Bachelor's Thesis major English Language: The 8th graders’ perspectives on english speaking problems in EFL classroom: A study at The Asian High School – Cao Thang Campus

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Based on the aforementioned reasons and the reality of teaching and learning English speaking at The Asian High School (hereafter AHS), the author conducted a study with the aim of allowing AHS students at Cao Thang Campus to share what English speaking problems they have faced while learning speaking in the classroom.

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Nội dung Text: Bachelor's Thesis major English Language: The 8th graders’ perspectives on english speaking problems in EFL classroom: A study at The Asian High School – Cao Thang Campus

1 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Bachelor’s Thesis submitted today entitled: “THE 8TH GRADERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON ENGLISH SPEAKING PROBLEMS IN EFL CLASSROOM: A STUDY AT THE ASIAN HIGH SCHOOL – CAO THANG CAMPUS” In terms of the statement of requirements for Thesis in Bachelor’s programs issued by The Saigon International University. Ho Chi Minh City, July 2019 LE TRAN HANH PHUC
2 RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, LE TRAN HANH PHUC, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor (English Language) accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Thesis deposited in the Library. In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Bachelor’s Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan, and reproduction for theses. Ho Chi Minh City, July 2019 LE TRAN HANH PHUC
3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to express my deepest gratitude to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tuan, my supervisor, for his patience, guidance, insightful advice, and constant encouragement through the whole research process. Without his enthusiastic support and guidance, this thesis would never have been completed. Additionally, the task of writing this thesis is much easier by the support of my lecturers at The Saigon International University (SIU) for their useful lessons from which I could learn a lot of for the accomplishment of the study. It is equally important to send my sincere gratitude the Management of SIU for giving me the best help to complete this paper. Besides SIU, I am grateful to the managers and teachers at Asian High School (AHS) for allowing me to conduct my study. In addition, I would also like to send my heartfelt thanks to of the 8th graders at Asian High School who provided me a great deal of valuable information for analysis of this study. Last but not least, I extend my special thanks to my beloved family and my friends for their love, belief, inspiration, care, support, and continuous encouragements during the time I conducted this study. There are many more acknowledgements I wish to make. Unfortunately, it is impossible to mention all of them, but they are all in my heart. I truly hope this thesis can place some value to the 8th graders and teachers of English especially in developing speaking skill.
4 INSTRUCTOR’S COMMENTS ................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................ Mark : ……………………………………….. Signed: ……………………………………….
5 ABSTRACT Speaking is considered one of the most significant macro skills in the process of language acquisition. In ELF classrooms, however, this skill is likely to be ignored, which may cause ELF learners confusion and problems when learning it. The present study aimed to explore English speaking problems perceived by the 8th graders at Asian High School (AHS) and suggest some solutions to the investigated problems. The quantitative study was conducted with the participation of 80 students who are in grade 8. In addition, the quantitative data collected from the questionnaire were processed by SPSS (19.0). The findings showed that most of students “agreed” that they faced some speaking problems. Specifically, the most dominant problems included vocabulary limitation, motivation, mispronunciation, uninteresting topics, the curriculum limitation, class size and layout of tables and chairs. Besides, possible solutions are proposed to tackle such challenges in helping teachers and students in order to teach and learn English speaking skill more effectively. Finally, it is recommended that further research should assess the speaking problems by means of observation and interview, investigate the speaking strategies that the students have unconsciously used to deal with the speaking problems, explore the differences in terms of speaking problems and strategies used between proficient speakers and non-proficient speakers, and elaborately examine the links between the specific speaking problems and the specific speaking strategies. (240 words) Keywords: English speaking skill, problems, suggested solutions, Vietnamese EFL context
6 TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY…………………………………………...i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS…………………………………...ii
7 LIST OF TABLES
8 LIST OF FIGURES
9 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AHS: The Asian High School ELF: English as a Foreign Language MOET: Ministry of Education and Training SIU: The Saigon International University
10 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale for the study English is one of the important subjects in Vietnamese education system. Students are required to study all English courses stipulated by the Ministry of Education and Training (hereafter MOET) from primary to tertiary level. After completing general English courses, students will be able to be good at four English skills including listening, speaking, reading and writing. Next, when entering university, students will learn more intensively and master vocabulary and academic English. Accordingly, students will be able to understand, analyze and apply Basic English grammar and acquire at least 2500 words. In addition, students will be able to gain a lot of extensive knowledge of cultures, ethnicities, and people’s lives in the United Kingdom and United States when they learn English. Hence, students can communicate better in many cases and can introduce the history, culture and special features of Vietnam to the world (MOET, 2007). In 2008, Decision N0 1400/QD-TTg on approving the project entitled (tentatively translated) “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in National Education System within the period of 2008-2020” was passed by The Prime Minister of Vietnam. The project includes three periods. In the first period (2008 -2010), English program has paid much attention to improving and bettering the 10- year foreign language curricula, designing foreign language course books and testing the 10- year English syllabus. In the second period (2011- 2015), MOET has begun to apply the new English program which has been improved for the whole education system in Vietnam. In the third period (2016 -2020), the aim is rereading and revising the new curricula and developing English program for the educational institutions including vocational schools, colleges and universities.
11 Although the decisions and polices have been established in order to improve the quality of English teaching and learning, not many considerable changes have been made so far. In fact, students have been facing a lot of difficulties while learning speaking in the classrooms. In the past, teachers only needed students to remember as many words as possible and master grammar in order to pass the English tests with flying colors. However, according to the current trend, when the foreigners immigrate to Vietnam more and more, the target of learning English not only to read and write, but also to communicate verbally. To (2006) defines that in order for students to achieve the purpose of listening and speaking in the process of studying English, the teaching of teachers is very influential. But some teachers still remain to teach the old methods such as grammar- translation, teacher-centered, book-based, and driven-exam (Le & Barnard, 2009; Tomlision & Bao, 2004; Le, 2002; Liu & Littlewood, 1997). This means that speaking is excluded from the lessons as well as tests. With this way of teaching, students will successfully complete their curriculum but fail to communicate effectively in real- life conversations (To, 2006). As for the 8th graders at AIS, it is not an exception. Although students have been studying in an international environment, they have still got some difficulties while learning English skills, specially speaking. Being aware of the situation, the author wanted to conduct this study to learn about speaking difficulties encountered by 8th graders at The Asian High School (AHS). 1.2 Aims and objectives of the study Based on the aforementioned reasons and the reality of teaching and learning English speaking at The Asian High School (hereafter AHS), the author conducted a study with the aim of allowing AHS students at Cao Thang Campus to share what English speaking problems they have faced while learning speaking in the classroom.
12 With the above aims, the two objectives were established as follows. - To investigate the 8th graders’ perspectives on speaking problems in EFL classrooms, at AHS, Cao Thang Campus. - To suggest some useful solutions in order to help teachers improve their teaching methods, and help students overcome the current speaking problems and better their speaking skill. 1.3 Research questions With the above aims and objectives, the two research questions were formulated as follows: 1. What are the speaking problems perceived by the 8th graders at The Asian High School, Cao Thang Campus? 2. What are the useful suggestions as solutions to speaking problems found in the study? 1.4 Scope of the study Because the time was limited, the present study concentrated on investigating the 8th graders’ perspectives on the speaking problems, and suggesting some solutions to the problems found in this study. Additionally, this study would not be generalized to all the eighth graders at AHS. The present study was conducted with the participation of eighty students who are in grade 8 at AHS – Cao Thang Campus.
13 1.5 Significance of the study The study is significant due to the following reasons. There have not been many studies conducted at The Asian High School regarding students’ speaking problems. Therefore, this study was carried out with the hope of enriching the source of data for the further research at AHS. In addition, that the study finds out the speaking problems of the 8th graders helps the students recognize their own weaknesses in speaking, and helps AHS teachers to comprehend the current situation. From that, students can choose suitable strategies to better their learning and teachers can improve their teaching methods. Finally, this study is hoped to be the theoretical background to the future studies which are associated with the focus of this study. 1.6 Definition of the key terms The following terms communicate the following meaning whenever they appear in this study as follows. - Speaking: the way of conveying ideas, information or expressing someone's thoughts and feelings in spoken language. - Problems: difficulties/challenges in speaking and factors making speaking difficult. - The 8th graders: all students who are in grade 8 at Cao Thang campus - The Asian High School. 1.7 Organization of the thesis This thesis is divided into five chapters as follows. Chapter 1 is introduction. This chapter concerns background of the study, statement of the problems, aims and objective of the study, research questions, scope of the study, significance of the study and definition of key terms. Chapter 2 summarizes the theoretical background concerning the focus of the study. Specifically, the definitions and role of speaking skill are first presented. Next,
14 factors causing speaking problems are summarized. More importantly, a summary of the previous studies is presented next. The chapter ends with the conceptual framework of the study. Chapter 3 presents the methodology of the study. In particular, the research design is first introduced, followed by the research setting. In the next section, a brief description of the research instruments employed in the study is provided. Following that, the procedures of collecting and analyzing the data are presented. Finally, the chapter ends with the sections regarding the reliability and validity, and the ethical issues. In Chapter 4, Analysis, Discussion and Result, the results of the study based on the data obtained from the questionnaire are comprehensively presented. What is more, a comparison between the findings of the present study and those of previous studies is made in the Discussion section. In addition, some useful solutions to the problems found in this study are suggested at the end of the chapter. Chapter 5 first presents a summary of the findings. In the next section, limitations of the study are provided. Last but not least, the study ends with some recommendations for the further research.
15 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter is concerned with the theoretical background in relation to the focus of the study. In particular, definitions and significance of speaking are first presented, followed by characteristics of speaking, factors negatively affecting speaking skill and previous studies. This chapter ends with the conceptual framework of the study. 2.1 Nature of speaking skill 2.1.1 Definition of speaking skill There are a lot of definitions of the word “speaking” suggested by the researchers in language learning. Brown and Yule (1994) defines speaking as an process of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving and processing information. In a same vein, Chaney (1998) states that speaking is the process of sharing the ideas by using verbal and non-verbal symbols in various contexts. Bygate (1987) defines speaking as a creation of auditory signals to produce different verbal reactions to listeners. It is regarded as combining sounds in a systematic way, for forming meaningful speeches. Adopting this view, Eckard and Kearny (1981), Florez (1999), and Howarth (2001) define speaking as a two-way process including a true communication of meaning, information or emotions. This view shows that the spoken texts are considered the participation of two or more people in the shared time and context. 2.1.2 The importance of speaking skill in English language learning Speaking is one of the most important skills in English language learning because it plays an essential role in making connection among people. Being good at speaking is not easy because it requires learners to be good at other skills and aspects of English including
16 pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Efrizal (2012) says that speaking is a means of communication that helps people interact and understand one another through daily conversations. As the same concern on this view, Ur (1996) suggests that among the four language skills including such as listening, speaking, reading and writing, speaking is the most major one because it is the best means of communication that effectively connects people together. Speaking is considered a contributing factor that help students develop other skills including vocabulary, grammar and writing (Ur, 1996). Students can express their ideas, talk together in daily conversations, discuss, show the different functions of language. In brief, good English speaking learners will have many chances for good education, seeking for jobs or gaining promotion (Baker & Westrup, 2003). 2.2 Speaking competence of English as a foreign language Speaking competence in English as a foreign language has been raised in different views. Nunan (1999) claims that being competence in English speaking is the ability to use words adequately and utter the correct sentences. Moreover, Nunan (1999) also emphasizes that the speakers’ communicative competence not only includes linguistic competence, but also concerns sociolinguistic and conversation skills which help them express the meaning. Sharing the same concern, Bachman and Palmer (1990) state that a person’s language ability is demonstrated by his linguistic competence, knowledge of language communication difficulties, as well as language emotional responses. Concerning the ability to speak from another aspect, Johnson (1995) argues that communicative competence helps students to get involved in their class activities and learn from those activities.
17 2.3 Characteristics of English speaking According to Mazouzi (2013), speaking activities are created based on four criteria including fluency, accuracy, grammar structures, vocabulary and pronunciation. These criteria play the significant role in the process of earning high proficiency in speaking. Regarding fluency in speaking English, it is the objective that students need to achieve. Hughes (2002) defines fluency as the ability to speak in an intelligible way in order not to lead to unexpected interruptions that may make listeners lose concentration. Accuracy is considered the second characteristic of speaking performance. Most people always focus on speaking fluently in the process of learning English and forgetting about being accurate. When talking, if the speech structure is incorrect, the speaker will not be able to express what they want to say and the listeners will lose interest in the conversation (Maozouzi, 2013). Thus, leaners should pay more attention to the correctness and the completeness of language form, mainly focusing on grammatical structures, vocabulary and pronunciation (Maozouzi, 2013). According to Thornbury (2005), when speaking, learners are required to use accurate grammar structures such as long and complex sentence structures. Moreover, grammar used in speaking is different from grammar used in writing. Vocabulary accuracy refers to choosing the right word while speaking. Learners’ often face difficulties when they try to express what they want to say. They use words incorrectly in all contexts which do not mean similar meaning. Therefore, students should use the words and utterances correctly (Thornbury, 2005). In addition, Thornbury (2005) also states that pronunciation is one of the hardest aspects to achieve in learning English and it is the major factor leading to effective communication. Therefore, English learners have to improve their pronunciation if they want to succeed in speaking English (Thornbury, 2005). For example, they should have an
18 awareness of the stress, intonation and pitch. All these components will help learners to achieve effectiveness in English speaking skills. 2.4 Factors that make learning speaking difficult There are some factors which determine the success in learning of speaking. 2.4.1 Lack of motivation Littlewood (1984) defines that lack of motivation from teachers is one of the important factors negatively of affecting students’ speaking performance. In the same vein, Garnder (1985, p.10) suggests that motivation plays a very important role in teaching and learning as “positive attitudes and motivation are related to success in second language teaching”. He also defines that motivation refers to the combination of effort and desire to achieve the goal of learning the language plus favorable attitudes towards learning the language (Garnder, 1985). It means that if learners need to speak a second language in the wide range of social situations or to fulfill professional ambitions, they will perceive the communicative value of the second language and will therefore be motivated to acquire proficiency in it (Garnder, 1985). In response to this part, Babu (2010) argues that lack of motivation in learning is the cause leading to unwillingness to speak in classroom. He says that the teachers’ demotivating behavior and attitude and unsupportive management also contribute to reduce students’ motivation to speak up. 2.4.2 Lack of confidence Harmer (2004) states that students are often unconfident when they convey, share or express their ideas in front of their teachers and classmates. They prefer to keep silent because they are afraid of losing face in front of the class when speaking incorrectly. Tsui (as cited in Nunan, 1999) says that students who suffer from a lack of confidence will lead to fear in communication.
19 Learners are often hesitant to speak because they are afraid of mispronouncing the words or the students feel really shy about speaking in front of other students (Tsui as cited in Nunan, 1999). In addition, it is understood that English learners always feel unconfident because they do not know how to convey their own ideas to the listeners, listeners; therefore, do not understand what they mean (Saurik, 2011). According to Zhang (2006), students are often afraid of making mistakes in the process of learning to speak English because of laughing and receiving negative evaluation from classmates. As a result, the passive classes always exist because students are not willing to share their positions (Zhang, 2006). 2.4.3 Lack of vocabulary Vocabulary refers to “the words that people use when they are talking about a particular subject” (The online Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries). It is divided into 2 forms including speaking and printing. Oral vocabulary consists of words that we can get the meaning through speaking or reading, while the printed vocabulary will be use for writing (Hiebert & Kamil, 2005). According to Schmitt (2010), vocabulary is considered on indispensible component in the process of learning speaking skill. Therefore, some researchers have put forward to discuss this issue and find out relationship between vocabulary and speaking skills (Stehr, 2009). For example, Khan (2005) defines that the problems of using the words when communicating is a common matter for students who learn new languages. In addition, in the real communication, attention is much pay to the contents instead of grammar. It is very easy for students to express their idea using the mother tongue; however, they get confuse when they are asked to convey their opinion using the target language. Since they not know how to choose and combine the word properly ( Doris & Jessica, 2007).
20 2.4.4 Teaching curriculum Another factor related to speaking skills of learners is the content of the teaching syllabus and the curriculum. Olson (1997) suggests that training programs and materials are the important parts to attract the student’s interests in learning. Moreover, the programs need to satisfy students’ needs such as make students feel that they are making progress, they have chances to orally interact with the classmates and they can control their language pace. According to the context in Vietnam, speaking activities are not enough provided in English textbooks and curriculum while there are too many exercises referring to grammar, reading and writing. Sharing this view, Gan (2012) indicates that one of causes inhibiting learners from being proficient in speaking English is that communicative skills are not much focus in the curriculum. Furthermore, Al-Abri (2008) considers this concern that not only time distribution is not reasonable, but also the program does not focus on communicative. Therefore, this researcher has proposed a few activities which are suitable for speaking skills such as discussing about a society, hobbies, poetry or films with the aim of creating opportunities for learners to develop English communicative skill (Al-Abri, 2008). 2.4.5 Learning environment The environmental constraint is also the contributing factor that negatively affects language learners. Concerning the mother tongue, Harmer (1991) and Ur (1996) suggest that language learners who share the same native language have a tendency to use their mother tongue to communicate in English classroom because it is more convenience for them to exchange ideas, especially when discussing new speaking topics. Furthermore, learners would like teachers to use mother tongue to teach and explain rather than English (Harmer, 1991). Besides that, if teachers still keep the traditional methods of teaching and