An Investigation into the Use of Teaching Aids in Teaching English at Some Primary Schools in Hue City

TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIPiii ABSTRACTiv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSv TABLE OF CONTENTSvi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONSx LIST OF TABLESxi LIST OF FIGURESxii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1 1.1. Background and Rationale of the Study1 1.2. Aims of the Study2 1.3. Research Questions2 1.4. Scope of the Study2 1.5. Significance of the Study2 1.6. Organization of the Study3 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW4 2.1. Previous Studies Related to the Study4 2.2. Theoretical Background5 2.2.1. Age in Foreign Language Learning5 2.2.2. Features of the Young Learners5 2.2.2.1. Short Attention Spans and Much Physical Energy6 2.2.2.2. Enormous Capacity for Finding and Making Fun6 2.2.2.3. Delighting in Imagination and Fantasy6 2.2.2.4. Second-language Acquisition Capacity6 2.2.2.5. Being Enthusiastic and Lively as Learners7 2.2.3. Differences between Adults and Children in Language Learning7 2.2.3.1. Adults’ Greater Capacity for Understanding and Logical Thought8 2.2.3.2. Adults Have a Longer Concentration Span8 2.2.3.3. Children Are Motivated More Easily8 2.2.4. Principles in Teaching English to Young Learners9 2.3. Teaching Aids11 2.3.1. Definition of Teaching Aids11 2.3.2. Classification of Teaching Aids12 2.3.2.1. Visual Aids12 2.3.2.2. Audio Aids14 2.3.2.3. Audio-Visual Aids15 2.3.3. Guidelines for Using Teaching Aids in the Classroom17 2.3.4. Rationale for the Use of Teaching Aids in Language Teaching18 2.3.5. The Importance of Teaching Aids in Foreign Language Teaching mentioned through the Decision No.1400/QD-TTg dated 30 September 2008 by the Prime Minister20 2.4. Summary20 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY21 3.1. Overview21 3.2. Research Design and Approach21 3.3 Participants22 3.4. Data Collecting Instruments23 3.4.1. Questionnaire23 3.4.2. Interviews24 3.5. Data Analysis25 3.6. Procedures25 3.7. Summary26 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS27 4.1. The Reality of Teaching English and Using TAs in Teaching English for Children at Some Primary Schools in Hue City27 4.1.1. The Reality of Teaching English at Some Primary School in Hue city27 4.1.2. Teachers’ Perceptions on Using TAs32 4.1.3. Teachers’ Frequency of Using TAs33 4.1.4. Purposes of Using TAs in teaching English34 4.2. The Most Commonly Used Kinds of TAs in Teaching English for Children at Some Primary Schools in Hue City36 4.2.1. The Criteria for Selecting TAs36 4.2.2. The Kinds of TAs37 4.2.3 Teachers’ Frequency of Using Concrete Kinds of TAs39 4.2.4 Students’ Fondness towards Kinds of TAs41 4.2.5. Lesson Stages with TAs Used43 4.3. The Ways of Using TAs to Teach English to Children at Some Primary Schools in Hue City44 4.3.1. The Ways of Using TAs44 4.3.2. Teachers’ and Students’ Feelings when Using TAs44 4.4. Teachers’ Difficulties in Using TAs and Possible Solutions to Improve Teaching and Learning English with the Support of TAs46 4.4.1. Teachers’ Difficulties of Using TAs in Supporting English Teaching46 4.4.2. Possible Solutions to Improve Teaching and Learning English with the Support of TAs48 4.5. Summary50 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS51 5.1. A Summary of Key Findings51 5.2. Pedagogical Implications52 5.3. Some suggestions drawn from the results of the study53 5.3.1. For the students53 5.3.2. For teachers and schools54 5.4. Limitations of the study54 5.5. Recommendations for further study55 REFERENCES56 APPENDICES59

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

-DANG XUAN THAO

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE

OF TEACHING AIDS IN TEACHING ENGLISH

AT SOME PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN HUE CITY

MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY

OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

CODE: 60140111

SUPERVISOR: ASSOC.PROF.DR LUU QUY KHUONG

HUE, 2013

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO

ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ

-ĐẶNG XUÂN THẢO

SỬ DỤNG CÔNG CỤ HỖ TRỢ GIẢNG DẠY TRONG DẠY HỌC MÔN TIẾNG ANH CHO TRẺ EM Ở MỘT SỐ TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC

TẠI THÀNH PHỐ HUẾ

LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP

DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH

MÃ SỐ: 60140111

NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC:

PGS.TS LƯU QUÝ KHƯƠNG

HUẾ, 2013

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I hereby acknowledge that this study is mine The data and findingsdiscussed in the thesis are true, used with permission from associates and have notbeen published elsewhere

AuthorDang Xuan Thao

This study aims at surveying the use of teaching aids in teaching English at

five primary schools in Hue city including Tran Quoc Toan, Le Loi, Nguyen Trai,

Thuan Thanh and Vi Da Primary Schools Especially, this study attempts toinvestigate the reality of using teaching aids, kinds of teaching aids and how to usethese aids effectively in teaching English It explores the benefits and the difficulties

of using teaching aids in teaching and learning English

In addition, this research finds out the possible solutions of using teachingaids to motivate and improve the English teaching and learning process The resultsobtained showed a generally positive motivation of grade 4 students towardslearning English with the assistance of teaching aids

Based on this study, it could be concluded the application of teaching aids insupporting English teaching and learning must be encouraged as it helps to motivatestudents and develop a positive attitude towards learning English

Hearty thanks are firstly given to my supervisor, Assoc.Prof.Dr Luu QuyKhuong for his help and guidance in a number of ways I owe him a great deal forhis valuable advice and enthusiastic guidance as well as his various supports duringthe conducting of my work

I am grateful particularly to teachers and the students at primary schools inHue City for their responses to the survey I conducted

I would also like to thank all teachers in the English Department who haveprovided me with useful knowledge and skills throughout my years at university

Moreover, thanks are due to my close friends who helped me to collectrelevant materials and gave me support as well as advice

Finally, I wish to extend my thanks to all members in my family, especially

my parents, who gave me precious encouragements during my writing process

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP iii

ABSTRACT iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS x

LIST OF TABLES xi

LIST OF FIGURES xii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background and Rationale of the Study 1

1.2 Aims of the Study 2

1.3 Research Questions 2

1.4 Scope of the Study 2

1.5 Significance of the Study 2

1.6 Organization of the Study 3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

2.1 Previous Studies Related to the Study 4

2.2 Theoretical Background 5

2.2.1 Age in Foreign Language Learning 5

2.2.2 Features of the Young Learners 5

2.2.2.1 Short Attention Spans and Much Physical Energy 6

2.2.2.2 Enormous Capacity for Finding and Making Fun 6

2.2.2.3 Delighting in Imagination and Fantasy 6

2.2.2.4 Second-language Acquisition Capacity 6

2.2.2.5 Being Enthusiastic and Lively as Learners 7

2.2.3 Differences between Adults and Children in Language Learning 7

2.2.3.1 Adults’ Greater Capacity for Understanding and Logical Thought 8

2.2.3.2 Adults Have a Longer Concentration Span 8

2.2.3.3 Children Are Motivated More Easily 8

2.2.4 Principles in Teaching English to Young Learners 9

2.3 Teaching Aids 11

2.3.1 Definition of Teaching Aids 11

2.3.2 Classification of Teaching Aids 12

2.3.2.1 Visual Aids 12

2.3.2.2 Audio Aids 14

2.3.2.3 Audio-Visual Aids 15

2.3.3 Guidelines for Using Teaching Aids in the Classroom 17

2.3.4 Rationale for the Use of Teaching Aids in Language Teaching 18

2.3.5 The Importance of Teaching Aids in Foreign Language Teaching mentioned through the Decision No.1400/QD-TTg dated 30 September 2008 by the Prime Minister 20

2.4 Summary 20

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 21

3.1 Overview 21

3.2 Research Design and Approach 21

3.3 Participants 22

3.4 Data Collecting Instruments 23

3.4.1 Questionnaire 23

3.4.2 Interviews 24

3.5 Data Analysis 25

3.6 Procedures 25

3.7 Summary 26

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 27

4.1 The Reality of Teaching English and Using TAs in Teaching English for Children at Some Primary Schools in Hue City 27

4.1.1 The Reality of Teaching English at Some Primary School in Hue city 27

4.1.2 Teachers’ Perceptions on Using TAs 32

4.1.3 Teachers’ Frequency of Using TAs 33

4.1.4 Purposes of Using TAs in teaching English 34

4.2 The Most Commonly Used Kinds of TAs in Teaching English for Children at Some Primary Schools in Hue City 36

4.2.1 The Criteria for Selecting TAs 36

4.2.2 The Kinds of TAs 37

4.2.3 Teachers’ Frequency of Using Concrete Kinds of TAs 39

4.2.4 Students’ Fondness towards Kinds of TAs 41

4.2.5 Lesson Stages with TAs Used 43

4.3 The Ways of Using TAs to Teach English to Children at Some Primary Schools in Hue City 44

4.3.1 The Ways of Using TAs 44

4.3.2 Teachers’ and Students’ Feelings when Using TAs 44

4.4 Teachers’ Difficulties in Using TAs and Possible Solutions to Improve Teaching and Learning English with the Support of TAs 46

4.4.1 Teachers’ Difficulties of Using TAs in Supporting English Teaching 46

4.4.2 Possible Solutions to Improve Teaching and Learning English with the

Support of TAs 48

4.5 Summary 50

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 51

5.1 A Summary of Key Findings 51

5.2 Pedagogical Implications 52

5.3 Some suggestions drawn from the results of the study 53

5.3.1 For the students 53

5.3.2 For teachers and schools 54

5.4 Limitations of the study 54

5.5 Recommendations for further study 55

REFERENCES 56

APPENDICES 59

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EL : English Language

IT : Information TechnologyTas : Teaching Aids

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1: The Frequency of Using Activities in EL Classes 30

Table 4.2: Teachers’ Fondness towards Activities Used in EL Classes 31

Table 4.3: Purposes of Using TAs in Supporting English Teaching 35

Table 4.4: The Kinds of TAs in Supporting English Teaching 38

Table 4.5: Teachers’ Frequency of Using Concrete Kinds of TAs 40

Table 4.6: Students’ Fondness towards Kinds of TAs 42

Table 4.7: Difficulties of Using TAs 46

Table 4.8: Possible Solutions for Teachers’ Difficulties in Using TAs 48

Table 4.9: Possible Solutions for Students’ Difficulties in English Learning with TAs 49

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 4.1: Students' Fondness of Learning English 27

Figure 4.2: The Reasons Children Like Learning English 28

Figure 4.3: The Reasons Children Don't Like Learning English 29

Figure 4.4: Teachers' Perceptions of Using TAs 33

Figure 4.5: Teachers' Frequency of Using TAs 34

Figure 4.6: The Criteria for Selecting TAs 36

Figure 4.7: Lesson Stages with TAs Used 43

Figure 4.8: The Reasons Children Like Learning English 44

Figure 4.9: Teachers' Feelings of Using TAs 45

Figure 4.10: Students' Feeling when Learnt with the Support of TAs 46

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background and Rationale of the Study

In the tendency of global integration, learning English has become anessential need because it is an international language There may be many factorsthat exert an influence on the success of English learning However, the mostimportant one that has to be taken into consideration is the age because, age plays acrucial role in the learning process (O'Grady, 1993) According to many studies,beginning learning English at early ages will bring children many advantages

However, the children are easily distracted in the class if teachers do nothave an interesting teaching method to attract their attention Thus, it is necessaryfor teachers to make the English lessons more attractive and creative so that theycan interest their children and add more fun to their English class One of the mosteffective ways to do so is using teaching aids to support the teaching and learningprocess Many teachers advocate teaching aids as it simplifies their job and helpchildren get the facts right Teaching aids are tremendously important in the ESLclassroom, as they not only introduce real-life examples, but also give childrensomething tangible to use or see when they learn grammar and vocabulary.Teaching aids can be anything aside from a textbook that provides examples of aconcept or gives a student a platform on which to practice a concept They alsobreak up the monotony of relying strictly on textbooks and workbooks Therefore,the use of teaching aids at schools, especially primary schools, has been paid muchattention to

In Hue city, English has been integrated into the curriculum of most Primaryschools For Primary school teachers, teaching English to children is not an easy joband thus requires them to renovate their teaching methodology frequently and applymany teaching aids effectively With the aim to investigate what types of teachingaids are currently used in teaching English at some primary schools in Hue, theeffectiveness of using them as well as teachers’ difficulties in using these aids

during teaching process, the researcher chose to conduct the research entitled “An Investigation into the Use of Teaching Aids in Teaching English at Some Primary Schools in Hue City”.

1.2 Aims of the Study

This thesis is aimed to investigate the use of teaching aids in teaching English.Furthermore, this thesis is carried out to provide the teachers of primary schools inHue with some practical ways of using teaching aids to enhance the quality ofEnglish languge teaching to children

1.3 Research Questions

This research tries to answer the following questions:

1 What is the reality of using teaching aids in English language classes atsome primary schools in Hue?

2 What are the most commonly used kinds of teaching aids in Englishlanguage classes at some primary schools in Hue?

3 How are teaching aids used in teaching English language at some primaryschools in Hue?

1.4 Scope of the Study

This paper is carried out at some Primary Schools in Hue city including TranQuoc Toan, Le Loi, Nguyen Trai, Thuan Thanh and Vi Da Primary Schools The mainparticipants will be the teachers of English and the pupils at the aboved- mentionedprimary schools

1.5 Significance of the Study

Even though there are a number of researches into the importance of usingteaching aids in teaching English to children at primary schools, it is surprising thatthere is not much investigation into the reality of using teaching aids, kinds ofteaching aids and how to use these aids effectively in teaching English at someprimary schools in Hue City Therefore, this research hopes to provide an insight

into the reality of using teaching aids in English language classes at some primaryschools in Hue city The result of this study is expected to contribute to applyingteaching aids in teaching English to children In theory, it hopes to find out thereality of using teaching aids in teaching English, the most commonly used kinds ofteaching aids as well as the ways of using these aids effectively In application, it ishoped that the implications of the study will be useful to improve the teaching andlearning English at some primary schools in Hue City

1.6 Organization of the Study

This paper is divided into five main chapters as follows:

Chapter 1: Introduction provided the background, aims, objectives, research

questions as well as organization of the study

Chapter 2: Literature Review presented the previous studies related to this

topic, definitions of key terms, integral concepts and involved matters

Chapter 3: This chapter was concerned with Research Design and Methodology; the issues such as research methods, subjects – the population that

the study focuses on, procedures of the research and instruments for data collection,how data was analyzed as well as explanations for the researcher’s employment ofthose instruments in the research were also discussed

Chapter 4: Findings and Discussions concentrated mainly on what has been

collected from teachers and students’ questionnaires and interviews to answer thethree research questions, and then a discussion was conducted based on the datacollected in the study

Chapter 5: Conclusions and Implications presented a brief summary of the

study, achievements that researchers have accomplished, limitations that needimproving, suggestions for further researches

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Previous Studies Related to the Study

There are different learning styles and characteristics of young languagelearners For children’s effective foreign language learning, considering theircharacteristics in learning process plays an important role in deciding the suitableteaching methods and selecting teaching aids Therefore, many theories applied forteaching young learners have been conducted so far

Piaget (1970) assumed that children were active learners and thinkers Theyconstructed knowledge from actively interacting with the physical environment indevelopment stages They learnt through their own individual actions andexploration

Meanwhile, Vygotsky (1962) supported the viewpoint that children learnthrough social interaction They acquire knowledge through other people, frominteraction with adults Adults/teachers worked actively with children in the Zone ofProximal Development (the difference between the child’s capacity to solveproblem on his own and his capacity to solve them with assistance)

Beside the theories on young learner teaching, the ones related to usingteaching aids have also been implemented A resourceful English teacher with aneclectic approach was desirable in English as a foreign language classroom Rivers(1981) advocated an eclectic approach in which teachers draw upon techniquesfrom a variety of methodologies According to Yorio (1987) language teachers used

a variety of teaching aids to make class room activities interesting and interactive.Teaching aids are important in the teaching-learning process

In Vietnam, the importance of using teaching aids in English teachingattracts the attention of many researchers and teachers Teaching aids areindispensable means in teaching English, especially in teaching primary schoolstudents Nguyen (2010) showed teaching aids are good techniques to deal with

language teaching, as it involves real life factors into classroom environment Doan(2009) thought that the use of teaching aids could improve the effectiveness ofEnglish learning at all skills.

In sum, the above mentioned researchers carried out significant studies onyoung language learners and use of teaching aids in teaching language for them.However, the actual situation of using teaching aids in teaching English for childrenhas not been paid attention and assessed moderately at primary schools Therefore,the researcher of this study finds it necessary to conduct an investigation on usingteaching aids in teaching English at primary schools in Hue City and suggest themost appropriate and effective methods to improve the learning and teachingquality

2.2 Theoretical Background

2.2.1 Age in Foreign Language Learning

Harmer (2001) supported that the age of the student was a major factor indecisions about how and what to teach People of different ages had different needs,competences, and cognitive skills Children of primary age were expected to acquiremuch of a foreign language through play, whereas adults were expected for agreater use of abstract thought

Ur (1996) assumed that foreign language learning in school should startearly Some people have argued for the existence of a 'critical period' in languagelearning: if people get too old and pass this period they will have significantly moredifficulty learning; thus early learning in schools would seem essential It is alsotrue that an early start to language learning is likely to lead to better long-termresults if early learning is maintained and reinforced as the child gets older (Long,1990)

2.2.2 Features of the Young Learners

According to Curtain & Dahlberg (2009) children have a reputation for beingnatural language learners The features of young learner have an effect on selecting

appropriate teaching methods Following are features of young learners which werediscussed by many researchers.

2.2.2.1 Short Attention Spans and Much Physical Energy

Young learners tend to have short attention spans and lots of physical energy

So teachers should vary their techniques to break the boredom They should givevaried activities as handwriting, songs, games, and so on In addition, children arevery much linked to their surroundings and are more interested in the physical andthe tangible As Scott & Ytreberg (1990) described children’s understanding camethrough hands and eyes and ears, so the physical world is dominant at all times

2.2.2.2 Enormous Capacity for Finding and Making Fun

Children have an enormous capacity for finding and making fun Sometimes,

it has to be said, they choose the most inconvenient moments to indulge it Theybring a spark of individuality and of drama to much that they do Similarly, nomatter how well we explain an activity there is often someone in the class whoproduces a version of their own However, it may occasionally be better than theteacher’s original idea

2.2.2.3 Delighting in Imagination and Fantasy

It is more than simply a matter of enjoyment, however In the primaryschool, children are very busy making sense of the world about them They areidentifying patterns and also deviation from that pattern They test out their versions

of the world through fantasy and confirm how the world actually is by imagininghow it might be different In the language classroom this capacity for fantasy andimagination has a very constructive part to play Children sometimes have problems

to distinguish the real world from the imaginary world It can be difficult forteachers to cope with it and to understand their perception of reality

2.2.2.4 Second-language Acquisition Capacity

Curtain & Dahlberg (2009) in his book “Languages and children: making the match” discussed that second-language acquisition theory may help explain the

puzzling situation of children who acquire languages more quickly and apparentlywith much less effort than do their parents when placed in a second-languageenvironment The children are in a setting in which they are surrounded by languagethat is made meaningful because of the context and because of the way teachersspeak to them They are given time to sort out the language that they hear andunderstand, until they are ready to begin to use it for their own expressive purposes.Their parents, on the other hand, are usually busy learning vocabulary and grammarrules, and they attempt to apply them later to a setting in which they have something

to say Krashen (1981), the children would be acquiring language, while the parentswould be learning it

2.2.2.5 Being Enthusiastic and Lively as Learners

Children are often enthusiastic and lively as learners They want to please theteacher rather than their peer group Young children are motivated when they arepraised It is very important to support their enthusiasm from the beginning oflearning They will have a go at an activity even when they do not quite understandwhy or how However, they also lose interest more quickly and are less able to keepthemselves motivated on tasks they find difficult Children do not find it as easy touse language to talk about language; in other words, they do not have the sameaccess as older learners to meta-language that teachers can use to explain grammar

or discourse Children often seem less embarrassed than adults at talking in newlanguage, and their lack of inhibition seems to help them get more native-likeaccent But these are generalizations which hide the detail of different, and of the

skills involved in teaching them (Cameron (2001), Teaching Languages to Young Learners, Cambridge University Press).

2.2.3 Differences between Adults and Children in Language Learning

Methods of learning language are affected by many factors and one of these

is age Two basic groups of learner are children and adults The differences betweenthese two groups in learning language play an important role to decide the suitable

method of learning language for each age group Below are some of the outstandingdifferences:

2.2.3.1 Adults’ Greater Capacity for Understanding and Logical Thought

According to Ur (1996), adults’ capacity for understanding and logicalthought is greater, and they are likely to have developed a number of learning skillsand strategies which children do not yet have Moreover, adult classes tend on thewhole to be more disciplined and cooperative – as anyone who has moved fromteaching children to teaching adults, or vice versa, will have found This may bepartly because people learn as they get order to be patient and put up withtemporary frustrations in the hope of long-term rewards, to cooperate with othersfor joint profit, and various other benefits of self-restraint and disciplinedcooperation Another reason is that most adults are learning voluntarily, havechosen the courses themselves, often have a clear purpose in learning (work, travel,etc.) and are therefore likely to feel more committed and motivated; whereas mostchildren have little choice in where, how or even whether they are taught

2.2.3.2 Adults Have a Longer Concentration Span

According to Ur (1996), teachers commonly notice that they cannot getchildren to concentrate on certain learning activities as long as they can get adults to

do so However, the problem is not the concentration span itself children will spendhours absorbed in activities that really interest them but rather the ability of theindividual to persevere with something of no immediate intrinsic interest to them.Older learners do exhibit noticeable superiority because they tend to be more self-disciplined One implication for teaching is the need to devote a lot of thought to the(intrinsic) interest value of learning activities for younger learners

2.2.3.3 Children Are Motivated More Easily

Teachers can raise children's motivation and enthusiasm by selectinginteresting activities more easily than that of older, more self-reliant and sometimescynical learners On the other hand, teachers can also lose it more easily:monotonous, apparently pointless activities quickly bore and demotivate young

learners, older ones are more tolerant of them Perhaps it would be more accurate tosay that younger learners' motivation is more likely to vary and is more susceptible

to immediate surrounding influences, including the teacher; that of older learnerstends to be more stable

2.2.4 Principles in Teaching English to Young Learners

Williams (1998) reiterates his teaching experience as a teacher of children bygiving ten principles for teaching English to young children as follows:

 Starting teaching at the child’s level

Williams emphasizes that teacher should start teaching from the level wherethe child is He says that children have experience of life, knowledge of their world,are good at making sense of what is around them and have already learnt at leastone language Therefore, the tasks and activities in classroom must be designed to

be appropriate and accessible to children’s level and perspective

 Encouraging the interaction among children

It is an important part of teacher’s job to encourage the interaction amongchildren Learning is really an interactive process in which learners can be betterthrough collaborating with their peers

 Giving children opportunities to exchange ideas, opinions and facts

Primary teachers should keep in their mind that through the teaching teachers

have to give their children opportunities to “exchange ideas and opinions as well as facts” (Williams, 1998) One of the most effective ways to achieve this is to help

children exchange their thoughts and express themselves through talking with theirpartners Wells (1987) believes that the collaborative talk is a key to help childrenshape and arrive at shared meanings and understandings

 Encouraging children to think and contribute

Williams also emphasizes the important role of learners in the learning

process and suggests that learners should be “encouraged to think and contribute”

to the success of the lesson Learning is seen as an active, cognitive process in

which learners are not seen as empty heads passively waiting to be filled withteacher’s knowledge but as active explorers working on language and ideas.

 Designing cognitively and linguistically challenging activities

Also according to Williams, when designing activities for teaching children,

teachers also have to make sure that the activities are “cognitively and linguistically challenging” enough to maintain children’s interest in learning It is obvious that

both too simple and too difficult tasks easily lead to the disappointment of children.Teachers should present tasks with challenging in the principle of neither too easynor too difficult that beyond the students’ capacity, because tasks that are toodifficult discourage them from trying; tasks that are too easy produce boredom anddecrease feelings of competence and self-efficacy (Chundiao, 1990, p.460).Therefore, the challenges in learning process will increase children’s inspiration tocontinue learning

 Using language in appropriate contexts

The next principle is the use of language in appropriate contexts Language islearned best by setting the contexts and situations in which it is used It will bedifficult for children to digest the hard language knowledge without applying it toreal and familiar contexts In young learner classrooms, stories, songs and plays areexamples of how learners can be exposed to comprehensible, meaningful language

at discourse level

 Designing classroom activities meaningful and purposeful for learners

It will be easier for children to understand the goals of activities clearlybefore they come to deal with them According to Scott & Ytreberg (1998), learnersshould be aware of the objectives of the task – both language-learning and content.Clear goals will help to answer children’s questions about what is going to happenand why they are doing the tasks This will make children feel secure and content in

the classroom so that they can be “encouraged to become independent and adventurous in the learning of the language” (Scott & Ytreberg, 1998)

 Organizing activities for learners to develop their independence

Generally, learners find teachers as a firm support to lean on during learningprocess It is natural for young learners to be dependent on their teachers However,

if learners are to become active participants in the learning process which createstheir own understandings and meanings, it is important that activities should bedesigned and sequenced to support and foster growing independence

 Creating a supportive, non-threatening and enjoyable learning environment

In addition to designing appropriate activities that are suitable for children, it

is also a crucial duty of teachers to create a supportive, non-threatening andenjoyable learning environment in which children can feel comfortable and relaxedduring learning process In a friendly atmosphere, students can feel secure and theirsense of understanding and challenge as well as learning motivation can bepromoted

 Ensuring teacher’s assessment reflects their teaching

Teachers should ensure that their assessment reflects their teaching.Assessment is an area that teachers consider very serious It is often the most formalaspect of the teaching work According to Wiggins (1998), the nature of assessmentinfluences what is learned and the degree of meaningful engagement by learners inthe learning process

2.3 Teaching Aids

2.3.1 Definition of Teaching Aids

Teaching aid, as its name suggests, is a kind of aids which support theteaching and learning activities of teachers and students Teaching aids are

“materials and equipments used in teaching” (Retrieved fromhttp://www.thefreedictionary.com/teaching+aid)

Teaching aids are also called teaching media Brinton (1991) said that mediahave undoubtedly always been present, and have facilitated the task of languagelearning for both instructed and non-instructed learners According to Brinton, all

aids of mechanical and non-mechanical, glossy and non-glossy, pedagogical andnon-pedagogical, commercial and teacher-made alike constitute valuablecontributions to the profession of language teaching is part of the definition oflanguage teaching media According to Brinton teaching media is classified intonon-technical and technical media.

2.3.2 Classification of Teaching Aids

Teaching aids are basically divided into three subgroups: visual aids, audio aids and audio-visual aids (To, 2009, p.4)

2.3.2.1 Visual Aids

A visual aid is considered as an object to relate classroom teaching to real

life, such as food, clothing, a photograph, an item from school or daily life

(Retrieved June 19, 2012 from http://eslinfusion.oise.utoronto.ca/ Home/Background_information/Glossary.html) Specifically visual aids are anything visible tolearners, which the teacher uses for different teaching purposes in the class

 Boards: Boards are found in most classrooms, and some major advantages ofusing them are:

- Can be used on the spot

- Build your visual as per requirement

- Can be used at your pace, allows note-taking

- Mistakes can be corrected instantly

- Cut-outs can be placed and charts can be hung

 Pictures/photos: The word “picture” is defined as “the painting, drawing, etc.that shows a scene, a person or thing; a photograph or a description that gives you

an idea in your mind of what something is like (Hornby, 1989, p.322)

 Realias: Any real objects which are introduced into the classroom forteaching purposes (Thornbury, 1999, p.23) Thus, realias are the things that studentscan see in the classroom, and they can be simple objects such as books, pens, desks,tables or complicated ones like modern machines, units of foreign currency

 Brochures: A brochure (also referred to as a pamphlet) is a leaflet Brochuresare advertising pieces mainly used to introduce a company or organization, andinform about products and/or services to a target audience In teaching language,teachers can use brochures as vivid pictures to illustrate for their lessons

 Wall charts, posters, maps, scrolls: Colourful wall charts, posters, maps and scrollsare great ways of helping pupils grasp key concepts The visual and attention grabbingdesigns are guaranteed to brighten up classrooms and school hallways; presenting easilydigestible information for pupils of all abilities (Retrieved August 2, 2013 from

http://www.daydreameducation.co.uk/servlet/-strse-template/homepagewallcharts/Page)

 Board games: A board game is a game that involves counters or pieces

moved or placed on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules

 Slide projectors: A slide is a small piece of transparent material on which asingle pictorial image or scene or graphic image has been photographed orreproduced otherwise Slides can be made from photographs and pictures byteachers and pupils taking photographs and snapshots when they go on fieldtrips forhistorical, geographical, literacy or scientific excursions The arrangement of slides

in proper sequence, according to the topic discussed, is an important aspect ofteaching with them (Retrieved 26 October, 2010 from http://avaudiovisualaids.blogspot.com/2010/10/av-aids-in-teaching.html)

 Overhead transparencies / overhead projectors: The over head projector isthe most used in all visual aids It projects transparencies with brilliant screenimages suitable for use in a lighted room The teacher can write or draw diagrams

on the transparency while he teaches It permits the teacher to stand in front of theclass while using the projector, thus enabling him to point out features appearing onthe screen by pointing to the materials at the projector it self and at the same time,

to observe the students reactions to his discussion (Retrieved 26 October, 2010from http://avaudiovisualaids.blogspot.com/2010/10/av-aids-in-teaching.html)

 Opaque projectors: It is the only projector on which you can project a variety

of materials such as book pages, objects, coins, postcards, or any other similar flatmaterial that is non-transparent The opaque projector will project andsimultaneously enlarge, directly from the originals, printed matter, all kinds ofwritten or pictorial matter in any sequence derived by the teacher It requires a darkroom, as projector is large and not reality movables (Retrieved 26 October, 2010from http://avaudiovisualaids.blogspot.com/2010/10/av-aids-in-teaching.html)

 Flashcards: A set of cards bearing information, as words or numbers, oneither or both sides, used in classroom drills or in private study One writes aquestion on a card and an answer overleaf Flashcards can bear vocabulary,historical dates, formulas or any subject matter that can be learned via a questionand answer format Flashcards are widely used as a learning drill to aid

memorization by way of spaced repetition (Retrieved on 11 June 2013 fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashcard)

2.3.2.2 Audio Aids

Audio-aids can be defined as models and devices that can be heard and give

an image of something, somebody and some situations (Akanbi, 1988)

About the benefits of using audio aids in language classrooms, Akanbibelieved that this type of aid enables the teacher to modify the teaching method andtechnique, and change the classroom situation quickly and immediately asnecessary Besides, the audio aids also attract the learners’ attention, stir theirimagination, reduce their exhaustion, motivate them to be engaged in the learningprocess, and thus help them to acquire expected proficiency in the language skills

especially listening and speaking Audio aids may include recorded materials,

radios, cassette players, cassettes

 Tape recorder: A tape recorder is a portable electronic gadget to record,reproduce, erase and re record sound on a magnetic tape This device can be usedwithout much fuss by any body by operating the following press buttons attached tothe recorder, viz, stop, play, wind, rewind, record, pause, and eject It is used tolearn foreign languages, rhymes, and songs with clarity (Retrieved 26 October,

2012 from http://avaudiovisualaids.blogspot.com/2010/10/av-aids-in-teaching.html)

 Audio Cassettes/cassette players: Moye (2011) defined that an audio cassette

is a kind of cassette which can store music and sounds It is used with a cassetteplayer or cassette recorder Cassettes store the sound on a magnetic tape that iswound around the two reels in the cassette

 Audio CDs: Compact discs used to reproduce sound (voice and music).Using audio CDs in language teaching will develop student’s listening skills.Especially, the pronunciation of primary students will be exacter when they listenthe sound of vocabulary from the audio CDs and pronounce after that

2.3.2.3 Audio-Visual Aids

Neeraja (2003) an audio visual aid is an instructional device in which themessage can be heard as well as seen According to Kinder (1953), audio-visualaids are any device which can be used to make the learning experience moreconcrete, more realistic and more dynamic

Audio-visual aids can be understood as materials using sight and sound topresent information; thus, using them is greatly useful because they help maintain ahigh level of interest in the lesson, get students to use the language, promote greaterstudent participation and they can be utilized at all levels of learning Below themost common audio-visual aids used widely in teaching languages:

 Videotapes/video players: Presenting a communicative transaction in itstotality The learners can see the people and the situation (the setting where the

interaction is occurring) They can see and hear the attitude of the persons involved(the interlocutors) They can hear the linguistic registers and the appropriateness ofthe language within the situation Almost any video can be used to teach Englishunder different forms such as cartoons, music video, commercial films, TVprograms, home-made dramas, holiday films, etc

 Projectors: Projectors are used in classroom instruction is in Englishlanguage development Teachers can combine power point presentations withpictures, illustrations and music to teach songs and vocabulary to English LanguageLearners The teacher is able to review the words of the song with the students andexplain the meaning of words when necessary, Deyo (2005)

 Computers: Barzilai (2009) friendly media (nearly a game) offers pictures,sounds and movies, instead of (frustrating) reading Using computers in teachingEnglish is also for students to practice the lesson in a pleasant way with animmediate and independent feedback

 Digital Video (DVD): According to Martin (2000) DVD is considered as atool for teaching and learning, DVD is a technology with versatile storage Its mainadvantage lies in the fact that it can store a large amount of data of all kinds (text,image, sound, graphics, video, etc.) This storage capacity has made it the medium

of choice for digital video, above all for long-duration documents like movies

 Principles for the Effective Use of Audio Visual Aids

Visual-audio aids are the perfect ones when combination between sound andimages is used in language teaching For the most effective use of these aids,teachers should follow the following principles (Retrieved 26 October, 2012 fromhttp://avaudiovisualaids.blogspot.com/2010/10/av-aids-in-teaching.html)

- Audio visual materials should function as an integral part of the educationalprogram

- Audio visual aids should be centralized, under specialized direction andleadership in educational programs

- An education program should be flexible.

- Audio visual material should be carefully located to eliminate duplication,easy accessibility and convenient use

- Audio visual material should be available whenever and wherever theyneeded for effective utilization as an integral part of curriculum

- Budget appropriations should be made regularly for audio visual educationprograms

- Periodic evaluation to be done to assess the function of, utilization andexpenditure of the program

2.3.3 Guidelines for Using Teaching Aids in the Classroom

As mentioned above at 2.3.1 “Definition of Teaching Aids”, teaching media

is a different expression of teaching aids, but both of them are used in the modernmethod of teaching language Brinton (1991) assumes that guidelines for theselection, adaptation, development and implementation of media materials do notdiffer radically from the kind of guidelines mentioned more universally regardinglesson planning and textbook evaluation This study considers some of hisfollowing guidelines in using media effectively in language teaching

 The issues as the appropriateness of the materials for the target audience,their technical and pedagogical quality, their teaching objective, and the pre/postprocedures to be used all play as an important role in the selection and use ofaudiovisual media in the classroom as they do in that of conventional print media

 Media materials should not be viewed simply as extraneous to the lesson, or

as contingency plans

 Media materials should be planned as carefully as the lesson itself

 It should form a central component of the lesson-one which is interwovenwith the other lesson components, such as the reading text, the writing assignment,

or the speaking task

2.3.4 Rationale for the Use of Teaching Aids in Language Teaching

Brinton (1991) emphasized functions and benefits of teaching media inmaking language learning and teaching process more effective and interesting.Below are reasons and analysis to prove his viewpoint

 Given the role media play in the world outside the classroom, students expect

to find it inside the classroom as well Media thus serve as an important motivator

in the language teaching process

 Audiovisual materials provide students with content, meaning and guidance.They thus create a contextualized situation within which language items arepresented and practiced

 Media materials can lend authenticity to the classroom situation, reinforcingfor students the direct relation between the language classroom and the outsideworld

 Since the learning styles of students differ (Reid, 1987) media provide uswith a way of addressing the needs of more visual and auditory learners

 The role which input plays in language learning is virtually uncontested(Krashen, 1987) By bringing media into the classroom teachers can expose theirstudents to multiple input sources Thus, while decreasing the risk of the student'sbecoming dependent on their teacher's dialect, they can also enrich their languagelearning experience

 With reference to schema theory (Shank & Abel son, 1977), which proposesthat we approach new information by scanning our memory banks for relatedknowledge, media can help students to call up existing schemata and thereforemaximize their use of prior background knowledge in the language learning process

 Media provide teachers with a means of presenting material in a efficient and compact manner, and of stimulating student's senses, thereby helpingthem to process information more readily (Mollica, 1979)

time-According to Robertson (2006) teaching aids are an integral component inany classroom The many benefits of teaching aids include helping learners improvereading comprehension skills, illustrating or reinforcing a skill or concept,differentiating instruction and relieving anxiety or boredom by presentinginformation in a new and exciting way (Retrieved fromhttp://www.ehow.com/about_6365616_teaching-aids-important_.html)

 Reading comprehension: As students are reading less and less on their own,teachers are finding reading comprehension skills very low among today's students.Teaching aids are helping teachers to close the gap and hone the readingcomprehension skills of their students Using magazine and newspaper articles,prints ads and even comic books are viable teaching aids that assist in helpingstudents comprehend text

 Reinforcing a skill or concept: Teaching aids prove to be a formidablesupplement for teachers when the reinforcement of a skill or concept is necessary.Not only do they allow students more time to practice, but they also present theinformation in a way which offers students a different way to engage with thematerial

 Differentiating instruction: The use of teaching aids assists teachers indifferentiating instruction Using aids such as graphs, charts, flashcards, videos, andsmart boards provides learners with visual stimulation and the opportunity to accessthe content from a different vantage point This gives each learner the opportunity

to interact with the content in a way which allows them to comprehend more easily

 Relieving boredom: Teaching aids help to make the learning environmentinteresting and engaging As we move toward a more digital society, kids are beingexposed to technology and digital devices at a younger age Students are seekingconstant excitement and simply have no tolerance for boredom Teaching aids areimproving the quality of education in today's schools while also providing studentswith the sense of excitement they desire

2.3.5 The Importance of Teaching Aids in Foreign Language Teaching mentioned through the Decision No.1400/QD-TTg dated 30 September 2008 by the Prime Minister

For the aim of enhancing quality of teaching and learning foreign languages

at schools in Vietnam, the Decision No.1400/QD-TTg by the Prime Minister on the

Approval of the Project entitled “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, Period 2008-2020” emphasizes the solution on

intensifying investment of facilities and equipments as teaching media or teachingaids to foreign language learning and teaching process This solution isimplemented based on the following concrete activities

 Making the list of equipments that are used for teaching and learning tasks atdifferent school levels and training degrees;

 Issuing the standardization for construction of language lab, audio-visualroom, and multimedia room;

 Purchasing the teaching and learning equipments for education institutions inaccord with implementing stages of the project, ensuring 100% of schools that jointhe project have language labs and audio-visual rooms;

 Constructing and implementing the training plans on operation andmaintenance of teaching and learning equipments to make sure that equipments areused in a practical and effective way;

 Promoting the application of IT in teaching and learning languages at schools

2.4 Summary

This chapter presented the theoretical background with the aim at clarifyingthe issues relating directly to the content of the study Besides, a review of theprevious studies are also mentioned and discussed in order to point out the new andthe different things of this study in comparison with the previous studies Whatshowed in this chapter would be the foundations for the researcher to designquestionnaire, interview and observation as well as to give the clear evidencenecessary for the researcher to discuss the study results

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 3.1 Overview

This chapter describes information of the research methodology The designcombines both qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data Moreover, theparticipants of the study, the procedures of doing the research and data analysis areall presented in detail in this chapter

3.2 Research Design and Approach

With the purpose of finding out satisfactory answers to the three researchquestions mentioned in Chapter 1, this study used both qualitative and quantitativemethods because of the various advantages of each method According to Smith(1988), quantitative research involves counting and measuring events andperforming the statistical analysis of a body of numerical data Employing thequantitative method allows the researcher to achieve high levels of reliability ofgathered data due to mass surveying (Balsley, 1970) With the numerousparticipants of the first group (100 students) in this research, the quantitativemethod was an ideal choice In comparison with quantitative approach “qualitativeresearchers seek a deeper truth” (Greenhalgh, 2006, p.166) and collect morepersonalized data By employing qualitative methods, researcher can obtain a morerealistic feel that cannot be experienced in the numerical data and statistical analysisused in quantitative research (Bogdan and Taylor, 1975) In addition, this methodprovides a holistic view of the phenomenon under investigation as well as including

an ability to interact with the research subjects in their own language and their ownterms (Kirk & Miller, 1986) Therefore, in order to know what teachers and students

at primary schools in Hue city think about the use of TAs in teaching English, theresearcher has resorted to the qualitative method to explore those issues As a result,the combination of both quantitative and qualitative data would enrich the overallpicture of results that the study hopes to provide

3.3 Participants

In order to investigate the use of TAs in teaching English at 5 primaryschools in Hue city (Tran Quoc Toan, Le Loi, Nguyen Trai, Thuan Thanh and Vi DaPrimary Schools), 100 students selected from these primary schools were theparticipants in this study These participants are of the same age but they aredifferent in the English level and motivation Therefore, ten students from these 100were chosen to participate in interviews All of them were at grade 4 who have beenlearning English for 3 years There are many reasons making the researcher choosethese grade 4 students to be the participants of the study Firstly, these students haslearnt English for 3 years, they have many opportunities to be familiar withdifferent teaching methods of their teachers, resulting in forming the reliableevaluation on their teachers’ teaching methods Therefore, it was easy for theresearcher to collect the reliable data from the grade 4 students Secondly, students

at grade 4 have more free time to help the researcher to collect the data thanstudents at grade 5 who are busy with many subjects and important examinations.Finally, grade 4 students will have more accurate and reliable opinions than students

at grade 1, 2, 3 who are still new to learning English and have not yet formed thereliable assessment on their teachers’ teaching methods

In addition, 15 teachers of English from these five primary schools in Huewere involved in the study Most of them have 3 years of teaching and they are bothmale and female In order to get more insight into the investigated phenomenon, 5teachers were invited to take part in the interview

To make the participants feel free and comfortable to give their opinions andreflection, the researcher informed them in advance that their identities would bekept secret and the information collected from them would serves the researchpurposes only All the information from the participants will be reflected honestly inthe findings and discussion chapter of the study

3.4 Data Collecting Instruments

3.4.1 Questionnaire

The researcher chooses the questionnaires as the main instrument because oftwo reasons The first reason is that within the limited time, questionnaire is the bestway to collect data quickly and cheaply (Bell, 1987, p.76) The second reason is that

it is easy to deliver questionnaires to participants and get back much informationfrom a large number of participants However, along with the advantages, usingquestionnaire in doing research also reveals some disadvantages indicated byOppenheim First, questionnaires are standardized so it is not possible to explainany points in the questions that participants might misinterpret Second, respondentsmay answer superficially if the questionnaire takes a long time to complete Last,students may not be willing to answer the questions because they might not wish toreveal the information or they might think that they will not benefit fromresponding Thus, the use of questionnaires may be an essential step, but it will notprobably be a sufficient step in documenting work for the purposes of qualityresearch project, follow – up interviews will be required as proposed byWorldatwork team (2007)

There were two versions of questionnaires Questionnaire (Appendix A) for

15 teachers of English and questionnaire (Appendix B) for 100 grade 4 students.The questionnaire comprised of three sections with the purpose of finding outanswers to the three research questions The first section is designed with the aim tocollect data on the reality of using TAs in EL classes at some primary schools inHue city The next part focused on investigating the most common kinds of TAs inteaching English at some primary schools in Hue city The final part aims atinvestigating how TAs were used in EL classes, the difficulties and challenges thatteachers faced when using TAs in EL classes and the possible solutions to improvethe use of TAs in teaching process

The questions included both closed and open-ended questions The closedquestions came in the form of multiple choice questions The teachers and students

were required to choose one or more than one answer if they thought it appropriate.Besides the closed questions, the open-ended questions gave the teachers andstudents the opportunity to offer ideas freely The version for students wastranslated into Vietnamese to ensure that all students at different levels canunderstand and complete the questionnaires as the purpose of the researcher.

3.4.2 Interviews

Along with the questionnaires, interviews were used to collect qualitativedata for the study Through interviews, the researcher could deeply investigate thereal opinions and thoughts of the interviewees It is easy to clarify the participants’answers by asking them for a further explanation in case their answers were unclear

or incomplete The aim of interview is to supplement the questionnaire and toexplore the participants’ information fully Interview will produce the qualitativedata which will reinforce the findings of the qualitative data This would alsoincrease the validity of the data collected and provide greater confidence in thegeneralization of the results The purpose of the interview session tend to furtherunderstand the teachers’ attitudes and beliefs toward the use of TAs in teachingEnglish at some primary schools in Hue city

According to Oppenheim (1992, p.6), “in-depth interviews with teacherswere also conducted to collect insightful data” because it was essential to ensurethat the researcher was in the position of being able to access the degree of theinterviewee’s interest and involvement, it was also appropriate because of “itsflexible balanced by structure and quality of the data so obtained” (Gillham, 2005,p.70) Moreover, they were suitable tools for clarifying, reaffirming the resultscollected from the questionnaire and support what the teachers could not write onthe questionnaire

In this study, there are two sets of interview: Interview questions (AppendixC) for five teachers of English and interview questions (Appendix D) for ten grade

4 students The interview questions were created based on the questionnaire so thattheir results could support what was investigated from the questionnaires and ease

the comparison All five-teacher interviews and ten-student interviews wereconducted face to face and lasted for approximately 15 minutes for each participant.

In the ten-student interviews, the interviewer only used Vietnamese to make surethat all interviewees could understand the content of questions and felt relaxed andcomfortable to respond to all questions However, only English was used in thefive-teacher interviews

3.5 Data Analysis

Descriptive statistics were used to analyse data in this study, that is, statisticfrequency and percentage because they were the effective ways to analyse andpresent the data from questionnaires, interviews and observations as expressed by

McMillan and Schumacher (1993, p.192) “The use of descriptive statistic is the most fundamental way to summarize data, and it is dispensable in interpreting the results of quantitative research”.

After the questionnaires were finished and collected, all of the answers werecategorized, ordered, processed and analyses in form of statistic frequency andpercentage Then the results were presented in the tables and charts In addition,results from the interviews were analyzed to provide valid information about the use

of TAs in teaching English at some primary schools in Hue city

3.6 Procedures

The research was carried out in the following steps:

First, the researcher would collect and investigate previous works relevant tothe thesis

Second, the researcher would design questionnaires and interview questions Third, two pilot versions of the questionnaires were handed out to 20students and 5 teachers from some primary schools in Hue city to check thereliability of the questionnaires and each item included This aims at determiningwhich items to remain and which items need revising and changing The result ofthe first round was as satisfied as expected

Fourth, two versions of questionnaires were delivered to 15 teachers and 100grade 4 students at some primary schools in Hue city For students at grade 4, theresearcher gave careful instructions on each item of the questionnaire beforeparticipants began to answer the questionnaire in order that the collected data would

be clean and reliable With some difficult and abstract items in the questionnaire,the researcher explained them carefully for students to make sure that allparticipants could understand the questionnaire clearly

The questionnaires for teachers were also handed out to teachers directly.With this group of participants, there was no need to give any explanation

Fifth, ten students and five teachers were invited to participate in theinterviews The researcher only used English for interviewing English teacher.Nevertheless, because the level of grade 4 students remains low, thus, with the aim

to help these students have a full understanding of the content of the questions, theresearcher used Vietnamese only Interviews were done with individual participantsand conducted face to face Participants’ feedback, detailed comments and opinionswere audio - taped and taken note

Sixth, the data collected from questionnaires were categorized, ordered,processed and analyses in form of statistic frequency and percentage Then theresults were presented in the tables and charts Besides, the data gathered frominterviews were best examined by the mean of the qualitative methods to provide aninsightful description of the research issue

Finally, basing on the results getting from quantitative analysis, theresearcher would give some suggestions to improve the quality of teaching English

at some primary schools in Hue city

3.7 Summary

In brief, the methodology and procedures of doing this study were mentioned

in this chapter Both quantitative and qualitative approaches with the instrumentsfor data collection (questionnaires and interviews) were applied to collect andanalyze the data The results from the data analysis were presented in tables andcharts The analyzed results were discussed in response to the aims of the study

CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

This chapter presented and discussed the analysis of data obtained from theteachers and students’ questionnaires and the interviews The findings wereanalyzed and displayed in tables and charts for discussion to discover (1) the reality

of using TAs at some primary schools in Hue city, (2) the most commonly usedkinds of TAs in EL classes, (3) the ways of using TAs to teach English to children

at some primary schools in Hue city

4.1 The Reality of Teaching English and Using TAs in Teaching English for Children at Some Primary Schools in Hue City

4.1.1 The Reality of Teaching English at Some Primary School in Hue city

Figure 4.1: Students' Fondness of Learning English

Regarding the levels of students’ fondness of learning English, it can be seenfrom Figure 4.1 that up to 78% of the students enjoyed learning English Thestudents expressed that they liked learning English because their teachers arecheerful and friendly (63%) Moreover, there are many interesting activities duringthe lesson (55%) and they can learn English by watching cartoons, videos (38%).The data also revealed that all students participating in the survey have not had the

opportunity to communicate with native speakers in class In the interview on April

15 th , 2013, when being asked about students’ fondness of learning English, one interviewed student said:

“I really like learning English because my teacher often uses colorful pictures to teach me, let me listen to English songs and watch the interesting films Actually, my classmates and I pay more attention to the lessons when my teacher uses these activities in class.”

(Student’s Interview on April 15 th , 2013) Another student added:

“English is my favorite subject and I want to speak as fluently as the native speakers.”

(Student’s Interview on April 15 th , 2013)

Figure 4.2: The Reasons Children Like Learning English

Unlike the opinions above, 22% is the number of students who did not likelearning English When being asked about the reasons, the students said that theycannot understand what their teachers instructed them to do (22%) and they felt theEnglish lessons are not interesting enough to attract their participation in the lesson(20%) 17 out of 22 students expressed that they felt difficult to remember the