teachers’ beliefs on the use of authentic materials in teaching speaking at high schools in ho chi minh city

The Teachers‟ Beliefs about the Effects of Using Authentic Materials in Speaking Classes at the High School Context Interview Question 3 .... The Teachers‟ Actual Practices of Using Auth

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ON THE USE OF AUTHENTIC MATERIALS

IN TEACHING SPEAKING AT HIGH SCHOOLS IN HO CHI MINH CITY

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of Master of Arts in TESOL

Submitted by: DOAN THI NIEM Supervisor: Dr NGUYEN DINH THU

Ho Chi Minh City, October 2018

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ON THE USE OF AUTHENTIC MATERIALS

IN TEACHING SPEAKING AT HIGH SCHOOLS IN HO CHI MINH CITY

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of Master of Arts in TESOL

Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this master thesis entitled “Teachers‟ beliefs

on the use of Authentic Materials in teaching speaking at high school in Ho Chi Minh City”, and that I have not used any sources other than those listed in the references I further declare that I have not submitted this thesis at any other institution in order to obtain other degree

Ho Chi Minh City, 01 August 2018

_

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who gave me the possibility to complete my research I would like to thank my supervisor Nguyen Dinh Thu Ph.D for his patience, enthusiasm, motivation, and unstinting support of my research His encouragement, constant guidance and creative criticism helped me in all time of research and writing of this thesis This research could not be done without his continuing support, and I am so glad to have him as my supervisor in doing this research

Besides my supervisor, I thank my TESOL classmates for their encouragements and valuable suggestions in commenting on my first draft of questionnaire and interview questions I appreciate their helps and the great time we worked together

Lastly of all, I would like to thank my family for their love, continuing supports and confidence in my efforts Special thanks to my devoted husband who supported my decision to attend the MA TESOL course at Ho Chi Minh City Open University and always be with me whenever I need, and my lovely little daughter, who always waited patiently for me to return home and play with her

ABSTRACT

Speaking is regarded as the most important skill that needs to be acquired by students in learning English for communication In reality, to that end, however, many students experience difficulties in using English to communicate Those difficulties appear because students lack topical knowledge and vocabulary Therefore, using authentic materials (AMs) in teaching speaking is an appropriate way since it relates directly to the real world The research will examine the congruence between teachers‟ beliefs on the use of AMs in teaching speaking, and their classroom practice

The population for this research is English teachers in Ho Chi Minh City and the sample is 66 English teachers at seven high schools This research adopts a quantitative research using descriptive analysis with cross-sectional design Quantitative data, collected from copies of questionnaire, are analyzed by SPSS software version 20.0 and supplemented with one-to-one interviews

The results showed that most teachers approved the effects of the use of AMs in teaching speaking; however, almost all the high school teachers did not frequently exploited that kinds of materials in their speaking classes This incongruousness is stemmed from some factors such as time, students‟ knowledge and English level, fixed curriculum, as well as the diversity and complexity of authentic materials

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF CHARTS AND FIGURES viii

LIST OF TABLES ix

LIST OF ABBREVIATION x

CHAPTER 1 1

1.1 Background to the Study 1

1.2 Rationale for the Study 4

1.3 Research Questions 5

1.4 Significance of the Study 6

1.5 Overview of the Study 6

CHAPTER 2 8

2.1 Teachers‟ Beliefs 8

2.1.1 Definition of Teachers‟ Beliefs 9

2.1.2 Category of Teacher Beliefs 10

2.1.3 Relationship between Teachers‟ Beliefs and Practices 11

2.2 Authentic Materials 12

2.2.1 Definition of Authentic Materials 12

2.2.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Authentic Materials in the Classroom 13

2.2.4 Criteria for Choosing Authentic Speaking Materials 15

2.3 Speaking 16

2.3.1 Definition of Speaking 16

2.3.2 Components of Speaking 17

2.3.3 The Importance of Speaking 17

2.3.4 Methods of Teaching Speaking 18

2.3.4.1 The Grammar-Translation method (GTM) 18

2.3.4.2 The Audio-Lingual Method (ALM) 19

2.3.4.3 Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) 19

2.4 Descriptions of English Textbooks Used at Vietnamese High Schools 21

2.5 Studies on the Use of AMs in the Teaching of English Language 24

2.6 Research Gap 28

2.7 Summary……… 29

CHAPTER 3 30

3.1 Research Design and Research Process 30

3.1.1 Research Design 30

3.1.2 Research Process 32

3.2 Research Site and Participants 33

3.2.1 Research Site 33

3.2.2 Participants 34

3.3 Research Instruments 35

3.3.1 Questionnaire 35

3.3.1.1 Rationale for the Questionnaire 35

3.3.1.2 Description of the questionnaire 36

3.3.2 Interview 38

3.3.2.1 Rationale for the Interview 38

3.3.2.2 Description of the Interview 38

3.4 Data collection procedure 39

3.4.1 Administering the questionnaire 39

3.4.2 Conducting the Interview 40

3.5 Date Analysis Procedure 40

3.5.1 Quantitative Analysis for Questionnaire 40

3.5.2 Qualitative Analysis for Interview 40

3.6 Summary……… 40

CHAPTER 4 41

4.1 Data Analysis 41

4.1.1 Analysis of the Questionnaire 41

4.1.1.1 Reliability of the Questionnaire 41

4.1.1.2 Teachers‟ Beliefs 42

4.1.1.2.1 The Role of Authentic Materials in Teaching Speaking 42

4.1.1.2.2 The Contrast between the Local English Textbooks and Authentic Materials 43

4.1.1.2.3 The Effects of Using Authentic Materials in Teaching Speaking 45

4.1.1.2.4 The Selection of Authentic Materials in Teaching Speaking 46

4.1.1.3 Teachers‟ Practices 49

4.1.1.3.1 Teaching Approach of Speaking Skill 49

4.1.1.3.2 The Frequency of Using the Authentic Materials in Teaching Speaking 51

4.1.1.3.3 The Types and Sources of the Most Used Authentic Materials 52

4.1.1.3.4 The Hindrances on Using the Authentic Materials in Teaching Speaking 54

4.1.2 Analysis of the Interview 55

4.1.2.1 The Teachers‟ Beliefs about the Effects of Using Authentic Materials in Speaking Classes at the High School Context (Interview Question 3) 55

4.1.2.2 The Teachers‟ Beliefs about the Roles of Authentic Materials in Speaking Classes at the High School Context (Interview Questions 2, 4) 58

4.1.2.3 The Teachers‟ Perceptions about the Challenges of Using Authentic Materials in Speaking Classes at the High School Context (Interview Question 5) 59

4.1.2.4 The Teachers‟ Beliefs about Selecting Authentic Materials for Their Effective Teaching of Speaking Skill (Interview Question 6) 60

4.1.2.5 The Teachers‟ Actual Practices of Using Authentic Materials in Teaching Speaking at the High School Context (Interview Questions 1, 7, and 8) 62

4.1.2.6 The Teachers‟ Revelation of The Factors Impacting the Relationship

between Their Beliefs and Actual Practices of Using Authentic Materials in

Speaking Classes (Interview Question 9) 65

4.2 Discussion of Findings 67

4.2.1 Research Question 1 67

4.2.2 Research Question 2 70

4.2.3 Research Question 3 71

4.3 Summary……… … 72

CHAPTER 5 73

5.2 Strengths and Weaknesses of the Methodology 74

5.2.1 Strengths 74

5.2.2 Weaknesses 75

5.3 Implications 75

5.4 Suggestions for further research 77

5.5 Summary 78

REFERENCES 79

APPENDIX A 92

APPENDIX B 97

APPENDIX C 98

LIST OF CHARTS AND FIGURES

Chart 4.1 a: The Use Frequency of Grammar-Translation Method 49

Chart 4.1 b: The Use Frequency of Audio-Lingual Method 50

Chart 4.1 c: The Frequency of Employing Communicative Language Teaching 50

Chart 4 2: The Use Frequency of the Authentic Materials in Teaching Speaking 51

Chart 4 3: The Types of the Frequently Used Authentic Materials 52

Chart 4 4: The Sources of the Obtained Authentic Materials 53

Chart 4 5: The Hindrances on Using Authentic Materials 54

Figure 3 1: Research Process 32

LIST OF TABLES

Table 2 1 : The MOET‟s Objectives for Speaking Skill 21

Table 2 2: Types of Speaking Activities in the Speaking Section 22

Table 3 1: Types of Research Designs 30

Table 3 2: Research Site 33

Table 3 3: The Demographic Variables of Participants 34

Table 3 4: Research Instruments 35

Table 3 5: Description of the Questionnaire 36

Table 3 6: Description of the Questionnaire (part B: Teachers‟ Beliefs) 37

Table 3 7: Description of the Questionnaire (Part C: Teachers‟ Practices) 37

Table 4 1: Reliability Analysis of Teacher Questionnaire (Cronbach‟s Alpha) 41

Table 4 2: Teachers‟ Beliefs about the Role of Authentic Materials in Teaching Speaking 42

Table 4 3: Teachers‟ Beliefs about the Contrast between the Local English Textbooks and Authentic Materials 44

Table 4 4: Teachers‟ Beliefs about the Effects of Using Authentic Materials in Teaching Speaking 45

Table 4 5: Teachers‟ Beliefs about the Challenges in Selection of Authentic Materials for Teaching Speaking 47

LIST OF ABBREVIATION

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

In English language teaching and learning, there are four language skills that we need for communication, listening, speaking, reading and writing And the second one, speaking, is generally considered to be the most important skill Since English has become the major means of communication of many people all over the world, its importance does not only lie in written form but in how it is used in daily life (Lathifah, 2015) It is supported by Bailey and Savage (1994), who view speaking in a second or foreign language as the most demanding of the four skills and “a formidable task for

language learners” (p 84) Ur (1999), in her book titled “A course in language teaching”,

also indicates:

Of all the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), speaking seems intuitively the most important: people who know a language are referred to as “speakers” of that language, as if speaking included all other kinds of knowing; and many if not most foreign languages learners are primarily interested in learning to speak (p 120)

These authors here emphasize not only the importance of speaking but also the vast of knowledge that the speaking process requires Speaking is a complicated process; requires the integration of many subsystems due to “the fact that speakers not only have

to interpret the message that other speakers try to express, but also take into account other possibilities” (Bailey & Savage, 1994, p 6-7) Moreover, speaking is not only saying words and sentences but requiring cultural background knowledge of the target language (McKay, 2009) Undoubtedly, “speaking is one of the most difficult skills language learners have to face” (Bueno, Madrid & McLaren, 2006, p 321) and mastering English speaking has never been an easy job for the students (Ariyanti, 2016), as a result many

language learners find difficulties when they have to speak in the target language (Nguyen & Tran, 2015)

In helping learners develop their speaking which is deemed such a sophisticated skill, it is evident that using authentic materials (AMs) may benefit students‟ speaking skill in terms of performance and proficiency and present them with opportunities to use their own knowledge and abilities at any stage (Merchi, 2013) In addition to, AMs manifest a significant influence on students‟ motivation and their speaking achievement (Rocha, 2005) The history of using AMs in language teaching comes from the communicative language teaching (CLT) movement of the 1970s because CLT advocates for the importance of communicative competence over the production of correct grammatical forms and “places importance in providing learners with opportunities to practice language in meaningful, authentic setting” (Mustapha & Yahya, 2013, p 791) And, especially, nowadays the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach has been widely utilized in English language teaching as Second Language (ESL) classrooms around the world (Thamarana, 2015) and has grown increasingly popular in language classrooms, the use of AMs in teaching speaking has received paramount consideration

of teachers The communicative classrooms make use of AMs Khaniya (2006) states: “in the course of the decade, the use of AMs has become increasingly popular in learning situations ranging from traditional intensive ESL to language training for professionals” (p 17) And using AMs is considered as the main way to make an authentic context for learners to develop their communicative competence (Ahmed, 2017) It is inferred that AMs play an important role in teaching a second language, especially when teachers use CLT in the teaching process

Beyond materials, teachers themselves also play an important role in teaching speaking Liu (2013) considers teachers as “organizers” and “implementers” in oral English classes He emphasizes that they have a great impact on the quality and effect of the classes Agreeing with this view, Sikder (2016) concludes teachers have a very important role in teaching speaking communicatively In other words, what teachers

teach may exert obvious effects on their students‟ speaking performance As teachers take such a critical role, their beliefs have been an interesting topic for researcher since they are considered as the foundation of teachers‟ teaching strategies (Pajares, 1992) This may originate from the view that teachers‟ beliefs will exert a strong impact on forming vivid teaching methods and benefit learners‟ language capacities (Gilakjani & Sabouri, 2017) Therefore, it is essential to strengthen the research on their beliefs as Richards et al (2001) suppose that “in order to understand how teachers approach their work, it is necessary to understand the beliefs and principles they operate from” (p.1)

Not only teachers‟ beliefs about speaking and teaching speaking are important, but relationships between these beliefs and their actual classroom practice of speaking teaching need exploring because the inconsistency between teaching beliefs and actual teaching practices in the classroom is an evidence of teacher confusion (Mustapha & Yahya, 2013) Mansour (2013), through data in his case study of science teachers‟ beliefs and practice, concludes there are some consistency and also some inconsistency between teachers‟ beliefs and their actual practices Indeed, the relationship between teachers‟ beliefs and their in-reality practice has been open to debate up to now While many teachers around the world have cited CLT as the source of their methodology and realized the importance of AMs in their teaching, their actual practice is different Parrish (2004) views that “although teachers throughout the world would describe their approach

to teaching as CLT, you could walk into classes that look very different in terms of activities, materials, and interactions” (p 31) This incongruity is also mentioned by Karavas-Doukas (1996), “teachers profess to be following a communicative approach, in practice they are following more traditional approaches” (p 187) In addition, previous studies have suggested that teachers‟ beliefs in teaching speaking skills in the English language classrooms are seldom put into practice (Spawa, et al., 2013) So, studying teachers‟ beliefs is particularly important in the mainstream of the teaching and learning a foreign language, particularly regarding the use of AMs in teaching speaking because it could not be expected that a teacher who has been taught Communicative Language

Teaching (CLT) through Grammar Translation Method (GTM) teaches communicatively (Tamimy, 2015) From the researcher‟s viewpoints, maybe there are some reasons which make teachers‟ practices different from their beliefs

1.2 Rationale for the Study

English is now widely known as the major language for international communication, commerce and business, science and technology, and many others Being able to speak English well and fluently is not an additional thing; it has become a need for everyone in this globalization era In Vietnam, although English has been widely taught for a long time, the actual ability to speak English of many Vietnamese students from secondary to tertiary levels is still far from satisfactory expectation They are not confident with their English and face with many difficulties in speaking English (Bui, 2009; Luu, 2008; Nguyen, 2010) Thus, the issues of how to develop speaking skills for Vietnamese students have attracted an increasing attention of researchers over the years One suggestion is to use AMs because they are original, interesting, motivating and useful (Peacock, 1997) AMs can keep students informed about new things and bring the real world into the classroom; as a result, they motivate students and help them develop their speaking skill (Guariento & Morely, 2001) Besides, using AMs helps teachers create new exciting and effective activities which can increase students‟ interest, and expectedly, they will be able to learn speaking better (Peacock, 1997) In the other way, the use of AMs in teaching speaking can help teachers improve their students speaking skills as well as preparing them for real-life situations Despite this fact, in many high schools in Vietnam, the use of this type of materials has not received full attention when both teachers and learners only rely on the certain teaching materials given by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) with the aim of getting as high scores as possible in the exams Although textbooks have taken on much more authentic look,

“many tasks are poorly designed and many language forms are taught and practiced out

of context” (Nguyen-Minh, 2015, p 22) In addition, “many of their speaking activities are found non-communicative, failing to elicit negotiation of meaning and presenting

unrealistic and unnatural discourse” (Nguyen-Minh, 2015, p 57) However, no study has been conducted with the aim of eliciting teachers‟ beliefs toward using authentic materials in their speaking classes Because of the importance of the teachers‟ beliefs in providing authentic input in teaching speaking, the present study attempts to address this issue Thus there is a need to use AMs in teaching speaking English in Vietnam This fact encourages the author to conduct a study on Vietnamese high school teachers‟ beliefs in and perceptions about the use of AMs in teaching speaking, the frequency of using AMs

in speaking classes, as well as the congruence between what they believe and what they actually do in speaking instruction

In sum, the purpose of the study is to work out the answer to the question of what beliefs the selected high school teachers in Ho Chi Minh City hold about the use of AMs

in teaching speaking Besides, the study aims to explore the frequency of teachers in using AMS when conducting their actual speaking class Finally, the survey pursues to investigate whether there are any congruencies between teachers‟ beliefs and their practice in teaching speaking their high school students, and then some impacting factors

on this interplay are consequently sought

To achieve the above aims, the researcher addressed three following research questions:

Research question 1: What beliefs do high school teachers hold about the use of

authentic materials in teaching speaking?

Research question 2: How often and what kind of authentic materials do they use?

Research question 3: What is the relationship between teachers‟ beliefs and their actual

use of authentic materials in teaching speaking? What factors affect the teachers‟ use of authentic materials in teaching speaking at high schools?

1.4 Significance of the Study

This study can be practically significant in a number of ways First, as discussed early, speaking deems to be nearly the most important and difficult in language acquisition at any degree and teachers serve a decisive role in making its teaching and learning process effectively, so uncovering the high school teachers‟ beliefs and their classroom practices plays a vital role in helping them design appropriate speaking activities that suit students‟ needs and interests, modify their current teaching behaviors

in speaking classes so that the teachers may increase students‟ stable achievement in speaking skill Second, the study helps raise students‟ awareness of the value of AMs in their English learning As a consequence, they can become more active in finding and using AMs in their own learning process Next, this study provides insights into how local high school English teachers perceive the use of AMs in teaching speaking This may give useful data to curriculum writers and policymakers as well as schools when considering changes concerning the use of AMs in teaching Moreover, the results of this study help them have a better understanding on the actual speaking teaching and learning process at high school level so that they can produce more quality materials and adjust the teaching and learning plans in an attempt to increase the efficiency of teaching and learning speaking as Mansour (2013) suggests:

[…] When we plan a teacher professional development program, this should be developed based on an in-depth understanding of the aspects of consistency and inconsistency between teachers‟ beliefs and practices This will help contextualize and personalize the teacher training activities to meet the teachers‟ needs but will also consider the institutional contexts that the teachers are working in (p 45)

1.5 Overview of the Study

Chapter One, Introduction, presents the general interest of the study, the research

questions, and the significances of the study

Chapter Two, Literature Review, provides a review of the theoretical background

relating to the areas of interest to the study It looks at the general background related to teachers‟ beliefs, authentic materials (AMs), and speaking skill Most importantly, the chapter also summarizes some related empirical studies which previously conducted on the use of AMs in the teaching of English language in general, and in speaking, in

particular

Chapter Three, Methodology, presents the design and method employed in this

study In specific, this chapter will present the research site and population, research

instruments, data collection, and data analysis

Chapter Four, Data Analysis and Finding Discussion, provides the detailed

analysis of data collected and discussions of the results

Chapter Five, Conclusion, summarizes the main results of the study Besides that,

the chapter reveals the strengths and limitations of the study as well as produces some recommendations for the use of AMs in teaching speaking Lastly, suggestions for further research are offered

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Chapter 2 is to present the theoretical background used to underpin this study There are five main parts in this chapter The first part (2.1) reviews the general theory of teachers‟ beliefs, including definitions, category and the relationship between teachers‟ beliefs and their practices The second part (2.2) focuses on AMs, which provides the definitions and types of AMs, advantages, and disadvantages of using AMs, and criteria for choosing AMs The third part (2.3) summarizes the general background related to definitions, components, and the importance of speaking, also including some highlights

of methods of teaching speaking The next part (2.4) gives the descriptions of English textbooks used at Vietnamese high schools The part (2.5) reviews some related empirical studies which have examined the use of AMs in the English language teaching and learning in general and speaking in particular Based on what have already been done with regard to the study‟s field, the researcher draws out the research gap (2.6) which will

be solved in the study

2.1 Teachers’ Beliefs

Teachers have their own beliefs towards their work, their students, their subject matters and their roles in the teaching and learning process, therefore it is the topic that has received an intense attention of researchers over the past many years (Larenas, et al., 2015; Asgari, 2015; Floris, 2013; Xu, 2012; Chiu, 2008) and numerous definitions of teacher belief have been also given In this part, the researcher expounds this term clearer

by its definition, category, and its relationship with teachers‟ classroom practices

2.1.1 Definition of Teachers’ Beliefs

Before examining teachers‟ beliefs, it is worth determining the meanings of this term In the existing literature, teachers‟ beliefs have been defined by many researchers (Five & Buehl, 2016; Yang, Chao & Huang, 2014; Pehkonen & Pietilä, 2003; Borg, 2001; Pajares, 1992); however, what is exactly mean by the term “belief” is still vague

(Yang, et al., 2014)

According to Borg (2001), teachers‟ beliefs are “teachers‟ pedagogic beliefs, or those beliefs of relevance to an individual‟s teaching” (p 187) With a comprehensive

review of studies in teacher cognition, Borg (2003) in the article titled “Teacher cognition

in language teaching: A review of research on what teachers think, know, believe, and do” uses another terms, teacher cognition, to refer to “the unobservable cognitive

dimension of teaching” such as beliefs, knowledge, attitudes, etc (Borg, 2003, p 81) Borg regarded teachers‟ beliefs as a component of teacher cognition - a pivotal concept

shaping teachers‟ practices In the book titled “Teacher Cognition and Language Education, Research and Practice” published in 2006, he emphasizes that these beliefs

have influences on teaching “it had provided evidence of the ways in which teacher‟s beliefs and knowledge influence what teachers do in the classroom” (p 43) Similarly, Zheng (2009) mentions teachers‟ beliefs as “the complexity of teachers‟ mental lives underlying their practices” (p 74) Also, Mansour (2009) states that “belief is used to characterize a teacher‟s idiosyncratic unity of thought about objects, people, and events, and their characteristic relationship that affect his/her planning and interactive thoughts and decisions” (p 26) In the same vein, Yang, et al (2014) state that “teacher beliefs are referred to as a teachers‟ knowledge system with respect to language teaching and learning and a network that teacher would tap into when it comes to decision making instructions.” (p 104) Beside explaining the meaning of teachers‟ beliefs, these definitions also reflect the relationship between teachers‟ beliefs and classroom practices succinctly which is similar in meaning to the conclusion of Five and Buehl (2016)

“teachers‟ enacted curriculum, the decisions they make during planning, instruction, and

assessment activities, reflects their underlying beliefs about the nature of learning, knowledge, and students‟ abilities” (pp 118-119) To sum up, teachers‟ belief are referred to as a cognitive means that serves as guides to teacher‟s thought and practice Hence, understanding teachers‟ beliefs is useful in the development and implementation

of new programs and effective education (Richardson et al., 2012)

In light of the above-mentioned definitions, in this study, the researcher defines teachers‟ beliefs in a similar manner to Borg (2001) and Yang, et al., (2014) The respondents‟ opinions about AMs and the use of this type of materials in relation to their practices are considered as teachers‟ beliefs In other words, what the participants in the study thought about the questionnaire and said in the interview is regarded as their

beliefs

2.1.2 Category of Teacher Beliefs

Teacher beliefs have been categorized into various types by researchers Calderhead (1996) introduces five main categories of teacher beliefs: beliefs about learners and learning; about teaching; about the subject; about learning to teach; about self and the nature of teaching Zheng (2009) also specifies five main areas in teacher beliefs, namely beliefs about learners and learning; about language teaching; about subject matter; about self and about professional development In a more academic fashion, Bellalem (2015) proposes three main categories: personal beliefs; beliefs about teaching, learning and curriculum and epistemological beliefs that is about learning and teaching In this study, among various types of teacher beliefs, the researcher grasps the two most common ones of teacher beliefs to investigate, respectively beliefs about the subject matter and beliefs about teaching Dirkx et al (1999) conclude that “teachers hold beliefs about the nature of the subjects they teach, ways to most effectively teach these subjects, and the variety of curricular materials available to them within their subjects and

to their students within other subjects” (p 2) However, “teachers can have limited to very eclectic views of their subject and that in some cases their ideas about subjects vary

from one context to another” (Calderhead, 1996, p 67, in Wu, 2006), so to explore teacher‟s beliefs on the use of AMs in teaching speaking, it is important to discover their views about the subject matter Besides, teachers‟ thoughts and judgments guide their teaching practice in classes (Le, 2009) It is essential to explore teachers‟ beliefs about their own language teaching Moreover, teachers‟ beliefs about the subject matter have influences on their beliefs about the teaching of this subject As what is noted in Wu (2006), Grossman (1991) finds that teachers‟ instructional judgments and decisions are influenced by their beliefs about the subject matter Thus, teachers‟ beliefs about the subjects matter and language teaching need studying more And based upon these types

of beliefs, the researcher develops the content and layout of the questionnaires more systematically to explore teachers‟ beliefs on the use of AMs in teaching speaking

2.1.3 Relationship between Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices

As mentioned early, there has been considerable research into the complex relationship between teachers‟ beliefs and classroom practices (Buehl, 2016; Buehl & Beck, 2015; Zheng, 2009; Mansour, 2009; Davis, 2003; Richardson, et al., 1996; Calderhead, 1996; Pajares, 1992) In these scholars‟ view, teachers‟ beliefs and their classroom practices interact and influence one another (Rios, 1996; Zheng, 2009) For some others, teachers‟ belief plays a significant role in shaping their pedagogical behaviors in the classroom Davis (2003) states that “beliefs do affect behaviour” and

“given the significant role that beliefs can play in determining behaviour, beliefs relating

to language learning are important” (p 207) A similar conclusion, found by Borg (2001) and Xu (2012), concluded that beliefs help teachers shape their planning, curricular decisions, and determining what should be taught in the classroom More recently, Larenas, et al., (2015) consider teachers‟ beliefs as a means of the interpretative framework which guides teachers‟ practice and behaviors in their classrooms Seemingly, teachers‟ classroom practice is strongly influenced by their beliefs; however, these beliefs are not always fully reflected in their practice (Karavas-Doukas, 1996; Parrish, 2004; Tayjasanant, 2010, Mandasari, 2015, and Fives & Buehl, 2016) There must be some

reasons for why this inconsistency happens, and no other one, it is teachers who plan the lessons know in detail the content of it To understand what teachers do in their classrooms we need to gain insight into the beliefs that shape their work

2.2 Authentic Materials

In this part, the researcher reviews the relevant literature related to authentic materials, consisting of definition, types, advantages and disadvantage of using AMs in teaching speaking in the literature as well as criteria for choosing AMs

2.2.1 Definition of Authentic Materials

In the existing literature, AMs are defined in slightly different ways by different researchers, but their definitions mostly follow the same direction According to Peacock

(1997), AMs are materials which can accomplish some social purposes of the

community Nunan (1999) defines AMs as “spoken or written materials, which are not intended for use in teaching” (p 172) Similarly, Carter and Nunan (2001) define AMs as

“ordinary texts not produced specifically for language teaching purposes” (p 68) In the same vein, Martinez (2002) defines AMs as the materials which are written for native speakers and not designed to be used for teaching purposes The common point among the scholars is that AMs appear to serve human communication and not for language educational aims Therefore, the language used in these materials is real-life language, so they add a burden on teachers to select, edit and prepare, so teachers hesitate to use them

in teaching In this current paper, as for the researcher, AMs could be defined as materials that are produced by a real speaker or writer for real-life aims and designed without teaching purposes

2.2.2 Types of Authentic Materials

There have been many ways to categorize AMs According to Genhard (1996), AMs are classified into three main categories

 The authentic listening-viewing materials, such as TV commercial, radio news, cartoons, songs, movies, comedy shows, documentaries, etc.;

 Authentic visual materials such as street signs, magazines and newspaper pictures, postcard, wordless street sign, stamps, etc.;

 Authentic printed materials, such as sport reports, newspaper articles, tourist information brochures, maps, TV guides, grocery coupons, restaurant menus, train tickets, maps, etc.;

Besides these three types of AMs suggested by Genhard, Al Darwish (2014) considers real objects such as masks, dolls, puppets as the fourth type of AMs Recently, Adam et al (2011) expressed the same idea that there are four types of them but the names of types are little different They are paper-based materials, audio-video materials, the Internet and others While there are many types of AMs, the most common types used

in the classroom are newspapers, magazines, TV programs, movies, song and literature (Berardo, 2006)

2.2.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Authentic Materials in the Classroom

The utilization of AMs has been strongly advocated by a great number of researchers (Su, 2009; Tamo, 2009; Kilickaya, 2004; Martinez, 2002; Richards, 2001; Peacock, 1997) thanks to numerous benefits

Firstly, AMs have a positive effect on learner motivation since they include a variety of text types, language styles, and numerous interesting topics, so they play a role

as stimuli for learners‟ exploitation AMs make learners feel that they are learning the

“real” language and how to use English in context, not in sentences separately In other words, with AMs, learners will learn the vocabulary, structures, and knowledge given in the context In this way, AMs have a positive effect on their motivation; engage them in speaking activities in classrooms

Secondly, they provide learners with authentic cultural information A good understanding of English culture can help learners avoid the breakdown in communication just caused by cultural misunderstandings English cultural knowledge provides different communicative options and patterns related to different situations of everyday life, so learners can use English appropriately in real communication

Thirdly, AMs help learners keep up with what is going on in the world they live

in As a matter of fact, everything is changing daily and changes will be reflected in AMs, which keeps learners stay up to date with new changes in their life

Lastly, AMs support a more creative approach to teaching When using AMs in teaching, teachers will create new exciting and effective activities which can foster and sustain learners‟ interest so that they will be able to learn speaking better

Alongside these advantages, AMs also contain in themselves some disadvantages Guariento & Morley, 2001 and Richards, 2006 explained that AMs contain difficult language, unneeded vocabulary, and complex structures, which present difficulties for low-level learners and easily make them de-motivated, which make teacher‟s special preparation be more time consuming (Tamo, 2009) Hence, AMs should be selected carefully to actively engage and inspire learners

Martinez (2002) points out AMs may be too culturally biased and contain many mixed structures, which makes learners experience great difficulties in understanding and decoding them In addition, different culture issues can make learners judge or make wrong assumptions Thus, learners need to have a certain amount of cultural background knowledge

The biggest problem is that if teachers choose unsuitable materials, for example, the vocabulary is not relevant to learners‟ needs and structures are too difficult This can have the opposite effect, rather than motivate learners, it can de-motivate them Therefore, the selection of AMs should be very carefully considered

2.2.4 Criteria for Choosing Authentic Speaking Materials

It is not hard nowadays for teachers to find AMs when the resources for them are available on the internet, a rich source for AMs for examples, video, pictures, flyers, newspapers, cartoons, reports, and news However, to include AMs in teaching, a careful selection should be considered Oguz and Bahar (2008) conclude “a teacher should be aware of different kinds of authentic materials, what these materials can offer and how he

or she can make use of them in the best way to develop the students‟ foreign language skills” (p 332)

McGrath (2012) suggests eight criteria for selecting appropriate AMs They are (1) relevance to course books and learner‟s need, (2) topic interest, (3) cultural fitness, (4) logistical considerations, (5) cognitive demands, (6) linguistic demand, (7) quality, and (8) exploitability

According to Nuttal (1996), three key criteria considered by teachers in choosing authentic texts are “suitability of the content”, “exploitability”, and “readability”

 Suitability of the content means that the chosen texts should be informative, meet students‟ need, and get them motivated and eager to read

 Exploitability means that teachers can exploit the chosen ones effectively to develop students‟ language skills

 Readability refers to the level of difficulty and complexity of the text An appropriate authentic text should not contain in itself many difficult and complex structure and vocabulary Teachers can assess the levels of difficulty to make sure that the chosen ones are not too difficult for students

Berardo (2006) adds that there are two important criteria that should be taken into account by teachers when choosing AMs, which are: variety and presentation The use of different types of materials helps to make the speaking tasks more interesting Also,

presenting the materials in an authentic context is a key element to attract learner attention and interest

Oguz and Bahar (2008) state that “choosing and using authentic materials haphazardly is detrimental rather than advantages” (p.331) Thus, teachers should take into account the abovementioned factors before introducing them into classrooms AMs should be used in accordance with students‟ level of English, interest, and needs (Hatitik

& Rahmah, 2016; Belaid & Murray, 2015; Tamo, 2009; Richard, 2001) Besides, teachers should select varied types of AMs to make speaking lessons more interesting

2.3 Speaking

As mentioned at the beginning of this study, speaking is one of the most important and difficult skills that need developing and enhancing by the learners of foreign language since it‟s based on communication and interaction This part concerns itself with speaking, including its definition and importance as well as methods of teaching this skill

2.3.1 Definition of Speaking

Pearsall (1998) defines speaking as “the action of conveying information of expressing one‟s thoughts and feelings in spoken language” (p 11) According to Chaney (1998), speaking is the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols in a variety of context Meanwhile, Bygate (1987) says that speaking “is a medium through which much language is learned, and which for many is particular conducive for learning” (p 7) Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information (Brown, 1994) Speaking is an action to say something and deliver purposes, also process that goes through exchanging information between speakers and listeners Speaking is the productive skill in the oral mode (Ekbatan, 2011) In the whole, speaking is to express our thoughts, ideas, or feeling and communicate orally without much preparation

Accuracy is the ability to produce correct sentences with the correct use of grammar and vocabulary Lackman (2010) also mentions accuracy as one of the speaking sub-skills of which students use words, structures, and pronunciation accurately To be understood, students need to produce words and structures correctly

Appropriacy is the ability to use language appropriate for a situation and making decisions about formality and choice of grammar or vocabulary (Lackman, 2010) In other words, appropriacy refers to whether a word is suitable for the context it is being used in

2.3.3 The Importance of Speaking

It is no doubt that speaking is fundamental to human communication and speaking skill is a crucial part of foreign language teaching and learning Many teachers and students are aware of the importance of speaking skill, and they think learning the language as learning how to speak that language as Nunan (1991) wrote, “[s]peaking is the single most important aspect of learning a second or foreign language, and success is

measured in terms of the ability to carry out a conversation in the target language” (p.39)

Speaking is more “complicated than it seems at first and involves more than just pronouncing words” (Rată, 2011, p 391) That is to say, speaking is important and requires more attention in both the first and second language because it reflects people

thoughts and personalities It differs from other skills in the teaching and learning of language Firstly, the speakers have a limited time for thinking before speaking Secondly, they must be responsible for their utterance because once spoken, the words are gone MacCarthy (1972) states that “when people are learning to speak a language, they are concerned mainly with two things; first, knowing what to say, what words and phrases to use at any moment […] and second, being able to say it” (p 9) Therefore, to communicate in the target language effectively, speaking skill is the key one that students have to learn Despite its importance, many students feel that speaking in a new language

is harder than reading, writing and listening Therefore, if the goal of the language course

is to enable students to communicate in English in real life, it is essential that both teachers and students must pay due attention to teaching and learning speaking skill

2.3.4 Methods of Teaching Speaking

According to Nunan (1997), there are eight methods to teach speaking in general They are the oral situation, Audio-Lingual, Communicative Approach, Total Physical Response, the Silent Way, Community Language Learning, the Nature Approach, and Suggestopedia Among these methods, in the Vietnam context, the Audio-Lingual method and The Communicative Approach seems to be widely used in teaching speaking besides the traditional one – the Grammar-Translation method Hence, it is noteworthy

to take these methods into account which served as a basis for the study Below is a general view of these teaching methods

2.3.4.1 The Grammar-Translation method (GTM)

Derived from the traditional method of teaching Greek and Latin, the GTM gained its popularity from 17th to the 19th In definition, the GTM is “the traditional deduction method of language teaching, based on classical studies of dead languages, which consisted of giving rules, paradigms, and vocabulary and getting the students to apply this new knowledge to translation… and to grammatical analysis” (Hubbard, et al., 1983,

p 329) The purpose of teaching a language through the GTM is to help learners be able

to read literature written in the target language, so it focuses on developing learners‟ reading and writing ability rather than speaking and listening In this method, grammar rules are firstly presented and learned deductively and then practiced via grammar drills and translation exercises In the GTM classes, teachers have a strict authority and learners are the passive receivers In other words, the GTM classes are teacher-centered

2.3.4.2 The Audio-Lingual Method (ALM)

The Audio-Lingual Method introduced in the U.S during the Second World War

is based on the behaviorist theory that learning a language is dependent on the formation

of habit or reinforcement Klapper (2006) defines the ALM is a method of language teaching which “based on drilling, the formation of habit and the avoidance of error” (Klapper, 2006, p 107) It is suggested that the correct use of language forms can be formed through drills and will be develop to a correct habit while mistakes “should be avoided at all costs” (Klapper, 2006, p 108) Thus, this method focuses on the teaching

of listening and speaking before writing and reading In this method, the use of drills aims at engaging learners in practicing the language to master basic language skills and dialogues and oral exchanges give learners chances to practice language freely (Klapper, 2006) This method gives an emphasis on learners only react to teacher directions with passive reactive roles, but they are both listener and performer with little influences on content and methodology.

2.3.4.3 Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

The CLT is introduced around the late 1986s and started from the theory that language as communication It is usually understood as a clearly defined set of principles about classroom practices According to David Nunan (cited in Banciu & Jireghie, 2012), there are five main features of the CLT as follows:

 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 the learning 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 (p 95)

In the CLT, the goal of language teaching is to develop what Hymes (1971) called

“communicative competence” – the learners‟ ability to use appropriate language for particular purposes and in particular situations (Klapper, 2006), so CLT places the emphasis on all four language skills In the CLT classes, learners study and practice the target language through interactions with one another and the teacher as well as communication of real meaning because it focuses on language as means of communication and all communication has a social purpose (Banciu & Jireghie, 2012)

In Communicative Approach, learners are all communicators They are actively engaged in negotiating in trying to make themselves understood They learn to communicate by communicating Richards (2006) states that:

“Since the language classroom is intended as a preparation for survival in the real world and since real communication is a defining characteristic of Communicative Language Teaching, an issue which soon emerged was the relationship between classroom activities and real life” (p.20)

Therefore, “classroom activities should parallel the “real world” as closely as possible” (Clark & Silberstein, 1977, p 151) When the Communicative Language Teaching Approach is the most commonly used one today, the use of AMs is essential to meet the demand for authenticity in speaking classrooms

2.4 Descriptions of English Textbooks Used at Vietnamese High Schools

The three textbooks “TIENG ANH 10” “TIENG ANH 11” and “TIENG ANH 12” are currently used at high schools throughout the whole country They were designed using the theme-based approach in compling with the new national curriculum which aims to develop students‟ communication in both spoken and written forms There are 16 teaching units and 6 revision lessons in each textbook covering all four language skills: reading, speaking, listening and writing The common topics prevailing in these textbooks are environment, world, health, personality, education, and community

In the terms of teaching and learning speaking, based on the new curriculum of the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), after finishing high school, students must obtain some competence in speaking as follows:

Table 2 1 : The MOET’s Objectives for Speaking Skill

Ask and answer about the topics covered Perform some basic language functions such as expressing likes and dislikes, agreement and disagreement,

distinguishing facts and opinions

Ask and answer about the topics covered Perform some basic language functions such

as expressing opinions

& viewpoints, talking about needs and likes, explaining

(MOET 2006: 19-25)

In each textbook, there are 3-4 tasks in the speaking section The first two tasks aim to provide language input and offer certain language functions such as expressing ideas, asking for others‟ opinions The remaining tasks involve speaking practices on

specific topics There are 147 speaking tasks in three textbooks in total overarching the following speaking types

Table 2 2: Types of Speaking Activities in the Speaking Section

2

-Making questions and

giving responses in small

talks

- Talking about past experiences and how they affected one‟s life

- Talking about differenced among cultures

3

- Asking and answering

question about people‟s

- Asking and answering question about volunteer work

- Talking about the school education system

in Vietnam

5

- Asking for and giving

information about the

- Talking about the application process to tertiary institutions in Vietnam

- Giving opinions about jobs

7

- Asking and answering

questions about the uses

- Describing details in pictures

- Talking about changes

of the new economic reform has brought about

8

- Talking about plans and

their possible results (in

the village)

- Talking about celebration of Tet and other festival‟s activities

- Talking about life in the future

- Discussing predictions about life in the future

- Reporting on discussion

results

services things should be brought

along while going across

- Asking and answering about reading habits

- Talking about characters in a book

12

- Asking and answering

questions about music

- Talking about favorite

kinds of music

- Asking for and giving information about Asian Game

- Talking about sports results

- Talking about types of water sports

- Giving opinions and preferences about water sports

13

- Expressing attitudes

- Expressing preferences

- Talking about film

- Talking about a hobby

- Talking about collection

- Talking about sports events of the 22nd SEA Games

- Talking about sports results

14

- Asking and answering

questions about the

World Cups

- Talking about the

World Cup winners

- Expressing agreements and disagreements about

entertainment activities and stating the reason

- Talking about international organizations and their activities in charity and volunteer work

15

- Comparing two cities

- Stating preferences and

16

- Asking and answering

questions about a

historical place

- Talking about historical

places from given

- Talking about the names of ASEAN countries and their capitals

- talking about the main characteristics of each nation

(ENGLISH TEXTBOOK 10, 11, 12: 6-11)

2.5 Studies on the Use of AMs in the Teaching of English Language

In recent years, a number of studies have examined the use of AMs in language teaching and learning in general and in particular in speaking

Recently, in the article named “The effect of using authentic materials in teaching”, after having reviewed the literature related to the use of AMs in teaching and learning process, Al-Azri & Al-Rashi (2014) conclude the use of this type of teaching materials contains in themselves both advantages and disadvantages The advantages are increasing learners‟ motivation, inspiring learners‟ interests, and exposing learners to the real language In contrast, the issues of culture and the complexity of words as well as structures are disadvantageous points However, in the final conclusion, they support the use of AMs in teaching because the advantages outweigh the disadvantages

Adam, et al (2011) write an article about the similar issue Its name is “The role

of Authentic Materials in Foreign Language Teaching” In the article, with the starting supposition that using AMs is pivotal in foreign teaching and learning, the authors examine the ways in which AMs can be used in teaching Their conclusions show that the use of AMs “is not just possible but also recommended” since it meets the students‟ needs, arouses their motivation, exposes them to active vocabulary and increases their confidence Besides that, they emphasize that it are teachers who decide the way of using AMs that they think to be the most appropriate to different teaching situation in their classes

Also, Erkaya (2005) discusses the use of AMs in teaching, but she focuses on one specific type of AMs – TV commercials The article name is “TV Commercials as Authentic Materials to Teach Communication, Culture and Critical Thinking” in which

Erkaya discusses the use of AMs to teach foreign learners to communicate in English

naturally Specifically, she focuses on the use of TV commercials in English classes Her conclusion emphasizes that TV commercials benefit students much in term of listening skills as well as speaking skills and critical thinking This type of AMs helps foreign

learners improve their speaking as well as listening skill, and if teachers use authentic materials effectively in classrooms, for example, choosing materials in accordance with students‟ values, beliefs, customs and preference, which will also enhance learning in terms of cultures and critical thinking

Unlike the above authors who examine the use of AMs in teaching and learning process in general, the following researchers study the use of AMs in the teaching of one specific skill Baniabdelrahman (2006) carried out a quasi-experimental study on EFL eleventh grade students‟ achievement in reading comprehension in English This study is conducted in twelve weeks on one control group and one experimental group The control group was treated with non-authentic materials and the experimental one was treated with authentic materials chosen by the researcher Before implementing the treatment, a pre-test is given two groups and the results indicate that both the English reading comprehension of two groups are equal But after twelve weeks of treatment, the experimental group got higher scores than the control one The researcher concludes “the use of authentic materials in teaching English to EFL students is more effective than the use of non-authentic materials” (Baniabdelrahman, 2006, p 19)

Merchi (2013) conducts a case study research for his Master‟s Degree named “The Use of Authentic Materials as Motivational Strategy to Develop Learners‟ Speaking Proficiency” In this study, he aims at studying the use of AMs “as a motivational strategy to develop learner speaking proficiency” After having analyzed the data obtained from students‟ and teachers‟ questionnaires and classroom observations with teachers, he concludes the use of this type of materials can expose the learners, who are the first year students of English at Mohamed Kheider University of Biskra, Algeria, to the target language, improve their self-confidence, and foster their motivation And thus, the use of AMs can help students better their speaking proficiency

More recently, the similar results have been found in the study of two academics from the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, UBL, Indonesia, Anggia & Setyadi

(2016) Their study is on “The Use of Authentic Materials in Speaking Class” In this study, the second-semester students of English Education Study Program in UBL were treated with AMs The treatment was done in 3 times for offline class every Tuesday and

6 times for online class every Wednesday and Friday The data collected from observation and questionnaire showed that students‟ interest and motivation increased and the use of AMs has beneficial effects on their speaking ability These two authors conclude the use of authentic materials in speaking classes is extremely useful in teaching and learning

In Vietnam, Do (2011), in her research titled “Using authentic materials to motivate second-year English major students at Tay Bac University (TBU) during speaking lessons”, proves that “using authentic materials is one way to effectively increase student's motivation at TBU to learn speaking in particular and English in general (p.15)” The same subjects (a class of 40 students) were treated by both authentic and non-authentic materials This class acted as the control group in „authentic materials‟ weeks, and experimental group in „non-authentic materials‟ weeks After that, the researcher makes a comparison on motivation between „authentic materials‟ weeks and

„non-authentic materials‟ weeks Her findings show that students‟ motivation increases sharply in „authentic materials‟ weeks compared to „non-authentic materials' weeks‟

Along with the research on the effectiveness of AMs in the teaching and learning process of English language, there has been a rise in concern on teachers‟ beliefs towards the use of this type of materials Belaid & Murray (2015) investigate teachers‟ attitudes and perceptions towards the use of AMs in the foreign language classrooms in Libyan Universities They use the questionnaire as the data collection instrument The questionnaire is distributed to fifteen Libyan EFL teachers, but only ten of them provide their answers The results show that these teachers have a positive attitude towards the use of AMs in language classes and this kind of materials would expose their students to real language The researchers also point out that course objective and students‟ need are key factors mainly considered by teachers in selecting authentic materials

In the same year, Mandasari does a case study on “Teachers‟ beliefs on the use of AMs to teach Listening” at first grade in one of Islamic High School in Surakarta, Indonesia He uses four data instruments – interviews, observations, questionnaires, and documents analysis After deeply having deeply analyzed the data, he concludes

“teachers have strong beliefs toward the use of authentic materials in teaching listening” (p 89) Besides that, he also finds out teachers‟ practices are influenced by many factors such as accessibility of AMs, the reasons of using AMs, teachers‟ knowledge of AMs, personal experience, students‟ needs, classroom equipment Moreover, he discovers the important thing about teachers‟ beliefs is that they are not always teaching as they believe In other words, there is an incongruence between their beliefs and classroom practices

More recently, Amina (2017) investigates teachers‟ attitudes towards both authentic and non-authentic materials Her doctoral dissertation named “Teachers‟ Attitudes towards Authentic and Non-Authentic Materials in Speaking Classroom: Case

of first-year EFL Teachers” is a case study done at the University of Tlemcen” After analyzing the data collected from class observations and questionnaires, she concludes AMs are considered as the ideal materials helping to improve learners‟ speaking ability, and if non-authentic materials are used to develop students‟ basic understanding of English, AMs are often used by EFL teachers to create real-life environments for their students

After having revised related literature, it seems that the use of authentic materials brings about an expected impact on raising learner motivation for bettering the speaking performance, motivate learners, arouse their interest and expose them to the real language they will face in their lives In other words, the use of authentic materials exerts a positive effect on the English teaching and learning process, therefore, it appears that teachers hold positive beliefs on it This means AMs should be used more to support the teaching-learning process However, there are also differences between teachers‟ beliefs and their