using games to improve the students english writing skill at ha van mao high school1

Without motivation in classroom, students can not achieve the goal of learning foreign language like English.. The thought of what strategies and techniques can be utilized to motivate t

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rational

In Vietnam, English has become a compulsory subject from Primary Three in Vietnam since 2010 and is gradually being introduced even earlier into the curriculum in many schools This highlights the official importance of English in both education and society Nevertheless, students who are generally weak in English language learning were found in many parts of the countries especially in the mountainous areas

Ha Van Mao high school is one of the highschools locating in Ba Thuoc district that is in the poor religion with special difficulties in Thanh Hoa Province According to a survey of result of English in the National Examination, I have conducted in this school for many years, the number of student choosing English as a subject to offer for university is few Morever, students score very low in English The average mark they get is only under mark 2 Most students only hope to get mark above 1 to pass the exam

Many factors contribute to these problems and lack of motivation on the part of learners or demotivated learners is one of the most common problems faced by the teachers which affects both teachers and learners in negative way The importance of motivation in English learning process in the classroom has always been recognized and recommended Without motivation

in classroom, students can not achieve the goal of learning foreign language like English Moever, according to Ellis (1994), "Tapping into motivation is crucial for language teachers because we know that motivation is one of the key factors driving language learning success" Therefore, the teacher has the central role in this crucial aspect of foreign language teaching and learning processes

As an English teacher, I myself had to face various problems of demotivation among Ha Van Mao highschool learners The thought of what strategies and techniques can be utilized to motivate the learners to learn English, what we can do to better the quality of learning English at HaVan

Mao highschool led me to choose the topic for my thesis namely “Some

suggestions for English teachers in building students' motivation at Ha Van Mao highschool” I hope that this research can give a few benefits to

teachers, students and related others

1.2 Objectives of the study

The main objectives of this study are as follows:

 To identify the important effects of motivation to students' English learning

 To explore the role of teacher in building students'motivation

 To suggest some solutions for teacher with the aim of developing students' motivation which could be useful to raise the result of teaching and learning English at Ha Van Mao highschool

1.3 Scope of the study

For the limitation of time, conditions, and materials, this study only focuses on finding the importance of teacher, one factor affecting to students'motivation in learning English From that, some solutions are suggested to improve it This thesis is also carried out on some English teachers and 176 students of 4 classes which I was in charge for English in school year 2017-2018

1 Class 10A2 (44 students)

2 Class 10A3 (45 students)

3 Class 12A5 (43 students)

4 Class 12A6 (44 students)

1.4 Methods of the study

Carrying out this research, the following methods have been used:

 Theoretical study

 Survey (questionaire)

 Interview

 Class observation

1.5 New aspect of the study

 This study finds out the importance of motivation which direct affects

to students' English learning at Ha Van Mao highschool that has not been caried out before

 The suggested solutions linking real situation have been applied and have shown their effectiveness

2 CONTENT

2.1 Theoretical background

“Many of us believe that learners have certain characteristics which lead to more or less successful language learning”, (Lightbown, P.M & Spada,

N 1999) There are many factors affecting language learning of the learners

Spolsky, B (1998) shows us many other factors: attitude, intelligence, aptitude, learning strategies, personality, material, motivation, memory,

training strategies, social context

According to ZHANGHAO: "only need motivation does everyone learn foreing language well "

2.1.1 Motivation

2.1.1.1 Definition

The concept of ‘motivation’ is very difficult to define due to complex nature of it Different scholars have defined it differently focusing on various aspects related to it

According to Ryan & Deci (2000), "to be motivated is to move to do some thing" (P.20) To put it simply, motivation is something which makes us act; it is a desire to work towards a goal or to reach an objective This implies that if motivation is present, learning can be facilitated; but without it, effective learning becomes difficult

Being more specific, Clement (1994) defines language learning motivation into three levels: the language level, the learner level and the situation level These three levels get together with the three fundamental elements of any foreign language learning process which include- the target language, the language learner, and the language learning environment, also mirror the three different facets of language: the social dimension, the personal dimension, and the educational subject matter dimension

However, for Williams & Burden (1997) motivation is "a state of cognitive and emotional arousal, which leads to a conscious decision to act, and which gives rise to a period of sustained intellectual and/or physical effort

in order to attain a previously set goal or goals" (P.120)

All these definitions affirm that the motivation is consequence of combination of different influences which lead to different types of it

2.1.1.2 Types of Motivation

Many scholars such as Tudor, (1994), Arnold and Brown (1999), Littlewood (1996) have suggested two very general types of motivation (integrative and instrumental) The integrative motivation refers to the learner's desire to integrate with the speakers of second language, and even become part of the second language culture It is very similar to intrinsic motivation On the other hand, the instrumental motivation, which occurs when the learner need to get, for example, a job or to pass his examination, it

is very similar to the extrinsic motivation (Gardner & Lambert, 1972) These types are discussed below

2.1.1.2.1 Extrinsic motivation(instrumental)

Extrinsic motivation refers to the pressure or reward from the social environment to learn a language Extrinsically motivated learners aim to obtain a better career opportunity, a teacher’s praise or recognition or even to prove that one is a good learner However, a characteristic of external

motivation is that it implies some kind of external pressure which, once

removed, may result in the language learner quitting the second language learning (Noels, Clement, & Pelletier, 2001)

2.1.1.2.2 Intrinsic motivation(integrative)

Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is more self-determined and refers to internal factors such as enjoyment and satisfaction for oneself

Intrinsically motivated learners perform an activity for the feelings associated with exploring new ideas and developing knowledge, the sensations related to attempting to master the task or achieve a goal According to Ryan and Deci (2000), the feelings of satisfaction in intrinsic motivation come from a sense

of competence, autonomy, and relatedness

2.1.1.3 Importance of Motivation

The importance of motivation in English learning process has always been recognized due to the fact that it is one of the most important factors which decide the success or failure of the process Allwright and Bailey (1994) state that "the motivated learners are more receptive than those who are not motivated” (p.182) Ellis (1997: 76) points out that sometimes learners

do not have especial attitude but motivation can involve curiosity and interests so that they feel that they are involved in learning activities It is easy

to say that the learner who has strong motivation will gain great success more than one who has not, and s/he will get the best chance to overcome difficulties when trying to communicate in second language Yule (1996) believes that "Obviously motivation to learn is important Indeed, we could say that motivation is necessary for learning

2.1.2 The role of teacher in motivating learners in language classroom

The role of teacher in motivating and engaging students in learning language is very difficult and complex, in which it concerns all academic and social aspect of classroom environment The language teacher also has some

of responsibilities in the language learning to keep the language learning process a more motivating Therefore, an experienced teacher needs to put a great deal of consideration into developing programs which can keep student interested and have obtainable short term goals

2.1.2.1 Creating the basic motivational conditions

We have seen above that teachers play a significant role in affecting learners’ motivation; teachers’ actions and behaviors in the classroom have motivational influence on students Dörnyei and Csizer (1998) confirmed this claim through their study of 200 Hungarian teachers

2.1.2.1.1 Teacher's behavior

They argued that teachers’ behavior is a powerful tool of motivation in classroom It is argued that teachers’ behavior can influence the students’ engagement in class Therefore, it is crucial to establish a class atmosphere of mutual trust and respect with the learners (Alison & Halliwell, 2002)

Teachers can promote such respect and trust through interacting with students

on a personal level and show that they care about their students’ personal issues or challenges that they face in the classroom or even outside

Enthusiasm is another factor that can impact learners’ motivation Enthusiasm

is contagious in classrooms; therefore, if students recognize their teacher’s enthusiasm to the task, they, too, will be enthusiastic (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2011)

2.1.2.1.2 Creating classroom atmosphere

Students’ anxiety is one of the most recognized factors that undermine

learning effectiveness and second language motivation (Dörnyei, 2007;

MacIntyre, 2002; Young, 1999) Safe classroom environments are the most productive in involving the learner in the learning process In such

environments, students are encouraged to express their opinions and

perspectives on different issues because they feel safe and protected from embarrassment and sarcasm Creating a safe teaching environment also

includes developing a sense of community and promoting “a palpable sense

of belonging” (White, 2007, p 104)

2.1.2.1.3.Building Cohesiveness

Cohesiveness among learners has an influential motivational impact on learning Uncooperative groups can have ineffective results in learning

Effective group norms are those developed by both teacher and learners Group norms that are mandated by teachers have been proved to be

ineffective unless the majority of the class agrees that they are appropriate and right (Ehrman & Dörnyei, 1998) Another important norm that contributes to cohesive groups is the tolerance of learners’ mistakes and viewing them as something positive which may contribute to improvement and an indication of learning new information

2.1.2.2 Generating Students’ Motivation

Teachers can achieve this aim of generating students’ motivation

through implementing various strategies First, teachers should enhance

learners’ values and attitudes toward the language, including their intrinsic, intercultural, and instrumental values Generating learners’ interest and

enjoyment to study is a key issue here Teachers should know how to “whet the students’ appetite and attract their attention to learn the language (Dörnyei

& Ushioda, 2011, p 114) The target culture is also a useful tool to generate the integrative orientation of the learners through introducing authentic

materials which reflect the target culture and community of the target

language However, for some learners, learning the language is a means to an end, and teachers should be aware of that and try to pay attention to the

instrumental value of learning the language For instance, some learners study the target language in order to gain a rewarding career Therefore, teachers should draw the students’ attention to the fact that speaking the language fluently is crucial to their achievement of their ambitions

Second, teachers should promote the learners’ expectations of success

in the secnd language This notion is based on Atkinson and Raynor’s (1974) achievement motivation model The theory conceptualized that students will have a greater tendency to do an activity if they feel they will succeed in that particular activity Hence, it is unlikely to aim for something if we know that

we will eventually fail Brophy (1998) states that, “the simplest way to ensure that students expect success is to make sure that they achieve it constantly” (p 60) Other ways to increase students’ expectancy of success include assisting them and giving them time to prepare for tasks, explaining to them what success is involved in the task and how to achieve it, and help them overcome any obstacle they may face (Dornyei, 2011)

Third, teachers should orient the students toward particular goals and work together to realize these goals In fact, in many teaching situations,

teachers work with a pre-determined syllabus and already planned goal of the course, but many research studies have found that these goals most often do not match the students’ goals More importantly, many students have been reported that they do not understand why they are given a particular activity

As a result, it is the role of the teacher to steer the class towards a particular goal and explain to the students the purpose of each activity and help them achieve that goal One of the problems that may face both teachers and

learners is the diversity of learners’ goals in the sense that every learner may bring a distinct goal, and some of them are in the classroom because not that they have a goal but rather they have to be there “It is fundamental to the successful working of a group to have a sense of direction and a common purpose Defining and agreeing aims is one of the hardest tasks that the group has to undertake together” (Hadfield, 1992, p 134, as quoted by Dörnyei,

2001, p 60) The implication here is that teachers should understand each learner’s goals and with the learners create a set of goals for the whole group and work to fulfill these goals

The fourth strategy to generate motivation is to make the teaching materials relevant to the learners Brophey (1998) argues that schools build their curriculum on societal norms and what the society thinks students should learn rather than giving students a choice to learn what they think is relevant

to their needs So, the motivation to learn decreases dramatically when the learners learn something they do not see any relevant to their lives Dörnyei (2001) suggests that teachers should make materials as relevant as possible to the students’ lives and, if necessary, teachers should supplement some

activities in textbooks with more relevant materials that can motivate students

to learn because they can apply it to their own experiences

Finally, teachers should help students create realistic beliefs about language learning Some learners bring some unrealistic learning beliefs about how much progress or learning they can achieve in a particular class If they

do not see that their beliefs or expectations are not achieved, they will become disappointed and lose interest in the course Teachers, therefore, should

explain the complexity to learn an second language and develop students’ understanding of the nature of the process Moreover, teachers should help students realize that there are various ways to achieve success in the learning process and encourage each learner to find his/her distinct ways of learning

2.1.2.3 Maintaining and Protecting Motivation

2.1.2.3.1.Teaching methodology

One way to maintain motivation is to make the learning experience enjoyable and stimulating This can occur in variety of ways For instance, teachers can make teaching more interesting through varying their teaching styles, presentations, different materials, and learning tasks Interesting tasks have been viewed as one of the greatest components of motivation

(Anderman & Anderman, 2010) Teaching can also be interesting if teachers

introduce novel techniques and make the task challenging but achievable The way teachers present tasks can be either motivating or demotivating

depending on teachers’ will not be able to progress if they have any doubts about their abilities (Dornyei & Ushioda, 2011) Teachers can promote

learners’ self-confidence administration of the tasks This includes clarifying the aim of the task, arousing learners’ anticipation toward the task, and

offering suitable strategies for doing the task

2.1.2.3.2.Promoting learner's selfmotivation

Most of the discussions on maintaining motivation emphasized the teacher’s role, but if we also give the students the opportunity to share this responsibility, it will be beneficial Learners who motivate themselves exhibit more success in pursuing their goals Teachers can promote their students’ self-motivation by using useful strategies

• Having high expectations: teachers should strive to motivate and

engage all their students in learning rather than simply accepting that some students cannot be engaged and are destined to do poorly

Moreover, they should have high expectations of themselves and their own learning!

• Acknowledging individual differences: What is highly important here

is the fact that teachers should bear this in mind that personalizing the learning for their students as well as knowing that students develop at different rates can help them up to a great deal

• Using a range of pedagogies: this mainly centers on the fact that

teachers should use techniques that best serve the learning needs of their students so that they can learn on themselves through discovery Besides, effective teachers know that students learn best if they are provided with opportunities to learn not only from the teacher but also from other students and from sources outside the school that are now more readily accessible through various forms of technology

• Encouraging student responsibility: teachers had better teach in a

way that encourages students to take greater responsibility for their own learning so to make sure their students know what the goals of the learning program are and therefore it results in Students being actively involved in evaluating their own learning

• Having Mastery over Their Teaching Content: this mainly highlights

the fact that teachers are to have thorough knowledge of their subject content and skills and accordingly use their knowledge of learning processes to determine which will be most effective to help the

particular students in their classes learn successfully

• Monitoring progress and providing feedback: for teachers to be

effective ones, it is absolutely necessary to closely monitor each

student’s achievements mainly because this gives them valuable

information to assess the impact of their teaching Effective teachers are also in the habit of constantly reflecting on how well they are

getting through to their students and searching for better ways of

teaching those who are not responding as well as extending those who are achieving well

2.2.Practical background

The control charts were delivered to 176students of classes (12A5, 12A6, 10A2, 10A3) to gather actual affairs of teaching and learning English at Ha Van Mao highschool

2.2.1.For the teachers

Figure1: Factors affecting to students' result of learning English

According to the data from the figure, it is the factor" teacher"that plays the most crucial role in students' English learning In fact, the collected

information from students and English teachers show some limitations in English teacher's method demotivating students

2.2.1.1 Teaching strategies

Teaching strategies must be taken into account All the data shown in the study prove that the teachers’ teaching strategies are not interesting enough to draw their students’ attention and interest The techniques and activities employed in their lessons seem to be monotonous For example, the teachers keep delivering the new language items orally and by writing on the board most of the time in Vietnamese or little English while students just look

at the board and take notes Also, students are frequently asked to work individually Pair work and group work are rarely used The interaction among teachers and students is only realized by the teachers’ few questions and students’ answers It may be concluded that the teachers simply follow the framework of the textbook and teach what is required in syllabus Hence, the teaching strategies used by the teachers in certain circumstance are not in relevance and effectiveness

Despite all the talk online and among innovative language teachers, the

Note:

A:teacher B: short of reference C:lack of basic knowledge D: other ideas

truth is that the grammar syllabus and approach still rules in this world The evaluation to be successful in this kind of examination, only a good grasp of vocabulary, some grammatical points, and reading comprehension are sufficient Therefore, teacher only focuses on teaching grammar

2.2.1.2 Teacher quality

The collected information proves that the Engish teachers of Ha Van Mao highschool are mainly young and not very experienced in their teaching They often have 5- 10 year experience More than a half of English teachers quantity is women who are looking after children Due to that limitation, the teachers may not have enough time to try out on many ways of teaching; they need time to find out the most suitable and effective methods and techniques

to apply in their teaching for ethnic minority students

2.2.2 Motivation

Figure2: students' motivation in learning English

The data shown on the figure indicate that for most learners, learning English is a duty — something that they have to, but they don’t want to do They don’t see pleasure in learning English These students have low motivation to participate in class, and they simply try to get a passing mark to get rid of the course

Another demotivating factor is that English is considered as a general subject compared to special subjects such as physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology Only few students attend the classes to learn some special points

to be successful in examination such as grammar and vocabulary However ,the number of these is not much

According to a survey of the result of English in school year 2015-2016

I conducted in Ha Van Mao high school, only 7 students in comparison wih

120 students who took the University entrance examination chose English as special subject to win a place at university in school year 2015-2016

English is considered as one of the core subjects in curiculumn and in the National Examination However, most students do not like learning

Note:

A: to get a good job in the future

B: a compulsory subject C: a loved subject D: other ideas

English ,even dislike They find challenges in learning this subject, which causes bad result of students' English learning at Ha Van Mao highschool

The given data show the insufficient awareness of the important role of English and lack of students' motivation in learning English

2 3 Some suggested solutions

From these findings the researcher would like to give some suggestions

to raise the motivation for students, to some extent, may help the teachers and learners in their teaching and learning process

2.3.1 Using relevant and useful teaching techniques

The easiest way is to give the students more chances to play games, sing songs, take part in plays and competitions in English For students, they are usually active and love to join the games and competition to show their ability In addition, they are in favor of songs and plays It is easier for them

to learn by heart new words through songs and plays When they can sing songs or act as a character in a play, they will be more confident to speak English Games, songs and plays as well can be used both in normal English lessons and everyweek optional lessons Hence, teachers should organize games, plays, songs and even a small competition to encourage the children and warm up the classroom atmosphere After such activities, teachers may give good comments and present the winners or the best ones small gifts which will leave sweet memories in students’ mind

2.3.2 Creating English environment

In the class, the teachers should try to speak and make their ideas understood in English It seems not very natural to use only Vietnamese in English lessons It does not mean that they should not use Vietnamese, as sometimes they have to explain abstract and complex things and make sure students understand well what they need to know However, it is obvious that teachers should use English to communicate with their students in the class in order to make them familiar with the English pronunciation It also provides opportunities for teachers to practice and improve their English

Additionally, teachers should make sure that all students speak during lessons One of the most important steps that a student needs to take in order

to learn a new language is to speak it Speaking lets students have a feeling of being involved in the lessons Therefore, teachers should give students opportunities and time to practice and raise their voices freely Students are encouraged to ask questions, give suggestions, share ideas, and tell stories The open and friendly interactions among teachers and students and among students themselves are highly appreciated Therefore, pair work and group work should be frequently used

Morever, if students have opportunity to make direct conversation with native speakers, they will surely be motivated in learning English

An English Club should be set up to increase the awareness and skills

of students in the English language through the integration of communication