The exploitation of authentic tasks in speaking classes for english non major freshmen at hanoi university of industry

Additionally, some suggestions of exploiting authentic tasks effectively to teach speaking skills will be given with the hope of providing useful source and reference for teachers at HaU

NGUYỄN THỊ HOA

THE EXPLOITATION OF AUTHENTIC TASKS IN SPEAKING CLASSES FOR ENGLISH NON-MAJOR FRESHMEN

AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY

(NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC KHAI THÁC CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG THỰC

TIỄN TRONG LỚP HỌC NÓI CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT KHỐI KHÔNG CHUYÊN ANH Ở TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHIỆP HÀ NỘI)

M.A Minor thesis

NGUYỄN THỊ HOA

THE EXPLOITATION OF AUTHENTIC TASKS IN SPEAKING CLASSES FOR ENGLISH NON-MAJOR FRESHMEN

AT HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY

(NGHIÊN CỨU VIỆC KHAI THÁC CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG THỰC

TIỄN TRONG LỚP HỌC NÓI CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT KHỐI KHÔNG CHUYÊN ANH Ở TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHIỆP HÀ NỘI)

M.A Minor thesis

Field: English teaching methodology

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Declaration ……… i

Acknowledgements ……… ii

Abstract ……… iii

Table of contents ……… iv

List of abbreviations ……… vi

List of figures, tables and charts ……… vii

PART A: INTRODUCTION ……… 1

1 Rationale for the Study……… 1

2 Research Aims and Research Questions……… 2

3 Significance of the Study……… 2

4 Scope of the Study……… 3

5 Methodology of the Study ……… 3

6 Organization of the Study……… 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT ……… 4

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW ……… 4

1.1 Communicative Language Teaching……… 4

1.1.1 Concepts of CLT……… 4

1.1.2 Main characteristics of CLT ……… 4

1.2 An overview of Task-based Language Teaching……… 5

1.2.1 Definitions of a task ……… 5

1.2.2 Components of a task ……… 7

1.2.3 Types of tasks……… 7

1.2.3.1 General types of tasks……… 7

1.2.3.2 Authentic tasks versus pedagogical tasks……… 8

1.2.4 Definitions of TBLT……… 8

1.2.5 Task-based Learning Framework……… 9

1.2.6 Benefits of Task-based Language Teaching to learners………… 11

1.2.7 Challenges of implementing TBLT ……… 12

1.3 Speaking skill ……… 13

1.3.1 Definitions of speaking skill……… 13

1.3.2 Teaching speaking skill in TBLT ……… 14

1.4 Authentic tasks in speaking classes ……… 15

1.4.1 Common types of authentic tasks……… 15

1.4.2 Criteria to identify authentic tasks……… 16

1.5 Related studies ……… 17

1.6 Conclusive remarks ……… 18

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY ……… 19

2.1 Research Context……… 19

2.1.1 Teachers ……… 19

2.1.2 Students ……… 19

2.1.3 Teaching and learning facilities ……… 20

2.1.4 English Course book for Non-major Freshmen……… 20

2.2 Research Questions ……… 20

2.3 Selection of the Participants……… 21

2.4 Research instruments……… 22

2.4.1 Survey Questionnaire……… 22

2.4.2 Informal Interviews……… 22

2.4.3 Classroom Observation……… 23

2.5 Procedure of data collection ……… 23

2.6 Procedure of data analysis ……… 24

2.7 Conclusive remarks……… 24

CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ……… 25

3.1 Research question 1……… 25

3.2 Research question 2 ……… 30

3.3 Research question 3 ……… 35

3.4 Conclusive remarks ……… 37

PART C: CONCLUSION ……… 38

1 Summary of the study ……… 38

2 Pedagogical implications………. 38

3 Limitations and suggestions for further research……… 40

REFERENCES ……… 42

Appendix 1: Survey Questionnaire for teachers……… I Appendix 2: Informal Interviews for teachers……… V Appendix 3: Sample of Task-based Speaking Lesson ……… VI Appendix 4: Classroom Observation sheets……… IX

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

HaUI: Hanoi University of Industry

EFL: English as a Foreign Language

TBLT: Task-based Language Teaching

LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES AND CHARTS

Page

Figure 1: A framework for analyzing communicative tasks……… 7

Figure 2: Task-based Learning Framework……… 10

Table 1: Common types of authentic tasks ……… 16

Table 2: Teachers’ profiles……… 21

Table 3: Teachers’ perceptions of speaking skill and the exploitation of authentic tasks in speaking classes……… 28

Chart 1: Teachers' perceptions of tasks & TBLT……… 26

Chart 2: Teachers' perceptions of authentic tasks……… 27

Chart 3: Teachers' perceptions of benefits of authentic tasks……… 30

Chart 4: Teachers’ ways of dealing with speaking activities in the text book……… 31

Chart 5: Teachers' favorite techniques embedded in exploiting authentic tasks……… 34

Chart 6: Students’ response to the tasks as perceived by the teachers………… 35

Chart 7: Teachers' difficulties in exploiting authentic tasks to teach speaking… 36

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale for the Study

Speaking is regarded as one of the key outputs for English learners Of all the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), speaking seems the most important one Classroom activities that develop learners‟ ability to express themselves through speech would therefore seem an important component in any language courses People are not able

to communicate in English if they cannot deliver their messages and make themselves understood Many Vietnamese university students, especially at HaUI, learn English as their foreign language without their motivation since they have few opportunities to practice communicating in the target language

It is understandable that they have hardly learnt English as a tool of communication but a university subject In many universities as well as in HaUI, English is normally taught for students to help them deal with tests, exams rather than for communication Grammar-oriented teaching methods seem to be prevalent in most language classes Therefore, English skills though scheduled in the textbooks, are not paid much attention to Students are supposed to learn English by exercise completion, but not gaining much for using English as

a tool of communication

In recent years, the communicative approach in language teaching has become more and more predominant However, the real outcomes prove to be a matter of concern of all language teachers and learners The fact is that a lot of learners‟ linguistic performance is quite good in class learning, but when they engage in real-life communication in which the target language is used, they seem to be hindered by many factors such as lack of communication skills, inappropriate responses and so on They really find it difficult to express with a “real” situation Such matters may rest with many reasons including classroom methodology, teaching materials, teacher‟s proficiency as well as speaking activities Among which, speaking activities play the crucial role in motivating and getting students involved in the lesson, then in helping them achieve the goal of using the target language in real-life communication Things considered, EFL teachers share an agreement that it is essential to exploit communicative speaking activities which are close to real life situations with hope to overcome these current situations In an attempt to grapple with the problem, the use of Task-based method has been recommended in teaching speaking at HaUI

In the literature, there were few studies related to exploitation of authentic tasks in teaching speaking despite numerous studies were implemented on TBLT What‟s more, no previous

studies have been conducted about the exploitation of authentic tasks in English speaking classes at the university where the author is teaching

All of the mentioned conditions, henceforward, have paved the way for the author to

carry out a research on “The Exploitation of Authentic Tasks in Speaking Classes for English Non-major Freshmen at Hanoi University of Industry” It is conducted in an

attempt to address the gap in the literature and to offer an insight of the reality of teaching speaking with the exploitation of authentic tasks to English Non-major Freshmen at HaUI Additionally, some suggestions of exploiting authentic tasks effectively to teach speaking skills will be given with the hope of providing useful source and reference for teachers at HaUI in particular and for all teachers of English in general to motivate their dear students in English speaking lessons Last but not least, it is expected that the research would make a certain contribution to the improvement of teaching speaking skills for the first-year English non-major students at HaUI

2 Research Aims and Research Questions

This study is carried out with the wish of achieving following aims:

- To investigate the teachers‟ perceptions of the exploitation of authentic tasks in English speaking classes

- To find out the extent to which authentic tasks are exploited in TBL framework in English speaking lessons

- To explore the difficulties as perceived by the teachers when they exploit authentic tasks in English speaking lessons

In order to achieve the above-mentioned aims, the following research questions were raised:

1 What are the teachers‟ perceptions of the exploitation of authentic tasks in teaching speaking?

2 To what extent are authentic tasks exploited in TBL framework in English speaking classes by the teachers?

3 What are the challenges as perceived by the teachers when authentic tasks are exploited

in speaking classes?

3 Significance of the Study

This study helps point out the teachers‟ perceptions towards authentic tasks and its exploitation in teaching speaking skills Particularly, this study is carried out with the hope

to provide an insight into current teaching situation in English speaking lessons to teach English Non-major Freshmen at HaUI Hopefully, the findings and recommendations of this study will be of some help for both teachers and students of English in the process of

teaching and learning speaking skills The results of this study may also be useful for those who are interested in this field

4 Scope of the Study

Due to time constraint as well as the author‟s ability and working conditions, the study is restricted to mention the exploitation of authentic tasks in teaching speaking Furthermore, perceptions and exploitation of authentic tasks are revealed on the part of teachers who have been teaching English non-major freshmen at HaUI in the school year 2010-2011

5 Methodology of the Study

To reach the aims of this study, both qualitative and quantitative approaches are made used of Data are collected from questionnaire, informal interviews and classroom observation The quantitative data collected from survey questionnaire were then analyzed statistically, while qualitative data were obtained from informal interviews and class observation Informal interviews were carried out to supplement the survey questionnaire Class observation is employed to get better insight of the reality of exploiting authentic tasks

in speaking lessons The validity of the study is ensured with the main instrument classroom observations Hopefully, with the combination of the three methods, the study would yield reliable and valid findings

6 Organization of the Study

The thesis consists of three main parts: the Introduction which provides an overview

of the study, the Development which is the main part and consists of 3 chapters, and the

Conclusion which includes summary of the study, implications, limitations and suggestions

for further study

Three chapters in the main part are as follows:

- Chapter 1: Literature review sets up theoretical background that is relevant to the

purpose of the study

- Chapter 2: Methodology gives detailed presentation about the methods and

procedures of the study such as participant selection, data collection methods, data analysis methods and so on

- Chapter 3: Findings and discussions show the data collected from the survey

questionnaires, the interviews and observation Also, the data will be discussed in this chapter to find out the answer to the research questions

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter will briefly present a theoretical background of the study with the reexamination of the concepts most relevant to the thesis‟s topic Firstly, a general introduction of CLT will be given Secondly, the overall perspectives of TBLT will be discussed Thirdly, an account of teaching speaking skills in Task-based Approach will be mentioned Finally, common authentic task types and criteria to identify authentic tasks will

be referred to in speaking classes

1.1 Communicative language teaching (CLT)

1.1.1 Concepts of CLT

CLT appearing in the 1960s and 1970s is an outcome of more attention to learners‟ effective and appropriate use of language learnt It is a prominent theoretical model in English language teaching (ELT) and is widely accepted nowadays as one of the effective approaches

According to Nunan (1989) “CLT views language as a system for the expression of

meaning Activities involve oral communication, carrying meaningful tasks, and using language, which is meaningful to the learners Objectives reflect the needs of the learners; they include functional skills as well as linguistic objectives The learner‟s role is as a negotiator and integrator The teacher‟s role is as a facilitator of the communication process Materials promote communicative language use; they are task based and authentic” (p.194)

Although there are various definitions and versions of what CLT is and how it functions, there are a few general concepts that are agreed upon Richards, et al., (1986)

shows another point about CLT as “an approach to foreign or second language teaching

which emphasizes that the goal of language learning is communicative competence.” This

definition presents the main concept of CLT, which is the focus on developing communicative competence among learners

1.1.2 Main characteristics of CLT

Many excellent chapters and books have been written to capture the characteristics of CLT (Canale, 1983; Littlewood, 1981; Richards &Rodgers, 2001; Richard & Schmidt, 1983; Rivers, 1968; Savignon, 1993)

Larsen-Freeman asserts that the most obvious characteristic of CLT is “almost

everything that is done is done with a communicative intent” (p.132) Accordingly, CLT

aims at making CC the goal of language teaching and developing procedures for the teaching

of the four language skills that acknowledge the independence of language and communication (Le Van Canh, 2004) The CA does a lot to expand on the primary goal of

building up “communicative competence” Understanding the concept of CC is the core to

apply CLT in a given social context The concept was first introduced by Hymes (1972) as

“what a speaker needs to know in order to be communicatively competent in a speech

community”

Littlewood (1981) states “one of the most characteristic features of communicative

language teaching is that it pays systematic attention to functional as well as structural aspects of language, combining these into a more fully communicative view”(p.1) CLT

advocates going beyond teaching grammatical rules of the target language, and recommending that, by using the target language in a meaningful way, learners will develop

CC

According to Richards (2001), one of the goals of CLT is to develop fluency in language use Fluency is the natural use of language that occurs when a speaker engages in meaningful interaction and maintains ongoing communication despite limitations in communicative competence While using the language, accuracy is important but communication precedes it So, it is advocated in CLT that if messages are understood, accuracy may be achieved later

Another characteristic of CLT is its use of authentic materials (Larsen-Freeman, 1986; Widowson, 1996) It is desirable to give students opportunities to respond to genuine communicative situations so that they can develop strategies for understanding language as actually used by native speakers (Canale & Swain, 1980) Authentic materials in teaching speaking include articles from magazines or newspapers, video recordings of live television programs

CLT emphasizes on learner-centered teaching It means that learners are negotiators and interactors while the teacher functions as a facilitator, needs analyst, counselor, and process manager (Nunan, 1989) By this way, it allows learners a greater role in management of their own learning This can be done by giving opportunities for learner choice in terms of what to learn and how to learn and how to be evaluated (Nunan, 2003) In speaking classes, students must be made to feel secure and unthreatened; so teachers using CLT should avoid adopting a teacher-centered, authoritarian posture (Taylor, 1994)

1.2 An overview of Task-based Language Teaching and Learning

1.2.1 Definitions of a task

In the literature, various definitions have been offered that differ widely in scope and formulation up to a point where almost anything related to educational activity can now be

called a “task” Clearly, in order to prevent the understanding of tasks from being fuzzy and overwhelming, clear definitions of what author mean when they use the word “task” are necessary

Within much discussion and varying interpretation as to the definition of tasks, Long

(1985) defines “task” as “ … piece of work undertaken for oneself or for others, freely or for

some reward…By “task” is meant the hundred and one things people do in everyday life, at work, at play, an in between” (p.89) Meanwhile, Nunan (1989) asserts tasks as “activities that can stand alone as fundamental units that require comprehending, producing, manipulating, or interacting in authentic language while attention is principally paid to meaning rather than form” Furthermore, tasks are seen as “complex and lengthy activities”

(Breen 1987, p.23)

Skehan (1998) shares his agreement that task is an activity in which:

- meaning is primary

- learners are not given other people‟s meaning to regurgitate

- There is some sort of relationship to comparable real-world activities

- Task completion has some priority

- The assessment of the task is in terms of outcome

Also, these are five key characteristics of a task that he put forward in his definition

language users rather than language learners and thus their communication is more

purposeful and authentic

Noticeably, all the definitions show that tasks are meaning-focused, goal-oriented and outcome-achieved Accordingly, learners are free to use whatever language they want in order to convey their intended meaning and to sustain the interaction

1.2.2 Components of a task

A task is viewed as a piece of meaning-focused work, which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing and interacting in the target language Specifically,

task can be analyzed according to the goals, the input data, the activities derived from the input, the settings and roles implied for teachers and learners Nunan (1989, p.11) graphically depicts a way to analyze components of a task, as shown in Figure 1

Figure 1: A framework for analyzing communicative tasks

Briefly, goals refer to the general intentions for the learning task Inputs concern data, verbal or non-verbal, which the individual has to deal with when performing a task Activities specify what the learner will actually perform based on goals and inputs In addition, there are specific roles for teacher and learner in a given setting Roles refer to the social and interpersonal relationship between learners and teachers in the task Settings refer

to the classroom arrangement affecting interaction entailed in the task, such as pair work or group work When selecting, adapting, modifying and creating communicative tasks, Nunan believes that specification of all these components is needed

1.2.3 Types of tasks

1.2.3.1 General types of tasks

Actually, task types are numerous Task types can be identified in a number of ways The classification of tasks can be different depending on the perspectives of the linguists or researchers Some classifications are general and others are more specific The following is

on the different types of tasks described in the literature

Some key task types can be found in the literature: problem-solving (Nunan, 1989; Willis, 1996a); decision-making (Foster & Skehan, 1996); information gap (Doughty &Pica, 1986; Nunan , 1989); sharing personal experiences, attitudes and feelings (Foster& Skehan, 1996; Oxford, 1990; Willis, 1996a, 1996b); basic cognitive processes such as comparing or matching (Nunan, 1989), listing and ordering/sorting (Willis, 1998b); question-and-answer, picture stories, puzzles and games (Nunan, 1989); structured and semi-structured dialogues (Nunan, 1989); and role-plays and simulations (Oxford, 1990; Richard &Rodgers, 2001)

Teacher role Learner role Settings TASK

Goals

Inputs

Activities

Below are some task types proposed by Willis (1996a), who affects the interpretation

of TBLT the most In her A framework for Task-based Learning, tasks are classified into

different groups namely:

- Listing tasks include brainstorming and fact- finding

- Ordering and sorting tasks include sequencing, ranking, categorizing, classifying

- Comparing tasks include matching, finding similarities and differences

- Problem-solving tasks include analyzing real situations, analyzing hypothetical situations, reasoning and decision-making

- Sharing personal experiences tasks include narrating, describing, exploring and explaining attitudes, opinions and recreations

- Creative tasks include brainstorming, fact finding, ordering and sorting, comparing, problem-solving and others

1.2.3.2 Authentic tasks versus pedagogical tasks

Nunan (1989) suggests two broad categories: real-world tasks (such as using telephone) and pedagogical tasks (such as information activities) Target tasks are much more specific and more explicitly related to classroom instruction Pedagogical tasks include any of a series of techniques designed ultimately to teach students to perform the target task He defines authentic tasks as that takes real-world behavior and learner need into

consideration: “tasks which replicate or rehearse the communicative behaviors which will

be required of them in real world” (p.4)

Authentic tasks can be contrasted with pedagogical tasks (e.g controlled grammar

practice activities such as gap-filling or transformation exercises), which focus on the development of accuracy rather than language learning Nunan (1989) supposes that target tasks or authentic tasks refer to uses of language in the world beyond the classroom; pedagogical tasks are those that occur in the classroom According to Richard (2001), real-

world tasks “are designed to practice or rehearse those activities that are found to be

important and useful in the real world” (p.162) The distinction between these two types of

tasks seems so complex and those concerns have inhibited the implantation of TBLT in English teaching

1.2.4 Definitions of Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT)

Over the last two decades, the term TBLT that employs communicative task as basic unit has played an important role in current oral English teaching and consequently, has continued to draw attention of language teachers and researchers Task-based language

teaching can be regarded as one particular development within the broader “communicative

approach” (Littlewood, 2004)

Prabhu (1987) deserves credit for originating the task-based teaching and learning, based on the concept that effective learning occurs when students are fully engaged in a language task, rather than just learning about language It is an overall approach to language learning that views the tasks that learners do as central to the learning process The learning process is seen as a set of communicative tasks that are directly linked to curricular goals

TBLT involves students in performing a task which is an activity “where the target

language is used by the learners for a communicative purpose in order to achieve an outcome” (Willis, 1996, p 26), and is a real-world activity “that people do in everyday life and which require language for their accomplishment” (Norris, et al., 1998, p 33)

Littlewood (2004) holds that TBLT is a development within communicative approach Brown (1994) claims “TBL is a perspective that can be taken within a CLT framework”

(p.83) The aim of task-based teaching is to develop students‟ ability to communicate and communication takes place through using the grammatical system of the language Nunan (1991) outlines five characteristics of Task-based Approach to language learning

- An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language

- The introduction of authentic texts (teaching materials) into the learning situation

- The provision of opportunities for learners to focus not only on language, but also

on the learning process itself

- An enhancement of the learner‟s own personal experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning

- An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activation outside the classroom

Methodologically, task-based language teaching represents a realization of the philosophy of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) The researcher has been strongly

influenced by Nunan (1999, p.41) when he asserts that the role of task-based language

teaching is to stimulate a natural desire in learners to improve their language competence

by challenging them to complete meaningful tasks

1.2.5 Task-based Learning Framework

Jane Willis (1996) designed precisely the framework for TBLT, which was then supported by Richards Frost (2006) including three-phases: pre-task, task cycle (task,

planning and report); and language focus (analysis & practice), as shown in Figure 2

Figure 2: Task-based Learning Framework

It is a useful framework for designing task-based lesson and below is the thorough discussion of the phases

Pre-task phase is usually the shortest stage in the framework It can last between three to fifteen minutes, depending on the learners‟ degree of familiarity with the topic and the type of task At pre-task phase, the teacher explore the topic with the class (by using a picture, watching a video clip, or reading a text to lead into the topic), perhaps highlights useful words and phrases but doesn‟t pre-teach vocabulary The teacher helps students to understand the task instruction The student may hear recordings of others performing the same task

Pre-task (including topic & task)

The teacher

 Introduces & defines the topic

 Uses activities to help students recall/learn useful words & phrases

 May play a recording of others doing the same or similar task

The students

 Note down useful words & phrases from pre-task activities and/or the recording

 May spend a few minutes preparing for the task individuals

Task cycle

Task

The students

 Do the task in pairs/small groups It may be

based on a reading/listening text

 Ensure the purpose of the report is clear

 Act as language adviser

 Helps students rehearse oral reports or organize

written ones



Report

The students

 Present their spoken reports to the class

or circulate/display their written reports

The teacher

 Acts as chairperson, selecting who will speak next, or ensuring all students read

most of the written reports

 May give brief feedback on content &

form

 May play a recording of others doing the

same or a similar task

Analysis

The students

 Do consciousness-raising activities to identify &

process specific language features from the task text and/or transcript

 May ask about other features they have noticed

The teacher

 Review each analysis activities with the class

 Brings other useful words, phrases

& patterns to students‟ attention

 May pickup on language items from the report stage

The task cycle phase is to offer learners chance to use whatever language they already know to carry out the task, and then, to improve the language, under teacher guidance, while planning their report of the task During the task cycle, students are asked to

do the task in pairs or small groups while the teacher walks around and monitor their work from a distance, encourage in supportive way everyone‟s attempt at communication in the target language The teacher formulates what they want to say, but not intervene to correct errors of form In the planning stage, students plan how they will report their work to the class They draft, rehearse the task while the teacher goes round to help students polish and correct language or suggest phrases as well This stage, in Willis‟s view, attaches teacher as the role of linguistic adviser, who is in charge of giving feedback and helping students correct, rephrase, and rehearse so as for them to draft the written report When students are ready, they come to the third stage – report stage The teacher calls some pairs to report briefly to the class orally or in writing so that everyone can compare findings In the meantime, the teacher chairs comments on the content of the report or may rephrase if necessary

The last phase is language focus, which allows students to have close study of some

of the specific features naturally occurring in the language used during the task cycle By this point, the students examine and discuss specific features of any texts they have used or produced and the teacher may conduct some forms of practice By this point, the learners will have already worked with the language and processed it for meaning, so they are ready

to focus on specific language forms that carry the meaning Thus, the study of these forms is clearly contextualized through the task itself

1.2.6 Benefits of Task-based Language Teaching to learners

Learners who are not used to TBLT may not at first realize the advantages of it, and they should take some time to understand what is required of them and be persuaded of the benefit

Bowen (2000) states that the main advantages of TBL are that language is used for genuine purpose, meaning that communication should take place and that when preparing the report for the class, students should consider language form in general rather than concentration on a single form (as in traditional Presentation, Practice, Produce approach)

Some advantages have been summarized by Richard Frost (British Council, Turkey) Unlike a PPP approach, the students are free of language control In all three stages, they must use all their language resources rather than just practicing one pre-selected item A natural context is developed from students‟ experiences with the language that is relevant to them It is hard to find a natural context in PPP approach when it is required to create context

to present the language It cannot be denied that the students will have many more chances to expose authentic materials, the use of target language, motivation to learn, which all are considered essential conditions for language learning (Willis, 1996) Moss also reports that TBLT help ESL learners develop various skills because it creates situations where learners need to communicate to get the job done (Moss & Van Duzer, 1998)

It is a strong communicative approach where students spend a lot of time communicating It is enjoyable and motivating It makes specific lesson goals more evident through movement towards success of task completion Nunan (2006) states that task-based teaching provides a flexible, functionally compatible and contextually sensitive approach for many teachers as well as learners

1.2.7 Challenges of implementing Task-based Language Teaching

Research into TBLT has indicated that there are problems associated with its implementation When teachers look at the focus on meaning as the main priority, researchers are concerned with the patterns of interaction that may foster learning It was eventually found that there are some shortcomings of TBLT

First of all, the approach may lead to the use of non-linguistic strategies in student interactions They may not pay attention to form or vocabulary as long as they can express their meanings using chunks of words or body language or relying on background knowledge

Another issue is the importance of lexical elements in real life communication - that

is people use “lexicalized modes of processing” in their interactions Therefore, language course should then try to realize the flexibility factor of authentic language in terms of “the

lexical elements, time constraint, structural elements as well as creativity” (Skehan, 1996)

He also pointed out that TBL is often criticized for encouraging fluency at the expense of accuracy However, it was suggested that a balance of fluency and accuracy is most preferred, for example, focus on form can be achieved during the planning time before the report stage However, it was questioned how inter-language development is promoted

by focus on form

It is problematic to adopt a task-based approach if students are unwilling to interact

in the classroom using the target language as they are unable to „negotiate for meaning‟ due

to task complexity Thus, the ability of teachers to adjust the difficulty of tasks may be able

to reduce reluctant students to speak more Students with low levels of proficiency in the target language may find it difficult to participate in oral communicative activities and, if the exams used by an institution are grammar based, communicative fluency may not be appropriate

In the final place, teachers‟ misconceptions of theories and methodology of based teaching also result in failure in teaching speaking communicatively

task-1.3 Speaking skill

Many language learners consider speaking ability the measure of knowing a language

As for them, fluency is the ability to converse with others much more than the ability to read, write or comprehend oral language They regard speaking as the most important skill they can acquire and they can assess their progress in terms of their accomplishments on spoken communication Accordingly, if learners do not learn how to speak or do not get opportunities to speak in the language classroom, they may soon get de-motivated and lose interest in learning

The popularity of speaking tends to make us forget the concept that speaking in foreign language acquisition is viewed as a skill rather than the speaking itself Therefore, in this study, the author would like to have discussion on speaking skill definitions instead of only speaking itself

1.3.1 Definitions of speaking skill

Speaking skill is man‟s ability in using language as a means of communication

Bygate (2002) stated that: “we do not merely know how to assemble sentences in the

abstract: we have to produce them and adapt them in the circumstances This means making decisions rapidly, implementing them smoothly and adjusting our conversation as unexpected problems appeared in our path.” (p.3) He highly appreciated speaking skill by

stating that speaking is the medium through which much language is learnt

Clearly those learners do not learn by heart every word, sentence and then gather them in the abstract but they learn how to speak in a particular situation This means speaking skill helps learners learn language as a means of communication in a real life It can develop learners‟ ability to speak fluently, correctly and clearly so that they can speak out in every situation By considering what good speakers do, what speaking tasks can be used in class, and what specific needs learners report, teachers can help learners improve their speaking and overall oral competency

The notion of speaking skill should be reviewed in different methods of second language teaching under a variety of theories and viewpoints In Grammar-translation

method, the concept of speaking skill seems to be absent, for the theory is “students acquire

a foreign language by learning and explaining grammar rules” and the method is on the

basis of language study and written exercises rather than real life communication and speech (To, 2009) Meanwhile, in Audio-lingual method, speaking concept tends to have a so-called important change when the communicative competence and focus on oral skills are at top

priority of overall goal However, speaking skill in this method is formed by a process of habit formation and over learning, not naturally In CLT, there has witnessed a dramatic change in the concept and importance of speaking skill It is said that the foreign-language

teaching is to “prepare learners to be able to use the language” (Bygate, 1987) As a result,

speaking skill is said to receive consideration as adequate as other skills due to the fact that it serves for the communicative purpose to achieve an outcome

Briefly speaking, it can be said that speaking skill is vital in learning one language It

is formed in the long time, with basic ability condition of learners and should be used for communication rather than study In this research, speaking skill is viewed from the communicative approach‟s viewpoints for task- based learning is a part of CLT

1.3.2 Teaching speaking skill in TBLT

In the last two decades or so, the tenets of CLT with their strong emphasis on students‟ ability to use language in real-life situations have taken hold in foreign language classrooms Accordingly, TBLT employs communicative tasks as the basic unit of analysis for foreign language classrooms, especially for English speaking classes In order to have successful speaking lessons, it is a need for teachers to set the right goals and design effective communicative activities

 Goals of teaching speaking skill: It is crucial to focus on the fundamental notion of authenticity, as tasks attempt to simulate, in a way that is as authentic as possible, what happens when students attempt real-world activities Accordingly, communicative efficiency becomes the goals of teaching speaking skills In other words, it is very essential for learners

to achieve CC in speaking classes Students must improve their abilities to communicate freely and easily in the real life in a particular situation It is consistent to the goals of teaching speaking in CA Roger Scott (1981, p.67) emphasized the important role of

speaking in CLT that “the communicative approach makes sure that the interactions which

take place in the classroom replications of or necessary prerequisites for, in communication

is more important than learning the rules of language above the level of the sentence.”

Traditional classroom speaking practice often takes the form of drills in which one person asks a question and another gives an answer The questions and answers are structured and predictable The purpose of asking and answering the question is to demonstrate the ability to ask and answer the question In contrast, the purpose of real communication was achieved just by accomplishing a task, such as conveying a message or expressing an opinion In real communication, participants must manage uncertainty about what the person will say

 Oral communicative activities: Rather than implementing activities and exercises, which focus on accuracy, many teachers have concentrated on promoting communicative

communication in language learners by using “communicative activities”, which rely more

on students‟ ability to understand and communicate real information With these activities, communication in classroom should mirror the authentic communication that occurs in the real world Teacher can promote some kinds of activities: role play, information gap, games,

discussion, comparing, jig saw and so on

According to Penny‟s view (2000, p.120), an effective speaking activity includes four aspects as the following:

 Learners talk a lot: As much as possible of the period of time allotted to the activity is in fact occupied by learner talk This may seem obvious, but often most time taken

up with teacher talk or pauses

 Participation is even: Classroom discussion is not dominated by a minority of talkative participants: all get a chance to speak, and contributions one fairly evenly distributed

 Motivation is high: Learners are eager to speak: because they are interested in the topic and have something new to say about it, or because they want to contribute to achieving a task objective

 Language is of an acceptable level: Learners express themselves in utterances that are relevant, easily comprehensible to each other, and of an acceptable level of language accuracy

1.4 Authentic tasks in speaking classes

1.4.1 Common types of authentic tasks

Below are some common task types proposed by Willis (1996a), who affects the interpretation of TBLT the most

These tasks are listed from easy to difficult, and all of them reveal the recognition process of students The tasks in TBLT should be applicable to real life to help students accomplish the tasks and show their communicative competence in classroom teaching and real life situations (Willis, 1996, p.149) Each type of tasks has its own outcome and purpose

Task Types Outcome Purpose

1 Listing (brainstorming,

2 Ordering and sorting

( sequencing, ranking,

categorizing, classifying)

A set of ordered and sorted information to specified criteria

Foster comprehension, logic and reasoning

Enhance students' ability

experiences (narrating,

describing, exploring and

explaining attitudes, opinions

and recreations)

Largely social Help students to share and

exchange their knowledge

and experience

(brainstorming, fact finding,

ordering and sorting)

End product which can be appreciated by a wider audience

comprehensive solving abilities as well as their reasoning and analyzing abilities

problem-Table 1: Common types of authentic tasks

1.4.2 Criteria to identify authentic tasks

In many ways authenticity of tasks can be achieved and pedagogic tasks can have more meanings and be more related to the real world These include making tasks more authentic though the following means:

a Through genuine task purposes

Willis (1998) asserts that one of the crucial aspects of task authenticity is whether real communication takes place So the first way to make tasks authentic is to find out a genuine purpose for the language to be learned, only when there is a purpose will real meaningful communication take place In this point Willis argues that with a genuine communicative purpose, students have the chance to interact naturally, in “real time” to

achieve a communicative goal, which will be far more likely to lead to increased fluency and natural acquisition than controlled exercises that encourage students to get it right from the very beginning

b Through real world targets

Working within a needs-analysis framework, Long and Crookes (1992) argue that pedagogic tasks must be related to real-world target tasks Examples given by them are: buying a train ticket, renting an apartment, reporting a chemistry experiment, taking lecture notes and so on From this perspective, although classroom-based pedagogic tasks are not the same as the target tasks, they can be said to be authentic if they have a clear relationship with real-world needs

c Through classroom interactions

A classroom is a special society Students and teachers get together for a common purpose So, pedagogic tasks can be authentic through classroom interactions Teachers should have the ability to explore the potential authenticity of the learning situation in classrooms Breen argues in his book (1985) that all of the everyday procedures, the learning tasks, types of data, and the materials are to be selected and worked on, the actual needs, interests, and all preferred ways of working of all people have gathered in the classroom, all provide sufficient authentic potentials for communication

d Through learners‟ engagement

Another crucial element of task is whether it is relevant to the learners So in order to make tasks more authentic, task designers must take learners‟ engagement into consideration It‟s true that some tasks are authentic to some learners but not at all to others So how to make students all engaged in the task is in fact one of the ways to make tasks more authentic

1.5 Related studies

In recent years, TBLT with its theories and implementation has appealed quite a lot scholars and researchers in Asian contexts such as Hong Kong, China and Vietnam It is assumed that TBLT, known as the further development of communicative approach, is a goal-oriented teaching method effective in enhancing student motivation Accordingly, numerous studies have touched upon the benefits as well as challenges in the implementation

of the Task-based Approach to teaching language skills, teacher‟s attitudes or conceptualizations of TBLT and so on

However, it is a matter of fact that very few studies were conducted addressing the exploitation of authentic tasks in English speaking classes It‟s understandable that tasks‟ complexity has prevented researchers from moving forward to touch this tough topic In Vietnam universities, although most of their BA or MA graduation papers do not have chance

to be published because of subjective or objective reasons, their studies are of great value in practice especially in the researchers‟ current situation of teaching and to all the people who concerns in the research as well as those interested in the discussing matters

In accomplishing this research, the author has also read numerous studies related to

the topic For example, “Designing authentic tasks in the materials development of

secretarial English” conducted by N.T.T Phuong (2007) or “University Teacher‟s conceptualization of Task-based Teaching: A case study in Tay Bac University” by N.V

Hung (2009) or “The Exploitation of Task-based Learning in Teaching Speaking Skills to

11 th Graders in Hanoi High School, Suburb Area- A case study” by L.T.L Huong (2010)

Most of these graduation papers focus on designing authentic tasks or the exploitation of TBLT in teaching speaking at high school Therefore, there is a need for a study that investigates teachers‟ exploitation of authentic tasks in English speaking classes This study was conducted to bridge the gap

1.6 Conclusive remarks

This chapter has highlighted some theoretical background knowledge concerning definitions, characteristics of CLT, a brief overview of TBLT, teaching of speaking in TBLT and common types of authentic tasks in speaking lessons Previous studies in Asian contexts related to the topic were also covered in the chapter The research methodology employed in the present study will be presented in the next chapter

CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter introduces the context of Hanoi University of Industry where the study is conducted Then the research methodology chosen for achievement of the aims and objectives will be discussed in details

2.1 Research Context

HaUI was officially established in December 2005 on the basis of Hanoi Industrial College, one of the leading vocational colleges in Vietnam where thousands of skilled

workers and engineers are trained every year

Realizing the importance of English, the university authorities have paid due attention

to the matter of improving the quality of teaching and learning English Accordingly, the Faculty of Foreign Languages was established in 2006, it is responsible for teaching English

to both English majors and non-English majors The ultimate aims are specific with the hope

to enhance the training quality and increase the standard of graduate students with good job opportunities

2.1.1 Teachers

The English teaching staff in the Department of Foreign Languages consists of 112 teachers, whose ages range from 22 to 50 years old Most of the teachers are female All of the teachers hold B.A degrees from different universities in Vietnam At present, 2% have PhD degree, 62% have M.A degree or are doing an M.A course

The academic background of the teachers shows that all of them, to some extents, have been exposure to different teaching methods such as traditional teaching method, communicative method or learner-centered approach, etc In fact, English classes are usually conducted in the form of lectures and most of the time the teachers has to deal with overload English classes at the same time Consequently, many teachers have classes all day so they feel exhausted and have enough time to neither prepare for the lessons before class nor get higher education However, all of them are energetic, inquisitive and always try to apply effective methods of teaching to increase teaching and learning quality

2.1.2 Students

In respect of English non-major freshmen, the students here are at the age of 18-23 and they come from different provinces all over the country Their level of English proficiency are generally various and not high at all with English marks at the university entrance examination ranging from 3 to 7 Most of students have studied English at high school; however, the problem is that most of them do not consider English as their major, so

they did not pay much attention to study English at that time This gives the teachers a number of works

Besides, English is not their favorite subject Many of students are not really interested in leaning English due to the fact that they find it difficult to learn and use English skills, especially speaking For a long time, they are familiar with doing exercises focusing

on grammar and vocabulary at High school and hardly did they practice speaking and listening skills Moreover, coming from rural areas with no favorable chances for learning English, most of the students are shy, not self-confident and learn English in a passive way During their university time, they are always encouraged to study actively and creatively to achieve better results

2.1.3 Teaching and learning facilities

The class size for an English lesson is about 50 students each, but the classrooms, though being well equipped with a projector, a computer, a cassette player, are designed for about 80 to 100 students, which are actually too big for an English class of a much smaller size Using modern technology effectively is highly encouraged in English lessons

2.1.4 English Course book for Non-major Freshmen

The textbook in use is New Headway at the level of Elementary published by Oxford University Press There are 14 units lasting 90 periods with various topics familiar to daily life such as jobs, food, shopping, future plans, hobbies, holidays, etc The book provide students with general knowledge classified into 4 main parts: grammar, vocabulary & pronunciation, reading & listening and everyday English with developing integrated language skills, focus on speaking skill Most of the teachers follow the sequence of these parts designed in the text book The students have 6 periods per week and they continuously learn in 15 weeks

2.2 Research Questions

With these aims of the study as stated in the Introduction part, three following

questions have been raised:

1 What are the teachers‟ perceptions of the exploitation of authentic tasks in teaching speaking?

2 To what extent are authentic tasks exploited in TBL framework in English speaking classes by the teachers?

3 What are the challenges as perceived by the teachers when authentic tasks are exploited in speaking classes?

2.3 Selection of the Participants

In order to achieve the purposes of the study, at the same time, to facilitate data collection and analysis, a sample of 50 teachers who are currently teaching English to all students at non-major English Departments at HaUI are randomly selected from the

population of more than 100 teachers The selection is to ensure the reliability and validity of the results as they can be representatives for the whole population The result can be

generalized from sample to the whole population of teachers

The reasons of her selection are the chosen teachers belong to non-major English group because they are all dedicated and receptive teachers Thus, the author believes that it will be easier for her to invite more teachers to participating in completing the survey questionnaire, informal interviews Moreover, the selected teachers have not only the knowledge of English but also have much experience in teaching and learning English for the first non-major English students

The table below reveals the sample‟s personal information in detail Their profiles

are described in terms of age, gender, years of experience and qualification

Almost all of the teachers are quite young The number of their ages ranging from 22

to 35 accounts for 98% of the teachers The majority of them are female (92%) 76% of them have less than 10 years of teaching experience and the rest 24% have been teaching English more than 10 years Their qualification is also different Only one out of fifty teachers asked

is PhD 62% of them acquire Master of Art while the rest 36% including those who are attending MA course are bachelor

participants

Percentage (%)

2.4 Research instruments

In order to obtain in-depth, rich data for the study, three types of research instruments were employed: survey questionnaire for the teachers, informal interviews and classroom observation The qualitative data were obtained from interviews and class observation while the quantitative data were collected from survey questionnaire Due to limited time budget, the three methods are hoped to bring in validity and reliability This part is used to present the reason why the research tools fit the purpose of the study and the instrumental

development as well

2.4.1 Survey Questionnaire

Wilson and Mc Lean (1994) complemented this tool on its tremendous benefits such

as “providing structured, numerical data, being able to be administered without the presence

of the researcher and often straightforward to be analyzed.” This “vital tool in the collection

of data” (Gajendra, 1999, p.117) seems to be the easiest and most effective method for

collecting data As a result, a set of survey questionnaire was designed for teachers including both open-ended and closed-ended questions It is divided into different parts with 14 questions as shown in the table:

Question

Q1,2,3&4 Personal information

Q 5, 6 & 7 Teachers‟ perceptions of tasks, authentic tasks and TBLT

Q 8 & 9 Teachers‟ perceptions towards speaking skills and the exploitation of

authentic tasks in speaking classes

Q 10,11,12,13 Teachers‟ exploitation of authentic tasks in speaking lessons in TBLT

Q 14 Difficulties as perceived by teachers in exploiting authentic tasks in

speaking lessons

2.4.2 Informal Interviews

In Kvale‟s view, qualitative interviews are “attempts to understand the world from

the subjects‟ point of view” (Kvale, cited in Gajendra, 1999, p.50) This is the reason why

they were chosen as the second instrument for the research Ten informal interviews with 10 teachers teaching speaking to English non-major freshmen at HaUI were conducted to clarify and support the data obtained through survey questionnaire The teachers were also randomly chosen 10 questions raised in the interviews addressed main aspects as described

in the table

Question

Q 1 & 2 Teachers‟ perceptions of tasks, authentic tasks and TBLT

Q 3 & 4 Teachers‟ perceptions towards speaking skills and the exploitation of

authentic tasks in speaking classes

Q 5,6,7&8 Teachers‟ exploitation of authentic tasks in speaking lessons in TBLT

Q 9 Difficulties as perceived by teachers in exploiting authentic tasks in speaking

lessons

Q 10 Some suggestions to exploit authentic tasks effectively in speaking lessons

2.4.3 Classroom Observation

As Hopkins (cited in Donough, J and Donough, S 1997, p.101) describes

“Observation is a pivotal activity with a crucial role to play in a classroom research.”

Discussing observation, Verma and Miller (2005) assures that “there is no substitute for

direct observation as a way of understanding language learning and teaching in classroom.”

Apart from survey questionnaire and informal interview, classroom observation was employed to help researcher validate the findings she got by means of the two above-mentioned instruments through the current teaching practice

For the above reasons, five observations were carried out in five different classes with different speaking topics in the textbook The observation sheet was designed to assess teacher‟s real performance in actual speaking lessons and the effectiveness of tasks exploitation to teach speaking It was organized in reflective note-taking forms, focusing on teaching procedure to address these matters:

- The extent to which authentic tasks were carried out in speaking classes

- How these tasks were organized following task-based instructions

- How students involved in the tasks

- Interaction modes and learning atmosphere

In short, with the combination of these methods, it was expected that the researcher

would have “deeper understanding” and “broader perspective” of the information (Mertens,

2005, p.21) so as to get more reliable results

2.5 Procedure of data collection

The process of data collection was carried out during the first semester of the school year 2010-2011 The collection of data was carried out through three stages

 Stage 1: At the beginning of the semester, the selected participants were invited to cooperate in the collection process They were instructed carefully on how to complete the

questionnaires and explanations were given when necessary They took part in completing the questionnaire about the exploitation of authentic tasks in speaking lessons

 Stage 2: After the questionnaire was analyzed, ten questions for interviews were raised to gain in-depth information related to the exploitation of authentic tasks in speaking classes The author invited 10 teachers and asked for their permission to record the informal interviews (about 8-12 minutes)

 Stage 3: Classroom observation was carried out in five different English classes from the beginning to the end of the semester The researcher acted as a non-participant observer and made notes of the classroom procedures It was conducted to explore the real exploitation of authentic tasks in English speaking classes Basing on the findings from the classroom observation, the researcher would come to a conclusion of the exploitation of authentic tasks in English speaking classes at HaUI Recommendations to exploit authentic tasks effectively were also made to facilitate future study on this topic

2.6 Procedure of data analysis

The data collected was analyzed in different procedures:

 For the questionnaire: Data was processed by means of descriptive statistical analysis The collected data were firstly calculated, analyzed in percentage term and grouped in different categories With a purpose to present the data in a clear and straightforward way, useful tools, namely charts and tables were then employed to compare and contrast figures

 For the interviews: Interviews were recorded and the author proceeded to transcribe the tape in narrative form Item analysis was employed to gain the findings from interviews

 For the classroom observation: The lessons were video-recorded and the author took note during the lesson Notes were transcribed and analyzed with the reflective note forms under the criteria: the extent to which authentic tasks were carried out in speaking classes, how these tasks were organized following task-based instructions, types of task which teachers used in exploiting the tasks, how students involved in the tasks, interaction modes and learning atmosphere, the difficulties encountered by the teachers in the exploitation of the tasks

2.7 Conclusive remarks

To sum up, chapter 2 has provided the most basic information about the study which has also been explained and justified properly The background of the study gives impetus to the researcher‟s decision of carrying out the study The other parts of this chapter help clarify other aspects of the study such as participants, data collection instruments, procedure of data collection and data analysis methods In the following chapter, findings and discussions are presented

CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

In the previous chapter, the methodology applied in this study was elucidated in details In particular, the choice of the instruments, participants and the process of data collection and analysis was described and justified clearly and rationally there In this chapter, the data will be summed up and analyzed, which is needed for the further results‟

discussion It is noted that findings of the study have been revealed from triangular data

through survey questionnaire, informal interviews and classroom observation Discussions were also integrated at the same time They were aimed at providing the satisfactory answers

to the research questions proposed at the beginning of the study

3.1 Research question 1: “What are the teachers’ perceptions of the exploitation of authentic tasks in speaking classes?”

To give a satisfactory answer to the first research question, findings from survey questionnaire and interviews did help the researcher a great deal It is undeniable that teachers‟ perceptions of tasks, task-based language teaching as well as authentic tasks have close relationship with their perceptions of the exploitation of authentic tasks in speaking classes Accordingly, to address the teachers‟ perceptions of exploitation of authentic tasks,

it is a need for the researcher to explore the related aspects as mentioned From these two instruments, the results have been revealed and analyzed with reference to the above aspects, specifically:

 Teachers‟ perceptions of tasks, TBLT and authentic tasks

Chart 1 presents a percentage comparison of teacher responses to each of the seven

items on the key concepts of tasks and TBLT For the convenience of comparison, point simplified scale (disagree, neutral and agree) were employed In response to item 5a, 5b and 5c, which asked for some key concepts of task, the vast majority of respondents understood that task has a communicative purpose (72%), a primary focus on meaning (70%), and a clearly defined outcome (68%) Only a very small numbers of the surveyed teacher (10%, 8% and 12% respectively) showed their disagreement towards these 3 above statements In response to item 5d, most teachers (60%) considered task as a kind of activity

three-in which the target language is used by the learner This implies that most teachers generally agree with the definitions and characteristics of tasks as discussed in the literature review part Meanwhile, one-third showed their uncertainties when they neither agree nor disagree with this statement

In response to item 6a, a clear majority of teachers (72%) reported that they believed

in the relevance between task-based instruction and communicative language teaching This partially indicates that teachers approving of the communicative approach are likely to adopt the basic nature of TBLT in their own language classrooms The findings in items 6b and 6c, related to the instructional philosophy and phases of TBL, suggest that more than half of teachers recognized three different phases including pre-task, task cycle and language focus

As can be seen from the above chart, very few teachers, which accounts for 10% and 8% respectively, gave disapproval of these two items

These figures are suitable for the data collected by the first interview question Most

of the teachers shared an agreement that TBLT is a language teaching approach which helps

students learn language by completing different tasks The tasks involve different skills, clear objectives Another enthusiastically supported that the task-based approach to language learning places emphasis on learning to communicate through purposeful interaction in the target language All in all, the role of TBL is to stimulate a natural desire in learners to improve their language competence by challenging them to complete meaningful tasks

However, it seems rather difficult for them to give clear-cut concepts of tasks when 7 out of

10 interviewed teachers shared the common idea “tasks are learning activities” They didn‟t clarify features of a task, such as the goal, the input, the context, the process, and the outcome Only some of them regards some features of a task in TBLT relate to the goal and outcome

Concerning the teachers‟ perceptions of authentic tasks, 35 out of the participants believed that role-playing in job interviews are authentic tasks, meanwhile the rest thought that they are pedagogical ones As can be seen from the below chart, forty percent (40%) of

the teachers agreed that finding the differences in two pictures is one kind of authentic tasks However, there are still a larger number of teachers, accounting for 60%, decided to choose

“Pedagogical” option For the task 7c, it is noted that more than two-thirds (36) of the teachers believed that it belongs to authentic tasks “Pedagogical” option is the choice of very few teachers which accounts for nearly one-third (14 teachers)

Finding the differences

Problem-solving task

Pedagogical Authentic

Chart 2: Teachers' perception of authentic tasks

Teachers‟ perceptions of authentic tasks have been revealed more clearly through the second interview question Most of the interviewees found the terms unfamiliar and the author must clarify the terms to make it easier to understand by giving two equivalents “real-life tasks”, “classroom tasks” respectively Accordingly, they are quite relaxed to share more

ideas about that One teacher hesitated to share her opinions “authentic tasks … er may be

making job interviews, making a phone call to reserve a room or…” and “pedagogical tasks…those tasks er like completing the conversation or information-gap” One young

teacher which has 2 year experiences gave a very short idea “authentic means real…” without any further explanations for her belief Little distinction has been made in their ideas

In short, the findings from survey questionnaire showed that the majority of teachers had rather high level of understandings of tasks, TBLT despite a minority showed their lack

of perceptions of these matters Furthermore, the interviews uncovered other in-depth fruits

It seemed incompatible to what the researcher gained from survey questionnaire It is a matter of fact that most of the interviewees could not give clear-cut definitions of authentic tasks as well as the distinctions between authentic tasks and pedagogical ones It is understandable because of its complexity Fortunately, they could identify the authentic or pedagogical tasks through examples without thorough understanding of authentic tasks and task-based language teaching

 Teachers‟ perceptions of speaking skill and the exploitation of authentic tasks in

speaking lessons

The data were generated from Likert attitude scales of this type, and space did not permit the researcher to enter a detailed discussion of everything; however, several issues are worth highlighting

Statement 1, 2 (S1, S2) explored the teachers‟ attitudes towards speaking As can be seen from the table, the vast majority of the teachers (S1: 48% + 50% = 98%) thought that speaking skill is really important No one thought it is not important at all Nearly all of them considered teaching speaking for students is necessary (S2: 58%+38%= 96%) Only 4 % of the teachers consider it unimportant at all

Statements

Strongly agree (%)

Agree (%)

Neutral (%)

Disagree (%)

Strongly disagree (%)

2 Teaching speaking skill for

3 Using authentic tasks in

speaking lessons is useful and

5 My students are excited

when I use authentic tasks in

speaking lessons

Table 3: Teachers’ perceptions of speaking skill and the exploitation of authentic tasks in speaking classes

This idea is supported by one teacher that “Teaching speaking is very important and

necessary If students communicate well in English, they will have a lot of chances for better job They can not only work in Vietnam but also in other countries University is the place to help them realize their expectations” Another teacher claimed “Speaking is one of the biggest problems to most of the students at HaUI A lot of them are often feared of speaking and lack confidence in real-life situations It is due to the fact that their speaking ability‟s level is quite low Therefore, teaching speaking is of great importance and it‟s necessary to

teach them in a communicative way.”

The data collected from the first two statements revealed that most of the teachers highly appreciated the importance of speaking skill in English teaching and learning

Concerning the role of authentic tasks in teaching speaking, more than half of the teachers thought that authentic tasks were useful and effective in teaching speaking (S3:

34%+40%=74%) “Authentic tasks can motivate my students to take part in speaking in class

My students will have genuine purpose in interacting with their friends”, an experienced

teacher believed However, it was not totally supported by all the teachers when 12% of them showed their neutral attitudes to use them to teach speaking and 14% don‟t find them

useful and effective at all Another young teacher expressed her ideas that “it really takes a

lot of time to prepare and guide students to grasp the task I often don‟t have enough time in

a short period of 45 minutes”

Regarding teachers‟ interest in using authentic tasks to teach speaking, the same percentage of 74% reported that they were interested in using them in speaking lessons Only 14% showed that they were not interested at all Most of the teachers (S5: 50%+36%= 86%) felt that their students were excited if the speaking lessons were taught with the exploitation

of authentic tasks One teacher shared her view that “With the exploitation of authentic tasks,

the speaking lessons seem to be more exciting and encourage students to engage in speaking They are more active to interact with their partners.” However, there were still 10%

showing their opposed ideas and 4% expressed their neutral attitudes

Question 9 in the survey questionnaire revealed the benefits that authentic tasks can bring about as perceived by the teachers in their speaking lessons For the convenience of comparison, the five-point scale responses (strongly disagree & disagree, neutral, agree & strongly agree) were merged into a three-point simplified scale (disagree, neutral and agree)

As can be seen from chart 3, a vast majority of teachers (72%, 76%, 80% and respectively)

agreed that authentic tasks can improve students‟ motivations, communicative language skills and provide students with opportunities to experience real-life situations which ensure better use of the target language for their future profession Very few teachers accounting for 2%, 4% showed opposed ideas to these benefits

Besides, about two-thirds (64%) of the teachers believed that by performing interesting and relevant tasks, learners have chances to increase their creativity, self-expression and self-confidence, factors important to success in real- life communication 26% and 10% are the percentages of teachers showed their neutral and opposed attitudes It is noted that a large number

of teachers (31 out of 50 teachers) approved that learners‟ interactions are promoted even though there are still 12% of the total neither agreed nor disagreed with this benefit 6% thought that they are not beneficial at all

Concerning the linguistic competence, more than two-thirds (70%) of the teachers assert that learners‟ linguistic competence was apparently improved after their task performance Meanwhile, 10% teachers didn‟t think their students can enhance linguistic competence at all The data is quite suitable to the ideas the researcher got from informal interviews when most of them refers those benefits as stated in the survey questionnaire They also added some other benefits

when one shared her view “Authentic tasks can bring a lot of fun and laughter They help my

students enjoy speaking a lot.” Another strongly believed “With real-world tasks, the learning atmosphere is more relaxed”

To sum up, most of the teachers at HaUI have favorable perceptions of speaking skills and the exploitation of authentic tasks in speaking lessons They are aware of the necessity of teaching speaking and the role of authentic tasks in speaking lesson This shows the positive trend in the light of communicative language teaching approach What is more, a large number of teachers realized which benefits authentic tasks bring about in their speaking lessons This clearly affected the teachers‟ interest in the exploitation of authentic tasks in teaching speaking

3.2 Research question 2: “To what extent are authentic tasks exploited in TBL framework in English speaking classes?”

With the answer to the first research question, the researcher harbored a promising

prospect of the teacher‟s exploitation of authentic tasks in English teaching practice To

address this research question, the triangulation of data instruments helped the researcher get more reliable findings Especially, the validity of the study was achieved through findings from classroom observation The findings and discussions will be merged

concerning the ways of dealing with available activities in textbook, kinds of tasks exploited

in speaking classes, stages to carry out tasks in task-based learning framework, favorite techniques they employed with tasks

In the first place, findings related to the ways of dealing with speaking activities in

the textbook have been revealed from the survey questionnaire Most of the informants have positive ways to explore activities designed in the textbook It seems to be a good signal from data collected when a large numbers of teachers are active to design new activities to make their lesson more interesting Chart 4 depicted that how speaking activities have been dealt with from the teachers‟ point of view

Clearly, it could be seen that nearly half of the teachers (24 out of 50 participants) made great efforts to design new activities from other supplementary sources without any change of the topic Meanwhile, 12 teachers accounting for 24% carry out the activities and make little adaptation for a couple of times to satisfy the students‟ tastes About one-fifth (9 teachers) closely follows what was designed in the textbook whatever the kind of activity is and however effective it is In addition, very few teachers (5 teachers) add other ideas about

the ways which they carried out in classroom Two said “I mostly rely on the course book

and make some adaptation if necessary;” three others shared the common view “I make some adaptation to certain topics For such interesting topics shopping, traveling, job I tend

to design new activities for my students.”

d Other ideas

Chart 4: Teachers' ways of dealing with speaking activities in the textbook

To some extents, the findings from survey questionnaire and interviews seem rather different from what the researcher observed in five English speaking classes In the real teaching practice, most of the time the teachers tended to adopt the available activities in the textbook at the beginning of the lecture Sometimes they adapted the activities to draw the students‟ attraction depending on the topic Surprisingly, with the assistance of overhead

projector, they favored designing new activities without changing the topic

In the second place, the researcher desired to explore the extent to which teachers

exploited authentic tasks or not in their speaking lessons Accordingly, question 11, was

designed in the main part of the survey questionnaire Surprisingly, 100% teachers at HaUI said that they exploited authentic tasks and none of them denied authentic tasks in teaching speaking 90% of the teachers gave their further explanations for the choice while a small percentage (10%) did not state any reasons to prove their ideas Of 45 teachers who specified

the reason for choosing “yes”, 28 teachers shared common beliefs that “authentic tasks

bring a lot of fun in a relaxed learning atmosphere”, “ it‟s really important in speaking classes because authentic tasks provide my students with opportunities to experience real- life situations” or “ it can help my students better their oral communication” Meanwhile, the

rest supported their ideas that “I exploit authentic tasks to motivate my students in

interacting with their friends”, or “I use them to develop my students‟ creativity and confidence in speaking”

self-Meanwhile, the real current exploitation of authentic tasks revealed that almost no authentic tasks were exploited in speaking classes Most of the tasks they employed were pedagogical ones because they are not really purposeful and meaningful Students were not put in contexts which close to real life What‟s more, no specific goals as well as a non-linguistic outcome are two factors hindered the teachers in making task authentic As being observed, types of task employed varied from class to class, from teacher to teacher; for example fact-finding, role play, language game, matching, making dialogue, creative tasks and so on Findings from classroom observation seems contrastive to the findings the researcher gained from survey questionnaire It can be seen that there is a mismatch between the teachers‟ perceptions and their teaching practice It is understandable their choice is resulted from their perceptions of benefits which authentic tasks could bring about in speaking classes More importantly, it is closely related to inadequate perceptions of authentic tasks in the previous findings Accordingly, it is challenging for the teachers who desired to exploit authentic task to motivate students in speaking classes

In the third place, findings from interviews and observation classes provided the

researcher with more reliable information about the stages to carry out the tasks in based learning framework In the interviews, when being asked “Do you follow 3 phases (pre-task, task-cycle, and language focus) when you exploit these authentic tasks?”, 6 out of

task-10 teachers shared some common viewpoints that they follow 3 phases including pre-task,

task cycle and language focus They added “my speaking lessons often start with a warm-up

(known as pre-task phase) to introduce the topic and build up an exciting learning atmosphere” and “I also pre-teach vocabulary before I assign tasks to my students Then, task instructions are given, usually with a sample to help my students understand what they are going to do What‟s next, I invite some pairs or groups to present their work in front of

class…” The rest claimed “I often give instructions to my students about the task and ask them to work in pairs or groups to do the task They are allowed to work in a limited time and invited to come over the board to report their work.”

Overall, the researcher also gained similar results from observed classrooms It was observed that most of the teachers basically followed 3 phases including pre-task phase, task cycle and Language focus, except the second observed class Seemingly, the second teacher reversed the sequence of phases with language focus put before the task cycle All of the teachers were quite good at pre-task stage with exciting movie, picture clip to brainstorm the students with much interest to the topic of the lesson More importantly, the learning atmosphere seemed to be heated It‟s the way most of them employed to lead their students

to the task The instructions are not presented in the lead-in but before every specific task later It is worth paying much attention most of the teachers neglected planning stage in the task-cycle In the games, students must give the quick response to chase the scene At language focus, teachers did not have enough time to have detailed analysis and practice more Almost all of them set a short duration for this phase, ranging from 3 to 10 minutes The teacher even put the review of language focus into the wrap-up at the end of the lesson That is the case of the second and forth speaking lesson

Regarding the techniques preferred using with authentic tasks, chart 5 illustrates that

pair work and group work seemed to be in favor of the teachers more than the rest of other

techniques with the percentage of 74% and 82% respectively Standing at the third position was role play technique with nearly half (48 %) of the total prefer using Meanwhile, a small number of teachers resorted to fact-finding as the forth choice and simulation was put in inferior position when only 12% of the teacher chose this option Noticeably, the smallest percentage (10%) of the informants added some other techniques they enjoyed Beside above-mentioned techniques, they also resorted to making dialogues, having discussions, and brainstorming, finding similarities/differences, giving opinions or attitudes

The interviews yielded the similar result with the data collected from the

questionnaire Most of the teachers (7 teachers) shared their preference “I like pair/group

work Group work is my first choice when I assigned tasks to my students.” One teacher

claimed “With small groups, more students get involved much in the lesson.” One 5-year experienced teacher stated “my students are at level of elementary so when they work in

groups, they will not fear of speaking and they can enrich their cooperative learning among peers I prefer group work the most in this way.” 4 teachers shared another viewpoint on

role play “With familiar topics to our real life such as shopping or traveling, I prefer asking

my students to play the role of shop assistants and customers in a clothes shop, for example

It really draws their attractions and motivates them a lot Their performance is so nice and creative.” Many of the interviewees (6 teachers) belief “other techniques like giving opinions, brainstorming or discussing is rather difficult for my students‟ competence and I rarely employ them in my speaking class.”

Pair work Group

work Role play

finding Simulation Others

Fact-Chart 5: Teachers' favorite techniques embedded in exploiting authentic tasks

It is true for what the researcher explored in actual speaking classroom when pair work and group works were always their first choices Pair works were employed at the first

or second tasks; while group works were preferable at the final tasks Clearly, they are in favor of these interaction modes thanks to its advantages of increasing cooperative rather than competitive learning, more chance for self-expressions with release of shyness and so

on Question 13 was designed to explore students‟ response in the assigned tasks through teachers‟ assessment The findings to question 13 are shown in the following chart

As can be seen from the chart, more than half of the teachers (54%) claimed that their students worked with interest when they assigned tasks in speaking lessons Fortunately, only 8% of the informants said that their students did not work at all and remained silent all the time Some students even did other things (sleeping or reading newspapers) when they were asked to do the tasks, which were commented by 5 out of 50 teachers What‟s more, a small percentage of teachers, accounting for 16%, revealed that their students often spoke Vietnamese when teachers asked them to fulfill the tasks