Some possible suggestions for improving students talking time in class at hoang van thu high school, nam dinh

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ---*****---CLT: Communicative Language Teaching STT: Student talking time TTT: Teacher talking time ELT: English language teaching L1: first language L2: second lan

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

*****************

LÊ THỊ THÙY DƯƠNG

SOME POSSIBLE SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING STUDENTS’ TALKING TIME IN CLASS AT HOANG VAN THU HIGH SCHOOL,

NAM DINH

(Một số gợi ý có tính khả thi nhằm mục đích tăng cường thời gian nói của học sinh trong lớp học tại trường THPT Hoàng Văn Thụ, tỉnh Nam Định)

M.A Minor Programme Thesis

Field: English Methodology Code: 60 14 10

Hanoi – 2010

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

*****************

LÊ THỊ THÙY DƯƠNG

SOME POSSIBLE SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING STUDENTS’ TALKING TIME IN CLASS AT HOANG VAN THU HIGH SCHOOL,

NAM DINH

(Một số gợi ý có tính khả thi nhằm mục đích tăng cườngthời gian nói của học sinh trong lớp học tại trường THPT Hoàng Văn Thụ, tỉnh Nam Định)

M.A Minor Programme Thesis

Field: English Methodology Code: 60 14 10

Supervisor : VŨ THỊ BÍCH ĐÀO, M.A

Hanoi - 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Candidate’s statement i

Acknowledgements ii

Abstract iii

Table of contents iv

List of abbreviations viii

List of tables ix

List of figures x

PART I INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Aims of the study 1

3 Research question 2

4 Scope of the study 2

5 Methodology of the study 2

6 Significance of the study 2

7 Design of the study 3

PART II DEVELOPMENT 4

Chapter I - LITERATURE REVIEW 4

I.1 Communicative Language Teaching 4

I.1.1 Definition of CLT 5

I.1.2 Characteristics of CLT 5

I.2 Student talking time and second language acquisition 6

I.2.1 The theory of student talking time and second language acquisition of some linguistics 6

I.2.1.1 Krashen’s comprehensible input 6

I.2.1.2 Swain’s output hypothesis 7

I.2.1.3 Long’s interaction hypothesis 8

I.2.2 Perspectives on student talking time 9

I.2.3 Studies on student talking time 12

I.3 Factors affecting student talking time in speaking lessons 12

I.3.1 Motivation 12

I.3.2 Attitudes of the learners 13

I.3.3 Psychological factors 13

Chapter II – THE STUDY 15

II.1 An overview of English teaching and learning at Hoang Van Thu high school, Nam Dinh ……… 15

II.1.1 Hoang Van Thu high school 15

II.1.2 English teachers at Hoang Van Thu high school 15

II.1.3 The 11th-form students and observation classes 11 15

II.1.4 Tieng Anh 11 textbook and its speaking lessons 15

II.2 Research method 16

II.2.1 The subjects of the study 16

II.2.2 The instruments 16

II.2.3 Procedures 16

II.2.4 Method 17

Chapter III - STATISTICAL RESULTS AND DATA ANALYSIS 18

III.1 Data analysis from learners’ questionnaires 18

III.1.1 Students’ opinions about speaking topics in the new text book “Tieng Anh 11” 18

III.1.2 Students’ attitudes towards learning oral skill 18

III.1.3 Students’ and teachers’ talking time in speaking lesson 19

III.1.4 Reasons making students reluctant to speak in English speaking lessons …. 20 III.1.5 Teachers’ current methods applied at Hoang Van Thu high school 21

III.1.6 Students’ expectation towards their teachers 23

III.2 Data analysis from teachers’ questionnaires 23

III.2.1 Teachers’ assessment of the new text book “Tieng Anh 11” 23

III.2.2 Teachers’ perception of CLT 24

III.2.3 Teachers’ current teaching methods 24

III.2.4 Difficulties teachers have encountered in their teaching process 26

III.2.5 The ways teachers use to motivate students at Hoang Van Thu high school 26

III.2.6 Teachers’ assessment on student talking time in a speaking lesson 28 III.3 Observations 29

Chapter IV - FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 31

IV.1 Findings 31

IV.1.1 Current teaching methods 31

IV.1.2 Learners’ difficulties in getting involved in speaking lessons 32

IV.1.2.1 Students’ prior learning experiences 32

IV.1.2.2 Low level of English language proficiency 32

IV.1.2.3 Anxiety or shyness in class 33

IV.1.2.4 Low motivation 33

IV.1.3 Teachers’ difficulties in teaching speaking in speaking lessons 33

IV.1.4 Student talking time and teacher talking time in speaking lessons 34

IV.1.5 Learners’ expectations towards teachers 34

IV.2 Recommendations for teachers to improve students’ talking time 34

IV.2.1 Suggestions for the teachers 34

IV.2.2 Activities for improving students’ talking time in class 35

IV.2.2.1 Pair work and group work 36

IV.2.2.2 Role-play 37

IV.2.2.3 Topic discussion 38

IV.2.2.4 Oral presentation 38

PART III CONCLUSION 39

III.1 Summary of the study 40

III.2 Limitations and suggestions for further study 41

REFERENCES 42 APPENDIX 1 I APPENDIX 2 IV APPENDIX 3 VII APPENDIX 4 VIII

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS -***** -

CLT: Communicative Language Teaching

STT: Student talking time

TTT: Teacher talking time

ELT: English language teaching

L1: first language

L2: second language

LIST OF TABLES - ***** -

Table 1: Students’ and teachers’ talking time in speaking lesson

Table 2: Teachers’ current methods applied at Hoang Van Thu high school

Table 3: Teachers’ current teaching methods

Table 4: The ways teachers use to motivate their students

Table 5: STT and TTT in observations

LIST OF FIGURES -***** -

Figure 1: Students’ opinions about speaking topics in the new text book “Tieng Anh 11”

Figure 2: Students’ attitudes towards learning oral skill.

Figure 3: Reasons for the students’ reluctance to speak in English speaking lessons

Figure 4: Students’ expectation towards their teachers

Figure 5: Teachers’ assessment of the new text book “Tieng Anh 11”

Figure 6: Teachers’ perception of CLT

Figure 7: Difficulties teachers have encountered in their teaching process

Figure 8: Teachers’ assessment on students’ talking time in a speaking lesson Figure 9: STT and TTT in class 11A1

Figure 10: STT and TTT in class 11A2

Figure 11: STT and TTT in class 11A3

Figure 12: STT and TTT in class 11A4

Part I: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study

It is undeniable that English, the main language of many countries in the world, has

become a language for global communication It is considered as the medium of communication

in many different fields such as: science, technology, politics, economics, aviation and so on Infact, with the spread of globalization and the rapid expansion of information and technology,English has become more and more important for any countries in the world At uppersecondary schools Vietnam, English is now a compulsory subject for all students Due to itsimportance, English has received a lot of attention from students As for them, the four skills:listening, speaking, reading and writing are very important but speaking skill is the top priorityamong the four “Speaking in a second or foreign language has often been viewed as the mostdemanding of the four skills.” (Bailey, Kathleen M & Savage, Lance, 1994:vii) For that reason,speaking is the direct communication helping learners achieve their learning and working.However, one of the problems people care most in a speaking lesson is talking time Studies ofclassroom discourse in ELT consistently show that teachers talk more than learners Inparticular, most questions in the classroom are asked by teachers, these tend to be of the displaytype, and learners‟ responses to them tend to be short Most teachers readily agree that studentsshould receive as much opportunity to speak as possible when learning English as a foreign

language This idea is especially true in the EFL classroom, where students do not live in anEnglish-speaking country In such cases, students may only have the chances to practice English

as a conversational tool during forty five minutes of the lesson But whatever the situation, themore students speak in English, the better English speakers they become

Being a teacher of a high school, within a minor thesis, the researcher would like toinvestigate the reasons why students are reluctant to speak in speaking lessons, and she hopes to

be able to make some recommendations that can help students improve their talking time in

speaking lessons This actually drives the researcher to carry out the study “Some possible

suggestions for improving students’ talking time in class at Hoang Van Thu high school, Nam Dinh.”

2 Aim of the study The study is aimed at:

1 Investigating the current speaking teaching and learning situation at Hoang Van Thu high school

2 Finding the reasons why students are reluctant to speak in speaking lessons

3 Making some suggestions for the teachers with the hope of helping students improve their talking time in speaking lessons

3 Research questions:

To reach the aim of the study, the two research questions are addressed:

1 How is the reality of students‟ talking time at Hoang Van Thu high school in Nam

2 What should teachers do to improve students‟ talking time in class at Hoang Van Thu high school?

4 Scope of the study

With the purpose of helping students at Hoang Van Thu high school to improve theirtalking time in speaking lessons, the teacher intends to give a brief overview of current Englishspeaking teaching and learning situations at Hoang Van Thu high school, find out factorsmaking the students reluctant to speak and suggest some techniques and activities which helpthem improve their talking time in speaking lessons

5 Methods of the study

To realize the aim of the study, quantitative and qualitative methods were used Two

survey questionnaires were used to collect information and evidence for the study

 The first questionnaire was for 150 students of grade 11th at Hoang Van Thu high school

 The second questionnaire was for 10 English language teachers at Hoang Van Thu high school

Besides, survey questions are used to collect information and evidence for the study.All comments, remarks, recommendations assumption and conclusion provided in the study based on the data analysis.

6 Significance of the study

The study hopes to contribute a small part to help teachers improve their teaching skills sothat they can give a great assistance to learners with better involvement in English speaking lessons

7 Design of the study

This minor thesis is composed of three parts:

Part one: Introduction, presents the rationale of the study, the aims of the study, research

questions, scope of the study, methods of the study, significance of the study and design of thestudy

Part two: Development, including the following chapters

Chapter one, Literature review, presents the concepts relevant to the study, the definition

of CLT, characteristics of CLT, Student Talking Time and Second Language Acquisition, thelast is factors affecting learners‟ participation in speaking lessons

Chapter two is The study in which the writer talks about the students and teachers at

school, the real situations of teaching and learning English at Hoang Van Thu high school andthe research method including the following parts: the subjects of the study, the instruments,procedures and method

Chapter three, namely Statistical results and data analysis, presents data analysis and

discussion, focus on analysis about students‟ activities towards speaking skills, factors thatmake them reluctant to speak, current teaching methods of teachers at Hoang Van Thu schooland the amount of time students and teachers talk in speaking lessons

Chapter four, Findings and Recommendations discover factors affecting both students and

teachers during speaking lessons Basing on these factors, the researcher would like to makesome suggestions to help students improve their talking time in speaking lessons

Part three, Conclusion summarize all the key issues as well as the limitations of the study

and suggestions for further study

PART II - DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I - LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter consists of three sections Section one deals with the issue of CommunicativeLanguage Teaching (CLT) which is intended to be discussed in terms of the definition of CLTand characteristics of CLT Section two focuses on the Student Talking Time (STT) and SecondLanguage Acquisition The last section is about factors affecting STT

I.1 Communicative Language Teaching

It is undeniable that most learners of English nowadays desire to be able to communicatewith others in the language they learn Parallel with this change in the aims of learning English,methods of teaching had to be changed For a long time, a number of language teachingmethodologists have constantly looked for the most appropriate way to teach English moresuccessfully and effectively As a result, some teaching methods have come into being such as:

Generally, it is hard to say which method is the most effective and appropriate withoutconsidering the circumstances in which it is applied The question of which method should beused in Vietnam depends most on the background of English language teaching and learning in

the country, sources of materials, teachers‟ proficiency, learners‟ needs and facilities forteaching and learning.

In this minor thesis, the author just focused on Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

as it is considered the current dominant methodology and one of the most effective approaches

to teach learners to speak in a language they learnt Accordingly, CLT has become an

“umbrella” term, which covers a wide range of classroom practices

I.1.1 Definition of CLT

So far, CLT has been viewed differently by different authors such as Wilkins (1972),Nunan (1989), etc According to Nunan (1989:194), “CLT views language as a system for theexpression of meaning Activities involve oral communication; carrying out meaning tasks; andusing language which is meaningful to the learner Objectives reflect the needs of the learnerincluding functional skills as well as linguistic objectives The learner‟s role is as a negotiatorand integrator The teacher‟s role is as a facilitator of the communication process” It is thoughtthat this definition contains aspects that are common to many other definitions

Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied Linguistics defines the

Communicative Language Teaching as “an approach to foreign or second language teaching

which emphasizes that the goal of language learning is communicative competence.”(Richards,J.C, Platt, J and Platt, H: 1992:65)

I.1.2 Characteristics of CLT

The communicative approach can be said to be the product of language educators andlinguists who became dissatisfied with the Audio-Lingual and Grammar-Translation, whichcould not enable learners to communicate in the culture of the target language David Nunan(1991) points out five features of CLT:

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

 The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation.

 The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language but also on thelearning management process

 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 activities outside the classroom

These five features are claimed by practitioners of CLT to show that they are veryinterested in the needs and desires of their learners as well as the connection between thelanguage as it is taught in their classroom and as it is used outside the classroom Under this

broad umbrella definition, any teaching practice that helps students develop theircommunicative competence in an authentic context is deemed an acceptable and beneficial form

of instruction Thus, in the classroom CLT often takes the form of pair and group workrequiring negotiation and cooperation among learners to develop their confidence, role-plays inwhich students practice and develop language functions as well as judicious use of grammar andpronunciation focused activities

I.2 Student Talking Time and Second Language Acquisition

I.2.1 The theory of Student Talking Time and Second Language Acquisitions of some linguistics

I.2.1.1 Krashen's comprehensible input: In the comprehension hypothesis (originally

called „input hypothesis), Stephen Krashen (1983) expressed the idea that we learn languagesfrom listening and reading His hypothesis is that we learn new and more language items byunderstanding them in the context of other languages we already understand So if someone tells

us something that we understand, and they use one word that we don‟t know, we are likely tounderstand that word and learn it because we understand the rest of the context it occurs in

Krashen sometimes expresses this as i + 1 – we learn new language from input we understand (i) plus new items at one (1) level beyond the comprehensible materials.

Krashen shows that for the Input Hypothesis listening comprehension and reading plays animportant role in the language program He does not emphasize the role of student talk Hesupposes that the ability of speaking fluently is not taught directly rather speaking ability

“emerge after the acquirer has built up competence through comprehending input The InputHypothesis also states that in orders for acquirers to progress to the next stages in the acquisition

of the target language, learners need to understand input language

Consequently, the Input Hypothesis is summarized as following: first, the Input Hypothesisrelates to acquisition, not to learning Second, learners acquire by understanding language a bitbeyond their current level of competence This is done with the help of context Third, spokenfluency emerges gradually and is not taught directly The last point is that when caretakers talk

to acquirers understand the message, input automatically contains “i + 1”, the grammaticalstructures the acquirer is „ready” to acquire (Krashen.S.D:1983:37)

It is clear that according to Input Hypothesis, speaking is not absolutely essential forlanguage acquisition People understand language from two skills: reading and listening, notfrom speaking Moreover, the Input Hypothesis claimed that focus on listening and reading is

the best way to teach speaking and spoken fluency will emerge on its own Also, Krashenemphasizes that speaking is a primary goal of most language students It is important that itstimulates conversation, which in turn will encourage more comprehensible input.(Kashen:1983: 56-57)

In addition to receiving the right kind of input, Krashen (1981) supposed that studentsshould have their affective filter kept low, meaning that classroom stress should be minimizedand students "should not be put on the defensive." One result of this is that students‟ errorsshould not be corrected Students should be taught how to gain more input from the outsideworld, including helping them acquire conversational competence, the means of managingconversation

I.2.1.2 Swain’s Output Hypothesis

Although input and output are two essential factors of language learning process, outputhad been neglected for a long time because of immerge influence of Kashen‟s comprehensibleInput Hypothesis, which suggests that comprehensible input is the driving force for inter-language development The imbalance of the attention has not changed until mid-1980, whenCanadian researcher, Merrill Swain initiated studies focusing output process Swain's (1985)comprehensible Output Hypothesis in which she argues that comprehensible input is necessarybut not sufficient for learners to fully develop proficiency in their second language Learnersmust also be forced to produce “comprehensible output” for both fluency and accuracy in thetarget language to occur Where comprehension can occur without much syntactic analysis onthe part of the learner, output forces the learner to produce syntactic forms, which allowcommunication to take place Furthermore, via output, learners have to recognize syntacticproblems and remedy them

The Output Hypothesis (Swain, 1985) was not proposed as an alternative to the InputHypothesis but as an addition She argues that comprehensible input may be well important forL2 learning but it is insufficient to ensure that native speaker levels of grammatical accuracy areattained Swain observes that only when learners produce language; their interlocutor canunderstand that they are most likely to see the limits of second language ability and the need tofind the better ways to express their meaning The demands of producing comprehensibleoutput, she hypothesized, “push” learners ahead in their development (Lightbown.P.M andSpada.N:1999:44)

Consequently, Swain supposed that learner needs the opportunity for meaningful use ofhis/her linguistic resources to achieve this Swain (1985:248-249) attributes three roles tooutput.

1 The need to produce output in the process of negotiating meaning that is precise,coherent and appropriate encourages the learner to develop the necessary grammatical resources.Swain refers to this as “pushed language use”

2 Output provides the leaner with the opportunity to try out hypothesis to see if they work

3 Production, as opposed to comprehension, may help to force the learner to move fromsemantic to syntactic processing It is possible to comprehend a message without any syntacticanalysis of the input it contains Production is the trigger that forces learners to pay attention tothe means of expression

I.2.1.3 Long's Interaction Hypothesis

In the Interaction Hypothesis, Michael Long (1983) proposes that both input and output arenecessary for second language acquisition but in order to gain a greater understanding of howthis works, one should focus more attention on the interactions language learners engage in.Long posits that these interactions are not merely a source of second language input, but arerather exchanges that allow the parties to negotiate the meaning of the input This negotiationresults in changes to the complexity of the input Long supposed that STT should be paid moreattention to

Michael Long (1983) argues that conversational interaction is an essential condition forsecond language acquisition Through interaction, students learn L2 through the process ofnegotiation of meaning in which the speaker (Native-speaker) simplifies his/her language(input) so that the listener-learner (nonnative-speaker) can understand the input, therebyacquiring the language He has studied the way in which speakers modify their speech and theirinteraction patterns in order to help learners participate in a conversation or understand someinformation He agreed with Krashen that comprehensible input is necessary for languageacquisition However, he found the way to make input more comprehensible and he supposedthat modified interaction is the necessary mechanism for making language comprehensible That

is learners need an opportunity to interact with other speakers and work together to reach mutualcomprehension He believes that through interaction, interlocutors figure out what they need to

do to keep the conversation going and make the input comprehensible According to him, thereare no cases of beginner-level learners acquiring a second language from native-speaker talkthat has not been modified in some way

In the original (1983) formulation of the Interaction Hypothesis, Long inferred thatmodified interaction is necessary for language acquisition so he summarized the relationship as

follows; interactional modification makes input comprehensible and comprehensible inputpromotes acquisition Therefore, interactional modification promotes acquisition.(Lightbown.P.M and Spada.N:1999:43)

I.2.2 Perspectives on student talking time.

From the early 1970s, the communicative approach broadened the language base of L2teaching from sentence grammar to a framework including semantic, discourse structure andsociolinguistic components General goals of communicative language teaching are grammaticalcompetence, sociolinguistic competence and strategic competence (Canale & Swain, 1980).While that sociolinguistic competence concerns turning the various factors in the context andthe purpose of the communicators into language that will accomplish the communicativeintentions of the speaker/ writer Strategic competence involves verbal and non-verbal strategiesthat imperfect L2 speaker can use to create real communication in the L2 and to repaircommunication problems resulting from insufficient L2 skills At this time, written and orallanguage are considered important

In the article “STT, how can teachers develop learners‟ communication”, Bently.Kemphasized the importance of talk He discussed that a recent survey by the EuropeanCommission for Education and Culture includes the statement that content and languageintegrated learning should “enable pupils to develop language skills which emphasize effectivecommunication […] for real purposes” (Eurydice Survey 2006) Coyle (1999) combined withtheoretical support: “Interaction in the learning process is fundamental to learning” andVygotsky‟s findings that social interaction is the key to success in learning It is clear thatteachers need to address the development of student talk in the target language

The major expansion of perspective on language in the communicative approach has generallymeant reliance on a broader range of understandings of how learners learn language as well.Krashen and Terrell (1983) proposed the „natural approach” to L2 learning in classrooms

With a syllabus consisting of communicative language goals, to improve STT in speakinglessons, the authors should promote a learning environment This includes involvement inimmediate content to lower anxiety about the L2, no pressure on learners to produce languageuntil they are ready, no correction of errors which do not interfere with communication and arich L2 environment aimed just above the level that the learner can handle

The communicative approach has developed a framework in the European Community.The framework starts with parameters for an analysis of needs of the learners and goes on tospecify “threshold” objectives for L2 learning The framework has featured detailedspecifications of language functions and notions

Besides, the communicative approach is associated with many sites of L2 teaching Forexample, attention to the needs of particular learners has led to the specification of languageforms and functions for L2 learners preparing to use the target language in academic programs.

In a world where formal L2 training is used to address needs in social and economiccontexts, the focus on learners of the communicative approach is useful in tailoring L2programs for many situations However, the broad nature of the concepts puts the onus ondelivery agencies and ultimately on teachers to set immediate goals, creates learningopportunity and assesses outcomes This is particularly challenging for non-native speakingteachers Any communicative approach teacher needs considerable knowledge about the L2grammar, sociolinguistic roles and culture in order to facilitate activities and interpret learners‟responses Since the prescriptive authority of one expert cannot provide ready-made answers forcommunicative classrooms, L2 teachers using this approach must become well informed aboutarrange of aspects of language as well as their students‟ needs (Tucker, G.R & Corson,D:1997:97-99)

Communicative Language Teaching is one of the modern methods that can be applied toimprove students‟ communicative abilities and help students have more chances tocommunicate so that they can increase their talking time in speaking lessons In this method,teachers can set different tasks and activities to encourage students to communicate in English.The task of activities includes newspaper report, information exchange, role-playing, discussionand problem-solving in pairs or group

In an early study of college students learning English as a foreign language in Mexico,Long et al (1976) compared the amount and types of the target language the learners used whenthey worked in pairs and when they interacted with the teachers and the rest of their classmates.They concluded that there were some quantitative and qualitative differences in these two types:the learners in pairs got more turns and performed a wider range of communicative functionwith language (Allwright.D, Bailey.K.M:1991:147) Hence, the finding suggests that teachersshould use more pair work or group work with fewer teacher-fronted lessons

In addition, linguistics try to find many ways in order to improve STT in speaking lessonsthereby producing communication is viewed as the bridging of the information gap Theseattempts take many forms: Wright (1976) achieves it by showing out-of-focus slides in orderthat learners attempt to identify; Byrne (1978) provides incomplete plans and diagrams solearners have to complete by asking for information; Allwright places a screen between studentsand gets one to place objects in a certain pattern Then, this pattern is communicated to thestudents behind the screen Geddes & Sturtridge (1979) develop „jig-saw” listening in which

students listen to different materials and communicate their content with others in the class.(Brumfit.C.J & Johnson.K: 1979: 201).

In summary, in the heydays of the Communicative Approach (in the early 1970s), teacherswere advised to reduce their talking time in order to increase STT This can be achieved bymeans of group work and pair work The current perspective maintains that STT is important insecond language learning because advocates of the socio-cultural theories believe that languagelearning is social However, they think the quality of student talk is more important than thequantity

I.2.3 Studies on student talking time

There are many studies on STT Studies of classroom discourse in ELT consistently showthat teachers talk more than learners Dillon (1998) visited 27 classrooms in six schools Hefound that questions accounted for over 60% of the teachers‟ talk and for less than 1% of thestudents‟ talk Tsui (1995) also points out that studies conducted on classroom interaction haveshown that student talk accounts for an average of less than thirty percent of the total talk inteacher-centered classrooms She believes that learners not only learn to talk, but they also talk

to learn Harmer (2007) believes that the more teachers talk there is, the less chance there is forthe learners to practice speaking He thinks that it is the students who need the practice not theteacher, and therefore a good teacher will maximize student talking time (STT) and minimizeteacher talking time (TTT) Together, the sources cited here indicate that creating opportunitiesfor learners to participate orally- and to ask questions English lessons is important In order toencourage learners to ask questions, teachers need to systematically create space for this duringlessons (Dillon, 1998) Wragg & Brown (2001) suggest that allowing learners to work in groupsencourages them to ask more and better questions than when they work individually

I.3 Factors affecting student talking time in speaking lessons

In the second language learning, there are many factors affecting STT Variousstudies have found that motivation, attitudes of the learners; psychological factors, etc arestrongly related to the outcome of the learning process

I.3.1 Motivation

In fact, motivation in second language learning is a complex phenomenon Manyresearchers and linguists from history to now have been non-stop studying on its definition;however, they cannot come to a conclusive one Among those, Brown (1994) offered what hecalled “dictionary definition” as following:

“Motivation is the extent to which you make choices about (a) goals to pursue and (b) the

effort you will devote to that pursuit.”

The underlying implications of all theories about motivation, especially for teachers, are that how to motivate learners in learning.

In this case, some suggested ideas from Lightbown and Spada (1999) are worth

considering:

1 Motivating students into the lesson by activities can lead to higher levels of their interests

2 Varying the activities, tasks and materials to avoid boredom in lessons

3 Using co-operation to increase the self-confidence of students

I.3.2 Attitudes of the learners

In Vietnam‟s pedagogical context, attitudes of the learners depend much on their purposefor learning English In general, students of English in Vietnam have three major categories ofneeds (Le, V.C, 1999) Some consider English as a tool for more attractive employment in thefuture Others want to learn English well for further study at universities or colleges Most ofstudents learn English just to pass the national examinations Currently, the two most importantEnglish examinations in Vietnam are the school final examination and the university entranceexamination Both are administered at the end of Grade 12 and neither of them has a listeningand speaking component

In an exam-oriented environment like Vietnam, testing strongly affects learners‟ attitudesand learning styles and because there are no real communicative tests in Vietnam, the learnershardly see the need to carry out communicative activities in class

I.3.3 Psychological factors

One of the factors affecting learners‟ participation is psychological factors in theclassroom The developmental processes happen inside the learner so one of the importantfactors the teacher help them is the learner‟s psychological state (Wood.W.L, 1981:92)

In fact, the development of communicative skills only happens if learners have motivation andopportunity to relate with other people around them As a consequence, a learning atmospheregives them a sense of security and value as individuals In turn, this atmosphere depends to alarge extent on the existence of interpersonal relationships

Some suggested ideas are given out by Wood.W.L (1981:94) for the communicativeteaching methods so that learner can contribute their own personality to the learning process:

- The teacher‟ role in the classroom should be less dominant The learners can contribute

in their learning more independently

- Communicative interaction gets more opportunities for cooperation among learners and between teachers and learners

- Through communicative interaction learners have more opportunities to express their own individuality and integrate the foreign language with their personality in the classroom.

- Many pair work and group work are used in classroom so learners can be independent of the teacher

- The teacher‟s role as „co-communicator‟ helps learners break down tension and barriersbetween them

- With communicative skills, learners‟ errors are not constantly corrected so they canreduce anxiety in the classroom

To sum up, teachers should be always aware of the importance of the learners‟ motivation,attitudes to the success of second language learning and learners‟ psychological factors Thatkind of awareness will then help them continuously find out suitable ways to improve STT inspeaking lessons

CHAPTER II: THE STUDY

II.1 An overview of English teaching and learning at Hoang Van Thu high school, Nam Dinh

II.1.1 Hoang Van Thu high school

Hoang Van Thu high school is one of the leading schools in Nam Dinh city It has a longhistory of nearly 45 years of foundation In spite of being located in a rural area, it is famous forits tradition of good teaching and learning with the students getting many prizes in the exams ofNam Dinh city every year The material conditions of the school are rather well-provided, whichalso helps to create its success However, most of students are good at and like learning naturalscience subjects The school is trying to look for methods so that students are good at bothnatural subjects and social ones, especially English

II.1.2 English teachers at Hoang Van Thu high school

There are 10 teachers of English, including the researcher, aged from 27 to 50 All of themgraduated from universities The number of female teachers formed the majority (8 femaleteachers and 2 male teachers) All of them are enthusiastic with their career and have at least 3years of experience in teaching English

II.1.3 The 11 th -form students and observation classes 11

The subjects of the study include 150 students in some 11th classes and the observationclasses are 11A1, 11A2, 11A3, 11A4 They are both male and female Lots of them come fromcomparatively poor families, so their learning condition is low In addition, their awareness ofthe importance of English is not high as well as low motivation makes them not interested inlearning English Although most of them have already learnt English for four years at lowersecondary school, their knowledge of English in general and grammar in particular is still poorand limited, only some students are good at this subject

II.1.4 Tieng Anh 11 textbook and its speaking lessons

The 2006 – 2007 academic year witnesses the introduction of new Tieng Anh 11 textbook(Hoang et al., 2006) and the reformed language teaching methodology towards thecommunicative approach Therefore, although the two curricula (one for general students andthe other for those specializing in English) remain, the share objectives have recently beenadjusted for a better use of English “as a tool of communication at basic level in terms oflistening, speaking, reading and writing” (Hoang et al., 2006a, p.33) The researcher choseTieng Anh 11 textbook for general students for this study

The content of this study relates to speaking topics The book includes 16 units with thefollowing topics:

Unit 9: The post office

Unit 10: Nature in danger

Unit 11: Sources of energy

Unit 12: The Asian games

Unit 13: Hobbies

Unit 14: Recreation

Unit 15: Space of conquest

Unit 16: The wonder of the world

II.2 Research method

II.2.1 The subjects of the study

The subjects taking part in the study include 150 students at Hoang Van Thu high schooland 10 teachers at the same place All of these students have learnt English for six years Thesize of these classes is not ideal for practice of speaking skill Each class ranges from 46 to 50students Therefore, organizing activities during a speaking lesson is not easy and their talkingtime in class for a period is too little

II.2.2 The instruments

Two Questionnaires are designed to collect data for the study The first Questionnaire isfor learners and the other is for teachers at Hoang Van Thu high school

The first Questionnaire consists of 11 questions with the aim of finding out students‟opinions toward English speaking lessons, their difficulties in learning speaking, their talkingtime in speaking lessons and the teaching methods used by their teachers The results collectedfrom the Questionnaire will be the base for important findings, from which the researcher will

be able to find the best methods in order to increase students‟ talking time as much as possible.The second Questionnaire includes 10 questions, the purpose of which is to find outteachers‟ current teaching methods, their difficulties in teaching speaking to learners, their ways

to motivate their students to talk in class, the amount of time students talk in speaking lessons.The researchers will base on the current situation to make some possible suggestions to helpstudents increase their talking time in class

In addition, observation is also carried out by the researcher to make the study morereliable

II.2.3 Procedures:

The questionnaires were prepared to hand out to 10 teachers and 150 students at HoangVan Thu high school to collect important information for the study The two questionnairesinclude both multiple-choice and open-ended questions The questionnaires take 15 minutes tofill in After that the responses to each question were calculated and converted into percentagefor analysis and discussion

II.2.4 Method:

The major method used in this study is the Quantitative and Qualitative to fulfill the aims

of the study The data analysis comes from the 2 following sources

- The students and teachers‟ respondents at Hoang Van Thu high school

- All considerations, comments, assumptions, suggestions and conclusions provided in thestudy were based on the analysis of the statistic data collected from Questionnaire Survey andObservation

CHAPTER III: STATISTICAL RESULTS AND DATA ANALYSIS

The main source of data is derived from the answers of the two questionnaires

Questionnaire 1 (for learners) and Questionnaire 2 (for teachers) are included in Appendix 1

and Appendix 2

III.1 Data analysis from learners’ questionnaires

The questionnaire for the learners consisting of 11 questions was designed and delivered to

150 students to ensure the reliability and validity of the data collection

III.1.1 Students’ opinions about speaking topics in the new text book “Tieng Anh 11”

The ratings collected in the figure 1 point out that 50% of students think the speakingtopics in the textbook are interesting However, not a small amount of them (32%) considersthose topics to be difficult and only 2% of them suppose the speaking topics are easy.

To sum up, most of the students suppose that speaking topics in the new text book “TiengAnh 11” are interesting but difficult

III.1.2 Students’ attitudes towards learning oral skill

5%

9%

Extremely important 13%

Important 73%

A little important Unimportant

Figure 2: Students’ attitudes towards learning oral skill.

Question 2 aimed at finding out students‟ attitudes towards learning oral skills in general.The results indicate that only too few students consider English speaking skill to be veryimportant for their future job (5%) and only 9% of them suppose that it is important because ithelps them to communicate with other people in English However, 73% of them do not thinkspeaking skill is important because they never use it in the exams at school Therefore, theteachers should raise students‟ awareness of the importance of English not only for their studybut also for their life in the future

III.1.3 Students’ and teachers’ talking time in speaking lessons

Options

3 Do you often speak English in

speaking lessons?

A Yes I always volunteer to speak

Question 3 B Yes I speak when I like the topics

C No I only speak when the teacher 10% 17% 73% 0% orders me

4 On average, your talking time accounts for ……… of a speaking lesson:

Question 4 A Less than 30% 71% 27% 2%0%

B From 30% to 50%

C From 50% to 70%

D More than 70%

Table 1: Students’ and teachers’ talking time in speaking lesson

Question 3: The responses show that students at Hoang Van Thu school are rather passive

in speaking lessons 73% of them only speak when they are asked by their teachers whereasonly 10% of the surveyed students always volunteer to speak That result also reflects STT inspeaking lessons 71% of them suppose their talking time only accounts for less than 30% of aspeaking lesson While only 2% of respondents say that they talk from 50% to 70% of aspeaking lesson For the question 5, 78% of the informants comment that TTT accounts formore than 70% of the time in a speaking lesson, 22% of them suppose TTT accounts from 50%

to 70% Especially, no one says that TTT accounts from 30% to 50% of a speaking lesson

In summary, through data collection from the survey questionnaire most of the teachers inHoang Van Thu school talk too much in class Obviously, STT is still limited Consequently,the researcher‟s duty is to find out why students talk so little in speaking lessons

III.1.4 Reasons making students reluctant to speak in English speaking lessons.

Being afraid of losing face Lack of vocabularies

Being not used to speaking English in front of other Lack of structures

Boring teaching method Not enough time for presentation

Learning goal is not to communicate Poor ideas

Statistics in figure 3 (question 6) show that up to 44% of the respondents are notaccustomed to speaking English in class because that was affected by their prior learningexperiences at school The percentage of response complaining about teaching method is up to30% and 20% of the surveyed students say that they are afraid of losing face in front of teachersand classmates Question 7 gives some reasons for students‟ reluctance to speak in Englishspeaking lessons 45% of the surveyed students state that their poor vocabulary is an obstaclefor them to express their ideas Also, 38% of them suppose that they cannot speak English inspeaking lessons because they are unable to find the ideas for the given topics and 8% of theinformants respond that they are not given enough time to speak.

To conclude, the main reasons why students are reluctant to speak are: not getting used tospeaking English in front of other people, being afraid of losing face, boring teaching method,lacking of vocabularies, ideas relating to the topic and time for preparation

III.1.5 Teachers’ current methods applied at Hoang Van Thu high school

Options

8 After giving topic, your teachers often

A Provide new words and structures relating togiven topic

Question 8 B Provide main ideas of the topic 53% 20% 17% 10%

C Let students discuss the topic in pairs orgroups

D Immediately ask you to discuss the topics

9 What do your teachers do after you finish your presentation?

Question 9 A Give good comments although your