Master minor programme thesis English linguistics: Factors affecting motivation in learning speaking English of grade 10 students at Thanh Ba High school

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Aims of the study: To point out some factors affecting students‟ motivation in speaking English; to give some suggestions for teachers to stimulate students in speaking English and overcome the difficulties they have to face with in teaching speaking English for grade 10 students.

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Nội dung Text: Master minor programme thesis English linguistics: Factors affecting motivation in learning speaking English of grade 10 students at Thanh Ba High school

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES  PHAN THỊ THÙY LINH FACTORS AFFECTING MOTIVATION IN LEARNING SPEAKING ENGLISH OF GRADE 10 STUDENTS AT THANH BA HIGH SCHOOL ( Những yếu tố ảnh hưởng tới động lực học nói tiếng Anh của học sinh lớp 10 trường THPT Thanh Ba) M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI - 2016
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES  PHAN THỊ THÙY LINH FACTORS AFFECTING MOTIVATION IN LEARNING SPEAKING ENGLISH OF GRADE 10 STUDENTS AT THANH BA HIGH SCHOOL ( Những yếu tố ảnh hưởng tới động lực học nói tiếng Anh của học sinh lớp 10 trường THPT Thanh Ba) M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr D ng Th N HANOI - 2016
DECLARATION Title: Factors affecting motivation in learning speaking English of Grade 10 students at Thanh Ba High School I certify that the thesis is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, and that this thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other university or tertiary institution. Hanoi, 2016 Phan Th Thùy Linh i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research has been accomplished with the help and encouragement of many people to whom I would like hereafter to express my deep appreciation. First and foremost, I would like to express my great attitude to my supervisor, Dr. Dương Thị Nụ for her invaluable inspiration, assistance and guidance during the time I tried to complete this paper. I am thankful to all lecturers and staff of the Post-Graduate Department of University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University for their scientific knowledge, guidance and enthusiasm during my course. I am greatly indebted to my students from class 10A1 to class 10A5 and my colleagues at Thanh Ba high school for their participation and assistance without which this study could not have been successful. And my heartfelt thanks are due to my dear family members who are always beside me to support and encourage me to fulfill my study. ii
ABSTRACT This exploratory research is an attempt to investigate factors affecting motivation in speaking English of the 10th grade students at Thanh Ba high school. The main purposes of the study are to find out: types of motivation possessed by grade 10 students at Thanh Ba high school, factors affecting students‟ motivation in speaking English, activities and techniques applied by teachers and students‟ preference and then give some suggested solutions for teachers to stimulate students to speak and overcome the difficulties they face with in teaching speaking. This survey study was carried out with the combination of qualitative method and quantitative method with some kinds of research instruments: questionnaires for students and teachers, follow-up interviews and class observations. The findings shows that grade 10 students at Thanh Ba high school are not only extrinsically, instrumentally but also intrinsically and integratively motivated. Besides, their motivation in speaking is affected much by the factors coming from students‟ themselves, teachers and learning condition. Based on theoretical background of motivation and speaking, the researcher‟s knowledge, experience and observation in teaching speaking, some recommendations for motivating students to speak were suggested such as promoting students‟ internal factors, setting up a co-operative atmosphere in class, applying varying speaking activities, combining different materials or changing teachers‟ characteristics. The researcher believes that these recommendations will be of help for high school English teachers in general and for English teachers at Thanh Ba high school in particular. iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................. ii ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................... iv LISTS OF TABLES AND CHARTS .................................................................. vii PART A. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1 1. Rationale ............................................................................................................. 1 2. Aims of the study ................................................................................................ 2 3. Research Questions ............................................................................................. 2 4. Methods of the study ........................................................................................... 2 5. Scope of the study ............................................................................................... 2 6. Significance of the study...................................................................................... 3 7. Design of the study .............................................................................................. 3 PART B. DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ............................................. 4 1.1. Theoretical background of motivation in L2 learning........................................ 4 1.1.1. Definition of motivation ...................................................................... 4 1.1.2. Types of motivation ............................................................................ 5 1.1.3. Factors affecting motivation inL2 learning……………………………6 1.2.1. Definition of speaking ....................................................................... 11 1.2.2. Approaches to the teaching of speaking ............................................ 11 1.2.3. The roles of the teacher in different stages of teaching speaking ....... 12 1.2.4. Motivation in speaking in classroom ................................................. 13 CHAPTER 2. METHODOLOGY ...................................................................... 15 2.1. The setting of the study ................................................................................... 15 2.2. Subjects .......................................................................................................... 16 2.3. Applying techniques and activities of CLT in teaching speaking at Thanh Ba high school ........................................................................................................... 17 2.4. Participants ..................................................................................................... 17 2.5. Data collection instruments ............................................................................. 18 iv
2.5.1. Survey Questionnaires ................................................................................. 18 2.5.2. Interviews .................................................................................................... 19 2.5.3. Class observations ....................................................................................... 20 2.6. Data collection procedures…………………………………………………….16 CHAPTER 3- DATA ANALYSIS ...................................................................... 21 3.1. Results from students‟ pre- treatment and post-treatment questionnaires ........ 21 3.2. Results from teacher‟s survey questionnaire (Post-treatment) ......................... 37 CHAPTER 4. MAJOR FINDINGS, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................... 42 4.1. Major findings and discussions ....................................................................... 42 4.1.1. Types of motivation possessed by Grade 10 students at Thanh Ba high school .............................................................................................................................. 42 4.1.2. Factors affecting Grade 10 students in learning speaking English ................ 42 4.1.3. Speaking motivational activities and techniques employed by teachers and students‟ preferences ............................................................................................. 44 4.2. Recommendations for motivating students to speak English in class............... 45 4.2.1. Promoting students‟ internal factors ............................................................. 45 4.2.2. Varying speaking activities .......................................................................... 46 4.2.3. Managing speaking turns in class ................................................................. 47 4.2.4. Setting up a co-operative atmosphere in class .............................................. 47 4.2.5. Combining the textbook and relevant materials ............................................ 48 4.2.6. Recognizing the potential value of available facilities of the school and the Internet .................................................................................................................. 48 4.2.7. Being enthusiastic, tolerant, helpful, creative and active .............................. 49 PART C. CONCLUSION 1. Recapitulation of the study ................................................................................ 50 2. Limitations and suggestions for further study .................................................... 50 REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 52 APPENDICES ........................................................................................................I v
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BBC British Broadcasting Corporation CLT Communicative Language Teaching FM Frequency modulation L2 Second Language SLA Second Language Acquisition VOA Voice of America vi
LISTS OF TABLES AND CHARTS 1. List of tables Table 1.Reason for types of motivations ............................................................... 22 Table 2. Factors making students reluctant to speak English in class .................... 30 Table 3. Factors preventing students‟ speaking process ......................................... 31 Table 4. Factors encouraging students to speak .................................................... 33 Table 5. What teachers do to motivate students to take part in speaking activities. 34 Table 6. Teacher‟s opinions on students‟ motivation of the speaking stages .......... 37 Table 7. Problems teachers facing in teaching speaking ......................................... 38 Table 8. Activities applied by teachers by frequency ............................................. 39 Table 9. Techniques applied by teachers ................................................................ 39 Table 10 . Activities applied by the teachers and students‟ preferences ................ XV Table 11. Speaking activities applied by teachers ............................................... XIX 2. List of charts Chart 1. Students‟ average marks in the first semester ........................................... 21 Chart 2. Students‟ perceived importance of English .............................................. 24 Chart 3. Students‟ aptitude to learn English speaking ............................................ 25 Chart 4. Students‟ attitude to learn English speaking…………………………….26 Chart 5. Students‟ effort in learn English speaking ................................................ 27 Chart 6. Students‟ desire to learning speaking ....................................................... 27 Chart 7. Students‟ interest in speaking English .................................................... 28 Chart 8. Students‟ frequency of speaking English in class time............................. 29 Chart 9. Students‟ reluctant of speaking English .................................................... 29 Chart 10 . Students‟ results after the treatment ....................................................... 32 Chart 11. Activities enjoyed most by students ...................................................... 34 vii
PART A. INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale Nowadays, English is widely known as the major language of intercommunication, international commerce and business, science and technology and so on. Therefore, people with good English proficiency are extremely needed in any fields of society. As a result, there has been a positive trend of teaching and learning English across the country. People, from children to adults, learn English with different purposes. In general, despite deriving from different purposes, every one wants to turn English to become their own instrument in their lives. In the process of teaching and learning English, there are many factors affecting the success of language learners such as attitude, age, personality, motivation and so on, among which motivation plays an important role. Researchers on motivation have pointed out that learners who are highly motivated can learn a foreign language better than those who are not and vice versa. With some years of experience in teaching English in some foreign language center and two years of experience in teaching English at high school, I have realized that motivation is one of the key factors that determine students‟ success or failure in language learning. For teaching and learning speaking skill, the great impact of motivation is not an exception. Although motivation in learning English is not a new topic, it still is an unsolved problem of Grade 10 students at Thanh Ba High school. This is the reason why I choose studying on factors affecting motivation in speaking English of grade 10 students as the topic for my minor thesis. This study will examine types of motivation that students have in speaking and point out some factors that affect their motivation to speak. It also investigates the activities and techniques applied by teachers, students‟ preferences and demands, and some difficulties teachers faced in teaching speaking. The researcher hopes that this study will figure out a concrete picture of motivation in speaking English of grade 10 students at Thanh Ba high school and it will be of help for teachers who want to increase students‟ motivation in speaking English learning. 1
2. Aims of the study The aims of the study are to investigate the factors affecting motivation in learning speaking English of the 10th grade students at Thanh Ba high school. Some main purposes covering the study are summarized as follows: (1) To point out some factors affecting students‟ motivation in speaking English. (2) To give some suggestions for teachers to stimulate students in speaking English and overcome the difficulties they have to face with in teaching speaking English for grade 10 students. 3. Research Questions 1. What are the factors affecting Grade 10 students in learning speaking English? 2. What have teachers done to motivate students in learning speaking English? 4. Methods of the study To carry out the study, qualitative method was mainly used with two instruments: a follow up interview and an informal observation. All the comments, remarks, recommendations and conclusion provided in the study were based on the data analysis of the study. In addition, to make the data collected more reliable and authentic, quantitative method was applied. The data collected for the study come from two sources: the 10th grade students and all teachers of English at Thanh Ba high school. Survey questionnaires, two for students (pre- and post- treatment questionnaires) and one for teachers, were used to gather information and evidence for the study. 5. Scope of the study Studying motivation and its effects on the second language have been paid attention to by many researchers so far. This study only investigates the factors affecting motivation in speaking English of grade 10 students at Thanh Ba high school. Because of the limited time and within an M.A. minor thesis, the researcher intends to make a brief view of the current situation of teaching and learning English speaking skill of the 10th grade students at Thanh Ba high school; identifies factors affecting their speaking stimulation; examines techniques and activities used by 2
teachers and students‟ preferences and demands; then suggests some recommendations for teachers to encourage students to speak English and overcome difficulties in teaching speaking. 6. Significance of the study First, the information about types of motivation possessed by grade 10 students in this minor thesis is believed to be useful for the teachers of English in general and teachers of English at Thanh Ba high school in particular. Second, identifying some factors affecting students‟ motivation in speaking English, pointing out students‟ preferences and demands to activities and techniques applied by teachers are believed to be helpful for all teachers when teaching speaking. Third, giving some recommendations for teachers to motivate students to speak English and overcome obstacles and difficulties in teaching speaking is expected to be beneficial. 7. Design of the study The study is divided into three parts: the Introduction, the Development and the Conclusion. Part A: Introduction- deals with the rationale, aims, scope, methods, significance and design of the study. Part B: Development- consists of three chapters. Chapter 1- Theoretical background- is intended to give some theoretical background related to motivation and speaking. Chapter 2- Methodology- presents the situation analysis, participants, data collection instruments, data collection procedures Chapter 3- Data analysis- analyses collected data Chapter 4- Major findings, discussions and recommendations Part C: Conclusion- is a review of the study, suggestions for further research and limitations of the study. 3
PART B. DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1. Theoretical background of motivation in L2 learning 1.1.1. Definition of motivation Motivation is an important affective variable in SLA, and it has a positive correlation with second language achievement and proficiency. The motivated learners are usually more active in learning, while unmotivated learners are more likely to cause classroom disturbances. However, motivation is extremely difficult to define and measure. In Atkinson‟s point of view (cited in Arnold, 2000:13), motivation is a term used to describe what “energizes” a person and what directs his activity. While Dornyei and Otto regarded motivation as a function of a person‟s thought and defined it as „the dynamically changing cumulative aroused in a person that initiates, directs, coordinates, amplifies, terminates and evaluates the cognitive and the motor processes whereby initial wishes and desires are selected, prioritized, operationalized and acted out‟(cited in Dornyei, 2001: 9). In his word, Ellis stated that „motivation involves the attitudes and effective states that influence the degree of effort that learners make to learn an L2‟ (Ellis, 1997: 75). Similarly, Brown (2000: 160) indicated that „motivation is some kind of internal drive which pushes someone to do things in order to achieve something‟ It can be seen that different researchers approach motivation definition in different ways. However, they all share the same point of view that motivation combines effort and desire plus favorable and occurs as a result of a combination of internal and external influences. This research, therefore, will follow the definition of motivation proposed by Gardner (1982: 132- 147) that motivation is perceived to be composed of three elements including effort, desire and affect. Effort refers to the time spent studying the language and the drive of the learner. Desire indicates how much the learner wants to become proficient in the language, and affect illustrates the learner‟s emotional reactions with regard to language study. 4
1.1.2. Types of motivation According to the point of view of many previous researchers, motivation can be divided into three types: Integrative and instrumental motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and resultative motivation. Firstly, about integrative motivation, Falk (1978), Finegan( 1999:568) and Lambert (1974:98) shared the same conception that integrative motivation is the desire to become familiar with or even integrate into the target language culture, whereas, instrumental motivation is something which concerns „the practical value and advantages of learning a new language‟ (Lambert 1974: 98- cited in Ellis, 1997), such as meeting the requirements for school or university graduation, applying for a job, requesting higher pay based on language ability, reading technical material, translation work or achieving higher social status. Secondly, motivation can be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation refers to the fact of doing an activity for itself, pleasure and satisfaction derived from participation (Deci and Ryan, 1985), for its own sake, for the enjoyment it provided. Contrary to intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation is what comes from outside such as praise, awards, prizes, evaluation and fear for punishment, Schulz (1991:18) said that the concept of extrinsic motivation referred to the extent to which the learning environment (i.e. the teacher, materials, curriculum, learning tasks etc.). Lastly, resultative motivation refers to the result of learning. In terms of this, Hermann (1980) stated that „it is success that contributes to motivation rather than vice- versa‟ (cited in Ellis, 1997) and Ellis (1997) has the same point of view: „the relationship between motivation and achievement is an interactive one. A high level of motivation does stimulate learning, but perceived success in achieving L2 goals can help to maintain existing motivation and even create new types.‟ To sum up, in my point of view, students‟ motivation can be divided into two main types as extrinsic, instrumental and intrinsical or integrative motivation. In some cases, resultative motivation are both of them depending on students‟ desire. 5
1.1.3. Factors affecting motivation in L2 learning 1.1.3.1. Some previous researches on motivation Garden, R. M. I. (2013). Factors affecting students‟ academic motivation to achieve Excellence in Level 1 NCEA English (Thesis, Doctor of Philosophy). University of Otago. Ibrahim Abdelrahim Ibrahim Humaida (2012). Motivation to Learn English among College Students in Sudan, , Faculty of Arts & Science-Tabarjal, Aljouf University, King Saudi Arabia. Naghmeh Babaee (2012). Motivation in Learning English as a Second Language, University of Manitoba. Nhung, N.T.M. (2003). Motivation and Factors Affecting Motivation in Learning English Writing of the Freshment at the Department of English and Anglo- American culture, VNU-CFL. Unpublished MA Dissertation. CFL-VNU. Ratanawalee Wimolmas, A Survey Study of Motivation in English Language Learning of First Year Undergraduate Students at Sirindhorn International Institute ofTechnology (SIIT), Thammasat University, Thailand. Although there are many previous researches on motivation and factors affecting motivation in learning English, the studies focus on other subjects as the first year students, or students of non-English majors and scope of the study is focus on writing skill or motivation in learning in general. That the reason why this study was carried to find out clearly factors affecting motivation in learning, especial in speaking English skill. 1.1.3.2. Dornyei’s extended motivational framework. Dornyei (2001:112- 113) analyzed L2 learning motivation within a framework of three levels, which offers a vast list of motivational components; (1) Language level involves factors related to the L2 such as the culture, the community as well as practical values and benefits connected with learning L2. 6
(2) The learner level involves individual characteristics that the learner brings to the learning process. These characteristics include learners‟ self- confidence, self- efficacy, need for achievements, causal attributions, the perceived L2 competences, and goal orientations and so forth. (3) Learning situation level is associated with situation- specific motives of L2 learning within a classroom and it is divided into three aspects. The first is course- specific motivational components which are related to the syllabus, the teaching materials, the teaching method and the learning tasks The second is teacher- specific motivational components which concern the motivational impact of the teacher‟s personality, behavior and teaching style. And the third is group- specific motivational components which are related to the group dynamics of the learner group. 1.1.3.3 Williams and Burden’s framework of the L2 motivation Williams and Burden (1997) analyzed L2 learning motivation in a framework of two factors: internal and external. Internal factors encompass various components such as intrinsic interest of activity, perceived value of activity, sense of agency, mastery, self- concept, attitudes, developmental age, stage and gender and other affective states (confidence, anxiety, fear). External factors include significant others (parents, teachers and peers); the nature of interaction with significant others (mediated learning experiences, the nature and amount of feedback rewards, the nature and amount of appropriate praise, punishments and sanctions); the learning environment (sense of comfort, resources, time of day, week, year, size of class and school, class and school ethos) and the broader context (which includes wider and family networks, local education system, conflicting interests, cultural norms and societal expectations and attitudes). (Cited in Dornyei, 2001: 114) 1.1.3.4. Factors affecting student motivation in L2 learning There have been some studies on the factors affecting students‟ motivation in learning a foreign language so far. Above are two L2 motivation frameworks that refer to some factors such as language level, learner level, learning situation level 7
(Dornyei, 2001) and internal and external factors (Williams and Burnden, 1997). Although researchers have had some different views in this issue, they all have come to an agreement with a list of common factors affecting students‟ motivation. These factors can be divided into three groups: teacher‟s factors, students‟ factors and learning condition factors.  Students’ factors The first factors are students‟ intelligence and aptitude. Intelligence, according to Lightbown and Spada (1999: 52), refers to „performance on certain kinds of test‟ and aptitude is something which „involves both underlying language learning capacity and a capacity to handle decontextualized language‟ (Ellis, 1997: 522). Lightbown and Spada also point out that language aptitude is usually described as a combination of four factors: (1) the ability to identify and memorize new sounds, (2) the ability to understand the function of particular words in sentences, (3) the ability to figure out grammatical rules from language samples and (4) the ability to memorize new words (1999: 53). The second is students‟ personality. In the eyes of many language teachers, the personality of the students constitutes a major factor contributing to success or failure in language learning. Ellis (1997) has proved that extroverted learners are advantaged in the development of the kind of language associated with basis interpersonal communication skills and that extroverted learners may also be more likely to participate actively in oral communication (1997: 523). Shared the same view with Ellis, Lightbown and Spada list a number of personality characteristics that have a great influence on the success of second language learners: extroversion, inhibition, self- esteem, empathy, dominance, talkativeness and responsiveness (1999: 54- 55). The third factor is learners‟ age. Children are believed to be better than adults in acquiring an L2 in general and in speaking a new language with native- like fluency in particular. Some researchers argued that late starters may be able to learn the syntax and the vocabulary of a second language, but that attaining a native-like 8
pronunciation is impossible for them. Also, they concluded that younger learners have a greater chance of attaining native-like proficiency in the L2, older learners may show faster progress at the beginning, but are probably surpassed by the young ones in the end. The fourth factor is learning style. The term „learning style‟ refers to the characteristic ways in which individuals orientates to problem- solving. Keefe (1979) defined learning style as „the characteristic cognitive, affective and physiological behaviors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with and respond to the learning environment… Learning style is a consistent way of functioning that reflects underlying causes of behavior‟ (cited in Ellis, 1997: 499). The last factor is learners‟ belief. Most learners have strong beliefs about how languages are learnt, how their instruction should be delivered. Little, Singleton and Silvius found out „past experience, both of education in general and of language learning in particular, played a major role in shaping attitudes to language learning‟ (cited in Ellis, 1997: 478- 479).  Teacher’s factors Teacher plays an important role in students‟ learning motivation. As a matter of fact, some teacher‟s factors and appropriate teacher behaviors will increase students to motivate in learning. Dornyei (2001) pointed out some teacher‟s factors affecting students‟ motivation: appropriate teacher behavior, teacher‟s enthusiasm and a good relationship with the students. Firstly, appropriate teacher behavior in classroom is very important. It is considered a powerful „motivational tool‟. Alison (1993) stated that teacher‟s behavior could „persuade‟ or „attract‟ students to engage in on- task behaviors (cited in Dornyei 2001: 120). „The teacher should be a patient, encouraging person who supports students‟ learning efforts. Students should feel comfortable taking intellectual risks 9
because they know that they will not be embarrassed or criticized if they make a mistake‟ (Good and Brophy, 1994 - cited in Dornyei, 2001: 121). Secondly, teacher‟s good relationship with the student is also a key element of motivation in student learning. The teacher should establish the relationship of mutual trust and respect with students. This relationship also involves finding opportunities to talk with them on a personal level and letting them know that teachers have thought about them and that their individual effort is recognized. (Dornyei, 2001: 120). The third factor is teacher‟s enthusiasm. Csikzentmihalyi (1997) said that teachers needed to be „enthused and involved in the teaching process and in the material they are teaching‟ (cited in Dornyei, 2001: 178). Csikzentmihalyi also points out that enthusiastic teachers are the ones who love what they are doing, who show by their dedication and their passion that make students willing to pursue knowledge (cited in Dornyei, 2001: 177- 178) The last factor is teacher‟s commitment to the students‟ academic progress. Teachers should care for what their students have learnt and succeeded (Dornyei, 2001). They should also offer concrete assistant, responding immediately when help is requested, correcting tests, arranging extra- assignments and so on. In short, teacher‟s attitude, behavior as well as the general level of their commitment towards the students, their learning and their subject matter, constitute some of the most prevailing influences on student motivation. Dornyei says that „teachers are the designated leaders of the class group‟ and therefore, they cannot lack their responsibility for maintaining their own commitment to the teaching process because the lack of this responsibility will cause „psychological absence‟ from teaching process, which is the fastest way to undermine the motivational base of the learners.  Teaching and learning condition Teaching and learning condition involves classroom atmosphere and physical condition. A pleasant and supportive classroom atmosphere will create motivation; 10
it encourages students to express their opinions and thinking. MacIntyre (1999) and Young (1999) pointed out that students‟ anxiety created by a tense classroom climate was one of the most potent factors that undermined learning effectiveness and L2 motivation. (cited in Dornyei, 2001: 121). Physical conditions are important, too. Physical conditions refer to something in classroom such as classroom‟s size, classroom‟s facilities (chairs, desks, tables, electric facilities…). Hammer (1992) stated that physical conditions had great impact on students‟ learning as well as their attitude towards the subject matter. Physical condition affects both teacher and students‟ motivation. The large class, the poor facilities will decrease the relationship between teacher and students, and as a result, will decrease motivation. 1.2. Theoretical background of speaking in L2 learning 1.2.1. Definition of speaking Florez (1999) defined speaking was „an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information‟. (cited in Balley, 2005: 2). In other words, „speaking consists of producing systematic verbal utterances to convey meaning‟. (Balley, 2005:2). Bygate (1997) stated that speaking was a skill which deserved attention every bit as much as literacy skill. Speaking is in many ways an undervalued skill. Perhaps this is because we can almost all speak, and so take the skill too much for granted. In his own view, Mackey (1965) shows that „oral expression involves not only the use of the right sounds in the right patterns of rhythm and intonation, but also a choice of words and inflections in the right order to convey the right meaning‟(cited in Bygate, 1997: 5). To sump up, speaking is the action of conveying information or expressing one‟s feelings or thinking by oral words. 1.2.2. Approaches to the teaching of speaking There are three approaches the teaching speaking: the Grammar- translation method, The Direct Method and Audiolingualism and Communicative Language Teaching. 11