Teachers and learners attitudes towards english 11 a survey at le quy don high school in ninh thuan province

It is recommended that there be some adjustments and additions in the way of teaching and learning the four English skills as well as grammar and pronunciation... students of grade 6, th

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

HUYNH THUC HA DOAN

TEACHERS’ AND LEARNERS’

ATTITUDES TOWARDS ‘ENGLISH 11’:

A SURVEY AT LE QUY DON HIGH

SCHOOL

IN NINH THUAN PROVINCE

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Arts (TESOL)

Supervisor

NGUYEN HOANG TUAN, PhD

Ho Chi Minh City, April 2012

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Above all, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my supervisor,

Dr Nguyen Hoang Tuan, for his considerable encouragement, valuable guidance and detailed comments on my writing Without his thoughtfulness

of reviewing my draft as well as his support, I would not have finished my thesis

I would like to offer my special thanks to the principal, eight English teachers and two hundred ninety-one eleventh graders at Le Quy Don High School in Ninh Thuan province for their support and contributions to answering the questionnaires and the interviews

I would like to express my profound gratitude to my parents, my beloved husband and children who have always supported, encouraged and urged

me to complete this thesis

Finally, my heartfelt thanks are given to my friends, especially Pham Thi Viet An, who have helped me a lot so that this thesis has been completed eventually

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STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

I hereby certify that this thesis entitled

ENGLISH 11: A SURVEY AT LE QUY DON HIGH SCHOOL IN

NINH THUAN PROVINCE”

submitted in terms of the statements of requirements for theses in Master programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee is my own work

This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma

in any other situation

Ho Chi Minh City, April 9, 2012

Huynh Thuc Ha Doan

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RETENTION OF USE

I hereby state that I, Huỳnh Thục Hạ Đoan, being a candidate for the degree

of Master of Arts in TESOL, accept the requirements of the university relating to the retention and use of Master Theses deposited in the university library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master Thesis deposited in the university library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the library for the care, loan and reproduction of theses

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ii

RETENTION OF USE iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF TABLES ix

LIST OF FIGURES x

ABSTRACT xii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the research 1

1.2 Aims of the research 2

1.3 Research question 2

1.4 Significance of the study 3

1.5 Limitations of the study 3

1.6 Summary 3

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

2.1 Discussions concerning language teaching materials 4

2.2 Overview of general frameworks for analyzing language teaching materials 6

2.3 General framework for analyzing a textbook 25

2.4 Summary 25

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 26

3.1 Research question 26

3.2 Research material 26

3.3 Research design 32

3.3.1 Methodology 32

3.3.2 Participants 33

3.3.2.1 Students 33

3.3.2.2 Teachers 34

3.3.3 Research procedures and instruments 34

3.3.3.1 Pilot study 34

3.3.3.2 Questionnaires 35

3.3.3.3 Semi-structuredinterviews 37

3.3.3.4 Data collection 38

3.4 Summary 40

CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS 41

4.1 Teachers’ and students’ responses to the criteria for the textbook analysis 41

4.1.1Format and organization 41

4.1.2Illustration 42

4.1.3Accompanying materials 43

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4.1.4 Topics 44

4.1.5 Grammar 45

4.1.6 Vocabulary 47

4.1.7 Pronunciation 48

4.1.8 Reading 49

4.1.9 Speaking 50

4.1.10 Listening 51

4.1.11 Writing 53

4.1.12 Activities 55

4.2 Teachers’ and students’ responses to open-ended questions 56

4.2.1 Students’ responses 56

4.2.2 Teachers’ responses 59

4.3 Teachers’ and students’ responses to interviews 61

4.3.1 Students’ responses 61

4.3.2 Teachers’ responses 63

4.4 Summary 64

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 65

5.1 Summary 65

5.2 Conclusions 65

5.3 Recommendations 68

5.3.1 For further studies 68

5.3.2 To the teachers 69

5.3.3 To the students 73

REFERENCES 76

Appendix 1: Câu hỏi khảo sát dành cho học sinh 79

Appendix 2: Students’ Questionnaire (English Version) 87

Appendix 3: Câu hỏi khảo sát dành cho giáo viên 95

Appendix 4: Teachers’ Questionnaire (English Version) 103

Appendix 5: Student Interview 111

Appendix 6: Teacher Interview 112

Appendix 7: Book Map 113

Appendix 8: Data Gathered From Students’ And Teachers’ Questionnaires 116 Appendix 9: Students’ Responses to Interview 119

Appendix 10: Teachers’ Responses to Interview 126

Appendix 11: Unit 10 Nature In Danger 129

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1 Items of the questionnaire and theirdimensions 36 Table 3.2 Interview questions and their dimensions 38

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1 Knowing a word 13

Figure 2.2 Materials development 24

Figure 3.1 Flowchart for data collection procedures 39

Figure 4.1 Students’ and teachers’ responses to illustration (Item 4)

42

Figure 4.2 Students’ and teachers’ responses to accompanying materials (Item 8) 43

Figure 4.3 Students’ and teachers’ responses to topics (Item 10) 44

Figure 4.4 Students’ and teachers’ responses to topics (Item 11) 44

Figure 4.5 Students’ and teachers’ responses to grammar (Item 15)

46

Figure 4.6 Students’ and teachers’ responses to grammar (Item 16)

46

Figure 4.7 Students’ and teachers’ responses to vocabulary (Item 18)

47

Figure 4.8 Students’ and teachers’ responses to vocabulary (Item 19)

48

Figure 4.9 Students’ and teachers’ responses to reading (Item 24) 49

Figure 4.10 Students’ and teachers’ responses to speaking (Item 26)

50

Figure 4.11 Students’ and teachers’ responses to speaking (Item 29)

51

Figure 4.12 Students’ and teachers’ responses to listening (Item 30)

52

Figure 4.13 Students’ and teachers’ responses to listening (Item 31)

52

Figure 4.14 Students’ and teachers’ responses to listening (Item 32)

53

Figure 4.15 Students’ and teachers’ responses to writing (Item 34)

54

Figure 4.16 Students’ and teachers’ responses to writing (Item 35)

54

Figure 4.17 Students’ and teachers’ responses to activities (Item 38)

55

Figure 4.18 Students’ and teachers’ responses to activities (Item 39)

56

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ABSTRACT

The objectives of the present study were to examine the attitudes of the teachers and the learners of Le Quy Don high school in Ninh Thuan

province towards the currently used ‘English 11’ textbook, then find out the

difficulties the teachers and the learners encountered when using the textbook

Both qualitative and quantitative research methodology was utilized in this study The qualitative research data consisted of interviews with fifteen students chosen randomly during break time and interviews with five teachers to help the researcher to gain further information The quantitative research data was gathered with the aid of a questionnaire Two hundred and eighty-one questionnaires were sent to the students of grade 11 and eight to the teachers directly

The findings revealed that the teachers and the students were generally in favor of the textbook except for some disagreements related to the book’s input provision including theory of grammar, spoken discourse and writing discourse

It is recommended that there be some adjustments and additions in the way

of teaching and learning the four English skills as well as grammar and pronunciation

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the research

In teaching and learning English in Viet Nam, most centers have their own teaching and learning materials of their own choice and purposes High school students, however, have to use textbooks required by Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training It is wondered whether these textbooks meet the students’ interests and needs or not

Cunningsworth (1995: 5) states that hardly any coursebook designed for a general market will be absolutely ideal for a particular group of learners Besides, textbooks have strengths and limits For example, textbooks do not take students’ background knowledge into account; or tasks are beyond students’ levels

Moreover, using a textbook has advantages and disadvantages Graves (2000: 174-175) lists the advantages of using a textbook, two of which are that a textbook both brings security to students and helps save teacher time

in finding visuals or designing classroom activities Graves also points out the disadvantages of using a textbook, three of which are that a textbook may offer irrelevant examples, include inappropriate content, and present boring visuals and activities

These may be the reasons why there were some studies on textbooks in order to make best use of them from primary to high school levels For

example, Nguyen Ngoc My (2008) evaluated ‘Let’s learn English book 1’,

a textbook for students of grade 3, the first grade of primary school to learn

English; Tran Thi My (2002) did research on ‘English 6’, a textbook for

students of grade 6, the first grade of secondary school; and Nguyen Thi

Nhu Diep (2007) focused on pronunciation of ‘English 10’, a textbook for

students of grade 10, the first grade of high school There has been no

research into ‘English 11’, a textbook for students of grade 11, the middle

grade of high school This textbook was written by Hoang Van Van, Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa, Dao Ngoc Loc, Vu Thi Loi, Do Tuan Minh and Nguyen Quoc Tuan, and published by Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training in 2007 This was one of the reasons for the study to be carried out

1.2 Aims of the research

The aims of this research are to find out teachers’ and students’ perceptions

towards ‘English 11’, a teaching and learning material for high school

students in Viet Nam in general and in Le Quy Don high school in Ninh Thuan province in particular, and then present some recommendations in order that using the textbook for teaching and learning English in Le Quy Don high school in Ninh Thuan province will become more effective

1.3 Research question

The research was conducted after teachers and students had finished their teaching and learning so that they would be able to offer their perceptions

towards the textbook ‘English 11’ The question which guides this study is

How do teachers and eleventh graders at Le Quy Don High School in

Ninh Thuan province respond to the textbook ‘English 11’ in terms of

format and organization, illustration, accompanying materials, topics, language contents, language skills and activities?

1.4 Significance of the study

The study may help teachers understand more clearly the reasons accounting for their students’ difficulty in learning English Teachers also know about students’ needs and interests, which helps better teaching and learning

1.5 Limitations of the study

The scale of the study was limited to the teachers and the students at Le Quy Don High School in Ninh Thuan province in Viet Nam Its results are not generalized enough considering the fact the textbook has to be used in most high schools in the whole country

Secondly, the research was only conducted based on survey questionnaires and interviews on a number of participants The quantitative instrument was employed to collect data from eight teachers’ and two hundred and sixty-three students’ responses to the survey questionnaires Another qualitative instrument was utilized to gather data from interviews with fifteen students chosen randomly and five teachers for further information

1.6 Summary

This chapter presents the background and the aims of the research The research question, significance and limitations of the study are also included

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter begins with discussions concerning language teaching materials It also includes the rationale for analyzing and designing materials based on the general frameworks recommended by Cunningsworth (1995), Littlejohn (cited in Tomlinson, 1998: 193-194), Tomlinson (1998), and Graves (2000) The recommendations for some aspects related to providing input and designing activities by other linguists are also presented

These serve as a basis for the framework used to find out answers to the research question raised in Chapter one

2.1 Discussions concerning language teaching materials

Brown (1995: 139) states materials are “any systematic description of the techniques and exercises to be used in classroom teaching” Materials can encompass lesson plans, packets of audiovisual aids, games, or any of the other myriad types of activities to go on in the language classroom The key

in developing sound materials is to ensure that they are described and organized well enough so that teachers can use them with no confusion and with a minimum of preparation time

Later, Tomlinson (1998: 2) adds language teaching materials can be anything provided that it is deliberately used to provide sources of language input, increase the learners’ knowledge and/or experience of the language Among those regarded as materials are cassettes, videos, CD-Roms, dictionaries, grammar books, readers, textbooks, workbooks, photocopied exercises, stories, newspapers, photographs, live talks by invited native

speakers, instructions given by a teacher, tasks written on cards, and discussions between learners, etc This means that teachers can also become materials developers and are responsible for the materials their learners use This emphasizes the roles of teachers in choosing and using language teaching materials

When mentioning the roles of teachers in using language teaching materials, Cunningsworth (1995: 7) says that ‘the coursebook is to be at the service of teachers and learners but not to be their master’ Later, Graves (2000: 175-176) suggests using a textbook as a tool He explains that a textbook does not teach language, but the teacher, and success in teaching with a textbook depends also on the students who use it

Teachers should know how to use a textbook as a tool and understand what potential benefits a textbook produces as well Graves (2000: 174-175) presents advantages and disadvantages of using a textbook The advantages

a textbook offers are (1) providing a syllabus, (2) providing security for the students because they know what to expect and what is expected of them, (3) providing a set of visuals, activities, readings, etc., which helps save the teacher time in finding or developing such materials, (4) providing teachers with a basis for assessing students’ learning, including supporting materials such as teachers’ guide, cassettes, worksheets, video, and (5) providing consistency within a program across a given level One of the disadvantages is that the content or examples may not be relevant or appropriate to the students Another is that there may be too much focus on one or more aspects of the language and not enough focus on others Other disadvantages are that there may not be the right mix of activities and that the activities, readings, visuals, etc may be boring

Earlier, Ur (1996: 184-185) also discusses advantages and limits of using a textbook Besides the advantages of using a textbook mentioned by Graves above like a textbook providing a clear framework, ready-made texts and tasks, and guidance for the teacher, a textbook can help students to review and monitor progress with some degree of autonomy Ur (1996: 184-185) also adds that a textbook is light and small enough to carry around easily, and is the cheapest way of providing learning material for each learner One

of the limits of using a textbook is its inadequacy as every class or every learner has their own learning needs Another is its irrelevance and lack of interest since the topics may not necessarily be relevant or interesting A textbook also inhibits the teacher’s initiative and creativity

In short, the discussions concerning language teaching materials mention what language teaching materials are, a textbook being regarded as a language teaching material, the roles of the teacher in using a textbook, and the advantages and disadvantages of using a textbook

2.2 Overview of general frameworks for analyzing language teaching materials

Cunningsworth (1995, 1-4) states some underlying principles or guidelines for evaluation of teaching materials, which depend on asking appropriate questions and interpreting answers He then suggests a checklist for evaluation and selection of teaching materials under the following headings:

(1) aims and approaches, in which the researcher or the teacher focuses on finding out answers to such aspects as whether the aims of the book correspond closely to the aims of teaching program and to students’ needs,

whether the book covers most or all of what is needed, or whether the book

is a good source for students and teachers

(2) design and organization, in which Cunningsworth recommends some criteria to consider, such as the components of the book, including students’ book, teachers’ book, workbooks, cassettes, etc., the organization of contents according to structures, functions, topics, skills, etc., the contents for recycling and revision, the reference sections of grammar, its suitability for individual study and layout

(3) language content, in which research on the following aspects is recommended: the appropriateness of grammar items, vocabulary exercises

in terms of emphasis on vocabulary development and strategies for individual learning, material for pronunciation work, and structures and conventions of language use above sentence level, e.g how to take part in conversations and how to identify the main points in a reading passage

(4) skills, in which aspects to be investigated include whether the book focuses on integrated skills, whether reading passages and associated activities are suitable for students’ levels and interests, whether listening material is well-recorded, whether material for spoken English is well designed to equip students for real-life interactions and whether writing activities are suitable in terms of amount of guidance, degree of accuracy and use of appropriate styles

(5) topics, in which the researcher or the teacher should pay attention to the variety and range of topics, to its appropriateness for students’ interests, and to its capacity of expanding students’ awareness and enriching their experience

(6) methodology, in which questions of the approach to language learning,

of its aim at strengthening active learner involvement, and of the development of communicative abilities should be investigated

(7) teachers’ book, which is supposed to cover such aspects as adequate guidance, teaching techniques, and keys to exercises

Littlejohn (cited in Tomlinson, 1998: 192-194), aiming at focusing on materials as a pedagogic device, that is – an aid to teaching and learning a foreign language, establishes a framework for analyzing materials which includes two main sections: publication and design

In terms of publication, Littlejohn (ibid: 192-194) wants to mention the

relationship that may exist between students’ materials and any other components For example, whether answer keys are only in teachers’ book, and how students’ materials relate to any tapes All of these may have direct implications for classroom methodology The division of materials into sections and sub-sections, the maintenance of continuity or coherence, and the pre-determination of material order are also worth considering The contents lists, wordlists and indexes make it easier for students to use the materials as well All of these are detailed as follows

Format

Format is a general arrangement in a constant form that a textbook has; for example, readers can easily find contents lists or the book map, wordlists and indexes, which make it more convenient to get access to or use it; or in one unit readers can see a reading passage followed by tasks, i.e reading comprehension questions including yes-no and/or wh- ones, multiple choice questions, and/or questions for classroom discussion, then a speaking, a listening, a writing lesson, or grammar and pronunciation

practice In the following lesson these same elements might be found in the same order, and sometimes followed by revision to maintain continuity

Besides, that students know what they are expected to learn and/or what skills or subskills they are to perform is as necessary In fact, Yi (1999: 23, cited in Henriques, 2009: 7) recommends there be the title and the aim of the lesson so that students will get the first impression of or information on what they are expected to learn Not only students but also teachers benefit from the aim of the lesson clearly stated This does enable teachers to focus

on their activities and preparations for the lesson

Accompanying materials

Accompanying materials may include (1) tapes or CDs, which are likely to record native speakers’ voice on reading texts, spoken model phrases and/or conversations for speaking lessons and pronunciation practice, (2) workbook, and (3) teachers’ book providing guidance for teachers to design lesson plans and answer keys as well

The second section in the framework – that is design, relates to the thinking underlying the materials, which will involve the consideration of such areas

as the apparent aims of the materials, the sequence and the selection of language and content, the nature of teaching/learning activities, and the modes of classroom participation, including individual work, pair work, or group work

Language content

(1) Grammar

According to Ur (1996: 76), grammar affects the combination of units of language and their meanings as well Therefore, teaching grammar is

teaching not only structures but also their meanings Similarly, Thornbury (1999: 4) states that learners’ attention needs to be focused not only on the forms of the language, but on the meanings that these forms convey, since grammar is a tool for making meaning He adds that learners also need to learn what forms are possible and what particular forms will express their particular meanings

In order to teach the forms of the language, there are basically two ways – that is, the deductive (rule-driven) path and the inductive (rule-discovery) path Both of them can lead to further practice of the rule until applying it becomes automatic (Thornbury, 1999: 49)

Besides teaching the rules in the classroom, encouraging students to learn

by themselves, or rather encouraging learning autonomy, is a case to consider This would be easier if the coursebook has self-study grammars, namely grammar reference books, which also contain exercises and answer keys Thornbury (1999: 45) points out that self-study grammars are potential sources of learner-directed grammar learning, both in and out of the classroom

However, if language teachers pay much attention to teaching rules but ignore teaching grammar meanings, learners may not be able to pick up the language thoroughly About this point, Thornbury (1999: 5) says, “there are

at least two kinds of meaning and these reflect the two main purposes of language” The first is to represent the world as experienced, and the second is to influence how things happen in the world, specifically in the relationships between people The former is called representational functions, and the latter interpersonal functions

Writers of language teaching materials in the mid-seventies also attempted

to move the emphasis away from learning grammatical structures independent of their use, and on to learning how to function in a language,

or how to communicate (Thornbury, 1999: 6) He adds that language is context-sensitive It means that in the absence of context it is very difficult

to recover the intended meaning of a single word or phrase, since

communication only takes place in a particular context (ibid, 69)

Therefore, it would be easier for students to acquire grammar based on rules, meanings, and context in which they are being used

(2) Vocabulary

Considering this aspect, Harmer (1991: 156-158) states that students should know about the meaning, word use, word formation as well as word grammar

As far as the meaning aspect is concerned, a word frequently has more than one meaning It is, therefore, essential that students look at the context in which it is used Furthermore, words sometimes have meanings in relation

to other words The meaning of ‘vegetable’ is one of the cases ‘Vegetable’ describes one of a number of other things – e.g carrots, cabbages, potatoes, etc ‘Vegetable’ has a general meaning whereas ‘carrot’ is more specific That words have ‘antonyms’ and/or ‘synonyms’ is another case worth considering when teaching, learning, and/or designing a book As far as meaning goes, then, students need to know about meaning in context and about sense relations (Harmer, 1991: 156)

Another aspect, word use, is a case in which a word often goes with other words – that is, collocation For example, ‘sprained ankle’ or ‘sprained wrist’ is of the standard of English, whereas ‘sprained thigh’ or ‘sprained

rib’ is not Words are, besides, often used in certain social and typical contexts Learners should know when to use the neutral expression, e.g

‘I’m angry’, and the informal version, e.g ‘I’m really pissed off’ Therefore, knowing how words collocate and understanding what stylistic and typical contexts words and expressions occur in are worth taking into consideration (Harmer, 1991: 157)

The third aspect is word formation – that is, the changes of the shape of a word and its grammatical value For example, the verb ‘run’ has the participles ‘running’ and ‘ran’ The present participle ‘running’ can be used

as an adjective, as in ‘You’ve been late three days running’, and ‘run’ can also be a noun, as in ‘a three-mile run’ A knowledge of the usage of prefixes, e.g un-, in-, im-, ir-, etc and suffixes, e.g -ness, -less, -ly, etc is also a case students should not ignore Word formation, then, means knowing how words are written and how they can change their form (Harmer, 1991: 157)

The last aspect is word grammar Harmer (1991: 157) states that words change according to their grammatical meaning, so the use of certain words can trigger the use of certain grammatical patterns For example, plural nouns, e.g chairs, can collocate with plural verbs whereas uncountable nouns, e.g furniture, never can (unless it is the name of a pop group) There are also many other grammatical areas students need to know about The grammatical aspects of verbs, that is – verb form patterns, e.g ‘tell’ followed by an object and to-infinitive, verb form after modal verbs and phrasal verbs, are the cases Others are how adjectives are ordered, what position adverbs can be used in, and what noun modifiers are, and so on (Harmer, 1991: 158)

Harmer (1991: 158) summarizes ‘knowing a word’ in the following way:

Figure 2.1 Knowing a word

Besides providing students with knowledge of meaning, word use, word formation as well as word grammar, coursebooks should help equip students with strategies for handling unfamiliar vocabulary that they will inevitably encounter They should also enable students to develop their own vocabulary-learning strategies, which is a powerful approach and can be based on sensitization to the systems of vocabulary, encouragement to sound dictionary skills and reflection on effective learning techniques (Cunningsworth, 1995: 38)

Activities and exercises may help students to extend and develop vocabulary in a purposeful and structured way It would not be expected to see just wordlists or dictionary definitions of new words Nor would it be expected to see words taught in isolation or outside of context Rather it would be better to look for exercises which sensitize students to the

WORDS

WORD GRAMMAR WORD FORMATION WORD USE MEANING

structure of the lexicon of English and to the various relationships that exist within it

Therefore, good vocabulary development activities tend to exploit some or all of the aspects, such as semantic relations, situational relationships, collocations, and relationships of form (Cunningsworth, 1995: 38)

(3) Phonology

Cunningsworth (1995: 43) mentions one of the very important questions related to teaching pronunciation, that is – cassettes accompanying pronunciation teaching material He emphasizes the necessity of providing

a good model for learners as well as a good one of weak forms, sentence stress and intonation, based on the language recorded on the cassettes

In his paper, Jones (cited in Richards & Renandya, 2002: 184) also recommends that pronunciation teaching materials in the future focus on the broader, more communicative aspects of pronunciation such as ‘voice quality’, which obviously requires the quality of the language recorded

To express his ideas about teaching pronunciation, Ur (1996: 54) states some ideas for improving learners’ pronunciation One of them is that learners imitate their teacher’s pronunciation or recorded model of sounds, words and sentences Teacher’s knowledge and ability to produce sounds, words, sentences and the quality of recordings as well as the speaker’s model voice also play quite a significant role in learners’ imitation

Later, Harmer (2007: 249-250) adds that one of the two ways of dealing with problems in pronunciation teaching and learning is teacher’s drawing the sounds to students’ attention every time they appear on the recording or

in the conversation She also points out that the key to successful

pronunciation teaching is to have students listen and notice how English is spoken – either on audio or video or by their teachers themselves

Additionally, teaching or introducing phonemic symbols is as important One reason for this aspect is that an apparent lack of sound and spelling correspondence may bedevil many students, which can be solved by making them aware of different phonemes and by introducing symbols for them (Harmer, 2007: 250-251) The fact that paper dictionaries usually give the pronunciation of headwords in phonemic symbols also counts

Activity/Task types

(1) Activation of learners’ schemata

Pre-preparations or well-prepared plans would often play a certain role in contributing to one’s success in doing something Many researchers (Underwood, 1989; Buck, 2001; Harmer, 2004; & Harmer, 2007), in fact, approve of top-down processing, in which learners are given tasks or opportunities to discuss a topic, or to look at pictures before doing reading

or listening tasks, or to look at a list of items/thoughts, or to be exposed to models, etc so that they may get a general view of what they are going to learn after having absorbed the overall picture

(2) Engagement of learners’ using the target language

In order to engage learners to use the target language, Graves (2000: 153) states that activities to allow them to solve, discover and analyze problems should be designed Besides, those that help learners develop specific language and skills they need for authentic communication are not less important In fact, previously, Tomlinson (1998: 14-15) also states that

“materials should provide the learners with opportunities to use the target

language to achieve communicative purposes” For example, there should

be activities for students to use the language to interact with peers to find out the answer to a particular item, i.e a gap; or there should be activities for students to use the information from the text to achieve a communicative purpose in post-reading and post-listening activities; or students should be offered opportunities to discuss with peers or their teacher to acquire some information and/or a writing sample in pre-writing activities

That learners should be given opportunities to make a comparison between the similarities and differences of cultures to be able to use the target language as an effective means of communication is also a case, especially when English possesses a function as a global language The need for a strong commitment to the development of cultural understanding within the language program is actually clear, particularly in the light of recent developments both nationally and internationally (Hadley, 2001, cited in Henriques, 2009: 8) Paying attention to cultural diversity is a continuing priority in education because students learn to live in an increasingly interdependent world Hadley also emphasizes that the integration of culture and language teaching can contribute significantly to humanistic knowledge To share his opinion on this aspect, Brown (2000: 5) states language does not exist alone but “operates in a speech community or culture”

(3) Integration of skills

Hinkel (2006: 113, cited in Harmer, 2007: 265) points out, ‘in meaningful communication, people employ incremental language skills not in isolation, but in tandem’ Later, Harmer (2007: 265-267) gives such examples to illustrate her point that it makes little sense to talk about skills in isolation

She explains that people have to listen as well as speak when engaged in conversation, and that lecturers rely on notes they have written previously, and that people write notes of their own while listening to lectures Besides, reading provokes conversation and comment; electronic communication involves reading and writing e-mails and text messages, etc She then mentions activities to explain how skills can be integrated as follows

One of them is speaking as a preparation and stimulus, e.g students discussing a topic as a way of activating their schemata or being engaged in

a topic they are going to read (reading skills) or hear (listening skills) about

Another is that texts are used as models, especially where students are working with genre-focused tasks Written and spoken texts are a vital way

of providing enough input, or samples for them to follow It means they are given opportunities to be exposed to examples of writing and speaking, which helps show certain conventions for them to draw upon after such activities as analyzing their structure and style and hearing other people or students doing it first, even though productive work should not always be imitative

The next activity is that texts are used as preparation and stimulus Much of the language production grows out of texts students see or hear In other words, the more they see and listen to comprehensible input, the more English they may acquire, notice or learn For example, a controversial reading passage may be a source for discussion or for a written riposte in letter form Or a recording in which a speaker tells a dramatic story may be the very stimulus for students to tell their own ones, or it may be the basis for a written account of the narrative

The last one is integrated tasks Students are frequently asked to listen to something and take a message or notes at the same time Or they may be required to prepare a spoken summary of something they have read, or read information on the Internet as preparation for a role-play or some longer piece of work Or cooperative writing involves students speaking, listening, writing and reading almost simultaneously Obviously, it is usually impossible to complete a task successfully in one skill area without involving some other skills

Modes of classroom participation

(1) Individual work

Individual work means students working on their own Teachers, for example, allow them to read privately and answer questions individually, or ask them to complete worksheets or writing tasks by themselves, or even hand out different worksheets to different individuals, depending on their tastes and abilities Students’ working individually allows teachers to respond to individual student differences in terms of pace of learning, learning styles and preferences

Working by themselves, besides, helps make it less stressful for them than performing in a whole-class setting or talking in pairs or groups It can also help develop learner autonomy and can be a way of restoring peace and tranquility in a noisy and chaotic classroom Students’ working on their own, however, fails to develop a sense of belonging in a class, or rather fails to encourage cooperation in which students may be able to help and motivate each other

Moreover, giving individual students different tasks involves teachers having given a great deal of thought and preparation for materials and takes much more time than interacting with the whole class (Harmer, 2007: 164)

(2) Pair work

Pair work significantly helps increase the amount of speaking time and allows students to work and interact independently, thus promoting learner independence and cooperation It may make the classroom become a more relaxing and friendly place It is relatively quick and easy for teachers to get organization done and even makes sure that teachers have time to work with one or two pairs while the others continue working

Nevertheless, pair work has some disadvantages For example, students’ working in pairs may make the class noisy; or students are likely to veer away from the point of an exercise and even talk about something else in their first language; or teachers may organize pairs beyond students’ likes, which means they have to work with someone they are not keen on; or students may feel unsafe interacting with another, who may be just as linguistically weak as they are (Harmer, 2007: 165)

(3) Group work

Like pair work, group work dramatically increases the number of talking opportunities for individual students, particularly if the size of the group is four Four of them are, firstly, divided into two groups of two, in which students produce the greatest amount of language output Then students can work with the other members of their foursome, which can be done by Squaring (putting two pairs together) or Switching (forming a new pair with a different member of the foursome) (Jacobs & Goh, 2007: 6)

Problems of personal relationships in pair work may be solved in group work as there are more than two students in a group

Group work has other advantages It encourages broader skills of cooperation and negotiation, fosters learner responsibility and independence, and improves motivation (Ur, 1996: 232 & Harmer, 2007: 166) However, researchers, e.g Ur (1996), Jacobs & Hall (cited in Richards & Renandya, 2002), Jacobs & Goh (2007), and Harmer (2007), admit that group work also has some disadvantages like causing lots of noise, making some teachers feel they lose control, giving students more opportunities to over-use their first language, and students’ being likely to learn each other’s errors

About developing materials, Tomlinson (1998: 2-22) presents some suggestions with a view to concentrating on the two vital questions of what should be given to learners and what can be done with it to promote language learning

Materials should achieve impact In other words, materials should arouse learners’ curiosity, interest and attention through (1) novelty (e.g unusual topics, illustrations and activities), (2) variety (e.g breaking up the monotony of a unit routine with an unexpected activity, using many different text types taken from many different types of sources, using a number of different instructor voices on a cassette), (3) attractive presentation (e.g use of attractive colors, lots of white space, use of photographs), and (4) appealing content (e.g topics of interest to the target learners, topics which offer the possibility of learning something new, of engaging stories, universal themes, and local references)

Materials should help learners feel at ease even though some materials developers argue that it can not be anybody else but the teacher who is supposed to fulfill the very duty He mentions a number of ways to help learners feel comfortable and secure For example, materials have lots of white space; materials contain texts and illustrations relating to their own cultures; materials aim at trying to help them learn through content and activities that encourage their personal participation and through the absence of activities which could threaten self-esteem and cause humiliation; and materials offer ample examples

Materials should help learners develop confidence through activities that try to ‘push’ them slightly beyond their existing proficiency It means that these activities engage them in tasks which are stimulating, problematic, but achievable, rather than through a process of simplification An example

of simplification is that materials ask them to use simple language to accomplish easy tasks

Another is that what is being taught should be perceived by learners as relevant and useful This criterion, unfortunately, is easily achieved in materials of English for specific purposes, in which teaching points are relevant and useful by relating them to known learner interests and to ‘real-life task’, but is not as easily achieved in General English materials

Tomlinson (ibid, 10) recommends narrowing the target readership, and/or

researching what the target learners are interested in and what they really want to learn the language for Relating teaching points to interesting and challenging classroom tasks and presenting them in ways which could facilitate the achievement of task outcomes desired by learners are also recommended

Materials should expose learners to language in authentic use It means (1) providing exposure to authentic input through the advice they give, instructions for their activities and spoken and written texts they include, (2) stimulating exposure to authentic input through the activities they suggest, e.g interviewing the teacher, doing a project in the local community, listening to the radio, etc and (3) encouraging them to learn and practice vocabulary, grammar, functions, etc that they can use in real situations The authentic input should vary in style, mode, medium and purpose and should be rich in features, resulting in encouraging learners to

do something mentally or physically in response to it

Materials should provide learners with opportunities to use the target language to achieve communicative purposes In fact, Ellis (1990: 191, cited in Tomlinson, 1998: 15) recommends that ideal teaching materials should offer learners opportunities for communicative interaction in a variety of such discourse modes ranging from planned to unplanned For example, there are activities requiring learners to communicate with each other and/or the teacher in order to close the gap, e.g finding out what food and drink people would like at the class party Post-listening and post-reading activities require learners to use what they have just learnt from the text to achieve a communicative purpose, e.g deciding what television programs to watch, discussing who to vote for and writing a review of a book or film

Materials should take into account that learners differ in affective attitudes

Tomlinson (ibid, 18) says that language learners are supposed to have

strong and consistent motivation, and have positive feelings towards the target language, their teachers, their fellow learners and the materials they are using This may happen if the materials they are using provide choices

of different types of texts and different types of activities, like involving them in discussing their attitudes and feelings about the materials, and help them be aware of the cultural sensitivities of the target learners

Materials should not rely too much on controlled practice Many researchers, such as Sharwood-Smith (1981), Bialystok (1988) and Ellis (1990: 192) (all cited in Tomlinson, 1998: 21), do not seem to highly regard controlled practice Most researchers, according to Tomlinson (1998: 21), even seem to agree with Ellis on controlled practice It has little long effect

on the accuracy with which new structures are performed However, in a

recent analysis of new low level coursebooks, Tomlinson (ibid, 21) found

nine out of ten of them contained more opportunities for controlled practice than they did for language use He adds that learners all over the world may

be wasting their time doing drills, listening to and repeating dialogues

Materials should provide opportunities for outcome feedback Tomlinson

(ibid, 21-22) says that the effectiveness of the outcome can lead to output

becoming a profitable source of input, rather than the accuracy of the output Previously, Littlewood (1981: 38) also mentions that the absence of

a single correct answer offers learners scope to express their own individuality through the target language, resulting in producing a high degree of personal involvement among them

In respect of materials development, Graves (2000: 156) summarized ideas

of notably groups of teachers of English as a foreign language in Brazil and groups of mostly North American teachers in the United States in the following chart:

Learners

1 make relevant to their experience

and background

2 make relevant to their target

needs (outside the class)

3 make relevant to their affective

needs

Social Context

9 provide intercultural focus

10 develop critical social awareness

11 aim for authentic tasks

12 vary roles and groupings

13 vary activities and purposes

Language

6 target relevant aspects (grammar,

functions, vocabulary, etc

7 integrate four skills of speaking,

listening, reading, and writing

8 use/understand authentic texts

Materials

14 authentic (texts)

15 varied (print, visuals, audio, etc.)

Figure 2.2 Materials development

It can be seen from the chart that most of the ideas coincided with those recommended by Tomlinson (1998: 2-22) Some of them are (1) designing materials relevant to learners, (2) engaging the learners to use the target language to achieve communicative purposes, (3) building learners’ confidence so that they can feel confident in transferring what learned outside of class, (4) drawing on what learners know before moving to what

is new, (5) validating their experience, using what they know as the language basis for the lesson, (6) engaging their interest, and (7) integrating

the four skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing as the four skills mutually reinforce each other in reality

2.3 General framework for analysing a textbook, a kind of language teaching material

In a nutshell, so as to find out answers to the question raised in the previous chapter, a general framework for analyzing a textbook is synthesized from the above linguists’ ideas as follows

(1) Format and organization

(2) Illustration

(3) Accompanying materials

(4) Topics

5) Language contents: Grammar, Vocabulary, Pronunciation

(6) Language skills: Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing

(7) Activities

2.4 Summary

This chapter has presented a review of the literature relevant to the research including ideas on language teaching materials and rationale for analyzing and designing materials Then a general framework for analyzing a textbook, a kind of language teaching material, to find out answers to the research question is included

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

This chapter covers the research question, the research material, the research procedures, the participants, the instruments, and the data collection procedure

3.1 Research question

How do teachers and eleventh graders at Le Quy Don High School in

Ninh Thuan province respond to the textbook ‘English 11’ in terms of

format and organization, illustration, accompanying materials, topics, language contents, language skills and activities?

3.2 Research material

‘English 11’, written by Hoang Van Van et all and published by

Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training in 2007, is designed based

on the curriculum of English for high schools required by Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training It is a theme-based textbook and consists of sixteen units, that is – friendship, personal experiences, parties, volunteer work, illiteracy, competitions, world population, celebrations, post office, nature in danger, sources of energy, Asian Games, hobbies, recreation, space, and wonders of the world, and six review lessons after three units respectively Each unit covers four English skills – reading, speaking, listening, and writing There is another part, named Language Focus, in which students are taught pronunciation and grammar

Reading tasks mainly focus on asking students to give answers to questions Fifteen of the sixteen units have from two to nine comprehension questions, the average number of which are five Thirteen of the sixteen

Wh-units have tasks on vocabulary, eight of which focus on having students guess word meaning in context by completing sentences using the words in the reading text The others are exercises of matching, of finding word meaning in context by using dictionaries, choosing among multiple choice questions based on antonyms or statements containing the word Four of the sixteen units have tasks requiring students to identify the main ideas by choosing among multiple choice questions Five units have tasks in which students have to scan for specific information by completing sentences, tables, or finding evidence to support statements One unit has a task requiring students to decide on whether each statement is true or false One unit has a task training students how to use dictionaries by having them explain word meaning in context One unit trains students summary skill by asking them to do gap-filling exercises

There are on average three main tasks in speaking Task 1 is to give students some words and ideas of the topic Task 2 asks students to work in pairs to do some discussions as guided Task 3 has students work in pairs or groups to practice speaking

There are fourteen monologue listening texts and two dialogue listening texts, which are presented by two speakers, a man and a woman On average, there are two listening tasks Twelve units contain tasks which ask students to give answers to from three to seven comprehension questions Eight units have students decide on whether each statement is true or false Five units have tasks in which students have to do gap-filling exercises Five units have tasks of multiple choice questions One unit contains a task having students summarize the main idea of the listening text

Students are mainly required to write about topics related to reading texts they have already learnt in reading lessons Fifteen of the sixteen units have guidelines for students to do writing tasks Five units have writing samples

There are examples for grammar exercises, in which there is one example for each exercise As for pronunciation task, students are made aware of different phonemes before being required to listen and repeat the word containing the target sounds and then practice reading aloud seven sentences or so having the words of the target sounds

After every three units is a review lesson, that is – Test Yourself, the purpose of which is to test learners’ knowledge after they have learnt the three previous units (Appendix 7) At the end of the book there is a list of some key vocabulary of each unit explained in Vietnamese The pronunciation of each word is based on the system of phonemic symbols of

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, seventh edition, published by

Oxford University Press

As far as the purpose of developing the curriculum is concerned, English curriculum for high schools is built on six themes, which are repeated and developed based on such aims as (1) forming and developing communication skills, in which language knowledge is vitally necessary, (2) encouraging and enhancing students' activeness and creativity, (3) focusing on communication and precision of language

‘English 11’ is designed and written based on such guidelines as (1)

contextualizing the content of language thanks to appropriate and realistic communication situations, (2) paying attention to the practical aspect of language and the capability of applying the language in reality, (3) integrating the four skills and integrating communication skills with

language knowledge, (4) repeating and expanding the knowledge based on the form of revision, (5) combining illustrations, (6) meeting students' characteristics, levels, needs, and interests, and (7) challenging students' abilities (Hoang Van Van et al., 2007: 7-8)

‘English 11’ is supposed to enable students to use English as a means of

communication at a basic level in the forms of listening, speaking, reading and writing, and to provide them with a knowledge of English expected to

be basic, relatively systematic and adequate Such knowledge is supposed

to fit students’ levels and to be suitable for characteristics of their age Besides, it helps enrich their general awareness of some English speaking countries in the world, the people and their cultures, which, in turn, forms some feelings and positive attitudes towards these countries, the people, their language and cultures This will be expected to enhance students' pride, love, and respect for their own culture and language (Hoang Van Van

et al., 2007: 3-4)

After having learnt ‘English 11’, students are expected to be able to use

their knowledge of English to (1) listen and comprehend the main idea and/or the details of monologues and dialogues which have from one hundred and fifty to one hundred and eighty words of the same themes at the natural speed; (2) discuss and talk about the problems of the same themes and perform some basic communications, e.g expressing agreement and disagreement, expressing personal points of view; (3) understand the main idea and specific details of a passage which has from two hundred and forty to two hundred and seventy words about the themes they have learnt, (4) recognize word use, word formation; and (5) write a 120-130-word passage based on a writing sample provided and/or suggestions about the themes they have learnt

The following is a description of a sample unit in ‘English 11’ by Hoang Van Van et all (2007: 114-121)

Unit 10: NATURE IN DANGER (Appendix 11)

READING

In ‘Before you read’ activity, the book presents three facts, three pictures about endangered species and two questions to discuss Then students observe three pictures about natural disasters, including fire, earthquake and flood before reading a four-paragraph passage and do tasks followed in

‘While you read’ Task 1 is about vocabulary, in which students have to fill each blank with a word appearing in the passage Task 2 tests how well students understand the main idea of each paragraph Task 3 includes three Wh-questions, which require students to use available information to answer In ‘After you read’ activity, students are asked to work in groups to discuss and find out why some animals have become extinct

SPEAKING

There are three tasks asking students to work in pairs to perform as follows

Task 1 requires students to put seven reasons why nature is threatened in the order of importance

Task 2 asks students to match the reasons in Task 1 with possible measures

to protect the environment

Task 3 aims at involving students stating the negative impacts caused by people on the environment and suggesting measures to protect it

LISTENING

In ‘Before you listen’ activity, students are required to work in pairs to name some national parks in Viet Nam Then they listen and repeat six words which are going to appear in the listening text

In ‘While you listen’ activity, there are two tasks Task 1 includes five statements for students to decide whether they are true or false Task 2 asks students to answer four questions, two of which require students’ ability to recognize numbers The other two train students the ability to comprehend detailed information

In ‘After you listen’ activity, students work in groups to summarize the listening text, using information in Task 1 and Task 2

WRITING

Students are required to write a description of Cat Ba National Park, using facts and figures provided They are about location, special features, total area, animals and plants, and historic features

LANGUAGE FOCUS

It deals with two parts: pronunciation and grammar

As for pronunciation, students are asked to listen and repeat words containing /sl/, /sm/, /sn/, and /sw/ Then there is a dialogue for them to practice The dialogue has words containing the above clusters like Snowy, Smith, sleeping, smile, asleep, swear, snore and sweet

There are three grammar exercises for students to do They are about

‘Relative pronouns with preposition’ Exercise 1 asks students to choose the suitable italicized words to complete the sentences In Exercise 2,