VIETNAM NATIONAT, UNIVERSITY, HANOT UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN TII HƯƠNG STUDENTS’ DIFFICLLTIES TOWARDS LEARNING ENGLISH SP
Research site
Nam Binh, a province in the Red River Delta region of Northern Vietnam, is located approximately 90 kilometers southeast of Hanoi While Nam Dinh city is an urban center, the surrounding districts are predominantly rural, presenting challenges for residents, especially in terms of overall living conditions and access to quality education Despite these difficulties, Nam Binh's location offers unique cultural and geographical features that contribute to its character and development opportunities.
Xuan Chau Lower Secondary School, located in a rural district Xuan ‘Truong of
Nam Dinh province, established in 1969, is home to a reputable school with a student body of 310 students across various grade levels The school offers a total of ten classes, including two sixth-grade, two seventh-grade, three eighth-grade, and two ninth-grade classes, ensuring a diverse and comprehensive education The dedicated staff comprises twenty-two teachers and staff members, with three specialized English teachers to support language learning This school provides quality education in Nam Dinh Province, fostering academic growth and language skills among students.
The school enrolls 310 students across nine classes, spanning grades 6 to 9 Students are typically aged 11 to 14 years old, with the majority coming from farming families.
All students have same background knowledge of English, they learnt English in several years Their English competences are various, some people are good, but some people are rather bad
At Xuan Chau Lower Secondary School, there are three female English teachers aged between 38 and 42 years old, all of whom hold degrees from the English Department Two teachers have obtained an associate degree, while one has a Bachelor of Arts degree With over ten years of teaching experience each, they regularly participate in English workshops and professional development courses to enhance their teaching skills.
Service of Education and Training Besides, they also took B2 certificate of
University of Language and International Studies, Vietnam National University of
English textbooks
The primary textbook for teaching and learning English is “Tiếng Anh 9,” published by the Ministry of Education and Training This book adopts a theme-based approach, comprising ten units, each focusing on a specific topic Designed to enhance language skills, the textbook provides a comprehensive and engaging curriculum aligned with educational standards.
Core language skills such as Reading, Speaking, Listening, and Writing, along with Language Focus, are typically taught over five or six periods of 45 minutes each To enhance learning, students also utilize workbooks like “Bài tập Tiếng Anh 9” and “Bài tập thực hành Tiếng Anh 9” for additional practice and reinforcement These structured lessons and supplementary resources ensure a comprehensive approach to mastering English at this level.
Speaking section is a dedicated component of the textbook, often taught separately to enhance speaking skills In some units, speaking is covered within a single class period, while in others, it is combined with listening activities for a more integrated approach Typically, teachers divide speaking lessons into distinct stages, such as warm-up, practice, and production, to facilitate effective learning and improve students' oral communication abilities.
Warm up: Teachers often give a short game to check homework and ta oreale atmosphere for he ew lessons
During the speaking stage, teachers introduce vocabulary, structures, and sample sentences to prepare students for effective communication This critical phase helps activate topic-related words and phrases, serving as a foundation for task completion By presenting model sentences and sample tasks, it enhances students’ understanding and readiness, making it an essential component in the overall speaking lesson plan.
This stage provides students with valuable opportunities to practice new language skills, with teachers acting as instructors and guides Students can practice individually, in pairs, or in groups, depending on the task requirements set by the teacher They are given activities designed to reinforce specific language aspects, encouraging active engagement and practical application Additionally, students are responsible for planning and reporting the results of their tasks, further consolidating their learning and communication skills.
The post-speaking stage serves as a follow-up activity that enables students to reinforce their speaking skills after the main practice It often involves extension activities designed to deepen learning from the pre-speaking and while-speaking stages Due to time constraints, this stage can be skipped, allowing students to complete the task at home for additional practice.
Uomework: It is time for teachers to summary the lessons and to give homework for students.
The facilities - 20 3.4, Participants 3.5 Methods of the study 3.6 Data collection procedures 3.6.1 Questiannaire
Students’ interview
Following the questionnaire, an initial analysis was conducted to identify key issues of interest and select participants for the next step The interviews were organized in groups to allow students to discuss their answers in more detail, creating a comfortable environment with friends nearby Group interviews encouraged a wider range of ideas on specific topics and fostered synergistic effects, increasing participant engagement and providing deeper insights.
The study selected four student interviewees from two classes who responded to a questionnaire and provided contact information Participants were chosen randomly, with two students from each class, to ensure diversity The interview comprised six open-ended questions derived from the questionnaire results to facilitate in-depth discussion on topics such as students’ opinions about the importance of speaking, their experiences learning English inside and outside the classroom, their difficulties in speaking, and their strategies for overcoming these challenges Conducted in Vietnamese to accommodate students’ varying English proficiency, the interviews aimed to ensure participants felt comfortable sharing their views The interviews were recorded and transcribed with participants’ consent, maintaining confidentiality by anonymizing their identities as codes (S81, S82, S83, and S84) The collected data were later translated into English for analysis, ensuring accuracy and research integrity.
This study utilized descriptive analysis to interpret questionnaire and interview data, focusing on mean scores and frequency distributions of respondents’ answers The purpose of this descriptive research was to highlight current issues or problems by collecting data that provides a comprehensive understanding of the situation These descriptive statistics summarized the data effectively, offering clear insights into the respondents' responses and the overall context of the study.
Through that, the researcher could get answers for the research questions The results were presented in lables and figures bì
This chapter addresses the methodological issues of the study, including the research site and the approach used to answer key research questions It highlights the focus on understanding and exploration through data collection via questionnaires and interviews The chapter outlines details about the participants, research instruments, data collection procedures, and data analysis methods The subsequent chapter will analyze the data gathered from both the questionnaires and interviews to provide comprehensive insights.