Teaching grammar to High school students through communicative tasks a quasi-experimental study = Dạy ngữ pháp cho học sinh trung học phổ thông qua các hoạt độn20150227

List of abbreviations EFL English as Foreign Language ELT English language Teaching ESL English as Second Language FLTL Foreign Language Teaching and Learning FOFs Focus on Forms HSUSS H

Table of contents

Page

Certificate of the study project report………i

Acknowledgements……… …ii

Abstracts……… ………iii

Tables of contents……… iv

List of tables and figures……….vi

List of abbreviation……… vii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTIOn ………1

1.1 Rationale ……… …… 1

1.2 Aims of the study……… ……… 2

1.3 Research hypothesis and questions……… 2

1.4 Research hypothesis and questions……… 2

1.5 Significance of the study……….……… 2

1.6 Scope of the study ……….3

1.7 Organization of the study ……… 3

1.8 Summary……….3

Chapter 2: Literature review……… ……… …… ……….4

2.1 The role of grammar in foreign language teaching and learning……… 4

2.1.1 Arguments in favor of grammar teaching……… ……… 4

2.1.2 Arguments against teaching grammar……… 5

2.1.3 Grammar in communicative activities… 7

2.2 Approaches to grammar……… ……… 7

2.2.1 The deductive approach………7

2.2.2 The inductive approach……….…… ………… 8

2.2.3 Focus on form and focus on forms………10

2.3 Task-based language teaching……… 12

2.3.1 What is TBLT?……… 12

2.3.2 Definition of task……… ……… 14

2.3.3 The basic characteristics of TBLT……… 15

2.3.4 Studies on TBLT……… 16

2.4 Task-based grammar teaching……… 18

2.4.1 Why task-based grammar teaching………18

2.4.2 Steps in Task-based grammar teaching……… 19

2.4.3 Characteristics of the Task-based Grammar Class ……… ……… 20

2.4.4 Studies on task-based grammar teaching……….……… 21

2.5 Summary……… 22

Chapter 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY……… …… 23

3.1 The syllabus of grade 10……… 23

3.2 The subjects ……….24

3.3 Rationale for using quasi- experiment ……… 24

3.4 Research design……… 25

3.5 Procedures……… ……….………27

3.6 The tasks……….……… 28

3.7 Findings……….30

3.7.1 Comparison of the pretest and posttest scores, the gain value between the two groups……… ………31

3.7.2 The subjects' attitudes towards the new teaching method-teaching grammar through communicative tasks……… 32

3.8 Discussion.……… ……… 35

3.8.1 The impact of the TBLT on grammar acquisition……… 35

3.8.2 Students' attitudes towards teaching grammar through communicative tasks………36

3.9 Summary……… 36

Chapter 4: Recommendations and conclusions……… 38

4.1 Some recommendations……… 38

4.2 Limitations of the study……… 38

4.3 Summary ……… … ……… 39

References……….40

Appendix 1 The Pretest………I Appendix 2 The Posttest………III Appendix 3 Post-questionnaire program for the experimental students…… …… V Appendix 4 Tasks for teaching conditional sentence type 2……… VI Appendix 5 Tasks for teaching should or should not……… VIII Appendix 6 The results of the pretest and posttest of the two groups……… X

List of figures and tables

Figure 2.1 A framework for analyzing communicative tasks

Figure 3.1 The difference in gain values obtained by both group after the experiment

Table 2.1 The deductive and inductive approaches

Table 2.2 The differences between FoF and FoFs

Table 3.1 Background information about the subjects

Table 3.2 Descriptive statistics for the pretest of the experimental and control groups

Table 3.3 Subjects' attitudes toward teaching grammar through communicative tasks

List of abbreviations

EFL English as Foreign Language

ELT English language Teaching

ESL English as Second Language

FLTL Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

FOFs Focus on Forms

HSUSS Ha Giang Specialized Upper Secondary School

SPSS Statistic Package for Social Science

TBA Task-based Approach

TBT Task-based Teaching

TBLT Task-based Language Teaching

TGTCT Teaching Grammar Through Communicative Tasks

10 T 10 Toan class

10 H 10 Hoa class

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale

Together with the development of society, English has been used as a tool for communication among nonnative speakers More than a half of one billion English speakers of the world learn English as a second language More and more people have to learn English in nearly every field Learners have different reasons why they study English, and this has a great influence on their motivation of learning English At upper secondary schools, English has become a compulsory subject in the state examination and

it is one of three subjects for some universities‘ entrance exam Besides the aim of passing their exams and getting some further studies for their future life Therefore, there is a must

to equip learners with a good learning method as well as teachers with new, good and interesting teaching methods in order to attract learners and arouse their interest to help them get effective result While the traditional approach to grammar has been strongly criticized as being infective

Nowadays, English teaching has improved in method in the light of the communicative, learner-centered which is adaptable to required objectives and give students many opportunities to communicate in English According to Prabhu, who developed the idea of getting learners to acquire English through tasks in 1980s in India,

―learners may learn more effectively when their minds are focused on tasks, rather than on the language they are using.‖ Furthermore, TGTCT has been promoted (Nunan, 1992) And because of the features of task-based teaching approach, which widely promoted in English teaching nowadays, and adopted in teaching language skills in the textbook at upper secondary school in Vietnam, is mentioned later I, myself, think that TBLT may have significance or may be effective in grammar teaching- the important aspect of language learning

In order to know whether or not the task-based teaching approach is possible in

grammar teaching And from these above reasons, I decided to choose “teaching grammar

to high school students through communicative tasks” for my thesis of the MA course

1.2 Aims of the study

The aims of this study are to experiment teaching grammar through communicative tasks for grade 10 students To be more specific, the primary objectives of the study were set as followed:

- To experiment teaching grammar through communicative task for grade 10 students and test its result

- To investigate the experimental students' attitudes towards teaching grammar through communicative task

1.3 Research hypothesis and questions

To achieve the aims and objectives, the study was designed to test the hypothesis:

Teaching grammar through communicative tasks is more effective to the development of students' grammatical competence than the traditional approach which emphasizes the memorization of rules and decontextualized practice

In order to identify the research hypothesis would be accepted or would be rejected, the research questions were formulated and needed to be answered satisfactorily

1 Is students' grammaticality better as measured by their test scores than it is taught in the traditional focus-on-forms methods?

2 What are the students' attitudes towards teaching grammar through communicative tasks after experimental period?

1.4 Method of the study

This study employed a quasi-experimental method in order to determine the causal relationship between teaching grammar through communicative tasks and the enhancement

of students' grammatical competence It is quasi-experimental, rather a true experimental because it did not randomize the samples Instead two intact groups of students were involved in the study, one group being the control group and the other, the experimental group

1.5 Significance of the study

Grammar in the TIENG ANH textbook series for high schools is presented in a traditional way In other words, discrete-point grammatical items are presented usually with more than one grammatical items being presented in one Lesson Unit This means that a traditional approach to grammar, which focuses on decontextualized or sentence-based presentation and practice of grammar The study will give an answer to the question

of whether it is practical to teach grammar through communicative tasks in the context of the high school in Viet Nam

1.6 Scope of the study

The study was designed to test the hypothesis that it is possible to teach grammar presented in the textbook following the Task-based model Because of the time constraint The researcher could just carry out an experiment upon a small sample of grade 10 students who were no-randomly assigned to a control class and an experimental class, (30 students per each) The pretest and posttest scores were used to measure both groups' English grammar knowledge before and after the trial period of first semester and half of the second semester of the 2009-2010 academic year The post- program questionnaire was designed to get more feedback from experimental students The result of the questionnaire would give the researcher supplementary support for the conclusion drawing So that, the findings of the research could reflect the effects of TGTCT on the subject in the context under consideration

1 7 Organization of the study

The study was divided into five main chapters, which are presented as followed: Chapter one presents an overview of the study in which the rationale, the purpose, the hypothesis and questions, research method, significance, aims as well as the organization of the study

Chapter two reviews the literature relevant to the study consisting of the role of grammar in FLL, approaches to grammar, Task-based language teaching, Task-based grammar teaching based on theoretical and practical evidence

Chapter three deals with a detailed description of the study consisting of the syllabus for grade 10 students, the subjects of the study, the rationale for using quasi-experimental study, research design, procedures, the tasks and the findings which concluding the comparison of the pretest and posttest of both control group and experimental group, the students' attitudes towards teaching grammar through communicate tasks The discussions of the findings are presented in this chapter

Chapter four points out the recommendations as well as some limitations of the research and conclusions of the study, and suggestions for further study

1.8 Summary

This chapter presents the rationale, the aims, the hypothesis to be tested and the research method used in this study Also the organization of the thesis is presented The next chapter reviews the literature

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

This chapter reviews literature which is relevant to the study It begins by a discussion of the role of grammar in foreign language learning This will be followed by a review of approaches to teaching grammar Next, major issues of task-based language teaching and the task-based approach to teaching grammar will be reviewed

2.1 The role of grammar in foreign language teaching and learning

Grammar can be part of literature discussions In fact, the role of grammar has always been an argumentative focus in linguistic field Grammar teaching has experienced some representative periods In the 1950s and 1960s, Chomsky‘s ―grammatical competence‖ claimed that knowing a language equals to knowing the grammar of that language In the 1970s and the 1980s, with the birth of the concept ―communicative competence‖, Hymes‘ idea that knowing a language should also include being able to use the language for social and communicative interaction According to the theory of communicative competence, focusing on meaning rather than form does not mean that grammar can be ignored Instead, it should mean a balance between language system and competence in its use, with an emphasis on meaning The important role of grammar can not guarantee the important status of grammar teaching As early as 1966, Newmark mentioned that grammar teaching interfered with language study and the language analysis In 1989, Nunan testified in his report that some linguists did hold an idea that grammar teaching was not necessary But since the 1980s, the view of neglecting grammar teaching has been under serious challenge To the question, ―Should teachers teach grammar?‖, Ellis gives a positive response ―Yes‖

Talking about the role of grammar, the researcher wants to mention some arguments of different people and various fields on language study

2.1.1 Arguments in favor of grammar teaching

As early as in 1988, Long thinks that formal grammar teaching helps learners to acquire L2 more rapidly and get higher achievement (cited in Ellis, 1999a) Ellis concludes that though it does not enable learners to change the natural order of acquisition, grammar instruction has an effect in helping learners to make more rapid progress along it, and has lasting effect when it is indeed effective on learners (2002)

Supporters of the Fine-tuning argue that grammar enables the learner to convey a more intelligible and differential meaning than the simple stringing together of words The knowledge of syntax and morphology contributes to a better understanding of discourse as

it provides semantic clarification Grammar improves production skills especially in written language

The Sentence-machine argument: It is impossible to use language creatively without grammar Grammar enables the learners to create an infinity of sentences

The Fossilization – argument: Without attention to form the learners usually do not progress beyond the most basic level of communication Grammar enables the learners to reach a higher level of language proficiency as the learner is aware of underlying framework of the language

The Syllabus argument: The guideline of the syllabus do not allow neglecting the teaching of Grammar in school

The Point of reference argument: Grammar serves the essential function of giving the learner who does not process a natural feeling for language a point of reference for using language property Guidelines provide a sense of security and confidence for the learners

The Rule-of-law argument: Grammar satisfies the needs for rules, order the discipline in institutional context such as school

2.1.2 Arguments against teaching grammar

The fundamental role of lexis argument , lexis is the basic of language, as lexis is the carrier of meaning the focus of language of language teaching should therefore be on lexis, not on grammar,

The knowledge- how argument: Language is learned by experimental learning – learn by doing- like riding a bike It is not learned by simply studying the language, because learners have difficulties in transferring their knowledge into skills Rather than studying grammar, the learners need classroom experience that simulates the kinds of condition in which s/he is going to use the language

Supporters of a communicative approach to language teaching argue communication is learned by communicating The language should be used in order to be learned In this way, through activities that simulate life-like communication, the learners will unconsciously pick up the grammar ―Studying the rules of grammar is therefore simply a waste of time‖

Supporters of acquisition approach to language teaching, such as Krashen argue that language acquisition is more successful than language learning, as comparison to language acquisition, which is natural process, language learning results from formal institutions and is not as useful for real communication

Advocates of the natural order argue that learners are born with a Universal Grammar (Chomsky) This (innate Universal Grammar) helps to explain similarities in the developmental order of the first and the second language acquisition which is different to the order in which grammatical items are presented in most textbooks This argument could also be called ― the obsolete approach to grammar teaching‖ as the order in which grammar is taught need to be revised

Supporters of learner expectation argue that, there are learners who want to focus

on communication and not on grammar, for instance, because they want to put their knowledge of the language into use or because they do not like the learning of grammar very much

The role of grammar is perhaps one of the controversial issues in language teaching In the early parts of the twentieth century, grammar teaching formed an essential part of language instruction so that so many other aspects of language learning were either ignored or downplayed The argument was that if you knew the grammatical rules strongly challenged in the early 1970s Knowledge of the grammar system of the language, it was argued, was one of the many components which underlay the notion of communication competence To be considered a competence user of a language, one needs to know not only the rules of grammar, but also how the rules are used in real communication

The role of grammar in FLTL has been argued by many people in various fields as shown above Since I am an English teacher and subjects of my study are students who have to do many English tests from low level to higher lever with many purposes for example: leaving school examination, passing university examination, getting some further studies for their future life Such examinations require students to have good English grammar knowledge to complete their tests Without grammar knowledge, students can not do their tests successfully Therefore grammar is very important to our students so that teaching grammar plays an important role to English teachers The important question that needs to be answered is: how do I teach grammar? In other words, how do I help students learn the grammar they need This question is deceptively easy At first look, you might

think that teaching grammar is just a matter of explaining grammar rules to students However, teaching grammar effectively is a much more complicated matter

2.1.3 Grammar in communicative activities

Grammar within a communicative approach: (a) Current approaches to grammar teaching point to the need to locate it within the communicative function Understanding the rules of grammar should not be an end in itself Learners should be helped to recognize the communicative value of grammatical structures Grammatical structure appears to develop in learners' speech in response to communicative need i.e learners acquire a form and the ability to use it productively when it assumes a critical role for the learner in communicating essential information (b) Formal and extensive grammar presentations should be restricted Exercises that require practice of mechanical drills in which students have no choice in their answers are of limited utility More effective learning may result from exercises where the context requires students to choose between alternative responses Making the correct choice should arise from comprehension of the text rather than purely displaying knowledge of the grammatical rule

2.2 Approaches to grammar

In teaching, there are many theoretical approaches that have been developed to promote the students' success in learning new information In TESOL (Teaching English to Students of Other Languages), there are two main theoretical approaches for the presentation of new English grammar structures or functions to ESL/EFL students: inductive approach and deductive approach

2.2.1 The deductive approach

The deductive approach is one where the teacher directly presents the rule to the

students It represents a more traditional style of teaching in that the grammatical structures or rules are dictated to the students first (Rivers and Temperley 110) Thus, the students learn the rule and apply it only after they have been introduced to the rule For example, if the structure to be presented is present perfect, the teacher would begin the lesson by saying, "Today we are going to learn how to use the present perfect structure" Then, the rules of the present perfect structure would be outlined and the students would complete exercises, in a number of ways, to practice using the structure (Goner, Phillips,

and Walters 135) In this approach, the teacher is the center of the class and is responsible

for all of the presentation and explanation of the new material

When grammar is taught deductively, the teacher: explains the rule to the learners, provides no context or communicative purpose for the grammar, focus on form first and then meaning, drills students to learn the rule mechanically, and assumes all responsibility for student learning

The deductive approach can be effective with students of a higher level, who already know the basic structures of the language, or with students who are accustomed to

a very traditional style of learning and expect grammatical presentations (Goner, Philips, and Walters 134) The deductive approach however, is less suitable for lower level language students, for presenting grammatical structures that are complex in both form and meaning, and for classrooms that contain younger learners (Goner, Philips, and Walters 134)

2.2.2 The inductive approach

The inductive approach is one where the teacher encourages the students to work

out the rule for themselves through relevant examples It represents a more modern style of teaching where the new grammatical structures or rules are presented to the students in a real language context (Goner, Phillips, and Walters 135) The students learn the use of the structure through practice of the language in context, and later realize the rules from the practical examples For example, if the structure to be presented is the comparative form, the teacher would begin the lesson by drawing a figure on the board and saying, "This is Jim He is tall." Then, the teacher would draw another taller figure next to the first saying,

"This is Bill He is taller than Jim." The teacher would then provide many examples using students and items from the classroom, famous people, or anything within the normal daily life of the students, to create an understanding of the use of the structure The students repeat after the teacher, after each of the different examples, and eventually practice the structures meaningfully in groups or pairs (Goner, Phillips, and Walters 135-136) With this approach, the teacher's role is to provide meaningful contexts to encourage demonstration of the rule, while the students evolve the rules from the examples of its use

and continued practice (Rivers and Temperley 110)

When grammar is taught inductively, the teacher : allows the learners to formulate and discover the rules (―to induct‖), Provides a context and purpose for use, focus on meaning first and form second, helps learners discover the rule through meaningful communication, and empowers the students to solve problem and learn how to learn a language

The advantages of the inductive approach are that students can focus on the use of the language without being held back by grammatical terminology and rules that can inhibit fluency The inductive approach also promotes increased student participation and practice of the target language in the classroom, in meaningful contexts The use of the inductive approach has been noted for its success in EFL/ESL classrooms world-wide, but its disadvantage is that it is sometimes difficult for students who expect a more traditional style of teaching to induce the language rules from context The two approaches to grammar can be seen briefly in Table 2.1

Table 2.1: The deductive and inductive approaches (modified after Stern 1992:150)

Deductive approach: General rule → Specific examples → Practice

Inductive approach: Specific examples → Practice → General rule

The inductive approach, instead of basing on a teacher-fronted transmission-style classroom, is student-centered and allows learners to become deeply involved in the

language they are studying and offers potential for reflection In the process of experiential

learning (learning-and-doing) they feel more important, and less passive, and do not get bored so easily during the lesson Therefore, the inductive technique can render great service to teachers who have problems with keeping their students disciplined, concentrated and occupied, as it partly obviates these problems Knowing that they can work out the rules from examples by themselves greatly increases learners‘ motivation, makes them attentive, more actively involved in-and confident and enthusiastic about-the learning process rather than simply passive recipients, and at the same time contributes to

its effectiveness The inductive method has the obvious advantage that what the learners discover themselves, they are more likely to remember

In both approaches, the students practice and apply the use of the grammatical

structure, yet, there are advantages and disadvantages to each in the EFL/ESL classroom (Rivers and Temperley 110) Understanding the disadvantages and advantages of both approaches, may help the teacher to vary and organize the EFL/ESL lesson, in order to keep classes interesting and motivating for the students (Goner, Philips, and Walters 129)

As many different characters of the two approaches above, and because of the purpose of the study as well as characters of TBA, It seems to be that the inductive approach is more appropriate to my study and it has many features of task-based teaching

2.2.3 Focus on form and focus on forms

Focus on form overtly draws students‘ attention to linguistic elements as they arise incidentally in lessons whose overriding focus is on meaning or communication (Long,

1991, cited in Doughty, 2001) Focus on form involves an occasional shift in attention to linguistic code features — by the teacher and/or one or more students — triggered by

perceived problems with comprehension or production (Long and Robinson, 1998)

Focus on form: Within a communicative approach, referring to learners and teachers addressing formal features of language that play a role in the meanings that are negotiated This is contrasted with a focus on forms, which emphasis formal aspects rather than meaningful activities (Carter and Nunan, 2001)

Focus on forms entails the prior selection of a linguistic element which is presented and practiced (e.g PPP) Focus on forms "refers to instruction that seeks to isolate linguistic forms in order to teach and test them at a time" (Ellis; 1994: 639) it is believed that when the linguistic forms have been grasped, learners can "learn" the language, which

is presented by the grammar- translation method and based on the structural syllabus

The differences between FoF and FoFs are studied by many famous authors, Doughty and Williams( 1998: 4) point out that focus on forms( FoFs) and focus on form( FoF) are ― not polar opposites in the way that ‗form‘ and ‗meaning‘ have often been considered to be Rather, a FoF entails a focus on formal elements of language, whereas focus on forms is limited to such a focus, and focus on meaning excludes it.‖ Doughty and Williams( 1998: 3) emphasize that the crucial distinction between FoFs and FoF is that

― FoF entails a prerequisite engagement in meaning before attention to linguistic features can be expected to be effective‖ A further distinction is pointed out by Ellis ( 2001: 15 ) who states that with FoF the attention to form must be ―brief and unobtrusive‖

Sheen ( 2002: 303 ) proposes that there is a fundamental difference between FoFs and FoF, as far as the theoretical underpinnings of these two approaches are concerned According to Sheen FoFs is based on the assumption that when the learners learn a second language in classroom situation they are learning a skill, and that they are utilizing general cognitive processes to do so As a skill- learning activity, the FoF approach is seen to take place in three stages:

● Learners are brought to understand the grammar, by means of overt grammar explanation, which often includes explanation in a first language and a comparison of the first and the target language structures

● Non- communicative and communicative exercises in the target grammatical forms can be practiced

● learners are provided with plentiful opportunities for communication, in which they can use the target grammatical constructions, so that the use will all eventually become automatic and accurate ( Sheen, 2002: 304)

By contrast, FoF, according to Sheen (2002: 303),derives from the assumption that the first and second language acquisition are to a certain extent similar processes Both these processes are seen to utilize ―exposure to comprehensible input arising from natural interaction‖ FoF is, however, also based on the realization that there are significant different between first and second language acquisition Typically, learners‘ exposure to the target language is insufficient for acquiring grammar, and in order to make up for this lack of exposure learners‘ attention need to be focused on structural elements of the target language, i.e there needs to be some FoF To understand more about FoF and FoFs, in other words, because of the purpose of the study, it is necessary and important to make a comparison between these two terms

Table 2.2:The differences between FoF and FoFs

(form instruction)

The word form refers to language form in

general

Learners first engage in meaning; then

explore some linguistic features

Occasional shift of attention to form

Triggered by perceived problems in

Primary attention to form

Most attention to form

forms are taught in isolation

Synthetic approach The above accompanying discussion of terms ‗FoFs‘ and ‗FoF‘ were presented in

an attempt to point out all possible distinctions between these terms It is important to note, however, these distinctions are theoretical, and that in the practice the two approaches are not mutually exclusive Although it is important to distinguish between ‗FoFs‘ and ‗FoF‘, and to design materials and classroom methodology according to decisions informed by theory about how attention to linguistic form, both FoFs and FoF could be used in the same course and in the materials designed for it Task-based language teaching involves "focus

Task-based teaching approach, also called task-based learning, which was put forward in the 1980, derives its idea from the process syllabus It can be regarded as one particular approach to implement the broader ―communicative approach‖ It is a teaching method that put tasks at the center of the methodological focus It considers learning process as a set of communicative tasks that are directly linked to the curricular goals The

aim of task-based learning is to make language classroom approximate to the target language environment, develop students‘ ability to communicate, and communication takes place through using the grammatical system

Nunan (1999, p.24) defines task-based language teaching as follows: ―task-based language teaching is an approach to the design of language course in which the point of departure is not an ordered list of linguistic items, but a collection of tasks.‖ Tasks provide

an entire language curriculum Task-based language teaching provides learners with opportunities to experiment with and explore both spoken and written language through tasks designed to engage learners in authentic, practical and functional use of language for meaningful purpose

Task-based approach is a teaching technique that involves classroom activities and the understanding and application of the target language and interaction among learners It focuses on the meaning rather than the form of language and the task itself should be a complete unit which can be related to fulfilling an independent social activity The purpose of task-based approach is to provide learners a natural and real environment to use language in which they will get many opportunities to communicate in the target language when they are trying to complete the task so as to acquire those language skills Task- based approach has been widely applied since the 1980s It profits from theories like Krashen‘s second language acquisition, Vygotsky‘s constructivism theory and many others Task-based approach is a dynamic and developing teaching method which advocates learning and training language knowledge and skills when completing tasks Teachers are no longer just initiators but guides, nor are learners just receivers but principal agents Through this approach, learners will learn how to make full use of their own communicative ability to transfer from mother language to target language It provides an opportunity for them to learn together and mobilizes their potential abilities to use and handle the target language skillfully Unlike the traditional focus on forms method, task-based language teaching involves ' focus on form ' (i.e attention to form occurs within the context of performing the task), a strong form of communicative language teaching

* Task cycle: Task cycle can be divided into three parts: task, planning and report

i) Task In this part, learners are given plenty of chances to express their ideas in

the target language The fluency of language is emphasized Learners implement tasks in pairs or groups Teachers supervise the process without interrupting their speech and correcting their errors so that the learners feel safe to express themselves freely Teachers

should help learners gain confidence in language learning Emphasis lays on communication not accuracy of language

ii) Planning This part is preparation for report Each group is getting ready to show

classmates their process and achievements of the task Since learners have to report publicly, emphasis of language naturally transfers from fluency to accuracy In this part, teachers should give suggestions and correct grammar

iii) Report Several learners report to the class while other learners should listen

carefully and compare those reports In this way, all the learners are involved

2.3.2 Definition of task

The meaning of "Task" has been given in various ways

Long (1985: 89) defines "task" as a piece of work undertaken for oneself or for others, freely or for some reward In other words, by "task" it is meant for hundreds of things people do in everyday life, at work, at play, and in between

Nunan (Li, 2004) the communicative task is a piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending, producing and interacting in the target language while their attention is principally focused on meaning rather than form

Willis, J (1996: 53) gives the meaning of "task" as goal-oriented activity in which learners use language to achieve a real outcome Communicative tasks which involve the four basic language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing are the centre of the whole teaching framework Learners start with experiencing the practice of language, and end with reviewing the rules of language

Skehan (1989: 95) lists characteristics of "task" as: 1) meaning is primary; 2) there

is some sort of relationship to comparable real-world activities; 3) task completion has some priority; 4) the assessment of tasks is in terms of outcome

Many definitions can be summarized from the above review "Tasks" are a series of correlative and purposeful activities in which learners perform when learning a language, absorbing information, solving problems, and achieving goals with the target language as they do in the real world "Task" is an essential part of the whole course that leads to influence in speaking the target language It is also the process in which learners solve simulative or real-world problems with the target language It can help learners acquire language knowledge and develop their comprehensive abilities in solving problems

Nunan also suggests that tasks will contain some form of input data, which might

be verbal or non-verbal, and an activity, which in some way, is derived from the input The tasks will also have (implicitly or explicitly) a goal and roles for teachers and learners

Nunan (1989) develops a framework for analyzing communicative tasks, which composed of 6 components This framework is diagraphically presented in Figure 2.1 below

Figure 2.1: A framework for analyzing communicative tasks

(Adopted from Nunan, 1989:11)

Goals Teacher's role

Input TASKS Learners' role

*The objective of the task must be stated very clearly

*The task must be appropriate for the level of the learners

*The task must equip the learners with the ability to apply classroom learning in new situations

*Tasks must be interesting and motivating to the students

*The form the input takes, must be clear to the teacher

*The roles of teachers and students must be specified clearly

*Through the task, learners must be encouraged to negotiate meaning

*The language that will be generated by the task must be predicted

*There should be variety and flexibility in the tasks

2.3.3 The basic characteristics of TBLT

1) Student-centeredness

Teachers should always be aware to plan a lesson for the aim of students‘ mastery

of how to use a language Encourage students‘ involvement in the task activities

(2) Meaning-focused instead of form-focused

It is for the accomplishment of certain tasks that students use certain language forms to communicate meaningfully with someone The students don‘t note down all the rules any more Instead, they are involved in the meaningful and interesting activities

(5) Feedback and evaluation

Teachers should pay much attention to the process of feedback Give students a chance to report on their findings and experience their achievements Without this step, a task can hardly called a task in a TBL class Teachers should give appropriate evaluation to their outcome as well

(6) Inside and outside class

Often an in-class task can lead to post-class tasks It is natural that the excitement

of the whole class may lead to a further discussion after class

2.3.4 Studies on TBLT

The researcher took some fundamental information on TBLT in Asian context from the Asia TEFL Conference (Bangkok, August, 2000) into this study because they are very useful and appropriate with the purpose of the study (language teaching context is the same) In other words, these information help us to have a significant look on TBLT not only in Vietnam but also in other Asian countries

Nunan (2003) indicates that TBLT emerged as a central concept from a study of curriculum guidelines and syllabi in the Asia-Pacific countries including Japan, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Korea and Malaysia

In China, the studies of Gatbonton and Gu (1994) and Yu (2001) on TBLT practice point out that: the country lacks of qualified teachers, the teachers‘ low salaries which affects directly to their teaching And the conditions for teaching and learning, such as: size of classes and teachers‘ preferences to textbook-based instruction, all affect their teaching

In Thailand, McDonough and Chaikitmongkol (2007) designed and experimented

a Task-based EFL course at Chiang Mai University) and found that TBLT encouraged learner independence Teachers need constant support with regard to supplementary materials and pedagogical knowledge Teachers need the freedom to follow the curriculum rather than the prescribed textbook TBLT satisfied learners‘ immediate academic needs (a task-based EFL course at Chiang Mai University)

In Vietnam, Canh (2008) pointed out that: Teachers are not only unfamiliar with TBLT but also unconfident in using English, and teachers' knowledge base is still limited

To the learners, they are unmotivated in learning as well as lack a clear goal of learning English

Through various results of studies on TBLT from many countries There have been many discussions on the TBLT in those countries that, the absence of a clear rationale to implement TBLT begs the question of what is meant by TBLT and who, teachers or curriculum developers, deem it appropriate to use across diverse classroom contexts TBLT is derived from the SLA research that students learn a language by performing a task Tasks are always performed in a particular social context while classroom practice may be chaotic and unpredictable Needs analyses must be the first step in curriculum design The success of TBLT is heavily dependent on teachers‘ and students‘ linguistic resources About the conditions of successful language pedagogy, they have discussed these issues: Teachers should be informed of the rationale of new pedagogical practices, Teachers‘ professional skills in adapting task Power relationship in the classroom Students‘ motivation to make meaningful use of language to attain an objective Students‘ proficiency level Hyper-rational whole sale appropriation of western-based TBLT model

Inadequate consideration of contextual constraints, which include: a) top-down, transmission-based educational culture b) shallowly-trained teachers c) teachers‘ heavy teaching schedule, but low salaries d) teachers‘ lack of professional support

New ideas and practices in ELT tend to be hastily adopted once the message is sent from the western world under the pressure of the government policy without due attention to contextual variables such as students‘ needs and the reality of the classroom Teachers are therefore refuse to accept the innovative ideas that are not based on their realities

Need of Contextual Considerations: Pedagogical innovations must be implemented and adapted according to local conditions, the strengths of individual teachers and students, the available resources, the age of the learner, and the time available for teaching (Lightbown, 2000,p 454)

For the success of TBLT in Asia countries: Curriculum developers should take into consideration the contextual factors in order to adapt the theories to the local context Teachers need to be more thoroughly trained in using tasks and functional language Effective TBLT is dependent on teachers‘ informed pedagogy that reflect students‘ needs and expectations, that take into account contextual resources and constraints and that is based on sound theoretical assumptions Teachers as key determinant

For teacher empowerment: Teachers should be empowered by being equipped with tools to analyze the realities within their local contexts so that they can teach more appropriately and effectively No matter how modern western pedagogical ideas might be

they should be taken just as resources

2.4 Task-based grammar teaching

2.4.1 Why task-based grammar teaching

The idea of getting learners to acquire English through tasks was developed in India by Prabhu in the 1980s Prabhu made a strong communicative approach project in Banglore, South India He puts forwards many kinds of tasks, and designs the learning contents into all kinds of communicative tasks He thinks learners may learn more effectively when their minds are focused on tasks, rather than on the language they are using

Task-based language teaching approach can be viewed as within the framework of communicative teaching and the study of task-based language teaching stems largely from communicative language teaching (Nunan, 1989) It puts tasks at the center of the methodological focus It considers the learning process as a set of communicative tasks that are directly linked to the curricular goals It emphasizes the development of students' communicative ability and communication takes place through using the grammatical system of the language It combines the teaching of language forms with teaching of

language skills Therefore, it may have significance or it may be effective in grammar

teaching

where students are non-major of English, most of whom are not very bad at English subject comparing with the others of other high schools in Hagiang and they seem to be more attracted to English since the adaptation of new textbook in which the task-based theme had been being applied in teaching language skills While the Language Focus, including Pronunciation and Grammar, is based on a very traditional approach which emphasizes the practice of discrete grammar points As the matter of fact, at present most

of the teachers adopt the traditional teaching method in grammar class Sometimes they spend a lot of time explaining the grammar points, analyzing long and boring sentences and expounding less useful but difficult words It is so boring that it can not arouse students‘ interest as a teacher of English, I myself think of new method to teach grammar

to arouse students' interest

There have been many opinions about task-based grammar teaching, some thought that teaching grammar following task-based approach was not effective while others said that teaching grammar following task-based approach was effective I myself have thought much about this and have wondered why language skills were designed following TBA in the new textbook whereas grammar was not designed following TBA To know whether teaching grammar through communicative tasks is possible or not, I decided to make an experiment on teaching grammar to 10 grade students through communicative tasks for my

2 Task

2.1 Planning the task

Aim: for the Ss to discuss about the works related to grammar points in group of six

Set a limited time of three or four minutes to discuss this Circulate and listen to the

Ss doing the task, but do not correct any language at this moment

2.2 Doing the task

Aim: For students to prepare an oral report of their task

Stop the task Tell the students to work together preparing a summary of their discussion for later report to the whole class They must write notes for this summary and

be prepared to report this orally to the rest of the class Set a time limit of five minutes for them to do this When the students are ready, ask a spokesperson from each group to do report Rest of the class listen carefully

2.3 Presenting the product of the task

Aim: For students to get a provision of useful language input

3 Post-task

3.1 language focus

Aim: To raise students‘ awareness about the target language

Let the students look at the passage again, picking out those sentences which contain grammar points and write them on the board

Check that the Ss understand the meaning of sentences( if necessary )

Ask Ss to write down the rules of form for grammar point

3.2 Language practice

Aim: To give the students some restricted written practice in the target language

2.4.3 Characteristics of the Task-based Grammar Class

With accomplishing tasks and activities in real-life like situations becoming the focus of each class, grammar class will show the following characteristics:

(1) The process of learning is a process of obtaining information, dealing with information, analyzing problems and solving problems When the students‘ attention is focused on the problems or activities, it is much easier to learn the grammar items well

(2) The purpose of language learning is not just learning grammar knowledge, but the practical use of grammar knowledge It is quite clear that grammar is the fundamental

knowledge in English learning, since ―practice makes perfect‖, the best way to learn it well

is to practice, to use them in our daily life

(3) Cooperative learning becomes accessible In order to make the tasks more meaningful and interesting, the grammar class asks for the students‘ cooperation The students can make great ideas by discussion and argument in a group with their partners

(4) Student-centered class is highlighted A teacher is no longer a dominator in class but a facilitator of learning The new class model welcomes different ideas from every student The class focuses more on the students‘ behavior and every has their own right to express themselves

(5) Students‘ individuality (creative way of thinking and personal views in understanding and solving problems) is appreciated In task-based class, there is not only one answer to every question and there is no set answer We appreciate new ideas from the students As long as the answer given by students is reasonable, it is acceptable

2.4.4 Studies on Task-based grammar teaching

According to the results of Ma Li' s (2004) survey of teachers‘ attitudes towards

grammar teaching through tasks Journal of Basic English Education 6/3 While task-based

language teaching has been promoted for several years, little has been researched on the impact of a task-based approach to grammar

Most of the teachers showed a positive attitude towards task-based grammar teaching, from which they thought the students may benefit a lot Tasks and activities could make the classroom atmosphere much more relaxing The focus of each class is on practical use of grammar, which mean grammar teaching could occur in a more natural and meaningful way Cooperative learning through tasks and activities offered a good chance

to form good learning strategies and team spirit And students‘ confidence would be greater than before because their ideas were appreciated by teachers rather than criticized, which as a result could work as an initiative to improve students‘ learning

However, there are quite a lot of concerns about the application of task-based approach to grammar teaching Ma Li points out the following concerns:

1 Not every grammar item can be matched a good task set in real-life like situations

2 Big classes are hard to control and organize in the process of tasks and activities

3 Development of the whole class cannot stand for development of everyone Low-achieved students might drop off

4 Not listening grammar rules clearly might lead to grammar inaccuracy

5.The adoption of task-based grammar teaching means the preparation for grammar class will be more complex than before, which, as a result, adds to the already-heavy workload

6 Teachers have their own problems in understanding certain culture issues concerning the tasks

Although not everyone agrees with the idea of teaching, the author is sure that the trend will be the demand of the new curriculum standards Learning English does not just mean memorizing rules Not looking at a grammar book does not equal not learning English well

2.5 Summary

This chapter has presented the issues relating to grammar teaching in terms of the role of grammar in foreign language learning with both positive and negative points Some approaches to grammar including deductive approach and inductive approach as well as focus on form or focus on forms have been presented In addition, the chapter reviews some theoretical issues of task-based language teaching and task-based grammar teaching The rationale for applying a task-based approach to teaching grammar as well as studies on the applicability of task-based approach to various contexts have been reviewed The next chapter presents the research methodology employed in the present study

in one high school This chapter starts with a description of the syllabus for grade 10 This will be followed by a discussion of the research method, procedures and outcomes

3.1 The syllabus for grade 10

In some recent years, new methods of teaching and learning English have been introduced to high schools through the adoption of the new national English textbooks Hagiang Specialized upper secondary school is not except one

Unlike the old textbook, the "Tieng Anh 10" has attracted both teachers and students by introducing a theme-based approach with sixteen units Lessons are arranged according to themes which are familiar with students and relevant to many aspects of daily life For example, these themes or topics include A day in the life of ., schools talks, people's background, special education, technology and you, an excursion, the media mass, the story of my village, undersea world, conversation, national parks, music, films and cinema, the world cup, cities, and historical places The purpose of this textbook is to develop students' communicative language skills in four skills: reading, speaking, listening, and writing In fact, each unit in the book is divided into five parts: reading first, second is speaking, third is listening, and fourth is writing , and the last is language focus In learning language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), students are excited and interested because of new methods in which they have to do some tasks

However, Language Focus, including Grammar and Pronunciation is based on very traditional approach which emphasizes the practice of discrete grammar points In the language focus, students are asked to practice some pronunciations in the textbook and taught grammar with a very traditional method This is reflected in the way teachers give examples and explain grammar rules They often spend a lot of time explaining the target

grammar rules, analyzing while expounding less useful but difficult words Then students

are asked to do exercises in the textbook This is likely to make students feel that grammar lesson is so boring because of sitting front of the teacher listening to the teacher