Teachers conceptualization of using task based method in the standard english 11 coursebook at nguyen viet xuan high school, vinh phuc

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLT: Communicative Language Teaching ELT: English Language Teaching NVX: Nguyen Viet Xuan PPP: Presentation – Practice - Production TBL: Task-based learning TBLT: T

College of foreign languages Post – graduate department

Nguyễn thị nga

Teachers’ conceptualization of using Task-Based Method

in the standard English 11 coursebook at nguyen viet

xuan high school, vinh phuc

Nhận thức của giáo viên đối với việc sử dụng ph-ơng pháp giao nhiệm vụ trong sách giáo khoa tiếng anh 11 chuẩn tại tr-ờng trung học phổ thông nguyễn viết xuân, vĩnh phúc

MA Minor Thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology

Code: 601410

hà nội - 2009

College of foreign languages Post – graduate department

Nguyễn thị nga

Teachers’ conceptualization of using Task-Based Method

in the standard English 11 coursebook at nguyen viet

xuan high school, vinh phuc

Nhận thức của giáo viên đối với việc sử dụng ph-ơng pháp giao nhiệm vụ trong sách giáo khoa tiếng anh 11 chuẩn tại tr-ờng trung học phổ thông nguyễn viết xuân, vĩnh phúc

MA Minor Thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology

Code: 601410

Supervisor: d-ơng thị nụ, ph.d

hà nội - 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Declaration i

Acknowledgements ii

Abstract iii

Table of contents iv

List of abbreviations vii

List of tables viii

PART I: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale for the study 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Research questions 2

4 Scope of the study 2

5 Significance of the study 2

6 Methodology 3

6.1 Participants 3

6.2 Instruments 3

6.2.1 Interviews 3

6.2.2 Teaching plan interpretations 3

6.2.3 Classroom observations 3

7 Structure of the study 3

PART II: DEVELOPMENT 5

CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

1.1 Theoretical foundations 6

1.1.1 Theories of language 7

1.1.1.1 The functional view 7

1.1.1.2 The interactional view 7

1.1.2 Theories of language teaching 7

1.1.2.1 Cognitive theory 7

1.1.2.2 Constructivist theory 8

1.1.2.3 Generative Learning Theory 8

1.2 Task-Based Language Teaching 8

1.2.1 Definition of terminology 8

1.2.1.1 What is task-based language teaching? 9

1.2.1.2 Definition of task 9

1.2.1.3 Tasks, activities and exercises 11

1.2.1.4 Varieties of task 12

1.2.2 Task-Based Language Teaching framework 13

1.2.2.1 Pre-task stage 13

1.2.2.2 Task cycle stage 14

1.2.2.3 Language focus 14

1.2.3 Components of Task-Based Language Teaching framework 14

1.3 Task-Based Instruction versus the traditional approach to language teaching 15

1.4 Teacher’s interpretation of task-based language teaching 17

1.4.1 Teacher’s role in task-based instruction 17

1.4.2 Teachers’ interpretation of task-based language teaching 17

1.5 Summary 19

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 20

2.1 The fitness of case study to the research 20

2.2 The setting of the study 21

2.2.1 An introduction to Nguyen Viet Xuan high school 21

2.2.2 Participants 22

2.3 Methodology 23

2.3.1 Interviews 23

2.3.2 Teaching plan interpretations 23

2.3.3 Class observations 24

2.4 Data analysis 25

2.5 Summary 25

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS 26

3.1 Findings 26

3.1.1 Findings of the interviews 26

3.1.1.1 Teachers’ conceptualization of teaching methodology and tasked-based language teaching approach 26

3.1.1.2 Teachers’ conceptualization of task 27

3.1.1.3 Teachers’ task-based language teaching implementation 29

3.1.1.4 Teachers’ main issues in task-based language teaching implementation 29

3.1.1.5 Students’ achievements learning in task-based language learning 30

3.1.2 Findings of the teaching plan interpretations 32

3.1.3 Findings of the classroom observations 33

3.2 Discussion of the findings 35

3.3 Summary 38

PART III: CONCLUSION 39

1 Summary of the study 39

2 Conclusions 39

3 Implications 40

4 Limitations of the study 41

5 Implications for further study 41

REFERENCES 42 APPENDIXES

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CLT: Communicative Language Teaching

ELT: English Language Teaching

NVX: Nguyen Viet Xuan

PPP: Presentation – Practice - Production

TBL: Task-based learning

TBLT: Task-Based Language Teaching

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Teachers’ qualifications and teaching specification Table 2: Teachers’ conceptualization of task

Table 3: Teachers’ teaching plans

Table 4: Teachers’ teaching practice

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale for the study

The ongoing process of regional and global integration in Vietnam has resulted in an increasing demand for English teaching and learning English not only is now taught at tertiary level but also becomes a compulsory subject at almost every senior high school Such great demand is one of the most important reasons causing the innovation at secondary level driven

by the Ministry of Education and Training The innovation started with the change of coursebooks In 2003-2004 academic year, grade 10 students in 46 pilot secondary schools nationwide studied one of the two new English coursebooks: “English 10 – the piloted coursebook 1” and “English 10 - the piloted coursebook 2 ” The two following academic years, grade 11 and 12 students in those schools worked with the new piloted coursebooks of English 11 and 12 respectively Since 2006-2007 academic year, after the trials with evaluation and accordingly appropriate changes, the piloted coursebooks have been officially adopted to replace the old ones nationwide The introduction of the new set of coursebooks is actually an innovation in Vietnam’s education Under the light of this innovation, the course objectives, content and methodology have been changed to meet the increasing demand for education quality in the new development period of the country

Being a teacher of English at a high school in Vinh Phuc, a province in the North of Vietnam, and having worked with all new coursebooks, I realize that the change in course methodology is the most important factor that leads to the success of the innovation

It can be easily seen from the change of course methodology in coursebooks, particularly in the standard English 11 coursebook that different approaches and methods of teaching are used combinatively They are theme-based approach, communicative approach, task-based learning and learner-centered teaching Among these, task-based learning seems to

be the most outstanding one In fact, although task-based language teaching (TBLT) approach

is very popular in Vietnam now; it is quite new to teachers of English at high schools in Vinh Phuc The question raised here is that how well teachers understand TBLT and that with their degree of such understandings how they implement this approach to teach tasks in the set coursebook With this idea, the study follows the research paradigm that seeks to discover

teachers’ conceptualization of Task-based Method in the standard English 11 coursebook in the context of Nguyen Viet Xuan (NVX) high school, a typical high school in Vinh Phuc province

2 Aims of the study

In attempt to investigate teachers’ conceptualization of TBLT, the study examines teachers’ understanding of TBLT concepts, and teachers’ views on TBLT implementation in the standard English 11 coursebook, and makes clear the relationship between the conceptualization of high school teachers of TBLT and the degree of success in its implementation

3 Reasearch questions

In the light of the aims of the study, the following research questions are posed:

(1) How well do teachers at Nguyen Viet Xuan high school understand task-based language teaching concepts?

(2) How do they implement task-based language teaching in classroom?

(3) How does teachers’ conceptualization of task-based language teaching influence the achievements of students’ learning?

4 Scope of the study

The study focuses on the teachers’ conceptualization of TBLT and their points of view

on implementation of this method in the classroom with the material of the standard English

11 coursebook at NVX high school, which is one of the high schools having the best achievements in teaching and learning English in Vinh Phuc The study was conducted in the

second term of school year 2008-2009

5 Significance of the study

Information obtained from the study firstly will help teachers to realize the role of keeping themselves updated with the new knowledge of approaches they are working with More importantly, the information also helps teacher trainers to make appropriate decisions on how to introduce TBLT in Vietnam contexts as well as to recommend suitable strategies of teacher development Besides, it may inform concerned people such as education managers of

how to provide teachers with necessary facilities and encouragement to adapt and apply TBLT

to their teaching context

6.2.2 Teaching plan interpretations

The interpretation of teaching plan of teachers is used to find out how the teachers realize their understandings of TBLT in the preparation for lessons

6.2.3 Classroom observations

Classroom observations are used to clarify the validity of the interviews of the teachers and their realization of teaching plans

7 Structure of the study

Part I: Introduction - is used to introduce the study presenting the rationale, the aims, the scope, the significance, the methodology and the structure of the study

Part II: Development - includes three chapters Chapter one deals with a review of the literature It provides a theoretical framework focusing on learning and teaching theories It is also concerned with the concepts and components of TBLT Chapter two first refers to the context of the study Besides, it describes the methodology, the procedure of data collection and data analysis of the study Chapter three presents all the findings and discussion of the findings

Part III: Conclusion - presents summary of the study, the conclusions and pedagogical implications, and limitations as well as recommendations for further study

PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW

There have been a lot of studies on the conceptualization of teaching methodology, particularly CLT and TBLT that were conducted in both foreign countries and Vietnam Some outstanding studies among them can be mentioned below

Karavas-Dou-kas (1995) carries out a study on the implementation of a communicative approach in Greek secondary school, in which she shows that teachers exhibited incomplete understanding of the innovation which they were adopting In the Korean context, Li (1998) also reported that misconceptions about the nature of communicative approaches to language teaching were a barrier to their implementation After that, Clark et al (1999) found similar evidence that Hong Kong teachers had unclear conceptions about task-based teaching and learning, and this hindered its implementation In 2004, David Carless also studied issues in teachers’ reinterpretation of a task-based innovation in primary schools in the context of Hong Kong In his study, Carless finds out issues in TBT implementation like mother tongue use and classroom management In 2006, two authors In-Jae Jeon and Jung-won Hahn did the research “Exploring EFL teachers’ perceptions of task-based language teaching: A case study

of Korean secondary school classroom practice” These two authors studied teachers’ understandings of TBLT concepts, their attitudes toward and views on TBLT implementation, and the reasons why teachers use or avoid to TBLT in the classroom

In Vietnam, there are also many researchers who have studied this issue However, the author of this thesis only mentions two names, whose studies, to some extent, have something

in common with mine Firstly, Canh (2004) made a research on “Understanding foreign language teaching methodology” In this research, he gave out understanding of different methods and approaches of teaching, including TBLT Secondly, Hung (2008) carried out a study on university teachers’ conceptualization of task-based teaching in Tay Bac University

He finds out that there exist congruence and incongruence between teachers’ conceptualization of task-based teaching and the composite view of TBLT, congruence between teachers’ practice of task-based teaching and teachers’ teaching plan with the

composite view of TBLT, and consistence and inconsistence between teachers’ conceptualization with teaching practices and teaching plans

For the researcher of this study, the conceptualization of high school teachers who have just accessed TBLT through the renovation of methodology plays a very important role

in TBLT implementation Nearly no studies have been conducted in order to explore the current situation of high school teachers in understanding TBLT and its implementation into reality Therefore, the researcher decided to do this study on purpose of filling this gap

This chapter aims to provide a theoretical framework focusing on learning and teaching theories The first issue addressed in this chapter relates to the theoretical foundations for TBLT, including theories of language and theories of language teaching The second part presents the TBLT terminologies, its key definitions, its varieties, its component, and the framework for learning and teaching The third part discusses the traditional method of language teaching in comparison with TBLT Teachers’ interpretation of TBLT is also mentioned in this chapter This chapter helps to provide the basic literature that is crucial for understanding TBLT and its potentials, the methodology and data collection in the study, and also the analysis of findings obtained from the study

1.1 Theoretical foundations

The 1970s ushered in an era of change and innovation in language teaching methodology This was the decade during which Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) came to replace Audiolingualism and the Structural-Situational Approach Thirty years later CLT is still alive Perhaps the difference in orientation explains why CLT has survived into the new millennium Because it refers to a diverse set of rather and uncontroversial principles that CLT can be interpreted in many different ways and used to support a wide variety of classroom procedures Some contemporary teaching approaches such as Content Based Instruction, Cooperative Language Learning, and Task-Based Instruction can all claim to be applications of CLT principles and hence continue as mainstream approaches today.Task-based language teaching is one particular integrated communicative approach to teaching second language that can enable us to achieve the dual requirements of natural integration of skills and meaningful language use It represents a realization of the philosophy of

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) In other words, CLT is a broad and philosophical approach to language teaching that draws on the theory and research in linguistics, anthropology, psychology, and sociology Therefore, it is very necessary to discuss philosophies of TBLT, including theories of language and theories of language learning

1.1.1 Theories of language

The functional view and interactional view are the two influential theories that lay the foundation for CLT and TBLT The following points of view on these two theories language are based on those of Richards and Rodgers (Richards and Rodgers, 1986, pp.16-17)

1.1.1.1 The functional view

The functional view is the one in which language is a vehicle for the expressing of functional meaning Thus, in this view, the semantic and communicative dimensions of language are more emphasized than the grammatical characteristics, although the latter are also included The target of language learning within the functional view is to learn to express communication functions and categories of meaning The two outstanding approaches that are based on this view are the Natural Approach and the CLT It does mean that TBLT is not an exception

1.1.1.2 The interactional view

The interactional view sees language primarily as a means for establishing and maintaining interpersonal relations and for performing social transactions between individuals The target of language learning in this view, thus, is to learn to initiate and maintain conversation with other people Therefore, the CLT and TBLT are also informed by this view

1.1.2 Theories of language teaching

1.1.2.1 Cognitive theory

Cognitive theory of learning focuses on the role of the mind in actively acquiring new knowledge According to Ausubel (1985), learning must be meaningful and relatable to an individual’s cognitive structure if it was to become a permanent part of his or her understanding of the world Cognitive teaching treats learners as thinking beings and places them at the center of learning process by emphasizing that learning will only take place when learners find the input meaningful, interesting and relevant to their needs

The basic teaching technique associated with cognitive theory of learning is the problem-solving tasks Therefore, the cognitive model of teaching is defined as a model of teaching in which the teacher selects learning tasks according to the learner’s developmental level, and elicits learner reasoning in relation to those tasks

1.1.2.2 Constructivist theory

Constructivist theory is the theory about knowledge and learning in which knowledge

is unique to the individual learner and the resulting facet of the individual’s engagement in the cognitive learning process (Kozulin, 1998)

Constructivists believe that a learner individually interprets his or her experience, building a unique internal representation of knowledge According to them, learning outcomes are largely metacognitive in nature, and that learners are required to actively participate in the learning process to construct meaningful knowledge rather than acquire a predetermined set of skills in a pre-specified manner

1.1.2.3 Generative Learning Theory

Generative learning theory is another theoretical model that lays the base for TBLT Being originally conceived under the cognitive information processing paradigm by Wittrock (1974), generative learning theory has lately been used in technology-based constructivist learning environments, experiment learning, cooperation learning, problem-based learning (Grabinger, 1996) The focus of the generative learning theory is that the learner is not a passive recipient of information but an active participant in the instructional experience, constructing knowledge through relating information in the instructional environment to his or her previous experiences and prior knowledge (Grabowski, 1996) Corresponding, the generative learning process requires the learner to manipulate, interpret, organize or in some active manner make sense of his or her environment He or she creates meaning through generative associations between and among elements in the instructional environment and his

or her knowledge base

1.2 Task-Based Language Teaching

1.2.1 Definition of terminology

1.2.1.1 What is task-based language teaching?

Task-based language teaching is one particular integrated communicative approach to teaching second language A task-based approach is one that uses meaningful “tasks” to organize the learning of second language Richards and Rodgers (2001) describes TBLT as

“an approach based on the use of tasks as the core unit of planning and instruction in language teaching” (p.223) “In other words, students are given a task to perform” (Harmer, 1998, p.41) Then they have to figure out how to complete the task using whatever language they know Harmer calls it “a kind of ‘deep-end’ strategy” (p.87) whereby the learner is thrown into a task

as a means of making him learn to swim, that is to learn language

Nunan (1991) offers five characteristics of a task-based approach to language teaching: (1) An emphasis on learning to communicative through interaction in the target language

(2) The introduction of authentic texts into learning situation

(3) The provision of opportunities for learners to focus not only on language but also

on the learning process itself

(4) An enhancement of the learner’s own personal experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning

(5) An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activation outside classroom

There are many different interpretations of TBLT related to classroom practice, but three features of TBLT are exhibited: TBLT is compatible with a learner-centered educational philosophy; it consists of particular components such as goal, procedure and specific outcome;

it advocates content-oriented meaningful activities rather than linguistic forms In other words, from the viewpoint of second language teaching, a task-based approach satisfies the two identified requirements for effective teaching and learning: the four skills are taught in an interconnected way, and teaching is structured so that there are always real purposes, interactions, and meaning involved in language use

1.2.1.2 Definition of task

The definition of task has received much attention in the literature This term has been defined in a variety of ways Nunan (1989) defines task as “a piece of classroom work which

involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their interaction is principally focused on meaning rather than form The task should also have a sense of completeness, being able to stand alone as a communicative act in its own right” (p.10) This definition has a pedagogical perspective which involves communicative language use and the activities focus on meaning rather than on language forms

Besides this definition, there are many other definitions of task which all emphasize language use with reference to pedagogical purposes Richards, Platt, and Weber (1985) define a task as follows: “a task is an activity or an action which is carried out as the result of processing or understanding language, i.e as a response For example, drawing a map while listening to a tape, and listening to an instruction and performing a comment, maybe referred

to as tasks Tasks may or may not involve the production of language A task usually requires the teacher to specify what will be regarded as successful completion of the task The use of variety of different kinds of tasks in language teaching is said to make teaching more communicative since it provides purpose for classroom activity which go beyond practice of language for its own sake” (p.289)

Willis (1996) writes: “All tasks should have an outcome” (p.24), and defines a task as

“a goal-oriented communicative activity with a specific outcome, where the emphasis is on exchanging meanings not producing specific language forms” (p.36)

Skehan (1998) explains that in a task “there is some sort of relationship to comparable real world activities” (p.3) According to him, a task is an activity in which: meaning is primary; it works towards a goal; it is outcome-evaluated; and it is related to the world outside the classroom

Brown (2001) describes a task as follows: “A task is really a special technique In some cases, task and technique may be synonymous (a problem-solving task/technique; a role-play task/technique for example) But in other cases, a task may be comprised of several techniques (for example, a problem-solving task that includes, let’s say, grammatical explanation, teacher-initiated questions, and a specific turn-taking procedure) Tasks are usually “bigger” in their ultimate ends than techniques” (p.50)

Bygate, Skehan, and Swan (2001) state that the definition of task needs to be different for the different purposes for which tasks are used Therefore, for an all-purpose definition, “a task is an activity which requires learners to use language with an emphasis on meaning to attain an objective” (p.11) Referring to the statement by them, from the language teaching perspective, a task is “an activity, susceptible to brief or extended pedagogic intervention, which requires learners to use language with emphasis on meaning to attain an objective” (p.11)

Ellis (2003) defines a pedagogical task as follows: “A task is a workplan that requires learners to process language pragmatically in order to achieve an outcome that can be evaluated in terms of whether the correct or appropriate propositional content has been conveyed To this end, it requires them to give primary attention to meaning and to make use

of their own linguistic resources, although the design of the task may predispose them to choose particular forms A task is intended to result in language use that bears a resemblance, direct or indirect, to the way language is used in the real world Like other language activities,

a task can engage productive or receptive, and oral or written skills and also various cognitive processes” (p.16)

There are many viewpoints on the definition of task Although these definitions may vary from this one to another one, they all come to a conclusion that a task is a posed problem

or an activity that has a goal or an outcome that is not linguistic, but which is reached through

a variety of linguistic skills Also, they all emphasize that pedagogical tasks involve communicative language use in which the learner’s attention is focused on meaning rather than grammatical form In this study, the author only presents the viewpoints of the researchers which are used in this study That is the definition of Willis (1996) and Nunan (2001), and that viewpoint will go through this study

1.2.1.3 Tasks, activities and exercises

There exist a lot of overlapping understandings and interpretations between the two definitions of tasks and exercises These two terms are used either with a vague distinction or without distinction Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the differences between tasks and

exercises, especially when this clarification serves much to the understanding of task and TBLT in the study

Willis (1996) emphasizes the critical difference between task and practice, “An example of an activity that lacks an outcome would be to show students a picture and say

‘Write four sentences describing the picture Say them to your partner’ Here, there is no communicative purpose, only the practice of language form” (p.24) In contrast, the following would be a task: “If the picture is shown briefly to the students then concealed, the task could be: From memory, write four true things and two false things about the picture Read them out

to see if other pairs remember which are true” (p.24)

Along the same lines, Nunan (2001) writes, “The essential difference between a task and an exercise is that a task has a nonlinguistic outcome In other words, exercises will have purely language related outcome, while tasks will have non-language related outcome” (p.5) Thus, teachers need to examine the techniques they use to ensure that the problem or activities posed are meaningful tasks and not just exercises

To conclude, according to researchers, a task is a communicative activity that does not usually have a restrictive focus on a particular grammatical structure and has a non-linguistic outcome, whereas an exercise usually has a restrictive focus on a specific language element, and has a linguistic outcome

1.2.1.4 Varieties of task

There are many types of task varying to researchers In this study, the researcher would like to introduce the ways of distinguishing tasks of two experts of world-wide reputation, Nunan and Willis, who have developed slightly different analyses of the kinds of tasks that are possible and how they are used in TBLT

Nunan (2001) writes: “I distinguish between real-world or target tasks and pedagogical tasks” (p.3) According to him, a real-world task is a communicative act that we achieve through language in the world outside the classroom, whilst a pedagogical task is a piece of work which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, or producing in the language while their attention is principally focused on meaning rather than forms Furthermore,

“pedagogical tasks have a non-linguistic outcome and can be divided into rehearsal tasks or

activation tasks A rehearsal task is a piece of classroom work in which learners rehearse, in class, a communicative act they will carry out outside of the class An activation task is a piece

of classroom work involving communicative interaction, but not one in which learners will be rehearsing for some out-of-class communication Rather they are designed to activate the acquisition process” (p.4)

From Willis’s viewpoint, she focuses more on practical design suggestions for tasks She (1996) divides tasks into six types, which can be adjusted for use with almost any topic The task types are: listing; ordering and sorting; comparing; problem-solving; sharing personal experience; and creative tasks All types of task can integrate the skills, so as to include not only speaking but also reading and the skills usually lead into a writing stage (pp 26-28) According to her, simple tasks may consist of one type only, such as listing; more complex tasks may incorporate two or more types, such as listing then comparing lists or listing then ranking Problem-solving may include listing, comparing and ranking After the starting points and examples, this classification also suggests follow-up tasks All tasks involve speaking and listening Many also entail reading and note-taking All tasks can lead into a more formal or written presentation (p 149)

1.2.2 Task-Based Language Teaching framework

TBLT is typically put into practice in three stages, usually called pre-task, task cycle, and language focus

1.2.2.1 Pre-task stage

The pre-task stage, according to Willis (1996), “will usually be the shortest stage in the framework, between two and twenty minutes, depending on the learners’ degree of familiarity with the topic and the type of task” (p 42) During this stage, “the teacher explores the topic with the class and may highlight useful words and phrases, helping students to understand the task instructions” (Harmer, 1999, p 87) More detail is supplied by Skehan (1996), who states

“Two broad alternatives are possible: an emphasis on general cognitive demands of the task, and/ or an emphasis on linguistic factors” (p 25) The two main purposes of the pre-task stage identified by Rooney (2000) are: “1) to introduce and create interest in doing the task on the

chosen topic, 2) to activate topic-related words, phrases and target sentences that will be useful

in carrying out the task and in the real world” (p 2)

1.2.2.2 Task cycle stage

In this stage, “the students perform the task in pairs or small groups while the teacher monitors from a distance The students then plan how they will tell the rest of the class what they did and how it went, and they then report on the task either orally or in writing, and/ or compare notes on what has happened” (Harmer, 1999, p 87)

According to Willis (1996), the task cycle offers learners the chance to use whatever language they already know in order to carry out the task, and then to improve that language, under teacher guidance, while planning their reports of the task Feedback from the teacher comes when they want it most, at the planning stage, and after the report Exposure to language in use can be provided at different points, depending on the type of the task Either before or during the task cycle, students might listen to recordings of other people doing the task, or read a text connected with the task topic, and relate this to their own experience of doing the task So the task-based learning framework so far provides the three basic conditions for language learning – exposure, use and motivation

1.2.3 Components of Task-Based Language Teaching framework

According to experts, it can be deduced that tasks have four core features: there is a goal to be worked towards; the activity is outcome-evaluated; meaning is primary; and there is

a real-world relationship Candlin and Murphy (1987) assert that tasks can be effectively organized based on systematic components including goals, input, setting, activities, roles and feedback The framework of task components provides second language acquisition researchers with some meaningful insights in a task-based syllabus design and authentic materials development, for it can serve as the beginning point for designing task-based activities In this study, thus, it is suggested that the central components of task-based framework include goals, input data, classroom settings, activity types and assessment

Briefly, goals refer to the general aim for the task and input represents verbal and verbal materials that learners can manipulate Setting refers to the environment in which the task is performed and activities involve the things participants will be doing in a given setting The roles for teachers and learners are closely related to the successful implementation of the task, and feedback concerns the task evaluation It can be deduced that in spite of pedagogical benefits in language learning contexts, a task in itself does not necessarily guarantee its successful implementation without the teacher, the facilitator, the controller of the task performance – who understands how tasks actually work in the classroom It is also suggested that TBLT as an instructional method is more than just giving tasks to learners and evaluating their performance More importantly, the teacher who wants to try to implement TBLT successfully is required to have sufficient knowledge about the instructional framework related to its plan, procedure and assessment

non-1.3 Task-Based Instruction versus the traditional approach to language teaching

The traditional approach to language teaching is PPP: presentation, practice and production This approach was at one time virtually the only acceptable second language task sequence In the PPP cycle, a focused presentation stage in which grammar presentation comes first is followed by practice activities These practice activities are designed to enable learners to produce rapidly and easily the material which has been presented In the production stage, opportunities are provided to use language freely and flexibly in the expectation that this will consolidate what is being learned and extend its range of applicability

For a long time, this approach seems to be very powerful, and proves to have a lot of advantages Firstly, it is very comforting for the teacher The teacher is in charge of proceedings, and has a clear professional role which is relatively easy to organize because it requires the teacher to take “structure of the day” and do whatever is necessary to ensure that the structure is learned Secondly, the approach lends itself to accountability since there will

be clear and tangible lesson goals, which can then be evaluated There is a belief that learners will learn what is taught in the order in which it is taught Finally, there is the possibility of clear connection with underlying theory Learning is focused on rules which are then automatized as a set of habits

However, as time goes by with an increasing demand of language learning and teaching process, this approach has become out of date It reveals to be unimpressive Levels

of learning achievement are proved to be poor, and most of the learners leave school with very little knowledge in terms of language use Moreover, the underlying theory for PPP has now been discredited The belief that a focus on a particular form leads to learning and automatization no longer carries much credibility in linguistics Instead, the contemporary view of language development is that learning is constrained by internal processes Learners

do not simply acquire the language to which they are exposed, however carefully that exposure may be prepared by the teacher It is not simply a matter of converting input into output To put it in another way, such a teacher-focused approach needs to be replaced by another one that can avoid the problems of PPP and may promote learning process more rapidly and efficiently

With the appearance of TBLT in the 1980s, it seems to meet the contemporary demands of language learning and teaching process The teachers’ concern for meaning-based activities and researchers’ investigation of patterns of interaction suggest a task-based approach to foreign language instruction Tasks, in this viewpoint, are activities which have meaning as their primary focus Success in the task is evaluated in terms of achievement of an outcome, and tasks generally bear some resemblance to real-life language use Therefore, task-based instruction takes a fairly strong view of communicative language teaching It is the task which drives learner’s system forward by engaging acquisitional process (Long and Crookes

(1993)) In short, on the one hand, a PPP approach looks on the learning process as learning a series of discrete items and then bringing these items together in communication to provide further practice and consolidation On the other hand, a task-based approach sees the learning process as one of learning through doing – it is by primarily engaging in meaning that the learner’s system is encouraged to develop

1.4 Teacher’s interpretation of task-based language teaching

1.4.1 Teacher’s role in task-based instruction

Teachers may take many different roles in regard to second language tasks The roles

of teachers are to promote favorable conditions which provide optimum opportunities for the learning process

In this study, the author adopts the opinion of Willis (1996) on the teacher role in TBLT when she says that in task-based learning the teacher is generally a “facilitator”, always keeping the key conditions for learning in mind According to her, facilitating learning involves balancing the amount of exposure and use of language, and ensuring they are both of suitable quality In a TBL framework, most of the emphasis is on learners doing things, often

in pairs or groups, using language to achieve the task outcomes and guided by the teacher The teacher is involved in setting tasks up, ensuring that learners understand and get on with them, and drawing them to a close Though learners do tasks independently, the teacher still has overall control and the power to intervene in the learning process anytime if necessary The part the teacher plays during each component of the task framework also varies according to its aim For example, at the end of the framework, where the focus turns to language form, the teacher acts as language guide

In order to complete the roles in a task-based approach, teachers need to command a significantly wide range of skills, including: an ability to select and sequence tasks for supplementary activities; the competence to organize, appropriately, pre- and post-task activities; a willingness to adapt task difficulty during the actual task phrase; and a sensitivity

to individual differences and the capacity to adapt tasks to take account of differences in learner orientation

1.4.2 Teachers’ interpretation of task-based language teaching

In the first place, we must confirm that any language teacher could not finish his duty without using any approach or any method In other words, no language teachers can teach a language without a theory of language teaching It does also mean at the same time that the first condition to ensure for teaching to take place is the teachers’ right conceptualization of teaching approaches and methods However, this condition is not sufficient for the success of teaching since from the right conceptualization of approaches and methods to appropriate using of these ones by teachers in the context of classroom reality is quite a big matter More importantly, the issue here is that what and how aspects of such approaches and methods are used by teachers in the classroom

All the things above are not exceptional with teachers’ interpretation of TBLT It can

be seen that there exist a lot of different ideas of researchers around TBLT, including its definitions and its features These ideas may either vary from this researcher to another one or have something in common The most important thing is that language teachers need to have a right conceptualization about TBLT from such many ideas and theories so that they can apply them appropriately in their teaching process Otherwise, their misunderstandings of TBLT can lead to the failure or be off the goals of the language learning and teaching process In brief words, researchers share a common opinion that TBLT can be regarded as a learner-centered approach which is to create opportunities for learners to experiment with and explore both spoken and written language through tasks These tasks are learning activities which are designed to engage learners in the authentic, practical and functional use of language for meaningful purposes Learners are encouraged to activate and use whatever language they already have in the process of completing a task The use of tasks will also give a clear and purposeful context for the teaching and learning grammar and language skills

In short, having a right interpretation of a method to making it alive and practical is sometimes not a simple matter; however, the author still would like to emphasize the importance of teachers’ right conceptualization It is because only the right conceptualization

at the very beginning of a process may lead to right actions and ensure the success of the whole process And it is true to every process, including language teaching

1.5 Summary

In this chapter, the literature on task-based language teaching is reviewed As can be seen from this part, TBLT has drawn a great deal of attention from second language acquisition researchers Most of them share one thing in common that in TBLT, “task” is used

as the basic unit of analysis at the levels of goal, educational activities, and assessment Moreover, it seems that teachers intend to reinterpret TBLT in their own experience and belief A great pity is that this issue has not been gained much attention and research in Vietnam even though TBLT has been introduced into schools and universities for recent years Therefore, this study is a great attempt to investigate teachers’ conceptualization of TBLT as

well as their way they implement it in classroom

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

This chapter is to present a description of the methodology employed in the thesis It consists of the setting of the study and it clarifies specifically the instruments used in this study

2.1 The fitness of case study to the research

A case study is characterized by a bounded, integrated system in which a unit of analysis or entity (the case) is being studied (Creswell, 1998) However, it is not necessarily defined by the methods used for investigation, but rather “a choice of what is to be studied” (Stake, 2000, p 435) A case study concerns with a detailed exploration of a single example

of, something Gillham (2000)

A case study is used to search for various kinds of evidence in the case setting to get the best possible answers to the research questions (Gillham, op.cit) Some major characteristics of its are as follows: (1) it is abstracted and collated; (2) in a case study, the

researcher does not start out with a priori theoretical notions that is derived from the literature

This means the researcher does not plan in advance ideal or desirable results Until he or she gets hold of the data, and gets to understand the context, he or she does not know what theories or explanations works best or make the most sense

A case study proceeds from the assumption that people and events cannot be fully understood if they are removed from the environmental circumstances in which they naturally occur In other words, the researcher will not attempt to produce a standardized set of results that will work across a range of settings, but rather study issues in relation to circumstances of which they are part This study addresses human and social issues within a natural setting The researcher

is further concerned with process rather than specific outcomes or products

The study of a case is not only a qualitative undertaking, nor does it present a medial perspective in between quantitative and qualitative terms Where, for example, researchers need to study large scale trends, cases will often be selected on the basis of random sampling and the statistics submitted to data analysis and later interpretations It is this characteristic of the case study that lays reasons for its use in this study However, the weight of discussion on case study is

on interpretive approaches, and since teachers have access to certain kinds of data, resources and

timing, naturalistic case study is "in tune with their reality for reasons of practicality as well as principle" (Mc Donough & Mc Donough ,1997: 204)

This study aims to get the teachers' responses to task-based approach at NVX high school

to know their conceptualization of TBLT and their TBLT implementation, which will enhance the researcher’s understanding, and to share findings with the ones who are concerned with this issue, and perhaps to adjust the teaching methodology in appropriateness-oriented direction if possible For the purpose of this study, the researcher to design it as a case study

2.2 The setting of the study

2.2.1 An introduction to Nguyen Viet Xuan high school

NVX high school is located in the Northern countryside of Vinh Tuong district, Vinh Phuc province There are 68 teachers, 6 of whom are teachers of English All of them are young with the average age of 30) and have got BA degree in English language teaching They are in charge of teaching 35 classes at the moment All subjects including English are taught with new coursebooks and new methods according to the renovation program put forth by the Ministry of Education and Training The renovation mostly focuses on methodology in a great attempt to improve the quality of English language teaching and learning in Vietnam

It can be seen clearly through coursebooks that the major orientation for renovation is the advocacy of TBLT, which is quite new for all teachers and learners Thus, both teachers and students have got considerable difficulties in working with the new coursebooks Actually, teachers at my school have different interpretations or even vague understandings about TBLT, which has greatly influenced the result of the teaching In fact, the result of teaching and learning English at my school has not been as good as before when the old coursebook was used

The standard English 11 coursebook is designed to meet four criteria in terms of methodology: theme-based approach, communicative approach and task-based learning and learner-centered teaching The coursebook consists of 16 topics corresponding with 16 units Each unit is divided into five parts including reading, speaking, listening, writing and language focus, and taught in five periods of 45 minutes accordingly The teaching and learning of skills

is designed in tasks and consists of three stages of TBLT approach During the lessons,

students are required to work in pairs, in groups or individually Language focus part includes

the introduction and practice of pronunciation and grammar through exercises Also, there are

six tests to help students consolidate the knowledge and examine how well they have achieved

in the pervious units

2.2.2 Participants

The population for this study is five teachers of English at NVX high school All the

participants either worked last year or are working with the standard English 11 coursebook at

the moment All of them are young, in their 20s or 30s and have proved to be capable teachers

They are very enthusiastic and open-minded to participate in the study The table below

introduces the teachers who took part in the study

Table 1: Teachers’ qualifications and teaching specification Teacher Gender Qualifications/ training Teaching

experience

Class taught

Tung Male Graduated from College of Education in Vinh Phuc, then finished

his in-service course to get his bachelor degree at Colleges of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

12 years Grade 10, 11,

12

Truc Male Getting a three year course of training to become a teacher of

English at College of Education in Phu Tho After that, furthering his education to attain the bachelor degree of English from College

of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

10 years Grade 10, 11,

12

Cuc Female Graduated from College of Education in Phu Tho Then attending

an in-service course of 4 years, and getting the bachelor degree from College of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi Now she is writing the thesis for the master course of ELT methodology

10 years Grade 10, 11,

12

Mai Female Graduated from College of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National

University, Hanoi; and specializing in interpretation Then taking part in a 6 month course to get the certificate of teaching methodology

7 years Grade 10, 11,

12

Dao Female Getting her bachelor degree of English language teaching from

Hanoi University of Education

4 years Grade 10, 11,

12

To accomplish the objectives of this study, five teachers mentioned above were interviewed about different aspects related to TBLT through 10 questions (Appendix A) Then

to get information about the reality as well as the realization of their teaching, the author of the study had class observations and teaching plan interpretations

2.3 Methodology

2.3.1 Interviews

Interviewing is an effective research instrument to get real statistics of any aspects in life With the same planned questions, the answers of interviewees may be much various, optional, unpredictable, and different from methods that let the answerers graph on paper sheets It can provide realistic information for later thought Therefore, it may be used as the primary research tool or in an ancillary role as a checking mechanism to triangulate data gathered from other sources

This study fits well with these uses of interviews: it is to investigate one specific aspect

of classroom life, i.e teacher' exploitations of learning tasks as well as their knowledge of teaching methodology and application ability; to know teacher-pupil discussions in class, i.e for the researcher to have the diagnostic information

The chosen research method is through semi-structured interviews in order to permit informants to express their perspectives on task-based approach in their own words

Five teachers were interviewed in both English and Vietnamese for about 30 and 45 minutes depending upon the command of English of each interviewee The interviewees were asked 10 questions (See Appendix A) The interviews took place in an informal atmosphere, and the interviews were conducted without tape recorders so as to create a comfortable rapport because the tape recorder may inhibit frank and open discussion Therefore, the interviewees felt very comfortable and free to express their own opinion

The researcher took notes very carefully during the interviews, and these notes were then analysed to find out conclusions and pedagogical implications

2.3.2 Teaching plan interpretations

The participants’ teaching plan is an additional tool used by the researcher in this study

to make out the reality of teachers’ classroom teaching It, therefore, cannot be a major

instrument but supported one to make the data interpretation become more triangulate The reason for this is that teaching plan is the intentions for the class teaching

The researcher asked for the teaching plans from teachers whose lessons were attended with the purpose of having their realization of TBLT understandings and reality of the class teaching By reading and studying teaching plans carefully along with analysing the notes of the class observations, the researcher would like to find out how the teachers realized their conceptualization of TBLT and to assess the teachers’ teaching intentions before classroom in terms of language skills and teaching methods

2.3.3 Class observations

Classroom observation was conducted in order to bolster the qualitative and quantitative results, i.e to clarify the validity of the interview answers of the teachers participated As Hopkins (cited in Mr Donough, J and Mr Donough, S 1997: l01) describes,

"Observation is a pivotal activity with a crucial role to play in classroom research"

This study is really suitable to use of classroom observation because it is a helpful tool for the researcher: to investigate in the previous interview in one specific aspect or the whole load of teaching and learning in class, i.e teacher' management, facilitation and monitor of class for learning tasks made use of; to explore their knowledge of teaching methodology through what teachers do in class, and the involvement of students on tasks; to know the way of cooperations and interactions between students and students and between teacher and students through the task process; and to know what they need to note, so it requires more efforts and dealing of the researcher in the analysis phase

From what is presented above, it can be seen that classroom observation would obviously provide additional insights into the interpretation of TBLT In this study, the observations were conducted in several different classes working with the standard English 11 coursebook The author of the study attended the lessons and took notes of the class procedure These notes were then transcribed and analysed in comparison with the lesson plans and the teachers’ answers during the interviews, which are used to assess the teachers’ teaching in the classroom in terms of task involvement of students and the way tasks are exploited by teachers The observation form is presented in appendices (See Appendice B)

2.4 Data analysis

The researcher read a large number of articles and supplementary materials, and interpreted carefully all the interview notes and information from teaching plan interpretations and classroom observations in order to find out an authentic result The data were analysed using the principles of inductive analysis Analysis also proceeded concurrently with the interviews so that opinions and interpretations attained from earlier interviews could be put into later informants These procedures allow for identification and analysis of all the data to the elements of teachers’ teaching in class and their understanding of TBLT

2.5 Summary

In this chapter, the research methods and the procedures of the study are discussed Instruments used for data collection are interviews, teaching plan interpretations, and classroom observations Therefore, this is a qualitative case study

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS

This chapter aims to present and discuss the findings of the study The researcher will begin this chapter with a summary of the findings, and then a discussion of main issues raising from the findings oriented after research questions:

(1) How well do teachers at Nguyen Viet Xuan high school understand task-based language teaching concepts?

(2) How do they implement task-based language teaching into classroom?

(3) How does teachers’ conceptualization of task-based language teaching influence the achievements of students’ learning?

3.1 Findings

In this part, the researcher would like to present the findings of the study after conducting the research instruments: interviews, teaching plan interpretations, and classroom observations

3.1.1 Findings of the interviews

3.1.1.1 Teachers’ conceptualization of teaching methodology and tasked-based language teaching approach

The findings of teachers’ conceptualization of teaching methodology and TBLT are achieved through questions 1, 2 and 3

In response to question 1, all the teachers admitted that the changes in using new methods and approaches of language teaching in the new coursebook were very necessary because the traditional method of PPP seemed to be out of date According to them, the teacher-centered method should be replaced by the learner-centered one

When the researcher asked the teachers question 2, they seemed to be a little bit embarrassed to answer They could not produce concrete answers Although they understood that in the learner-centered method students have to work more, and there is no existence of the fact that students read and repeat after the teacher; most of the interviewees could not define accurately what TBLT approach is CLT and TBLT are quite new and strange to them Tung said: “I might have read TBLT somewhere, but actually I don’t understand much about

it In my opinion, TBLT is an approach which bases on tasks and is a learner-centered one”; while Cuc shared that when she learnt the subject of methodology at university, TBLT was not popular and was not introduced in the course Furthermore, so far she has been working with the old coursebook and the traditional method That is the reason why she does not understand much about this new method

Mai said that: “From my point of view, TBLT is an approach which bases on tasks and

is mostly used in teaching language skills” While Truc and Dao shared a common idea when they all agreed that TBLT is an approach which is used to improve students’ language skills This is a greatest difference between TBLT and the traditional method According to Dao, in TBLT learners are given more chance to work with one another, and to use the target language And more importantly, after the lesson students can achieve something, for example, they can know how to use English to buy a pair of shoes with a good bargain in the market This is a good explanation because in TBLT an outcome is a necessary requirement

Dao also revealed that before the new coursebooks were used officially, all high school teachers in the province attended courses which were organized to help them update the renovation of the Ministry of Education and Training, and prepare to implement the new coursebooks During these courses, the changes of objectives, content and methodology were introduced very little The courses were spent mostly on details of the coursebooks so that teachers became familiar with them All the interviewees could only recognize simply and generally the shift in methodology from the traditional to modern approach and from teacher-centered to learner-centered method

Although the teachers’ conceptualization of TBLT is right to some extent, their conceptualization is not complete Their conceptualization of TBLT does not match the theory

of TBLT that is presented in the literature Their definitions of TBLT are somewhat identical

to the way they define tasks The reason they do not have a precise and complete understanding of this approach lies in the fact that the knowledge of TBLT is not introduced to them fully and officially The lack of understanding may lead to low effectiveness, even

failure in teaching process of teachers

3.1.1.2 Teachers’ conceptualization of task