A study on the effects of MI – based english speaking activities on 7th graders’ motivation and confidence

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY --- HUYNH TRUNG KIEN A STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF MI-BASED ENGLISH SPEAKING ACVITIVIES ON 7TH GRADERS’ MOTIVATION AND CONFIDENCE Fiel

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

VINH UNIVERSITY

-

HUYNH TRUNG KIEN

A STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF MI-BASED ENGLISH SPEAKING ACVITIVIES ON 7TH GRADERS’

MOTIVATION AND CONFIDENCE

Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching

Code:60.14.01.11

MASTER THESIS IN EDUCATION

SUPERVISOR: DR TRAN BA TIEN

NGHE AN 2017

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I am an author on this submission, have adhered to all editorial policies for submission

as described in the Information for Authors, attest to having met all authorship criteria, and all potential conflicts of interest / financial disclosures appears on the title page of the submission

March, 2017

TABLES OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 7

INTRODUCTION 7

1.1 Rationale 7

1.2 Aims of the study 8

1.3 Research questions 9

1.4 Scope of the study 10

1.5 Organization of the study 11

Chapter 2 11

LITERATURE REVIEW 11

2.1 Theoretical Background of MI –Based teaching 11

2.2 Review of literature 17

2.2.1 Back ground of Multiple Intelligences Theory 17

in Viet Nam 33

2.3 An introduction to the Pilot Textbook Tieng Anh 7 15

2.4 Hypotheses of the study 35

Chapter 3 36

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 36

3.1 Introduction 36

3.2 Research Approach 37

3.3 Participants 38

3.4 Variables of the Study 38

3.5 Data Collection Instruments 39

3.5.1 Questionnaires 39

3.5.2 Multiple Intelligences Checklist 40

3.5.3 The speaking test 40

3.5.4 Class observation 42

3.6 Procedures of the research 46

3.6.1 Multiple Intelligences Inventory for EFL 7 th graders: 47

3.6.2 Statistical Procedures 47

3.6.3 The Main Research Hypothesis 47

3.6.4 Validating the Study Hypotheses 48

Chapter 4 49

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 49

4.1 Findings 49

4.2 Discussion 56

Chapter 5 58

CONCLUSIONS 58

REFERENCES 62

APPENDICES 66

Một số đánh giá dựa vào điểm số của học sinh 74

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all who have helped me in the completion of this thesis

First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis supervisor,

Mr Tran Ba Tien, Ph.D, who provided insightful discussions, valuable comments, criticisms and support in the preparation as well as completion of this thesis

I would also like to express my sincere thanks to the teachers, staffs in Vinh University, especially Ms Tran Thi Ngoc Yen,Ph.D, for their legitimate contributions

to the success of the course and for their invaluable lectures and encouragement

This thesis would never have been possible without the permission, encouragement and support from Mr Bui Ngoc An, The Principal of Lap Vo Town secondary school, Mr Doan Van Xe, The Head of Lap Vo education and training devision for study support and encouragement

I also would like to thank all the staff members at the Department of English at Dong Thap University for their help, and other teachers and students from many other schools who form many of my ideas and deliberation of what to study

To all these people, I deeply appreciate their kindness I can only hope that they will look upon the results of their kindness, influence and endeavors with pleasure

ABSTRACT

Foreign language learning has become an essential component in people’s lives over the past decades Knowing the importance of students learning style, autonomy level and their impact on learning helps teachers take into consideration such factors when choosing the appropriate techniques and tasks for their lessons This study focuses on clarifying the level of developments on the 7th graders’ motivation and confidence after utilizing MI based English speaking activities in Lap Vo town secondary school

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale

The modern educational tendency witnessed many changes in the way that created more oppotunities for students to show talents or abilities, by this reason, the methods and techniques used these days also changes with this trend Of all the applicable methods, MI - theory was certified to bring more motivation and confidence

to the learners In real school situation, When teachers recognize that students bring varied talents into the classroom, they can help students find success by allowing them

to use their natural intelligences Teachers can find ways to build tasks into each lesson that allow students to interact with the content in ways that fit their learning styles and strengths This theory was developed by Howard Gardner in 1983 Then, Gardner’s work has influenced the way many teachers approach their classroom instruction There are many ways to demonstrate understanding and it is important to incorporate these intelligences when planning to ensure inclusion for all students, and for students

to receive the best possible learning experience With an understanding of Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences teachers can promote new possibilities for learning, with greater emphasis on lifelong learning, which support the development of students’ skills in creativity and innovation

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of integrating multiple intelligences classroom activities in developing the speaking skills for English major students Therefore, the ultimate contribution of this research is to promote students’ motivation and confidence by integrating Multiple Intelligences Theory in speaking activities

The hypothesis of the research is that there are statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group in students' performance in their English speaking skills and sub-skills The subskills included in the research are asking and answering personal interview questions, making a conversation based on a ready-given situation, the oral presentation skills, describing pictures, making questions and answers about a given topic In order to test the hypothesis, the researcher selected randomly a group of 30 students in the Lap Vo Town secondary school to be pre-tested and post-tested to verify the effect of implementing the research programme

The research represents a step towards developing English speaking skills for the 7th grade students This demand comes from the importance of these speaking skills for the pilot 7th grade students

1.2 Aims of the study

This research utilizes the effects of MI-based English speaking acvitivies on 7th graders to motivate and build students’ confidence Therefore, it will help to improve ways of studying for students as well as reform a new way of teaching

The research is divided into many parts and subskills The subskills are asking and answering personal interview questions, making a conversation based on a ready-given situation, the oral presentation skills, describing pictures, making questions and answers about a given topic In order to test the hypothesis, the researcher selected randomly a group of 30 students in the class 7A1, Lap Vo town secondary school to answer a list of questions and implement a post - test to verify the effect of MI-based English speaking acvitivies on 7th graders’ motivation and confidence

The research represents a step towards developing English speaking autonomy and confidence for 7th form students This demand comes from the importance of these speaking skills for the curriculumn of the Minstry of education and training or Foreign Language Project to 2020

The research applies Multiple Intelligences Theory (MIT) in the field of English Language Teaching, which may result in many useful implications for both teachers and researchers MIT calls for multi-modal teaching strategies in which students are given more chances or options while they are learning and speaking MIT based instruction helps in involving and reaching more and more students in the learning process because it addresses various types of intelligences The major focus of the research is to develop students’ English speaking skills as these skills always play key roles in the students’ learning processes and simultaneously, English speaking skills are always a great necessity for a higher education or for their jobs in the future Furthermore, we also hope that this study will help them develop teaching courses to meet the requirements of the Foreign Language group in our school based

on Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and the learner-centered approach

In this paper, the author intends to study the application of MI theory in motivations and confidence of students’ speaking skill This study is undertaken to find out whether the application of MI theory in English speaking class will arouse students’ interest, motivation in learning English, and assist students’ oral performance

1.3 Research questions

The study attempted to investigate the effects of MI-based English speaking acvitivies on 7th graders’ motivation and confidence To clarify the purpose of the above question, the following two specific questions are addressed:

1 Does the use of MI-based English speaking activities help to enhance 7th graders’

motivation? If so, to what extent?

2 Does the use of MI-based English speaking activities help to enhance 7th graders’ confidence? If so, to what extent?

1.4 Scope of the study

To find the answer to the two above - mentioned reasearch questions, the experiment has been carried out among 30 7th- form students in the Pilot English programme class in Lap Vo Town Secondary School who are learning the Pilot Textbook Tieng Anh 7 The most characteristic of these students is that their age group ranges from 13 to 14 Almost all students here have been learning English since they were in grade 3 Therefore, their knowledge of English is fairly good (A1+) This helps them easily to join in the speaking activities and present their oral peformance in a persuasive way

The study is limited to the following:

Thirty 7th grade students who were willing to participate in the study Those students were chosen because they need to develop their English speaking motivations and confidence through multiple intelligences classroom activities as they are going to reach the objectives of the programme that ministry of educattion and training required

Some English speaking skills that should be developed within the English speaking program These skills are:

+ Asking and answering personal interview questions;

+ Making a conversation based on a ready-given situation;

+ Describing pictures;

+ Making questions and answers about a given topic;

+ Oral presentation skills

The content of the English speaking programme that deals with a combination of at least five types of intelligences: verbal/linguistics, logical/mathematical, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal These intelligences were selected as

they are relevant to the content presented in the English training program and they are mostly favored by the students

1.5 Organization of the study

The study consists of five chapters

- Chapter 1 is for the Introduction in which we present the rationale of the study

as well as its aims, research questions, scope and the organization

- Chapter 2, Literature Review, attempts to introduce the theoretical background of two issues The first is Multiple Intelligences Theory and its implication in English language teaching The second is the motivation and confidence that it brings to the students in English language teaching

- Chapter 3 is reserved to describe how the experiment was conducted This is composed of the methodology used, the procedure, participants

- Chapter 4 will discuss about the findings and discussion that the author interest and intend to focus on in the thesis

- Chapter 5 is the conclusion that drawn out from the work

physical environment, the purposes for speaking is more often spontaneous, open ended, and evolving Speaking requires learners to not only know how to produce specific points of language such as grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary but also that they understand when, where, why and in what ways to produce language

Sayed (2005) regards speaking skill as a complicated skill as it involves many processes or operations working together Speaking involve the linguistic, social, psychological, cultural components The social aspect of speaking is apparent when we deal with another one who may have a different social or cultural background

In the Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English (2015) speaking is defined

as the action of conveying information or expressing one's thoughts and feelings in spoken language

In this research, speaking is described as “an interactive process that includes certain skills such as asking and answering personal interview questions, making a conversation based on a ready-given situation, describing pictures, making questions-answers about a given topic, oral presentation skills

2.1.2 Multiple intelligences based speaking activities

Gardner (1983) views Multiple Intelligences based speaking activities as a speaking activities which any content area can be conveyed to students by utilizing their different inner capacities, abilities or intelligences and they also show their products in this way Using this type of instruction addresses many of the students’ intelligences as students are involved in various activities which are based

on different types of intelligences

2.1.3 Student Motivation

Student motivation has to do with students’ desire participate in the learning process But it also concerns the reasons or goals that underlie their involvement in academic activities Although students may be equally motivated to perform a task, the source of their motivation may differ A student who is intrinsically motivated

undertakes an activity “for its own sake, for the enjoyment it provides, the learning it permits, or the feelings of accomplishment it evokes” An extrinsically motivated student performs “in order to obtain some reward or avoid some punishment external to the activity itself” such as grades, stickers, or teacher approval As stated above, the term motivation to learn has a slightly different meaning It is defined by some author

as “the meaningfulness, value, and benefits of academic tasks to the learner-regardless

of whether or not they are intrinsically interesting” Others note that motivation to learn is characterized by long-term, quality involvement in learning and commitment to the process of learning Factors that influence the development of students’ motivation: According to educators, motivation

to learn is a competence acquired “through general experience but stimulated most directly through modeling, communication of expectations, and direct instruction or socialization by parents and teachers Children’s home environment shapes the initial constellation of attitudes they develop toward learning When parents nurture their children’s natural curiosity about the world by welcoming their questions, encouraging exploration, and familiarizing them with resources that can enlarge their world, they are giving their children the message that learning is worthwhile and frequently fun and satisfying When children are raised at home that nurtures a sense of self-worth, competence, autonomy, and self-efficiency, they will be more apt to accept the risks inherent in learning Conversely, when children do not view themselves as basically competent and able, their freedom to enlarge in academically challenging pursuits and capacity to tolerate and cope with failure are greatly diminished Once children start school, they begin forming beliefs about their school-related successes and failures The source to which children attribute their successes and failures have important implications on how they can approach and cope with learning situations The beliefs teachers themselves have about teaching and learning and the nature of the expectations they hold for students also exert a powerful influence As

one notable educator remarked, “To a very large degree, students expect to learn if their teachers expect them to learn" School-wide goals, policies, and procedures also interact with classroom climate and practices affirm or alter students’ increasingly complex learning-related attitudes and beliefs Developmental changes comprise one more strand of the motivational web as well For example, although young children tend to maintain high expectations for success even in the face of repeated failure, older students do not Although younger children tend to see effort as uniformly positive, older children view it as a “double-edged sword” To them, failure following high effort appears to carry more negative implication-especially for their self-concept

of ability-than failure that results from minimal or no effort

One of the most difficult aspects of becoming a teacher is learning how to motivate your students It is also one of the most important Students who are not motivated will not learn effectively They won’t retain information, they won’t participate and some of them may even become disruptive A student may be unmotivated for a variety of reasons: They may feel that they have no interest in the subject, find the teacher’s methods un-engaging or be distracted by external forces It may even come to light that a student who appeared unmotivated actually has difficulty learning and is need of special attention

While motivating students can be a difficult task, the rewards are more than worth it Motivated students are more excited to learn and participate Simply put: Teaching a class full of motivated students is enjoyable for teacher and student alike Some students are self-motivated, with a natural love of learning But even with the students who do not have this natural drive, a great teacher can make learning fun and inspire them to reach their full potential

2.1.4 Student confidence

Confidence is the belief in oneself and abilities, it describes an internal state made up of what we think and feel about ourselves This state is changeable according

to the situation we are currently in and our responses to events going on around us It is not unusual to feel quite confident in some circumstances and less confident in others

It is also influenced by past events and how we remember them; recalling a former success has a very different outcome in terms of our confidence levels than thinking about an occasion when we failed

Confidence and self-esteem are terms which are often used interchangeably, but although there is over-lap perhaps there are also subtle differences Self-confidence can refer to how we feel about ourselves and our abilities whereas self-esteem refers directly to whether or not we appreciate and value ourselves We may have been discouraged from being boastful but a healthy amount of self-liking and self-approval

is necessary if we are to have the confidence to meet life's challenges and participate as fully as we wish to in whatever makes life enjoyable and rewarding for us In a sense,

we could say that having healthy self-esteem leads to being self-confident

2.1.5 An introduction to the Pilot Textbook Tieng Anh 7

The objectives and Design Viewpoint of the Current Pilot Textbook Tieng Anh

7 Following the continuation of the series: Tieng Anh 3, Tieng Anh 4, Tieng Anh 5, Tieng Anh 6, the pilot textbook Tieng Anh 7 is the second of a four - level English language set of textbooks for the Vietnamese school It follows the systematic, cyclical and theme-based curriculum approved by the Minister of Education and Training on 23rd November, 2012 The aim of this set of textbooks is to develop students’ communicative competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing so that when finishing upper secondary school, students will achieve level three of the Vietnamese

Foreign Language Competence Framework (equivalent to A2 in CEFR - the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)

The contents of the Current Pilot Textbook Tieng Anh 7

There are 12 units with familiar themes equally divided into two volumes

Volume 1 is used for the first semester with 6 units Each unit is related with one topic: Unit 1: My Hobbies; Unit 2: Health; Unit 3: Community Service; Unit 4: Music and Arts Unit 5: Vietnamese Food and Drink; Unit 6: The First University in

VN

Volume 2 is used for the second semester with 6 units Each unit is related with one topic: Unit 7: Traffic; Unit 8: Films; Unit 9: Festivals around the World; Unit 10: Sources of energy Unit 11: Travelling in the future; Unit 12: An overcrowded World

The structure of the Current Pilot Textbook Tieng Anh 7

There are 12 units with 7 different sections Each unit is taught in 7 periods with 7 lessons:

Lesson 1: Getting started

Lesson 2: A Closer Look 1

Lesson 3: A Closer Look 2

Lesson 4: Communication

Lesson 5: Skills 1: Reading And Speaking

Lesson 6: Skills 2: Listening and Writing

Lesson 7: Looking back and project

The speaking Activities in the Current Pilot Textbook Tieng Anh 7

The speaking is a part of the lesson 5: Skills 1 (part 2) and some Communication It is aimed at providing students with an opportunity to apply the language and skills they learn throughout the lesson to perform a task in a realistic

situation Students are asked to do a survey or research to get real information about their friends, their neighborhood or to broaden their knowledge about the real world The speaking tasks often involve teamwork so that students’ collaborative skills are developed and their team spirits are enhanced

Unit 1: Talking about types of hobbies

Unit 2: Talking about calories used for everyday activities

Unit 3: Talking about how to contribute to community activities

Unit 4: Asking and answering about music

Unit 5: Talking about ways to make kinds of food/ drink

Unit 6: Talking about making arrangements for a trip to Temple of Literature

Unit 7: Identifying road signs and talking about obeying traffic rules

Unit 8: Asking and answering about film stars

Unit 9: Identifying popular festivals

Unit 10: Talking about advantages and disadvantages of types of energy resources Unit 11: Talking about means of transport in the future

Unit 12: Talking about disadvantages that an overcrowded place can create

2.2 Review of literature

2.2.1 Back ground of Multiple Intelligences Theory

MI theory was initiated in 1983 by Howard Gardner, a psychologist at Harvard University With a broader approach to human intellectual functioning, Gardner never expected his theory become so popular among educators Using an elaborate set of criteria, including evidence from studies of brain damage, prodigies, developmental patterns, cross-cultural comparisons, and various types of tests, he identifies eight central intelligences: (1) linguistic: capacity to use words effectively, orally or in writing; (2) logical-mathematical: capacity to use numbers effectively and to reason well; (3) visual-spatial: ability of using mental imagery for discerning orientation in

space; (4) bodily-kinesthetic: capacity of using physical body movements to express emotion and ideas; (5) musical: capacity to perceive, transform, and express musical forms; (6) interpersonal: ability to perceive and make distinction in the moods, intentions, motivations and feelings of other people; (7) intrapersonal: self-knowledge and ability to act adaptively on the basis of that knowledge; (8) naturalist: expertise in the recognition and classification of the numerous species – the flora and the fauna – of

an individual environment Gardner explains about the possible intelligence:

“existential intelligence”, which he suggests as the ninth one (Gardner, 1999)

Despite the abundance of researches that have addressed the application of MI in classrooms (Anderson, 2007, Armstrong, 2009, Richard and Roger, 2001, etc.,) few studies have been conducted on foreign language learning at tertiary education This study is the first attempts to investigate the impact of MI-related projects on EFL learners’ autonomy in Vietnam

2.2.2 Multiple Intelligences-based approach to teaching speaking skill

2.2.2.1 Speaking skill instruction

Nowadays English communicative environment is the key fator of teaching and studying English and this trend helps bring more opportunity for students to apply in their daily and future life Therefore, The main function of language use is to achieve communicative purposes Language learners use language functionally in their daily life to different extents However, oral communication skills (listening and speaking skills) are viewed as the most difficult to be developed Researchers explain why language learners are reluctant to develop their speaking skills because they lack native speaking environment as well as the learners’ apprehension Using alternative teaching strategies depending on brain-based instruction as well as addressing various abilities, aptitudes and intelligences may help develop speaking skills (Salem, 2013)

Fiona Lawtie (2004) stated that It is necessary for man to have a mutual communication If you just think of all the different conversations you have in one day

and compare that with how much written communication you do in one day, you will see that in our daily lives most of us speak more than we write However, many English teachers still spend too much of class time on reading and writing practice almost ignoring speaking and listening skills If the goal of your language course is truly to enable your students to communicate in English, then speaking skills should be more and more taught and practised in the language classroom

Madhumati R Patil (2007) argued that effective communication re-enforce positive impression of the engineer Lack of serviceable communication skills contributes to the low profile of engineering in general public A more proactive and accessible style of communication can be more engaging for the people Indeed oral skills, presentation skills are considered one of the best career enhancers and to the single biggest factor in determining a student’s career success or failure

Sayed (2008) viewed that there are various difficulties that face teachers as well

as students found in teaching as well as learning speaking in the English language classroom in Egypt First of all; it is naturally difficult for students to speak in the foreign language they are learning Second, the teaching conditions that students are involved in can impede the development of their speaking skills Third, the teachers’ methods of teaching can hinder the oral ability of their students Fourth, students have passive attitudes towards English, particularly in Egypt They are reluctant to participate in the speaking activities inside the classroom Fifth, there are psychological factors that may passively influence the students’ performances in speaking Speaking

is often viewed as an ‘anxiety-provoking’ activity

Moreover, more focus to the enrichment of students’ vocabulary could help developing speaking ability for EFL learners We live in a Vietnamese speaking language environment where English is a foreign language Meanwhile, we focus on the importance of engaging students in an English speaking environment; students do

not have much opportunity to practice using the English language English is practiced only inside the classroom Therefore, there should be an intensive practice of speaking skills

2.2.2.2 Previous studies related to MI-based speaking skill instruction

Christison (1996) proposed that in language classrooms, students’ intelligences profiles are also in diversity This is encouraging for language educators She, therefore, argued that the success in helping language learners develop their intelligences is a combination of the right environmental influences and quality instruction Intelligences work together in complex ways Because no intelligence exists by itself, language learning activities may be successful if they actively encourage the use of several intelligences Some other studies explored the effectiveness of using multiple intelligences activities in developing English speaking skills One of these studies was conducted by Sayed (2005) It investigated the effect of using a Multiple Intelligences-Based Training Programme on developing 7thgraders’ oral communication skills The sample of the study consisted of 30 7th graders Tools of the study included: A training programme based on Gardner's MI Theory to develop the students' oral communication skills, and an oral communication pre-posttest that was administered to the group of the study before and after their training Results revealed that the programme had a great effect on the students' oral communication skills as there are statistically significant differences between the pre and post administration of the test

Ibrahim (2007) explored the impacts of using a proposed strategy based

on MIT in assessing and developing the oral skills The sample of the study was third year primary school Arabic native speakers’ students Instruments of the study included the training program (student's book and a teacher's guide), multiple

intelligences scale and a checklist of the study showed the usefulness of the training program based on MIT

Another research implemented by Dorgham (2011) investigating the effectiveness of using multiple intelligences based instruction on developing speaking skills of the preparatory schools first graders The implementation of a program based

on MI proved the usefulness of multiple intelligences based instruction on developing first year preparatory stage graders The current study has different samples but similar general aim

In 2013, Salem applied MIT in investigating the impact of multiple intelligences- based instruction on developing speaking skills of the pre-service teachers of English He developed a multiple-intelligences based program to enhance the speaking skills paying a due attention to the individual differences among students The sample of the study consists of sixty fourth-year Prospective teachers of English The Quasi-experimental research design was used in the study as the researcher used the one group pre-posttest to assess the usefulness of using this approach Results of the study proved the effectiveness of Multiple-intelligences based Instruction on developing speaking skills of the pre-service teachers of English

Every Intelligences develop theirs own private abilities but they also require some basic condition of the learners To make the background of Multiple Intelligences clearly, a deeper exploration of every intelligences should be considered seiously

As described by Gardner (1999a, 2004), interpersonal intelligence is the ability

to see and appreciate the emotions and plight of others, as well as motivations and needs of others They also have the ability to analyze or predict the reactions of others Persons who excel in interpersonal intelligence have the ability to interact effectively with others Smith (2002, p.2) states: “Interpersonal intelligence is concerned with the capacity to understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people It allows

people to work effectively with others Educators, salespeople, religious and political leaders and counselors all need a well-developed interpersonal intelligence”

Interpersonal intelligence was positively correlated with speaking self-efficacy for English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom (Shore, 2001) Chan (2003) noted that teachers were found to report strengths in the personal intelligences It would therefore seem logical that those with higher levels of interpersonal intelligence would

be better able to interact and communicate with others It would make sense then that higher levels of interpersonal intelligence would be associated with improved ability for meaningful dialogue between the learner and their patients, as well as with the health care workers in the field-based independent study environments described in this study

Linda Campbell and Bruce Campbell (1999) assessed the success of the combination between personal inelligence and autonomy Perhaps the higher levels of intelligence among individuals allow learners to better personalize their personal intelligence in the work environment, and then improve their attitudes toward independent learning This better attitude toward independent learning may reflect their higher levels of autonomy due to the higher level of intelligence among individuals and the more active involvement of intelligence among individuals in the environment Their field work field The relationship between active participation in intelligence among individuals and the level of autonomy and independence of learners is higher than that supported by Chan (2000), Diaz-Lefebvre (1999), Walters (2000) 1992) and Williams (1995) Higher levels of intellectual participation and autonomy The findings

of this study seem to also support the observations of Cornwell (2001) and Mantzaris (2001) that have noted the link between active participation of intellect and higher levels of independence

MI – based speaking activities seem to support the contention that multiple intelligences theory can facilitate the development of learner autonomy which was

suggested by the observations of Kallenbach, (1999), Coustan (2001), Mantzaris (1999), Cornwell (2001), Chan 2000), Walters (1992), Diaz-Lefebvre (1999a), and Costanzo and Paxton (1999) The results of this study seem to support that idea that active engagement of interpersonal intelligence for learners with greater interpersonal intelligence in the environment described in this study would result in greater levels of autonomy and independence, and subsequently greater attitudes toward independent learning

Perhaps learners in these field-based independent learning environments who have higher levels of interpersonal intelligence demonstrate more effective dialogue with their patients and other health care workers when compared to those with lower levels of interpersonal intelligence Perhaps this improved dialogue allows them to better meet their learning objectives and allows them to improve their learner autonomy and independence, as well as improve their attitudes toward independent learning This idea is supported by the findings of Chen & Willits (1999) who found that more dialogue was associated with greater learner independence and autonomy This idea is also consistent with Huang’s (2000) findings of a significant correlation between interaction and autonomy This idea is also supported by the findings of Biner, Barone, Welsh, and Dean (1997) and Biner, Welsh, Barone, Summers, and Dean (1997) who found a positive relationship between attitude and performance levels; Swan (2001) who found a positive relationship between attitude and perceived learning; Richardson, Long, and Woodley (2003) who found a positive relationship between attitude and academic engagement

Additional support for this idea comes from the research of Chen and Willits (1999) that identified both independence and interdependence as subcategories of learner autonomy Perhaps interpersonal intelligence allows students to have greater ability for interdependence in their field-based independent learning environments with

their patients through dialogue This interdependence in learning could allow for a mutual give and take between the learner and the patient where both contribute and receive so that the learner may benefit and learning occurs Perhaps higher levels of interdependence in learning allow for greater ability for learner independence As noted by Franz (2002, p.1) “independence with interdependence” is possible, where learners can retain their autonomy while depending on others to “enhance the success

of the work at hand” Perhaps the learners in this study were able to gain greater independence and autonomy through their interdependence with the patients that they see in their field-based settings As Nah (1999, p.20) noted: “The constructs of independence and interdependence (or dependence) are not located at the two opposing ends of a continuum, just as the constructs of emotion and ration, masculinity and femininity, and justice and relations with others (in moral development models) are not so” This author goes on to state the “self-directed learners can be independent and interdependent” Perhaps this is the case for the learners in the context of this study

Krishnasamy, Peck Lee, and Palaniappan (2003) also appear to support the idea that increased interpersonal intelligence may result in increased dialogue, and that increased dialogue may result in increased interpersonal intelligence, which subsequently results in increased learner independence and autonomy These researchers found an association between interpersonal intelligence and online learning Jung’s (2001) theoretical framework for Web-based instruction (WBI) pedagogy demonstrated how teaching and learning in WBI are associated with dialogue, structure, and variables regarding learning Jung (2001), like Chen (1997), found that the concepts of structure, dialogue, and autonomy were multifaceted The facets identified within dialogue included academic, collaborative, and interpersonal interactions Although the on-line learning in this study was different than the experiences of many other online learners (i.e these learners were in a field-based setting), an association was also found in this study between interpersonal intelligence

and on-line learning This also appears to support the contention that interdependence may be valuable in on-line distance learning in the development of independence

Krishnasamy, Peck Lee, and Palaniappans’ research (2003) also seems to support this idea that increased interpersonal intelligence may result in increased ability for effective dialogue, and subsequently better interdependence between the learner and patient, resulting in increased learner independence and autonomy These researchers also found that incorporation of MI theory into distance learning strategies assisted with interaction and collaboration Perhaps the engagement of a variety of intelligences supports the development of interpersonal intelligence If increased interpersonal intelligence is associated with the ability for more effective interaction and dialogue between learner and patient, then perhaps engagement of a variety of intelligences results in an improved ability of interdependence and subsequently autonomy and independence

Moore (1983, p.163) defined learner autonomy as the ability “to identify learning needs, when faced with problems to be solved, as well as skills they don’t have and information they are lacking” and they “know, or find, where and how and from what human and other resources they may gather the information they require, collect ideas, practice skills and achieve their goals They then judge the appropriateness of their new skills, information and ideas, eventually deciding whether their goals have been achieved or can be abandoned” It would seem likely that learner’s who have a greater capacity for understanding the needs of others (i.e interpersonal intelligence) would be more motivated and interested in identifying their learning needs for a particular patient encounter so as to meet the needs of the patient Because of this capacity to understand the needs and desires of their patient, it would seem likely that this increased interpersonal intelligence would enable more effective interaction and dialogue with their patients This more effective dialogue would enable

an interdependency to occur between learner and patient This interdependence

between learner and patient may allow the learner to better define the medical problem that needs to be solved, as well as identify the skills and knowledge they don’t have and the information that they need This would seem likely to motivate these learners

to identify and utilize the resources at their disposal so that they could gather the information they require, thereby motivating the learner to develop their ideas regarding diagnosis and therapy, the practice of skills, and in reaching their goals (i.e making the patient better) It would seem likely that learners with highly developed interpersonal intelligence who are concerned about the plight, needs, and motivations

of their patients would be more motivated to judge the appropriateness of their new skills, information, and ideas, and to determine whether their goals have been achieved

so that they could effectively work with their patient(s) In this process, learner autonomy and independence would develop, their knowledge base would improve, and their learning goals would be met In the most simplest of terms, it appears that learners

in this study who ‘care’ more about the others (i.e increased interpersonal intelligence) develop an interdependence with their patients through dialogue, and become more autonomous learners As a result, they develop positive attitudes toward independent learning

It would make sense that individuals with more highly developed interdependence and independence, and subsequently higher levels of autonomy would develop better attitudes toward independent learning, especially when the independent learning experiences occurred in a relatively high transactional distance environment which required a high degree of learner autonomy and independence It would also make sense that learners with lower levels of interpersonal intelligence resulting in lower levels of learner autonomy would develop poorer attitudes toward independent learning, especially when their experiences included independent learning environments high in transactional distance Being an interpersonally weak, lower autonomy level learner in a high transactional distance environment requiring higher

levels of autonomy would result in an incongruence between the abilities of the learner and the requirements of the learning environment This idea is partially supported by the findings of Costanzo (2001) who found that high risk students had either very high

or very low scores in the personal intelligences, and that these particular students needed special attention

Perhaps learners with low levels of interpersonal intelligence are unable to participate fully in the opportunities for interaction and dialogue between themselves and their patients and other health care workers This lack of ability for effective dialogue between learner and patients, or other health care workers, may result in an inability to develop the interdependence necessary for this high transactional distance environment Having the ability to see and appreciate the emotions, plight, motivations, and needs of others, would appear to be necessary for the learner to be able to elicit the medical information necessary to determine an appropriate diagnosis and management plan It may be that a lack of ability to form an interdependent relationship with patients and other health care workers in this field-based environment results in an inability to adequately develop the autonomy and independence necessary for these high transactional distance courses This lack of interdependence as a result of lower ability for effective dialogue due to lower levels of interpersonal intelligence may result in decreased ability for the learner to define the medical problem that needs to be solved It may also result in the learner being unable to identify the skills and knowledge that they do not have As a result they may have limited ability to identify the information that they need Perhaps this results in limited ability to identify and use the resources at their disposal, and to develop their ideas regarding diagnosis and therapy In addition, these learners may be less able to judge the appropriateness of their new skills, information, and ideas, and to determine whether their goals have been achieved These deficits in their ability to learn in this setting would result in lower levels of learner autonomy and independence in this high transactional distance (low

dialogue) distance learning environment Subsequently, this could result in poorer attitudes toward independent learning

The particular learners might describe in the previous paragraph would benefit from lower transactional distance, higher dialogue, distance learning courses Maybe all learners, in the distance learning context described in this study, need some form of dialogue for the development of positive attitudes toward independent learning Perhaps learners with positive attitudes toward independent learning in this study were able to compensate for the low dialogue, high transactional distance learning environment through the use of their interpersonal intelligence and dialogue in the field-based setting with patients and other health care workers If this were the case, then learners with lower levels of interpersonal intelligence would have limited ability

to compensate for a low dialogue distance course Their inability to effectively dialogue with patients and co- workers due to their limited interpersonal intelligence, combined with little or no dialogue associated with the distance learning courses, could result in inadequate development of interdependence, and subsequently the inadequate development of learner autonomy and independence This may be the reason for their poorer attitudes toward independent learning It would be interesting to see if these learners with lower interpersonal intelligence would have an improvement in their attitudes toward independent learning if their learning was supported through more dialogue as part of the distance learning courses The idea that increased dialogue may

be effective in overcoming decreased student autonomy is supported by Fernandez (1999) Perhaps certain structural characteristics could be incorporated into the distance learning courses to promote interaction and dialogue This idea is supported by Vrasidas and McIssac’s (1999) research that demonstrated that certain course structural characteristics promoted interactions Perhaps dialogue in the distance learning courses would compensate for lower interpersonal intelligence and ability for dialogue in the field-base settings

Chen and Willits (1999) noted that learners who self reported greater levels of independence also self reported more frequent in-class interaction Perhaps more dialogue is associated with more learner independence and autonomy Maybe successful learners in high transactional distance environments with low course dialogue develop ways to dialogue outside of the course through the use of their interpersonal intelligence It could be that these alternate ways to dialogue result in positive attitudes toward independent learning It may be that learners with lower interpersonal intelligence are unable to develop this dialogue on their own in a high transactional distance environment

They may require interaction facilitation methods to be structured into the course so that effective dialogue can occur for them and so that their attitudes can improve

Vrasidas and McIssac (1999) concluded that some structural elements helped to make the promotion of interaction and dialogue Although the authors mentioned that they interpreted this result to be in conflict with Moore's transactional distance theory, where structured dialogues and structures are inversely related, this author suggests that this is not the case It seems that the writer argues that although interactive facilitating actions need to be incorporated into the course development process, if the goal is to ensure interaction and dialogue will take place This structural characteristic for facilitating interaction is not the same concept as the structure of forms It is not a structure that promotes interaction; It's a structured facilitation action to improve interactivity There is a need to distinguish between the concept of true structure and the method of facilitating interaction If this distinction is not made, it is almost like a less structured instructor to improve dialogue (this does not make much sense) Instead,

it makes more sense to look at this phenomenon because it is thought that the facilitator incorporates interactive facilitating methods to increase interaction / dialogue and reduce the structure For students with a lower average level of autonomy, if the

structured interactive facilitation approach is not used, almost no interaction will occur, thus requiring more structuring Students achieve the desired educational outcomes This explanation can also be applied to the study by Bunker, Gayol, Nti and Reidell (1996) These controversies are further supported by the research results demonstrating that students who lack the autonomy necessary for a particular course feel lonely and wish to have more interaction with the instructor Leads (Anderson, 1999) There are some structures for any course, or if there is no course That is how the structure and rigidity of the structure require further investigation

Chen & Willits (1999, p.54) found that “the more rigid the course delivery, the less frequent was the reported in-class discussion” This finding was consistent with Moore’s theory However, this study also found that “the more independent the students reported themselves to be, the more frequently they indicated in-class interaction” (Chen Willits, 1999, p.54 This last finding was not consistent with previously stated assertions where it was postulated that less dialogue is associated with greater student independence and autonomy The study appears to suggest that the opposite, that more dialogue may be associated with more student independence and autonomy This finding was also consistent with Huang’s (2000) findings of a significant correlation between interaction and autonomy based on survey data

An explanation could be that these findings support the premise made by this author regarding the findings by the Vrasidas and McIssac (1999) study Structural elements of interaction facilitation should not be considered the same as other forms of course structure, where more structure and less dialogue require greater autonomy, and subsequently greater transactional distance Structural elements such as interaction facilitation methods may be needed more for students with low autonomy, and less for students with high autonomy In addition, high autonomy students in a low transactional distance setting may be more self-directed and more willing to interact with the instructor and peers without necessitating any interaction facilitation method

application Students who are more autonomous may be more willing to interact when asked, and may not require the interaction facilitation methods applied by an instructor

to encourage their interaction This interpretation is consistent with assertions made by Saba (2004a) Yet another explanation could be that student self-perceptions of independence may not reflect their actual independence Further research is warranted This is yet another interesting example where more knowledge of student characteristics, or variables within autonomy, may have shed more light on the study results

Maybe, future research will demonstrate that there is a way to modify structure and improve the dialogue that learners experience in the context described in this study (i.e high transactional distance with active engagement of most of the intelligences) so that they could improve their interpersonal intelligence Improvement of their interpersonal intelligence could result in increased abilities for interaction and dialogue These improved abilities for effective interaction and dialogue could result in improved abilities for interdependent learning between the learners and the patients This improved interdependence in learning could result in increased learner knowledge, which allows them to better meet their learning objectives This could result in improved levels of learner autonomy and independence, and be reflected in more positive attitudes toward independent learning

Having reviewed the basic ideas of MI theory and its application in education, the author would like to give a summary of studies on MI theory at home and abroad in this part Ever since the theory was proposed, researchers and educators at home and abroad have shown great interest in the study of this theory

2.2.2.2.1 Previous studies related to MI-based speaking skill instruction abroad

In the book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Howard Gardner proposed a theory about the structure of intelligence in 1983 He listed seven kinds of intelligences at that time and later the eighth intelligence was added Furthermore, the possibility of the existence of other intelligences was explored in his article “Are There Additional Intelligences? The case for the Naturalist Intelligence, Spiritual and Existential intelligences” (1998) He is still exploring new intelligences now Multiple Intelligences theory was first proposed from a psychological viewpoint

In the final chapter of Frames of Mind, Howard Gardner turned to the research of educational field and went deeper into the educational significance of multiple intelligences Since then, the theory has provoked great interest among researchers and educators Nowadays, multiple intelligences theory has a significant influence in the educational field all over the countries and regions worldwide Among all the countries, America has made great contributions to the application of MI theory in the educational field after over twenty years exploration and practice Except for Gardner, researchers such as T Armstrong, J Maker, D Lazear, L Campbell and B Campbell have published a large number of articles of high academic value and practical significance, which have promoted the development of MI theory in the education reform They launched some large scale research projects with great achievements, such

as “Project Zero” and “Arts PROPEL”

Doctor Thomas Armstrong, having read Gardner’s work Frames of Mind, writes the book Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom (1994) based on the theory In the book, he introduces ways of applying MI theory into classroom teaching and summarizes the teaching experiences The book has been introduced to tens of countries, making educators and students benefit from MI theory It provides a lot of methods for teachers to integrate MI theory into their daily teaching practice, so that it

is easy to be mastered by teachers and becomes a practical teaching guidance

In 2009, the latest research on the practical application of MI theory “Multiple intelligences around the World” was published in the U.S This book is the integration

of new practical research results in more than 20 countries and regions and it first covers the researches of all the four continents in the world since its birth A set of multiple intelligent practitioners’ wisdoms are used as a reference in the book to show how the multiple intelligences theory is applied on the international stage, such

as America, Japan and China Many countries share their successful stories in the education reform Therefore this book is a precious treasure for psychologist, educators, parents and those who want to go deeper into the research Multiple intelligences theory opens a door of studying intelligence for us When the theory is valued by western countries, its concept and spirit are also transmitted to Viet Nam

2.2.2.2.2 Previous studies related to MI-based speaking skill instruction

in Viet Nam

Although MI theory was born more than 30 years, it has not been received much attention from Vietnamese Education practitioners In 2011, Le Quang Long translated the book titled "Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom" by Thomas Armstrong (2009) So far there has not been much research on this theory in the educational settings, especially in English teaching Vo Thanh Ha (2013) did research on the application of MI theory in primary education named: "Nghiên cứu Thuyết Đa thông minh và khả năng ứng dụng vào giáo dục tiểu học" According to the statistics in

2014, from 2002 up to now, there have been only 5 Master theses in English study relating with this issue, three of which are for upper secondary schools They are the studies of M.A Chau Van Don (2012) and Nguyen Thi Diem (2004) in Hue University of Foreign Languages Le Thi Tuyet Hanh (2013) conducted a research at

Vinh University, She focuses on study “Applying Multiple Intelligences Theory to support EFL learners’ word recognition” Besides, there are two PhD theses which are being done at the University of Hue relating to MI theory: (1) An effect of Multiple Intelligences theory on the development of students’ English speaking skills (Chau Van Don) and (2) the relationship of Multiple Intelligences theory in teaching vocabulary strategies for university students (Le Thi Tuyet Hanh), or an application of the multiple intelligences theory in project- based teaching: the case of pilot textbook tieng anh 11 (Le Thi Kieu Oanh - 2016) It can be concluded that, Multiple Intelligences theory, with its new ideas about human’s abilities, has attracted tremendous educators’ attention as well as many related projects since its birth in the 1980s The theory has been applied to different educational fields and all of the research has shown a flourishing vision because it is provided, by his author, Gardner,

a sound theoretical foundation Thousands of schools around the world have applied

MI theory to their curricular in different ways However, in both abroad and Viet Nam, most of the studies on MI theory are from a macroscopic view, i.g discussing the impact of MI theory to education, or analyzing the integration of MI theory with curriculum and teaching design, education evaluation and so on; whereas studies on the specific application of MI theory to different phases of education are comparatively few Because of the late starting time studies on MI theory in Viet Nam are still at the early stage and usually use research findings in foreign countries as references Therefore, the study “A study on the effects of MI-based English speaking acvitivies

on 7th graders’ motivation and confidence” is believed to open a new path to integrate the theory with our English teaching practice at lower - secondary schools and explore the application of it to the education in our country

In the research, the following steps were used to develop tools, teaching materials and the procedures followed in administering the tools to the subjects of the

study as well as an overall description of how the experiment was conducted In this way, the experimental aspects of the study were sufficiently covered, and the procedures of the experiment were described and clarified

2.3 Hypotheses of the study

The researcher used the Quasi-experimental Design to test the hypotheses of the study This research design is suitable for the nature of the study Thus, the researcher has assigned the experimental group which is pre-tested and post-tested using an English speaking test The hypothesis was tested:

There are statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group before and after applying the the MI – based activities in Students' motivation and confidence in speaking English

From the main hypothesis, the following hypotheses are derived: By integrating multiple intelligences classroom activities throughout the English speaking development lessons, the mean scores of the students’ motivation and confidence on the speaking skill will be improved according to the multiple intelligences-based achievement tests In other words, there are statically significant differences between the mean scores of students’ motivation and confidence of the research on the speaking skills pre-posttest in favor of the posttest Thus, the main goal of this research is to investigate if it is possible to enhace the students’ motivation and confidence and highlight the benefits that MI EFL classroom classes may gain in comparison with the traditional EFL classroom instruction strategies

The MIT application in this research involves a combination of MI – based speaking activities, MI materials and MI assessment As the focus of the research is in EFL classroom instruction practice, we only attempt to explore the possible effect of MIT intervention on the five intelligences which have direct relationship to English

speaking development instruction, i.e verbal-linguistic, logical- mathematical, spatial, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences

visual-Chapter 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

Chapter 3 begins with the research methodology of the study Then, It continues with the descriptions of the participants and the tools used to collect data This chapter ends with the procedure of the research

This research follows the procedures of a study conducted by Salem (2013), with the one-pre-post experimental design in which only the experimental group was used in the implementation process This design was chosen because the study aims at developing some English speaking skills of a group of students Three English speaking pre-posttest and an English speaking training program integrated with multiple intelligences classroom activities to develop the 7th graders’ English speaking skills

As a matter of fact, the one group pre-posttest design was utilized in the experiment The study sample was purposefully chosen and assigned to one group from the total number of 7th graders at Lap Vo town secondary school The participants are

30th students in class 7/1 who are supposed to be chosen to pilot the new Textbook in the series of 10 – year programme The participants studied the motivation and confidence after they were pretested At the end of the experiment, the speaking skills test was administered

- Sampling Procedures

The number of the thirty (30) students were involved in one experimental group which was instructed and trained in order to improve their motivation and confidence

in speaking skills in English through a multiple intelligences-based speaking activities

- Validating the Tests

After modifying the test according to the suggestions of the jury members, the tests were conducted in order to:

1 Assure the clarity of the test items and instructions

2 Decide the time needed for the tests

3 Determine the item difficulty index of tests

4 Determine the discrimination index of the tests

5 Determine the tests reliability

To pilot the tests, a number of five students, other than those in the experimental group, were randomly selected from among the 7th grade students of Lap Vo Town secondary school

3.2 Research Approach

In the current study, the researcher used both qualitative and quantitative approaches to obtain and deal with the data According to Condelli and Wrigley (2004), the best research design is a mixed method design that integrates qualitative and quantitative research They also point out that qualitative approach could help identify what work; however, it still had “limited explanatory power” Meanwhile, the limitation could be compensated by quantitative approach, which could provide data giving insights into how findings work and how findings could be translated into practice The advantages of each methodology complement the other to help a stronger research design more valid and reliable findings The research instruments such as questionnaire, checklist, pre-test and post test, classroom observation and interview were used

The experiment aims to answer the two following research questions:

1 Does the use of MI based speaking activities help to enhance the 7 th graders’ motivation? If so, to what extent?

confidence? If so, to what extent?

3.3 Participants

This experiment is carried out among 30 students in class 7/1 in Lap Vo town secondary School, Dong Thap province All of the students in the study are around 13 years old At first, they all have average motivation in learning English The main reason for choosing this level was that the participants have been learning the pilot textbook for 2 years so they might get accustomed to the format of the book and the requirements The author did not choose two separated classes as control group and experiment group, so It is studied in only one class Thomas Amstrong (2009) states that it is impractical to conduct control studies since multiple intelligences in one classroom could be very different from multiple intelligences in another classroom The experiment is conducted within an academic year, lasting from September, 2016 to May, 2017 In fact, the students in this class were taught by other traditional methods

in the academic year 2015 – 2016 when they were in class 6/1 and in 2016 – 2017 when they are in class 7/1, the author applied MI theory in teaching projects The comparison did not make at the same time, but results were analysed and compared basing on the time before and after applied the theory

3.4 Variables of the Study

1 The Independent variable was:

The use of the multiple intelligences-based instruction program

2 The dependent variables were: Students’ English speaking skills

3 The control variables were

a Age level b Language proficiency level in English speaking c Years of studying English