VIETNAMNATIONALUNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* VÕ THỊ KIM CÚC THE EFFECT OF CLASSROOM INTERACTION ON DEVELOPING NON-ENGLISH MAJOR SOPHOMORES’ SPEAKING SKILL AT HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY (HUI) Ảnh hưởng của tương tác trong lớp học đối với việc phát triển kỹ năng nói của sinh viên năm hai không chuyên ngữ tại trường Đại Học Công Nghiệp TP.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111 HoChiMinh, 2014 i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAMNATIONALUNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* VÕ THỊ KIM CÚC THE EFFECT OF CLASSROOM INTERACTION ON DEVELOPING NON-ENGLISH MAJOR SOPHOMORES’ SPEAKING SKILL AT HO CHI MINH UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY (HUI) Ảnh hưởng của tương tác trong lớp học đối với việc phát triển kỹ năng nói của sinh viên năm hai không chuyên ngữ tại trường Đại Học Công Nghiệp TP.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111 SUPERVISOR: NGUYỄN TRƯỜNG SA, PhD. HoChiMinh, 2014 ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP TITLE: “The effect of classroom interaction on developing non-English major sophomore’s speaking at Ho Chi Minh University of Industry (HUI)” Name:VÕ THỊ KIM CÚC Supervisor’s Name: Dr. NGUYỄN TRƯỜNG SA “I certify that this work is entirely my own and has not been accepted as part of a submission to another purpose elsewhere”. Signed: Word length: words iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study has been completed with the help and support of many persons.
Therefore, I am grateful to all of them. First and foremost, I would like to express my special thanks to my supervisor, Dr. Nguyen Truong Sa, who shaped me on the path toward being an independent researcher. Nguyen Truong Sa, thank you for your initial ideas of the research topic and your support during the time I was conducting the research.
You have invested a lot of energy and valuable time counseling and correcting my thesis. Without your help and support, I would have been in much trouble completing my study. Working with you, I have learned a lot of valuable knowledge and experiences in doing research. Next, I would like to send my deep gratitude Mr.
Bui Van Hat, the English teacher at Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ho Chi Minh University of Industry, who helped me so much in implementing the study. Besides, my deep gratitude is sent to Ms. Hien and Ms. Nhung, my colleagues at the College of Finance and Customs, who shared with me their experience in organizing activities.
I would like to thank Mr. Tin, my close friend who supported me with technical aids. My thanks are due to my beloved students in the two non-English major classes, at Ho Chi Minh University of Industry, who involved in my experiment. Without their assistance, my study could not have been conducted.
I am also grateful to my teachers and colleagues at the English Department, Ho Chi Minh University of Industry, who gave me good conditions during the time I followed the M. All of their help meaningfully contributed to the completion of my study in the master program. Finally I owe everything to my family, especially my parents, who were always with me when I was in difficulties and gave me mental support to complete my M. iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT This study entitles “The effect of classroom interaction on developing non-English major sophomores’ speaking skill at Ho Chi Minh University of Industry (HUI)” aimed at analyzing the categories of teacher talk, students talk to find out classroom interaction types used, the teachers’ perceptions about the importance of classroom interaction and the main barriers in employing interaction during Basic English classes for 2nd non- English major students.
The research employed a qualitative method and applied a case study. Subjects of the research were three Basic English teachers,150 non-English major sophomores at Ho Chi Minh University of Industry (HUI). The data were gained through naturalistic observation, document analysis and interview. The data were analyzed by using FLINT (Foreign Language Interaction) system by Moskowitz (1971) and classroom interaction types of Malamah-Thomas’ (1987) frameworks.
The findings revealed that teachers, students applied some categories of talk in FLINT system, some classroom interaction types. Teachers thought that interaction can increase students’ knowledge, confidence, establish relationship. They encountered some difficulties during interaction: students do not want to take risk, students’ vocabulary and grammar problems. v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
ii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iii LIST OF TABLES ANF FIGURES. v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. vi PART A INTRODUCTION 1.
Rationale of the study. Aims of the study. Scope of the study. Definitions of terms.
Design of the study. 3 PART B DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK and LITERATURE REVIEW. Theoretical background of the research. What is interaction in language classroom?.
Aspect of interaction. Types of classroom interaction. The importance of classroom interaction on speaking skill. Error! Bookmark not defined.Previous studies examining classroom interaction .Method of the research.
Data collection procedures .Data analysis procedures. 19 vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.The validity and reliability data. 19 CHAPTER 3 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Findings and discussion.
31 PART C CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 1.Implications of the study .Suggestions for further research. VII vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Participants detailed information…………………………………………15 Table 2: Observation and interview schedule…………………………………….19 Table 3: The results of all observations…………………………………………….21 Table 4: The results of classroom interaction types……………………………….25 viii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS HUI Ho Chi Minh University of Industry FLINT Foreign Language Interaction Analysis ix LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART A INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the study Classroom interaction is the key for the language learner to reach the goal of using the language accurately, fluently, and confidently whether in its written or spoken forms. Chaudron (1998) notes that only through interaction can learners acquire the target language structures and its their meaning, and learners have more opportunities to incorporate such structures into their oral performance.
In addition, with classroom interaction, English learners can find it a bit easier to gain fluency and accuracy in their speaking. According to Swain (1997), language production in classrooms provides the opportunity for meaningful practice of learners’ linguistic resources that lead to accuracy. In addition, in the study of Hailey (2006), interaction not only helps learners to notice what they cannot express precisely the meaning they wish but also pushes learners to produce more accurate and appropriate language. In the same vein, Savignon (1983) affirms that the development of communicative competence is promoted in “expression, interpretation, and negotiation of meaning involving interaction between two or more persons or between one and a written or oral text”.
One again, the effect of interaction on learners’ communicative competence and then speaking ability is asserted by Welker’s (1997 82) that “a thousand meetings, the best textbooks, creative teaching materials, even native speakers visiting classroom aren’t going to give students English communicatively. Only by using English with their teacher and classmates will develop the ability to speak English”. However, in the light of speaking skill, it seems that the author fails to address classroom interaction in the relation to develop speaking skill. In Vietnam, most of students cannot use English for communicating in real situation although they have learned English for many years.
According to Van (2007 22) “Vietnamese learners’ English proficiency levels were very low, they seemly failed to take part in oral communication”. In addition, Thinh (2006) 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com addressed that many Vietnamese students are unable to produce a perfect sentence although they have learned English in classrooms for seven years. Then it becomes doubtful whether the unadequate interaction makes Vietnamese students in general and students in colleges, universities in particular are not able to speak English. The researcher also wonders whether classroom interaction is one of the causes that lead to failure and corruption of students’ English speaking or to what extent English teachers have met the barriers in applying classroom interaction in teaching speaking skills.
The paper is conducted in the pursuit of revealing the hidden part of language teaching and learning. For that reason, the paper will serve the practical investigation, it’s hoped that the finding may serve as a reference document to the teachers who are interested in improving their student’s speaking skill. Aims of the study This study is aimed atinvestigating the reality of interaction in speaking classrooms for non-English major sophomores at Ho Chi Minh University of Industry (HUI). To be specific, the aims of the study are: - To find out types of classroom interaction, - To examine teachers’ perception about the importance of classroom interaction and main difficulties that they face when employing the classroom interaction in order to improve the students’ communicative or speaking competence.
Research questions The general question addressed in this study is: How is interaction employed in the classroom for non-English major sophomores at HUI? This question can be answered by addressing these specific questions: 1. What are the teachers’ perceptions of the importance of classroom interaction? 2. What kinds of classroom interaction are applied in practice? 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. What are the main barriers in implementing classroom interaction? 4.
Scope of the study Initially, the purpose of the researcher is examining how classroom interaction helps to improve speaking skill. However, due to the constraint of time, the researcher can’t examine these effects. Unfortunately, the proposed title of the study had been approved and it could not be changed. Therefore, the thesis will be only limited to focus on the types of classroom interaction employing in practice, find out whether classroom interaction is implemented adequately and the barriers that teachers encounter when applying the classroom interaction to build up speaking skill to non- English major sophomores at HUI only, leaving other contexts of English teaching and learning out of discussion 5.
Methods The research is based on qualitative method with three instruments: classroom observation, interview and document analysis. The video from classroom observations areanalyzed and then coded by using Flint (Foreign Language Interaction) system (Moskowitz 1971) and Malamah-Thomas’ (1987) frameworks. These instruments areaimed to find out the classroom interaction types, collect the information from teachers’ perceptions of the importance of classroom interaction and barriers in applying the classroom interaction. Definitions of terms Interaction is the collaborative exchange of thoughts feelings, or ideas between two or more people, resulting in a reciprocal effect of each other (Brown, 2001 48) Classroom interaction is the patterns of verbal and nonverbal communication and the types of social relationships which occur within classrooms (Richards & Platt 1992 52) Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information (Brown, 1994; Burns & Joyce, 1997).
3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Sophomore non English major students are students in the second year of university or college and their majors are not English 7. Design of the study The paper of the research will be organized as follows: CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION consists of rationale of the study, aims of the study, research questions, scope of the study, methods and design of the study. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW explains the theoretical framework related to the study. In this chapter, the researcher serves the theory of speaking, interaction, interaction in speaking classroom, aspect of interaction as well as types of classroom interaction.
Besides, it also contains the previous studies examining the gains of teaching speaking upon interaction. CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY discusses the methods of the study and some other key constructs such as participants, ethical issues and the like.