VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** ĐỖ THỊ MINH NGUYỆT STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE TEACHING OF SPEAKING BY NATIVE-ENGLISH-SPEAKING TEACHERS: A SURVEY RESEARCH AT THAI BINH TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGE (Nghiên cứu điều tra về thái độ của sinh viên đối với việc dạy nói của giáo viên người bản ngữ tại Trường Cao Đẳng Sư Phạm Thái Bình) M. Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Hanoi – 2011 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** ĐỖ THỊ MINH NGUYỆT STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE TEACHING OF SPEAKING BY NATIVE-ENGLISH-SPEAKING TEACHERS: A SURVEY RESEARCH AT THAI BINH TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGE (Nghiên cứu điều tra về thái độ của sinh viên đối với việc dạy nói của giáo viên người bản ngữ tại Trường Cao Đẳng Sư Phạm Thái Bình) M. Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: PHẠM MINH TÂM, MEd. Hanoi - 2011 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS NESTs : native-English speaking teachers NNESTs : non-native-English-speaking teachers CLT : Communicative Language Teaching LISTS OF TABLES Pages Table 1: Students’ attitudes towards the role of speaking skill in their English learning.
25 Table 2: Students’ attitudes towards native teachers’ advantages as native speakers. 26 Table 3: Students’ attitudes towards disadvantages of native teachers as native speakers. 28 Table 4: Students’ attitudes towards native teachers’ teaching techniques. 29 Table 5: Three different graders’ attitudes towards native teachers’ teaching speaking (according to three categories in detail).
32-33 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration …………………………………………………………………………… .iii Lists of Abbreviations ……………………………………………………………….iv Lists of Tables ……………………………………………………………………….iv Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………….v-vii Part A: INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………. Rationale for the Study ……………………………………………………. Aims of the Study and Research Questions ………………………………. Scope of the Study ………………………………………………………….
Design of the Study ………………………………………………………. 4-36 Chapter 1: Literature Review ………………………………………………………. Attitude and their Roles in Second Language Acquisition ………………4-7 1. Concepts of Attitude …………………………………………….
Classifications of Attitude ………………………………………5 1. The Role of Attitude in Second Language Acquisition ………. The Teaching of Speaking ……………………………………………. Definitions of Speaking …………………………………………7-8 1.
The Position of Speaking in English Language Teaching and Learning …………………………………………………………. Accuracy and Fluency in Speaking ……………………………. Problems with Speaking ………………………………………. Communicative Language Teaching Approach in Teaching Speaking and Communicative Competence ……………………….
Principles of Teaching Speaking ……………………………. 12-13 v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Classroom Speaking Activities …………………………………. Characteristics of Successful Speaking Activities ………………14-15 1.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Native English-Speaking Teachers …………………………………………………………………….18 Chapter 2: Research Methodology ………………………………………………. Data Collection Procedure ……………………………………………. Data Analysis Procedure ……………………………………………….24 Chapter 3: Results and Discussion ……………………………………. The answer to the first research question: Students’ attitudes towards native teachers’ teaching speaking……………………………….
Students’ attitudes towards the role of speaking skill in their English learning ……………………………………………. Students’ attitudes towards advantages of native teachers as native speakers ………………………………………………………. Students’ attitudes towards disadvantages of native teachers as native speakers ………………………………………………………………28-29 3. Students’ attitudes towards native teachers’ teaching techniques …………………………………………………………….
The answer to the second research question: The differences of three different graders’ attitudes towards native teachers’ teaching speaking in some extent …………………………………………………….31-35 vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Summary of Major Findings ……………………………………………. Implications for English Language Teaching …………………………. Limitations of the Study ………………………………………………….
Suggestions for Further Studies ………………………………………….I-VIII Appendix 1: Survey Questionnaire in English ………………………….I-II Appendix 2: Survey Questionnaire in Vietnamese …………………….III-V Appendix 3: Interview Transcripts …………………………………………………. Schedule 1: Interviews with the first year students ……………. Schedule 2: Interviews with the second year students ………………. Schedule 3: Interviews with the third year students ………………….VIII vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Part A: INTRODUCTION 1.
Rationale for the Study Teachers are considered to be one of the most crucial elements affecting the success of students learning a foreign language in non-English speaking countries. In the last decade there has been on-going discussion involved in advantages and disadvantages of native teachers and non-native teachers of English (Philipson, 1992; Medgyes, 1994; Liu, 1999). There have been also studies on learners‘ perceptions or attitudes towards the teaching of both native and non-native teachers, even on that of a certain area of language such as speaking, listening or grammar in China, Korea, and Japan (Liu, 1999; Liu & Zhang, 2007; Xiaoru, 2008). The findings indicate a preference for native teachers, but this depends on the qualities of native teachers and the language areas they take over.
In Vietnam, since students learn English as a foreign language and a number of them are exposed to native English speaking teachers (hereafter referred as NESTs) there have been hardly any studies on their teaching. Language learners, their parents, and even people directly involved in language education expect that the best teacher of a language is a native teacher. However, whether this expectation is true or not and to what extent it is believable is left for future studies. In the context of the study, Thai Binh Teacher Training College, where the researcher is working as a non-native teacher of English, there were native teachers who came to teach speaking skill through educational cooperation projects.
However, they are short-term ones and the teachers worked with all English majors of the college in oral classes for a school year only and then left them for non-native teachers. The author of the study as a successor wonders what the students actually think of native teachers‘ teaching speaking and whether different graders have different opinions. That is also the reason for the study. The study is expected to investigate the students‘ attitudes towards native-English teachers‘ teaching speaking and give some valuable suggestions for the employment of native-English teachers at the context of the study in particular and in Vietnam in general and the improvement of the teaching of speaking in particular and other areas of English language teaching in general by non-native teachers.
Aims of the Study and Research Questions The aims of the study are: first, to investigate what the attitudes of English majors at Thai Binh Teacher Training College towards the teaching of speaking by English native 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com teachers are, and to what extent different graders have different attitudes; then, to give some implications for the employment of native teachers in the context of Vietnam and the improvement of the teaching of English by Vietnamese non-native teachers. Therefore, two research questions raised are: 1. What are the students‘ attitudes towards the teaching of speaking by native-English speaking teachers? 2. To what extent do different graders‘ have different attitudes? 3.
Scope of the Study Due the time limit and the real context of the study where native teachers were put in charge of speaking sections only, the study focused on investigating the students‘ attitudes towards native teachers‘ teaching speaking. Besides, the research only emphasized studying general issues related to the strengths and weaknesses as well as the main techniques of native teachers in teaching speaking skill. Research Methodology As the major aim of the study is to find out students‘ attitudes towards the teaching by native English speaking teachers, survey approach was selected, and two main data collection methods employed were questionnaire and interview. Cencus sampling was used with all English majors at Department of Foreign Languages of Thai Binh Teacher Training College.
The data were collected from 100 participants who belong to three different grades/groups. The analysis was carried out in the light of finding out the answers to the research questions. Design of the Study The study includes three main parts: Part A: Introduction presents the rationale for the study, the aims and research questions, scope of the study, research methodology, and design of the study. Part B: Development consists of three chapters as follows: Chapter 1: Literature Review presents the theoretical background for the study.
It involves concepts, classifications and roles of attitude in language learning; issues related to speaking and the teaching of this skill such as definitions, principles or techniques; advantages and disadvantages of native teachers; and previous studies. 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Chapter 2: Research Methodology is concerned with the context of the study, research questions, research approach, research participants, research instruments, data collection procedure and data analysis procedure. Chapter 3: Results and Discussion describes the results of the study which were collected from questionnaires and interviews, and the discussion based on the results to answer the research questions. Part C: Conclusion gives the summary of major findings of the study, some pedagogical implications for English teaching and learning in Vietnam, and suggestions for further studies based on the limitations of the study.
3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Part B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Literature Review This chapter will present the theoretical background for the study. In the first place, concepts, classifications and roles of attitude in language learning are discussed. Then, issues related to speaking and the teaching of this skill such as definitions of speaking, its roles in a second language learning or techniques of teaching speaking, etc., are presented too. Next comes to the advantages and disadvantages of native-English-speaking teachers.
Finally, prior studies related to the topic are summarized. Attitude and their Roles in Second Language Acquisition 1. Concepts of Attitude The concept of attitude is complex. Several definitions have been proposed to describe its nature.
Allport (1954, as cited in Gardner, 1985) states that: ―an attitude is a mental and neural state of readiness, organized through experience, exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individual‘s response to all objects and situations with which it is related‖. 45) This idea is shared by Gibb (1988) as he agrees that attitude is a state of mind, which is influenced by feelings, experiences of the world and belief. This definition sounds a bit general: it is a state and response but exactly what kind of response it is. 9) claims that a person‘s attitude bases on his beliefs or opinions: ―An individual‘s attitude as an evaluative reaction to some referent or attitude object, inferred on the basis of the individual‘s beliefs or opinions about the referent‖.
I myself find the following concept of attitude clear and convincing: ―An attitude is a hypothetical construct that represents an individual's degree of like or dislike for something. Attitudes are generally positive or negative views of a person, place, thing, or event— this is often referred to as the attitude object‖ (Wikipedia – online dictionary). Similarly, Hallorah (1967) states that attitude represents an individual like or dislike towards an item. Attitudes are positive, negative or neutral views of an ―attitude object‖, i.
a person, situation or event. People can also be ―ambivalent‖, meaning that they simultaneously possess a positive and a negative bias towards the attitudes in question. Obviously, attitude is also a state but represents a person‘s degree of like or dislike. It is also response but exactly positive or negative.
4 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Attitudes are said to have cognitive, affective and conative components. The cognitive component refers to the individual‘s belief structure, the affective to emotional reactions, and the conative to the tendency to behave toward the attitude object (Gardner, 1985). This idea is shared by Wikipedia. It states that attitudes are judgments and they develop on the ABC model: Affect, Behavior and Cognition.
It further explains that ―the affective response is an emotional response that expresses an individual‘s degree of preference for an entity. The behavioral intention is a verbal indication or typical behavioral tendency of an individual. The cognitive response is a cognitive evaluation of the entity that constitutes an individual's beliefs about the object‖. More interestingly, this source reveals that most attitudes result from either direct experience or observational learning from the environment.