A study on solutions to improve english reflex for freshmen in english faculty of thuongmai university

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY GRADUATION PAPER TOPIC A STUDY ON SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE ENGLISH REFLEX FOR FRESHMEN IN ENGLISH FACULTY OF THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY Supervisor Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc Stude[.]

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY

During the process of doing this study, I received the support of many people,including my supervisor, friends, freshmen, and lecturers in the English Faculty tocomplete this research Many recommendations are sent to me in order to help meachieve the highest possible grade on my graduation paper

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Mrs BichNgoc, for her support and direction as I complete this study Her advice andsuggestions are worthy of improving the quality of this graduation paper It is not onlyuseful for me to do this research but also for other academic activities in the future.Secondly, I would like to thank the English Faculty’s lectures for teaching meuseful knowledge and experience to help me have a good foundation through my 4years at university to complete this study in the best way possible Although thepandemic prevents people from having offline classes, lectures are still enthusiasticallygiven to give students valuable lessons

Finally, I want to express my appreciation to my friends and freshmen in theEnglish Faculty My friends gave me their experience in doing research that I have notyet tried And the freshmen participating in my survey, supported me to fill in thesurvey so I can have the data for this study

Although I tried my best in this study, some mistakes could not be avoided Ihope that the lectures will give me suggestions on how to continue to make the thesisbetter That is the foundation for me to have a high-quality graduation paper, whichthen serves as the foundation for suggestions and advice for students who may want toconduct research on this topic in the future

Sincerely thanks

Hanoi, November 21st, 2022 Student

Tran Thi Le Na

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v

LIST OF CHARTS vi

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Previous studies 2

2.1 International studies 2

2.2 Vietnamese studies 3

3 Aim of the study 4

4 Research subject 4

5 Scope of the study 4

6 Research methodology 5

6.1 Research design 5

6.2 Collecting data 5

6.3 Analysing data 6

6 Organization of Study 6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 7

1 Some related definitions 7

1.1 Definitions of speaking skill 7

1.2 Definition of reflex 7

2 The importance of speaking in communication 8

3 The importance of reflex in speaking 9

4 Factors affecting the English reflex 10

4.1 Vocabulary and grammar 10

4.2 Topical background knowledge 11

4.3 The habit of translating from mother tongue to the sencond language 11

4.4 Repetition 12

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS 15

1 Participants 15

2 English foundation 15

3 Factors affecting the English reflex 21

3.1 Vocabulary and grammar 21

3.2 Topical backgound knowledge 23

3.3 The habit of translating from mother tongue to the second language 25

3.4 Repetition 26

3.5 Learning environment 27

4 Discussion 28

4.1 Strengths 28

4.2 Weaknesses 28

CHAPTER 4: SOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE ENGLISH REFLEX 31

1 Solutions for freshmen in the English faculty 31

1.1 Building a habit of often practicing speaking English 31

1.2 Cultivating vocabulary about various topics 32

1.3 Reducing to translate mother toungue into English in speaking 32

2 Recommendations for lectures of English faculty 33

2.1 Holding debating activities 33

2.2 Giving students more unpopular topics 34

3 Recommendations for university 34

CONCLUSION 35 REFERENCES I APPENDIX III

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

No Ambbreviation English full name Vietnamese meaning

English

Những người Hàn Quốc học tiếng Anh

Acquisition

Lý thuyết thụ đắc ngôn ngữ

Language Testing System

Hệ thống kiểm tra Anh ngữ quốc tế

LIST OF CHARTS

Chart 3.1 Participants 15

Chart 3.2 Evaluate English speaking skills 15

Chart 3.3 Time of learning English 16

Chart 3.4 Frequency of studying English speaking skill in high school 17

Chart 3.5 Level of confidence when speaking English with foreigners 18

Chart 3.6 Ability to respond in English immediately 18

Chart 3.7 Frequency of practicing speaking English 19

Chart 3.8 Time of responding other people in English 19

Chart 3.9 Compare the frequency of practicing speaking English among English backgrounds 20

Chart 3.10 Compare the time of responding among English backgrounds 21

Chart 3.11 Criteria in factor vocabulary and grammar 22

Chart 3.12 Criteria in factor topical background knowledge 23

Chart 3.13 Criteria in factor the habit of translating from mother tongue to the sencond language 25

Chart 3.14 Criteria in factor repetition 26

Chart 3.15 Criteria in factor learning environment 27

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY

This chapter shows a general view of the study It includes the previous studies

of the English reflex, the aim of the study, the research subject, the scope of the study, and the research methodology.

1 Rationale

In the era of globalization, people need a tool as a connection between countries

to cooperate and develop together, and English has been chosen to be the internationallanguage It is the bridge between nations, cultures, and people around the world That

is not only the key to connecting with the rest of the world, it also opens a new chapterfor students to widen their minds and gain knowledge from other countries As aresult, the demand for human resources who know English increases day by day.Understanding that, nowadays, in Vietnam, children are taught English whenthey are primary school students However, many students are facing the problem that,although they have learned English for many years, they still cannot speak it withbasic knowledge The reason for this fact is the shortage in teaching and practicingspeaking skill Actually, the ability to speak English among children in the countrysideand in cities is not equal Students in cities often are better at speaking English thanthose in the countryside because they have more chances to approach Englisheducational services, and they also have a more stable foundation As humans in thisera are taking a leap in developing science and technology, perhaps it will not be abarrier for students in the countryside to learn and practice speaking English.Nonetheless, it can nowadays, in Vietnam, children are taught English when they areprimary school students However, many students are facing the problem that,although they have learned English for many years, they still cannot speak it withbasic knowledge The reason for this fact is the shortage in teaching and practicingspeaking skills Actually, the ability to speak English among children in thecountryside and in cities is not equal Students in cities often are better at speakingEnglish than those in the countryside because they have more chances to approachEnglish educational services, and they also have a more stable foundation As humans

in this era are taking a leap in developing science and technology, perhaps it will not

Nonetheless, it cannot completely improve the reality of the lack of practice of English

in schools They almost study the writing language to pass the exams at school,especially, the national high school exam

After 4 years of studying English as a major at TMU, I found that many freshmenhave difficulties tackling English at universities while the requirement of English as anoutput condition for graduation is getting higher and higher Speaking skill seems to be

a challenge for many students Even though they are English majors, they still havetrouble speaking because their backgrounds are different Many of them have a goodfoundation in grammar and writing skill, however, their ability to speak is limited Itseems that they are struggling with the speaking classes and tests instead of merelystudying them

Depending on the reality of the problem and the need to handle it, the authordecided to choose the topic "A study on solutions to improve English reflex forfreshmen in English Faculty of Thuongmai University" as a research topic This study

is hoped to bring some new effective methods for practicing English reflexives toenhance the ability to speak English fluently

2 Previous studies

Reflex is a part of speaking, and it helps people fluently communicate in alanguage To reach the goal of speaking a foreign language smoothly, it requires notonly vocabulary and grammar but also reflex

2.1 International studies

According to research on Korean learners carried out by Seoul’s government(2006) in "Proceedings of the International Symposium on Automatic Detection of

Errors in Pronunciation Training 2012, it shows that "The average Korean spends over

15,000 hours learning English from middle school through college, and despite this incredible effort, a survey by Seoul’s city government found that 74.2% of respondents couldn’t comfortably communicate in English with foreigners." One of the barriers is

pointed out: "Many KLEs have not built strong spoken-communication strategies, they

often revert to actively translating from their native language to English before speaking aloud." This is related to the English reflex, which occurs when they are

unable to respond immediately to others and their ability to think in English is limited

In another research by Shigenori Wakabayashi (1996), "The nature ofinterlanguage: SLA of English reflexes,"  he examined experimental data on SLA ofEnglish reflexes The author mentions three points:

 SLA is systematic

 L2 learners' interpretations of English reflex are attributed to their linguisticknowledge

 UG is available in SLA, and SLA of the referential properties of English reflex

is carried out by (re)setting parameter values

Marganet Thomas (1989) did a 30-item multiple-choice questionnaire in "TheInterpretation of English Reflexes Pronouns by Non-Native Speakers," and the result

showed that "The second language learners do not seem to transfer first language (L1)

grammar into the second language (L2), nor do they recapitulate the course of L1 acquisition." The problem was pointed out as being that " These second language learners have set the governing category parameter too widely without positive evidence."

2.2 Vietnamese studies

According to Vu Dinh Bac and Duong Thi Hoang (2020) in the article "UsingDebate Technique to improve English speaking response for the second year Englishmajor students at Thai Nguyen University of Education", this research suggests usingdebate technique to enhance the ability in English reflex It is said that this method canimprove communication skills through critical thinking and asking questions Theauthors implement the pre-test and post-test between 8 lessons, and the result showsthat participants' scores are known in advance

Huynh Thi Bich Van (2014) suggests in the article "Using speech activity theory

to improve speaking English in class" that we should create an environment forstudents where they can use English naturally She also mentions using an English-English dictionary instead of an English-Vietnamese one Creating a habit of speakingEnglish, intentionally or unintentionally, will help students increase the frequency ofusing English in their daily life The repetition of using vocabulary and grammar inspeaking will make quick responses; therefore, the English reflexes are enhanced step

by step

Although there is much research about speaking skills in the world and inVietnam, they only concentrate on how to speak English well in general and thefactors affecting it English reflex is a small part of speaking skill, but it is important tospeak fluently Many students still cannot speak English smoothly despite havingenough vocabulary and grammar Not many authors do research on this aspect, so thisstudy will investigate it particularly.

3 Aim of the study

Speaking is one of the paramount skills in learning a new language And "how tospeak English fluently" is a joint question of many universities' students Englishreflex is one of the factors contributing to the answer to that issue Therefore, thisstudy aims to suggest solutions to improve English reflex by researching the reality ofEnglish reflex among freshmen from TMU’s English Faculty

In detail, the researcher will look for the answers to the following two mainresearch questions:

 What is the reality of the English reflex of the first-year English major student

5 Scope of the study

 The sphere: Faculty of English at Thuongmai University

 Time: This study is implemented in the first semester of 2022-2023 schoolyear, from September to November 2022 with more than 100 freshmen in EnglishFaculty

 Participants: This study is implemented in more than 100 freshmen ofThuongmai University’s English Faculty

6 Research methodology

6.1 Research design

Method of approaching: This research is carried with the method of quantitative

approach among 101 freshmen in Faculty of English This is suitable method toanswer research questions because the survey is designed depending on many criterias,collecting and analysing data will become easier and feasible to carry on numerousparticipants without spending much time In quantitative study, researcher aims togeneralizable the reality of English reflex among freshmen in English Faculty

Type of research design: This study employs a correlational design to obtain an

overall picture of the reality of the English reflex among first-year students in theEnglish faculty, as well as the level of influence between them. 

Population: The study is carried out on first-year students in Thuongmai’s

English Faculty to make it manageable and give more precise conclusions Becausethe mark’s entrance into the English major is 26.05/30, it can seem that first-yearstudents in the Faculty of English have a good base in reading and writing (thenational high school exam only focuses on writing and reading skills), but there is noevidence showing their speaking ability

Sampling investigation: Non-probability sampling is chosen to implement this

research This method benefits both the participants and the author depending on theirconvenience and ability to approach subjects easily. 

6.2 Collecting data

Secondary data: The data are collected through online articles and books on the

internet, both foreign and internal They serve the purposes of a literature review andsome other parts of this research

Primary data: The data are collected through a Google Form, and then they are

processed and analyzed using the tools of Google Form and Excel The questionairesare created using four factors, including criteria about English foundation and fivefactors affecting English reflex, which are discussed in the following chapter Thesurvey will be conducted virtually and use multiple-choice questions and Likert scale

The tool of collecting data: Google Form is used to create a survey with multiple

choice questions and a Likert scale It will be distributed online to first-year students in

the Facebook groups "K58N- Khoa Tiếng Anh- Đại học Thương mại" and "Tự họcTMU." These two Facebook groups are frequented by many English facultyfreshmen. 

It will demonstrate the participants' strength and weakness in English reflex As aresult, the researcher can propose solutions to improve the English of the researchsubject. 

6 Organization of Study

The study is organized as follows:

Chapter 1: Overview of the the study includes: rationale, previous studies, aims

of the study, research subject, scope of the study, research methodology, andorganization of the study

Chapter 2: Literature Review mentions definitions and theories related to thetopic of study

Chapter 3: Research Findings are the results from the survey and the analysis ofthem

Chapter 4: Based on the analysis in Chapter 3, this chapter offers solutions andrecommendations to improve English reflex. 

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter shows the literature and theory related to speaking skills and the English reflex They are the basis for the next chapter.

1 Some related definitions

1.1 Definitions of speaking skill

According to Florez (1999: 98), speaking is an interactive process by whichlearners produce information and receive information to create meaning Transferringand receiving the message are the main targets of speaking

In the book "Essential Speaking Skills," Joanna Baker and Healther Westrup(2003) mention that speaking is to use language for a purpose The purpose mentionedcan be understood as communication In real life, we do not repeat what others say, wemake our own sentences and dialogues

Nunan (in Kayi, 2006:1) defines speaking as the use of language quickly andconfidently with few unnatural pauses, which is called as fluency In many cases, thestandard of speaking depends not only on the pronunciation but also on the ability touse it fluently

Harmer (2007:284) states that speaking is the ability to speak fluently andpresupposes not only knowledge of language features, but also the ability to processinformation and language "on the spot." That ability can be understood as the "quickresponse" or "English reflex."

Simply put, speaking skills are defined as the skills that allow us to communicateeffectively They give us the ability to convey information verbally in a way that thelistener can understand

1.2 Definition of reflex

According to René Descartes (1649) in "Passions of the Soul", he describes the

phenomenon: " If someone suddenly thrusts his hand in front of our eyes as if to strike

us…we still find it difficult to prevent ourselves from closing our eyes" Descartes

explained that "Reflex action is a demonstration of bodily behavior (or "animal

spirits") occurring independently of the mind." Depending on that description of a

reflex, modern definitions assert that it is "An action or movement of the body that

happens automatically, or without thinking, as a reaction to something."

Thus, the English reflex can be understood as asking and answering immediately

or the ability to respond to other people Actually, there are not many exact definitionsfor this concept, it is a small part of speaking skills

2 The importance of speaking in communication

When it comes to communication, speaking ability is always mentioned as animportant tool However, communicating fluently in English requires much practiceand often does it However, communicating fluently in English requires much practiceand often does The more people speak English well, the more they realize itsadvantages and importance

Brown and Yuke (1983) say that "Speaking is the skill that the students will be

judged upon most in real life situations." Learning a second language makes it

possible for people to communicate with foreigners Since English became aninternational language, it has been taught in schools as a compulsory subject Goodspeaking skills require standardized pronunciation and intonation, as well as fluency

Therefore, "Speaking is one of the most difficult skills language learners have to face"

(Bueno, Madrid, and Mclaren, 2006:321) It can not be denied that having goodpronunciation and intonation will help the speaker draw attention from the listeners.Learning to speak well requires a large vocabulary, enough for daily communication,and knowledge of grammar As a result, many students find it difficult to advance in ashort period of time

Parupalli Srinivas Rao (2019) mentions that " Among the four key language

skills, speaking is deemed to be the most important skill in learning a foreign or second language." Speaking English fluently helps to transfer messages easily and

quickly It cannot be denied that entities with a strong command of the Englishlanguage will make everyone in the conversation feel more at ease Many speakers try

to impart their opinions, but it seems like they are struggling with them Meanwhile,the listeners make efforts to guess what they are talking about Many people lack theability to express ideas for many reasons, which leads to the fact that although they can

understand the message, they can not reply quickly and smoothly Someone will try touse body language to support that process, but it can not be solved at all.

3 The importance of reflex in speaking

In speaking skill, reflexes play an important role because they are the core factordetermining whether a person can communicate fluently or not Many people have agood base in English, which includes vocabulary and grammar, but they havedifficulty expressing their ideas It takes them a long time to think and give theanswers That is the reason why the English reflex is a problem for many people

Good reflexes will increase the effect of communication "The use of formulaic

expressions, hesitation devices, self-correction, rephrasing and repetition can help speakers become more fluent and cope with real time demands" ( Foster et al.,2000;

Hughes, 2002:76) When speakers and listeners can easily understand the content thepartners are talking to, a conversation will occur smoothly and naturally Reaching thestandard of good reflex means that a learner can reply immediately without spendingtoo much time thinking about the question In debating, especially, the participantsonly have a short time to prepare for their presentation and respond to others At thismoment, whoever has good reflex will be evaluated higher in the flexibility of usingEnglish If they have trouble expressing their ideas because of a limited vocabulary orunstable grammar, they will be the underdog in the debate Good reflexes also helppeople be more confident in talking to foreign people Thus, learning how to have theEnglish reflex is more and more considered a significant condition to meet the target

of speaking fluently

Moreover, English reflexes will improve critical thinking and response Joanna

Baker and Healther Westrup (2003:16) say, " When students write, they have time to

sit and think about what they will write, and how they will write it But in speaking, they have to respond more quickly." Many people learning English still think in their

native tongue and then translate their thoughts into English while speaking Thisreduces the faculty of thinking in English, causing a slow response when they needtime to transfer the meaning It often causes a situation where they have no idea how

to use a word having a similar meaning in English For example, in some languages,there are many synonyms, but their nuance of them is different That means the way to

use them and the context in which to use them are not the same However, in English,there is just one word to express that meaning, and learners are trying to find it Fromthis aspect, we can understand that those learners do not have a quick English reflex,and the process of transferring information between two languages is slow Practicing

to enhance the English reflex will create progress in thinking and responding in aforeign language

4 Factors affecting the English reflex

From all the definitions and the aforementioned theory about speaking, reflexescontribute to the ability to speak English well There are many factors affectingEnglish’s learners The following factors are the main reasons why many peoplecannot have good reflexes

4.1 Vocabulary and grammar

Lacking vocabulary and grammar is a common problem Joanna Baker andHealther Westrup (2003) mention that unstable knowledge is one of the reasons for

slow response: " Many students find it difficult to respond if the teacher ask them to

say something in foreign language They may have little idea about what to say; they may not know the words to use, or they may not be sure how to use the grammar."

Many people can not express their ideas because they do not know which word inEnglish has the same meaning in their mother tongue Some people know the wordsthey want to use but are not sure about the grammar Therefore, they just use

vocabulary to try to talk about it instead of speaking a full sentence "Grammatical

competence can help speakers apply and perceive the structure of English language correctly that leads to their fluency" (Latha, 2012) Communication does not require

complicated grammar, but many people still struggle with it and can not expressthemselves in a full sentence Normally, the amount of grammar in the nationaleducation program is enough to create a basic communicative sentence, but many

students have difficulties comprehending and using it in daily life "In the production

phase, language learners concentrate upon using recently learnt grammar, functional language and vocabulary with fluency when they speak" (Joanna Baker and Healther

Wastrup, 2003) Different levels of vocabulary and grammar lead to different effectswhen using spoken language Some people just use common, popular words to express

their opinions, but others with higher levels of vocabulary will use words that are moredifficult for learners For instance, some people not having much vocabulary describewhat they want to talk about a person can write in both right hand and left hand that "she is right-handed and left-handed" For others at an advanced level, they say "she is

ambidextrous." The author Chen Tianxian (2015) mentions in her research that in

teaching English, we need to combine the teaching of both vocabulary and phonetics

in order to improve students' ability to perceive language and their conditioned reflexes to words From this point forward, students must be aware of the best way to

learn vocabulary in order to be well prepared for any conversation Building a goodrange of vocabulary helps promote confidence in speaking and helps learners expressexactly what they want to say

4.2 Topical background knowledge

The topical background of speaking is also an important part of the Englishreflex For some people, they can answer questions on common topics such as hobbies,school, work, etc Nonetheless, if the topic is outside of their knowledge, it is a

challenge for them Bachman and Palmer (1996) also assert that "Topical knowledge

has a great impact on the learners’ speaking performance." Topics such as green

power or agriculture, for example, include a lot of new vocabulary that isn't commonlyused in everyday conversation Rivers (1968) mentioned this in his research:

"Learners often have nothing to say probably because their teachers had selected a topic that is not appropriate for them or they do not have enough information about it" Joanna Baker and Healther Wastrup (2003) also agree with this point: "They will also need appropriate vocabulary to talk about the topic For example, if they are ranking their preferences of the jobs they would like to do when they leave school, they need to know the names of different professions." Students have difficulties expressing

their ideas because they do not know how to say what they want Therefore, preparing

a good base for the topic is really important to have good reflex

4.3 The habit of translating from mother tongue to the sencond language

The habit of translating from mother tongue to second language is one of thefactors that affects the speed of the English reflex Many students often translate whatthey want to say first instead of thinking in English It is created when they have a

little vocabulary and grammar, but even though their knowledge is better, they can nottransfer it quickly and still continue to translate because it becomes a habit This lead

to slow reflex in responding the listeners According to Hong Sung Ryul (2019), the

standard time for the English reflex should preferably be determined based on 3 seconds That means if learners can not think immediately in English, it is difficult for

them to reach this standard Richard & Rodgers (2001) and Shaikh (1993) criticize that

"Using L1 in English classroom encourages students to think in the L1 and then translate their thoughts into the L2, which produces deficiencies in students’ speaking skills." Thinking in English is the best way to reduce the need for translation in

communication because the brain has already received and remembered the transferredwords, and they appear immediately when people think about them. 

4.4 Repetition

Repetition of speaking English fosters the memory of the knowledge "Potential

benefits for learners made through presenting the task repetition are increasing linguistic capacity, the speed of access, and learners attention to their performance from the general to the specific" (Bygate, 2007) When people usually use them, they

will appear in their minds when they are thinking about a topic or question they havemet before That means those skills are always available for use at any time

"Repetition is only one useful way of practicing new language" (Joanna Baker and

Healther Wastrup, 2003) Hong Sung Ryul (2019) shows that most learners think that

they have memorized English sentences, but most think they have memorized them according to their own standards In other words, they mistakenly thought that they had memorized even incompleted memories, so they could not remember the English sentences they memorized in situations where they had to speak conversational English Practicing speaking English regularly improves not only the pronunciation

but also the reflex In biology, there are two types of reflex: conditional reflex andunconditional reflex The English reflex is the second type Unconditional reflexmeans the natural reflex without practicing, while conditional reflex is created via theprocess of living, working, and practicing It will disappear if people do not usually do

it Nowadays, many students spend much time studying vocabulary and grammar fortheir exams, and do not have time to learn to speak English That is the reason why

many people have enough vocabulary and grammar but cannot speak English well.The inability to speak English for an extended period of time, or the fact that thefrequency is not consistent, causes a slow reflex when answering questions.

“Repeating the similar tasks helps learners to think over what they do mentally in that

they can choose words, and reformulate them more efficiently, effectively, and accurately" (Hossein Bozorgian, 2017) In Callan’s theory, high-speed repetition is a

method to help learners remember the knowledge longer and respond quickly The

questions are described that " Any student, no matter his age, nationality, intelligence,

or cultural background, can understand and answer quickly without thinking" (Callan

1995: 277)

4.5 Learning environment

The learning environment affects the practice of English reflex "Behavior and

classroom management are the two variables that have the greatest impact on student learning" (Marzano, 2003) " It is important that your students can practice speaking fluently in a supportive classroom" (Joanna Baker and Healther Westrup, 2003) In the

above paragraph, a lack of repetition is mentioned as one of the causes of a poorreflex And the environment relates to the repetition of practicing speaking English Inmany schools, the educational program focuses on reading and writing skills becauseall the tests are implemented through those skills Students do not use English much atschool and do not practice it at home, so their speaking ability is deteriorating If theyare encouraged to speak English in class, it is a great environment for them to develop

and maintain the English reflex "The learning context plays a large role in

determining what is appropriate for students Students who have to pass traditional examinations based on a knowledge of good vocabulary and grammar will need to spend a lot of time learning to use the language accurately" (Joanna Baker and

Healther Westrup, 2003:8) Students in international schools often get better speakingskills not only because they study an English education program but also because theyhave an environment that encourages them to speak English every day at school

Beebe (1985) also emphasizes that the context of learners or learning conditions,

conditions of being exposed to the natural language environment is one of the factors affecting to leanring L2 The learning environment includes teachers and classmates,

thus, the teacher often creates many activities for students to practice speaking, such asdiscussion, debate, role-play activities, etc., in the lesson This encourages students touse English to communicate more Therefore, the English reflex has improved.

"Debating enhances students’ critical thinking Students are recommended to analyze

an issue critically in debating" (Vu Dinh Bac and Duong Thi Hoang, 2020).

This research is implemented depending on the theories of Joanna Baker andHealther Westrup in the book "Essential Speaking Skill"  because their theories areclosest to the aim of the study

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS

This chapter analyzes the results from the survey of 101 first-year undergraduates to discuss the reality of the English reflex among them, the limitations of the research, and recommendations for further studies.

1 Participants

This survey is sent to first-year students through facebook group "Tự học TMU"and "K58N- Khoa Tiếng Anh- Đại học Thương mại".There are 108 responses to thissurvey, however, 7 responses were not accepted because they were not first-yearstudents Therefore, there are 101 valid responses used in this research They make up93.5% of the total response

Chart 3.1 Participants

2 English foundation

Chart 3.2 Evaluate English speaking skills

As mentioned in the previous chapter, the reflex is a small part of speaking skills;thus, the questions in this section are intended to survey the English background,particularly speaking skills This is the basis for discussing the English reflex in depth.This part includes 7 questions to evaluate the English foundation of the first-yearstudents in the English Faculty.

Almost all students evaluate their speaking skill is medium level with 76.2 % andonly 13.9% saying that they are good at speaking skill 9.9% of students in the surveysay that they are quite bad or bad at speaking and no one evaluates their skill at anexcellent level This shows that although the entrance mark is quite high, it cannotprove that all of them are good at speaking Because the exam focuses on reading andwriting skills, they do not have time to practice speaking, so their speaking skill stillneeds to improve to reach a good level

Chart 3.3 Time of learning English

Almost all of them spent many years learning English because it is a compulsorysubject in national education Vietnamese students start learning English in the thirdgrade at primary school The chart shows that 63,4% of participants have learnedEnglish for more than 9 years and 24,8% they learned English for 6-9 years 11,8 % ofparticipants choose the rest of options This question aims to survey the time theyspent studying English in the past because it is the basis for determining whether theirEnglish backgrounds are equal and firm or not

Chart 3.4 Frequency of studying English speaking skill in high school

Practicing speaking English relates to the progress of reflex Looking at thefrequency with which they practiced speaking English when they were in high school,

it shows that most students did not have much chances or time to study speaking skills

in high school Although the national education program is designed for four skills,speaking is still limited in teaching and studying for many reasons One of them isonly focusing on reading and writing skills to prepare for tests and exams 58.4% ofparticipants say that they sometimes study in high school This rate accounts for morethan half of the total participants in the survey Besides, 16.8% say that they usuallystudy speaking skill in high schools, and another 16.8% say that they seldom learn that

at high schools There are 4% of participants usually learn this skill in high school andthe other 4% say that they never study speaking skill in high school These numbersshow that the rate of time they spend practicing speaking at high schools is quite low.Therefore, perhaps this leads to difficulties in forming a good English reflex

Besides, the below chart shows that majority of participants are not confident in speaking English with foreigners

Chart 3.5 Level of confidence when speaking English with foreigners

In this chart, 58.4% say that they are not confident in communicating in Englishwith foreigners This rate is quite large and 41.6% are left to say that they areconfident The difference between these two numbers is 16.8%, which is not a largedistance, however, it also shows that more than half of the participants are havingproblems with their speaking skills

Chart 3.6 Ability to respond in English immediately

The English reflex is evaluated according to the ability to respond to questionswithin the standard time frame In this survey, 53.5% of people say that they cannotrespond immediately to questions from other people, while only 46.5% can do that.This question points out that more than half the participants have difficulty with theEnglish reflex