapter one: Introduction which contains rationale, scope, aims, significance, methodology and organization of the study. - Chapter two: Literature review establishes the basic theoretical ground from the literature on speaking skills, principles of teaching speaking skills for beginning learners, the MOET principles of teaching speaking skill, principles in teaching using CLT, common methods and teachers‟ language instructions, and teacher development (TD) are clearly described. - Chapter three: The study describes the overall picture of how the research was carried out from choosing the research question, the participants, the data collection instrument to gather data and analysis, results and discussion to make it more comprehensible.
- Chapter four: Conclusion reviews the main findings of the study, suggests some solutions, and ends with some suggestions for further research. TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 13 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter discusses the theory and research into which this study bases on. The chapter is divided into four sections. The first section provides an overview of speaking skill.
The second section presents language teaching methods. The third section is about the language of the English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher. And the last section gives Issues of teacher development in Vietnam. An overview of speaking skill 2.
Speaking definitions Bailey (2003, p.2) defined that speaking consists of producing systematic verbal utterances to convey meaning (Utterances are simply things people say).1, as cited in Bailey, 2003, p.2) stated that speaking is “an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information”.2) also pointed out that speaking is such a basic human behavior that we don‟t stop to analyze if there is not anything noticeable about it. What we ignore is a number of physical, mental, psychological, social, and cultural factors that must all combine together when we speak. People will have a great influence when they hear a lucid speaker in a second or foreign language. Characteristics of beginning level learners What does it mean to be a “beginning” or a “lower-level” language learner? According to the American council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (as cited in Bailey, 2005, p.30), beginning level students can be characterized as follows: - Oral production consists of isolated words and learned phrases within very predictable areas of need.
- Vocabulary is sufficient only for handling simple, elementary needs and expressing basic courtesies. - Utterances rarely consist of more than two or three words and show frequent long pauses and repetition of interlocutor‟s words. - Speakers may have some difficulty producing even the simplest utterances. This means that at this level speakers will be understood only with great difficulty.
Given these limitations, what can teachers do to help beginning students develop their English speaking skill? In addition, if you are teaching EFL in your home culture, you are TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 14 probably already aware of the challenges that learners face when their exposure to English outside the classroom is limited. Likewise, if you are teaching EFL, you will need to be particularly creative in designing a syllabus and planning lessons that develop speaking skill. For beginning learners in an EFL context, they have difficulties in finding chances to listen to and speak English. Therefore, the classroom is of great importance in providing input and practice opportunities for the learners.
Classroom lessons are very safe and friendly havens where low-level learners can make mistakes and take risks in a supportive environment with a helpful teacher and classmates who are at approximately the same proficiency level and who may have similar concerns. The MOET principles of teaching speaking skill Minh (2007, p.19) stated the methods used in the new curriculum to teach speaking skill must follow the guiding principles: 1. Communication skills (CSs) be the goal of the teaching and learning process; linguistic knowledge be the means by which CSs are formed and developed. Students play an active role in the teaching and learning process and teachers be only organizers and guides.
Teaching contents be selected and organized according to themes to guarantee a high level of communicativeness while catering to the accuracy of the modern language system. General objectives to achieve in grade 10-grade 12. Skill Speaking Class Ask and answer about the topics covered. Performs some basic language 10 functions such as giving instruction, expressing opinions, asking direction, asking and giving information… Ask about the topics covered.
Perform some basic language functions such as 11 expressing likes and dislikes, agreement and disagreement, distinguishing facts and opinions. TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 15 Ask and answer about the topic covered, perform some basic language 12 functions such as expressing opinions and viewpoints, talking about needs and likes, explaining. Principles for teaching speaking to beginners Bailey (2005, pp.