VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES PHAN THỊ KHÁNH LINH APPLYING MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING CLASSES TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE ÁP DỤNG THUYẾT ĐA TRÍ TUỆ TRONG GIỜ HỌC NÓI ĐỂ GIA TĂNG SỰ SẴN LÒNG TRONG GIAO TIẾP CỦA HỌC SINH MINOR THESIS Major: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 HANOI – 2024 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES PHAN THỊ KHÁNH LINH APPLYING MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING CLASSES TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE ÁP DỤNG THUYẾT ĐA TRÍ TUỆ TRONG GIỜ HỌC NÓI ĐỂ GIA TĂNG SỰ SẴN LÒNG TRONG GIAO TIẾP CỦA HỌC SINH MA minor thesis Major: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Supervisor: Tạ Thị Thanh Hoa, PhD HANOI – 2024 DECLARATION I certified that the thesis entitled “Applying Multiple Intelligences in English-speaking Classes to Enhance Students’ Willingness to Communicate” is the result of my own effort to accomplish the Degree of Master of Arts at the Faculty of Post Graduates Students - University of Languages and Internation Studies, Hanoi. I commit that this thesis has not been submitted anywhere for any purpose. Signature Phan Thi Khanh Linh Approved by SUPERVISOR Tạ Thị Thanh Hoa Date: 22/9/2024 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude towards my supervisor, Ms. Tạ Thị Thanh Hoa for her invaluable insight into the subject matter, constructive and considerate advice, along her unwavering encouragement throughout the completion of this thesis despite my occasional procrastination.
This is also an opportunity for me to extend my appreciation to all the lecturers and staff of the Faculty of Post Graduates Studies at the University of Languages and International Studies for their illuminating lectures which provide an essential foundation for my thesis and future endeavors in the field. I am grateful for many authors whose work is the source of my inspiration and references in this thesis. I am indebted to all the students who were willing to participate actively in my case study. Lastly, heartfelt thanks to my family members for their continuous support and encouragement.
I am especially grateful to my parents and husband for believing in me during my darkest moments. My newborn daughter has been a significant source of motivation, urging me to complete this thesis. ii ABSTRACT A case study was conducted to obtain a better insight into students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) in speaking lessons that incorporated multiple intelligences (MI). The researcher also aimed to explore students’ perceptions of the potential of MI approach and the factors influencing their WTC in the lessons.
The study was conducted in an English center in Nghe An province with 16 IELTS students as participants. To gather data, the researcher adopted an MI survey questionnaire, preliminary and follow-up WTC survey questionnaires, interviews, and teacher’s classroom observation. For data analysis, both qualitative and quantitative approaches were utilized. The results revealed that the students were generally willing to communicate.
They demonstrated their highest level of willingness to discuss with their peers the topics that were introduced in class and keep their conversation going despite their limited language proficiency. They were also often willing to ask their peers about ideas, arguments, or words related to the topic, as well as ask their teacher to repeat missed information. However, their willingness to adopt compensation strategies such as utilizing gestures, paraphrasing, approximation, and creating new words during MI-based speaking lessons was demonstrated at rather low levels. The potential of MI-based speaking activities to enhance learner WTC was widely acknowledged but varied across the activities.
Specifically, activities tailored to interpersonal intelligence (i. group and peer assignments) were perceived to have the most influential impact on students’ WTC, while those focused on intrapersonal intelligence (i. brainstorming ideas) had the minimal impact. Lastly, the findings suggest that teachers' and peers’ acknowledgment of one’s effort, personality traits, teacher support, and teacher’s wait time were considered the most influential factors, listed in descending order of impact.
iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv LIST OF TABLES. vii LIST OF FIGURES.
viii LIST OF ABBREVIATION. ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. Rationale for the study. Aims and objectives.
Scope of the study. Significance of the study. Research methods of the study. Structure of the study.
5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW. Approaches to teaching English speaking. Learners’ difficulties in learning English speaking skills. Types of Multiple Intelligences.
Logical-mathematical intelligence. Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence. Implications of applying MI in English classrooms. Implementation of MI in English-speaking lessons.
Willingness to communicate (WTC). Pyramid model of WTC. Implications of the model of WTC. Previous studies and research gaps.
Studies on the influencing factors of WTC. Studies on techniques applied to improve L2 WTC in classrooms. Studies on the implementation of MI in speaking. Studies on applying MI to improve WTC.
Research site and IELTS Introduction course. Participants of the research. Implementation of MI-based speaking activities. Data collection instruments.
Data analysis techniques. 33 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS OF THE STUDY. The learners’ dominant intelligences. Students’ demonstration of WTC during MI-based lessons.
Students’ WTC before and after the incorporation of MI-based activities. Factors influencing students’ willingness to communicate. Students’ general perceptions of the effectiveness of MI-based activities on their WTC. Students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of certain MI-based activities on their WTC.
Students’ thoughts on incorporating MI-based activities in their study in the future. Students’ WTC observed by the teacher during MI lessons. Activities experiencing the highest levels of willingness to communicate. Activities experiencing moderately high levels of willingness to communicate.
Activities experiencing the lowest levels of willingness to communicate. 58 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION OF THE RESULTS. Discussion of the results. Limitations of the study.
Suggestions for further studies. 74 APPENDIX 1: THE MI SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE. I APPENDIX 2: PRELIMINARY WTC SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE. VIII APPENDIX 3: THE FOLLOW-UP WTC SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE.
XIII APPENDIX 4: TEACHER’S OBSERVATION CHECKLIST. XXIII APPENDIX 5: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS. XXV APPENDIX 6: LESSON PLANS. XXX vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Categories and codes used to analyze qualitative data.
34 Table 2: Multiple Intelligence Survey Questionnaire. 37 Table 3: Interpretation of students’ willingness to communicate. 39 Table 4: Students’ WTC during MI-based lessons according to the follow-up WTC survey questionnaire. 39 Table 5: Significant and moderate enhancements of WTC after the integration of MI activities.
41 Table 6: The smallest enhancements of WTC after the integration of MI activities. 42 Table 7: Interpretation of students’ perceived factors influencing their WTC. 43 Table 8: Students’ perception of influencing factors of their willingness to communicate. 44 Table 9: Students’ demonstration of WTC with the implementation of MI activities observed by the teacher.
52 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Oxford's (1990) Compensation Learning Strategies. 11 Figure 2: Heuristic model of WTC (MacIntyre et al, 1998). 19 Figure 3: Four most prominent intelligences among students. 38 Figure 4: Students’ assessment of the level of effectiveness of MI activities in increasing their WTC.
47 Figure 5: Students’ perceptions of MI activities in their WTC. 47 Figure 6: Students' Perspectives: Assessing Effective Activities for Enhancing WTC. 50 viii LIST OF ABBREVIATION WTC: Willingness to Communicate MI: Multiple Intelligence CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ESL: English as a Second Language ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION In this chapter, the researcher aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the study. By delving into the intricacies of the rationale, aims, scope of the study, and a glimpse of the research methodology, the goal is not only to capture the reader’s interest but also to explain the researcher’s motivations for undertaking this study.
Rationale for the study As English has become a global language and is expanding into every aspect of everyday life, the need to study English has grown exponentially. In Vietnam, English is a mandatory school subject and is extensively taught beyond the traditional classroom setting. Typically, Vietnamese consider English as an indispensable tool to pass examinations, improve career prospects, and integrate into the globalized context. Therefore, students have invested significant effort in learning English, while educators and teachers have been continuously developing English teaching methodologies.
Of the four skills, speaking as a communication skill is widely viewed among English learners to be on the difficult end, which requires a considerable commitment in terms of time and effort to acquire (Jung, 1995; Rahimi & Quraishi, 2019). The skill is deemed challenging due to its involvement in a set of physical and mental activities, which requires more than simply knowing the grammar and semantics of the language (Jung, 1995; Shumin, 2002). To render English speaking more approachable for learners, much research has been carried out to explore effective teaching methods that could potentially maximize their speaking potential (Talley, 2014; Goh & Burns, 2012; Richards, 2008; Thornbury, 2006, etc). However, there are still gaps and questions that will need a long quest from both teachers and learners to embark on.
Among the attributes of speaking skills, willingness to communicate (WTC) is hailed as the most important factor that contributes to the frequency of L2 speaking (MacIntyre, Dornyei, Clement & Noels, 1998). Indeed, the concept of WTC, which refers to the 1 decision to initiate conversations with a particular person or group using a second language (MacIntyre, 2007), is of pivotal role in learning and using a second language. Riasati (2018) also states that promoting students’ WTC inside the classroom should be “a fundamental goal of L2 education” (p.1287) because students who possess higher WTC foster more chances for L2 practice and authentic language use (MacIntyre et al. Despite the significance of WTC in English speaking, I have noticed that students’ WTC in my classes is generally limited.
Observations made in the classrooms indicate that they are less willing to voice their opinions in speaking lessons compared to lessons focused on other skills. Additionally, students themselves also reported in informal conversations with the teacher that they tend to exhibit more willingness or less willingness to communicate in certain situations. These issues have inspired me to carry out a study to gain a deep understanding of students’ WTC and factors affecting their WTC in English-speaking classes. Furthermore, as an English learner myself, I have cultivated a deep interest in people’s multiple intelligences, often overlooked by most educators who predominantly measure students’ aptitude based on their intellectual and emotional intelligence.
The theory of Multiple intelligences (MI) was proposed by Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner in his book entitled Frames of Mind (1983), suggesting the existence of eight relatively interdependent intelligences rather than just a single construct of intelligence. Regrettably, prevailing teaching methods tend to apply a one-size-fits-all approach that neglects students’ variety of intelligences in the development of teaching material. Additionally, despite the varied research on MI theory and WTC individually, limited attention has been given to examining students’ display of WTC with the incorporation of MI-based lessons, particularly in the context of Vietnam. Furthermore, there has been scant research undertaken to investigate students’ perceptions of the potential of MI syllabus, as well as factors contributing to learners’ WTC during MI lessons.
Students’ limited WTC, along with the gaps in research, and my interest in the field, have inspired me to investigate how students demonstrated their WTC during MI-based lessons. The research was also carried out to gain an insight into learners’ perception of the 2 importance of MI-based speaking activities in shaping their WTC and also investigate influencing factors during MI lessons. By exploring these aspects, valuable insights can be contributed to the discourse on language education and inform more inclusive and effective teaching practices.