USING TASK BASED APPROACH TO IMPROVE THE 9th GRADERS’ SPEAKING SKILLS AT a SECONDARY SCHOOL IN HO CHI MINH CITY

Students are interested to learn speaking lesson with Task-Based Language Teaching Approach.. Therefore, English teaching in secondary school is better combined between grammars and spea

VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Phạm Nguyễn Bảo Ngọc

USING TASK-BASED APPROACH

SKILLS AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL

IN HO CHI MINH CITY

MA THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

HO CHI MINH CITY, 2021

VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Phạm Nguyễn Bảo Ngọc

USING TASK-BASED APPROACH

SKILLS AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL

IN HO CHI MINH CITY

Field: English Language Code: 8.22.02.01

Supervisor : Assoc Prof Dr Hồ Ngọc Trung

HO CHI MINH CITY, 2021

DECLARATION BY AUTHOR

I hereby declare that this thesis entitled “Using Task- Based Approach to

Improve the 9 th Graders’ Speaking Skills at a Secondary School in Ho Chi Minh City ” has not been submitted to any other universities or institutions in

application for admission to degrees or other qualifications This thesis, which is the product of my own original research, and to the best of my knowledge and understanding, does not contain any material previously published or written by another author, except where reference has been cited in the text The study

reported in this thesis was approved by Graduate Academy of Social Sciences

Author’s Signature

Phạm Nguyễn Bảo Ngọc

Approved by SUPERVISOR

Assoc Prof Dr Hồ Ngọc Trung

Date: ………

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Although only one name appears as the author of this work, writing a thesis

is indeed a collaborative effort I would like to express my sincere thanks to the many people who made it possible

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Hồ Ngọc Trung, for his tremendous knowledge, guidance, advice and patience, which constantly inspired me throughout the research Assoc Prof Dr Hồ Ngọc Trung, for his helpful and warm encouragement as well as his insightful comments on my work from the beginning

to the end of the study

Next, the completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the cooperation from the respondents (one hundred and ten 9 th graders at Viet Anh Secondary School) who have been willing to take part in the study I am very grateful to all of them for providing detailed information for the analysis of the study

In addition, I would like to thank all of the lecturers who gave me interesting lessons, dedication and advice during my study at Graduate Academy of Social Sciences

I also offer my special thanks to my colleagues and friends whose support and encouragement help me to have this thesis accomplished

Last but not least, I must express my gratitude to my family It is their endless love and expectations that have motivated me to complete this thesis I am immensely thankful for all the assistance they have given me

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION BY AUTHOR i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT vii

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF FIGURES ix

LIST OF ABBREVIATION x

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Aims of the study 2

1.3 Research questions 3

1.4 Scope of the study 3

1.5 Significance of the study 4

1.6 Research methods 4

1.7 Structure of the study 4

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 6

2.1 An overview of Task-Based Learning 6

2.2 Task-Based Learning point of view 9

2.3 Learners 11

2.3.1 Characteristics 11

2.3.2 Cognitive Development 14

2.4 Teaching speaking skill for secondary students 16

2.4.1 The role of speaking skills in language teaching and learning 16

2.4.2 Teaching speaking skills effectively 17

2.5 Summary of literature review 26

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLODY 27

3.1 The context of study 27

3.2 Participants 28

3.3 Data collection instruments 28

3.3.1 Questionnaires 30

3.3.2 Semi-structured interview 31

3.3.3 English speaking test 32

3.3.4 Class observation 33

3.4 Research Design 34

3.4.1 Pre-task phase options 35

3.4.2 Main task phase options 37

3.4.3 Post-task phase options 40

3.5 Research procedure 40

3.5.1 Phase 1: Diagnosing 40

3.5.2 Phase 2: Action planning 41

3.5.3 Phase 3: Evaluating 43

3.5.4 Phase 4: Reflecting 45

3.6 Methods of data analysis 47

3.6.1 Data analysis procedure 47

3.6.2 Data analysis methods 47

3.7 Summary of research methodology 49

CHAPTER 4 - FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 50

4.1 Data analysis from the speaking pre-test and post-test 50

4.2 Analysis of speaking tests 53

4.3 Analysis of questionnaire 55

4.4 Analysis of interviews 63

4.5 Analysis of classroom observation 73

4.6 Summary of findings and discussions 75

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 76

5.1 Recapitulation 76

5.2 Concluding remarks 76

5.3 Implications 78

5.4 Limitations of the study 79

5.5 Suggestions for Further Studies 79

REFERENCES 81 APPENDIX 1 - PRE-TEST OF SPEAKING I APPENDIX 2 - QUESTIONNAIRE III APPENDIX 3 - POST-TEST OF SPEAKING VII

APPENDIX 4A - INTERVIEW QUESTIONS IXAPPENDIX 4B – ANSWER FOR THE INTERVIEW XAPPENDIX 5 - SPEAKING BAND DESCRIPTORS XIVAPPENDIX 6 - OBSERVATION SHEET XIXAPPENDIX 7 - A SAMPLE LESSON PLAN XXIAPPENDIX 8 - RESULTS OF PRE-TEST XXVIIAPPENDIX 9 - RESULTS OF POST-TEST XXXIIIAPPENDIX 10 - T-TEST ANALYSIS XXXIX

ABSTRACT

This research seeks to identify the effectiveness of Task-Based Approach on speaking ability as well as the attitudes of the students towards the implementation During the study, the researcher carried out action research design at class 9A1, 9A2 and 9A3 with the participation of one hundred and ten students and the assistance of two teachers as examiners and observers at Viet Anh Secondary School This research used an integrated mixed-method design in which quantitative data were collected from a speaking test and qualitative data were collected from interview, observation checklist and questionnaire The results of the study showed a significant impact of Task-Based Approach on students' speaking skills; additionally, in speaking lessons, students were found to have a higher level of motivation, interest, confidence, creativity and collaborative learning skills Based on the findings, this study recommends that Task-Based Approach be applied to the teaching of English as a foreign language

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1 The phases in a Task-Based lesson 34

Table 3.2 The functional roles for the teacher 39

Table 3.3 Scope and Sequence for speaking lesson 43

Table 3.4 Procedure of the research 46

Table 4.1 Descriptive Statistics of pre-test and post-test 52

Table 4.2 The paired-samples t-test of pre-test and post-test 55

Table 4.3 The score criteria of the questionnaire result 57

Table 4.4 Descriptive Statistics of senior high school students’ feelings about Task-Based Language Teaching Approach 58

Table 4.5 Students' evaluation of their achievement on speaking skills 60

Table 4.6 Students' self- evaluation on their achievement on their other English skills 61

Table 4.7 Students’ self-evaluation on their unexpected development in learning English 62

Table 4.8: The students’ opinions about the TBLT 66

Table 4.9 Positive attitudes of the students toward TBLT 67

Table 4.10 Overall class motivation scores for all students 74

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 4.1 Classification of test results in pre-test and post-test 51Figure 4.2 A comparison of mean scores on pre-test and post-test 54Figure 4.3 Mean score of senior high school students’ feelings about Task-Based Language Teaching Approach 59Figure 4.4 Students are interested to learn speaking lesson with Task-Based Language Teaching Approach 68Figure 4.5 Students’ opinions on pleasure when learning with Task-Based Language Teaching Approach 69Figure 4.6 The activities in Task-Based Language Teaching Approach applied to learn speaking lesson are creative 69Figure 4.7: Task-Based Language Teaching Approach helped students to remember new words easier in learning English 70Figure 4.8 Task-Based Language Teaching Approach helped the students develop complex skills 71(problem solving skill, collaborating skill…) 71Figure 4.9 The summary of student’s situation after learning by Task-Based Language Teaching Approach 72

LIST OF ABBREVIATION

Abbreviation Definition

PPP Presentation – Practice – Production

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

Nowadays, English is a global language which is not only used in English speaking countries As the English language has become an essential factor strengthening trade, travel and study in many countries, the necessity of knowing and using English in communication and studying is increasing It can be seen that most documents are written in English; we cannot access that treasure of information due to lack of English

As the consequence of its importance as an international language mentioned above, it is always necessary for Vietnamese people to use it effectively As we can see that, the education department has realized this issue about the importance of English in Vietnam in the future Therefore, English is a subject that has been applied in all national schools for more than 20 However, there are still many limitations that prevent students from using English fluently

Currently, English is not officially used in Vietnam, except in working or international environment Therefore, Vietnamese people do not have favorable environments to practice or use English as other South East Asia countries like Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippine… For the English education in Vietnam, although students are supposed to learn English in primary school, their ability of using English as a Vietnamese is not highly appreciated Clearly, Vietnamese students always attach importance to grammatical structures, but most of them have not spoken or communicated in English since primary school Many researches show that Vietnamese students are taught grammar more than speaking and just focus on exam, scoring more than using English in common

Obviously, Vietnamese students are good at grammar and vocabulary to help them communicate well However, less of speaking practice causes them to

be unable to communicate in English Most students always know the meaning of English words but they cannot speak or remember how to pronounce the words And the fact that they are afraid to communicate is one of the big obstacles to improve students’ speaking skills Looking back at English education in Vietnam, speaking has more hours in primary school than secondary school and high school For secondary students, they have given time on learning and practicing grammar Therefore, doing exercise helps them to have a good knowledge about reading and vocabulary but cannot help them to improve speaking skills

Therefore, English teaching in secondary school is better combined between grammars and speaking to help students improve all skills fully In order to create

a good environment to help students to improve speaking skills, teachers should give students a chance to practice and build the lessons by themselves with the help of the teacher It could help them to grow and expand their ability and also motivate them in studying English

From the above reasons, we have decided to do an M.A research on “Using Task-Based Learning Approach to improve the 9th grade students’ speaking skills

a Secondary School in Ho Chi Minh City ” We hope that this research can give a

small suggestion for English teachers at secondary school

1.2 Aims of the study

In this study, we would like to examine the effectiveness of using Task - Based Learning (TBL) approach to improve the 9thgrade students’ speaking skills

To achieve the above aim, the research is set to fulfill the following objectives:

i) Exploring the effects of Task-Based Learning activities on the students’ speaking skills;

ii) Investigating the students' attitudes towards learning speaking skills through Task - Based Learning activities

1.3 Research questions

The research is intended to answer the following questions:

(i) What effects do Task-Based Learning activities have on the students’ speaking skills?

(ii) What are the students’ attitudes towards learning speaking skills through Based Learning activities?

Task-1.4 Scope of the study

The research will focus on using Task-Based Learning to teach speaking in secondary school, especially to the 9th Graders at Viet Anh Secondary School, where the students will experience Task Based Language Teaching Approach in their English learning lesson

The students at Viet Anh Secondary School are learning the intensive program They use the textbook with three periods and the intensive book (ACCESS – Express Publishing) with five periods for each week The intensive book helps students to develop their English skills Most of the students have achieved level 3 or 4 language ability

When the students learn the intensive book, they can practice the international tests with level B2 (Common European Framework for Reference) such as IELTS, TOEFL, PTE

1.5 Significance of the study

In this study, the teacher expects that students can improve their speaking skills after experiencing the TBLT Besides that, this study hopes English teachers can use this method to help their students develop their skills through this way Additionally, the readers are expected to obtain more information to expand their knowledge by reading this thesis

1.7 Structure of the study

The study is intended to consist of five chapters:

Chapter 1 – Introduction: give a brief and reasons for choosing the thesis,

scope and aims of the study with the research method and the structure of the study

Chapter 2 – Literature Review: This chapter focuses on the knowledge about

Task-Based Learning in teaching English language, analyzed Task-Based

Learning method that applied by the theory, characteristics and cognitive

development of young learners and teaching English at secondary school

Chapter 3 - Methodology: This chapter reports the context, research

hypothesis, participants, instruments and the procedure of conducting Task-Based

Learning for the study The detailed results of the surveys and a critical

comprehensive analysis on the data collected are presented

Chapter 4- Findings and Discussion: The part gives the data analysis from

the Action Research results to make the foundation for giving the suggestion in

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Conclusion: summarizes the study, suggestions some typical

activities and practical tips for secondary teacher to improve 9th-grade students’

English speaking and examples for illustration, limitations of the study and

suggestions for the study in further

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 An overview of Task-Based Learning

Task-Based Learning offers an alternative for language teachers and students is an approach to second langue situation In a Task-Based lesson the teacher does not pre-determine what language will be studied, the lesson is based around the completion of a central Task and the language studied is determined by what happened as the students complete it Willis (1996) suggested three basic stages:

● Schema building

● Controlled practice embedded in a context

● Authentic receptive skills work

● A focus on form

● A free practice

● The communicative task

In Long (2005)’s teaching method that Task-Based Learning presented the importance of form which involves meaning, structure and the context of communication To focus on the form, Long (2005)’s model has the following stages:

● Needs analysis to identify target tasks

● Classification into target task types

● Derivation of pedagogic tasks

● Sequencing to form a task-based syllabus

● Implementation with appropriate methodology and pedagogy

● Assessment with task-based, criterion-referenced, performance tests

● Evaluation of the program

With this method, learners can improve their grammar and speaking when they can generate the useful forms while having a conversation However, Willis’s teaching method is applied in many countries in teaching English because it can help learners practice in speaking more than the other ways In Willis (1994)’s words about Task-Based Learning he describes it as “like a sort of PPP1 upside down”

The lesson follows certain stages Task-Based Learning includes Pre-tasks, Task-Cycle (Task, Planning and Report) and the last one is Language Focus

As the researcher, the teacher will provide a teaching learning activity to solve the problems found in the previous teaching learning process The students’ problems were usually afraid of making mistakes, reluctance to participate and

1

The PPP acronym stands for Presentation, Practice and Production

incorrect pronunciation which made it difficult for them to speak fluently and they also had problems in correcting their grammar while speaking In order to investigate those problems, teachers will prepare things before coming to the classroom, including the completed lesson plan, audio recorder, observation sheet, field notes, student’s scoring sheet and interview sheet

Pre-task

The teacher introduces the topic and gives the students clear instructions on what they will have to do at the task stage and might help the students to recall some language that may be useful for the task The pre-task stage can also often include playing a recording of people doing the task This gives the students a clear model of what will be expected of them The students can take notes and spend time preparing for the task by using images, posters and description

Teachers explore the topic with the class and highlight useful words and phrases

Report

Students then report in front of the class orally or read the written report The teacher chooses the order of when students will present their reports and may give the students some quick feedback on the content At this stage the teacher may also play a recording of others doing the same task for the students to compare

Besides that, the teacher can provide the discussion and guide the students

in analyzing their works in groups After the lesson, students can do an exercise about the topic and that they have to report their work by reading it aloud in front

of the class

Language Focus

The teacher then highlights the vocabulary from the text of the recording for the students to analyze They may ask students to use the new words to make a communication in front of the class The teacher can also highlight the language that the students used during the report phase for analysis

Finally, the teacher selects vocabulary to practice based upon the needs of the students and what emerged from the task and report phases The students then

do practice activities to increase their confidence and make a note of useful language

2.2 Task-Based Learning point of view

Task-Based Learning is an application in teaching second language informed using the most recent research findings on second language acquisition

TBL usually provides the learner with an active role in participating and creating the activities and consequently increases their motivation for learning A Task-Based lesson offers more opportunities for the students to display their thinking through their actions Teachers can also be more open to the needs of students TBL allows students to use the knowledge they have learned and apply it productively in the task context This practical experience helps learners to realize the importance of grammar and new words to complete their idea in speaking

Through Task-Based Learning students will learn certain skills like how to ask the questions, how to negotiate the meaning and the most importantly working

in groups Because they can learn how to observe different ideas and problem solving as well as to learn how others classmates think and make decisions Because this is not only a skill to improve language, it is also a skill to help students

to develop themselves in the real life It helps students not only learn their language but also enhance their confidence and solving problem skills The outcome of TBL

is learners can present their own idea, evaluate others, and train them to reflex to others

Through the Task-Based Learning activities, students can improve their skills through obtaining information in “information activities” - when they receive the tasks and work in a group Next is “reasoning activities” – when students can deliver their ideas to their teammates Finally is “Opinion activities” – Students have to convey their ideas and discuss in a group to choose the most suitable idea

2.3 Learners

2.3.1 Characteristics

According to Gardener Murphy (1968) “the term of learning covers every modification in behavior to meet environmental requirements”, every student can improve their learning by the current environment Whether the learning environment positively changes, the students can improve and develop their knowledge with the hard-working effort The older a child grows, the more important of learning activities plays in his life and the greater of that role in the child's development since turned from primary school to secondary school Learning is a key activity for students, but at the age from eleven to fifteen, their learning has fundamentally changed Studying in junior high school is an important turning point in a child's life In the lower grades, children learn systems

of events and phenomena, and understand the specific and simple relationships between those events and phenomena In middle school, their learning is significantly more complex They move into systematic studies with the strengths

of the sciences, the subject-based learning Each subject consists of concepts and rules are arranged into a deep system that requires they need to be self-conscious and highly independent in learning With learning English, students can develop themselves in learning and practice concrete skills by doing research and completing a small presentation

During a new learning phase, a learner faces different issues such as difficulties in memory, fear of tests and the syllabus These problems can be tackled through hard work, consistent efforts and more practice With middle school’ students, teachers can create an English environment which excite them to

discover because they usually have the common characteristics of learners given

as below:

● Learners are curious

Students are very hungry for information and love to learn new things They are excited to find out a solution and solve the problems Teacher should create the conditions for students to approach the new information

● Careful understanding

A good learner possesses the attribute of careful understanding Most of the knowledge can be gained with the hard work and efforts A learner should try to understand the subject matter carefully An effective learner always tries to interpret the stimulus, combine and differentiate them and give them some meaning

A learner who has personal quality understands subject matter easily and solves the problems very fast Different learners have different personal and social cognitive power A learner who belongs to the different social structure may face the problem during the study at other place but a good learner easily adapts and adjusts the environment of the class

Learner’s characteristics are subject to his mental and intellectual growth and development Education and training are helpful to positive growth and development A good educationist takes the responsibility to himself of identifying the characteristics of the learner and developing skills into him or her

A learner is always willing to learn and open for information He has a broad mental space and accepts the changes consistently Their inquisitive nature develops an urge in them for acquiring more and more knowledge from their parents, siblings, neighbors, relatives, teachers, society and many more

There is a difference between the interest and the attitude of learners A teacher always plays an important role to assess the learners for their interest and aptitude so that they can guide according to their aptitude

However, it is not possible for every learner to adjust in every situation as a different learner has different characteristics of adjustment Some learners easily adapt to a classroom environment and some feel uncomfortable in the class environment So, a good learner should adjust according to the situation

Motivation is an important factor for a learner to achieve their goals Learners differ in their capacity of motivation Some learners are easily motivated while some feel hesitation for a long time before they get motivated by their instructors

Some learners very quickly understand the questions and solve the problems If the learners solve the problems easily, it means the understanding level of a learner is high as compared to another person who takes the more time

to understand and solve the problems

Nervousness is the natural attribute of learners If the learner feels nervousness, it means that they have lack of knowledge about the things It can be removed with the help of the teaching learning process

All Learners have the different approach to their lives Most of the learners accept what is taught to them but there are learners who have many creative abilities They have the ability to explore the things and think innovations

Moreover, application of mind is necessary to remain ahead In society different persons have different professions, such as doctors, scientists, innovators and discovers These are from the categories of learners who are creative

2.3.2 Cognitive Development

Speaking is a process interaction between two or more people that produce good mutual understanding As Byrne (1986) posits that, oral communication requires efficient speech and receptive understanding skill between speakers and listeners The speakers, as well as the listeners, have a positive function to perform The speakers have encoded the message to be conveyed and the appropriate language while the listeners (no less active in decoding or interpreting) have to decode the message

Characteristics of cognitive development of student’ age at secondary school It could easily see that they have changed about thinking, mindset and logic:

Perception: secondary students have the ability to analyze and synthesize things, more complicated phenomena when perceiving things and phenomena The volume of perception has been increased and become accomplished

Memory: The basic feature of memory at this age is the enhancement of the characteristic, the ability to intentionally remember has significantly increased, the way of memory is improved and memory performance is also improved Students

have made much progress in memorizing abstract documents and words They have the skills to organize thinking activities, know how to conduct operations such as comparison, identical systematization and classification to memorize documents Their skills in memorizing are highly developed, and they start to use special methods to memorize and recall The speed of memorization and the amount of memorized documents are increased Therefore, teachers need to help their students in memorizing the new knowledge by:

- Teaching students logical methods

- Explaining to children clearly the need to remember exactly the definitions and the rules It is important to show here that if the student misses a word, its meaning is no longer correct

- Training students to have the skills to present lessons correctly in their wording

- Guiding their students to apply both ways of machinery memorizing and memorizing by their ways appropriately

- It is necessary for students to merge the new knowledge and old knowledge

to help them increase their knowledge

Burns (2006) mentioned speaking is a means of expressing thoughts, knowledge and feelings for others through oral communication It is the most important way for the speaker to be able to express themselves through a language

Thinking activities of students at secondary school have some changes:

- Thinking in general and abstract thinking in particular, thriving in particular,

is a basic feature of adolescent thinking But the component of figurative

thinking - specifically, continues to develop, it still plays an important role

in the structure of thinking They understand the nature signs of the object, but they are not always distinguishable and that effected in any case When grasping concepts, they sometimes narrow or expand concepts which are not properly

- At this age, their thinking is also developed and they know how to solve the problems reasonably at this age They have learned how to apply reasoning to practice to get their own observations and experiences to illustrate their knowledge Above characteristics, teachers should show students how to practice critical and independent thinking skills

2.4 Teaching speaking skill for secondary students

2.4.1 The role of speaking skills in language teaching and learning

Speaking is among the four skills in English (speaking, listening, writing, and reading) that plays a key role in helping learners learn a language effectively Patton (2012) pointed out that when people believe they know or they learn a language, they mean they can speak the language

Speaking skill is considered to be the most important skill by language learners Learners often measure their success in language learning by the extent

to which they can use their spoken English However, this skill is one of the most neglected skills in language instruction Most students do not have the opportunity

to speak in the classroom or outside it Moreover, speaking is not a part of the examination in most language courses As it has been discovered by many researchers, foreign language learning best occurs through interaction, teachers should provide learners with the opportunities to communicate in English by

learning the lesson in class Since many learners' goal in language learning is to be able to communicate fluently in formal and informal interaction, classroom activities should be designed to promote oral fluency However, the ability of speaking is a complex process in its nature; many of the learners feel anxious to speak in the classroom or outside due to different social or psychological reasons,

so they keep silent and afraid to speak in front of the crowd Therefore, it is necessary for language teachers to implement some natural strategies such as: role plays, group work, tasks, etc to avoid shyness and unwillingness to speak English Thus, the primary job of a language teacher is to encourage learners to use English not only in the classroom but also in their daily interaction with their classmates, with teachers or any other English speaking people, if possible The present study aims at exploring the role of teachers in developing students' speaking skill So, using Task-Based Learning is a method that helps students become more proactive

in class while learning English Besides that, they can improve their speaking skill and be more confident while using English

2.4.2 Teaching speaking skills effectively

Flohr and Paesler (2010, p.10) also agreed that, "the most important skill in learning a foreign language is speaking The focus in learning a foreign language

is on communication activities and expressive abilities and the goal is to become

a fluent speaker." It is doubted that teaching and learning speaking skills deserves

as much attention as or even more attention than the others

In Vietnam, it could easily be seen that students did not focus on speaking skill while it is a crucial part of the language learning process While we just focus

on grammar and get over the examination, the less of speaking skill’s importance

is left behind Therefore, to improve that skill, teachers can help students to be more confident in speaking by using minimal responses, recognizing scripts, and using language to talk about language and they can use to help themselves expand their knowledge of the language and their confidence in using it These ways can help students to apply in speaking English

● Using minimal responses

Language learners who lack confidence in their ability to participate successfully in oral interaction often listen in silence while others do the talking One way to encourage such learners to begin to participate is to help them build

up a stock of minimal responses that they can use in different types of exchanges Such responses can be especially useful for beginners

In class, teachers can ask small questions and encourage students to respond by using a minimal response That will help students to join in a lesson and be more proactive in building a lesson

● Recognizing scripts

Some communication situations are associated with a predictable set of spoken exchanges - a script Greetings, apologies, compliments, invitations, and other functions that are influenced by social and cultural norms often follow patterns or scripts So do the transactional exchanges involved in activities such as obtaining information and making a purchase In these scripts, the relationship between a speaker's turn and the one that follows it can often be anticipated Teachers can help students develop speaking ability by making them aware of the scripts for different situations so that they can predict what they will hear and what

they will need to say in response Through interactive activities, teacher can give students practice in managing and varying the language that different scripts contain

● Using language to talk about language

Language learners are often too embarrassed or shy to say anything when they do not understand another speaker or when they realize that a conversation partner has not understood them Teachers can help students overcome this reticence by assuring them that misunderstanding and the need for clarification can occur in any type of interaction, whatever the participants' language skill levels Teachers can also give students strategies and phrases to use for clarification and comprehension check

By encouraging students to use clarification phrases in class when misunderstanding occurs, and by responding positively when they do, teachers can create an authentic practice environment within the classroom itself As they develop control of various clarification strategies, students will gain confidence in their ability to manage the various communication situations that they may encounter outside the classroom

● Developing Speaking Activities

Traditional classroom speaking practice often takes the form of drills in which one person asks a question and another gives an answer The question and the answer are structured and predictable, and often there is only one correct, predetermined answer The purpose of asking and answering the question is to demonstrate the ability to ask and answer the question

In contrast, the purpose of real communication is to accomplish a task, such

as conveying a telephone message, obtaining information, or expressing an opinion In real communication, participants must manage uncertainty about what the other person will say Authentic communication involves an information gap; each participant has information that the other does not have In addition, to achieve their purpose, participants may have to clarify their meaning or ask for confirmation of their own understanding

To create classroom speaking activities that will develop communicative competence, teachers need to incorporate a purpose and an information gap and allow for multiple forms of expression

However, quantity alone will not necessarily produce competent speakers Teachers need to combine structured output activities, which allow for error correction and increased accuracy, with communicative output activities that give students opportunities to practice language use more freely

 Structured Output Activities

Two common kinds of structured output activities are information gap and jigsaw activities In both these types of activities, students complete a task by obtaining missing information, a feature the activities have in common with real communication However, information gap and jigsaw activities also set up practice on specific items of language In this respect they are more like drills than like communication

 Information Gap Activities

Filling the gaps in a schedule or timetable: Partner A holds an airline timetable with some of the arrival and departure times missing Partner B has the same timetable but with different blank spaces The two partners are not permitted

to see each other's timetables and must fill in the blanks by asking each other appropriate questions The features of language that are practiced would include questions beginning with "when" or "at what time." Answers would be limited mostly to time expressions like "at 8:15" or "at ten in the evening."

Completing the picture: The two partners have similar pictures, each with different missing details, and they cooperate to find all the missing details In another variation, no items are missing, but similar items differ in appearance For example, in one picture, a man walking along the street may be wearing an overcoat, while in the other the man is wearing a jacket The features of grammar and vocabulary that are practiced are determined by the content of the pictures and the items that are missing or different Differences in the activities depicted lead

to practice of different verbs and differences in number, size, and shape lead to adjective practice Differing locations would probably be described with prepositional phrases

These activities may be set up so that the partners must practice more than just grammatical and lexical features For example, the timetable activity gains a social dimension when one partner assumes the role of a student trying to make an appointment with a partner who takes the role of a professor Each partner has pages from an appointment book in which certain dates and times are already filled

in and other times are still available for an appointment Of course, the open times

do not match exactly, so there must be some polite negotiation to arrive at a mutually convenient time for a meeting or a conference

 Jigsaw Activities

Jigsaw activities are more elaborate information gap activities that can be done with several partners In a jigsaw activity, each partner has one or a few pieces of the "puzzle," and the partners must cooperate to fit all the pieces into a whole picture The puzzle piece may take one of several forms It may be one panel from a comic strip or one photo from a set that tells a story It may be one sentence from a written narrative It may be a tape recording of a conversation, in which case no two partners hear exactly the same conversation

In one fairly simple jigsaw activity, students work in groups of four Each student in the group receives one panel from a comic strip Partners may not show each other their panels Together the four panels present this narrative: a man takes

a container of ice cream from the freezer; he serves himself several scoops of ice cream; he sits in front of the TV eating his ice cream; he returns with the empty bowl to the kitchen and finds that he left the container of ice cream, now melting,

on the kitchen counter These pictures have a clear narrative line and the partners are not likely to disagree about the appropriate sequencing You can make the task more demanding, however, by using pictures that lend themselves to alternative sequences, so that the partners have to negotiate among themselves to agree on a satisfactory sequence

More elaborate jigsaws may proceed in two stages Students work in input groups (groups A, B, C, and D) to receive information Each group receives a

different part of the total information for the task Students then reorganize into groups of four with one student each from A, B, C, and D, and use the information they received to complete the task Such an organization could be used, for example, when the input is given in the form of a tape recording Groups A, B, C, and D each hear a different recording of a short news bulletin The four recordings all contain the same general information, but each has one or more details that the others do not In the second stage, students reconstruct the complete story by comparing the four versions

With information gap and jigsaw activities, Teachers need to be conscious

of the language demands they place on their students If an activity calls for language your students have not already practiced, you can brainstorm with them when setting up the activity to preview the language they will need, eliciting what they already know and supplementing what they are able to produce themselves

Peter Strutt (1997) structured output activities can form an effective bridge between Teacher modeling and communicative output because they are partly authentic and partly artificial Like authentic communication, they feature information gaps that must be bridged for successful completion of the task However, where authentic communication allows speakers to use all of the language they know, structured output activities lead students to practice specific features of language and to practice only in brief sentences, not in extended discourse Also, structured output situations are contrived and more like games than real communication, and the participants' social roles are irrelevant to the performance of the activity This structure controls the number of variables that

students must deal with when they are first exposed to new material As they become comfortable, they can move on to true communicative output activities

● Communicative Output Activities

Communicative output activities allow students to practice using all of the language they know in situations that resemble real settings In these activities, students must work together to develop a plan, resolve a problem, or complete a task The most common types of communicative output activity are role plays and discussions

In role plays, students are assigned roles and put into situations that they may eventually encounter outside the classroom Because role plays imitate life, the range of language functions that may be used expands considerably Also, the role relationships among the students as they play their parts call for them to practice and develop their sociolinguistic competence They have to use language that is appropriate to the situation and to the characters

Students usually find role playing enjoyable, but students who lack confidence or have lower proficiency levels may find them intimidating at first

self-To succeed with role plays:

- Prepare carefully: Introduce the activity by describing the situation and making sure that all of the students understand it

- Set a goal or outcome: Be sure the students understand what the product of the role play should be, whether a plan, a schedule, a group opinion, or some other product

- Use role cards: Give each student a card that describes the person or role to

be played For lower-level students, the cards can include words or expressions that that person might use

- Brainstorm: Before starting the role play, have students brainstorm as a class

to predict what vocabulary, grammar, and idiomatic expressions they might use while doing a role play

- Keep small groups: Less-confident students will feel more able to participate if they do not have to compete with many voices

- Give students time to prepare: Let them work individually to outline their ideas and the language they will need to express them

- Be present as a resource, not a monitor: Stay in communicative mode to answer students' questions Do not correct their pronunciation or grammar unless they specifically ask you about it

- Allow students to work at their own levels: Each student has individual language skills, an individual approach to working in groups, and a specific role to play in the activity Do not expect all students to contribute equally

to the discussion, or to use every grammar point you have taught

- Do topical follow-up: Have students report to the class on the outcome of their role plays

- Do linguistic follow-up: After the role play is over, give feedback on grammar or pronunciation problems you have heard This can wait until another class period when you plan to review pronunciation or grammar anyway

2.5 Summary of literature review

In short, the theory was presented in this chapter relevant to speaking skills and Task-Based Approach The first part provided a variety of the definitions of speaking, the importance of teaching and learning speaking skills as well as characteristics of successful speaking Then, fundamental areas of Task-Based Approach in the literature concerning the definitions, the key features, the implementation process as well as the commonly faced challenges in applying Task-Based Approach It is summarized that this session shows the real image of Task-Based Approach implementation and efficiency over time

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLODY 3.1 The context of study

Nowadays, Viet Nam is trying to improve the standard of teaching English every year It could be seen that the education department has applied many new programmes to help students develop themselves in the best way And reducing the burden of scoring can help students focus on improving and developing their skills and knowledge However, we are still facing with many problems in teaching and learning English According to Hoang Van Van (2008) that classroom level does not reflect the student’s English level Because we still lay emphasis on development of the reading skill, grammar and listening to pass the exams For example, PPP method is applied at many schools in Vietnam in teaching English Although PPP can approach students in teaching the new words and help them to get used to it, it cannot help students have more improvement in speaking and reflex Because teachers need to speak up nearly 75% in teaching to deliver the information to students, students have less of time in practicing speaking English

in class What if we want to change and improve students’ speaking, it is necessary

to change students’ learning English way

With applying Task – Based Learning, students can control their language while using all their language resources and not only using one or few selected sentences Moreover, they can develop their experience since they spoke and understand deeply about how to use it correctly Because teachers will be a supporter in class and help them to use language correctly, students will remember

it faster and longer while practice with a situation

3.2 Participants

The participants involved in this research study consisted of the researcher

as an English teacher; the other two teachers acted and raters as observers and the students as the subjects of the research

The researcher of this study is also the teacher, intervener I want to find a way to help the students to learn English, particularly learn speaking skill more effectively

Besides, the participants of this study were 110 students from the class of 9A1, 9A2 and 9A3 at Viet Anh secondary school in the academic school year of

2019 – 2020 They are in their final year at the Secondary School They would take IELTS examination (Band 4.0 – 5.5), the important examination when the academic school year finishes The researcher hopes that after participating in this study, students could find a way to improve their speaking skill, which can help them a lot in the English test in the international examination, their further studies

as well as their life in the future

3.3 Data collection instruments

In this section, the researcher refers to the description of research, research methods were chosen, and instruments and data collection procedures

This study was conducted by employing both qualitative and quantitative research methods This is a common approach and helps to improve the evaluation

by guaranteeing that the strengths of another balance the limitations of one type of data A quantitative research approach focuses on obtaining numerical data and generalizing it across groups of people (Muijs, 2010) On the contrary, a