Sáng kiến kinh nghiệm THPT: Some suggested graphic organizers to enhance English speaking ability for 10th grade students learning global success textbook in Tan Ky High school

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This study aims at suggesting some adaptations using graphic organizers in teaching speaking skill in textbook English 10 - global success.

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EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE SOME SUGGESTED GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS TO ENHANCE ENGLISH SPEAKING ABILITY FOR 10TH GRADE STUDENTS LEARNING GLOBAL SUCCESS TEXTBOOK IN TAN KY HIGH SCHOOL. (Subject: English teaching) i
NGHE AN DEPARTEMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING TAN KY HIGH SCHOOL VINH UNIVERSITY ---------- ---------- PHẠM THỊ DUNG EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE SOME SUGGESTED GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS TO ENHANCE ENGLISH SPEAKING ABILITY FOR 10TH GRADE STUDENTS LEARNING GLOBAL SUCCESS TEXTBOOK IN TAN KY HIGH APPLYING SCAFFOLDING TECHNIQUES TO ENHANCE EFL SCHOOL. 11TH GRADERS’ SPEAKING ABILITY (Subject: English teaching) MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION Researchers Phạm Thị Dung Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Võ Thị Hồng Quyên Code: Phone number: 0941564189 - 0912830528 ( FOREIGN LANGUAGE GROUP) Supervisor’s name NGUYỄN XUÂN BÌNH Nghe An 2023 ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................... iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................. vi PART I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1 1.1. Rationale for the study ............................................................................... 1 1.2. The purpose of the study ............................................................................ 1 1.3. The scope of the study................................................................................ 2 1.4. The significance of the study ..................................................................... 2 PART II. CONTENT ............................................................................................ 3 2.1. Overview of speaking skill......................................................................... 3 2.1.1. Definition of speaking. ........................................................................ 3 2.1.2. What is teaching speaking? ................................................................. 3 2.1.3. Approaches to teaching speaking ........................................................ 3 2.1.4. How to teach Speaking........................................................................ 4 2.1.5. Several types of speaking performance: ............................................. 5 2.1.6. Technique of Teaching Speaking ........................................................ 5 2.1.7. The difficulties learners meet when learning speaking. ..................... 7 2.2. Overview of graphic organizers. .............................................................. 10 2.2.1. The definition of graphic organizers ................................................. 10 2.2.2. The kinds of graphic organizers ........................................................ 11 2.2.3. The benefits of graphic organizers in teaching speaking skill .......... 12 2.2.4. The steps of applying graphic organizers ......................................... 13 2.3. The study .................................................................................................... 14 2.3.1. The setting of the study. ........................................................................ 14 2.3.1.1. The current issues of teaching and learning speaking skill for 11 th graders at Tan Ky High school.................................................................... 14 2.3.1.2. Participants ..................................................................................... 14 2.3.2. Research questions. ............................................................................... 14 2.3.3. Research methodology. ....................................................................... 14 iii
2.3.4. Applying graphic organizers into teaching speaking skill for EFL 10 graders ............................................................................................................... 17 2.3.5. Findings and avaluation ........................................................................ 24 2.3.5.1. Data analysis and discussion from tests. ............................................ 25 2.3.5.2. Data analysis from pre-survey questionnaire. .................................... 28 PART III: CONCLUSION .................................................................................. 31 3.1. Conclusion................................................................................................ 33 3.2. Limitations and suggestions for further studies. ...................................... 33 REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 35 APPENDIX ......................................................................................................... 36 iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 1 EFL: English as Foreign Language 2 ESL: English as Second Language 3 FL: Foreign Language v
PART I. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Rationale for the study Along with the globalization trend, English becomes an important subject in the curriculum of both state schools and private ones from primary schools to universities in Viet Nam. In this context, the teaching and learning of English is considered as a significant duty for Ministry of Education and Training as well as all teachers of English. In recent years, teaching and learning English as a foreign language has gained considerable progress both in scale and quality. However, there is still a gap in English teaching and learning outcomes between rural and urban areas. The fact is that the teaching and learning of English has not been effective in rural areas yet. One of the differences between the learners in cities and rural areas is the learners‟ ability to speak English. There are still many people learning at rural areas cannot use English well after finishing English courses. Tan Ky, a remote and mountainous area, belongs to one of the rural areas of Nghe An where the learners‟ speaking skill is much limited. This problem comes from many different causes, including objective and subjective reasons. According to Brown and Yule (1983), speaking is the skill that the students will be judged upon most in real-life situations. It is an important part of everyday interaction and most often the first impression of a person is based on his/her ability to speak fluently and comprehensively. So, teachers have a responsibility to prepare the students as much as possible to be able to speak in English in the real world outside the classroom. Despite its importance, for many years, teaching speaking has been undervalued and English language teachers have continued to teach speaking just as a repetition of drills or memorization of dialogues. However, the world now requires that the goal of teaching speaking should improve students' communicative skills, because, only in that way, students can express themselves and learn how to follow the social and cultural rules appropriate in each communicative circumstance. As a teacher of English at a rural upper secondary school, the researcher is concerned about her students‟ English learning, especially, in speaking skill. She has been teaching 2 classes of grade 10. Although her students have learnt English since they were in grade 3 with the new syllabus and new methods applied with the communicative approach, their spoken English in the real world is still restricted . They hardly use English to communicate for fear of making mistakes, lack of vocabulary, wrong pronunciation and others. So the question is put for the researcher what teachers should do to help their students learn spoken English better in this rural environment, where the English language input is poor and the chances to practice spoken English are limited. The researcher has thought a lot about this fact and decided to conduct the study on “Some suggested graphic organizers to enhance English speaking ability for 10th grade students learning 1
global success textbook in Tan Ky High school.”. The researcher implements this study with the hope to find out a suitable method to improve the learners‟ speaking skill in real life at local. 1.2. The purpose of the study This study aims at suggesting some adaptations using graphic organizers in teaching speaking skill in textbook English 10 - global success. 1.3. The scope of the study The study was carried out at Tan Ky High School with the total of students relating to 80 EFL 10th graders who come from class 10d4 and class 10d5 of Tan Ky High School. The learners are divided into two groups, the control group and the experimental group. The study is aimed to investigate the effectiveness of graphic organizers in teaching speaking skill as well as the learners‟ attitude toward this technique. The time for studying lasts from the September 2022 to March, 2023. 1.4. The significance of the study The thesis provides for ESL teachers the deeper understanding of applying graphic organizers in teaching speaking skill. The study will be the significant source of reference for ESL teachers at rural areas. In addition, the study will supply for the ESL teachers at Tan Ky district the new approach to apply graphic organizers in teaching. The result of the study is believed to make a great contribution to the success of teaching speaking skill in common. 2
PART II. CONTENT 2.1. Overview of speaking skill. 2.1.1. Definition of speaking. According to Longman Dictionary, speaking is the utterance of intelligible speech or seeming to be capable of speech. Speaking is the process of orally expressing thought and feelings of reflecting and shaping experience, and sharing information. Speaking is a complex process, which involves thinking language and social skills. The speaker combines words to sentences and paragraphs and use a language style that is appropriate to a social context. Speaking is developing for the relationships between a speaker and her hearer. In addition, speaking is determining which logical linguistic, psychological and physical rules that should be applied in a given communicative situation Tarigan (1990:3-4) defines that speaking is a language skill that is developed in child life, which is produced by listening skill, and at that period speaking skill is learned. 2.1.2. What is teaching speaking? Teaching speaking is to teach our learners to: - Produce the English speech sounds and sound patterns. - Use word and sentence stress, intonation patterns and the rhythm of the second language. - Select appropriate words and sentences according to the proper social setting audience, situation and subject matter. - Organize their thoughts in a meaningful and logical sequence. - Use language as a means of expressing values and judgments. - Use the language quickly and confidently with few unnatural pauses, which is called as fluency (Nunan 2003). 2.1.3. Approaches to teaching speaking According to the theories of first and second language, Thornberry (2005; see also Leighton & Spade, 2006; Brown 2007) refers three theories of language learning relating to the speaking teaching. They are behaviorist, cognitive and socio-cultural theory. According to behaviorist, language is learned by “forming good habits through reinforcement” (Thornbury, 2005, p.38). The process of learning speaking follows presentation, practice, controlled production. The major purpose of the process is to form automatic habits. Firstly, EFL learners listen to teacher or a tape, videos. Then, they practice by drilling, retell, show and tell, etc. Finally, learners perform their product in front of the class. 3
According to cognitivists, learners‟ minds are expected as black boxes with the capacity of information processing. Speaking skill is examined to be developed through learning stages that range from being controlled to automatic. Learning first pays attention to awareness-raising of specific stages of a procedure, then changes to integrate the newly acquired knowledge and existing knowledge through practice and ends with self-controlling. In sociocultural theory, Thornbury (2005) and Lightbown & Spada (2006) states that the socio-cultural situation is significant in learning and they also express that learning is conducted through social interaction and with other learners. Learners need to have other-regulation, mediation of somebody who has better knowledge and can provide a supportive framework which can be like scaffold. Learners interact with partners, teachers etc and the interaction permits them to build new knowledge until they gain the appropriate level. They turn the knowledge into their own and can act themselves. 2.1.4. How to teach Speaking Many linguistics and ESL teachers agree that EFL learners acquire speaking skill by "interacting". Communicative language learning and collaborative learning meet the best for purpose. Communicative language learning focuses on real-life situations through communication. Using this method in ESL classes, learners will have chance to communicate in the target language. Teaching speaking skill covers three main periods including pre-, while and post speaking. Pre-Speaking Stage: Regina, Sik (1997) stated that pre-speaking stage is a period for planning and organizing. Pre-speaking stage is conducted firstly with the aim to preparing the learners‟ knowledge background. Through pre- speaking activities, learners‟ thought, reflection and experience are stimulated. This stage also includes supplying new knowledge, vocabulary and structures. While- Speaking Stage: In this period, the learners have to practice the new language in controll. The teacher can use the activities such as: repetition or drill, show and tell, running dictation, surveys, picture description, interview, sentence auction, etc. Learners work in collaborative environment in pairs, groups or teams. Post- Speaking Stage: The aim of this period is to help EFL learners to summarize what they have learned. In this period, learners do activities such as: making eloquence, role-play, picture description, interview, competition games, drama games, reporting…etc. According to Regina, Sik (1997), the post-speaking period is a time when EFL learners have chance to reflect upon their own speaking performance. Peer comment should be encouraged in this stage. Moreover, feedback needs to construct to encourage and avoid making unconfident for learners in the future. 4
2.1.5. Several types of speaking performance: Imitative Imitative is a term in teaching speaking that refers to the learners working like a parrot to repeat exactly the sounds of a word, a phrase or even a sentence. This performance mostly focuses on phonetic level. It is not exercised for the purpose of communication. The activity in this kind of performance is often drilling Intensive This type of performance is used after imitative step to carry out many kinds of speaking performance relating to grammatical and lexical aspects in learning a foreign language. Responsive The learners reply to the questions, comments in a meaningful way. The tasks in this kind are often making a short conversation, greetings, … Transactional This type of performance is only used in the dialogue. It is carried out for the purpose of exchanging detail information Interpersonal This type of performance is also used in the dialogue. It is carried out to maintain social communication relating to slang, ellipsis, etc and it makes the learners difficult to understand and catch up the meanings. Extensive This type of performance is used in monologue having form of oral summaries, short speeches or reports. This type of performance is advised to use for advanced level. 2.1.6. Techniques of Teaching Speaking Role Play One way of getting students to speak naturally is role play activity. Learners imagine they are in different social contexts and experience many social roles. During the activity, the learners have to work as the person that they play the role of and make response to what that person thinks or feels. Simulations Simulations seem similar to role-plays but simulations are more elaborate. In simulations, learners have to bring items to the class to create a realistic environment. For instance, if a learner is working as a singer, she must bring a microphone to sing. Role plays and simulations have many advantages because 5
they are entertaining and they motivate the learners. According to Harmer, role plays and simulations increase the self-confidence for hesitant learners because in role play and simulation activities, learners will have a different role and do not have to speak for themselves, which means learners do not have to take the same responsibility (1984). Information Gap In this activity, learners are supposed to work in pairs. One student has the information that the rest does not have, then the two partners will communicate to fill the information. This activity assists to collect information in a natural way and suits with the communicative approach of teaching method. Information gap is effective because everyone in class has the opportunity to express extensively in the target language. Brainstorming When having a topic, learners will produce ideas in a limited time. The learners can work individually or group to generate ideas quickly. The best characteristic of brainstorming is that the learners are not criticized for their ideas so they will be open to share new ideas. Storytelling Learners briefly summarize a story they heard from somebody before, or they can imagine their own stories to tell their classmates. Story telling fosters creative thinking and helps learners express their ideas in the format of beginning, development, and ending, including the characters and setting of a story. Learners also tell riddles or jokes. For example, the teacher can call some students to tell short funny stories or jokes as an interesting opening of the lesson. By this way, not only will the teacher enhance learners‟ speaking ability, but also draw the attention of the whole class. Interviews In this activity, learners implement interviews with various people. To attain the good result, the teacher should provide a rubric for learners in order to help them know what type of questions they can ask or what path to follow in each detailed context. However, learners should prepare their own interview questions. Interview activity gives learners a chance to practice their speaking skill not only in class but also outside and helps them become more socialable. After interviews, learners present their products to the class. Story Completion Learners sit in a circle or many small circles. In this activity, the teacher starts by telling a story, but after a few sentences the teacher stops narrating. Then, 6
each learner add from four to ten sentences to develop the story. Learners have to add new characters, events, descriptions, …etc to create a meaningful story. Reporting Before coming to class, learners are asked to read a newspaper or magazine and at the class, learners have to report what they find as the most interesting news. Learners can also discuss about what they experienced something worth or tell their classmates their daily routines before coming to class. Playing Cards Each student in a group will choose a card and write 4-5 questions about the topic to ask the other people in the group. The questions must not be yes-no questions, because yes-no questions bring little chance to practice spoken language. Students are encouraged to ask open-ended questions and the response is hoped to be more significant. Picture Describing Using pictures in a speaking activity is to give students a picture and let them describe what they see in the picture. In this activity, students can act in groups or pairs. The picture may be the same or different. Students discuss the picture with their groups or pairs, then a learner representing for each group describes the picture to the whole class. This activity does not only foster the learners‟ imagination and creativity but also improves their natural speaking skills. Find the Difference In this activity, learners work in pairs and each pair is given two different pictures. For instance, a student gets a picture of a village and another student gets a picture of a city. They work together to find out the similarities or the differences between the pictures. Discussions/Debates Learners work in groups to discuss a topic in a limited time. In this activity, students must work to develop a plan, resolve a problem, or complete a task.Teacher should arrange each group with a gifted student, which makes the competitive atmosphere among the groups. Moreover, the members of each group can help each other to make progression for learners who are weaker at learning. It is also important that the expression should be divided equally for all members in group.This activity well creates both critical thinking and making decision because of its characteristics. The teacher is advised to rearrange the groups in other lessons which give the learners the chance to work with various friends. 2.1.7. The difficulties learners meet when learning speaking. Pronunciation. 7
Nation (2009.p.75) stated, "When some teachers and students complain about difficulties in speaking, they are often talking about pronunciation”. Pronunciation actually brings a lot of difficulties for Vietnamese teachers who teach English, especially teachers in remote areas. However, pronunciation is really important in speaking. Derwing and Munro (2005) shared that, "having good pronunciation of the language can help in normal communication, particularly intelligibility". There are four major factors that cause problems for learners when they pronounce English. Firstly, the complexity of tense and lax vowels in English creates large confusion for most of learners. Secondly, a variety of dialect differences and consonant positions also cause confusion. Consonant clusters also lead speakers to make mistakes when speaking English. Finally, the stress in the words varies irregularly which make learners difficult to communicate. Fear of mistake. Most of learners when learning speaking English face up with the fear of making mistakes. Their fears come from being laughed at by other learners or being criticized by teachers. As a result, learners tend to stop participating in the speaking activities at class. Therefore, it is necessary for teachers to explain to their students that making mistakes is not a big problem because learners can learn themselves from their mistakes. Shyness. Shyness is an emotional body‟s response that many learners suffer from when they act something in front of a crowd as well as speak English in front of class. As a result, shyness is a source of problem during learning, especially in speaking class. Therefore, paying attention to this factor plays an important role to help learners do their best in learning speaking skill. Baldwin (2011) explained that making a speech in front of a large crowd is one of the common phobias that learners sometimes fall in shyness which makes their mind go blank and they forget what to say. Understanding this, teachers will have way to help learners overcome their shyness by creating a friendly and open environment in the class. By doing this, shy learners will feel confident and sympathetic with the mistakes they make during their learning. Solving the shyness problem, Chinmoy (2007) suggests that in order to help learners be more confident in their speaking, teachers should convince learners to look upon shyness as a thing to overcome and do not feel fear of failure or success. Failure is considered as the mother of success. Anxiety. According to Horwitz et, anxiety is a phenomenon of tension, apprehension and nervousness associated with the situation of learning a foreign language (Nascente, 2001). Nascente also expresses that anxiety stands out as one of the main blocking factors for effective language learning compared with other affective variables. In other words, anxiety influences learners during their learning 8
language. Therefore, when teaching speaking, this factor need be taken into consideration. Anxiety influences the quality of oral language production and makes individuals appear less fluent than they really are, which suggests that teachers have to try to make an attempt to create a comfortable learning atmosphere with interesting activities. Lack of Confidence Learners‟ lack of confidence often occurs when they realize that their cooperation with their classmates does not bring effectiveness. It means that they present their ideas or topics without receiving positive response from their classmates and teachers. If this situation happens repeatedly, learners will keep silent during the next periods of the speaking lessons. Another main cause of learners‟ low self-esteem and confidence is learners‟ poor ability in speaking English and the lack of encouragement from the teacher. So encouragement plays a vital role in building learners‟ confidence. Lack of motivation Motivation is considered as a key to learners‟ learning success. Motivation is an important factor that affects learners‟ energy to speak in English. Learners with a strong motivation can succeed persistently in learning and gain better result than those who have weaker motivation. Gardner in Nunan(1999) explains the causes of learners „ lack of motivation are uninspired teaching method , boredom, lack of perceived relevance of materials, lack of the goals of the instructional program. According to him, uninspired teaching affects much to learners‟ motivation of learning. He also adds that monotonous teaching reduces learners‟ motivation because of the feeling of boredom. Babu (2010) argues that lack of motivation in learning causes learners‟ hesitation in speaking English in classrooms. To solve this problem, teachers must have passion, creativity and interest in teaching. In other words, learners‟ motivation is strongly influenced by teachers‟ performance and passion. Therefore, teachers should show enthusiasm during their teaching work. Class size and material The number of learners in a classroom is a factor that the teacher needs to take in to consideration when conducting a lesson plan. In this respect, Mayer (2000, p. 31) claims "that the way teachers implement the course content, instructional pedagogy, and technology used in the classroom may all be influenced by the number of students in the class". He considers that students learn much better in small classes because the teacher is able to use techniques and pedagogy effectively. About materials, materials are considered to be among the most important tools that a teacher can use in class in order to make the teacher‟s lectures smoothly and be effective in transmitting the necessary knowledge to all learners. 9
Materials is regarded a useful means to motivate learners, arouse their interest and expose them to the real language they will face in the real world. Limited vocabulary. Vocabulary is one of the most important parts in teaching and learning a foreign language. It is the key for the development of all other skills in learning English. Vocabulary is considered as a main tool for learners in attempt to own a foreign language effectively. People can use words to express their ideas, thought, feeling and ... etc in most situations to get the target communication. For example, to buy something in a store, you just need to say the word relating to that item, you still buy it without difficulties. However, there is the fact that learners usually find it difficult to speak English in most real situations in life. They usually find speaking exhausting and they only use the same expressions and words so that their speech is stopped soon. Many learners are confronted with the problem of forgetting the words immediately or use the words which cause confusion of meanings. Therefore, the more words learners have, the easier they communicate. 2.2. Overview of graphic organizers. 2.2.1. The definition of graphic organizers The idea of graphic organizers has its root in Ausubel‟s theory of a meaningful learning (1960)(Maryam Heidarifard 2014). Graphic knowledge, also called the structured overview,was developed by Barron(1969) and based on the concept of the advance organizer of Ausubel(1968). A fundamental concept in Ausubel „s (1963)cognitive psychology was that learning takes place by assimilating new concepts and prepositions into learner‟s existing conceptual frameworks. Learning new knowledge is based on the learner‟s prior knowledge; he also believes that meaningful learning takes place when new information is linked to the learner‟s prior knowledge in a non-arbitrary and substantive way (chiu-ling chiang 2005). According to Ausubel‟s cognitive theory of meaningful verbal learning, the use of advance organizers enhances students‟ learning and retention of unfamiliar but meaningful materials (Ausubel, 1960). He assumed that the new information is acquired when it is linked to the learners‟ already existing cognitive structure (1968). Therefore, the purpose of the organizer is to activate students‟ prior knowledge and relate the new material to the previously stored information providing optimal anchorage and rendering the new material more familiar and meaningful (Ausubel, 1960), which is consistent with the schema theory (Anderson & Pearson, 1984). According to the schema theory, our mind is composed of cognitive structures (schemata) of knowledge, known as prior or background knowledge, which accept and assimilate the newly acquired information in order to enhance learning and retention of information. One has comprehended a text when s/he has found a “mental home” for the information in the text or has altered an existing one in order to accommodate the new knowledge 10
(Anderson & Pearson, 1984). The application of graphic organizers developed from pre-reading comprehension activities to reading and post reading ones (Maryam Heidarifard). Applying graphic organizers to many subject area and age levels, researchers have obtained strong piece of evidence for effectiveness of this technique (Dye, 2000). 2.2.2. The kinds of graphic organizers. Graphic organizers come in many different forms, each one best suited to organizing a particular type of information According to Meyer‟s (1985) classification, expository text structures include: 1. Description: The author describes a topic 2. Sequence: The author uses numerical or chronological order to list items or events 3. Compare/Contrast: The author compares and contrast two or more similar events, topics, or objects. 4. Cause/effect: The author delineates one or more causes and then describes the ensuing effects 5. Problem/solution: The author poses a problem or question and then gives the answer. Besides the above structures, Mohan (1986) added more structures as definition, classification, argument- reasoning, and for- against. Jiang and Grabe (2007) suggested a set of standardized easily-drawing samples shown these diagrams Network tree Spider Map 11
Problem and solution map Sequential Episodic Map Fishbone Map 2.2.3. The benefits of graphic organizers in teaching speaking skill. Graphic organisers have multiple uses. They can be used to structure writing projects, summarise reading texts, organise and store vocabulary, and help in problem solving, decision making, studying, planning research and brainstorming. While organisers often represent an individual's arrangement of information, they can also be used at group or class levels. A class flow-chart of the storyline may help all the students to follow the plot. Since most graphic organisers use short words or phrases, and sometimes drawings, they can be used with all levels and with young and less-able learners. 12
The teacher is given a record of the learner's thinking process. Graphic organisers can be used to assess students' knowledge and understand of the content, thinking skills and creativity. In speaking skill, graphic organizers make the study more enjoyable and efficient by showing the relationship, visualizing and simplifying ideas, and organizing information. Graphic organisers also provide the learner with a different way of seeing and thinking about information. Language barriers (words, grammar) are removed, so that learners can focus on the connections between information. Moreover, in most cases, dual-presentation or visual representation plus is more successful than either approach alone. Last but not least, analytical, critical, planning and creative thinking skills are developed. To create the map, the learner has to identify the relationships between items, examine the meanings attached to them, and prioritise the information and decide where each item should be placed on the map. Students are more likely to become strategic learners when talking. A structure, graphic display can also be converted into a lot of information. A large amount of information can be an be provided after looking graphic organizers so that it helps students gain the length of the talk. Creating the map helps the learner to generate ideas and see the possibilities associated with a topic as the map grows. 2.2.4. The steps of applying graphic organisers. Learners need to be trained to use graphic organisers and it is the teacher's job to introduce them gradually and systematically, beginning with simple mind maps to brainstorm topics and charts to provide a purpose for the topic learners are going to talk. Typically, followed in these stages: The teacher constructs the graphic organiser, provides students with a copy, and tells them how and when to complete it. The teacher and students co-construct graphic organisers showing important ideas as the content is explored. Teams of students construct graphic organisers cooperatively with the teacher acting as a guide. The students construct graphic organisers independently. In the early stages, it is a good idea for the teacher to keep a selection of organisers at hand so that learners have a choice and can experiment with a wider range of designs. Graphic organisers are as useful for teachers as they are for learners. They are a valuable tool in lesson planning, syllabus design, report writing and research as well as providing an insight into the individual learner's thought processes and learning style. 13
2.3. The study 2.3.1. The setting of the study. 2.3.1.1. The current issues of teaching and learning speaking skill for 10th graders at Tan Ky High School. Using English to communicate in real life, 10th graders at Tan Ky High School meet a lot of difficulties. They usually feel insecure about their level of English and they face problems communicating as well as expressing themselves in the target language. They also have little knowledge background, vocabulary and grammar. As a result, they remain silent as they are in fear of making mistakes and do not show active participation in speaking lessons. This poses for teachers to integrate, to teach students how to put knowledge into practice, to apply interdisciplinary knowledge to solve practical situations. 2.3.1.2. Participants Eighty EFL learners who participate in the study come from a rural local of Nghe An, which means their ability in English is not good, especially in speaking skill. Their age is sixteen and forty five learners are female, account for more than fifty six percent. They come from two classes of Tan Ky High School. 40 students come from class 10d4 and the rest come from class 10d5. The researcher divides them into two groups. The learners coming from class 10d4 belong to the experimental group and the learners coming from class 10d5 belong to the controll group. All of the surveyed learners have learned English for at least four years at secondary schools. However, most of them can not do grammar well as well as mastering four language skills. And in fact, of the four language skills, as many of learners revealed, they find speaking the most challenging. There are few students who can speak English fluently. Most of them hardly say a phrase or a sentence in English relating to the surroundings where they live. Moreover, the psychology of learners in rural areas is uncomfortable and confident when they speak a foreign language. Last but not least, the knowledge about the topic is sometimes exhausting to learners, which makes a big drawback for EFL learners to use English when speaking. 2.3.2. Research questions. In order to meet the abovedmentioned objectives, the research is focused to answer the following questions: 1. What are students‟ attitudes towards graphic organizers in learning speaking skill? 2. Do graphic organizers improve students‟ EFL speaking ability? If so, to what extent? 2.3.3. Research methodology. 14
Data collection instruments In order to achieve accurate research results, the data collection methods used in this research was aimed to collect both quantitative and qualitative data to take advantages of analytical-monological and exploratory interpretive paradigms in applied linguistics (Nunan, 1996). The quantitative data were collected from pre and post tests with the total of more than …questions and were analyzed statistically whereas the qualitative data were concluded from the structured interview and class observation. Five main elements of speaking progress are paid attention to are: Vocabulary, grammar, fluency, length and comprehension. Questionnaires. For the purpose of data collection, a set of questionnaire for pre-survey and post- survey was designed to discover the participants‟ motivation, method, ..etc in learning speaking skill. At the beginning of the study, the questionnaire was designed to gather EFL learners‟ and teachers‟ opinion on the speaking skill as well as their using English daily. The questions are short, simple and easy to understand. The participants were required to answer the questions by circling the appropriate scales to determine their awareness. After some months of being treated, students and teachers are asked to give their personal opinion regarding the graphic organizers and their progress. The questionnaires usefully helped the writer evaluate exactly the changes in learning and teaching work relating to graphic organizers. Observation. Observation was another research instrument to examine the EFL students‟ participation and progress. Since different students develop their speaking skill in different ways, it was difficult to capture the EFL learners‟ progress through questionnaires interviews. Therefore, observations provided precious information needed in the study. Through observations I realize that every EFL student gets improvement if they take part in the study. Some learners speak more naturally, others are more confident when communicating or expressing, others get the numerous vocabulary. And above all, most of the EFL learners are active and enthusiastic at introducing their local places. Test. The author applied both pre- test and post-test in the study. The pre-test assisted the author to appreciate the learners‟ level, knowledge, attitude and method in learning. The post-test was applied in the last period of the study to evaluate the progress of the learners‟ after being treated with scaffolding technique. The score of the test is base on five criterions: Lexical resource, fluency, pronunciation, grammatical range and accuracy and comprehension. 15